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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 2:42:55 GMT -5
OverTheMonster @overthemonster · 7h Xander has had better defensive innings
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 2:43:30 GMT -5
OverTheMonster @overthemonster · 5h I know no one is paying attention to this game anymore, but Devers just made one of the most hilariously bad decisions to make a throw I've ever seen
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 3:19:34 GMT -5
Sox blanked by Yanks, stuck in rivalry rut
By Ian Browne @ianmbrowne September 19, 2020
After the dismal events of Saturday night, when the Red Sox were thoroughly outhit and outpitched by the Yankees in an 8-0 loss, they’ve got one more chance to avoid a historic 0-for-the-season against their longtime rivals.
Just nine times in the Modern Era has one team won every game against an opponent in a season series of 10 games or more.
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The Red Sox will send righty Tanner Houck -- their No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- to the mound on Sunday (1:07 p.m. ET) to avoid trying to be the 10th team on the wrong side of that statistic.
The last time it happened was 1999, when the Rangers won all 12 games against the Mariners. The last time the Yankees accomplished this feat was their glittering ‘98 World Series championship season when they went 10-0 against the Royals.
The Red Sox have never been on either end of such a one-sided season series.
Boston is 0-9 against New York this season. Dating back to Sept. 7, 2019, the Yankees have won the last 12 rivalry matchups, equaling their best run against the Red Sox in history -- which they last did in 1952-53.
Unlike the heartbreaking loss on Friday -- when the Red Sox were one out from victory in the ninth, only to lose in 12 innings -- this one was as one-sided as could be.
While the Yankees had a steady stream of offense, the Sox couldn’t touch lefty J.A. Happ, who tossed eight innings of four-hit ball, striking out nine. This was the first time Boston has been shut out this season.
“We've had trouble with Happ,” said Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke. “He moves the ball around well, he pitches inside well, throws a changeup, throws a breaking ball, and in the three years I've been here, we have not hit him very well. So that was most of it. But we just didn’t have very many good at-bats. Only a couple balls hit hard off him.”
The Red Sox didn’t have a strong night defensively either, making three errors. Uncharacteristically, shortstop Xander Bogaerts made two errors.
“We played so well [defensively] yesterday, then today it didn’t look like the same guys,” Roenicke said. “Bogey's usually so steady if balls are hit to him. I always know we're going to get an out because he's a steady player. So that's very unusual for him to not make those plays.”
On Sunday, the Red Sox will try to make enough plays to finally beat the Yankees.
Arroyo joins injured crew The Red Sox have endured a rash of injuries lately, and second baseman Christian Arroyo was added to the list on Saturday night when he departed after four innings with back spasms.
“Coming off the dive in the first inning and then he dove a couple innings later, so he spasmed up, and hopefully he's day to day,” Roenicke said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 3:22:34 GMT -5
Muñoz to IL, Puello recalled; Verdugo update
By Ian Browne @ianmbrowne September 19, 2020
Yairo Muñoz, who made a strong impression for the Red Sox after being called up from the alternate training site, had his season come to an end on Saturday when he was placed on the 10-day injured list due to an ailing back.
The right-handed hitter suffered the injury in Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Marlins. The Red Sox had been waiting to see if he could get healthy.
“We didn't think it would be just a couple more days,” said Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke. “He was still sore this morning when [head athletic trainer] Brad [Pearson] called and talked to him.”
In 12 games and 45 at-bats for the Red Sox, the 25-year-old Muñoz hit .333 with one homer, four RBIs and an .844 OPS. In a series this week at Miami, he made a terrific play in left field in one game and a sweet diving snare in right during another.
“He was doing everything, running the bases well and driving the ball,” Roenicke said. “Putting it in play.”
Muñoz has put himself in strong position to earn a roster spot for 2021.
To replace Muñoz on the roster, the Red Sox selected outfielder César Puello from the alternate site and placed him in Saturday night’s lineup, batting ninth and playing right field.
Though Muñoz has experience at second, short and third, the Red Sox used him exclusively in the outfield.
“He did a good job in the outfield, he looks like he has good instincts,” Roenicke said.
One thing Muñoz might have to work on going forward is plate discipline. He didn’t draw any walks.
Verdugo day to day One reason Boston’s hand was forced on making a roster move with Muñoz is that Alex Verdugo was still unable to play after tweaking his left hamstring in Friday’s loss to the Yankees.
“Verdugo still feels it some,” Roenicke said. “Obviously out tonight, we'll see tomorrow. They were going to work on him in the training room. I saw him before anybody worked on him, but he still felt it. So we'll be cautious there and just see how he comes out of it today after working on him and see what the medical staff says.”
Verdugo, Boston’s main return piece in the trade with the Dodgers for Mookie Betts, has had a solid first season for the Red Sox, slashing .328/.383/.511 to go with six homers, 14 RBIs and four stolen bases in 48 games. Verdugo also has seven assists in the outfield.
Houck ready for Yankees After mowing down the Marlins in his Major League debut earlier this week, Red Sox No. 10 prospect Tanner Houck will face a much tougher Yankees lineup in his Fenway debut on Sunday afternoon.
“For me, nothing really changes,” Houck said. “As long as you go out there and attack the zone, I think good things happen. If you go right at people and get them on their heels early, it sets up a lot more. Typically whenever you’re behind in hitters’ counts, a lot of people become more dangerous. Just go out there and attack right away, and I’ll definitely feel real confident.”
While it obviously would have been more fun to pitch at Fenway Park for the first time with a packed house at his back, Houck still appreciates the magnitude of pitching in Boston.
“Definitely excited,” Houck said. “Ever since I’ve gotten drafted, it’s been a goal of mine to pitch here in Fenway. It’s such a historical park. Over 100 years of history in this ballpark alone. Truly honored to get the start [Sunday] and pitch in such a historic stadium.”
Devers finishing strong The way this season started for Rafael Devers -- he was hitting .167 on Aug. 12 -- it was fair to wonder if he would be able to get his numbers back to the point of respectability.
Give Devers credit for not just getting off the mat, but for excelling again. The third baseman entered Saturday with a .365 average in September with five homers, 16 RBIs and a 1.127 OPS. For the season, he’s at .286/.340/.536 with 11 homers and 36 RBIs.
The 23-year-old takes a measure of pride from the way he bounced back.
“I’m obviously trying to get better every single day,” Devers said. “Obviously this season, at the beginning of the year, it didn’t go so well for me, and I was able to right the ship. As I’ve always told you guys, that’s just a part of baseball. There’s ups and downs, but I’m just always trying to improve on my offense and my defense, and work on that and work in the offseason and trying to get better.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 3:49:04 GMT -5
Perhaps it’s time for the Red Sox to stop referring to the dominant Yankees as rivals By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated September 19, 2020, 7:29 p.m.
The Yankees, who are chasing down a playoff spot, rested several of their regulars against the Red Sox on Saturday night. That’s not something you’d normally expect when the two old rivals meet late in the season.
But then, it’s not much of a rivalry these days.
The lineup the Yankees stitched together beat the Red Sox, 8-0, because of course they did. The Yankees have won all nine meetings between the teams this season and 12 in a row dating back to 2019.
That’s the longest streak in the series since the Yankees won 12 straight from 1952-53.
Rivals? Maybe that’s a word that should be suspended for a while until the Sox earn it back. They’ve 5-23 against the Yankees the last two seasons and have been outscored by 58 runs.
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New York has averaged seven runs in those games. That’s not a rivalry, that’s giving up your lunch money before the bully asks for it. Get 108 Stitches in your inboxEverything baseball every Monday-Friday during baseball season, and weekly in the offseason.
“Late last year when we got really rolling we had a couple of really good series against them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It was a time they were starting to struggle a little bit. It’s a little bit of an aberration. You get a couple of series where they’re down and we’re really rolling.”
"This year they’ve obviously had their struggles and dealing with some guys not being on their roster. Losing Mookie [Betts] and [Chris] Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez being down, it’s been a tough year. Probably a little bit more fluky that it’s been this lopsided.
“I’ve been in so many heavyweight bouts with [the Red Sox] as a player and now as a manager. You know you’re always going to have your hands full.”
Boone, whose late grandfather, Ray, was a long-time Red Sox scout, was being diplomatic.
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The Red Sox are headed for their fourth last-place finish in nine seasons. They’ve become a team of extreme highs and lows.
The Yankees haven’t finished with a losing record since 1992 and this year will be the 22nd time in 26 years they’ll play in the postseason. They’re mastered the art of consistent competitiveness, building a farm system that churns out players and using their financial might to pick off free agents when needed.
The Yankees have made some mistakes along the way — signing Jacoby Ellsbury being one. But their mistakes don’t lead to total collapses.
The Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009 and the Red Sox have two championships since. But both of those titles were followed by disarray.
The Red Sox are hoping Chaim Bloom can build an organization that will compete for a title every season. For now, they’re a team the Yankees have brushed aside.
Sox manager Ron Roenicke was asked how tough it was to go through a stretch like that against the Yankees.
“Streaks and stuff, they don’t matter to me,” he said after Friday’s 6-5 loss in 12 innings. “We played a really good ballgame, we had plenty of chances to win. The steaks, I don’t really even look at.”
But Roenicke has been with the Sox long enough to understand what games against the Yankees mean, or should mean. The powerhouse 2018 Sox were 10-9 against the Yankees in the regular season before the teams split the first two games of the Division Series at Fenway Park.
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Aaron Judge strolled out of Fenway Park carrying a portable speaker blaring “New York, New York.” The Sox responded by belting the Yankees, 16-1, two days later then eliminated them in Game 4.
Their celebration at Yankee Stadium that night was a loud one.
The game is better when a Red Sox-Yankees game means something. We may not again experience the bitterness that led to Pedro Martinez tossing aside Don Zimmer or Jason Varitek giving Alex Rodriguez a taste of his glove. But it would be nice to see a little heat after two years of the Red Sox not putting up much of a fight.
There was barely a heartbeat on Saturday. J.A. Happ, who the Yankees have used carefully so his $17 million contact option for 2021 doesn’t vest, stuffed the Sox for eight innings. He allowed four hits without a walk and struck out nine.
The teams play for the last time this season on Sunday. Maybe the Sox will remember it’s supposed to mean something.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 3:50:36 GMT -5
Error-prone Red Sox stumble again in shutout loss vs. Yankees By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 19, 2020, 10:34 p.m.
The Red Sox have had a tumultuous season magnified by injuries, lackluster play, and the struggles of their better hitters such as J.D. Martinez. They have had to patch together a starting rotation and have had a void all season at the second base position and, typically, right field.
Surprisingly, though, they hadn’t been shut out this year, holding the longest active streak in the majors at 68 games dating back to last season.
That stood until Saturday.
The Sox lost to the Yankees, 8-0, in convincing fashion behind a stellar performance by starter J.A. Happ. The Yankee lefthander threw eight shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just four hits.
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This isn’t new for Happ. He holds a 13-4 career record against the Sox, posting a 2.79 ERA in 27 games.
“We’ve had trouble with Happ,” Sox manager Ron Roenicke said afterward. “He moves the ball around well. He pitches inside well. He throws the changeup, throws his breaking ball. In the three years I’ve been here, we have not hit him very well. That was most of it. We didn’t have very many good at-bats.”
The other part of it — actually, the biggest part of it — was the Sox' sloppy defense and mental lapses.
The Red Sox entered the contest against having committed 37 errors on the season. It was second to only the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Sox also had a zero ultimate zone rating and zero defensive runs saved.
On Saturday, they gave fill-in starter Chris Mazza zero help, committing three errors in addition to the mental blunders.
It began in the top of the first inning after DJ LeMahieu reached second on a single through the right side of the infield.
Mazza walked Aaron Judge, putting two runners on, and then issued a passed ball that advanced the runners to second and third. LeMahieu scored on a sacrifice fly by Gio Urshela.
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The Red Sox squandered a chance at getting LeMahieu out at the plate when first baseman Bobby Dalbec cut off Cesar Puello’s throw from right field. The Yankees wound up scoring two runs that inning for an early 2-0 lead.
With a runner on first and one out in the fourth, the Sox had a chance at a double play when Mike Tauchman hit a grounder to shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who booted the ball, allowing Clint Frazier to advance to second. The next batter, Kyle Higashioka, shot a ball to right field, scoring Frazier to make it 3-0.
The ball found Bogaerts again on Tyler Wade’s grounder to short. With a chance at a double play, Bogaerts opted to take it upon himself to step on the bag for the force out at second on Higashioka, but made an errant throw to first that allowed Wade to reach base and advance to second and Tauchman to score another unearned run, making it 4-0.
In the eighth, Dalbec committed a baserunning blunder when he was on second and tried to take third on Michael Chavis’s grounder to short.
Although he was called safe at third, it was not the correct baseball play.
In the ninth, Urshela hit yet another sacrifice fly, but Luke Voit, who was on first, didn’t tag up. When Puello made the catch, he threw to first, doubling off Voit to end the inning. But because Dalbec didn’t hustle to the bag, which led the run to be counted despite it coming on the third out of the frame. Roenicke called the mistakes, particularly the baserunning gaffe, a learning experience.
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“Sometimes there’s a lot going on and you don’t react the right way,” Roenicke said. “The more [he] plays, the more he’ll get better at that.” It took a video replay review, but Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalebc was absovled of a baserunning blunder when he was ruled safe at third, where he wound up being stranded in the eighth inning.
Rafael Devers made a diving stab on a Voit line drive in the ninth, but committed his 11th error of the season when he airmailed the throw to first from his seat.
Happ had a dominant evening, but the Sox' struggles defensively were glaring.
“We played so well [Friday night] on defense,” Roenicke said. “Then today, we didn’t look like the same guys.”
They haven’t all season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 3:54:09 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook Tanner Houck eager to make his first career appearance at Fenway Park By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 19, 2020, 7:01 p.m.
Tanner Houck dazzled in his major league debut for the Red Sox last week against the Miami Marlins, tossing five innings of shutout ball and striking out seven.
He devastated the Miami hitters with a mid-90s fastball and sweeping slider. On Sunday, Houck will make another debut. This time at Fenway Park, a place he hopes to call his permanent home in the seasons to come.
“Ever since I got drafted, it’s been a goal of mine to pitch at Fenway,” Houck said before Saturday night’s 8-0 setback against the New York Yankees. “It’s such a historical park. It’s truly an honor to get the start tomorrow.”
That it comes against the Yankees, in arguably the greatest rivalry in all of sports, adds another layer to this. It’s beneficial that Houck gets to experience it so early into his career. An outing against such a formidable lineup like the Yankees will require Houck to emphasize his attention to detail. The Yankees have hit 20 homers in their past four games. The Yankees aren’t the Marlins, but Sox manager Ron Roenicke feels good about Houck’s chances. Get 108 Stitches in your inboxEverything baseball every Monday-Friday during baseball season, and weekly in the offseason.
“He should have a lot of confidence,” Roenicke said. “This is a very righthanded lineup. That should work to his advantage. But we also know that he has to make pitches. [Friday] night you saw Martin [Perez] pretty much command all of his pitches and we know you need [him] to. We hope he gets through innings and keeps us in ball games.”
The Yankees lineup features, really, just one lefthanded bat in Aaron Hicks. Clint Frazier has been getting a lot of time in left field as lefty Brett Gardner is more of a fourth outfielder at this point. But, Sunday might be a situation where the team elects to go with a lefty bat like Gardner’s or even Mike Tauchman.
Regardless, Houck understands the task at hand. He also knows he has to be aggressive.
“For me, nothing really changes,” Houck said. “As long as you go out there and attack the zone I think good things happen. If you go right at people and get them on their heels early, it sets up a lot more. Typically, whenever you’re behind in the count, hitters counts, a lot of people become more dangerous. I’m going to go out there and attack right away and I’ll definitely feel real confident.” Taking his hacks
It was ugly at first, but Rafael Devers seems to have found his footing and will head into the offseason with another impressive display of hitting at the plate.
After getting off to a slow start the third baseman was slashing .344/.398/.646 with nine homers in his last 30 games before Saturday’s contest. After going 0 for 4 Saturday, Devers is still hitting He’s currently hitting. 280/.333/.525 on the year with a team-leading 11 homers.
“I’m always trying to get better,” Devers said. “Obviously, this season, at the beginning of the year, it didn’t go so well for me, and I was able to right the ship. As I always tell you guys, that’s a part of baseball. There are ups and downs. I’m always trying to improve on my offense and especially my defense.
“That’s something I really take pride in. I’m really going to work on that in the offseason and try to get better.”
Hughes mourned
Gary Hughes, a professional scout with the Sox from 2012-19, died Saturday after a long illness.
Hughes spent more than 50 years in baseball with 11 organizations and was considered a leading talent evaluator after starting his career as a part-time scout in California.
With the Red Sox, Hughes was a trusted advisor of Ben Cherington and Dave Dombrowski and did scouting work that aided two World Series champions while mentoring a number of young executives.
Hughes was a member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame. Aches and pains
Yairo Munoz (back spasms) was put on the injured list Saturday. To fill his place, the Sox activated Cesar Puello . . . Alex Verdugo (left hamstring tightness) was out of the lineup. He’s still day to day, which was the case with Christian Arroyo, who left the game with back spasms . . . It’s a day game for the Red Sox tomorrow starting at 1:07 p.m. The Yankees will toss their own rookie, Deivi Garcia, who has made four starts (24⅔ innings), striking out 24 and registering a 3.28 ERA.
Peter Abraham of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 3:57:27 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 7h The Red Sox have given up 7+ runs 23 times this year, most in MLB. In franchise history, it's the second-most yields of 7+ through 53 games. Only the 1925 team (26) featured a more porous red zone defense through 53 games
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7h The 1925 #RedSox finished 47-105. They ended the year 49 1/2 games out of first place. It was the first of three straight 100-loss seasons.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:01:54 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h The Yankees have won 10 straight. Their playoff magic number is 1 -- a Seattle loss and they're in.
The #RedSox have lost 12 straight to New York for the first time since the early 1950s.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:02:48 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h #RedSox manager Ron Roenicke -- 'We’ve had trouble with (J.A.) Happ. He moves the ball around well. He pitches inside well. He throws his changeup. He throws his breaking ball. In the three years I have been here we have not hit him real well.'
- Arroyo (back spasms) is day to day. Felt pain after making a pair of dives in the field - Bogaerts likely to be off Sunday. Experienced cramping late Friday night - Feels no roster moves should be necessary #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:03:47 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h Assuming that's it for him after 113 pitches, JA Happ has a 2.05 ERA vs. the Red Sox in 18 starts dating back to 2015.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:06:08 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 7h On batter 21 of the game, the Red Sox got their second three-ball count of the night. They still have no walks. Their 7.8% BB rate this year ranks 26th in MLB.
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 8h Red Sox came into this game having committed 37 errors, second-most in baseball behind just the Pirates.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:11:35 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 8h Xander Bogaerts had two errors in his first 45 games. He has three in the last three.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:12:26 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h
* Yankees 9-0 vs. Sox this season. They have won 12 straight in the series and 17 of 18 going back to last season.
* Yankees 23-5 vs. Sox since the start of last season, averaging 6.75 runs in those games.
It's not much of a rivalry.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 20, 2020 4:15:03 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 6h The Red Sox are 0-9 this year against the Yankees. They can finish no better than 1-9 against them. 2020 will represent the most lopsided drubbing the Red Sox have ever taken in a season series against the Yankees, surpassing the 1927 (4-18, .182) standard
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