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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 25, 2023 14:43:01 GMT -5
Rays @ Red Sox
Tuesday, 26th September 2023
7pm @ Fenway
Eflin 15-8/ 3.44
Houck 5-9/ 4.92
Rays hobbling into final road trip with Red Sox ahead
FLM
The Tampa Bay Rays' chances of an American League East championship are fading as their injury list grows ahead of Tuesday's visit to Boston, the first of a two-game series against the division rival Red Sox.
With a wild-card spot already in hand, Tampa Bay (95-62) sits 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the East with a week of the regular season to play, but three more players were sidelined for at least part of this past weekend's series at Toronto.
The Rays lost 9-5 in Sunday's deciding game of the series - and lost All-Star first baseman Yandy Diaz due to right hamstring tightness in the second inning.
"It's going to be very difficult (down the stretch)," infielder Isaac Paredes said through a translator. "We've lost a lot of key players and position players as well. I think we need to just make sure these young guys are going to do a good job of making up for it."
Paredes hit his 30th home run of the season during the Sunday loss.
Outfielder Randy Arozarena (right quad tightness) and setup man Robert Stephenson (neck soreness) missed the entire weekend. And that was after center fielder Jose Siri and second baseman Brandon Lowe were among four additions to the injured list in a 12-day span.
"The expectation this year was to win at a high clip and put ourselves in position to get to the postseason," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "(But) if you would have told me in spring training that all of this stuff would have happened - the injuries and everything else - I probably would have been scratching my head a little bit."
With Aaron Civale "under the weather," according to Cash, the Tuesday pitching nod goes to fellow right-hander Zach Eflin (15-8, 3.44).
The 29-year-old Eflin struck out double-digit batters in two of his past six starts, including his Thursday outing against the Los Angeles Angels when he fanned 10 across five innings of two-run ball but did not factor into the decision. His two starts prior were victories.
Eflin has made three starts against Boston in his career, logging a 6.43 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 14 innings.
After consecutive one-run losses and not scoring more than three runs in all three weekend games against the Chicago White Sox, Boston (76-80) will counter with Tanner Houck (5-9, 4.92) in its penultimate home game of the season.
The 27-year-old righty allowed two runs in four innings Tuesday at Texas, breaking up a streak of three straight five-inning starts that included six shutout frames against the New York Yankees five days earlier.
Houck, Kutter Crawford and Garrett Whitlock are all essentially auditioning for a spot in the starting rotation to begin next season. Crawford struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings in Sunday's rain-shortened loss.
"I think it applies to all (three)," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "I mean, you can always adjust to the other role. Right now, we don't know (who will be starters in 2024). ... And then at one point, somebody's going to take over, and if we have to make adjustments, we will."
Houck is 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay.
The Red Sox have also seen contributions from youngsters in the lineup in September, including the talented, versatile Ceddanne Rafaela and fellow rookie Wilyer Abreu, who hit his second career homer Sunday.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 25, 2023 14:46:36 GMT -5
Short series against the Rays
Wednesday could be Glasnow 9-7/ 3.68 vs Bello 12-10/ 4.11
not sure what the weather will be
after this, heading to Baltimore
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 25, 2023 14:48:29 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook: Triston Casas reflects on successful rookie season
By Mac Cerullo | mcerullo@bostonherald.com
PUBLISHED: September 25, 2023 at 2:43 p.m. | UPDATED: September 25, 2023 at 2:51 p.m.
It seemed like every year something always came up and disrupted Triston Casas’ season.
In 2020 it was the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 it was the Tokyo Olympics. Last year Casas got hurt, missing nearly two months with a badly sprained ankle.
This year, heading into his first full season in the big leagues, Casas set a specific goal. Not to win Rookie of the Year or hit a certain number of home runs, but to play 150 games. He would post every day, remain available and be someone the club could count on from start to finish.
He didn’t quite reach 150 — after being shut down with shoulder inflammation he’ll wrap up the season having played 132 games — but overall Casas feels he accomplished what he set out to do.
“That was the whole mindset behind the 150 games, not having any interruptions and up until the shoulder I really didn’t,” Casas said. “Overall I learned a lot throughout this year, first big league season was everything I thought it would be. A lot of ups, a lot of downs, it didn’t end how we wanted to as a team and an organization, but me personally I think I made a lot of strides as a ballplayer and as a person.”
By all accounts Casas’ rookie season was a resounding success. After getting off to a miserable start, the 23-year-old turned things around and by the second half emerged as one of the most impactful hitters in the sport.
The first baseman finishes the season with a .264 batting average, 24 home runs, 65 RBI, an .856 OPS and 2.3 wins above replacement, and from the All-Star Break onwards he batted .317 with 15 home runs and an eye-popping 1.034 OPS over his final 54 games.
Things could have played out much differently considering Casas was batting only .176 as late as May 22, but the rookie hung tough and didn’t let the struggles overwhelm him.
“I’m happy I stayed with my process and I knew eventually it would work,” Casas said. “I got to the middle months of the season and I started missing less pitches and playing better defense and that’s what production is about. I had a good mindset throughout it all, which is what I’m most proud of myself about.”
Once things finally clicked, Casas began developing into the middle of the order threat the Red Sox always believed he could be. His best game came on July 22, when Casas homered twice against then-New York Mets ace Max Scherzer, an experience the rookie called the highlight of his season.
“That was pretty awesome getting to do that against a future Hall of Famer,” Casas said. “Just stepping into the box was pretty remarkable, he’s somebody that I’ve grown up idolizing, just the way he’s competed and gone about his career.”
Casas’ season came to an abrupt end last week after he developed inflammation in his shoulder, and with the Red Sox already out of the hunt, the club decided there was no point in pushing him. The good news is testing over the weekend revealed no tears or structural damage, so he and the club are optimistic he’ll be back to full health soon and should be able to enjoy a normal offseason.
And once the shoulder issue is behind him, Casas said he has big plans for next year. Now that he’s gotten to spend an entire season immersed in a big league clubhouse, he has a much better understanding of what it takes to succeed at this level, and he’s excited to put those lessons to good use.
“That’s the beauty of baseball, you can never perfect it but you can always break a new parameter, you can always get stronger or faster, develop a better first step and develop better pitch recognition and really hone in on the small details and keys that make a great player a great player,” Casas said. “I really observed my teammates, my peers, as to what I think a respectable at bat looks like, what a respectable player in the league looks like, so I’m going to go into this offseason having learned a lot and thinking about what I want to accomplish.”
Minor league awards
On Monday, the Red Sox announced their 2023 Minor League Awards, recognizing several of the farm system’s top performers for their efforts and improvement over the course of the season.
Offensive Player of the Year: OF Roman Anthony
Defensive Player of the Year: INF David Hamilton
Starting Pitcher of the Year: RHP Wikelman Gonzalez
Relief Pitcher of the Year: RHP Luis Guerrero
Baserunner of the Year: INF/OF Ceddanne Rafaela
Latin Program Position Player of the Year: INF Yoeilin Cespedes
Latin Program Pitcher of the Year: RHP Gilberto Batista
In addition, left-handed pitcher Brandon Walter is being recognized as the recipient of the Lou Gorman Award, presented annually to a Red Sox minor leaguer who has demonstrated dedication and perseverance in overcoming obstacles while working their way to the MLB team.
The Minor League Awards are selected by Red Sox baseball operations officials and roving minor league instructors. This year’s recipients will be honored during a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park prior to Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Spoiler alert
The Red Sox (76-80) are out of the playoff hunt and likely to finish below .500, but the club still has a chance to make an impact on the playoff race.
Boston’s last six games will come against the top two teams in the AL East, starting with two games against Tampa Bay at Fenway Park on Tuesday and Wednesday before the Red Sox finish the season with four games in Baltimore over the weekend.
Entering the week, Baltimore has a 2.5 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East hunt with six games to play, so depending on how things play out the Red Sox could either finish the Rays off or knock the Orioles on their heels, opening the door for Tampa Bay to make one last push for the division crown.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 26, 2023 5:14:55 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Three things to watch for as the Red Sox play out the string
By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 25, 2023, 7:05 p.m.
The Red Sox are wrapping up their season with a two-game set against the Rays at Fenway starting Tuesday. The club then travels to Baltimore to end the year, matching up with the Orioles in a four-game series beginning Thursday.
The Red Sox (76-80) will once again finish last in the American League East. The Sox, who are 39-40 at home this season, will try to avoid a losing record for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Here’s what to look for in the upcoming week:
Pitching
Starting pitching matters. The Sox were reminded of that this year.
They will run out Tanner Houck against Zach Eflin on Tuesday, and Brayan Bello against Tyler Glasnow Wednesday.
Houck carries a 4.92 ERA into what will be his 20th, and second-to-last, start of the year while Eflin, a Red Sox target last offseason, harnesses a 3.44 ERA in 30 starts this season, striking out 182 batters in 172⅔ innings.
While the Rays and Eflin prepare for a playoff run, there’s been a lot of “ending the season on a positive note” vibes for the Red Sox.
Houck will try to do that after working just four-plus innings against the Rangers in his last start. The Sox want the righthander to build up as a starter during the offseason, with manager Alex Cora noting that offseason back surgery last year could have played a role in Houck’s performance. With a full offseason to prepare, perhaps, Houck could have better results in 2024. Still, he will be entering his age 28 season. The Sox have made it clear next year will be about production over promise.
“At one point, we have to know who you’re going to be for the Boston Red Sox,” Cora said. “And I have my ideas, but at the same time, I’m going to keep it to myself until somebody asks me what I think, and then we’ll go from there.”
Cora will have to relay what those thoughts are to the next front-office executive who replaces former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. But if the Red Sox — who are expected to — go out and acquire front-line starters, Houck is a bullpen piece.
Bello
Brayan Bello’s 4.11 ERA isn’t indicative of the type of season he’s had. He’s been the Red Sox’ most consistent starter, making a team-high 28 starts while also logging the most innings (151).
Still, he clearly hit a wall in the second half, posting a 5.32 ERA in 13 starts since the All-Star break, compared to a 3.04 ERA in 14 starts prior to the break. Bello yielded eight runs in three innings to the Rangers in his most recent outing. However he finishes the season, it was a promising and impressive first full year in the big leagues for the righthander.
What’s clear, though, is that Bello isn’t ready to be a No. 1, nor a No. 2, starter. That’s if the Red Sox want to contend. If the Sox are serious about a postseason push next season, Bello, who turns 25 in May, should fit in perfectly in the No. 3 spot while the top two rotation spots should be acquired via free agency or trade.
The Sox will complete their final series with Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, and Houck on the mound in Baltimore.
Pivetta has made his way back into the rotation conversation for next year. When the Red Sox’ staff was reeling, Pivetta, who had lost his spot in the rotation, re-entered the picture and filled in admirably. In 15 games (7 starts) in the second half Pivetta has a 3.65 ERA, striking out 92 batters in 66⅔ innings.
He is a workhorse, making 30-plus starts in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22. That counts for something — especially when you consider injuries the Sox rotation has endured through the years. The only time Pivetta was on the IL during his Red Sox tenure came in 2021, and that was because of COVID. He could, and should, fit into the back end of the rotation as the team’s No. 5 starter.
Something to watch
Alex Verdugo could be playing his final two home games at Fenway on Tuesday and Wednesday. Verdugo, who has been with the Red Sox since 2020 after being acquired in the Mookie Betts trade, was on track for a breakout season, flashing as the Red Sox’ best player for a chunk of the season. Yet since July 5, when Verdugo said he was snubbed as an All-Star, the Sox right fielder is hitting .233/.282/.386 with a .668 OPS. Overall, he’s hitting .266/.327/.426 with a .753 OPS and 13 homers. With an overcrowded outfield and Verdugo heading into free agency next year, there’s a strong chance he will be traded.
Rookie Wilyer Abreu is intriguing and plays hard consistently, something Verdugo has failed to do during his Red Sox tenure. Abreu parked his second homer Sunday against the White Sox’ Mike Clevinger.
“This kid is really good,” Cora said of Abreu. “His swing is very compact. Very powerful. And he’s going to control the strike zone. When you do that, that stuff adds on. He’s a good hitter.”
He’s also an option to take Verdugo’s spot in right.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 26, 2023 5:16:09 GMT -5
Rays
at
Red Sox
Tuesday, at 7:10 PM EST
Partly Cloudy
It's expected to be 55° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 10 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 7:10 PM EST.
Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 26, 2023 13:25:48 GMT -5
Game 157: Rays at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated September 26, 2023, 9:55 a.m. The Red Sox will open their final Fenway Park series on Tuesday, hosting the Rays for the first game of a two-game set. Starting pitcher Tanner Houck has been consistently inconsistent for the Sox, especially in recent weeks — he impressed in throwing six shutout innings to beat the Yankees on Sept. 14, which came after a rocky start against Baltimore and before a frustratingly brief outing in Texas. The Rays’ Zach Eflin, whose 15 wins are tied for the American League lead, has been the picture of consistency; the righthander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 24 of his 30 starts this season. He’ll make start No. 31 on Tuesday. Lineups RAYS (95-62): Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B Junior Caminero (R) 3B Isaac Paredes (R) DH Josh Lowe (L) RF Curtis Mead (R) 2B Manuel Margot (R) CF Raimel Tapia (L) LF Taylor Walls (S) SS Rene Pinto (R) C Pitching: RHP Zach Eflin (15-8, 3.44 ERA) RED SOX (76-80): Alex Verdugo (L) RF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Justin Turner (R) DH Masataka Yoshida (L) LF Trevor Story (R) SS Wilyer Abreu (L) CF Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B Reese McGuire (L) C Pitching: RHP Tanner Houck (5-9, 4.92 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Rays vs. Houck: Randy Arozarena 0-4, Christian Bethancourt 0-1, Yandy Díaz 2-5, Josh Lowe 1-1, Manuel Margot 1-3, Isaac Paredes 0-2, Harold Ramírez 1-4, Raimel Tapia 1-3, Taylor Walls 0-2 Red Sox vs. Eflin: Wilyer Abreu 0-2, Bobby Dalbec 0-1, Rafael Devers 5-8, Adam Duvall 7-20, Ceddanne Rafaela 2-3, Trevor Story 3-8, Justin Turner 4-14, Enmanuel Valdez 1-2, Alex Verdugo 3-9, Connor Wong 0-1, Masataka Yoshida 0-2 Stat of the day: Eflin has struggled in three career starts against the Sox, with a 6.43 ERA over 14 innings. Notes: Houck allowed two runs in just four innings of work against the Rangers, snapping a streak of three straight starts of at least five innings. Houck is 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay ... The Sox have lost 10 of their last 13 games, and 19 of their last 26. Boston is a season-high four games under .500 ... The Rays are struggling with injuries after All-Star first baseman Yandy Diaz injured his hamstring over the weekend. Outfielder Randy Arozarena (right quad tightness) and setup man Robert Stephenson (neck soreness) missed Tampa Bay’s weekend series, and center fielder Jose Siri and second baseman Brandon Lowe are also on the injured list ... The Rays trail the Orioles by 2 ½ games in the AL East. Song of the Day: The Traveling Wilburys - End Of The Line www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMVjToYOjbM
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 26, 2023 16:40:08 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
1h
The Guardians are honoring Terry Francona tomorrow night. Alex Cora said he would ask for a day off to attend Tito’s HoF induction (which could be as soon as 2027).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 26, 2023 19:09:29 GMT -5
2nd inning
10 hits so far for the Rays
7 runs
Sox have done nada
I am done with this tonight
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 4:19:45 GMT -5
René Pinto's 2-run homer and Manuel Margot's 2 RBIs help Rays outlast Red Sox 9-7
AP
BOSTON (AP) René Pinto hit a two-run home run, Manuel Margot added a pair of RBI singles as part of a four-hit night, and the Tampa Bay Rays held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 9-7 on Tuesday night.
Rays starter Zach Eflin (16-8) yielded three runs off five hits over five innings to earn his third victory in four starts. Pete Fairbanks struck out three in a scoreless ninth to pick up his 25th save.
“A bunch of relentless at-bats early on. ... Found holes, drove the ball well and everybody really contributed," manager Kevin Cash said. “We want all those guys to feel good and today was a step in that direction.”
Eflin said he's in a good place after notching his AL-leading 16th win.
“I've learned so much this year being able to play with these guys - it's been tremendous," Eflin said. “We're looking forward to the playoffs. We're ready to get going. But in the meantime we're going to keep trying to win games and see where it takes us.”
The Rays entered the day having already secured a wild-card berth and with only slim hopes of overtaking Baltimore for the AL East title.
It led Cash to give starts to some of his younger players to allow some veterans to heal up from some recent injuries.
They responded by tagging Boston starter Tanner Houck (5-10) for seven runs off 10 hits, ending his night after just three innings. It included Pinto’s 424-foot homer to center field, his sixth of the season.
“I gained a lot of confidence,” Pinto said through a translator. “I also have to remember to stay humble in this game, especially since we have a big week ahead of us.”
With the win Tampa Bay (96-62) kept Baltimore’s magic number at two to clinch the AL East following the Orioles’ win over the Nationals.
Boston (76-81) has lost five of its last six games. Emmanuel Valdez had three hits and a career-high four RBIs and Wilyer Abreu added a two-run double for the Red Sox.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said seeing them perform well with these late-season opportunities is encouraging as the season winds down.
“They swing at strikes and they hit strikes hard, both of them,” Cora said. “Very advanced in their approach.”
Tampa Bay jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Valdez got Boston on the board with a three-run home run in the fifth.
The Red Sox trimmed it to 7-5 in the sixth via Abreu’s two-run double off reliever Kevin Kelly. Justin Turner then dropped in a bloop single off Colin Poche that scored Adam Duvall to get it down to 7-6 in the seventh.
Tampa Bay stretched the lead back to three runs in the eighth off Harold Ramirez’s RBI groundout and Jonathan Aranda’s RBI single.
With Shawn Armstrong on in relief, Boston had a runner on first with one out in the ninth, when Bobby Dalbec hit a grounder to Aranda at first. He tried to throw to second for a potential double play, but it clipped Trevor Story in the back leaving both runners safe.
Valdez doubled, scoring Story and leaving runners at second and third. But Armstrong struck out Connor Wong and Duvall to end the inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: All-Star first baseman Yandy Diaz (right hamstring) and outfielder Randy Arozarena (right quad tightness), both sat out Tuesday. Cash said both are expected to return to the lineup sometime this week.
Red Sox: Catcher Reese McGuire left the game prior to the start of the third inning after suffering a left thumb contusion while taking warmup throws from Houck. He was replaced by Wong.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (9-7, 3.68 ERA) has an 8.22 ERA in his last three starts.
Red Sox: RHP Brayan Bello (12-10, 4.11) will make his 28th start. He is coming off allowing a career-high eight earned runs over three innings last week at Texas
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 4:39:55 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy
@dan_Shaughnessy
·
9h
Red Sox trail, 7-0 in third (Houck allowed ten hits in 3 inn) and Sox runner gets thrown out going from first to third on a one-out single to right in bottom third.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 4:42:29 GMT -5
Tanner Houck implodes; loss means Red Sox can’t finish with winning record
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023, 10:43 p.m.|Published: Sep. 26, 2023, 10:12 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Tanner Houck’s second-to-last start of 2023 might have been his worst as a major leaguer.
Houck was hit early and often by the Rays, who tagged him for seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in three innings and held off the Red Sox in a 9-7 decision in the opening game of Boston’s final home series of the season. Houck allowed the first six hitters he faced to reach and watched his ERA rise from 4.92 to 5.31. The Red Sox fell to 76-81, sealing the fact they will not finish the year with a winning record. They’ll have to win their final five games to finish at .500.
Tampa Bay’s attack on Houck was immediate. The righty hit Jonathan Aranda with a pitch, then allowed the game’s first run when Junior Caminero tagged him for an RBI double. After Isaac Paredes reached on an error, Josh Lowe’s RBI single made it 2-0. Manuel Margot became the sixth straight Ray to reach with an RBI single of his own.
Houck faced the minimum in the second before running into more trouble in the third. Lowe, Curtis Mead and Margot each singled to make it 4-0, then Taylor Walls gave the Rays a five-spot with an RBI groundout. René Pinto’s two-run homer made it 7-0, all but chasing Houck from the game.
From there, the Red Sox began to storm back. Down 7-0 entering the fifth, they scored in the next three innings to draw within a run. Enmanuel Valdez’s three-run homer in the fifth made it a four-run game. A two-run double by Wilyer Abreu cut it to a two-run deficit in the sixth. In the seventh, Adam Duvall hit a pinch-hit double and raced around to score on a Justin Turner bloop single to center. Four Red Sox relievers — Zack Kelly, Brennan Bernardino, Mauricio Llovera and John Schreiber — each tossed scoreless innings after Houck departed to keep the game close.
With lefty Chris Murphy in for the seventh, Margot reached on his fourth consecutive single, took second on a wild pitch and third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on a Harold Ramírez RBI groundout that gave the Rays a two-run advantage. Aranda hit an RBI single off Josh Winckowski to make it 9-6.
The Red Sox weren’t done fighting there. With two men on, Valdez lifted an opposite-field double off the Green Monster to drive in his fourth run of the game (a career-high) and bringing the Sox within two runs again. With two in scoring position, Rays reliever Shawn Armstrong battled back to strike out Connor Wong and Adam Duvall to end the inning.
Valdez (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI) had a big night for the Sox, who had 11 hits; Abreu also had two hits in the loss and is now hitting .425 over his last 12 games. The Red Sox are limping to the finish line, having lost 11 of their last 14 games and 20 of their last 27, dating back to Aug. 27. They are now 2-10 against the Rays this season.
McGuire leaves with injury
Catcher Reese McGuire started the game but left before the third inning when he appeared to injure himself on a warm-up pitch from Houck. The Red Sox said McGuire is dealing with a left thumb contusion; he was replaced by Wong for the rest of the game but is expected to be available as a bench option Wednesday.
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Bello to pitch home finale
Coming off a brutal outing in Texas on Wednesday, righty Brayan Bello (12-10, 4.11 ERA) will make his final start of the season in Boston’s final home game of 2023. The Rays will counter with righty Tyler Glasnow (9-7, 3.68 ERA). First pitch is an hour earlier than normal at 6:10 p.m. ET.
The Red Sox will then send Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford and Houck to the mound in their final four-game series in Baltimore to close the season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 4:44:46 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Tanner Houck calls himself ‘terrible’ after 7-run, 10-hit outing
Updated: Sep. 27, 2023, 3:15 a.m.|Published: Sep. 27, 2023, 3:04 a.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — If the Red Sox are looking at September as a time for their pitchers to audition for spots in the 2024 rotation, Tanner Houck certainly didn’t make a great impression Tuesday night.
Facing the Rays in his second-to-last outing of 2023, Houck had the worst start of his major league career. He was hit early and often, giving up seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in just three innings. It took Houck facing seven batters in the first inning for him to record a single out. His ERA rose from 4.92 to 5.31.
Houck, who has not had a good year as a full-time member of Boston’s rotation, was blunt in his assessment of his outing.
“Terrible,” Houck said. “Slider wasn’t very good, kept leaving it up, and that’s one of my main two pitches. I didn’t execute it as well as I should have. Take full responsibility in that.”
Houck led off the game by hitting Jonathan Aranda with a pitch, then allowed Tampa Bay to get on the board when rookie Junior Caminero hit an RBI double. Isaac Paredes reached on a Rafael Devers fielding error, opening the door for two more Rays runs to score on three straight singles.
Houck got three straight outs to end the first and faced the minimum in the second before running into more big trouble in the third. He gave up three straight singles to lead off the inning as the Rays went up, 5-0. René Pinto’s two-run homer was the dagger, making it a seven-run game. Tampa Bay eventually won, 9-7.
The Rays hit five balls harder than 100 mph against Houck, who threw 51 of his 72 pitches for strikes.
“Command was off,” said manager Alex Cora. “I think fastball command was off, the slider wasn’t great.
“A lot of pitches in the middle of the zone. If you look at the swings, they were over the heart of the plate and they put good swings on him.”
The entire 2023 season was a challenge for Houck, who earned a spot in the Opening Day rotation after shuffling back and forth between the rotation and bullpen in each of the last two seasons. The 27-year-old posted a 5.23 ERA in his first 12 starts before being hit in the face with a line drive against the Yankees on June 16. He missed more than two months and pitched at about the same level since coming off the injured list Aug. 22, posting a 4.60 ERA and 5.03 FIP in six outings. His struggles pitching deep into games continued, as he only tossed six innings once since returning.
Tuesday’s implosion represented a new, worrisome set of struggles for a pitcher who had dominated in the early innings throughout the season. Entering Tuesday, Houck had held batters to a .208 average and .636 OPS their first time through the order. Conversely, hitters had tagged him for a .300 average and .924 OPS facing him the third time through. The Rays didn’t wait.
“I’ve got some ideas in my head of what I’m doing wrong,” Houck said. “I think it’s partially mechanically. I’m rushing down the mound a little too quick, separating my hands definitely too late, causing some inconsistencies with my release point out front, being able to execute an 0-2 slider in the dirt. With that being said, it’s something I’ve battled with my whole life, whole career. It’s forever an ongoing and learning thing when things are going wrong, to make adjustments and I just didn’t do that tonight.”
Houck had proven himself as a capable major league pitcher through the end of last year, compiling a 3.02 ERA (and a 2.95 FIP) in 146 innings split between the rotation and bullpen since debuting in Sept. 2020. The Red Sox, encouraged by additions to Houck’s pitch mix, aimed to use him as a starter this season despite a long stretch of success as the team’s closer last summer before back surgery ended his season. Given the chance to make 20 starts in the majors this season, the results have left something to be desired.
The Red Sox will enter 2024 with Brayan Bello and Chris Sale (if healthy) penciled into their rotation and Houck, Garrett Whitlock, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford among the in-house candidates to win spots. It’s likely, if not certain, that Boston will add rotation pieces via free agency or trade. What exactly they do will determine the future roles for both Houck and Whitlock, who have been yo-yoed throughout the early parts of their career.
But if the final starts of 2023 matter, Tuesday was a black mark on Houck’s record. He’ll get a chance to make a final strong impression in the final game of the season Sunday in Baltimore.
“A lot of learning lessons in it,” Houck said. “That’s what failure does. I’ve got one more after this. Come back, bounce back, and, finish the year on a high note. Flush this one today and come back tomorrow.”
“If I drag this one into that outing, it could be the same results. If you go out there with a new attitude and new perspective, I think the sky’s the limit.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 4:47:46 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats
@redsoxstats
At least Houck is giving the crowd a show in his last, or next to last, start in a Red Sox rotation.
9:07 PM · Sep 26, 2023
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 4:56:07 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Minor league honors offer Red Sox chance to reflect on their developing homegrown pitching pipeline
By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated September 26, 2023, 8:13 p.m.
On a night Wikelman Gonzalez was recognized as the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year for his work in High A Greenville and Double A Portland, a question hovered over the future of the Red Sox.
Brayan Bello has solidified his place in the rotation moving forward, and fellow homegrown pitchers Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck have at least positioned themselves as options. But with Gonzalez — arguably the team’s best starting pitching prospect — likely to start next year in Double A, how close are the Red Sox to having the sort of renewable pitching pipeline that can not only start to fill in the season-opening rotation, but also supply the depth necessary to withstand the attrition of a season?
“I definitely feel like we’re closer now than we were at the start of the year and definitely closer than we were two years ago. Obviously, not at the finish line,” said director of pitching development Shawn Haviland. “We want this major league group to be all homegrown guys. That’s always the goal. That’s a cheap, renewable resource. So we feel like we’re on the path. Some guys just have to mature and take a little bit of time.”
Gonzalez made a major step forward in 2023. After a dreadful start to the year, he did enough to harness his elite stuff — particularly a mid- to upper-90s fastball from a low arm slot that creates a lot of swings and misses up in the zone — to consistently overpower opponents the final four-plus months.
In 111 innings, he went 9-4 with a 3.96 ERA and a 35 percent strikeout rate — highest among all minor leaguers who threw at least 100 innings. He’s a lock to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, and there’s at least a chance he could follow the path of Bello and reach the big leagues one year after being honored as a minor league standout.
“To have somebody [like Bello] coming from the [Dominican] Academy all the way here, it gives me extra motivation because I know that I can do the same,” Gonzalez, who exchanged an embrace with Bello at Fenway on Tuesday, said through a translator. “I know that I can be out there in the future.”
Still, given his high walk rate — 15 percent, 12th highest in the minors — Gonzalez won’t necessarily follow as accelerated a path through the upper minors. Evaluators are still divided on whether his big league future is as a starter.
That said, in Gonzalez, Hunter Dobbins, Isaac Coffey, and Angel Bastardo, the Sox believe they have a group of pitchers who finished the year in Double A, but could by late 2024 or early 2025 be homegrown big league depth.
“We’re getting there. I don’t think we’re there yet,” said farm director Brian Abraham. “The important thing when it comes to player development is sustainable talent for the big league roster. I think we’ve done a really good job when it comes to bullpen arms. We continue to bring guys up. But the reality is, to make an impact, from our standpoint, we look for there to be guys in the rotation for us to withstand injuries, for us to withstand a long season.
“Are we there yet? No. But I think with the group we have, with the processes we have, with the system we have in place, we’re on our way there.”
Zack Kelly comes back
Five months after he walked off the mound at Tropicana Field in tears out of concern that he’d blown out his elbow, righthander Zack Kelly returned to a big league mound, pitching a scoreless fourth inning against the Rays.
“Running in from the bullpen, I was smiling from ear to ear,” said Kelly, who touched 94 m.p.h. and was embraced in the dugout by several teammates after his outing. “I never, ever take this game for granted — just being able to pitch here, pitch at Fenway. It was taken away from me for five months. So a lot of work went into that. A lot of work went into getting back out there tonight. Regardless of the result, tonight I was happy just to just to be back.”
Kelly, 28, expressed relief to be healthy and again pitching in games before the start of the offseason.
“It changes everything,” said Kelly. “I don’t have to go to the offseason rehabbing. I don’t have to worry about trying to get back healthy in the offseason. It allows me to kind of have a normal offseason.”
Minor leaguers recognized
The Sox recognized minor league award winners Gonzalez (Pitcher of the Year), Roman Anthony (Hitter of the Year), Ceddanne Rafaela (Baserunner of the Year), David Hamilton (Defensive Player of the Year), Luis Guerrero (Reliever of the Year), Yoeilin Cespedes (Latin Program Position Player of the Year), and Gilberto Batista (Latin Program Pitcher of the Year) in a pregame ceremony on the field. Lefty Brandon Walter was the Lou Gorman Award winner, given to a player who demonstrated dedication and perseverance to reach the big leagues . . . Catcher Reese McGuire left Tuesday’s game prior to the third inning with a contusion of the left thumb after a Houck warmup bounced off his glove hand. Manager Alex Cora said McGuire is expected to be fine . . . The Sox will stay on turn in the rotation their final five games, with Bello starting against the Rays on Wednesday and Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Crawford, and Houck in the season-ending series in Baltimore.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 27, 2023 5:00:27 GMT -5
Rays @ Red Sox
Wednesday, 27th September
7pm @ Fenway
Glasnow 9-7/ 3.68
Bello 12-10/ 4.11
Rays keep division push going in Boston
FLM
Two talented starting pitchers look to bounce back from consecutive losses when the Boston Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays in Wednesday night's finale of a brief two-game series.
While Boston (76-81) fell four games deep into the American League East cellar following the series-opening, 9-7 loss, Tampa Bay (96-62) is still in the running at 2 1/2 games behind division-leading Baltimore.
Brayan Bello (12-10, 4.11 ERA) will start Boston's home finale. He allowed a career-high eight earned runs in three innings last Wednesday at Texas. He is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in four career starts against Tampa Bay.
"He's a good pitcher," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He's a part of the future and he's a part of our present. He just had a bad one (in Texas)."
Prior to last week, the 24-year-old had given up no more than three runs in any of his six outings. That run included a Sept. 4 win over the Rays, back-to-back starts against Houston and starts vs. the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.
"I've pitched against good teams in the past and have been able to learn a lot from those starts -- even (last week)," Bello said. "So I'm just going to learn from what happened and execute next time."
While set to go against Tyler Glasnow (9-7, 3.68), Bello will look to shut down a Rays team that has won 13 of its last 20 games and has a 10-2 record against Boston this season. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead en route to a 13-hit Tuesday night.
With the postseason on the horizon, the Tampa offense has heated up to the tune of three straight games with at least 12 hits.
On Tuesday, Manuel Margot was 4-for-4, Jonathan Aranda registered his first career three-hit game and Rene Pinto homered.
"They did a good job of producing with guys like Yandy (Diaz) and Randy (Arozarena) not in there," Margot said via a translator. "They did a good job of competing and connecting on some good hits."
With injuries piling up, the likes of Isaac Paredes, Aranda, Junior Caminero and Curtis Mead could all see October time.
Giving them opportunities to contribute now is important to Rays manager Kevin Cash.
"These guys, they're getting opportunities right now, and you've got to learn quick on the fly," Cash said. "I think our best thing we can do is get them as comfortable as possible and let them embrace the moment."
The young lineup came through in key situations in the series opener, scoring eighth-inning insurance runs after Boston made a comeback to within 7-6.
"There's a lot to be excited about with this club that we've done just a tremendous job of being resilient," Cash said. "We'll be as tested as ever now with some of the guys that we're losing."
Meanwhile, Enmanuel Valdez was a bright spot for the Red Sox, going 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBIs. Wilyer Abreu also had multiple hits.
Glasnow is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time since July and has an 8.22 ERA over his last three starts after a 2.30 mark in the previous 12.
Glasnow was charged with four runs -- all in the sixth inning -- and tied a season high with four walks despite striking out seven last Friday against Toronto.
The righty has enjoyed career success against Boston, with a 3-1 record and 3.35 ERA across 10 starts. He struck out a career-high-tying 14 Red Sox across six innings of one-run ball on Sept. 6 and has allowed just one run in each of his head-to-head outings this season.
--Field Level Media
Rays
at
Red Sox
Wednesday, at 6:10 PM EST
Partly Cloudy
It's expected to be 61° F with a 1% chance of precipitation and 6 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 6:10 PM EST.
Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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