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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:16:03 GMT -5
Bregman, Alvarez homer in 1st inning leading Astros over Red Sox 6-2 AP
BOSTON (AP) Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez hit back-to-back homer runs in the first inning and the Houston Astros continued their late-August surge with a 6-2 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Mauricio Dubón added a two-run double in the sixth for the Astros, who kept pace in a tight race for the AL West after entering the night one game behind division-leading Seattle.
“It was huge just to come out and get some runs on the board,” said Bregman, who also had an RBI single in the fifth.
The Astros opened a 3 1/2-game lead over Toronto for the final AL wild card spot and are 1 percentage point behind Texas, which is second.
Since dropping three straight last week, including a pair of losses to the Red Sox in Houston, the defending World Series champion Astros have slugged their way to four straight wins, scoring 45 runs during the streak.
“It’s awesome what we’re doing. Bats are coming alive. The starters, bullpen - everybody’s doing their job right now and it’s all coming together,” said J.P. France, who got his 10th win of the season less than a week after getting shelled by the Red Sox during a 17-1 loss at Houston.
France (10-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings, holding Boston to two runs on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Adam Duvall homered for Boston, which has lost four of five and fell one step closer to being knocked out of playoff contention with 29 games remaining.
Brayan Bello (10-8) pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs - two of them earned - on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He got stuck with an unearned run in the fifth after a fielding error by Rafael Devers at third base helped set up Bregman’s RBI single that pushed Houston’s lead to 3-1.
“After the first inning he was good. We just didn’t make plays behind him,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. ”We put ourselves in a bad spot not making plays."
Bello steadied himself after a rough start in the first, when after striking out Jose Altuve, Bregman and Alvarez hit back-to-back homers that put the Astros up 2-0.
Bregman drove a 2-1 sinker from Bello out to left-center for his 22nd homer and had barely made it back to the dugout before Alvarez hit a line drive just inside Pesky’s Pole in right for his 23rd.
“Most of them go foul down there but it didn’t have time to go foul,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said.
ROOKIE REDEMPTION
France, who made his big-league debut in May, was facing the Red Sox for the second time in less than a week and fared much better in Boston. France was also the starter last Friday, when he lasted just 2 1/3 innings and allowed 10 runs on 11 hits.
“He got his 10th win. That’s pretty good for a guy that you didn’t really count on,” Baker said. “So he’s been our surprise guy. He goes about his business and serious about it, but calm and collected. That’s what you like to see out of young players.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Reinstated OF Michael Brantley from the 60-day injured list and started him in left field. Brantley, a five-time All-Star, hadn’t played in a game since June 2022 and had been recovering from surgery on his right shoulder. Brantley batted sixth and went 0-for-4. … The Astros optioned OF Corey Julks to Triple-A Sugar Land and designated RHP Jake Cousins for assignment.
Red Sox: Announced OF Jarren Duran will miss the remainder of the season following surgery for a toe injury. Manager Alex Cora said he expects Duran to be ready for spring training.
UP NEXT
Astros RHP Framber Valdez (9-9, 3.40 ERA) starts the series finale Wednesday afternoon. The Red Sox had yet to name a starter for the game, which is the Red Sox’s last at home until Baltimore visits on Sept. 8.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:40:43 GMT -5
Boston's WC chase slowed by defensive errors, stagnant offense Duvall hammers 7th homer in last nine games, Bello goes 4 2/3 in loss to Astros 12:44 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- With September approaching ever too quickly for the Red Sox, time is growing short and odds are getting long for the club to be able to make a legitimate postseason push.
For weeks, Boston was in range of that third American League Wild Card spot.
But Wednesday’s 6-2 loss at Fenway to the defending World Series champion Astros pushed the Red Sox 6 1/2 games back with 29 games to go.
Just three days ago, manager Alex Cora’s team was in striking distance at 3 1/2 games back. But that was followed by an ill-timed three-game losing streak.
“We’ve got tomorrow,” Cora said. “We play tomorrow, and we’ve got to find a way to win. Then Thursday is off and then Friday [in Kansas City], we'll see where we’re at. [The Astros] are going to play their division. We still got some series against the division. We just have to play better baseball, we haven't done that. We are where we are because we’ve struggled in certain areas of the game and it’s catching up [to us] now.”
This homestand was set to be a pivotal one with three against the Dodgers and three more against the Astros. The Dodgers came to Fenway and took two out of three, and now Houston has already taken this series heading into Wednesday’s 4:10 p.m. ET finale. The best Boston can do is a 2-4 homestand.
According to FanGraphs, Boston’s chances of making the postseason are down to 6.3 percent.
Houston is the team currently in possession of the third AL Wild Card spot, which created an opportunity for Boston to close ground in a three-game series at home when it mattered most.
Instead, things have gone in the other direction.
“When we got back from the road trip, we were motivated,” said starting pitcher Brayan Bello, who took the loss. “I think we lost a little bit of ground in that race, but baseball is not over. We still have a month of important games ahead of us and we’ll make everything possible to try to make it to the playoffs.”
While Cora had to reset his bullpen during losses the previous two days, he had a full bullpen back at his disposal for this one.
However, the relentless Astros scored off the first three relievers Cora used.
Though abbreviated starts have been a significant issue for the Red Sox, Bello -- the one guy who has been providing innings -- was removed more for matchup reasons with two outs in the fifth and the dangerous Yordan Alvarez at the plate.
Lefty Joe Jacques came on and got Alvarez looking, keeping it a 3-1 game in favor of the Astros.
But it should have been 2-1. The Red Sox gifted the Astros an unearned run before Bello’s exit. Rafael Devers, who has had defensive issues all season, bobbled a routine grounder for his 17th error of the season.
Still, the Sox had a chance to escape the inning without a run coming across. Second baseman David Hamilton fielded a ground ball while standing on the bag for an easy forceout. An accurate throw to first would have made an inning-ending double play. Instead, the ball skipped well out of the reach of first baseman Triston Casas and Alex Bregman hammered an RBI single.
This is the way it has too often gone for the Red Sox on defense this season.
“We didn’t make two routine plays and they’re really good at what they do,” said Cora. “We just didn’t make plays behind him.”
About the only bright spot for the Red Sox in this one was the continuation of Adam Duvall’s power tear. The slugger belted his seventh homer in his last nine games, a laser into the Monster Seats.
“Even the last one he missed, he’s very calm and not expanding,” said Cora. “They’re going to make pitches and we know that, but he’s staying with his game plan, recognizing what they're trying to do and when he gets his pitch, he’s not missing. He’s in a good spot right now.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:43:18 GMT -5
Red Sox lose: Starter goes fewer than 5 IP for 14th time in 27 August games
Published: Aug. 29, 2023, 10:10 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — A Red Sox starter failed to make it through 5 innings for the 14th time in 27 games during August. Boston’s defense also scuffled again.
Brayan Bello, who has been Boston’s most reliable starter, pitched only 4 ⅔ innings in the Red Sox’s 6-2 loss to the Astros on Tuesday at Fenway Park.
Boston starters have pitched 5 or fewer innings in 20 of 27 games this month. Bello gave up three runs (two earned runs), four hits and two walks while striking out two.
The 24-year-old righty allowed back-to-back solo homers to Alex Bregman and Yordan Álvarez with one out in the first inning. Bregman connected on a 94.4 mph sinker and sent it 403 feet to left-center field. Álvarez hit a slider, sending it 334 feet to right field with a 113.2 mph exit velocity.
Bad Red Sox defense leads to a Houston run
Houston went ahead 3-1 in the fifth. Rafael Devers made a fielding error with one out on Mauricio Dubon’s grounder to third. David Hamilton had a chance to turn a double play to escape the inning without any runs scoring but he skipped a throw past first baseman Triston Casas after stepping on the second base bag for the second out. The next hitter, Bregman, ripped an RBI single.
McGuire can’t tag out runner
Dubon’s two-run double to center field in the sixth off John Schreiber made it 5-1. Trevor Story cut off Adam Duvall’s throw from center. Story’s throw home to Reese McGuire beat the second runner, Yainer Díaz. But McGuire failed to get the tag down and Díaz was called safe.
Duvall homers again
Adam Duvall cut it to 5-2 with a 389-foot homer to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning. Duvall has homered in seven of his past nine games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:45:14 GMT -5
Rafael Devers hurting Red Sox’s playoff odds, having worst season since ‘18
Updated: Aug. 30, 2023, 1:28 a.m.|Published: Aug. 30, 2023, 12:02 a.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Third baseman Rafael Devers’ bad defense again hurt the Red Sox on Tuesday. Devers made his 17th error and Boston lost 6-2 to the Astros, dropping its odds of making the playoffs to 6%, per Fangraphs.com.
“We put ourselves in a bad spot not making plays,” manager Alex Cora said.
Houston went ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning after Devers made a fielding error with one out on Mauricio Dubon’s grounder to third. Second baseman David Hamilton had a chance to turn a double play and escape the inning without any runs scored but he skipped a throw past first baseman Triston Casas. The next hitter, Alex Bregman, ripped an RBI single. Cora was asked if those two plays defined the game.
“I believe so, yeah,” Cora said. “We didn’t make two routine plays and they (the Astros) are really good at what they do.”
Devers, who was not available to the media following the loss, entered Tuesday ranked 14th out of 15 qualified third basemen in defensive runs saved (-5). He leads all Red Sox players in WAR (2.6). But his WAR this year compared to his other seasons shows he’s having his worst year (not including COVID-shortened 2020) since 2018 when he was a 21 year old in his first full big league season.
Devers led all Red Sox players in WAR (6.7) in 2019 — ahead of Mookie Betts (6.4) and Xander Bogaerts (5.9). He posted a 4.2 WAR in 2021 and a 4.8 WAR last year.
Devers is producing offensively with a .269/.344/.509/.853 line, 29 homers, 28 doubles and 88 RBIs in 125 games. But his bad defense has him nowhere near his WAR totals from his previous three full seasons.
His 17th error Tuesday ties him for the most errors in the big leagues. It comes after he signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in January.
Boston is holding on by a thread as September approaches. The Red Sox are six and a half games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. They would have to pass two teams to make it in.
Devers’ defense obviously isn’t the only reason the Red Sox are in this challenging spot though. There are several factors, including poor overall team defense and their starting pitchers not going deep. Brayan Bello has been Boston’s most reliable starter but he pitched only 4 ⅔ innings Tuesday. Red Sox starters have failed to make it through 5 innings 14 times in 27 games during August. They have pitched 5 or fewer innings in 20 of 27 games this month.
“After the first inning he was good,” Cora said about Bello. “We just didn’t make plays behind him.”
The calendar turns to September on Friday and the Red Sox look like they are in a hole they won’t be able to escape.
“We’ve got tomorrow,” Cora said. “We play tomorrow. You’ve gotta find a way to win. And then Thursday’s off and Friday we’ll see where we’re at. ... We’ve just gotta play better baseball. We haven’t done that. We are where we are because we have struggled in certain areas of the game and it’s catching up now.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:50:43 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 8h Schreiber came off the IL in late July. He carried a 5.65 ERA into tonight over his last 14 appearances. That number will grow.
Opponents haven't been fooled as often as in 2022 -- 14 2/3 IP, 16 H, 8 BB, 15 K in that span.
Rangers also won earlier tonight. Boston now 6 1/2 games behind both Texas teams for the final AL Wild Card spot.
They will lose this series. Brayan Bello -- their best starter in recent weeks -- managed 14 outs. A rested bullpen leaked oil from there.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:53:33 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 9h Trevor Story struck out on a breaking ball in the 4th. Teams attacking with spin. Numbers aren't pretty.
AVG SLG Whiff% 2019 .271 .536 36.0 2020 .235 .451 38.7 2021 .214 .401 37.0 2022 .203 .383 35.2 2023 .080 .111 51.0
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 9h My eyes tell me he can’t hit the breaking ball. The stats are hideous. Wow.
The ball doesn’t break as much at Coors Field, and it’s well documented that Story has struggled to hit outside of Coors in his career. This all makes sense.
I would never throw him a fastball. Ever.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 4:57:11 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 9h Quite a thing when they review a call and still get it wrong. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 5:11:36 GMT -5
Astros @ Red Sox 30 August 2023 4pm @ Fenway
Valdez 9-9/ 3.40
Crawford 6-6/ 3.65
Red Sox attempt to break out of rut, slow Astros FLM
With August drawing to a close, the Boston Red Sox are seeing their playoff hopes fade.
The Red Sox, who are now 6 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card spot, will attempt to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros on Wednesday afternoon.
In Houston's 6-2 win on Tuesday, the Astros took advantage of a Boston error in the fifth inning after back-to-back home runs by Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez in the first set the tone.
Brayan Bello was the fourth straight Red Sox starter who failed to complete five innings.
"We are where we are because we've struggled in certain areas of the game," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "It's catching up (with us) now."
Right-hander Kutter Crawford (6-6, 3.65 ERA) will look to give the Red Sox a much-needed strong start on Wednesday.
Crawford struck out seven and allowed just two runs on four hits across five innings in a no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
In his lone career start vs. Houston, Crawford allowed just one run on seven hits across six innings in a victory on Aug. 2, 2022.
The Red Sox, in the midst of a difficult week that also included call-up Kyle Barraclough being tagged for 10 runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings on Monday, promoted top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela from Triple-A Worcester to make his major league debut.
Rafaela is the No. 3 prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline.
"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," Cora said. "He's been hitting for power. Discipline has been a lot better the last few weeks, which is very important at this level."
Rafaela recorded his first hit in Boston's 13-5, series-opening loss on Monday but has yet to make a major league start.
Boston is also getting impressive production from center fielder Adam Duvall, who has hit seven home runs during his current nine-game hitting streak. He homered for the fourth game in a row on Tuesday.
The Astros have won four straight games, amassing 66 hits in that span to tie a franchise record. They climbed into a three-way tie for first place on Tuesday with the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.
Though he went 0-for-4 in the Tuesday win, Michael Brantley provided a boost to the Houston lineup in his return from right shoulder surgery.
Brantley last played in the majors on June 26, 2022. He went 14-for-47 (.298) with a homer and 12 RBIs in 16 rehab games for Triple-A Sugar Land.
"It's great to have him back, he's worked hard to get back to this point," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "He's been as patient as any man can be. He's the consummate team man, team player, team leader."
Left-hander Framber Valdez (9-9, 3.40 ERA) will take the mound for Houston in the series finale.
Valdez no-hit the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 1 before allowing 16 runs (15 earned) on 24 hits over his next three starts, but he bounced back for seven no-hit innings on Friday in a no-decision at Detroit.
Valdez worked around five walks and a hit batter vs. the Tigers.
"That was part of my plan, just mix a lot of my pitches," Valdez said through an interpreter. "Mix them up, mix them around, try not to get predictable."
In four career appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox, Valdez is 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA.
--Field Level Media
Astros at Red Sox Wednesday, at 4:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 78° F with a 18% chance of rain and 6 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 4:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Partly cloudy skies and comfortable temperatures are expected for Wednesday afternoon's game at Fenway Park. A light breeze blowing out to right field will improve home run chances slightly in that direction.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 7:16:52 GMT -5
The Red Sox haven't been equipped to win when it counted the most
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 13 minutes ago
Underdog: a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest.
OK, now the word fits.
After Tuesday night's 6-2 loss to the Astros at Fenway Park, the Red Sox' odds to make the postseason according to Fangraphs stand at 6.9 percent. They are 6 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and are riding a starting pitching staff that has gotten five outs in the seventh inning this entire month.
After the game, there wasn't the kind of doom and gloom presented by Padres manager Bob Melvin ("There’s really no reason to even look at the standings at this point in time. It’s just, keep playing — keep playing and hope that something breaks that we haven’t been able to do basically the entire season.”) Alex Cora and his bunch are doing their best to put on a brave face.
“We’ve got tomorrow,” Cora told reporters. “We play tomorrow, and we’ve got to find a way to win. Then Thursday is off and then Friday [in Kansas City], we'll see where we’re at. [The Astros] are going to play their division. We still got some series against the division. We just have to play better baseball, we haven't done that. We are where we are because we’ve struggled in certain areas of the game and it’s catching up [to us] now.”
They continue to be uncomfortable bad defensively - as was put on display once again Tuesday night - with a bullpen that now has a 6.40 ERA in August, having thrown just 8 1/3 fewer innings than the starters. ADVERTISING
But through all the ups and downs - and there have been plenty of them - it's hard to not identify five games that seemingly broke these Red Sox.
They knew going into the early-August series against the Blue Jays, a team directly in front of them in the Wild Card race, the three games were going to set the tone for the playoff chase. The Red Sox were swept. What could have been one game up, became five games out.
They also realized how important these games vs. the Astros were considering Houston was also the club standing between the Sox and that coveted No. 3 Wild Card spot. The result has been a resounding thud from the home side of things, with the Red Sox once again falling flat during this make-or-break moment.
Losses are losses, and sometimes it's simply about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it's hard to ignore how exactly these be-all, end-all games have unfolded for the Red Sox.
Against the Blue Jays, you rolled out two bullpen games, resulting in 20 of the 27 innings coming from relievers. It was a group that allowed 30 hits on 24 runs. Not ideal. And, considering the Sox' lot in life during that time, really inexcusable.
Then you had the series opener against the Astros in a series that was probably going to steer down the road you would be riding for the final month. What happened? The Red Sox were forced to rely on two pitchers - starter Chris Sale and reliever Kyle Barraclough - to somehow get to at least the eighth inning. Two pitchers. Biggest game. It didn't work out.
None of this reality can be put in one bucket, but it does feel that some of it could have been avoided. It just felt like one more reliable arm - starter (hello, Lance Lynn or Michael Lorenzen) or even reliever (hello, Keynan Middleton) would have altered this landscape, particularly when it counted the most.
Sure, it's a simplistic way to view things during what has been anything but a simple path to postseason consideration.
Injuries. Downturns. They both elements that are tough to avoid. But these five games do feel like real opportunities that weren't properly identified.
What's done is done. And now, with 29 games left, it sure seems the Red Sox now fit that description.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 10:33:04 GMT -5
Game 134: Astros at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated August 30, 2023, 1 hour ago It looks like the Red Sox are who we thought they were after Tuesday night’s 6-2 loss to the Astros dropped them 6½ games back from the final American League wild-card spot. They are 1-4 on this homestand, and have lost six of their last nine games. At 13-14, they would need a win in Wednesday’s series finale just to reach .500 for the month of August. Kutter Crawford gets the start for Wednesday’s late afternoon matchup (first pitch 4:10 p.m.). After today’s game, the Sox will have Thursday off before starting a six-game road trip on Friday, beginning with a three-game series at Kansas City, followed by another three-game series at Tampa Bay. Lineups ASTROS (76-58): Jose Altuve (R) 2B Alex Bregman (R) 3B Kyle Tucker (L) RF Yordan Alvarez (L) LF Chas McCormick (R) CF Michael Brantley (L) DH Jon Singleton (L) 1B Jeremy Pena (R) SS Martin Maldonado (R) C Pitching: LHP Framber Valdez (9-9, 3.40 ERA) RED SOX (69-64): Ceddanne Rafaela (R) SS Justin Turner (R) DH Rafael Devers (L) 3B Adam Duvall (R) CF Rob Refsnyder (R) LF Alex Verdugo (L) RF Luis Urias (R) 2B Triston Casas (L) 1B Connor Wong (R) C Pitching: RHP Kutter Crawford (6-6, 3.65 ERA) Time: 4:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Astros vs. Crawford: Jose Altuve 1-3, Yordan Alvarez 0-3, Alex Bregman 1-3, Martín Maldonado 0-2, Jake Meyers 0-2, Jeremy Peña 2-3, Kyle Tucker 0-2 Red Sox vs. Valdez: Rafael Devers 2-7, Rob Refsnyder 1-4, Trevor Story 1-5, Justin Turner 0-2, Alex Verdugo 0-3 Stat of the day: Adam Duvall has seven home runs over his season long nine-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .472 with 15 RBIs. Notes: His last time out, Crawford struck out seven and allowed just two runs on four hits across five innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Friday. … Duvall is the third Red Sox player to record seven home runs over a nine-game span, joining David Ortiz (August 2003), and George Scott (June 1977). … The Astros improved to 29-15-4 in series play including 14-6-2 on the road. … They have recorded 66 hits over their last four games (14, 25, 18, 9), tying their most over a four-game span in franchise history ( Aug. 23-26, 1975). Song of the Day: INXS - Disappear www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvo-bfaVsg0
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 13:09:41 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Tarp down at Fenway but forecast calls for clearing by game time, which is 4:10 today.
Asked one of the security guys what they were hearing. "Ah, I don't know," he said. "They have all these fancy services now. We were better off with Don Kent."
IYKYK
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 30, 2023 18:21:33 GMT -5
Few observations as the Astros are about to sweep Bloom Balls Underdogs:
Red Sox lose 7-4, first time Houston sweeps at Fenway
- Bloom Ball's Underdogs now 7 games back if you are even still counting that
- Crawford was mediocre, as was every RP who came in after
- announced crowd was 31, 000 and i am the prime minister of Canada.
- day off tomorrow, then off to Kansas City
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2023 3:11:35 GMT -5
Red Sox swept by Astros to cap disappointing August August 30th, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- A homestand that started with a buzz ended with a thud for the Red Sox.
A 7-4 defeat to the Astros on Wednesday completed a 1-5 homestand for a Boston team that now needs a miracle -- and a very long winning streak -- to make it to the postseason.
After beating the Dodgers on Saturday for what proved to be the only win of the homestand, the Red Sox were 3 1/2 games back in the American League Wild Card standings and still feeling a run was possible. As the homestand completed, they trailed the Rangers by 6 1/2 games for the final AL Wild Card spot.
“I mean, we knew we had a tough challenge ahead of us, and losing all those games, it’s kind of a kick in the gut,” said righty Kutter Crawford, who took the loss.
After completing their final game of August, an up-and-down month in which the Red Sox went 13-15, they were faced with the grim reality of the situation.
It was the culmination of a 16-day stretch of games in which the Sox went 7-9.
One near constant during the run was a lack of innings from the starting rotation. Crawford allowed six runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Astros in the latest example.
“We didn’t pitch,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “That’s the bottom line. I think since New York [from Aug. 18-20], the starters have been grinding through it, and we’re not getting deep enough and we’ve been paying the price the last 10 days.”
In the dog days of August, Boston starters posted a 4.56 ERA (17th among MLB rotations), a 1.46 WHIP (fifth worst), a .274 opponents' batting average (fifth worst), an .821 OPS (fourth worst) and just 4 2/3 innings per start (fifth worst).
For the Red Sox, those numbers have been a combination of one veteran pitcher (James Paxton) wearing down from his biggest innings load in four years, two starters building up after extended stints on the injured list (Chris Sale and Tanner Houck) and one pitcher reaching his career high in innings in Crawford. The emerging Brayan Bello is the one starter Cora has been able to count on for most of the season.
Crawford had been solid in his past two starts. His biggest challenge is being able to clear the hurdle of going through a lineup a third time. On Wednesday, he didn’t get through it twice before being lifted.
“It’s super frustrating,” Crawford said. “I know I'm probably not the only one that's frustrated with themselves. As a staff, we need to be able to pitch deeper into ballgames. I, obviously, wasn't able to do that today. So I'm really disappointed in myself, and I feel like I let my team down.”
There was a bright spot in Wednesday’s loss, and that was the club’s No. 3 prospect Ceddanne Rafaela making his first Major League start two days after he got his first career hit off the bench.
Though he is best known for his defensive prowess in center field, Rafaela got the nod at shortstop in his first start. He didn’t get much action, flagging down a popup and cleanly handling the only ground ball hit to him.
The big moment came in the sixth, when the wiry right-handed hitter ripped an RBI double off the Green Monster.
“I was very, very excited to be on that field to compete,” said Rafaela, who was called up on Monday. “It’s been fun, it’s been crazy, to be able to live my dream. It’s a privilege for any baseball player just to get here.”
With fellow prospect Wilyer Abreu set to come off the paternity list for the upcoming trip to Kansas City, it’s unclear if Rafaela will stay on the roster or return to Triple-A. Either way, the Red Sox enjoyed this first glimpse.
“Good athlete,” said Cora. “He took some tough pitches. He faced some good pitching. You can see [the talent], right? We saw it in Spring Training. We’ll just keep working with him and he’ll keep getting better.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2023 3:12:49 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Duran undegoes season-ending surgery August 30th, 2023 LATEST NEWS
Aug. 30: OF Jarren Duran's surgery is successful Duran underwent a successful left great toe flexor tendon repair on Wednesday. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson at the Charlotte Surgical Center in Charlotte, N.C. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Tuesday the club expected Duran would be healthy for the start of Spring Training. Duran developed a bad case of turf toe while climbing the left-field wall at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 20 in pursuit of a home run by Gleyber Torres.
Prior to the injury, Duran had the best season of his career, slashing .295/.346/.482 with 34 doubles, two triples and eight homers while stealing 24 bases in 26 attempts.
LHP Brennan Bernardino Expected return: Sept. 3 Bernardino was placed on the COVID-related IL prior to the game on Aug. 27 against the Dodgers. Per the updated rules of the COVID-IL, Bernardino must miss a minimum of seven days. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he expects Bernardino to return on the first day he is eligible, which Sept. 3. (Last updated: Aug. 30)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2023 3:14:55 GMT -5
Red Sox swept by Astros, go 13-15 in August after inactive trade deadline
Updated: Aug. 30, 2023, 8:49 p.m.|Published: Aug. 30, 2023, 7:17 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox entered Wednesday with 6.7% odds of making the playoffs, per Fangraphs.com. Zero percent seems more accurate after the Astros buried them this week.
Boston fell behind by seven runs early and lost 7-4 at Fenway Park on Wednesday to suffer a three-game sweep. It went 1-5 on the homestand against the much-superior Dodgers and Astros.
The Red Sox showed some promise in July, going 15-8. But after the front office added no impact players to improve the roster at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, they went 13-15 in August.
They will turn the page to September when they open a three-game series in Kansas City on Friday. But it looks like the book already has been closed on their 2023 season after dropping seven of their past 10 games, all against the Astros and Dodgers. They were three and a half games behind for the final Wild Card spot on Saturday. They are now seven games behind the Rangers for the final spot.
“We knew we had a tough challenge ahead of us and losing all those games is kind of a kick in the gut, really,” starter Kutter Crawford said, reflecting on the homestand.
Crawford went just 2 ⅔ innings and gave up six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out one. It marked the 15th time in 28 games in August that a Red Sox starter has gone fewer than 5 innings. It marked the 21st time in 28 games that a Red Sox starter has gone 5 innings or fewer.
Boston showed some life in the sixth inning after recording just one hit through the first five innings against lefty Framber Valdez. Luis Urías began the bottom of the sixth with a soft infield single that dribbled down the third base line.
Triston Casas doubled and Connor Wong reached on a throwing error, allowing Urías to score. Rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, in his first major league start, ripped an RBI double off the Green Monster to make it 7-2.
Justin Turner and Rafael Devers each followed with an RBI groundout to cut it to 7-4.
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