Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 23, 2024 5:17:25 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
The hits keep on coming for Red Sox catchers Connor Wong and Reese McGuire
By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 22, 2024, 8:20 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Red Sox had their catcher bat eighth or ninth for all but 22 games last season,
There wasn’t much choice. Connor Wong finished the season with a .673 OPS and Reese McGuire at .668. That was considerably below the league average of .697 for catchers.
But the catchers have been a legitimate threat so far this season.
Wong was 1 for 5 with two RBIs and a run scored in Wednesday’s 8-5 victory against Tampa Bay.
Wong and McGuire are hitting .320 with an .838 OPS. The Sox have the highest batting average for catchers in the majors and third-highest OPS.
The duo have hit higher than eighth 28 times in 50 games. Wong has even been the DH for three games. He batted third on Wednesday, manager Alex Cora using the righthanded hitter to better balance the lineup.
McGuire was 2 for 3 with a home run and a walk in Tuesday’s 5-2 victory against the Rays. The home run was a shot to right field in the ninth. McGuire carried his bat all the way to first base before dropping it on the artificial turf.
“I got a little carried away there,” he said. “It’s nice when you can hit a ball like that.”
Cora said Wong has been fun to watch with how he has improved working the count and not chasing pitches.
“The development has been good,” Cora said. “There’s stuff he still needs to improve but he keeps working on it. He’s not the final product, but he’s a pretty good catcher.”
Wong had a .288 on-base percentage last season, with McGuire at .310. Anything they did at the plate was a bonus.
That started to change in November when they attended a voluntary mini-camp at the team complex in Fort Myers, Fla., to work with hitting coach Pete Fatse.
Cora was there at the time and came away impressed that both players put in the time. Now it’s paying off.
Not so fast
Jarren Duran leads the majors in triples with eight and the Sox were fifth in the American League with 41 stolen bases as of Tuesday.
They even ran a play that led to Duran stealing home in the eighth inning on Tuesday. It was their first steal of home since 2016 when Travis Shaw scored on a similar play.
But this is not the dawn of the Runnin’ Red Sox according to Cora.
“With the players that we have we can take advantage of certain situations,” the manager said. “It’s not that we’re going to become the 80′s Cardinals. There’s no chance of that. But whenever we have an opportunity, we’ll take advantage of it.”
The Sox have been caught stealing 12 times, fourth in the league. They also have been picked off five times. So there is a downside
Duran is the only Sox player to appear in all 50 games. Cora plans to keep that streak running unless the outfielder needs a break.
Whitlock scheduled
Garrett Whitlock has a May 29 appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Center in Alabama. The expectation is he will have surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament.
The extent of the repair isn’t yet known.
Whitlock went on the injured list April 17 with an oblique strain. He pitched 4⅔ shutout innings in a rehabilitation start for Triple A Worcester last week and felt forearm pain two days later.
Cooper steps out
Garrett Cooper was in the original lineup at first base before being scratched because of a sore right shoulder. Dom Smith started in his place and was 1 for 3 with an RBI … Tyler O’Neill had the night off so he could get consecutive days off with the team not playing on Thursday … Rafael Devers has scored a run in 10 consecutive games, the longest streak for a Sox player since Mookie Betts scored in 13 consecutive games in 2019 … Starting Friday against Milwaukee, the Sox play 15 of their next 22 games at Fenway Park. The Sox are planning to start Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, and Tanner Houck in the series … Righthanded reliever Isaiah Campbell, out since April 12 with a shoulder impingement, started a rehabilitation assignment with Triple A Worcester. He pitched a scoreless fourth inning against Norfolk at Polar Park, walking one and striking out three … A reminder that Friday night’s game against the Brewers will be exclusively on Apple TV+. The game will be called by Alex Faust and Ryan Spilborghs with Tricia Whitaker as the sideline reporter. New and returning Apple TV+ subscribers can access a free two-month trial of the service.
The hits keep on coming for Red Sox catchers Connor Wong and Reese McGuire
By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 22, 2024, 8:20 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Red Sox had their catcher bat eighth or ninth for all but 22 games last season,
There wasn’t much choice. Connor Wong finished the season with a .673 OPS and Reese McGuire at .668. That was considerably below the league average of .697 for catchers.
But the catchers have been a legitimate threat so far this season.
Wong was 1 for 5 with two RBIs and a run scored in Wednesday’s 8-5 victory against Tampa Bay.
Wong and McGuire are hitting .320 with an .838 OPS. The Sox have the highest batting average for catchers in the majors and third-highest OPS.
The duo have hit higher than eighth 28 times in 50 games. Wong has even been the DH for three games. He batted third on Wednesday, manager Alex Cora using the righthanded hitter to better balance the lineup.
McGuire was 2 for 3 with a home run and a walk in Tuesday’s 5-2 victory against the Rays. The home run was a shot to right field in the ninth. McGuire carried his bat all the way to first base before dropping it on the artificial turf.
“I got a little carried away there,” he said. “It’s nice when you can hit a ball like that.”
Cora said Wong has been fun to watch with how he has improved working the count and not chasing pitches.
“The development has been good,” Cora said. “There’s stuff he still needs to improve but he keeps working on it. He’s not the final product, but he’s a pretty good catcher.”
Wong had a .288 on-base percentage last season, with McGuire at .310. Anything they did at the plate was a bonus.
That started to change in November when they attended a voluntary mini-camp at the team complex in Fort Myers, Fla., to work with hitting coach Pete Fatse.
Cora was there at the time and came away impressed that both players put in the time. Now it’s paying off.
Not so fast
Jarren Duran leads the majors in triples with eight and the Sox were fifth in the American League with 41 stolen bases as of Tuesday.
They even ran a play that led to Duran stealing home in the eighth inning on Tuesday. It was their first steal of home since 2016 when Travis Shaw scored on a similar play.
But this is not the dawn of the Runnin’ Red Sox according to Cora.
“With the players that we have we can take advantage of certain situations,” the manager said. “It’s not that we’re going to become the 80′s Cardinals. There’s no chance of that. But whenever we have an opportunity, we’ll take advantage of it.”
The Sox have been caught stealing 12 times, fourth in the league. They also have been picked off five times. So there is a downside
Duran is the only Sox player to appear in all 50 games. Cora plans to keep that streak running unless the outfielder needs a break.
Whitlock scheduled
Garrett Whitlock has a May 29 appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Center in Alabama. The expectation is he will have surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament.
The extent of the repair isn’t yet known.
Whitlock went on the injured list April 17 with an oblique strain. He pitched 4⅔ shutout innings in a rehabilitation start for Triple A Worcester last week and felt forearm pain two days later.
Cooper steps out
Garrett Cooper was in the original lineup at first base before being scratched because of a sore right shoulder. Dom Smith started in his place and was 1 for 3 with an RBI … Tyler O’Neill had the night off so he could get consecutive days off with the team not playing on Thursday … Rafael Devers has scored a run in 10 consecutive games, the longest streak for a Sox player since Mookie Betts scored in 13 consecutive games in 2019 … Starting Friday against Milwaukee, the Sox play 15 of their next 22 games at Fenway Park. The Sox are planning to start Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, and Tanner Houck in the series … Righthanded reliever Isaiah Campbell, out since April 12 with a shoulder impingement, started a rehabilitation assignment with Triple A Worcester. He pitched a scoreless fourth inning against Norfolk at Polar Park, walking one and striking out three … A reminder that Friday night’s game against the Brewers will be exclusively on Apple TV+. The game will be called by Alex Faust and Ryan Spilborghs with Tricia Whitaker as the sideline reporter. New and returning Apple TV+ subscribers can access a free two-month trial of the service.