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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 8, 2024 19:27:25 GMT -5
Red Sox need to make Fenway Park less beloved to opposing teams and their fans By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 8, 2024, 1 hour ago
With its unique dimensions and a passionate fan base, Fenway Park should be the best home field advantage in baseball. But from 2022-23, a whopping 18 teams had more success at their home ballparks than the Red Sox did at Fenway. Seventeen teams hit more home runs at home.
To be sure, this nightmare on Jersey Street coincided with a series of failed roster moves and endless roster churn. Whatever the reason, an 82-80 record at Fenway Park over two seasons isn’t acceptable.
After a 7-3 trip to the West Coast, the Red Sox host the Baltimore Orioles in the home opener on Tuesday afternoon. For manager Alex Cora, making Fenway far less friendly to the opposition is imperative.
“The last few years, we’ve been bad,” he said. “For us to accomplish our first goal, making it to the playoffs, we have to do better.”
Cora changed the team’s usual routines in spring training, shifting more fielding drills from the practice field to JetBlue Park, where the dimensions aren’t exactly Fenway, but are fairly close. The Sox also took more batting practice in the stadium to get the hitters more comfortable.
“We had a good road trip, but going back home, there’s an emphasis to get off to a good start there, too,” first baseman Triston Casas said. “The Orioles are a good team but we have to play solid at home. It has to be better.”
The second part of the equation for the Sox will be winning back their fans.
It was stunning at times last season to see large groups of opposing fans at Fenway, especially on summer weekends. Fans of the Mets, Blue Jays, and Dodgers all but took over.
With the payroll dropping — which many fans interpret as disinterest from ownership — the Sox may have some sparse crowds early in the season. Giveaways and theme nights won’t fill those empty seats. Winning will.
Tuesday is the start of a 10-game homestand against the Orioles, Angels, and Guardians. A 7-3 or even 6-4 record would go far in making a point.
Rafael Devers believes in the idea of wiping the slate clean. New year, new team, new results.
“We haven’t played at home yet,” he said. “Last year was last year. That’s in the past. We have the best fans in baseball; we need to enjoy playing there and we haven’t the last few years.”
Devers has been a productive hitter at Fenway in his career. He believes it takes time for young players to get accustomed to the surroundings.
“Our park is different, but it’s still our park,” he said. “I think we’ll be better.”
Triston Casas was thoughtful on the issue of home field advantage.
“Being under .500 isn’t acceptable,” he said. “That’s the place we play a majority of our games. You can’t play .500 baseball at home, especially with the quirky dimensions and weather conditions that can be inclement. We need to use those things to our advantage.
“Having that practice time at JetBlue will really help us a lot, I believe. We should be running the bases super efficiently at Fenway and the hitters should alter our approach to take advantage of the dimensions.”
Casas, a lefthanded hitter with power, has a career .887 OPS at Fenway compared to .781 on the road.
“I love hitting at Fenway,” he said. “It plays into my type of swing. It allows me to let the ball get deep and go to the opposite field with the confidence that I’ll be able to get away with things by hitting the ball to the base of the wall.
“Most of my pull-side stuff in the air typically has backspin, so I don’t worry about the bullpen being there. It’s better when it’s nice and warm, but even when it’s cold, we have to show we can win there.”
Cora has been talking to his players about playing better at home since the early days of spring training. Tuesday is the first chance to put that into action.
“We haven’t made Fenway uncomfortable to the opposition in a long while,” Cora said. “[Fenway] is awesome. I love it. ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the eighth [inning] and all that stuff.
“But when we’re down seven, ‘Sweet Caroline’ doesn’t sound all that great to be honest with you.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 8, 2024 19:35:56 GMT -5
A mix of sun and clouds on deck for Red Sox home opener The Fenway faithful will be greeted with temps in the 50s or so with a slight breeze from first pitch to the final out. By Ken Mahan Globe Staff,Updated April 8, 2024, 1 hour ago
You know springtime is in full swing when the Red Sox season has gotten underway. And with Tuesday afternoon being the team’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park, the weather is looking rather pleasant.
When the first pitch is thrown at 2:10 p.m., it will be a typical spring afternoon to catch the game, with dry conditions and a mix of sun and clouds. There will be a slight breeze from the east to about 10 miles an hour, but that shouldn’t deter the fun for the return of baseball to Fenway.
Temperatures will be in the low to mid-50s — down from yesterday’s warm high in the mid-60s — and slowly tick down to around 50 degrees before fans head home.
Here are a few Red Sox-related weather stats to mull over:
• The average high for April 9 is 54 degrees. Today’s highs should be right at or just below the norm.
• Average temperature during Red Sox home openers is 56 degrees.
• Coldest home opener was on April 2, 1971, when the temperature reached just 41 degrees.
• Warmest home opener was April 15, 1941 — reaching 78 degrees.
• Rainiest home opener was April 1, 2002 — totaling 0.93 inches.
• Snowiest was April 9, 1996 — totaling 1 inch.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 3:19:38 GMT -5
Sox try to recapture Fenway magic starting with home opener April 8th, 2024 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Before we get to the stirring ceremonies that are in store for Tuesday’s home opener -- which will include a 20-year reunion of the fabled 2004 Red Sox and tributes to Tim and Stacy Wakefield, and Larry Lucchino -- let’s get down to some business.
The West Coast trip to Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim was indeed encouraging for a Boston team that went 7-3 out of the gate and pitched lights-out from almost start to finish.
But for this season to be what it needs to be for the Red Sox, they are going to have to find a way to own their unique home field of Fenway Park better than they’ve done in four of the past five seasons.
In 2019, as defending World Series champions, the Sox didn’t protect their home, going 38-43. In the pandemic-shortened, ’20 season, they went 11-20 at Fenway. The exception in recent years was ’21, when an American League Championship Series-bound Sox squad went 49-32 at friendly Fenway. In ’22, they went 43-38 at home, while sporting identical home and road records (39-42) last season.
Given its quirky dimensions and overwhelming home-field advantage when the club is playing well, Fenway is supposed to be much more of a help than a hindrance for the team that plays 81 games a season there.
And that’s what the Red Sox want to get back to, beginning with Tuesday afternoon’s game against the defending AL East champion Baltimore Orioles.
"We've been horrible at home [for the most part] since 2019 to be honest with you,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “For us to accomplish our first goal, making it to the playoffs, we’ve got to do better at home.”
And that isn’t just lip service from Cora. He took substantial steps aimed toward improving the team’s home record in 2024, moving many of the team’s Spring Training drills from the back fields to the main diamond of JetBlue Park, which replicates all the dimensions of Fenway, including a replica Monster.
“Most of the drills were at the stadium. We hit a lot there, something that I didn't like in the beginning because of the timing of it,” said Cora. “But obviously you have to make adjustments and we did. We’ve get a good team coming in on Tuesday and it's a long homestand. Dominating at home is always important.”
Cora has a laundry list of things the Sox can do better at home than they’ve done recently.
"We didn't run the bases well at Fenway. We didn't play good defense at Fenway. We didn't pitch well at Fenway. We didn't hit well,” Cora said. “That's the bottom line. What else? We didn't use the white [jerseys] a lot at Fenway and we will this year.”
If the season goes as Cora envisions, Fenway Park will rock with noise again. And Cora isn’t talking about the music.
"We haven't made Fenway uncomfortable to the opposition in a while. I love 'Sweet Caroline' in the eighth and all that stuff, but when we're down seven, 'Sweet Caroline' doesn't sound great to be honest with you,” Cora said.
Given the success on the opening road trip and a nice day forecasted for Tuesday, Cora expects Fenway to be buzzing.
“Fenway Park, mid-afternoon, in the 60's, it looks like,” said Cora. “People care. They care about this organization. They care about the Red Sox. There's something about the home opener that is special. And I know '19 was a special one because we got the rings, but going into it, it was a bad taste [after a 3-8 road trip]. It was like, 'Oh, we're getting these, but we're not playing good baseball.' This one is a little bit different."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 8:21:12 GMT -5
It’s the home opener at Fenway Park. Here’s your Red Sox-Orioles preview.By Katie McInerney Globe Staff,Updated April 9, 2024, 2 minutes ago It’s Opening Day at Fenway Park, and if you’ve got tickets, lucky you. The weather is expected to be phenomenal for April, and the team is throwing a party for the 2004 World Series champions. A number of former players are expected back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of breaking the curse. Here are the details and how to watch. As for the baseball: The Red Sox are back from their opening west-coast swing with a surprising 7-3 record. They’re taking on the Orioles — the team to beat in the AL East this season — who are 5-4 so far. Brayan Bello gets the nod for Boston. Corbin Burnes is pitching for Baltimore. Lineups ORIOLES (5-4): Gunnar Henderson (L) SS Adley Rutschman (S) C Anthony Santander (S) RF Ryan O'Hearn (L) DH Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B Cedric Mullins (L) CF Colton Cowser (L) LF Ramón Urías (R) 3B Tony Kemp (L) 2B Pitching: RHP Corbin Burnes (1-0, 2.31 ERA) RED SOX (7-3): Jarren Duran (L) LF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Tyler O'Neill (R) RF Triston Casas (L) 1B Masataka Yoshida (L) DH Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B Reese McGuire (L) C David Hamilton (L) SS Pitching: RHP Brayan Bello (1-0, 5.40 ERA) Time: 2:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Orioles vs. Bello: Austin Hays 0-4, Gunnar Henderson 1-4, Tony Kemp 1-2, Ryan Mountcastle 0-2, Cedric Mullins 4-5, Ryan O’Hearn 1-2, Adley Rutschman 1-5, Anthony Santander 0-4, Ramón Urías 0-3 Red Sox vs. Burnes: Triston Casas 0-1, Rafael Devers 0-2, Jarren Duran 1-2, Tyler O’Neill 1-11, Pablo Reyes 0-1, Connor Wong 1-2, Masataka Yoshida 0-2 Stat of the day: Following Sunday’s 12-2 victory over the Angels, the Red Sox led MLB with a 1.49 ERA. Notes: Boston has displayed power at the plate (13 home runs) and strong starting pitching during its first 10 outings. ... Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who was acquired in an offseason trade with St. Louis, has five home runs in nine games (28 at-bats), and Boston’s starting pitchers have allowed nine earned runs in 53 innings. ... Baltimore enters Tuesday’s contest on a two-game losing streak, and the Orioles lacked offense in each loss. Baltimore had four hits during Saturday’s 5-4, 11-inning loss against Pittsburgh, and collected six hits in Sunday’s 3-2 setback against the Pirates. ... Burnes, Baltimore’s starting pitcher, was acquired in a February trade with Milwaukee to bolster the front of the rotation. He had 11 strikeouts in six innings to earn the win in an opening-day victory over the Angels, and then surrendered nine hits and two runs in his second start, a no decision against Kansas City. ... Burnes surrendered three runs (two earned) on five hits, struck out five and walked three in five innings during his only career start against the Red Sox. He did not figure in the decision. ... Bello is 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore. He has 11 strikeouts in 10 ⅓ innings. ... Tuesday’s game will be the start of a 10-game homestand for the Red Sox. It includes three games against Baltimore, three against the Angels and four against Cleveland. Song of the Day: Blur - Coffee And TV www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oqXVx3sBOk
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 12:35:21 GMT -5
Trevor Story To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
By Leo Morgenstern | April 9, 2024 at 12:10pm CDT
12:10 pm: Story will have surgery to repair a fractured glenoid, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters (including Alex Speier of The Boston Globe). His timetable to return is roughly six months, so he will miss the remainder of the regular season.
10:58 am: Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning before the Red Sox home opener, manager Alex Cora said there is “concern” regarding the “bone structure” of Trevor Story’s shoulder (per Speier). Story landed awkwardly on his shoulder during last Friday’s game against the Angels and wound up on the 10-day injured list the next day with what the team called a “left shoulder dislocation.” The shortstop will meet with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion, with shoulder surgery a possibility (per Speier).
According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, Cora plans to run with a pair of platoons in the middle infield going forward. The lefty-batting David Hamilton and righty-batting Romy Gonzalez will split time at shortstop, while the lefty-batting Pablo Reyes and righty-batting Enmanuel Valdez share duties at second base. Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is another option for either position. While Rafaela already looks like a Gold Glove-caliber defender in center, the Red Sox have significantly more outfield depth than infield depth right now. Jarren Duran can slide over to center field, while Tyler O’Neill and Wilyer Abreu cover the corners.
Finally, Cora also mentioned that Vaughn Grissom will take reps at shortstop during his upcoming rehab assignment (per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe). The plan is still for Grissom to primarily play second base (per McCaffrey), but he has plenty of minor league experience at short, and the Red Sox could be all hands on deck if their veteran shortstop goes under the knife.
Story knew right away he had a “significant injury” (per Christopher Smith of MassLive) but, as of the weekend, had not yet given up hope that he would return in 2024. Unfortunately, the second opinion he receives from Dr. ElAttrache could mark the end of his season. Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell needed surgery after a similar injury last April and returned for just the final four games of the year.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 12:36:00 GMT -5
Red Sox Place Nick Pivetta On IL With Right Flexor Strain
By Leo Morgenstern | April 9, 2024 at 12:20pm CDT
12:20 pm: Pivetta’s flexor strain is mild, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow tells reporters (including Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe). The right-hander could come off the IL as soon he is eligible, barring any setbacks. In the meantime, the Red Sox will skip Pivetta’s turn in the rotation when off days allow and fill in the gaps with either Chase Anderson or Cooper Criswell.
11:56 am: The Red Sox have placed starting pitcher Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain, the team announced. The IL stint is retroactive to April 6. Brennan Bernardino has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester to fill Pivetta’s spot on the active roster.
It’s been a rough day for the Red Sox so far. Earlier this morning, manager Alex Cora revealed that shortstop Trevor Story is headed for an appointment with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache due to “concern with the bone structure” of his shoulder. His 2024 season could be in jeopardy. The possibility of losing Story and Pivetta will loom large over the Red Sox’s home opener today at Fenway Park.
Elbow problems are always worrisome, especially for pitchers, and especially given the recent rash of injuries to star hurlers like Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, and Eury Pérez. Pivetta was expected to take the mound tomorrow against the Orioles. Now, he is not eligible to rejoin the Red Sox until April 20. There is currently no timeline for his return. However, it’s getting hard to hear the words “flexor strain” and not prepare for the worst.
Twins right-hander Anthony DeSclafani recently underwent season-ending flexor tendon surgery. Rays righty Drew Rasmussen missed most of the 2023 season and remains on the IL after suffering a flexor strain last May. At the time, he hoped to be back for the stretch run in August and September, but eventually, he needed an internal brace procedure to repair his elbow. To make things worse, flexor tendon injuries often cooccur with UCL injuries. Dodgers starter Walker Buehler initially landed on the IL with a flexor strain in June 2022; two months later, he went under the knife for Tommy John.
A perennial breakout candidate, Pivetta, 31, often underperforms his advanced metrics; he has a career 4.81 ERA and 4.00 SIERA. Still, he has blossomed into a reliable arm for the Red Sox, tossing 498 1/3 innings with a 4.26 ERA and 6.2 FanGraphs WAR since 2020. He has pitched at least 140 innings in each of the past three seasons, and his only previous trips to the IL were due to COVID-19 protocols in 2021. The righty looked especially sharp in his first two starts this season, giving up a lone earned run while striking out 13 and walking just one over 11 innings of work.
The Red Sox, already without Lucas Giolito for the season, will be hard-pressed to replace Pivetta in the rotation if his flexor strain proves to be serious. For his part, Pivetta’s injury could not have come at a worse moment. He is set to reach free agency for the first time this offseason.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 12:43:37 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe Romy Gonzalez called up.
Cora says the Sox will platoon at SS (Hamilton and Gonzalez) and 2B (Reyes and Valdez).
Grissom will play 2B on his rehab (starting Friday) but could be re-introduced to SS.
Refsnyder starts his rehab tomorrow.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 17:02:51 GMT -5
Colton Cowser has 4 RBIs, Corbin Burnes shuts down Boston's bats as Orioles beat Red Sox 7-1 AP
BOSTON (AP) Colton Cowser drove in four runs, Corbin Burnes allowed two hits over seven innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Red Sox 7-1 on Tuesday in Boston's home opener.
Cowser had a pair of RBI doubles, the second driving in two runs in the fourth to break a 1-1 tie. He added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to help the Orioles stop a two-game skid.
Burnes (2-0) struck out six and walked two, giving up Tyler O’Neill's sixth homer of the season in the first inning. O'Neill began the season by homering for his fifth straight opening day, a major league record.
Adley Rutschman, Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins added RBI singles for the Orioles.
Baltimore finished with 13 hits and scored its first four runs with two outs. The Orioles were 8 for 15 with runners in scoring position.
Brayan Bello (1-1) gave up three runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings for Boston, which opened with a 7-3 West Coast trip.
Cowser hit an RBI double in the second.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: SS Trevor Story will have what is likely season-ending surgery on his dislocated left shoulder and RHP Nick Pivetta has a strained a right flexor, the latest in a spate of elbow injuries among pitchers. Story was placed on the 10-day injured list after dislocating his left shoulder Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. Projected recovery time is six months. Pivetta was placed on the 15-day IL, a move retroactive to Saturday. The plan is to “platoon” players at shortstop and second base with Story out. Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton will see time at shortstop and Emmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes will split the duties at second.
UP NEXT
The Orioles will start LHP Cole Irvin (0-1, 7.20 ERA) on Wednesday. The Red Sox's starter is to be determined.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 17:04:49 GMT -5
Saw the highlights and not shocked as: - 2 errors today -pitching was ho hum, to crappy -hitting was bad vs bona fide ace -Lots of orange and empty seats in the stands.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 17:06:16 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe Alex Cora on Sunday: “[Fenway] is awesome. I love it. ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the eighth [inning] and all that stuff. But when we’re down seven, ‘Sweet Caroline’ doesn’t sound all that great to be honest with you.”
They're down four today and getting two-hit. And it's lame. 5:42 PM · Apr 9, 2024 · 15.9K Views
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 17:10:29 GMT -5
hahaha it is not very good. guess the analytic team does not read scouting reports not shocking
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats In the two major league looks at Hamilton's defense, the scouting report from sox prospects seems to be more accurate than how the Sox folks talk about it. 5:39 PM · Apr 9, 2024 · 22.6K Views
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2024 17:11:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats In 11 games, the Red Sox offense has scored 0–1 runs 4x, 3–6 runs 4x, and 8 or more runs 3x. 6:13 PM · Apr 9, 2024 · 10.4K Views
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 9, 2024 21:01:35 GMT -5
Game 2 of that series was one of the few times, if any, that I thought Tito made a mistake. He left Beckett in to pitch to Longoria, who had hit him hard, and Beckett was on fumes. IRT returning, there must be something he can do. Just to return in ST, like Yaz, Papi, El Tiante, etc., would be mega-cool.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:11:14 GMT -5
Jeff Passan @jeffpassan BREAKING: The Baltimore Orioles are calling up infielder Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, a source tells ESPN. 10:14 PM · Apr 9, 2024 ·
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:26:51 GMT -5
Despite efforts to improve, Red Sox’ defense again a concern early in season
Published: Apr. 09, 2024, 7:59 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
BOSTON — All winter and throughout spring training, the Red Sox talked about improving their defense. There were drills in Fort Myers designed to upgrade their play in the field.
For the first couple of series, it seemed to have worked. The Sox played crisply in the field and largely avoided making errors. But in the last few games, they’ve displayed the same sloppiness that typified their play a year ago.
On Friday, the Red Sox had to overcome three errors en route to an extra-inning win. On Saturday, a miscue by Rafael Devers led to two unearned runs in a dispiriting 2-1 loss in Anaheim to the Los Angeles Angels.
And Tuesday, in their home opener, the Red Sox were charged with two more e7rrors, leading to three more unearned runs in a one-sided 7-1 setback to Baltimore.
When a reporter suggested the Red Sox (two hits) didn’t do much offensively, Alex Cora was quick to pile on some.
“Or defensively. It wasn’t a good game,” confessed Alex Cora. “We’re going to have some of those because we’ve got some young guys playing. It’s just too bad it happened today.”
The Red Sox were charged two errors, but in truth, it could have easily been more. Rafael Devers attempted to field a high chopper, only to have the ball clang off his glove in what was ruled an infield hit.
Later, shortstop David Hamilton was charged with an error on a ball hit directly to him. And outfielder Jarren Duran, racing over to catch a fly ball near the left field corner, had the ball deflect off his glove, leading to a couple of runs.
“I just (expletive) suck man,” said a disconsolate Duran after. “It’s my (expletive) fault. If we make that play, we’re out of the inning. Honestly, it just feels like, after that error, they got a couple of hits and a couple of runs and we never got back into a rhythm. That’s on me.”
Duran was hard on himself, as he often is. But he wasn’t alone in his struggles.
“I think it’s been (bad) the last three or four games,” said Cora of his team’s defensive play. “For us to get to our goal, we have to play good defense. We’ve been talking about this the whole time. We didn’t make a play (by Duran) and they scored two. We’ve got to be better than that. We’ve got to just pushing, keep working and keep doing the things we’re supposed to do to help them to be better defenders.”
It doesn’t help that the team’s best infielder defender, Trevor Story, will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery later this week. That leaves shortstop to be manned by Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez — the former is untested at the big league level and the latter is a journeyman utility man.
At second, Pablo Reyes is solid as half of a platoon, but Enmanuel Valdez is suspect with the glove.
In Story, the Sox had someone who could uplift the entire infield with his range and instincts. Now, he’s gone.
“We’ve got to move on,” said Cora of the loss of Story. “I know that sounds hard. But that’s the nature of the game. We’re going to miss him, yeah, as a leader, as a player, as a baserunner, as a hitter and as a defender. But we have to move on. Whoever is going to play short that day, just play up to who you are. Don’t try to be Trevor Story. There’s only of those and he’s not going to play this year. So just be you — just make the routine plays, put up good at-bats. It’s a tough one.”
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