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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:28:37 GMT -5
Red Sox’ Jarren Duran: ‘It’s my (expletive) fault’
Updated: Apr. 09, 2024, 7:19 p.m.|Published: Apr. 09, 2024, 6:57 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran took responsibility for Boston’s loss Tuesday.
He dropped a fly ball with two outs in the fourth inning, putting runners at second and third base.
Colton Cowser, the next hitter, smashed a two-run single into left-center field to give Baltimore a 3-1 lead. The Red Sox went on to lose 7-1 to the Orioles on Opening Day at Fenway.
“I just (expletive) suck, man,” Duran said. “It’s my (expletive) fault, dude. If I make that play, we get out of the inning and then none of those other (expletive) things happen. I just (expletive) suck, honestly.”
The Red Sox made two errors and a few other sloppy plays in the field.
“It wasn’t a good game,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’re gonna have some of those because we’ve got some young guys playing.”
Asked about the tough loss, Duran added, “It’s just baseball. It happens. But honestly, it just feels like after that error, they got a couple hits, got a couple runs and we never got back into rhythm. So it’s on me.”
Duran headed toward the left field corner to try to catch Cedric Mullins’ 294-foot fly ball. But it bounced off his glove and it kicked around in the corner.
“I was just running and I kind of thought I was already there,” Duran said. “It just kept tailing away. I should have taken a couple more steps and I would’ve been on it. Just good slice on the ball. I just kept going. I kind of like sprinted towards it, thought I was with it and it just kept going. So I tried to extend and I just missed it.”
Duran, who journals, has been open about his struggles with anxiety and depression. He always has put a lot of pressure on him to perform well.
“I might have to buy another journal for how much I’m going to have to write about myself tonight,” he said. “(Expletive) happens, man. I (expletive) it up. That’s on me. I’ve just gotta be better.”
Duran said he’ll be tough on himself tonight but he will try to put it behind him Wednesday when the Red Sox and Orioles play again.
“Good thing it was a 2 o’clock game so I got more time to talk shit about myself for the rest of the day,” Duran said. “And then I’ll flush it and get over it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:31:37 GMT -5
Trevor Story news, bad home opener make good Red Sox vibe disappear fast | Cotillo
Published: Apr. 09, 2024, 10:59 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Tuesday was supposed to be a celebratory day at Fenway Park. The 2004 team was back in town, the sun was shining and most surprisingly, the actual team on the field had inspired its fan base with an encouraging 7-3 West Coast swing that featured a pitching display so promising that Andrew Bailey got one of the loudest ovations of the day during pregame introductions before the home opener.
“We make jokes about the vibe, but the vibe is real,” manager Alex Cora said pregame. “I could tell yesterday. A lot of people came up to me excited about the team and the way we’re playing.”
With the way the day went for the Red Sox, if there were any good vibes left at first pitch, they were surely gone by the time a sellout crowd of 36,093 filed out of Fenway after watching the Orioles run a relay race around the bases while the team in white held auditions for the next reboot of the “Bad News Bears.” A six-hour stretch that began with news that starter Nick Pivetta was headed to the injured list with a flexor strain in his elbow ended with Trevor Story choking back tears over the news that shoulder surgery would end his season. In between was a totally uninspiring performance on the field that highlighted gaping holes on a flawed roster. The pageantry of the home opener quickly gave way to more doubt about where the 2024 Red Sox are headed. A 7-4 record suddenly feels much worse.
Anybody who previewed the Red Sox season in spring training knew that bounce-back seasons from both Lucas Giolito and Story would be pivotal to any chances the club had. Thanks to injuries, the Red Sox will get just 34 plate appearances from Story and exactly zero innings from Giolito, who underwent elbow surgery in March. The Pivetta injury, while much less serious, takes away one of the few certainties the Red Sox will count on. For at least a couple weeks, their innings-eater will go hungry.
Losing key pieces like Giolito and Story would be tough for a deep club. Doing so is even harder for a Red Sox team that wasn’t built to withstand any losses. In Story’s place at shortstop, at least at present, are a January waiver claim (Romy Gonzalez) and an organizational piece (David Hamilton) who hit .121 in 15 games last year. With Pivetta joining Giolito on the shelf, the Red Sox will need to insert someone with little big league success into their rotation. The options include two guys who were available to all teams at the end of spring training (Chase Anderson), a reliever who allowed nine hits Tuesday (Josh Winckowski) and Cooper Criswell, who while promising, has just two major league starts to his credit.
Injuries have befallen the Red Sox plenty of times in recent seasons, but they haven’t usually piled up so quickly. That the Jenga blocks are already swinging so forcefully 10 days less than two weeks into the season is beyond concerning. Bailey can teach “throwing nasty stuff in the zone” until he’s blue in the face. But at a certain point, if you run out of pitchers, there’s not much nasty stuff to throw. And if the players behind the mound can’t catch the ball, it’s all for naught anyway.
Boston’s defense, which in recent years has been so bad that Cora might have thought to stop shaving his head and instead start pulling each hair out one by one, has once again been a major issue early in the season. Brayan Bello was cruising Tuesday until a misplay by Rafael Devers and muffed catch by Jarren Duran in the left-field shadows allowed the O’s to race ahead, 3-1, with a couple of two-out runs. Things got out of hand behind Winckowski in the eighth when — in the most literal form of adding insult to injury — the Red Sox got a glimpse of just what they’re missing at shortstop with Story out. Story’s unavailability meant Hamilton, who has not come close to proving he can be a major league defender, letting a perfect double play ball go five-hole and then failed to corral another grounder as Baltimore’s lead ballooned to six runs.
The loss of Story, even with the flaws in his game and the health struggles of the last few years, cannot be overstated. In a seemingly impossible turn, the Red Sox’ makeshift solution in the middle infield looks even worse than it did a year ago when Kiké Hernández took aim for the Dell Technologies Club on a nightly basis. Moving Ceddanne Rafaela from center to shortstop would just continue Craig Breslow’s endless game of Whack-A-Mole.
The Red Sox had, as Cora likes to say, a happy flight home from Anaheim on Sunday. Those vibes might have well as died on the jet bridge. For now, the Red Sox are back to having more questions than answers — and it doesn’t seem like solutions are coming soon.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:38:47 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier Cora: “It wasn’t a good game today. We’re going to have some of those because we have some young guys playing.”
Scenes from the postgame clubhouse: Trevor Story in tears at the thought of missing the year, Jarren Duran punching his locker and pronouncing repeatedly that he (expletive) sucks for dropping the flyball.
6:26 PM · Apr 9, 2024
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:52:23 GMT -5
The opener had a picturesque start, but revealed unsightly flaws at the end By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 9, 2024, 8:11 p.m.
The Red Sox were the final team in the majors to open at home this season, the gates to Fenway Park thrown open after a long winter for a matinee against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday afternoon.
Under sunny skies, the Sox were outclassed in a 7-1 loss before a sellout crowd of 36,093.
After a 7-3 road trip to the West Coast, Tuesday was a bitter dose of reality. The Sox were held to two hits and committed two errors, one a dropped fly ball by Jaren Duran with two outs in the fourth inning that led to the Orioles scoring two unearned runs.
The Sox advanced one runner beyond first base all day with their final 18 batters going down in order.
“This is where we’re at,” manager Alex Cora said.
At least the Sox remained undefeated in pre-game ceremonies, mourning the loss of Tim and Stacy Wakefield and former team president Larry Lucchino before celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 World Series champions.
The disparate moments intertwined seamlessly when Brianna and Trevor Wakefield led the ‘04 team onto the field representing their parents. Surrounded by her father’s former teammates, Brianna threw out a first pitch to his close friend Jason Varitek.
As they hugged in front of the mound, tears were shed around the ballpark.
“It was a beautiful moment from our fans and for their family,” Varitek said.
“Unreal,” Sox manager Alex Cora said of the scene.
Varitek’s usual stoicism was tested by the sentiments of the moment. But the Captain held on.
“You can’t celebrate ‘04 without celebrating Tim,” he said. “It was just a beautiful day.”
Once the game started, Tyler O’Neill belted a home run over everything in left field in the first inning, the ball sailing past a sign with Wakefield’s No. 49 that has been installed at the base of the light tower closest to the left field corner.
Perfect.
The rest of the day, not so much.
After O’Neill’s sixth homer of the season, the Sox managed only one other hit off Orioles ace Corbin Burnes and two relievers. It was the fifth time in 11 games they were held to two or fewer runs.
The Orioles traded for Burnes in February and he is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA with the team winning all three of his starts. For a team that won 101 games last season then was swept in the Division Series, Burnes is a difference maker.
“Everybody feels like that’s one of the best, if not the best, team in the big leagues,” Cora said.
Earlier in the day, the Sox acknowledged Trevor Story had a season-ending shoulder injury and would have surgery in Los Angeles later this week.
Story came out of the dugout for introductions with his left arm in a sling. He plans to stay around the team and help out but any contributions on the field won’t be until 2025.
The Sox also revealed that Nick Pivetta has a strained flexor tendon and was placed on the 15-day injured list. He’ll miss at least three starts but seems to have avoided a more serious injury.
His replacement could be Josh Winckowski, who threw 65 pitches in relief over 2⅔ innings to get built up. But he allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits.
The Sox were counting on Pivetta and Lucas Giolito to provide a big chunk of innings, 300 or more. Now both are on the injured list with Giolito out for the season.
For a 7-4 team, the Sox suddenly have a lot of issues. They could use a pitcher like Wakefield to pick up some innings and steady his teammates.
Without fanfare, home clubhouse manager Tom McLaughlin had a photo of Wakefield holding the 2004 American League trophy framed and placed on a wall in the clubhouse close to where the knuckleballer had his locker years ago.
The only other photo in the clubhouse is one of Johnny Pesky, another player who put his teammates and the franchise first.
Certain players lift others up. That will be needed if the Sox are to overcome the weaknesses on display Tuesday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:55:24 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Nick Pivetta lands on injured list with elbow injury, leaving Red Sox rotation strained By Julian McWilliams and Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 9, 2024, 7:07 p.m.
More bad news hit the Red Sox before the home opener at Fenway Park.
Just before noon Tuesday, the Sox placed starter Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow flexor strain. The team recalled lefthanded reliever Brennan Bernardino from Triple A Worcester to take Pivetta’s roster spot ahead of a 7-1 loss to the Orioles.
Pivetta had been struggling to bounce back physically after his first two starts of the season. Based on that, the righthander was sent for an MRI that showed what chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described as a “mild” flexor strain; the ulnar collateral (Tommy John) ligament was found to be intact.
The Sox are hopeful Pivetta will be ready to come off the IL roughly when he’s eligible to do so.
“That’s a reasonable goal,” Breslow said.
Apart from a bout with COVID during the 2021 season, Pivetta had never been on the IL. After coming off a promising end to the 2023 season where he was asked to pitch as both a starter and reliever, Pivetta attacked the offseason and spring training with fervor, hoping he could build on last season’s results.
“I was trying to push the limits with getting ready earlier — facing hitters, getting my body ready earlier,” Pivetta said during spring training. “Usually it’s a more gradual buildup. This year, it was hit the ground running, go 100 percent the whole entire time [in spring training], and act like every pitch is your last — this is going to be the last time playing, every single outing. I think having that intensity and carrying that throughout the whole entire year is what I’m focused on.”
His offseason work, which included honing more of a sweeper pitch, paid early dividends. Pivetta yielded only one run in 11 innings through two starts. But injury quickly followed, adding to a pattern for pitchers across the majors, including teammate Lucas Giolito, who was lost for the year in spring training when the starter had to undergo an internal brace procedure.
Though disappointed Tuesday, Pivetta was heartened that he appears for now to have avoided worse.
“That it’s not major is something that’s positive. It’s definitely negative that I have to miss time,” he said. “Hopefully it’s just a short amount of time and I can come back and just continue to do what I’m doing.”
With the Red Sox coming off an offday, the team will not need a fifth starter to replace Pivetta until Saturday.
Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck will all move up their scheduled starts by a day. Breslow said Chase Anderson (who has made a pair of long-relief appearances) and Cooper Criswell (who pitched Sunday for the WooSox and would be able to start Saturday on five days’ rest) were under consideration to fill Pivetta’s rotation spot.
“I think we’re going to read and react over the next few days, but thankfully we have a little bit of depth built up right now,” Breslow said. Refsnyder, Grissom updates
Injured outfielder Rob Refsnyder (toe) was on hand for the game and said he’d start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) will start a rehab assignment over the weekend, primarily at second base (the position where the Sox believe he represents the best fit), but with occasional reps at shortstop (where he played while coming up in the Braves system)
Grissom, who was at Fenway for a check-in and his first home opener with the Red Sox, said the injury that sidelined him is no longer an issue.
“I’m feeling really good. I’m excited,” Grissom said. “It’s finally good to be up here. To be here with the home team is different for me. I’m just taking it all in.” Rafaela deal coming soon
While Ceddanne Rafaela’s eight-year extension with the Red Sox is not yet official, members of the team offered the 23-year-old center fielder congratulations in the clubhouse prior to the game. Breslow said the Sox hope to have an announcement of a deal “in the next day or so.” Related: Watch: Brianna Wakefield, daughter of Tim and Stacy, throws out first pitch at Red Sox Opening Day
Rafaela is hitting .212/.263/.364, but his defensive value has been obvious in the early going, with two game-saving catches.
“Defensively, he is who he is, and there’s a reason he’s here with us. We made a decision [to have him be the season-opening center fielder] based on his defensive talent and so far it’s been good,” manager Alex Cora said. “Obviously he’s a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish and a big part of what the organization is trying to accomplish in the future.” Gonzalez replaces Dalbec
With Bobby Dalbec having been optioned to Worcester on Monday, Romy Gonzalez, who can play all four infield spots as well as center and left fields, was called up. Gonzalez was hitting .321/.375/.821 with three homers and six extra-base hits in seven games for the WooSox … The start of the game was delayed when a Netflix camera person riding a Segway along the first-base line was slow getting off the field.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 5:59:02 GMT -5
Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 7:10pm EDT Written by Michael Briggs
The Baltimore Orioles will battle the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday at Fenway Park. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET.
The Red Sox are -112 moneyline favorites and the game total is nine runs scored.
Baltimore (6-4 SU, 5-5 RL, and 4-4-2 O/U) is starting left-hander Cole Irvin. The 30-year-old is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP (one start) this season.
Boston (7-4 SU, 8-3 RL, and 5-5-1 O/U) has not named a probable starter. Nick Pivetta was slated to start, but the right-hander was placed on the IL on Tuesday. Due to the club's off day on Monday, Boston can move starters Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck up a day without throwing them off their rest schedules. The 28-year-old Crawford is 0-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.84 WHIP this season (two starts).
Are the Orioles the class of the AL East?
Baltimore climbed the AL East standings last season, breaking the 100-win barrier for the first time since 1980. The season was celebrated by baseball fans worldwide, as Baltimore's exciting young roster fueled the team's dominant regular season, which featured its first postseason appearance since 2016 and first division title since 2014. There's more to accomplish in 2024, however, as the O's are eager to move past their ALDS loss to Texas.
The O's rank 17th in BA (.234), 27th in OBP (.285), 15th in SLG (.389), and 20th in OPS (.674). They have hit nine home runs (19th) and knocked in 54 RBI (8th). Baltimore's pitching staff has compiled a 2.67 ERA (4th) and 0.97 WHIP (1st).
Irvin will toe the slab for the visiting Orioles on Wednesday. The sixth-year pro allowed four runs on seven hits in his first start of the season (5.0 IP vs. Kansas City). Last season, he posted a 0-3 record with a 3.79 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 12 road appearances (six starts). Irvin faced the Red Sox three times in 2023 (8.2 IP). He picked up a loss in the first meeting, giving up six runs on eight hits, and gave up a three-run homer in the second matchup (2.0 IP).
Boston has suffered another injury setback Boston has caught the attention of the baseball community, winning seven of its first eleven games. The Red Sox couldn't enjoy the fruit of their labor for long, however, as injuries are already taking a toll in Beantown. Boston will play the rest of the season without SP Lucas Giolito and 2B Trevor Story, and Pivetta was added to the 15-day IL on Tuesday. Can the Red Sox push through these setbacks in a competitive AL East?
Boston ranks 16th in BA (.234), 18th in OBP (.311), 17th in SLG (.384), and 16th in OPS (.695). They have launched 14 long balls (4th) and 48 RBI (12th) this year.
Crawford is expected to take the hill for the home team tomorrow. The fourth-year pro allowed one run (zero earned) on three hits with seven strikeouts in his season debut (6.0 IP vs. Seattle). In his second outing, he gave up one run on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts (4.2 IP vs. the Los Angeles Angels). Crawford struggled at Fenway last season, posting an 0-5 record with a 6.00 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 15 home appearances (11 starts). He was much better on the road (6-3 with a 2.49 ERA and 0.87 WHIP).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 13:28:33 GMT -5
Irvin vs Crawford
Jarren Duran (L) LF Tyler O'Neill (R) RF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Triston Casas (L) 1B Romy Gonzalez (R) SS Pablo Reyes (R) 2B Masataka Yoshida (L) DH Connor Wong (R) C Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 13:46:00 GMT -5
Orioles calling up the Holliday kid will be more Oriole fans in the old barn tonight down likely by 6 or 7 late playing Sweet Caroline...... hahahahaha
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 10, 2024 14:34:01 GMT -5
Colton Cowser has 4 RBIs, Corbin Burnes shuts down Boston's bats as Orioles beat Red Sox 7-1AP 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. Not a good game for the good guys. When the Sox offense goes MIA, it really goes MIA. It's hard to win games when you only have 2 hits and score 0 runs, not that our pitching was that great. Hope we get a win tonight.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 10, 2024 14:40:38 GMT -5
Despite efforts to improve, Red Sox’ defense again a concern early in season
Published: Apr. 09, 2024, 7:59 p.m. They were so good defensively the first week of the season. Not so good the second half. Perhaps we should not make judgments based on such small sample sizes. Losing Story hurts a lot, but we'll see how the defense plays out.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 17:12:33 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb Cooper Criswell is lined up to start for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday. That’s when the Red Sox will next need a starter with Nick Pivetta on the IL. So it lines up. We will see if he’s the guy. Breslow also mentioned Chase Anderson as a candidate 5:33 PM · Apr 10, 2024 · 5,095 Views
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2024 18:44:13 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe Yoshida batting seventh tonight, lowest in the order in his 135 major league starts. 8:02 PM · Apr 10, 2024 · 4,679 Views
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 11, 2024 5:20:20 GMT -5
Westburg hits go-ahead HR in 7th, Orioles rally from 5 down to beat Red Sox 7-5 in Holliday's debut AP
BOSTON (AP) Jordan Westburg hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning and the Baltimore Orioles erased a five-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-5 on Wednesday night.
“The way he swung the bat tonight, a huge hit for us,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s starting to get comfortable in the big leagues and he’s taking really good at-bats.”
Jackson Holliday, baseball’s top-rated prospect, made his major league debut for the Orioles and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and an RBI groundout. The 20-year-old infielder, selected first in the 2022 amateur draft, started at second base and batted ninth.
“He puts together a pretty good at-bat, doesn’t chase a whole lot. He makes you be around the zone,” Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford said.
Boston wasted a strong start by Crawford, who threw five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and four walks with six strikeouts and a hit batter.
“He was good,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “At one point there, he lost his delivery. But he battled. He gave us five. He gave us enough.”
Cole Irvin started for Baltimore, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out four.
“I thought I executed some really good pitches,” Irvin said. “I felt really good today. I think it’s one of those days where you feel good, thought you executed properly, and we got the win - that’s all that matters.”
Triston Casas hit a two-run homer to give the Red Sox a 5-0 lead in the fifth.
The Orioles scored three times in the sixth, with four consecutive hits off reliever Isaiah Campbell to open the inning. Holliday snapped the streak with a groundout that drove in a run.
Baltimore added four runs in the seventh off Chris Martin (1-1), including Westburg’s three-run shot that gave the Orioles a 7-5 lead. It was his second homer of the season.
“I did a pretty bad job of managing that inning,” Martin said. “Obviously, a lot of things happened. But, just a bad job by me.”
Mike Baumann (1-0) struck out three in a scoreless inning and Craig Kimbrel fanned two in the ninth for his second save.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: LHP Chris Murphy underwent ulnar collateral ligament surgery on his pitching elbow. He will be out for the season. … INF Rob Refsnyder, out all season with a broken left toe, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester and went 0 for 3 as the DH. … INF Vaughn Grissom (left hamstring strain) will begin a rehab assignment this weekend.
UP NEXT
Orioles RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-0, 2.19 ERA) starts against RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 0.96) when the AL East rivals wrap up their three-game series Thursday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 11, 2024 5:37:46 GMT -5
Rare bad outing from Martin sinks Red Sox 1:11 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- In his first 60 appearances with the Red Sox, ace setup man Chris Martin had set standards that would be nearly impossible to duplicate.
Appearance No. 61 on Wednesday night at Fenway is one the veteran righty would soon like to forget, as he couldn’t protect a two-run lead in a 7-5 loss to the Orioles.
The 37-year-old righty had only given up more than a run one time in his year-plus with Boston, and that was only two runs.
In those first 60 outings for Boston, including his first five in 2024, Martin had a 1.12 ERA, allowing a mere seven runs, eight walks and two homers in 56 1/3 innings.
On Wednesday, he gave up four runs in the top of the seventh, three of them earned.
You could say that Martin was due for a clunker. Only he didn’t look at it that way.
“To be completely honest with you, that’s last year. I'm not even thinking about last year. I'm trying to improve off of that season and get better,” Martin said. “It happens. It's baseball. I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can and I’ve got to do a better job managing the inning. That's something that I can control. And I didn’t control that very well today, so that's why I'm a little more upset than normal.”
The inning started innocently enough, as Martin induced a flyout to center. After a single to left by Ryan O’Hearn, things took a turn for the worst. Catcher Connor Wong had a passed ball. Then Martin did something he hardly ever does, walked Ryan Mountcastle.
After that, more quirkiness. Martin uncorked a wild pitch. Catcher’s interference on Wong loaded the bases.
Needless to say, it was a bad time for Martin to throw his second wild pitch of the inning. But that’s what happened, and O’Hearn scored to make it a one-run game.
After Martin got a temporary reprieve with a strikeout for out No. 2, there seemed a chance he could get his team back in the dugout with a lead.
But his 2-2 sinker caught too much plate and Jordan Westburg drilled the 93.6 mph offering for a three-run homer to center that silenced the Fenway Park crowd and turned Boston’s one-run lead into a two-run deficit.
“I’m not a big sinker guy,” said Martin. “I use it in certain situations. It was just a pitch I thought we could get him with it in. … I just didn’t get it in enough and he put a good swing on it.”
This was a game the Red Sox led, 5-0, after starter Kutter Crawford escaped bases-loaded jams in the fourth and fifth.
But things started to go wrong soon after Crawford exited.
For sure, this wasn’t all on Martin. Isaiah Campbell was first out of the bullpen, and he gave up three runs in the top of the sixth, putting Baltimore back in the ballgame.
“With Campbell, the cutter wasn't as sharp as before,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “As you guys know, we trust him with lefties. He's trying to get a shutdown inning right there after scoring two. It didn’t happen.”
Even with that stumble, the Sox still had Martin to go to, and they felt pretty good about that.
“He was our guy last year,” Crawford said. “He was almost kind of automatic coming out of the bullpen and filling up the zone. He just kind of had one of those days. It was kind of just a bad day at work for him. I think we all have confidence and faith that he’ll get back to his normal self, absolutely.”
What was different about Martin on Wednesday?
“With Chris, he was just off,” said Cora. “Bloop single, walk, catcher interference, one pitch away from getting away from it and tried to pitch in and the kid put a good swing on it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 11, 2024 5:45:12 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo Kutter Crawford said he slipped on his way to first base on the last out and tweaked his knee but is hopeful it's not something that will keep him out of his next start.
Asked if he thought he'd miss time, he said: "I don't think so." 11:30 PM · Apr 10, 2024 · 23.3K Views
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