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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 5:33:12 GMT -5
Orioles return from hectic road trip to face Red Sox FLM
The Baltimore Orioles would prefer some normalcy when they get back home to begin a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox on Monday afternoon.
But if they keep winning at a solid clip, they can deal with some of the quirks in their routines.
The Orioles are coming off a 4-3 road trip that was hampered by numerous weather-related delays. Included was a long delay prior to the beginning of Sunday's game in Chicago, where they beat the White Sox 4-1 to complete a four-game sweep.
"I'm proud of our guys," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "It's been a lot of sitting around and waiting and delays. You can kind of get complacent. You can get flat really easily, and I feel like almost every game in this series, we had some sort of weather issue. So I give our guys a lot of credit, the way this road trip started."
Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish threw seven no-hit innings Sunday, so that will be a tough act to follow for left-hander Cole Irvin against Boston.
The Orioles will have Irvin (4-2, 3.15 ERA) back in a starting role after a pair of relief outings. He has pitched only twice since May 10 as Baltimore has made various adjustments to its rotation while dealing with scheduling oddities.
Irvin gave up more runs (five) in 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen last week at St. Louis than he did in his previous 32 1/3 innings combined (four).
In six career outings against Boston, including three starts, Irvin is 0-1 with a 5.16 ERA across 22 2/3 innings.
This will be the second series between the teams this season. The Orioles won three straight games in Boston from April 9-11 .
The Red Sox haven't been in much of a groove recently, though they won Sunday's series finale 2-1 against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers to avoid a three-game sweep.
"We know we got Baltimore," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "Day game there. It should be a packed house."
Boston has won its last four road games, topping St. Louis in a series finale and then beating Tampa Bay the next three nights. The three games in Baltimore will be Boston's only road assignments across a 12-game stretch.
The Red Sox will have right-hander Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.86 ERA) on the mound. He has had four no-decisions this month, though the Red Sox won three of those games and have notched victories in five of his last six outings.
Criswell, who is in his first season with Boston, has never faced the Orioles despite appearing in 11 games over two seasons with another American League East team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
Starting pitching generally has been a boost for the Red Sox.
"You feel like our starters are going to give us a good start," Cora said.
The Red Sox could be without outfielder Tyler O'Neill again Monday with a sore right knee, Cora said. He sat out Sunday as well.
Orioles catcher/designated hitter Adley Rutschman drove in seven runs in the Chicago series, with two coming on his 10th home run of the season in the last game of the series.
--Field Level Media
Red Sox at Orioles Monday, at 1:05 PM EST Possibility Of A Delay Or Rainout It's expected to be 79° F with a 49% chance of rain and 14 MPH wind blowing out in Baltimore at 1:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Monday afternoon's AL East matchup in Baltimore will feature mostly cloudy skies and warm temperatures. A chance of showers and thunderstorms may lead to a delay and/or postponement. Moderate winds will blow out to left field during the game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 5:36:18 GMT -5
SP Probables
Monday/ 1pm/ Criswell 2-1/ 2.86 vs Irvin 4-2/ 3.15
Tuesday/ 630pm/ Bello 5-2/ 4.04 vs Rodriguez 5-1/ 3.26
Wednesday/ Crawford 2-3/ 2.39 vs Burnes 4-2/ 2.60
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 5:43:54 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Keller signed to one-year contract; Kelly optioned May 26th, 2024
MLB.com
May 26: RHP Brad Keller signed; RHP Zack Kelly optioned to Triple-A Worcester Veteran righty Keller and the Red Sox agreed to a one-year contract, the club announced on Sunday. Keller was designated for assignment by the White Sox earlier this week after posting a 4.86 ERA over five outings (two starts) in 2024. Manager Alex Cora said that Keller will slot into a long-relief role.
"He's got good stuff, it's interesting," Cora said. "And where we're at right now, obviously using Chase [Anderson] for four innings two days ago and then Zack for three innings yesterday, we're kind of short in that aspect."
Kelly was optioned to Worcester as the corresponding move to make room for Keller on the 40-man roster. After missing the start of the season with a left oblique injury, Kelly rejoined Boston's bullpen on April 24. He has a 2.16 ERA over 11 appearances (16 2/3 innings), with his most recent outing coming on Saturday against the Brewers (one run over three relief innings).
May 26: OF Tyler O'Neill day to day with right knee soreness O'Neill was replaced by Rob Refsnyder in left field in the top of the eighth inning of Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Brewers due to right knee soreness. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Sunday that the right-handed hitter, who sat out the series finale against the Brewers, is considered day to day. The discomfort is something O'Neill has been grinding through in recent days, and he didn't discount that it could have something to do with his recent slump at the plate. O'Neill is 0-for-15 over his last four games with 10 strikeouts.
"Been dealing with it for a little while, and it just kind of intensified a little more than I wanted it to," O'Neill said. "Trainers noticed and took me out of the game. I think it was the right move for today. Obviously I'm not feeling 100 percent up at the plate right now. It doesn’t look like this when I’m feeling good."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 5:49:00 GMT -5
As schedule turns tougher, Red Sox can use Sunday’s win as roadmap | McAdam
Published: May. 26, 2024, 5:32 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
BOSTON — Teams can’t bottle wins and recycle them for later use, but if they could, the Red Sox would dearly love to do so with Sunday’s victory at Fenway.
For one thing, their 2-1 triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers helped the Red Sox avoid a sweep and ensure that their losing streak didn’t reach three games.
But more to the point, Sunday’s win could serve as a blueprint going forward. It was the kind of victory the Red Sox have not often had this season: a quality win against a quality team. They’re going to need more of those, especially over the next few weeks.
Heading into Sunday’s series finale, the Red Sox were a lowly 9-18 against teams with a winning record. Of the 10 series they’ve played against winning teams — this one against the Brewers was already lost before the day began — they’ve won only two.
There are some bad teams in baseball, but not so many that teams can survive by beating up exclusively on them. Eventually, the Red Sox have to change that pattern and punch above their weight a bit.
Sunday may have represented a start. The Red Sox got yet another fabulous start from Tanner Houck, who, in allowing a single run in six innings, lowered his ERA to 1.90. They didn’t hit a lot — the Sox collected nine hits, all but two of them singles — but they produced when it was necessary. They also got three nearly perfect innings from their bullpen.
Strong starting pitching, timely hitting, dominant work from their relievers and errorless ball in the field is a pretty good recipe for success against any team. It’s even more suitable when playing contending teams.
“It feels good to avoid the sweep,” said Alex Cora. “I know who we are as a team. There’s a few thing we have to do better. But I bet there’s a lot of people a little bit surprised about what we’re doing. If we continue to do (the right) things, we’re going to be in the mix.”
Against quality opponents, the margin for error is reduced. The Red Sox fielded the ball cleanly Sunday. They issued just one walk. And, in direct contrast to some games of late, they produced on the few occasions when they had runners in scoring position.
In the fourth, they made sure to not let a leadoff triple from Wilyer Abreu go to waste when Rafael Devers followed immediately with a sacrifice fly to right for the game’s first run. Then, in the eighth, after Ceddanne Rafaela had pulled a leadoff double into the left field corner, Jarren Duran swung at the very next pitch and sliced a single to left, scoring Rafaela.
“We’re pitching every day,” said Cora. “Regardless if you lose two in a row, four in a row, winning four in a row, everyday you feel like our starters are going to give us a chance.”
Houck had a few jams from which he had to extricate himself. Consecutive singles in the first gave the Brewers an early scoring chance, but Houck caught Jake Bauers looking on a called third strike. In the fourth, a two-out double by Gary Sanchez proved uneventful when Houck got Sal Frelick to line to short for the third out. And after the Brewers managed their only run of the game in the fifth, they threatened some more with runners at the corners and just one out. But again, Houck cut down a run at the plate on a fielder’s choice before stranding two when he fanned Willy Adames, his final batter of the afternoon.
It’s not easy to win close low-scoring games night after night, but the Red Sox may not have much alternative over the next few weeks as the schedule becomes more demanding. Starting Monday, the Red Sox will begin a stretch that has them playing some of the best teams in the game: three with Baltimore, two with Atlanta, three with Philadelphia and three with the Yankees. Add in a four-game set against an improved and respectable Detroit Tigers, and the only easy series for the next three weeks is a four-game set against the White Sox in Chicago.
The Red Sox have to continue count on their starters to keep them in games, since the offense, especially with Triston Casas still sidelined, doesn’t scare anybody. The Sox have won exactly two games all year when the opponent scores more than four runs, an indication that they’re not going to out-slug many teams.
“Good game,” offered reliever Chris Martin when it was all over. “Now, we’re going into Baltimore, another good team in our division. Obviously, we’ve got some momentum going and hopefully we keep this energy into (Monday).”
And beyond. If the Red Sox are to remain relevant and competitive the rest of the way, they’ll need more games like this one over the next few weeks.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 5:56:23 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK With bullpen short on long relievers, Red Sox sign veteran righthander Brad Keller By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 26, 2024, 5:39 p.m.
The Red Sox signed veteran righthander Brad Keller and added him to the roster less than an hour before Sunday’s 2-1 victory against the Brewers.
Keller, 28, was designated for assignment by the White Sox on May 20, cleared waivers, and became a free agent. He was 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA in five games (two starts) for Chicago.
Righthander Zack Kelly was optioned to Triple A Worcester after pitching three innings Saturday.
The other long reliever, Chase Anderson, pitched four innings Friday.
“We’re kind of short [in the bullpen],” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “[Keller] can give us multiple innings.”
Keller was 38-53 with a 4.27 ERA with Kansas City from 2018-23. He became a free agent after last season and agreed to a minor league deal with the White Sox on March 8.
Keller opened the season with Triple A Charlotte, going 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts before being called up April 28. He was dropped off the White Sox roster after giving up six runs over four innings against the Yankees on May 18 as Juan Soto homered twice.
“He has good stuff. It’s interesting,” Cora said.
Kelly has a 2.16 ERA in 11 relief appearances this season. He was sent down largely because he has minor league options.
“This is where we’re at roster-wise and tough decisions are going to happen,” Cora said. “I’ve been saying it for months and tougher decisions are coming.”
Keller was given No. 46, which apparently means Bob Stanley is not coming back. The Rafaela conundrum
Ceddanne Rafaela leads the Sox with 28 RBIs and is fifth with 16 extra-base hits. He was 2 for 3 in the series finale vs. the Brewers, scoring the winning run after a leadoff double in the eighth inning.
But Rafaela hasn’t actually been a good hitter. The 23-year-old has a .208 batting average with an alarming 47 strikeouts in 178 at-bats and only six walks.
Through Saturday, Rafaela had the second-lowest on-base (.227) among 156 qualified hitters in the majors. Only Andrew Benintendi of the White Sox (.219) was lower.
Rafaela has what Cora calls “big moves” in his swing as he tries to hit for power — how he loads his swing, the leg kick, and the swing itself.
Cora sees that as an industry-wide issue as hitters focus on hitting the ball in the air and pitchers have adjusted.
“Timing-wise, a lot better. [Rafaela] can still control the strike zone much better,” Cora said. “He can do that. Stay the course.”
Cora said the RBIs are a product of opportunity. But for long-term success, Rafaela needs to shorten his swing and hit the ball to right-center.
“I’m doing a lot of work with the coaches,” Rafaela said. “I feel like I’m improving. I’m getting better with my hands.” O’Neill out of lineup
Tyler O’Neill (sore right knee) sat out the game and likely will do the same for Monday’s series opener in Baltimore. The tentative plan is for him to return to the lineup Tuesday.
O’Neill has hit .151 with a .545 OPS this month, striking out 36 times in 82 plate appearances and driving in only five runs. Related: Sal Frelick, favorite son of Lexington, enjoys every part of victorious Fenway Park debut with Brewers
The Sox hope the mini break also will help the left fielder get back on track at the plate.
Rice coaches in Classic
Jim Rice was in Cooperstown, N.Y., for Saturday’s Hall of Fame East-West Classic at Doubleday Field. The game paid tribute to the legends of Black baseball. Hall of Famer Rice, wearing a Kansas City Monarchs uniform, was a coach. Former Sox David Price and Chris Young played in the game along with Prince Fielder, Doug Glanville, Ryan Howard, Adam Jones, CC Sabathia, and others … Righthander Isaiah Campbell said he is “trending in the right direction” after making his second minor league rehabilitation appearance with Worcester on Saturday. Campbell has been on the injured list since April 12 with a shoulder impingement. The expectation is the reliever will need a few more minor league games before returning to the roster … Jamie Westbrook, Tyler Heineman, and Eddy Alvarez hit back-to-back-to-back home runs for Triple A Worcester in the second inning of a 9-8 loss at Polar Park against Norfolk … In a departure from their usual casual travel attire, the Sox were required to wear jackets for the trip to Baltimore.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 8:34:13 GMT -5
Game 54: Red Sox at Orioles lineups and pregame notesBy Matt Pepin Globe Staff,Updated May 27, 2024, 23 minutes ago After avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Brewers on Sunday, the Red Sox are in Baltimore for a Memorial Day matinee on Monday. The Orioles are coming off a 4-3 road trip that was hampered by numerous weather delays, including a long delay before Sunday’s game in Chicago, where they beat the White Sox 4-1 to complete a four-game sweep. “I’m proud of our guys,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s been a lot of sitting around and waiting and delays. You can kind of get complacent. You can get flat really easily, and I feel like almost every game in this series, we had some sort of weather issue. So I give our guys a lot of credit, the way this road trip started.” Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish threw seven no-hit innings Sunday, a tough act to follow for lefthander Cole Irvin against Boston. The Orioles will have Irvin (4-2, 3.15 ERA) back in a starting role after a pair of relief outings. He has pitched only twice since May 10 as Baltimore has made various adjustments to its rotation while dealing with scheduling oddities. Here’s a preview: Lineups RED SOX (27-26): Jarren Duran (L) LF Rob Refsnyder (R) RF Connor Wong (R) C Rafael Devers (L) 3B Garrett Cooper (R) DH Romy Gonzalez (R) SS Vaughn Grissom (R) 2B Dominic Smith (L) 1B Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF Pitching: RHP Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.86 ERA) ORIOLES (33-18): Gunnar Henderson (L) SS Adley Rutschman (S) C Ryan O'Hearn (L) DH Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B Colton Cowser (L) LF Jordan Westburg (R) 3B Kyle Stowers (L) RF Cedric Mullins (L) CF Jorge Mateo (R) 2B Pitching: LHP Cole Irvin (4-2, 3.15 ERA) Time: 1:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Irvin: Wilyer Abreu 0-2, Rafael Devers 3-10, Jarren Duran 2-3, Romy González 1-5, Vaughn Grissom 3-3, Reese McGuire 0-1, Tyler O’Neill 1-3, Ceddanne Rafaela 0-4, Rob Refsnyder 2-7, Connor Wong 1-5 Orioles vs. Criswell: Has not faced any Baltimore batters Stat of the day: Boston has won its last four road games. Notes: Irvin gave up more runs (5) in 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen last week at St. Louis than he did in his previous 32 1/3 innings combined (4). ... In six career outings against Boston, including three starts, Irvin is 0-1 with a 5.16 ERA across 22 2/3 innings. ... This will be the second series between the teams this season. The Orioles won three straight games in Boston from April 9-11. ... Criswell has had four no-decisions this month, though the Red Sox won three of those games and have notched victories in five of his last six outings. Criswell, who is in his first season with Boston, has never faced the Orioles despite appearing in 11 games over two seasons with another American League East team, the Tampa Bay Rays. ... Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill (sore right knee) sat out Sunday’s game and likely will do the same for Monday’s series opener in Baltimore. The tentative plan is for him to return to the lineup Tuesday. ... Orioles catcher/designated hitter Adley Rutschman drove in seven runs in the Chicago series, with two coming on his 10th home run of the season in the last game of the series. Song of the Day: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Learning To Fly www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 10:28:30 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb Kenley Jansen said he’s immune to trade rumors at this point after all the rumors in the offseason. He’s focused on this team, his teammates, wins, etc. There was a report yesterday the Red Sox want to trade him before the deadline 11:48 AM · May 27, 2024 ·
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 12:59:05 GMT -5
Red Sox down 2-0 after 2 Got 2 Red Sox on base and 0 outs Devers decides to steal 3rd and is thrown out easily more bullshit baseball
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 13:04:43 GMT -5
Sox end up loading up the bases with one out and leave all of them there
up to 6 LOB in the 4th
Orioles up 2-0 in the 4th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 13:14:00 GMT -5
Orioles load the bases up in the 4th and first Duran misplays a fly ball ( lousy jump, playing too shallow)
then Mullins rambles up with a shot to the gap that Duran botches, that one was a triple
sac fly
7-0 Orioles
and that is enough of this crap today.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 18:40:26 GMT -5
Kyle Stowers has career-high 4 RBIs as Orioles topple Red Sox 11-3 AP
BALTIMORE (AP) Kyle Stowers had three hits, including two doubles and a career-high four RBIs, Ryan Mountcastle also had three hits and the Baltimore Orioles cruised to a 11-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday.
Cedric Mullins added a two-run triple as Baltimore scored five runs in the fourth off Boston's Cooper Criswell (2-2) to help open the series with its fifth consecutive win.
"It was fun for me to have a big day, fun for the team to get a win," Stowers said. “Just cool to have a big moment.”
Cole Irvin (5-2) pitched five shutout innings in a return to the rotation spurred by the Orioles placing John Means and Dean Kremer on the 15-day injured list last week.
Criswell allowed seven runs - six earned - over four innings as Boston lost its third out of four overall and fourth straight against Baltimore. Five of the Orioles' six hits off the right-hander went for extra bases.
“He was OK,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Not too many swing and misses. They did a good job taking away certain pitches, and they put good swings on it.”
Romy Gonzalez hit a three-run triple in the eighth off Baltimore's Thyago Vieira, who let all five batters reach in his club debut.
A second-round selection in the 2019 MLB draft that produced Orioles stars Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the 26-year-old Stowers has struggled to find time in Baltimore’s lineup.
But he made the most of his 33rd career start, and fourth since his most recent recall from Triple-A Norfolk.
“A lot more comfortable,” Stowers said. “Playing with a lot of confidence, a lot of gratitude. And honestly just playing, just playing the game.”
After lining out in the second, Stowers came up again with the bases loaded and none out in the fourth, and drove Criswell's 2-2 changeup the opposite way. Left fielder Jarren Duran started in on the ball, then couldn't retreat in time as it landed in the grass shy of the warning track, growing Baltimore's lead to 4-0.
Stowers added another double in a scoreless sixth, then drove in two more runs in the seventh with a single against the Red Sox's Brad Keller.
Irvin allowed four hits and three walks, and twice escaped jams while the game was still close.
In the second inning, he got Dominic Smith to hit into an inning-ending groundout to strand runners on the corners. In the fourth, he fanned Smith looking and Ceddanne Rafaela swinging to leave the bases loaded.
“It took a couple innings to get back to feeling kind of like myself,” Irvin said. “But all and all, battled through that and the last two innings felt like myself again.”
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: Right fielder Tyler O'Neill (right knee soreness) was out of the lineup for a second consecutive day, but was “most likely” to return Tuesday, Cora said.
UP NEXT
Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello will try to earn consecutive quality starts for the first time this season on Tuesday after allowing three runs in six innings of Boston's 8-5 win at Tampa Bay last Wednesday. The Orioles counter with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who tries for his first back-to-back wins since early April.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 18:46:43 GMT -5
Red Sox blown out: Bases loaded chance ends with 2 Ks, then O’s put it away
Published: May. 27, 2024, 3:36 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — The Red Sox had a scoring opportunity in the fourth inning. Down 2-0, they loaded the bases with one out.
But Dominic Smith struck out looking and Ceddanne Rafaela went down swinging as Orioles starter Cole Irvin escaped. Baltimore then put a five-spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.
The Red Sox lost 11-3 to the Orioles at Camden Yards. Boston dropped to .500 (27-27).
Starter Cooper Criswell entered with a 2.86 ERA in eight outings (seven starts). But he gave up seven runs (six earned runs), six hits and one walk while striking out two in 4 innings.
The first five Baltimore batters reached in the fourth. Ryan Mountcastle doubled. Second baseman Vaughn Grissom’s error allowed Colton Cowser to reach.
Criswell then issued his only free pass, walking Jordan Westburg to load the bases.
Kyle Stowers followed with a two-run double, then Cedric Mullins ripped a two-run triple. Jorge Mateo’s RBI sac fly made it 7-0.
Rafaela showed both the good and bad. He made a heck of a running catch on Mullins’ 382-foot, 104.1 mph liner to center field in the sixth inning. He crashed into the wall after making the grab. But his strikeout to end the fourth came on a curveball well near the dirt. Rafaela entered Monday with a 42.1% chase percentage, which ranks in the third percentile among MLB hitters.
The Red Sox fell behind 11-0 before scoring three runs in the eighth on Romy Gonzalez’s three-run triple.
Brad Keller, who the Red Sox signed as a free agent Sunday, pitched the final four innings. He gave up four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out two.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 18:48:24 GMT -5
Red Sox 27-27 a third through season; ‘Guys have really fought to be .500′
Updated: May. 27, 2024, 5:23 p.m.|Published: May. 27, 2024, 5:11 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — The Red Sox’ 11-3 loss to the Orioles here at Camden Yards Monday marked their 54th game of 2024. That means Boston (27-27) already is a third of the way through its regular season.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries,” Rob Refsnyder said. “Guys have really fought to be .500.”
The Red Sox sit in third place in the AL East, 9 ½ games behind the first-place Yankees and eight games behind the Orioles.
Boston has dealt with an overwhelming number of injuries. To be exact, 16 players have combined for 16 IL stints. Trevor Story suffered a season-ending shoulder subluxation eight games into the season. Triston Casas hasn’t played since April 20 because of some fractured cartilage which connects his ribcage to his sternum. The slugger is on the 60-day IL and won’t return until June 21 at the earliest. DH Masataka Yoshida, meanwhile, hasn’t played since April 28 because of a left thumb strain.
Lucas Giolito, Boston’s most expensive free agent addition, underwent a season-ending internal brace procedure on the partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow during spring training. Starter Garrett Whitlock also is done for the season. He’s possibly headed for the same surgery after suffering a tear in his elbow ligament.
“Obviously we’re missing three big bats in the lineup but the guys that are playing are doing an outstanding job,” manager Alex Cora said. “Romy (Gonzalez) had a good game today. Ref did the same thing. Dom (Smith) put good at-bats. So we feel good where we’re at. Obviously it’s not enough. But I feel really good with the group and what we were able to do in this first part.”
Boston is 2 ½ games behind the Twins for the third and final Wild Card spot.
“Right there in the Wild Card,” Refsnyder said. “I think all of us can agree that we’d like to be playing better. Offensively, we just need to catch some breaks, just (have) better at-bats honestly. Probably with guys in scoring position we need to do a better job capitalizing on that. We all know that.”
The Red Sox rank 14th in runs scored (235) and batting average (.243). They are tied for 12th in on-base percentage (.313). They are 10th in slugging percentage (.402) and ninth in OPS (.715).
They rank 21st in the majors in batting average with runners in scoring position (.239). They also are 20th in OBP (.321) and 21st in slugging percentage (.388) in that category.
“We’re working behind the scenes and trying to get better at it,” Refsnyder said. “I think a breakthrough is coming honestly. So just keep going. I doubt a lot of people would think that we’d be .500 with this many injuries, especially to our key players like Triston and Trevor. And Lucas in spring training. But the young guys are figuring it out. I like where we’re at. Honestly I think we’ve got some really good baseball ahead of us.”
Pitching has been the bright spot. Behind new pitching coach Andrew Bailey, the Red Sox rank third in team ERA (3.22) and fifth in starter ERA (3.10).
“They’ve been so, so good,” Refsnyder said. “I think they’re the reason we’re at .500, 27-27. Yeah, they’ve been working really, really hard. ... They keep us, it seems like, in every game. So as an offense we’ve got to step it up.”
Cora added, “We’ve got to continue to pitch. We’ve got to be better defensively. I think the other aspects of the game are going to be fine.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 18:54:16 GMT -5
Tyler Milliken ⚾️ @tylermilliken_ · 4h Going to do my best to forget the Red Sox played a baseball game today.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2024 19:04:55 GMT -5
.RED SOX NOTEBOOK Kenley Jansen remains focused on the task at hand — saving games for the Red Sox — despite trade rumors By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 27, 2024, 2 hours ago
BALTIMORE — Kenley Jansen’s name came up in trade talks at the start of spring training. With the Red Sox seemingly looking to rebuild, the veteran closer — who is making $16 million this year — was a likely trade option, considering he’s in the last year of his deal.
The Sox decided to hold on to Jansen. Yet with the summer nearing and the club playing mediocre baseball, Jansen’s name again has surfaced as a trade candidate, with reports that the righthander will be moved by the July 30 trade deadline.
“I think at this point I’m kind of immune to [trade rumors] because it happened so much this offseason,” Jansen said before the Sox were demolished, 11-3, in the series opener against the Orioles Monday. “I can’t think about that. I have to go out there and beat Baltimore and help my team win ballgames. That’s all I can focus on today.”
Jansen hasn’t pitched particularly well, carrying a 3.06 ERA and a 13.3 percent walk rate (highest since his rookie season) in 17⅔ innings. Nonetheless, his track record outweighs his struggles, and the expectation would be that Jansen could help a contending team.
However, he reiterated that he doesn’t want to think about the future, at least not right now.
“It was way more frustrating in spring training,” Jansen said. “Now, It’s a business. The thing is, I have to worry about my guys who are here and how we can stay close and fight and win ballgames. Because at the end of the day, I still believe these guys can be great.
“I will carry that on my shoulder and prove everybody wrong, that we can win ballgames and not be a laughingstock. We have a great team. We have a great group of guys. We just have to keep focusing on that particular part.”
Jansen was outspoken during spring training regarding the team’s direction, saying he would have liked to see the Red Sox make more offseason moves, something Rafael Devers also alluded to.
Nevertheless, he has embraced his role as a team leader.
“It’s more than baseball,” said manager Alex Cora. “It’s about where we are as a group. From dress codes to bus rides. All the stuff as players that we kind of knew we had to do as players. There’s a lot of teaching moments in the clubhouse this year.” Three for the show
Former second baseman Dustin Pedroia, right fielder Trot Nixon, and closer Jonathan Papelbon will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame Wednesday at Fenway Park.
“Trot was intense,” said Cora. “Playing against him, you saw it. He really cared about the organization. As a hitter he was really good, and, defensively, awesome. Papelbon was amazing for us, and Dustin, we all know the player, and I know the person. He’s been great to me.” … The Red Sox signed Brad Keller to a one-year deal Sunday, and the righthander made his debut for the club in Monday’s loss. After just four innings from Cooper Criswell in his start, Keller navigated the remaining part of the contest, yielding four runs on seven hits. Despite that, the Sox are intrigued by Keller, who had been designated for assignment by the White Sox. “The stuff is very intriguing,” said Cora. “Just by working with our group, hopefully he can buy into our concept and just go out there and compete.” … Devers picked up his 121st career hit against the Orioles, which is 18 more than he has against any other opponent in his eight-year career.
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