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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:11:52 GMT -5
Brayan Bello allows 1 hit in 6 innings as Red Sox breeze past Pirates 8-1 AP
PITTSBURGH (AP) Brayan Bello allowed one hit in six innings, Rob Refsnyder hit his first home run of the season and the Boston Red Sox breezed past the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1 on Friday night.
Bello (3-1) struck out seven and walked two. The lone hit he surrendered was a leadoff double by Jack Suwinski in the bottom of the second. Bello retired the last 11 batters he faced as the Red Sox bounced back from a dismal homestand by handing the Pirates their fourth straight loss.
“Went out there to compete every inning,” Bello said through a translator. “This is what I wanted since the offseason, since I started working out, showing the kind of pitcher that I am.”
Refsnyder, who made his season debut Thursday after being activated off the injured list, hit a two-run shot with one out in the fifth that chased Quinn Priester (0-1). Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela also homered for Boston. Abreu finished 3 for 5, while Refsnyder and Connor Wong each had two hits.
Cam Booser, a 31-year-old left-handed reliever who walked away from baseball and became a carpenter after the 2017 season, allowed a run in the ninth in his major league debut.
Booser's teammates showered him with beer, ketchup, water and whatever else was available in the clubhouse afterward.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like that,” said Booser, who allowed a triple to Alika Williams but also struck out five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen. “That was very special to me. And it just tied into how special the whole day was. I'll remember every part of today for the rest of my life.”
Priester, a 2019 first-round pick who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, struggled in his first big league start of the season.
The 22-year-old right-hander gave up solo shots to Abreu and Casas in the first inning and labored from there. Priester, whose return to the majors following a bumpy 2023 was powered by improved command that helped him pile up 20 strikeouts in three starts, struck out just two while giving up five runs, four earned, in 4 1/3 innings.
“I think it comes down to you have to execute in the big leagues,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said of Priester. “If you don’t make pitches and put yourself into deficit counts, then balls are gonna get hit hard and I think that’s what we saw.”
Pittsburgh has cooled following a 9-3 start. The Pirates have dropped seven of nine since, with much of the attention turning to 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes. The right-hander struck out eight in 3 1/3 innings for Indianapolis on Thursday, though Pittsburgh insists it is in no hurry to bring him up.
Boston, like the Pirates, started hot. The Red Sox won seven of 10 to begin the season before dropping seven of 10 during a 10-game homestand against Baltimore, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland. Injuries to prominent players have piled up, though the starting rotation has been among the best in the majors despite losing Lucas Giolito for the season to Tommy John surgery in March.
Red Sox starters have posted a 1.71 ERA through 21 games, with 114 strikeouts against 27 walks.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers (bruised left knee) was held out of the lineup for a second straight game, though manager Alex Cora is hopeful Devers won't need a trip to the injured list. ... RHP Nick Pivetta (right elbow) is “trending” in the right direction according to Cora. Pivetta will throw a bullpen session soon.
Pirates: C Yasmani Grandal (left foot) served as the designated hitter for Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday after catching seven innings Thursday. ... LHP Marco Gonzalez (left forearm) is shut down for at least the next two weeks.
UP NEXT
The three-game interleague series continues Saturday. Kutter Crawford (0-0, 0.42 ERA) starts for Boston against Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller (2-1, 4.50).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:25:48 GMT -5
Bello builds off strong start to '24 with 7-K outing Boston's Opening Day starter goes six innings for 1st time this season in win over Pirates April 19th, 2024 Jake Crouse
Jake Crouse @jakecrousemlb
PITTSBURGH -- There is no argument regarding how well Boston’s starting pitching has been this season. And if their Opening Day starter keeps trending in the direction he has to start the season, the rotation could remain one of the best in the Majors despite the injuries it has had to endure in April.
Brayan Bello held the Pirates, who had collected eight double-digit hit games in their first 19 of the season, to just one hit, blanking them en route to an 8-1 win at PNC Park on Friday night.
Outside of an uneven start in Oakland, where he allowed four runs in five innings, Bello had been solid ahead of his outing vs. the Pirates, but he had yet to complete six innings as he had done in more than half of his starts last season. However, he finally got through the sixth frame in his fifth start -- exactly the same as he did in 2023.
“He was amazing,” manager Alex Cora said.
A huge help was that Bello’s changeup was particularly sharp. He threw it 40 times, and he tied his career-high whiff mark on the pitch with nine and his career-best called strikes plus whiffs total with 14. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
It was a secondary offering in his first three starts of the season, but in the past two he’s turned to it the most of his three pitches. In turn, his strikeout numbers have jumped from 11 in his first three turns to 15 in his past two.
“I feel like today, I was able to locate the changeup way better than in any of my previous outings,” Bello said through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez. “So yes, I felt like today was the best that I could have had with the changeup.”
When your changeup is as good as Bello’s, it’s easy to turn to it so often, but another key for Bello was that his fastball command was strong enough to make the batter guess.
“He knew what he wanted to do,” Cora said. “His velocity was up, too. It was 96. He was able to use his changeup a lot, but at the same time, keep them honest with the fastball.”
It helped him massively to have the run support that the Red Sox batters provided. They slugged four home runs while he was on the mound, and the damage proved to be unrelenting against the Pirates’ pitchers. Boston scored runs in five different innings. But as the number in the runs column grew for the Sox, the focus on the zero in Pittsburgh’s run column only increased for Bello.
“Every time they scored a run, I tried to talk to myself and say, ‘Next inning, I need to keep it at zero. I need to get my guys back to hitting,’” he said.
Even Cam Booser, whose long journey to his MLB debut stole the show on Friday, had to note that his whirlwind day became that much better seeing how Bello “absolutely pitched wonderfully.”
The story of the box score may have been the Red Sox’s homer happiness, but the pitching has been the story of the season. Boston’s starters have by far the best ERA in MLB (1.72 in 110 innings) even as they await the return of Garrett Whitlock (left oblique strain) and Nick Pivetta (right elbow flexor strain). There’s still a TBA for Sunday in the Pirates’ series, which Cora indicated Josh Winckowski is a strong candidate to fill, though no plans have been determined yet.
But if Bello can go deep, Kutter Crawford can continue to amaze and Tanner Houck taps into his complete-game form from his last start, the Red Sox’s rotation can carry the team to better outcomes.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:29:39 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo Bobby Dalbec on breaking through with a hit:
"I wouldn’t call it a slump, man. It’s 18 at-bats or something. I’ve always been a slow starter, too, which is frustrating. There’s always next year to get off to a hot start."
"Trying to take my walks and do damage when the opportunity presents itself. I’m not trying to chase hits or get three hits in one at-bat. I’ve been there and it’s not easy. I’m just hoping to build off today."
11:21 PM · Apr 19, 2024 ·
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:30:23 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo Dominant pitching from Brayan Bello, early (and loud offense) and improved defense led Alex Cora to call Friday's win the Red Sox' best game of the year so far.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:32:58 GMT -5
Tyler Milliken ⚾️ @tylermilliken_ Brayan Bello delivers his best start of 2024:
6 IP - 96 Pitches/60 Strikes 1 Hit 0 ER/R 7 K 2 BB 12 Whiffs
He’s rocking a 3.04 ERA through his first 5 starts of the season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:38:47 GMT -5
J.P. Long @soxnotes Red Sox starting pitchers have allowed 0 runs and only 5 hits in their last 19.0 innings.
On the season, Sox starters lead the majors with a 1.72 ERA (110.0 IP, 21 ER).
The Red Sox have hit 28 HR, tied for 5th most through 21 games in franchise history.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:40:33 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 Look what it means to Cam Booser.
Perspective -- there have been less than 23,200 men who have played Major League Baseball. The first debuts were credited in May 1871.
We're still multiple decades away from filling Fenway Park or Wrigley Field with big leaguers. Astounding.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:44:15 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe Alex Cora and Kenley Jansen made brief speeches to congratulate Cam Booser on his debut before he was doused by teammates. He left the ballpark with two baseballs and the lineup card.
Nice moment for the Sox.
After reporters talked to Booser, I asked Liam Hendriks and Kenley Jansen about their first MLB games. They recounted every batter, counts. etc. Exact details. Even all these years later, they remembered everything.
Every big leaguer ever could fit in Fenway Park with plenty room to spare. There are only 23,174 of them. That's why debuts are so special.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:49:35 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK An improbable path finally led pitcher Cam Booser to the majors By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 19, 2024, 10:16 p.m.
PITTSBURGH — Cam Booser still recalls the exact day his life changed, although he didn’t know it at the time.
It was Feb. 21, 2021. He got back on a mound that day after giving up on baseball a few years earlier and learned that baseball hadn’t given up on him.
The ball came out of his left hand without pain and there was a pop when it smacked into the catcher’s mitt. After years of dealing with injuries and setbacks, Booser had a second chance.
“It was at that moment I knew,” he said. “I thought I’d give it a shot.”
That shot paid off Friday when the 31-year-old made his major league debut, pitching an inning for the Red Sox in an 8-1 victory against the Pirates.
Booser gave up a triple on the first pitch he threw but retired the next three batters, giving up a meaningless run.
After clubhouse speeches by manager Alex Cora and teammate Kenley Jansen, Booser was showered with water and beer by teammates.
“That was very special to me,” said Booser, who left the ballpark with two baseballs and a lineup card as souvenirs. “It tied in with how special the whole day was.”
Booser’s parents and girlfriend were able to make it to PNC Park for the game. He called them immediately Thursday after he got the news from Triple A Worcester manager Chad Tracy.
“There was a lot of screaming,” he said. “It was exciting.”
To say Booser took an improbable road to the majors is underselling his story.
The Seattle native was a multisport athlete at Fife High in Tacoma but broke his leg playing football and also had knee surgery.
He attended three colleges and underwent Tommy John surgery along the way. He signed with the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2013 but had a second elbow surgery in ‘14 and a shoulder procedure in ‘15.
During a rehab stint at Minnesota’s complex in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2015, Booser was hit by a car while riding a bicycle and injured his back. He retired from baseball in 2017, having appeared in only 24 games over the previous two seasons.
Booser took a job in construction and worked 2½ years as a carpenter installing acoustic ceiling tiles.
“Just like those,” he said, pointing to the ceiling in the visitor’s clubhouse.
Booser supplemented his income working at a baseball training facility in 2020 and found he could throw in the upper 90s pain-free.
The independent Chicago Dogs, managed by former Red Sox third baseman Butch Hobson, signed Booser in 2021. He had a 1.93 ERA in 21 games and struck out 39 in 21⅓ innings.
“I loved the guy,” Hobson said by phone Friday. “He’s a bulldog. Goes right after the hitter. Good slider and good velocity. If there’s a brawl, get behind him. He’s a tough buck. I loved having him.”
Hobson decided to sign Booser based on a video of him throwing in the bullpen that was put on social media.
“He was throwing hard,” Hobson said. “He showed up and did the same for us. He goes right after the hitters.”
The Diamondbacks gave Booser a chance in 2022, but he washed out after one season in Double A and tried again in a different independent league.
The Sox signed Booser in 2023 and assigned him to Triple A Worcester. He appeared in 48 games as a reliever, posting a 4.99 ERA for the season but pitching much better in the second half.
“I tried to learn from my mistakes as best I could,” Booser said.
Booser was invited to major league spring training. He allowed only two earned runs on four hits over 10 innings and struck out 10 without a walk.
As you have learned, nothing comes easily for Booser. He was reassigned to minor league camp March 18 and opened the season back in Worcester. He allowed two runs on three hits over 6⅔ innings and struck out a 15 with one walk.
“We expect him to do big things for us,” Cora said. “Throwing 97, 98 and throwing strikes, as a manager you like that.” Dave McCarty dies at 54
Dave McCarty, a first baseman who appeared in 89 games for the 2004 Red Sox, died in Oakland on Friday after a cardiac event. He was 54.
McCarty, a Texas native who played at Stanford, was the third pick of the 1991 draft by the Twins. He went on to play parts of 11 seasons with seven teams. He was with the Red Sox from 2003-05, hitting .286 with five home runs and a .794 OPS. He also pitched three times in 2004, allowing one run over 3⅔ innings and striking out four.
McCarty was a NESN analyst after being released in 2005 and was with the network through 2008. He attended the reunion of the 2004 team in Boston earlier this month.
McCarty is survived by his wife, Monica, and their children Reid and Maxine. Devers remains sidelined
Rafael Devers was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game because of a bone bruise in his left knee.
“He’s doing OK. Obviously, we’ll take it day by day with him,” Cora said. “Moving better, feeling better, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Cora said “as of now” Devers is not a candidate for the injured list.
Nick Pivetta remains on track to throw in the bullpen Saturday. He has been on the injured list since April 6 with a flexor strain.
“It’s trending in the right direction,” Cora said. “We’ve just got to be patient.”
Tyler O’Neill is not eligible to come off the concussion injured list until Tuesday. He is with the team and increasing his activity. Jacques designated
To make room for Booser on the 26-man and 40-man roster, the Sox designated lefty Joe Jacques for assignment. He appeared in one game this season, Thursday against Cleveland, and allowed one run on three hits over 1⅔ innings. Jacques has a 5.08 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 24 games for the Sox since last season . . . Josh Winckowski is a candidate to start Sunday. He has not made a start since Aug. 20, 2023, and that was an opener. He had 14 legitimate starts in 2022 … Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3 with a double and played five innings at second base for Worcester. He is 2 for 13 through four games of his injury rehab assignment as he recovers from a groin strain … New Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson threw out the first pitch. Wilson played 93 games in the minors for the Rockies from 2010-11. He was a second baseman.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 5:54:47 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox vs.Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 4:05pm EDT Written by Michael Briggs
The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates will take the field on Saturday at PNC Park. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. ET.
The Pirates are -122 moneyline favorites and the game total is eight runs scored.
Boston (10-9 SU, 10-9 RL, and 8-10-1 O/U) is turning to righty Kutter Crawford. The 28-year-old is 0-0 with a 0.42 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in four starts this season.
Pittsburgh (11-8 SU, 12-7 RL, and 11-8 O/U) is starting right-hander Mitch Keller. The 28-year-old is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in his four outings.
*Article published before the conclusion of Friday night's game.
Injury Report
Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers is questionable (knee).
Pirates: 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) and C Joey Bart (concussion) are questionable.
Boston's pitching has been top-notch this season Boston dropped three of four games to Cleveland in its last series, as it was outscored 21-13. The Red Sox have won three series so far, but those victories came against the Athletics and Angels (twice). Is this team built to contend this season and beyond?
Boston ranks 25th in OBP (.298), 22nd in OPS (.676), 3rd in home runs (24), and 16th in RBI (80). The Red Sox pitching staff sports a 2.70 ERA (1st) and 1.14 WHIP (3rd) this season.
Crawford will take the mound for the Red Sox on Saturday in Pittsburgh. The fourth-year pro is off to a great start to 2024, holding four opponents to two runs (one earned) on nine hits with 24 strikeouts in 21.1 combined innings. He held Baltimore and Cleveland scoreless in his last two outings (10.2 total IP), fanning 12 batters. Crawford went 6-3 with a 2.49 ERA and 0.87 WHIP on the road last season (72.1 IP).
Have the Pirates already cooled off? Pittsburgh hopes to rebound at home versus Boston after suffering a series sweep to the Mets in Queens. The Pirates were outscored 18-5 in the three-game set and managed two total runs in the last two contests. Have their bats cooled off?
Pitt ranks 9th in OBP (.332), 17th in OPS (.693), 23rd in home runs (16), and 11th in RBI (87). The Pirates pitching staff has posted a 3.94 ERA (13th) and 1.17 WHIP (5th) this season.
Keller will start for the home team tomorrow. The sixth-year pro was 7-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 14 starts at PNC Park last year. In his most recent outing, he allowed two runs on eight hits in a seven-inning victory against Philadelphia. Keller faced the Red Sox once last season (April 5), holding them to one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Red Sox at Pirates Saturday, at 4:05 PM EST Clear It's expected to be 54° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 17 MPH wind blowing out in Pittsburgh at 4:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 20, 2024 7:02:08 GMT -5
Pitt feed. So grateful
NESN feed is horrid. I much prefer the NESN feed. I really like both Youkilis and Merloni in the booth.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 20, 2024 7:11:28 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo Dominant pitching from Brayan Bello, early (and loud offense) and improved defense led Alex Cora to call Friday's win the Red Sox' best game of the year so far. I'm not sure it was the best game of the year so far, but definitely one of the better games. Great pitching, coupled with the Red Sox offense scoring early and tacking on. It was nice to see Dalbec get a double, and it was nice to see Refsnyder have a good game against a RHP. The first 3 innings, Bello was not very efficient with his pitch count. He had 3-ball counts on far too many batters. I wasn't sure he would make it through 5 innings. The next 3 innings he settled in very nicely. We are still scoring too many runs via the long ball. Don't get me wrong, it's nice that we can hit home runs, but it would also be nice to see more rallies where we put up crooked numbers by stringing some singles and doubles together.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 9:46:34 GMT -5
Game 22: Red Sox at Pirates lineups and notesBy Emma Healy Globe Staff,Updated April 20, 2024, 57 minutes ago After a four-homer night to begin the weekend series, the Red Sox will look to keep the bats hot when they visit the Pirates again on Saturday afternoon. Boston improved to 8-3 on the road with a dominant 8-1 win Friday in Pittsburgh. Righthander Kutter Crawford will start on Saturday for the Red Sox. He has thrown consecutive scoreless, two-hit outings of late, helping a starting rotation that boasts a 1.71 ERA through 110 innings this season. Opposing him will be Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller. First pitch will be just after 4 p.m. Let’s get into it. Lineups RED SOX (11-10): Jarren Duran (L) CF Wilyer Abreu (L) LF Rob Refsnyder (R) RF Triston Casas (L) 1B Masataka Yoshida (L) DH Bobby Dalbec (R) 3B Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B Reese McGuire (L) C Ceddanne Rafaela (R) Pitching: RHP Kutter Crawford (0-0, 0.42 ERA) PIRATES (11-9): TBA Pitching: RHP Mitch Keller (2-1, 4.50 ERA) Time: 4:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Keller: Triston Casas 1-3, Rafael Devers 0-4, Jarren Duran 0-1, Reese McGuire 0-2, Connor Wong 0-2, Masataka Yoshida 0-3 Pirates vs. Crawford: Oneil Cruz 0-3, Ke’Bryan Hayes 1-2, Edward Olivares 0-2, Bryan Reynolds 3-3, Jack Suwinski 1-1, Michael A. Taylor 0-2, Rowdy Tellez 0-1 Stat of the day: Cam Booser, 31, made his MLB debut Friday and is the oldest non-Japanese player to make his MLB debut for the Sox since 32-year-old righthander Tommy Fine in 1947. Notes: Wilyer Abreu, who went 3-for-5, joined Rob Refsnyder and Ceddanne Rafaela in hitting their first homers of the season for the Red Sox. Teammate Triston Casas hit his sixth home run. ... Cam Booser, 31, made his MLB debut after a dominant season to date with Triple-A Worcester. ... Crawford, Saturday’s starter, worked 5 2/3 innings in his start against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, but the Red Sox lost 6-0. ... Crawford made his only career start against Pittsburgh on April 3, 2023, allowing seven runs on eight hits — including three homers — across four innings in an eventual 7-6 loss at Fenway Park. ... Brayan Bello allowed just one hit through his start on Friday, and the game was scoreless on the Pirates’ side until the ninth. ... Pittsburgh on Saturday will hand the ball to right-hander Mitch Keller, who is looking to win his third straight start following a season-long seven innings of two-run ball against the Phillies last Sunday. ... The Pirates’ Opening Day starter for the second straight season, Keller has worked 35 straight starts of at least five innings and has gone 8-3 in 15 home starts since the beginning of the 2023 season. ... Keller is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA over two career starts against Boston. He struck out seven while giving up just one run and four hits in seven innings of a 4-1 win on April 5, 2023. Song of the Day: Velvet Revolver - Slither www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKz2U4fvA4U
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 13:30:21 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo Cora planning on having Devers and O'Neil back on Tuesday
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2024 15:38:56 GMT -5
Casas out of the game after his first AB no info yet Sox up 2-0 early
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