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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 4:31:33 GMT -5
Tom Caron (blue checkmark redacted) @tomcaron · 8h Unfortunately this is not their vision. Tanking teams don't start their best players. Sox haven't rested any starters, have kept their best players on the field... and are 4-17 in the last 21 games. Ugly finish to a season that once held promise.
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 8h The Sox have averaged 2.5 runs per game since Casas went down. There are plenty of factors to point to (the starting pitching has obviously been questionable all year long), but this has been a massive factor behind this collapse.
Very few guys to fear in the lineup this month.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 4:37:28 GMT -5
Orioles win AL East by beating Red Sox who haven’t scored in 19 innings
Updated: Sep. 28, 2023, 9:09 p.m.|Published: Sep. 28, 2023, 9:06 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — Chris Sale ended his 2023 season with a strong start against an Orioles team that had crushed him this season. But the Red Sox gave him zero run support.
Boston got shut out for a second straight game, losing 2-0 to Baltimore at Camden Yards.
The O’s clinched the AL East with the victory, their first division title since 2014. This will be their first time in the postseason since 2016.
The Red Sox have lost 11 of their past 13 games dating back to the second game of their doubleheader against the Yankees on Sept. 14, the day Chaim Bloom was fired as chief baseball officer.
In three previous starts against Baltimore this season, Sale surrendered 18 earned runs and 22 hits, including five homers in 12 innings.
Sale pitched 5 innings Thursday and allowed just one run on Anthony Santander’s first inning solo homer. He gave up three hits and one walk while striking out two.
The lefty threw 69 pitches: 34 sliders, 20 four-seam fastballs and 15 changeups. His fastball averaged 92.1 mph and topped out at 94.3 mph, per Baseball Savant.
The Red Sox had runners on the corners with one out in the sixth. But pinch hitter Adam Duvall struck out swinging and Alex Verdugo grounded out.
Verdugo has gone 12-for-66 (.182) with 13 strikeouts in September.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 4:39:43 GMT -5
Why Alex Cora remained in Red Sox dugout to watch Orioles celebrate AL East
Updated: Sep. 28, 2023, 10:45 p.m.|Published: Sep. 28, 2023, 10:43 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — Red Sox manager Alex Cora opened his postgame press conference Thursday by congratulating the Orioles for winning the AL East. Baltimore’s 2-0 victory over Boston at Camden Yards clinched the division.
“It was a great season for them,” Cora said of the 100-win Orioles. “From all of us, congratulations.”
Cora remained in the dugout for a while to watch the O’s celebrate.
“Projects like that are always interesting,” Cora said. “What they did is from scratch. And knowing Mike and Sig from my year with Houston, understanding how they go about their process and the patience that they show throughout, it’s not easy.”
GM Mike Elias and assistant GM Sig Mejdal were part of Houston’s rebuild, then did the same type of rebuild with Baltimore. The O’s hired Elias, who previously served as Houston’s assistant GM, in November 2018. Elias brought Mejdal, an analytics guru, with him.
Cora said Elias learned from ex-Astros GM Jeff Luhnow who built the Astros from scratch.
“The balance of building something from scratch and winning at the big league level is hard to do,” Cora said. “As a baseball fan, it’s been fun to watch. As a team in the East, it’s not fun. They do a lot of things right. Their pitching program is legit. It’s real.”
Elias and Mejdal built the Orioles from within through strong drafting and player development.
“There’s something that they are doing at the player development (side) that is working here at the big league level,” Cora said. “All of them are tight here, they are short to the ball. The game is getting faster from the mound and they are getting quicker with their swings.”
Cora raved about Mejdal before the game.
“Analytics-wise, Sig is the best of the best,” Cora said. “The best of the best. I saw his studies about sac bunting. He did a study about the extra-inning rule for the WBC when I was the GM (of Puerto Rico) to help us in case that happened. The guy gets it. He went to the minor leagues to feel it in the dugout. Because it’s not about what you do in the office. It’s not about punching numbers or looking at a computer or algorithms and all that stuff and models. It’s about what happens here. And Sig did that with Houston just to see it. He hit fungos, he’d feed the (pitching) machine. He did all that.”
Cora’s Red Sox, meanwhile, will finish this season in last in the AL East for the third time in four years and the sixth time in 12 years.
“We’ve been there before,” Cora said when asked if he was envisioning his team someday celebrating that way. “You just show respect and as a baseball fan, you enjoy it. That’s something special. And this game is better because of situations like that. As far as competition throughout the game, we’re at an all-time high. There’s no easy series. Pitching is tough on a daily basis. And when you play the game the way they do — they play good defense, they hit the ball out of the ballpark, they put good at-bats, they run the bases well — that’s what happens.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 4:43:03 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Chris Sale plans to strengthen area of arm, barbecue with buddies
Updated: Sep. 29, 2023, 12:29 a.m.|Published: Sep. 28, 2023, 11:55 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — Chris Sale will take two weeks off when the season ends Sunday. The lefty then plans to begin preparing for 2024 at the JetBlue Park spring training complex, which is close to his house in Naples, Fla.
“I think for me it’s lower-body strength, shoulder strength and mobility,” Sale said. “I’ve gotta get my shoulder stronger. That’s for sure. It starts from the top.”
Sale pitched well in his final start of the 2023 season Thursday but the Red Sox fell 2-0 to the Orioles at Camden Yards.
The 34-year-old tossed 5 innings and allowed just one run on Anthony Santander’s first inning solo homer. He gave up three hits and one walk while striking out two. The lefty threw 69 pitches: 34 sliders, 20 four-seam fastballs and 15 changeups. His fastball averaged 92.1 mph and topped out at 94.3 mph, per Baseball Savant.
Sale made 20 starts this season, his most starts in one season since 2019. He spent time on the 60-day IL because of a stress reaction in the scapula bone (shoulder blade) and plans to strengthen his shoulder by throwing more.
“I think for me, it’s going to be long tossing,” Sale said. “I just need reps. I need to throw more. I’ve got a good group down there. ... I’m excited for it. This is the first time in a long time I’ve been able to be excited for an offseason and not going into it with something (with an injury). So it’s a good start.”
Manager Alex Cora said Sale wants to begin his throwing program earlier than usual and be built up to throw 95-100 pitches for the first road trip. Cora told Sale recently he wants him to be his 2024 Opening Day starter when the Red Sox open next season in Seattle on March 28.
“It means a lot,” Sale said. “I appreciate that. ... It definitely gives me something to chase this offseason, which is good.” Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
Sale posted a 2.88 ERA (25 innings, eight earned runs) over five starts in September.
“I wanted to gain some momentum going into the offseason,” Sale said. “Obviously I haven’t finished a few years now. Being able to get through it and get to the offseason healthy and not have anything to rehab — have a normal offseason for the first time in a while — is nice.”
Sale also is looking forward to some team bonding in Fort Myers this offseason.
“We’ve got a good group down there where there’s going to be more guys down there in Fort Myers,” Sale said. “There’s a couple guys who are starting to move down there. I’m excited about getting after it during the week, playing some golf and having some Sunday barbecues with my buddies.”
Cora added, “I think he’s in the right frame of mind as far as the offseason — what he wants to do. There’s going to be a lot of guys down there, too, which is good for him. Not only guys from the big league roster but young guys. Like he said, it pushes him to be better and he pushes them to be great, too.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 4:58:35 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox place impressive reliever Chris Martin on injured list, ending his season By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 28, 2023, 7:51 p.m.
BALTIMORE — Chris Martin’s season is over. The Red Sox placed the reliever on the injured list with a viral infection prior to Thursday night’s game against the Orioles and recalled Nick Robertson from Triple A Worcester.
Martin, a free agent acquisition last offseason, posted a 1.05 ERA in 51⅓ innings, the lowest of any pitcher in the majors with at least 30 innings this season. The righthander had a career-high 20 consecutive scoreless appearances since July 30, tossing 19 innings in that span.
Martin walked just eight batters, or just 1.4 per nine innings. He yielded just two homers: April 10 against the Rays and July 28 against the Giants, which was also the last time he surrendered an earned run.
“He was outstanding,” manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not just the strike-throwing, it’s the quality of the strike. [He’s pitched in] different roles. He came in during the seventh with bases loaded and two outs. He came in for the ninth. He was ready every day. Very knowledgeable. He knows what he needs to do to get people out.”
Cora first took notice of Martin’s ability when the reliever was with the Braves in 2019, turning to then-Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and envisioning Martin as a fit.
The Red Sox bullpen lacked structure and performance last year, particularly at the back end. So, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom went out and signed Martin and Kenley Jansen.
Martin, who will be entering his age-38 season next year, has made a great impression not just on Cora, but his teammates as well.
“He shares information with his teammates,” Cora said. “I knew he was good, but this is better than expected, to be honest with you, because I didn’t know the person. Just seeing him around the guys in the bullpen is a big part of what Nick [Pivetta] is doing right now. When he went [to the bullpen], he talked to him about being aggressive, using your best pitches as much as possible, don’t waste pitches, like attack mode. We knew from the previous seasons and earlier this year, Nick was shying away from the zone. Whatever he told Nick, it changed his season and maybe his career.”
Cora saw it coming
The Orioles entered Thursday’s game on the brink of the American League East title (their first since 2014) and their first 100-win season since 1980. It did not come as a surprise to Cora, who back in 2021 felt as though the Orioles were on the cusp of something special, giving credit to general manager Mike Elias and assistant GM Sig Mejdal, who, like Cora, were previously with the Astros.
“Mike and Sig, they saw it from scratch,” said Cora. “When you look at those guys over there, they all have plate discipline. [Anthony] Santander had a chance to play as a Rule 5 guy, and he learned at the big-league level. [Cedric] Mullins, he decided to [abandon switch-hitting] and hit just from the left side.”
Cora also alluded to how the Baltimore hitters keep their hands close to their body, a counter to the high velocity that continues to dominate the game.
“There’s something about what they are doing in player development that is working here at the big-league level,” said Cora. “This weekend is going to be fun here. Obviously, they deserve everything that they’re about to do, and it’s been fun from afar to watch. I tip my hat as a manager.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 5:03:05 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Friday, 29th September 7pm @ OPACY
Pivetta 9-9/4.25
Means 1-1/ 2.60
Division champ Orioles try to beat Red Sox again FLM
After celebrating their first division title since 2014, the Baltimore Orioles will go back to work Friday night as they continue their season-ending series against the visiting Boston Red Sox.
Baltimore's 2-0 win on Thursday night locked up the American League East crown and gave the Orioles the No. 1 seed in the American League playoffs.
The Orioles (100-59) had not reached the century mark since going 100-62 in 1980. Just two years ago, they lost 110 games.
Baltimore enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak. This year's club has never lost more than four straight and hasn't been swept in a series. They are a combined 31-18 against their division with three games remaining.
"I just think this team is resilient, this team wants to win day in and day out," outfielder Aaron Hicks said. "This team is together, they're a unit and prepared to win every single day. And it's one of the main things I love about this team."
Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (9-9, 4.25 ERA) opposes left-hander John Means (1-1, 2.60) on Friday.
Pivetta is coming off his best start of the season. On Sept. 23, he tossed seven shutout innings against the White Sox. He allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked one. Pivetta has a 3.09 ERA in four September starts, and opponents are hitting .212 against him.
"He's finding the strike zone with good stuff, so that was a good one," manager Alex Cora said. "It's been fun to watch, especially the last two and a half, three months. He likes to compete, always available, and in tough conditions that was really good."
Pivetta is 7-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 career starts vs. the Orioles.
Means makes his fourth start since his return from Tommy John surgery. Competing for a spot in Baltimore's postseason rotation, Means pitched a gem last time out. He went 7 1/3 innings in a win against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing one run on one hit. Means struck out four and walked one.
"You dream of it as a little kid," Means said of the postseason. "I can't wait to see the crowds here at Camden Yards. It's going to be so cool, and I'm just looking forward to it."
Means is 4-2 with a 3.70 ERA in eight games - seven starts - against the Red Sox.
Anthony Santander homered in the first inning, and Dean Kremer pitched into the sixth inning Thursday night as Baltimore earned its 10th division crown. Heston Kjerstad added a pinch-hit RBI double for an eighth-inning insurance run.
First baseman Ryan Mountcastle went 0-for-1 with a walk in his return to the lineup. He went on the injured list Sept. 20 with AC joint inflammation in his left shoulder.
Boston was held to three hits while losing its fifth straight game and watching the Orioles celebrate.
"It seems they were the best team in the American League East," Cora said. "It was pedal to the metal all the way to today. It was a great season for them - and, from all of us, congratulations."
--Field Level Media
Red Sox at Orioles Friday, at 7:05 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 66° F with a 29% chance of precipitation and 10 MPH wind blowing in Baltimore at 7:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 29, 2023 14:41:57 GMT -5
Tom Caron (blue checkmark redacted) @tomcaron · 8h Unfortunately this is not their vision. Tanking teams don't start their best players. Sox haven't rested any starters, have kept their best players on the field... and are 4-17 in the last 21 games. Ugly finish to a season that once held promise.
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 8h The Sox have averaged 2.5 runs per game since Casas went down. There are plenty of factors to point to (the starting pitching has obviously been questionable all year long), but this has been a massive factor behind this collapse.
Very few guys to fear in the lineup this month. For all of the criticism our pitching continues to get, they deserve better than this. IMO, they have not been the problem so much as the offense has been. Our pitching wasn't expected to be our strength. Considering the injuries, the pitching has held its own. I know I sound like a broken record, but I blame the offense more than the pitching. While our starters have continued to play, Cora has not fielded the 'regular' starting line up in a while. Many at bats are going to the youngsters, so Caron's statement is not quite accurate. Despite that, our starting lineup has let us down, from #1 to #9. When you repeatedly hear that a mediocre starting pitcher has recorded a season high # of strikeouts against the Sox, that's a problem. I realize that Casas is on the IL, but a lineup of Verdugo, Devers, Turner, Yoshida, Duvall, Casas, Story, Reyes, and Wong/McGuire should be among the best in the league. Instead, they're having a hard time scoring 3 runs/game. The team has looked pathetic in the last few weeks, and by 'team', I don't mean the starting pitching. To finish my rant, I'm a little disappointed in Kenley's comments about Bloom. He was the one who, at the trade deadline, said that this team was good enough to win with the players who are already here. You can't turn around and now blame it on Bloom's lack of moves as the deadline.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 15:15:54 GMT -5
Alex Cora, Justin Turner, and other thoughts as the Red Sox play out the string The Red Sox' 2023 season will mercifully come to an end this weekend. By Jon Couture
September 29, 2023 | 11:30 AM
The Orioles had themselves quite a Thursday at the former Fenway South, not only winning their 100th game and the American League East title, but announcing the signing of a new 30-year lease that will quash the rumors they’re moving to Nashville for the time being.
The Red Sox? Well, they got celebrated on for the second night in a row. At least they’re bringing someone joy as these final days drizzle away.
In honor of the three more games before they’re mercifully deposited into the dustbin of history, here are three thoughts at least tangentially related to the squad that, no, Kenley Jansen, was not a “great team” at any point during this middling-at-best season.
Last-place teams tend to have few sacred cows as they approach the offseason, even before throwing in the firing of their teambuilder. In addition to their pre-free agency players, the Sox have eight under contract for 2024: Chris Sale (See you Opening Day!), Trevor Story, Masataka Yoshida, Rafael Devers, Jansen, Chris Martin, Garrett Whitlock, and Rob Refsnyder.
They also have Alex Cora, whose contract ends after next season and who intends to be here for it.
“I’m good. I’ll be here,” the manager told reporters before Wednesday’s dreadful home finale at Fenway Park. “I’ll be here next year.”
It wasn’t a huge surprise, even when his bosses have recently been called “arguably the most reactionary in the sport.” Their affinity for Cora is no secret, Bloom bringing him back in the winter of 2020-21 at minimum a choice he was encouraged to make.
But we are talking about the steward of a fundamentally unsound team. One that has absolutely crumpled down the stretch, an AL-worst 10-24 since sweeping at Yankee Stadium from Aug. 18-20.
Have the Red Sox quit on Cora? I don’t think so. I think they just stink as currently constructed, and clearly ownership does as well. The Kyle Barraclough Game is the defining moment of the season: The manager, his team still with a puncher’s chance in the wild-card race, throwing up his hands because he had no more arms to which to go.
Bloom took the fall. But it’s still striking to think about the way Sam Kennedy spoke about bringing him someone to rethink all the team’s baseball operations while also locking in someone who’s clearly a big part of the puzzle here.
Cora was at the wheel of the greatest team in franchise history in 2018. He had the deadline-supplemented Sox within two games of the World Series in 2021. Outside of that?
His 2019 team dramatically underachieved as Cora spent the summer publicly assuring they’d figure it out. The same manager who this winter lamented the lack of fundamentals at the sport’s highest level just completed a third straight season with a below-average defensive team, and his 2023 squad is bottom six in taking the extra base.
Its most aggressive runner is, not surprisingly, Devers, whose five outs made at home are tied with Fernando Tatis Jr. for most in the majors.
Much like Joe Morgan 30 years ago, Cora’s likely gotten more out of a flawed roster than most would. But his tenure now reads three bad years out of five, and with one year left on his deal, his place in the organization is one more middling season away from feeling an awful lot different.
Memorable cameo When Cora pulled Justin Turner from the home finale in the sixth inning, too few appeared to notice. The veteran received an ovation, though hardly one worthy of the season he put together.
“Throughout the season, he was the leader not only on the field, but off the field, what he did in the community,” Cora told reporters. “Let’s see what the future holds. I’m not saying he won’t be back, but it felt right.”
Turner, who made a base $8.3 million plus a reported extra $1 million in performance bonuses, has a $13.4 million player option for 2024. His deal also has a $6.7 million buyout, meaning the open market will almost certainly net him more money if that’s what he’s after.
Through Thursday’s game, his .274/.344/.455 line nets a season 14 percent better than league average — a step down from his nine years in Los Angeles, but that plus his veteran presence won’t have anybody regretting his signing. (Even if J.D. Martinez has 32 homers with the Dodgers.)
Turner’s 2.1 bWAR would be the fifth-best age-38 season in Red Sox history, behind Ted Williams (9.7, 1957), Bob Johnson (6.3, 1944), David Ortiz (2.6, 2014), and Mickey Vernon (2.4, 1956). More importantly, he’s potentially landed himself the DH slot on the All-One-Season Red Sox Team.
ALL-ONE-SEASON RED SOX LINEUP 1B: Nick Esasky, 1989 (3.9 bWAR) 2B: Luis Alicea, 1995 (2.3) SS: Orlando Cabrera, 2004 (1.8) 3B: Adrian Beltre, 2010 (7.8) LF: Jesse Burkett, 1905 (2.7) CF: Tom Umphlett, 1953 (2.0) RF: Hunter Renfroe, 2021 (2.4) DH: Justin Turner, 2023 (2.1)
You could convince me Cody Ross 2012 is a better choice than Burkett even though Ross played much more right field. That you would even consider arguing about this alone pleases me.
Purchasing power I was among that sparse Fenway crowd on Wednesday, and while it’s not newsworthy that a person who covers the Red Sox attended a Red Sox game, I did so from the seats with my family.
Shout out to the (I presume) season ticket holder who was selling their eight-rows-off-the-field seats for in excess of an 80-percent discount. My 7-year-old got to ride the “T,” eat a bag of peanuts, douse himself in mini-helmet ice cream, and scream sing “Sweet Caroline.” He was gleeful even before a bat boy threw him a baseball on the way out.
I was struck by a lot of things watching a dreadful, Devers-less lineup get eaten alive by Tyler Glasnow and four relievers. The one that sticks with me? The number of Red Sox jerseys in those seats of players departed from the organization.
It’s not that I didn’t see any Devers or Verdugo ones, but I certainly didn’t see nearly as many as I did Bogaertses and J.D. Martinezes.
As above, this is not news. The Red Sox have gutted themselves nearly to the studs in the last five years, reorienting toward sustainability and thanking you for your patience. It is a huge ask, and the swelling gravity of it weighed enough on management last month to force a change.
Where that change leads, we do not yet know. But it’ll be quite a thing to see what the team on the field looks like come April 9, 2024, when the division champion Orioles arrive for the next game on the schedule at Fenway Park.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2023 15:17:14 GMT -5
Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Justin Turner (R) DH Adam Duvall (R) RF Rob Refsnyder (R) LF Trevor Story (R) SS Pablo Reyes (R) 2B Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B Connor Wong (R) C
Cedric Mullins (L) CF Adley Rutschman (S) C Ryan O'Hearn (L) DH Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B Heston Kjerstad (L) RF Austin Hays (R) LF Adam Frazier (L) 2B Ramon Urias (R) 3B Jorge Mateo (R) SS
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2023 5:19:56 GMT -5
Pivetta throws 7 innings as Red Sox blank AL East champion Orioles 3-0 AP
BALTIMORE (AP) Four starts into his comeback from Tommy John surgery, John Means believes he can help the Baltimore Orioles in the playoffs.
“I really do,” the left-hander said. “I feel like the command's there. ... I feel like 99% of my pitches are right where I want.”
Means took a perfect game into the fifth inning of Baltimore's 3-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. The problem was, the opposing starter was ultimately better. Nick Pivetta allowed two hits in seven impressive innings for the Red Sox.
Trevor Story hit a two-run homer off Means in the fifth.
A day after winning the AL East title, the Orioles did little offensively but had to be encouraged by their starter's effort. Means (1-2) pitched into the seventh inning and looked like a solid option for Baltimore when it sets up its postseason rotation.
Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez look like the top candidates to start for the Orioles in the AL Division Series, but beyond that, it's harder to say.
Means was Baltimore's opening day starter last year but needed Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch again for the Orioles until this month. This was his fourth start.
“I feel like I've gotten better as I went,” Means said.
The left-hander retired his first 13 batters before Rob Refsnyder doubled and Story followed with a drive over the big wall in left field at Camden Yards. The Red Sox also scored a run in the ninth.
Means allowed three hits in 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
“I thought Means threw the ball really well," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "They were aggressive early in the count, and they got a lot of early-count outs there, especially in the first third of the game. Really good changeup again and I thought he located his fastball well. He didn’t throw that many breaking balls, but good changeup again.”
Pivetta (10-9) struck out 10 with a walk. If this was his final appearance of 2023, he finished with a flourish, throwing seven scoreless innings in each of his last two starts.
“His fastball has always been elite, no doubt about it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The addition of that cutter/slider, it's been good. It's not great right now. Now he has time in the offseason to go work with it, make it better. He will.”
Garrett Whitlock worked the final two innings for his first save of the season.
This four-game series has started much differently than the teams' previous meetings. In the first nine Baltimore-Boston games this year, the Orioles and Red Sox combined to average 14.3 runs a game. This week, they've traded shutout victories, 2-0 and 3-0.
Rafael Devers drove in a run in the ninth with a chopper to the pitcher. He needs one more RBI for his third career 100-RBI season.
HONORING PALMER
The Orioles held an on-field ceremony before the game celebrating Hall of Famer Jim Palmer's 60th anniversary with the team. Palmer pitched for Baltimore from 1965-84 after signing as an amateur free agent in 1963. He now broadcasts Orioles games on TV.
UP NEXT
Baltimore sends Kyle Gibson (15-9) to the mound Saturday night against Boston's Kutter Crawford (6-8).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2023 5:34:23 GMT -5
Pivetta punctuates turnaround campaign with 10-K gem Red Sox righty logs seven scoreless frames vs. O's, looks to build for rotation spot in 2024 12:17 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BALTIMORE -- As far as season arcs go, no Red Sox player had a more impressive one than Nick Pivetta.
The righty had a 6.30 ERA through eight starts when manager Alex Cora pulled him from the rotation in May. Upset for about a day following the demotion, Pivetta went into the skipper’s office the next day and said this, as relayed by Cora.
“I'm ready,” Pivetta told Cora. “I'm going to the bullpen today and whatever you need, I’ll do.”
And that was not lip service. Pivetta put a brilliant finishing touch on his in-season turnaround by firing seven scoreless innings (two hits, one walk, 10 strikeouts) in pitching the Red Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Orioles on Friday night at Camden Yards.
Pivetta also fired seven scoreless in his penultimate outing of 2023 against the White Sox at Fenway Park last Saturday.
When Pivetta got back to the dugout following his final inning of the season, he had a prideful smile on his face as his teammates congratulated him on a job well done.
“You know, I feel very confident, feel very happy,” Pivetta said. “Disappointed that I don't get to continue throwing. But, I'm ready to go into next year, have a good mindset and a good foundation to kind of build on, and just kind of continue moving forward.”
After refining his repertoire and dominating as a bulk reliever for the middle chunk of the season, Pivetta was rewarded by spending nearly all of September in the rotation.
Viewed as a possible non-tender candidate during those April and May struggles, Pivetta has positioned himself to be an important piece of the 2024 pitching staff for the Red Sox.
“His stuff is getting better,” Cora said. “So, I don't see why he can’t be a starter next year.” Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
Depending on how the offseason shakes out, Pivetta has also proved he can succeed in the hybrid role he was deployed in during the summer months.
“He's grown so much, matured so much,” Cora said. “He understands the whole team concept. He really likes it here. And it’s something that he's been loud and clear about it. He loves it here. He loves the atmosphere.”
There have been a combination of things that have helped Pivetta turn his season around. One was coming up with a second slider that had more of a horizontal break. Another was heeding the advice of veteran teammate Chris Martin. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
“[Martin] talked to him about being aggressive,” Cora said. “‘Use your best pitches as much as possible. Don't waste pitches.' Kind of like, 'Attack. Be in attack mode.' As you know, the previous year and early in the season, Nick was shying away from the zone.
“So whatever Chris told Nick, it changed his season. And maybe his career.”
Pivetta agreed that Martin played an important role in his turnaround.
“Yeah, you know, Chris as a whole, he's been extraordinary for the team, as a leader, as a teammate, as a guy who goes out there and controls the strike zone, controls the situation every single time,” Pivetta said.
“I learned a lot from him, from the mental standpoint, the physical standpoint, and he helped me out a lot this year. So it was really huge.”
In 38 appearances this season, Pivetta went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA. Over 142 2/3 innings, he notched 183 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .208 average.
Narrowing it to the final four months of the season covering 28 appearances and 97 1/3 innings, Pivetta logged 135 strikeouts and a 12.5 K/9 ratio.
Translation: Pivetta has been dealing for a while.
“Early in the season, he struggled, but he kept his head up and kept going,” Cora said. “And one thing we know, he's gonna work hard in the offseason to keep getting better.
“He should be one of the guys next year. We're talking about it. He's going to pitch important innings.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2023 5:54:38 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Brayan Bello eager to make improvements in offseason to be better for Red Sox in 2024 By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated September 29, 2023, 8:07 p.m.
BALTIMORE — With his first full big league season over, Brayan Bello is aiming to take the next step as a pitcher moving forward.
The Red Sox righthander’s late-season fade left him with solid but unspectacular numbers for the year: A 12-11 record, 4.24 ERA, 20 percent strikeout rate, and 7 percent walk rate over 28 starts and 157 innings. It is a performance that Bello sees as a building block but not a destination as he prepares to spend the offseason in the Dominican Republic, where he will mix in regular workouts (roughly every week or two) at the Sox’ Dominican Academy in addition to working out on his own.
“I don’t want to stop working,” Bello said through a translator. “We’re going to try to improve my body and also try to improve on the things that didn’t go well this year to try to be in a better shape and a better state overall when I report to spring training.”
Bello sees areas for improvement: He wants to continue to build strength to sustain his performance over the entirety of the season; he wants to continue to sharpen his slider into the east-west weapon that allows him to work (along with his elite sinker and changeup) to both edges of the plate; and he wants to hone his command of his arsenal, particularly his four-seamer, which is an excellent pitch at the top of the zone but gets hit hard when not precisely thrown.
“I’m still young,” Bello said. “I still think that I can improve a lot and that’s something I’m looking forward to in this offseason.”
Bello has made steady improvements throughout his professional career to emerge from an overlooked prospect out of the Dominican who signed for $25,000 as an 18-year-old into a member of the rotation. That growth, combined with the pitcher’s current abilities, makes it likely that the Sox will at some point approach Bello about a potential long-term deal, perhaps as soon as this offseason after a new leader of baseball operations is in place.
Would Bello be interested in such a conversation as he prepares for 2024?
“That’s a good question. The door’s always open to talks. [The Sox] know that,” he said. “If they want to do something, my agent can obviously talk to them and bring me any offer. I’m open to it, obviously, but I’m not too [caught up] in that. I just let my agents handle the situation.”
Verdugo going in wrong direction
For roughly half a season, Alex Verdugo had a compelling case as one of the top outfielders in the American League. He is no longer occupying those conversations.
In 17 games since Sept. 3, Verdugo — who was out of the lineup for Friday’s 3-0 win over the Orioles — was hitting .138/.177/.190 with no homers, just one RBI, and three walks (all in one game) in 62 plate appearances. That awful stretch has crushed his numbers like an anvil, leaving him with a .265 average (his lowest in any of his five full big league seasons), .326 OBP (another low), and .424 slugging mark.
His OPS+ of 101 suggests a league-average hitter. Perhaps more disappointing, his year over year numbers have gone down in his time with the Red Sox through his age-27 season.
“The walks tell me where he’s at,” manager Alex Cora said. “The swing and miss is something that he usually doesn’t do. He’s been swinging and missing a lot, he’s not walking. He’s hitting the ball on the ground. I think it’s more mechanical than anything else. He had some good games when he got hot at that point hitting the ball in the air. But lately it’s been a lot of ground balls and not going the other way.” Related: Pedro Martínez says Red Sox lacked pride, not talent, en route to last-place finish
Verdugo continues to garner praise for his strong outfield play in right field, but his slump has played into the collapse of the Red Sox offense down the stretch.
“It’s not the end of the season that he was looking for or we were looking for,” Cora said. Rafaela needs work with bat
While Ceddanne Rafaela has shown flashes of game-changing defense in center field, particularly notable given the defensive limitations of Masataka Yoshida in left, Cora suggested it would be premature to project such a pairing for next season.
Cora pointed to both improvements by Yoshida and Rafaela’s need for further development as a hitter. The 23-year-old Rafaela is hitting .253/.294/.405 with four walks and 26 strikeouts in 85 plate appearances.
“Obviously, we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. Ceddanne needs repetitions,” Cora said. “For how much we like him in center field, the offensive part of it, we still have to work. The chase percentage with two strikes, early in the count, all that stuff, going the other way, that’s part of the final product, the kind of things that we have to do for him to become an everyday player.”
Jansen’s season over
While closer Kenley Jansen has been available since returning from the COVID IL last weekend, after 17 days without entering a game, Cora decided not to use him Friday — and won’t again this year.
“If he goes out there and something happens, it’s on me,” Cora said. “We’re going to stay away from him.”
Jansen, who signed a two-year, $32 million free-agent deal last winter, will finish with 29 saves in 33 opportunities and a number of career-worst numbers, including a 3.63 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. However, those numbers were inflated considerably by his efforts to pitch through injury and assorted health issues in September. Orioles honor Palmer
Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer was honored prior to the game for his 60 years in the Orioles organization.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2023 6:03:23 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Saturday, 30th September 7:05pm @ OPACY
Crawford 6-8/ 4.23
Gibson 15-9/ 4.86
Two American League East rivals meet on the diamond Saturday in the next to last game of the regular season for both, when the Boston Red Sox (76-83, 5th AL East) visit Camden Yards to play the Baltimore Orioles (100-59, 1st AL East). Boston lost its 5th straight when falling to the Orioles 2-0 on Thursday in the first of four meetings between the two. Boston has lost 11 of the last 13. With its two-run victory over Boston on Thursday, Baltimore has won five straight and clinched the American League East, while reaching the 100-win plateau. Boston will play without six pitchers as well as position players Triston Casas, Jarren Duran and Luis Urias. Baltimore will play without three relief pitchers as well as right fielder Terrin Vavra.
Red Sox must fix their pitching staff over the winter The Boston Red Sox have struggled on the mound all season. Boston is 20th in WHIP at 1.35, 21st in team ERA at 4.58, while 25th in both Quality Starts with 44 and batting average allowed at .258. Brayan Bello is leading Boston in victories with 12, while Nick Pivetta is the leader in strikeouts with 173. Boston will hand the ball on Saturday to Kutter Crawford. This season the right-hander is 6-9 with an ERA of 4.23 and 128 strikeouts.
Boston has produced well at the plate, as the Red Sox are fourth in team batting average at .259, 7th in slugging percentage with .427, 9th in runs scored with 761 and 12th in on base percentage at .325. Rafael Devers is the team leader in home runs with 33 and in RBI with 98. Triston Casas is second in home runs but out injured and therefore Justin Turner is second with 23. Turner is also second in RBI with 96. Boston has hit 336 doubles, 18 triples and 186 home runs in 159 games.
Baltimore is tough both at the plate and on the mound The Baltimore Orioles have won 100 games with three remaining on the regular season schedule thanks to excellent production at the plate. The Orioles have scored the 7th most runs with 801, are 8th in team batting average at .257, are 10th in slugging percentage at .423 and 14th in on base percentage with .323. Anthony Santander is the team leader in home runs with 28 and RBI with 93. Gunnar Henderson is tied for the lead in home runs with 28 and is second best in RBI with 82. Baltimore has hit 305 doubles, 28 triples and 181 home runs in 159 games.
Baltimore is 11th or better in four major pitching categories. Baltimore is 7th in ERA at 3.93, while ninth in both Quality Starts with 67 and WHIP with 1.24. Baltimore's pitching staff is holding opponents to an average of .242 at the plate. Saturday's starter Kyle Gibson is the leader in victories with 15 and Kyle Bradish is the leader in strikeouts of 163. Gibson is 15-9 with an ERA of 4.86 and 153 strikeouts.
Red Sox at Orioles Saturday, at 7:15 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 69° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 6 MPH wind blowing in Baltimore at 7:15 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 30, 2023 7:54:27 GMT -5
Pivetta punctuates turnaround campaign with 10-K gem Red Sox righty logs seven scoreless frames vs. O's, looks to build for rotation spot in 202412:17 AM ADT Ian Browne Ian Browne @ianmbrowne BALTIMORE -- As far as season arcs go, no Red Sox player had a more impressive one than Nick Pivetta. The righty had a 6.30 ERA through eight starts when manager Alex Cora pulled him from the rotation in May. Upset for about a day following the demotion, Pivetta went into the skipper’s office the next day and said this, as relayed by Cora. “I'm ready,” Pivetta told Cora. “I'm going to the bullpen today and whatever you need, I’ll do.” And that was not lip service. Pivetta put a brilliant finishing touch on his in-season turnaround by firing seven scoreless innings (two hits, one walk, 10 strikeouts) in pitching the Red Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Orioles on Friday night at Camden Yards. Pivetta also fired seven scoreless in his penultimate outing of 2023 against the White Sox at Fenway Park last Saturday. When Pivetta got back to the dugout following his final inning of the season, he had a prideful smile on his face as his teammates congratulated him on a job well done. “You know, I feel very confident, feel very happy,” Pivetta said. “Disappointed that I don't get to continue throwing. But, I'm ready to go into next year, have a good mindset and a good foundation to kind of build on, and just kind of continue moving forward.” After refining his repertoire and dominating as a bulk reliever for the middle chunk of the season, Pivetta was rewarded by spending nearly all of September in the rotation. Viewed as a possible non-tender candidate during those April and May struggles, Pivetta has positioned himself to be an important piece of the 2024 pitching staff for the Red Sox. “His stuff is getting better,” Cora said. “So, I don't see why he can’t be a starter next year.” Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag. Depending on how the offseason shakes out, Pivetta has also proved he can succeed in the hybrid role he was deployed in during the summer months. “He's grown so much, matured so much,” Cora said. “He understands the whole team concept. He really likes it here. And it’s something that he's been loud and clear about it. He loves it here. He loves the atmosphere.” There have been a combination of things that have helped Pivetta turn his season around. One was coming up with a second slider that had more of a horizontal break. Another was heeding the advice of veteran teammate Chris Martin. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag. “[Martin] talked to him about being aggressive,” Cora said. “‘Use your best pitches as much as possible. Don't waste pitches.' Kind of like, 'Attack. Be in attack mode.' As you know, the previous year and early in the season, Nick was shying away from the zone. “So whatever Chris told Nick, it changed his season. And maybe his career.” Pivetta agreed that Martin played an important role in his turnaround. “Yeah, you know, Chris as a whole, he's been extraordinary for the team, as a leader, as a teammate, as a guy who goes out there and controls the strike zone, controls the situation every single time,” Pivetta said. “I learned a lot from him, from the mental standpoint, the physical standpoint, and he helped me out a lot this year. So it was really huge.” In 38 appearances this season, Pivetta went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA. Over 142 2/3 innings, he notched 183 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .208 average. Narrowing it to the final four months of the season covering 28 appearances and 97 1/3 innings, Pivetta logged 135 strikeouts and a 12.5 K/9 ratio. Translation: Pivetta has been dealing for a while. “Early in the season, he struggled, but he kept his head up and kept going,” Cora said. “And one thing we know, he's gonna work hard in the offseason to keep getting better. “He should be one of the guys next year. We're talking about it. He's going to pitch important innings.” Pivetta was awesome last night. He probably could have pitched another inning, but Cora did the right thing in pulling Pivetta on a high note. Pivetta can take that confidence into the offseason and, hopefully, continue strong next season. I have said that I liked Pivetta better pitching after an opener, but his last few starts have proven me wrong.
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 30, 2023 8:00:41 GMT -5
The Orioles broadcast was awful last night. I have never enjoyed listening to the Orioles feed (I have to because of blackout restrictions), but IMO, they reached a new low last night. I know that the game was meaningless for the Os, but nevertheless, there was a game being played. At times, you wouldn't have known it for all the shenanigans going on. There was a half inning, the bottom of the 3rd, when the announcers literally did not make a single comment about what was going on in the game. Not one. Sadly, I have to watch their feed for 2 more games.
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