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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:06:00 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h Tough camera shot of you after the home run goes a mile directly over your head wearing the #44 fleece.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:07:30 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h "We had a lot of people down... we had Chris, we had Kenley. We had Barraclough and a couple of guys. This is where we were."
If there was confusion, this was the start of the press conference before moving on to Sale
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:09:10 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 8h Have to feel bad for Barraclough at this point. For reasons unclear, the Sox are leaving him out there to roast. Hard to imagine this is what Cora actually wants to do.
It's 13-4 as Jose Altuve completes the cycle with a monster HR. A huge group of Astros fans are singing and cheering as Red Sox fans flee Fenway Park.
This is where they are as an organization.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:11:56 GMT -5
Stunningly, the Red Sox raised the white flag against the Astros By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated August 29, 2023, 12:25 a.m.
The Red Sox had a one-run lead against the team they are chasing in the American League wild card race through five innings on Monday night.
Then they gave up.
How else can you put it? Journeyman righthander Kyle Barraclough was left in the game to allow 11 runs over 4⅓ innings in what ended as an embarrassing 13-5 loss against the Houston Astros.
In what is Chaim Bloom’s fourth season as chief baseball officer, the Red Sox entered an important game without any lefthanded relievers in the bullpen and at least four righthanders who were deemed unavailable.
That left manager Alex Cora with little choice but to wear out a pitcher who was called up from Triple A Worcester before the game and will surely be sent back on Tuesday, if not released.
“We had a lot of guys down,” Cora said in a low voice. “This is where we were. It just didn’t happen with [Barraclough] today.”
That the Red Sox did not even attempt to cobble together 12 outs was stunning. Barraclough walked the first two batters in the sixth inning on 10 pitches and nobody stirred in the bullpen.
Houston went on to send 12 batters to the plate and score six runs and nobody warmed up. Barraclough threw 94 pitches, 48 more than he had thrown in any of his previous 227 major league games.
He walked five, hit three, and allowed 11 hits.
“As bad as I’ve ever thrown the ball in my life,” said Barraclough, who offered no excuses.
Once the Astros took a 9-4 lead, Barraclough was left with the task of finishing the game. Houston took full advantage, pounding out hit after hit.
It was so bad that Cora offered to have a position player pitch the ninth inning but Barraclough said he would finish the game.
“You saw my face. It was all over TV. It’s uncomfortable,” Cora said.
Cora said the Sox had Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen available. Josh Winckowski had thrown only 20 pitches over the previous four days, those coming on Saturday. But he was not cleared to pitch by the medical staff.
“This is where we were,” Cora said again, a phrase he repeated several times.
Where they are is a product of the rotation having thrown the second-fewest innings in the American League. Only Oakland, which gave up on its season before it started, has fewer.
Bloom’s decision to add only one starting pitcher to the roster in the offseason, 37-year-old Corey Kluber, has proven disastrous.
Kluber was hit hard on Opening Day and had a 6.26 ERA over nine starts before being demoted to the bullpen. He has been on the injured list since June 21.
Injury-prone Chris Sale, who allowed three runs over 4⅔ innings Monday, has a 4.75 ERA in 15 starts. James Paxton, who appeared in only six games from 2020-22, pitched well for much of the season but has predictably worn down in recent weeks. Related: Red Sox rotation has its bodies back, but remains deeply lacking
Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock have had good moments but all three had been swingmen in their careers. Only Brayan Bello has been in the rotation since April.
Sale was angry afterward, beating himself up as he often does.
“My teammates deserved better,” he said. “They needed someone to step up big tonight. We were obviously gassed out in the bullpen … That’s embarrassing; that’s unacceptable.”
But given all his injuries since 2020, that Sale has had an uneven season was to be expected. The Sox should have been better prepared coming into the season.
But they weren’t. This is where they are.
When Jose Altuve homered in the eighth inning to complete the cycle, a large group of Houston fans cheered loudly as Red Sox fans filed out of Fenway Park, their team now 13½ games out of first place and 5½ games behind in the wild card.
Every team runs into bad days over 162 games. But conceding an important late-season game? That is not something you’d expect from the Red Sox.
How much longer is the fan base expected to accept that?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:16:44 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK After tearing up the minor leagues, prospect Ceddanne Rafaela is promoted to the Red Sox By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 28, 2023, 4:51 p.m.
When Ceddanne Rafaela got the word from Triple A manager Chad Tracy that the Red Sox were calling him up Monday, the top prospect was playing Playstation with his brother.
Rafaela missed a couple of calls before Tracy finally got a hold of the 22-year-old and delivered the news.
“He told me, ‘Do you want to play in the big leagues?’ " Rafaela said. “I was like, ‘Of course,’ "
Rafaela arrived at Fenway Park from Worcester late Monday afternoon ahead of the Red Sox’ series opener against the Astros. He fielded questions from the home dugout while the Astros took batting practice and was in awe of his surroundings.
“This is the most beautiful day,” Rafaela said with a huge smile.
The Sox recalled Rafaela and David Hamilton from Worcester after infielder Pablo Reyes was placed on the injured list with left elbow inflammation and outfielder Wilyer Abreu went on the paternity list.
Rafaela made his debut in the eighth inning of the Sox’ 13-5 loss. He came on to play center field in the top of the inning, then dropped a single to right on the first pitch he saw in the bottom half (but was doubled off first on a pop out to end the frame).
While Hamilton can provide the Sox with speed off the bench, Rafaela, undoubtedly, is the headliner. Rafaela is a wizard in center field with the ability to also play shortstop.
The righthanded hitter has made some strides at the plate, too, entering Monday hitting .312/.370/.618 with 14 home runs in 48 games for Triple A Worcester — and he was promoted only in June from Double A Portland. He has been dazzling for the WooSox, compiling a 14-game hitting streak and a 21-game on-base streak.
“I talked to Chad and [Rafaela] is doing a lot of good things,” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I think the swing decisions are improving. We know the athlete. Obviously this is a different level but we expect him to come in, and whenever he plays, just go out there and have fun playing center. He can play short. He can run. He’s been hitting for power. Discipline has been a lot better the last few weeks, which is very important at this level.”
The plate discipline, while it has improved, is still an area of concern. Rafaela walked at just a 5.5 percent clip (12 walks in 219 plate appearances) in two months in Triple A. His elite athleticism and knack for finding the barrel, the Red Sox hope, can mask some of his chase tendencies.
“We have to wait and see,” said Cora when asked if Rafaela can have success in the big leagues despite eluding the zone. “Especially against a team like [Houston]. They’ll find their blue zones and attack, attack, attack until you don’t swing, so it’s going to be a challenge. Little by little he has been getting better, but it’s not the final product. Obviously, he knows he needs to get better at that.”
Following the loss, Cora said Rafaela might get the start in center Tuesday for the middle game of the series. Rookie righthander J.P. France will be on the mound for the Astros.
“I’ve learned a lot [in the last year] and I’m just trusting the process,” Rafaela said. “I know what I’m capable of.”
Duvall picks up an award
Adam Duvall was named American League Player of the Week before hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning that gave the Sox a short-lived lead.
He hit .483 (14 for 29) with five homers, 12 RBI, five doubles, two walks, and seven runs across seven games. Duvall also posted a .516 on-base percentage, 1.172 slugging percentage and 1.688 OPS in that span.
The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts took home the award for the National League, hitting .615 with a homer, seven RBI, four doubles, three walks, nine runs and two stolen bases in six games. In three weekend games at Fenway against his former team, Betts was 7 for 15 with three extra-base hits, five runs, and four RBIs. Devers returns to action
Rafael Devers returned to the lineup Monday after missing Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers. The third baseman was plunked on the wrist in Saturday’s contest and later underwent X-rays that came back negative. He was 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts … Reyes initially hurt his elbow on a swing Saturday. He played through it Sunday as the Sox’ second baseman with the club lacking infield depth. Reyes, when asked how he was feeling in the clubhouse Monday, gave a thumbs-down gesture, noting he was still in a decent amount of pain.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:21:31 GMT -5
Astros @ Red Sox Tuesday, August 29th 7pm @ Fenway
France 9-5/ 3.51
Bello 10-7/ 3.56
Young pitchers meet again for Red Sox, Astros FLM
Two of baseball's best young pitchers face off when the Boston Red Sox host the Houston Astros in the middle game of a three-game series on Tuesday night.
The Red Sox will turn to 24-year-old right-hander Brayan Bello (10-7, 3.56 ERA) after he recorded his team-leading 10th win on Thursday in Houston, pitching seven innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts.
Bello's mound opponent that day, in a contest the Red Sox won 17-1 to gain a four-game series split with the Astros, was J.P. France (9-5, 3.51 ERA). The same two pitchers will clash on Tuesday.
Bello is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA against the Astros in his career over one relief appearance and the one start last week.
The Thursday blowout was crucial for Boston, which is attempting to chase down on American League wild-card spot.
"It was very important for us to split (last week's) series," Bello said through an interpreter. "When we lost the first two games, I talked to Chris Sale. I told him, 'It's up to us to try to split the series and try to win these two games.' And we did it."
Three losses in four games have since followed, including a 13-5, season-opening setback to the Astros on Monday in Boston.
Another strong start from Bello will be vital. He is 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA over five games in August.
The Red Sox are 15-7 this season in Bello's starts.
"He's good against everybody," Boston manager Alex Cora said earlier this month. "I think we get caught up sometimes on (him giving up) three runs in six innings. The lefties are hitting him and all that, but it's part of the progression. He's still learning and he's good."
Another Boston player who has been very good of late is Adam Duvall. The reigning American League Player of the Week has homered six times over his past eight games, including a long ball on Monday.
The Astros' offense is hot, too, having matched the single-game franchise record with 25 hits in a 17-4 win at Detroit on Sunday and then scoring 10 of its 13 runs in the sixth through eighth innings the following night.
Houston has also set a franchise record for most hits in consecutive games (43) and in a three-game span (57).
Monday's highlight was Jose Altuve becoming the first Astro since 2013 to hit for the cycle. Altuve and Yordan Alvarez each had four hits, including Alvarez's first home run since Aug. 6.
"Hopefully this is the start of something good," Houston manager Dusty Baker said.
The Astros could soon receive a boost from outfielder Michael Brantley, who hit and fielded with the team prior to the Monday game as he looks to return to the major league field for the first time since June 2022. Shoulder surgery has sidelined him since.
Baker said a decision will be made "in the next couple days" regarding Brantley's status.
"The plan is to play left sometimes and DH sometimes, I think that'll help him and (Alvarez) both," Baker said. "Just got to choose when and where ... and try to have them where they can both be productive."
On the mound, France will look to rebound from the shortest and worst outing of his rookie season. The 28-year-old allowed 10 runs on 11 hits in 2 1/3 innings on Thursday in his first career meeting with the Red Sox.
"It seemed like everything I threw they were hitting, whether it was cutters away, heaters in, heaters away," France said. "Just one of those days."
--Field Level Media
Astros at Red Sox Tuesday, at 7:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 70° F with a 40% chance of precipitation and 6 MPH wind blowing right to left in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 13:22:29 GMT -5
Game 133: Astros at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated August 29, 2023, 2 hours ago That was not the series start the Red Sox were looking for. Entering the night 4½ games behind in the wild-card race, the Sox were pounded by the Astros, 13-5, Monday at Fenway Park. Perhaps the only highlight was the major league debut of prospect Ceddanne Rafaela, who came on to play center field in the top of the eighth, then recorded his first hit in the bottom of the inning. The two teams will resume their series Tuesday night, with Brayan Bello on the mound for the Sox. Lineups ASTROS (75-58): Jose Altuve (R) 2B Alex Bregman (R) 3B Yordan Alvarez (L) DH Kyle Tucker (L) RF Jose Abreu (R) 1B Michael Brantley (L) LF Yainer Diaz (R) C Mauricio Dubon (R) CF Jeremy Pena (R) SS Pitching: RHP J.P. France (9-5, 3.51 ERA) RED SOX (69-63): Alex Verdugo (L) RF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Justin Turner (R) DH Masataka Yoshida (L) LF Adam Duvall (R) CF Triston Casas (L) 1B Trevor Story (R) SS Reese McGuire (L) C David Hamilton (L) 2B Pitching: RHP Brayan Bello (10-7, 3.56 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Astros vs. Bello: Jose Altuve 1-3, Yordan Alvarez 1-3, Alex Bregman 1-4, Yainer Diaz 1-3, Mauricio Dubón 3-3, Corey Julks 0-3, Chas McCormick 1-3, Jeremy Peña 1-3, Jon Singleton 1-3, Kyle Tucker 1-3 Red Sox vs. France: Rafael Devers 1-2, Adam Duvall 1-2, Justin Turner 1-2, Luis Urías 2-2, Alex Verdugo 2-3, Connor Wong 2-2, Masataka Yoshida 0-2 Stat of the day: The Astros have 57 hits over their last three games, a franchise record and the most in MLB since the Red Sox had 60 from Aug. 14-16 in 2015. Notes: Casas has 11 RBIs over his last 15 games. … Bello is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA against the Astros in his career over one relief appearance and the one start last week in which he allowed one run in seven innings while striking out four in a 17-1 win. … France took the loss after he allowed 10 runs on 11 hits in 2⅓ innings in his first career meeting with the Red Sox. … Duvall is batting .355 with 6 doubles, 7 home runs, and 19 RBIs in his last 17 games. Song of the Day: Boots Randolph plays the 2023 Red Sox Anthem "Yakety Sax" www.youtube.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 15:04:43 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 1h The original plan was for Rafaela to start tonight and for Duvall to get a night off. When Duvall homered for the sixth time in eight games, those plans changed.
Roster move of the day. The Red Sox today recalled LHP Joe Jacques from Triple-A Worcester. To make room on the active roster, the club optioned RHP Kyle Barraclough to Worcester following last night’s game against the Houston Astros.
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 41m Joe Jacques recalled from Triple-A Worcester. Kyle Barraclough optioned after a tough Monday night.
Red Sox didn't have a left-hander in the bullpen. They also had several pitchers unavailable. That group has been taxed due to a thin starting rotation.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 15:06:28 GMT -5
Same old shit of the Sox calling up a kid and nailing his ass to the bench Abreau before he went on pat list played only one damn game.....
my guess is the analytic team does not have them in the line up maker.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 16:50:41 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Updates from Fenway:
* Season-ending toe surgery for Duran. * Kelly and Kluber making progress toward pitching again this season. * Sox can use relievers tonight.
Strong season for Jarren Duran at the plate (.295./346/.482) and much better in the OF and on the bases.
Unfortunate he'll miss the final 38 games because he tried to scale an 8.5-foot fence at Yankee Stadium to catch a HR three rows deep.
Cora would not commit to the idea of keeping Rafaela and/or Abreu for the remainder of the season. Would think one of them sticks around.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 18:03:09 GMT -5
Grateful to have the Astros feed again
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 18:21:52 GMT -5
hahahahahahah He gets Alltuve out and then Bello serves a cookie to Bregman that is crushed and then Alvarez golfs one to RF past Pesky's Pole
12 pitches in
2-0 Astros
Astros fans cheering drowning out the boos.
Bloomball.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 18:24:35 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 4h Are Red Sox going to do everything possible to try to win tonight? They did not last night. And should tell fans in advance if they have already decided they don’t have enough pitching to compete in this one.
Dan Shaughnessy reposted alan miller @alanm33 · 4h While the Red Sox try and con their fans with the illusion of being in the playoff hunt they play a game against one of their rivals with no arms in the bullpen. Bloom continues to embarrass this once great franchise
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 18:30:13 GMT -5
NESN booth to the end
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 20:05:58 GMT -5
Schrieber just shit all over the mound
5-1 Astros
middle 6
enough of this shit
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