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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 13, 2024 11:31:16 GMT -5
Red Sox make 2 roster moves, placing recently promoted infielder on IL
Published: Apr. 13, 2024, 12:05 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox made two roster moves before their game against the Angels on Saturday.
They placed infielder Romy Gonzalez on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist sprain and activated right-handed pitcher Cooper Criswell.
Criswell will start today’s game. First pitch from Fenway Park is at 4:10 p.m.
Boston promoted Romy Gonzalez from Triple A Worcester prior to Tuesday’s home opener but he then injured his wrist Wednesday. He had started at shortstop that day.
Boston signed Criswell to a one-year, $1 million contract in December. The 27-year-old battled for a major league starting rotation spot throughout spring training but the two final spots ultimately went to Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck.
Criswell has pitched well in two starts for Triple-A Worcester so far. He has allowed just one run in 10 ⅓ innings. He has given up eight hits and three walks while striking out nine. He also has hit three batters. In his last start vs. Buffalo, he threw 37 sinkers (90.1 mph average velo), 32 sweepers (sliders), seven cutters and five changeups, per Baseball Savant. He recorded 11 swings and misses.
Rafael Devers (shoulder soreness) again is not in Boston’s lineup. Bobby Dalbec is at third base and David Hamilton is at shortstop. The Red Sox have lost four straight at Fenway to open their home schedule, which ties a franchise record. They have never lost five here to open a season. But they are in jeopardy of it happening Saturday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 5:19:42 GMT -5
Sox break Fenway funk, hope plenty more to come Boston seeking momentum after avoiding 0-5 home start with 7-2 win over Angels April 13th, 2024 Molly Burkhardt
Molly Burkhardt @mollyburkhardt
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BOSTON -- After starting the season with a 7-3 West Coast road trip, the Red Sox returned to Fenway Park to open a 10-game homestand with optimism. Those good vibes quickly dissipated, with the club entering Saturday just one loss away from setting a franchise record of dropping their first five home games.
The Red Sox avoided a trip to the wrong side of history, putting together a 7-2 win over the Angels to even the series at one game apiece and snap an eight-game losing skid at Fenway dating back to Sept. 23, 2023.
Here’s a look at what went right for the Red Sox, and how Saturday might represent a turning of the tide at Fenway Park.
Coming out strong After they were blanked in Friday’s series opener, Boston set the tone early on Saturday. The Red Sox put up a four-run first, highlighted by a two-run, 429-foot homer from Triston Casas, which was sandwiched between RBI singles from Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Casas is now 13 for his last 41 (.317), with three homers and six RBIs in that span. Yoshida has recorded a hit in four consecutive games. Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-4 on Saturday, marking the second straight game in which he’s had multiple hits.
“I think it was a matter of time that I was going to get my rhythm back,” Abreu said. “I made some adjustments and brought them to the plate and am starting to see some results now.”
“He’s a good hitter, and we gotta play him, that’s the bottom line,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll find at-bats, he’s a good hitter and he’s a good defender, too. Just happened that early on it was hard to do it, but where we’re at right now roster-wise it makes a lot of sense to have him out there against every righty, at least every righty, and just throw him in the outfield. He changed the game today offensively, did a good job running the bases and defensively he was outstanding.”
Rotation trend continues Amid all the lows this past week, the Red Sox have enjoyed one constant: dependability from their starters. Boston’s rotation entered Saturday with a 1.82 ERA, its lowest through 14 games in the Live Ball Era (since 1920).
Cooper Criswell, joining the rotation in Nick Pivetta’s place after the right-hander was placed on the injured list, continued the starters’ strong run on Saturday. Criswell gave up two runs and struck out four with one walk in his four-inning season debut, including a 1-2-3 first.
“I felt pretty good,” Criswell said. “Second and third inning I threw a few too many pitches than I would have liked, but bats got it going early, got some runs on the board early and that just gives you that much more confidence.”
Criswell will play a key role for the Red Sox after the rotation took a major blow in losing Pivetta, who pitched to a 0.82 ERA in two starts before he was shut down. Pivetta played catch on Saturday and is hopeful to return by the end of the month, but until then, Boston will rely on Criswell, who entered Saturday with two career Major League starts.
“Like I said in Spring Training, he’s a good pitcher,” Cora said. “They put up good at-bats, they fouled off some pitches, but he can move the ball around.”
Defense After committing three errors on Friday night (bringing their season total to 16), the defense played a clean game on Saturday.
David Hamilton, who has taken over shortstop duties for the foreseeable future with Trevor Story likely out for the season, has two errors on the year. On Saturday, the 26-year-old shortstop helped turn a key play to get Boston out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, retiring Zach Neto on a forceout at second base.
Their first Fenway victory in the books, the Red Sox wrap the second series of their 10-game homestand on Sunday, hoping to build off the momentum of Saturday’s breakthrough.
“You’ve gotta get one before you get two,” Casas said. “We’re just gonna do our homework tonight. Come in with a game plan for tomorrow and try to execute it, because we have a good team still, no matter who’s down or who’s out, we still believe in this group. So we gotta keep putting together good at-bats and, you know, solid defense and then those things will hopefully translate to wins.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 5:20:54 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Valdez (left thumb contusion) to be reevaluated April 13th, 2024
MLB.com
LATEST NEWS
April 13: INF Enmanuel Valdez exits with left thumb contusion On a steal attempt in the sixth inning of Saturday's game against the Angels, Valdez stumbled on the basepaths and Angels first baseman Miguel Sanó landed on Valdez's hand on the tag attempt. Manager Alex Cora and a trainer promptly came out to check on Valdez, who was in obvious pain. Pablo Reyes took over at second base for the remainder of the game.
Cora said that Valdez was already slated to have an off-day on Sunday, and that he'll be reevaluated in the morning -- but added that Valdez "should be OK."
April 13: INF/OF Romy Gonzalez placed on 10-day IL; RHP Cooper Criswell recalled from Triple-A Worcester Gonzalez had one hit in four at-bats across two games since he was called up on April 9. His move to the injured list is retroactive to April 11.
In a corresponding move, Criswell was called up and got the start on Saturday vs. the Angels. Criswell made two starts with Worcester, compiling a 0.87 ERA over 10 1/3 innings.
April 13: 3B Rafael Devers (left shoulder) out until at least Sunday The star slugger has been dealing with a nagging left shoulder injury for a couple of weeks, and was kept out of the lineup for the third straight day on Saturday. Manager Alex Cora said Devers will likely also sit in Sunday's finale against the Angels, with a targeted return of Monday in the Patriots' Day game vs. Cleveland.
"I've been feeling it since Spring Training," Devers said Friday. "But every time I was swinging, I was feeling it a little bit more and more. So for me, I think like two or three days [off] could be enough. I hope it doesn't keep bothering me after these two or three days, but that's something I can't control. That's why I'm just trying to keep working to get stronger, to get my shoulder back in a good way.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 5:24:08 GMT -5
Triston Casas on long HR: ‘That Ted Williams seat feels more like a myth’
Updated: Apr. 14, 2024, 3:05 a.m.|Published: Apr. 13, 2024, 7:58 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Triston Casas got all of a Griffin Canning changeup in the first inning Saturday, hitting it about as well as he could have. But the two-run homer, much to Casas’ chagrin, fell well short of the red seat in the right-field bleachers that signifies Ted Williams’ famous 1946 home run that is the longest in Fenway Park history.
Williams’ blast nearly eight decades ago is said to have traveled 502 feet. Casas’ two-run shot Saturday, which helped the Red Sox take a big early lead in an eventual 7-2 win over the Angels, was measured by Statcast at 429 feet. Casas doesn’t think he could possibly hit a ball better than when he crushed the pitch with an exit velocity of 111.9 mph. In that vein, he’s starting to doubt that Williams actually hit one 33 rows into the stands.
“That’s my best ball for sure,” Casas said. “I had one hit harder, exit velo-wise, last year. But that Ted Williams seat is starting to feel more and more like a myth.”
Casas isn’t alone in his take that it’s impossible to hit a ball three-quarters of the way up the bleachers. Another left-handed Red Sox slugger, David Ortiz, made his feelings on the impossibility of the feat abundantly clear during his 14 years with the club. On Saturday, Casas thought he had a chance to come close to the iconic seat — only to realize how short he had fallen.
“It’s looking more and more out of reach as I hit balls better toward that direction,” Casas said. “I think that was literally lined up in that row. I took a peek right before it landed. It felt good initially, but I was kind of demoralized when I saw where it landed compared to where I thought it was going to.”
After a shutout loss during which the Red Sox only had three hits Friday night, the offense started out hot against Canning, who Boston also beat last Friday in Anaheim. Wilyer Abreu doubled and Masataka Yoshida singled to plate the game’s first run before Casas made it 3-0. Ceddanne Rafaela’s RBI single gave fill-in starter Cooper Criswell a 4-0 lead and the Red Sox tacked on two more runs in the second.
“The last couple days, we’ve been falling behind pretty early, so it was really big to get those first-inning runs,” Casas said.
In his first full season as a major leaguer in 2023, Casas needed 22 games to hit three homers; this year, he has accomplished the feat in just 15. He has now homered twice in the past four games and is second to only Tyler O’Neill (6) on the team.
“I live for that feeling,” he said. “I literally wake up in the morning, come to the field, work out, stretch, ice bath, do everything for the feeling of hitting a home run. It feels awesome. I wish it counted for more. They should put like, ‘If it goes over 420 (feet), it counts for two.’ You need to hit it that well to hit it out to right field here because the bullpen is so far away. It does feel really great.”
With Trevor Story out for the season and Rafael Devers out of the lineup for the third straight day due to shoulder soreness, Casas is the featured member of Boston’s offense. On Saturday, he didn’t disappoint.
“It was a good swing,” said manager Alex Cora. “The other day, he put a good swing against him too. He got a changeup in the zone, was on time and did a good job. He prepares, he knows what he wants to do in the batter’s box. That was a big swing for us.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 5:26:05 GMT -5
Red Sox rookie (4 for last 7, 2 doubles): ‘I think it was a matter of time’
Updated: Apr. 13, 2024, 8:01 p.m.|Published: Apr. 13, 2024, 7:59 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox rookie Wilyer Abreu showed excellent plate discipline after receiving a late-season promotion in 2023. He struck out in 27.1% of his plate appearances but he posted an impressive 25.1% chase percentage and 10.6% walk percentage. That discipline helped him bat .316 (24-for-76) with a .388 on-base percentage in 28 games.
But things haven’t gone as smoothly early in 2024. He has swung and missed a lot more and has had fewer hits mixed in between. He went 8-for-63 (.127 batting average) with 26 strikeouts during spring training. He began the regular season 2-for-18 (.111) with nine strikeouts in limited playing time (eight games, just four starts).
“I’ve been surprised with the swings and misses, to be honest with you,” manager Alex Cora said before Thursday’s game. “More playing time probably helps him. We’re going to find ways to get him more at-bats against righties. It has been challenging early on. ... That’s my next goal: to find him at-bats against righties.”
Cora gave Abreu, a left-handed hitter, starts Thursday and Saturday against right-handed starters and he took advantage of the opportunity.
The 24-year-old rookie, batting second in the order, went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs, two strikeouts and one stolen base to help the Red Sox to a 7-2 win over the Angels at Fenway Park on Saturday. He’s 4-for-7 with two doubles, two RBIs, two runs, two strikeouts and one steal the past two games.
“I think it was a matter of time that I was going to get my rhythm back,” Abreu said through translator Davéson Perez. “I made some adjustments and brought them to the plate. And I’m starting to see some results now.”
Abreu said he thinks playing more will definitely help his rhythm at the plate.
“Just having more at-bats, more games where I can get my rhythm back and yeah, you’re seeing the results from having those chances,” Abreu said.
Abreu said he began feeling more comfortable with his at-bats Wednesday when he went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts.
“Even though I struck out twice, I felt that my timing was right,” Abreu said. “So I just knew the next day that I had to be a little bit earlier. So that was the adjustment I made and I was able to get that double.”
Valdez also made mechanical adjustments to his swing.
“Just a couple more adjustments with my hands,” Abreu said. “I lowered them a little bit more and it made it so my swing is more on a plane.”
Cora added, “He’s a good hitter and we’ve gotta play him. We’ll find him at-bats. ... He’s a good defender, too. It just happened that early on it was hard to do it (get him at-bats). But where we’re at right now roster-wise, it makes a lot of sense for him to be out there against every righty — at least every righty. And just throw him in the outfield. He changed the game today offensively. He did a good job running the bases and defensively he was outstanding.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 5:42:53 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox leadoff hitter Jarren Duran finds success by just going with what pitchers give him By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 13, 2024, 6:19 p.m.
Jarren Duran has practically made a living going to the opposite field and up the middle this season. It shows in the numbers and results.
Heading into Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Angels, 35.6 percent of Duran’s batted balls have gone to the opposite field while he’s gone up the middle at a 46.7 percent clip. He’s pulled the ball at a 17.8 percent rate compared with 32 percent last year.
But Duran says it has more to do with the opponent than his approach.
“I just think it’s one of those things where that’s just the way I’m being pitched right now,” Duran said before going 0 for 3 with an RBI . “I’m just kind of going with it. I’m not trying to do too much. I’m not trying to pull the ball and muscle everything. I’m just trying to stay loose and work the other way. It’s just working out right now. They’re pitching me that way. So I’m just going how they’re pitching me.”
It’s worked to his advantage with Duran hitting .317/.362/.413 with a .775 OPS from the leadoff spot. It especially works at Fenway where Duran can use the Green Monster as his friend for extra-base hits.
“I think there’s a lot of extra-base hits that way,” said manager Alex Cora. “With his speed, he hits the ball speeds, he’s avoiding the gap, and the team has to cover it and he gets to second. It’s not something that we told him ‘Hey you’ve got to go the other way.’ But I’m glad that he’s taking the humble approach, especially with two strikes. He’s been able to put the ball in play and he’s getting hits.” Devers still sidelined
Rafael Devers likely will miss Sunday’s series finale with a sore left shoulder that has bothered him since spring training, Cora said. Devers has missed three straight games and five total. The Sox are shooting for Devers to play Monday, but that’s still to be determined.
“I just want to make sure he’s OK,” said Cora. “He’s too important for us. If he goes out there, he plays, he feels it. What’s the point? At that point we would have to put him on the injured list. So I’d rather just wait and be patient.”
The Red Sox have been waiting for a while and haven’t ruled out a stint on the IL for the third baseman. And the longer Devers sits, the more likely that seems.
“He feels a lot better compared to where he was,” said Cora. “So you’ve got to trust him. He’s very honest about stuff like this. Something that probably later on in the season he would play through. But the swing is different now, trying to protect it. You could see he wasn’t staying inside the ball like he was in spring training. Swing and misses bother him. So I think this is the best way to kind of like taking care of this and then we’ll go.”
Devers dealt with an elbow issue three seasons ago. However, that was during the ALCS, not the 15th game of the season, which might mean that the IL is inevitable.
Not playing has been tough on Devers, which is why he has tried to push Cora into letting him play Sunday, especially with the team struggling.
Cora, however, probably won’t budge, knowing what Devers means to the club.
“You’ve got to be patient,” said Cora. “You have to. He’s too important for us. And I lived through it my second week as a manager. We gave Mookie Betts an offday in Oakland, and people wanted to get rid of me. We lost, then Mookie hit three home runs in Toronto. So it’s just part of the experience and we have to make sure this kid is healthy for us.” Grissom begins rehab stint
Vaughn Grissom (groin) played in his first rehab game for Triple A Worcester on Friday, going 0 for 3 as the designated hitter. Saturday’s game at Syracuse was postponed but Grissom will play second base Sunday. Grissom missed all of spring training, so he’ll likely need the full 20 days allowed for his rehab assignment … Rob Refsnyder (toe) will play again Sunday for Worcester. His swing is feeling better, Cora said, but Refsnyder told his manager via text that he needs more at-bats … The Sox placed infielder Romy Gonzalez on the 10-day IL with a left wrist sprain. Initially, the Sox ruled Gonzalez as day to day, but he can’t swing the bat without pain … Nick Pivetta (elbow) played catch Saturday for the first time since he was placed on the IL Tuesday … Cora ran in the Boston Athletic Association 5K Saturday morning alongside his partner. Hitting coach Pete Fatse also took part in the 5K … The first pitch was thrown out in by Natick High senior Yousef Abdelmessih, a Massachusetts Special Olympian who is set to compete in the Marathon on Monday. He will be pushed by Peter Kline, a Bank of America employee who has run more than 100 marathons, most of them with rider athletes. Abdelmessih is a veteran of Natick’s Unified Track and Field program.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 5:46:26 GMT -5
Red Sox seek another series win vs. Angels FLM
The Boston Red Sox look to claim their second series win over the Los Angeles Angels in as many weekends when the teams play the rubber match of a three-game set in Boston on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox scored four runs in the first inning Saturday in their 7-2 win, which snapped their season-high four-game losing streak.
"You've gotta get one before you get two," Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas said. "We're just gonna ... come in with a game plan for (Sunday) and try to execute it, because we have a good team still, no matter who's down or who's out. We still believe in this group."
The absence of shortstop Trevor Story (left shoulder dislocation) has opened up some opportunities for Boston's position players, and Saturday could have marked Wilyer Abreu's breakthrough.
Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored to help lead the offense.
"We have to play (Abreu)," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "We'll find him at-bats. He's a good hitter, and he's a good defender. It just so happened early on it was hard to do it. But where are we at right now, roster-wise it makes a lot of sense for him to be out there against, at least every righty."
Boston's Brayan Bello (1-1, 4.11 ERA) looks to bounce back after losing his last outing. He allowed three runs -- one earned -- on four hits in 5 1/3 innings Tuesday as the Red Sox lost 7-1 to the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
Despite the recent loss, Bello has pitched at least five innings and issued two or fewer walks in each of his past four starts dating back to last September.
The 24-year-old right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA in two career starts (9 2/3 innings) in his career against the Angels.
Los Angeles saw its five-game road win streak come to an end on Saturday, as Taylor Ward's two-run home run in the third inning provided all the offense.
Ward has homered in back-to-back games at Fenway Park and has 16 RBIs through his first 14 games this season.
"I was always impressed with him," Angels manager Ron Washington said. "He always gives you a good at-bat. The thing I like most about him now is his work ethic. You guys don't get a chance to see it behind the scenes, but he's an animal with his workouts. HIs preparation is impeccable. It really is."
The Angels will turn to 34-year-old southpaw Tyler Anderson (2-0, 0.00), who has started the season with two consecutive outings of seven scoreless innings. An Angels pitcher hadn't achieved that feat since 2016.
Anderson allowed four hits and one walk while striking out three on Monday at home against Tampa Bay.
"That was great," Anderson said. "We have a lot of great fans. I feel like last year I didn't pitch well for them. So to start off the year this way when people are here (at home) always feels good."
The nine-year veteran and second-year Angel is 1-0 with a 5.02 ERA in three career starts against Boston.
--Field Level Media
Angels at Red Sox Sunday, at 1:35 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 57° F with a 13% chance of precipitation and 14 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 1:35 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 9:04:48 GMT -5
Tyler Anderson vs Bello 1:35pm
Jarren Duran (L) LF Pablo Reyes (R) 2B Tyler O'Neill (R) RF Triston Casas (L) 1B Bobby Dalbec (R) 3B Masataka Yoshida (L) DH Connor Wong (R) C Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF David Hamilton (L) SS
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 12:16:21 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe Pre-game on Sunday is usually pretty quiet. But the Sox went through a full infield workout. Devers had a lot of work.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 12:18:35 GMT -5
Mac Cerullo @maccerullo Red Sox injury updates
- Devers expected to play tomorrow - Pivetta feeling good, to play catch again - Romy Gonzalez expected back sooner rather than later - Enmanuel Valdez is fine, available off the bench today 12:13 PM · Apr 14, 2024 ·
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 17:42:22 GMT -5
Bello, Slaten, Jansen help Sox hold off Halos 5:44 PM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
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BOSTON -- The Red Sox needed Brayan Bello to go deep in Sunday’s rubber match against the Angels due to the recent workload of the bullpen.
Manager Alex Cora added before the game, “And [Bello] knows it.”
Bello went deep-ish, pitching into the sixth inning and throwing 107 pitches.
But the pitcher who really stepped up in a 5-4 victory for the Red Sox was Rule 5 reliever Justin Slaten.
The hard-throwing righty came on in a pressure-packed situation -- runners at the corners and one out with a one-run lead -- and got Bello out of the inning with just one pitch for a double-play ball off the bat of Brandon Drury.
From there, the Sox added on with a two-run homer by Masataka Yoshida.
And Slaten kept going, giving Cora eight big outs before Kenley Jansen walked the tightrope in the ninth, eventually nailing down his 424th career save, tying John Franco for fifth all-time.
While Rule 5 pickups can be hit or miss, Slaten has been nails (0.87 ERA, 0.39 WHIP, .094 opponents' batting average) in his first six MLB outings.
After starting this 10-game homestand with an 0-4 mark, the Sox have come back to win the last two games heading into the final leg, a four-gamer against the Guardians which begins at 11:10 a.m. ET on Marathon Monday (and Patriots' Day) in Boston.
Though Bello (2-1, 3.92 ERA) hasn’t had that one dominant outing yet this season, he has held his own, and did so again on Sunday, scattering six hits and two runs over 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out eight. Bello had 69 pitches through three innings, but got more economical when he needed to, finishing with 107 on the day.
Tyler O'Neill and Triston Casas supplied some early firepower with back-to-back homers against Angels lefty Tyler Anderson in the bottom of the first.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 17:45:05 GMT -5
Red Sox win: Kenley Jansen strikes out Mike Trout to escape huge jam
Updated: Apr. 14, 2024, 5:40 p.m.|Published: Apr. 14, 2024, 4:34 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — A wild Kenley Jansen escaped a major jam in the ninth to help the Red Sox win 5-4 over the Angels at Fenway Park on Sunday.
Jansen hit Logan O’Hoppe with an 89.2 mph cutter to begin the ninth. Mickey Moniak blooped a single to left field, then Jansen walked Zach Neto on five pitches to load the bases. Heston Kjerstad: A Rising Orioles' Star in the Making
Anthony Rendon’s sac fly scored O’Hoppe to make it 5-4.
Neto tagged up on Rendon’s flyball to center fielder Jarren Duran to put runners at second and third with one out. Nobody covered the second base bag.
But Jansen then struck out Luis Rengifo swinging on three pitches and Mike Trout swinging to end a sixth-pitch at-bat.
“Hopefully that last at-bat helped him to get locked in,” manager Alex Cora said. “The velo went up. The cutter was really good. We made a bad decision in the middle there (not covering second base). Hammy (David Hamilton) needs to go to second. The throw was a good one. We get that out, it’s not as interesting. But hopefully that at-bat against Mike gets him locked in and we go from there. You see the velocity was there. I think it was 94 and the cutter was great. We got three outs, we won the series, we move on.”
Slaten keeps lead, Yoshida extends it
Red Sox manager Alex Cora brought in rookie reliever Justin Slaten with a 3-2 lead, runners at the corners and one out in the top of the sixth inning.
It took Slaten, a Rule 5 Draft pick, just one pitch (90.7 mph cutter) to escape the jam. The 26-year-old righty got Brandon Drury to ground into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. First baseman Triston Casas pumped his fist in excitement after they turned it.
“That one-pitch double play saved the day,” Cora said.
Then in the bottom of the sixth, Masataka Yoshida extended the lead to three runs with a two-run 384-foot homer to right field.
Yoshida’s homer was his first of the season.
Slaten allowed one run in 2 ⅔ innings. It’s the only run he has allowed in 10 ⅓ innings this season. He has given up just three hits (two hits Sunday) and one walk while striking out eight.
“He doesn’t get too emotional,” Cora said. “He got the double play, we were all excited in the dugout and he was like, ‘I’ve gotta go back out and get three more outs.’ He’s a good one. He’s really good. And little by little, you see how we’re using him. Multiple innings and we’ll take care of him physically because obviously this is a lot different than the minor leagues and the way he has been used. He was really good for us.”
O’Neill, Casas go back-to-back
Tyler O’Neill and Triston Casas hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning to give Boston a 2-0 lead. O’Neill’s blast over the Green Monster went 404 feet with a 110.6 mph exit velocity.
Casas’ homer, his second in as many games, traveled 394 feet to right-center field. It left his bat at 102.8 mph.
O’Neill’s homer was his seventh. Casas’ blast was his fourth.
Reyes give Boston lead in fifth
Pablo Reyes put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning when he doubled off the Green Monster. Jarren Duran scored from first base.
Morning baseball
The Red Sox will host the first of four games against the Guardians on Monday morning. It is the annual 11:10 a.m. start on Patriots’ Day. Cleveland righty Xzavion Curry (2024 debut) will start opposite Red Sox righty Kutter Crawford (0-0, 0.57 ERA).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 17:46:58 GMT -5
Alex Cora explains why Red Sox’ Chris Martin was unavailable for 8th inning
Updated: Apr. 14, 2024, 6:37 p.m.|Published: Apr. 14, 2024, 6:36 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Reliever Justin Slaten recorded eight outs, including three outs in the eighth inning Sunday. The Red Sox won 5-4 over the Angels at Fenway Park.
Manager Alex Cora had bulk reliever Chase Anderson warming behind Slaten in the eighth inning. Cora stuck with Slaten after Mike Trout led off the inning with a triple and scored on Taylor Ward’s groundout to shortstop.
Where was right-handed setup man Chris Martin who typically pitches the eighth inning with a lead of three runs or fewer?
Martin’s left shoulder (non-pitching arm) has been bothering him.
“Try to stay away from him,” Cora said. “We don’t want him to try to do something mechanic-wise to get to where he needs to go and then something happens with him. In that situation, it was Slaten.”
Martin had a rare late-inning meltdown Wednesday when he allowed four runs (three earned) in one inning against the Orioles. He has not pitched since then.
“The last few days he’s been dealing with it,” Cora said. “So we’ll see how he wakes up tomorrow, how he feels. But we have to make sure this is right for his mechanics to be right. We don’t want him to hurt his right shoulder because he can’t get to where he wants to go to.”
Cora said it didn’t happen during his outing Wednesday.
“Just felt it during the week,” Cora added. “He said it’s been going on and off for his whole career kind of. He jokes around like that. But it’s been bothering him the last few days and we have to be smart about it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 17:51:48 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe That is some kind of bad baseball there. Abreu was working a good at-bat and Reyes is picked off second to end the inning.
Sox make things tougher on themselves way too often.
107 pitches today matched Bello's career high (twice last season).
5.1 6 2 2 2 8 107/72
4:17 PM · Apr 14, 2024 ·
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2024 17:54:28 GMT -5
Well, things I noticed from the highlights It was Dress Like a Seat day at Fenway , again which is awesome to see
Don't forget, 4 game series starts tomorrow at noon ......
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