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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2024 18:13:42 GMT -5
Jarren Duran, Red Sox look to stay hot vs. Reds FLM
Jarren Duran and the visiting Boston Red Sox can extend their winning streak to six games Friday when they open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Boston's streak began with two victories against the New York Yankees and includes a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox collected at least 10 hits in each of the five wins.
Boston completed its sweep against Toronto with a 7-3 victory on Wednesday night. Duran extended his hitting streak to 10 games when he hit a solo home run in the win. He's batting .364 with a .997 OPS during the 10-game streak.
Duran also had two of Boston's five stolen bases during the victory. The Red Sox enter Friday's game leading the American League in stolen bases (76).
"We can see how much (being aggressive on the bases) affects the other team," Duran told NESN. "They gotta plan for it. They gotta quick pitch. It might get the pitcher in an uncomfortable position to have to slide step and stuff -- just little things like that. They might miss a pitch. It's really gonna help us as a team."
The Red Sox have won seven of their last eight games and are five games above .500 for the first time since May 1, when they were 18-13.
"We can do a lot of stuff," Boston manager Alex Cora said following Wednesday's win against the Blue Jays. "I'm very proud of the guys to (win series) against the Phillies and the Yankees and get greedy. To come here and play three great games that were fun to watch. We'll enjoy the off day and get ready for Cincinnati."
Right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-6, 3.54 ERA) is scheduled to get the start for Boston on Friday. Crawford recorded a season-high nine strikeouts in his last start, a 9-3 victory over the Yankees. He allowed three runs on three hits in six innings, after he had surrendered at least four runs in five of his last six starts.
Crawford has pitched two-thirds of an inning against Cincinnati during his career. He faced five batters and allowed a run on one hit and walked two.
The Reds have lost four of their last five games and have been struggling to score. Cincinnati failed to put up more than two runs in any of its three games against Pittsburgh earlier this week.
The Reds were held to two hits -- singles by Jonathan India and Santiago Espinal -- and failed to have a runner reach third base during Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Pirates. It was the fifth time they were shut out this season, and the 24th time they were held to two runs or fewer.
"It's not going to get any easier," Reds manager David Bell said. "We're going up against tough pitching and it's our job to adjust to that and find ways to get it done. But I love how our team is continuing to fight through this and grind, and we know that's going to pay off."
Left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.42) is listed as Cincinnati's probable starter. He has never faced the Red Sox.
Abbott is coming off a 3-1 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday. After throwing four scoreless innings, he walked the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters in the fifth before giving up a three-run home run to Joey Ortiz later in the inning.
He allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out three.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2024 18:16:09 GMT -5
Probables for series
Friday, 7pm, Crawford 3-6/ 3.54 vs Abbott 5-6/ 3.42
Saturday, 4pm, Pivetta 4-4/ 3. 88 vs Montas 3-5/ 4.62
Sunday, 1:30pm TBA vs TBA
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2024 18:25:15 GMT -5
Red Sox have jump-started their offense by becoming baseball’s men of steal By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated June 20, 2024, 2 hours ago
Welcome to Team Havoc.
The Red Sox are playing a style of baseball unlike any they’ve employed in more than a century. With five steals Wednesday night in Toronto, the Sox have swiped 32 bags in June — their most in any single turn of the calendar since July 1915, when a group led by Hall of Fame outfielders Tris Speaker and Harry Hooper stole 34.
They’ll almost certainly blow past that mark.
The team’s single-month record of 49 — established in July 1911 — may be reachable if the Sox keep playing the way they have the last two weeks. They have stolen 27 bases in their last dozen games. If they sustain that pace for nine more games, they’ll finish June with a staggering 52 steals.
Obviously, MLB’s recent rule changes have a great deal to do with this prolific thievery. With pickoff attempts limited and a clock that constrains the ability of pitchers to vary the tempo of their deliveries, runners across baseball are taking advantage of a green light that only occasionally seems to turn yellow.
But more than anything, the base-stealing bonanza is a reflection of players who play a style of baseball that few Red Sox teams in memory have been capable of executing.
Based on the Statcast measurement of sprint speed (how fast a player runs, on average, in the fastest one-second interval either from home to first on an infield grounder or when trying to take an extra base on a hit), the Sox have four players whose speed grades as elite: Jarren Duran (29.3 feet per second, 94th percentile), Romy Gonzalez (29.1, 92nd), David Hamilton (28.9, 90th), and Ceddanne Rafaela (28.9, 90th).
The Sox have turned them loose. In 12 games since June 7, Hamilton leads the big leagues with 11 stolen bases. Duran ranks second with eight. Rafaela and Gonzalez (fresh off the injured list) have two each.
With Duran, Hamilton, and Rafaela all amid hot streaks at the plate, the pressure on opposing defenses has been considerable. The Red Sox see a clear connection between the aggression on the bases and the recent surge of their offense, which is averaging 5.3 runs over the last 12 games (8-4 record) and 6.6 over the last eight (7-1 record).
“Everybody’s aware,” said bench coach Ramón Vázquez. “You see the opposite team, [pitchers] that don’t really want to slide-step, they’ve got to slide-step. It changes the game.
“Some guys are not able to execute pitches out of the slide-step, and all of a sudden, they’ve got to slide-step and make mistakes. Our hitters are getting better pitches to hit because of it. So it’s not just them running the bases. It’s how they change the game.”
Obviously, the speed of those players wouldn’t be relevant if they weren’t getting on base. Rafaela is hitting .615/.643/.846 over the last seven games, seemingly getting a hit any time he puts the ball in play (his batting average on balls in play is .790). Duran is hitting .389/.450/.583 over the same period. Hamilton is hitting .280/.308/.400. Gonzalez has reached base in four of nine plate appearances since coming off the injured list.
Manager Alex Cora clearly loves the idea of elevating the heart rates of opposing pitchers by clustering Rafaela, Duran, and Hamilton in the lineup. He has used Duran (leadoff) and Rafaela (ninth) to wrap around the lineup, mostly employing Hamilton either second (against righties) or eighth (in select games against lefties) to keep all three together.
At times, the Sox have given away outs. Their 77 percent success rate on attempted steals falls just below the 78 percent league average. But for now, the bigger picture has been of a team that at times looked listless offensively in the early season becoming a live wire that other teams are struggling to handle.
“It’s fun to manage this way,” said Cora. “Obviously we’re going to run into outs. That’s part of it. The Reds do that, too. The Nationals. Risk and reward. I think we’ve been OK at being efficient.
“If you start putting the red light or holding them, then you’re going to take aggressive out of it. And this is a way for us to produce runs. It’s been fun to watch.”
Certainly, it’s been novel. The Sox arrived at Thursday’s offday with an AL-leading 76 steals. They haven’t led the league in stolen bases since 1935. Their current pace would yield 164 steals, more than they’ve had in any year since 1914.
Hamilton (20 steals, a pace that would yield 42) and Duran (19, 41) are on pace to become the first Red Sox teammates to surpass 40 steals each in the same season. Rafaela is on pace to swipe 22 bags, potentially giving the Sox three players with 20 steals for just the second time in the last century. (The 2008 team had Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, and Dustin Pedroia.)
It remains to be seen just where this approach takes the Red Sox. A year ago, while the Reds nearly ran their way to a playoff berth and the Diamondbacks’ pressure on defenses helped propel them to the World Series, the Royals — who led the AL in steals — went 56-106. Speed is far from a guarantee of success.
But for now, it not only has contributed to the Sox’ best stretch of the season but given them an unfamiliar and unexpected identity.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 5:36:51 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Kyle Hudson takes aggressive approach with Red Sox base runners in first season as third base coach By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 20, 2024, 11:33 p.m.
This seems to be Kyle Hudson’s lane, but rarely does he obey the coach’s box.
Hudson can’t stay still as Red Sox third base coach. Sometimes he’s up the line as he waves a base runner in on the turn, and then Hudson might run down the line, replicating a sprinter in Lane 3 of a 100-meter dash. He will crouch into a squat almost as if he’s playing the hot corner directly to his left. In his first year at the coaching position, Hudson is making his mark.
“I like to compete,” Hudson said recently. “That’s the thing I loved to do throughout my life is compete. I feel like I’m getting fulfillment out of making the right decisions over there, trying to challenge the outfielders. … Trying to challenge our guys to take better leads, move up 90 feet, and be aggressive.”
For a former player who received just a cup of brew in the big leagues, this new gig is scratching his competitive itch and paying off for the Red Sox.
In the fourth inning of the Sox’ series finale against the Phillies last week, a glimpse of Hudson’s shrewd, instinctual, and aggressive nature came to the Fenway Park surface near Hudson’s domain. There were two outs and the Sox led, 4-3, with David Hamilton at the plate. Jarren Duran was the runner at first base and Dom Smith was on second. Hamilton sliced a line-drive single to left field. Smith, by no means is a burner and, in fact, he lumbers around the bases. Philadelphia’s David Dahl made one crucial mistake while playing the ball and Hudson, with his eyes on the left fielder the entire time, noticed the mishap immediately.
Dahl caught the ball on one hop. Yet instead of charging, perhaps in fear of getting handcuffed, Dahl, flat-footed, decided to drop back with his left foot so he could get a better hop. Before Dahl took his first step back, Hudson was already waving Smith home. The throw was well off-target and Smith scored easily, affording his club a two-run lead on its way to a 9-3 win and a series victory.
”I always tell my base runners to stay with me,” Hudson said. “Because there might be a situation where they don’t think it’s a send and I send them. And so, for me, I want them to understand that I’m aggressive. Because I’ve always felt that a third base coach’s mentality, the base runners take on that mentality. I feel like if I’m that way, they’re that way.”
The aggression is always calculated and comes through preparation. Hudson was the first base coach for the Sox last year and helped unlock Duran’s ability to swipe a bag by picking up on pitchers’ varying nuances. In, or near, the third base coaches box, Hudson takes a similar approach, but there’s even more on his plate now as he studies outfielders and their tendencies, too.
“This is a much better group, athletic wise,” manager Alex Cora said. “So it’s going to give him kind of like a green light to push the envelope and be aggressive. Their [secondary leads] are good. They’re fast.”
Fast was on display when the Red Sox and Hudson picked up a detail that allowed them to steal nine bases in Sunday night’s win over the Yankees at Fenway.
It’s aggressive, it’s instinctual, and prepared all in one.
It’s Hudson.
“You better be ready to go,” Hudson said. “And these guys have done a good job with that.”
On to the Queen City for three
The Red Sox will open up a three-game set against the Reds in Cincinnati Friday night. Kutter Crawford takes the mound against the Reds’ Andrew Abbott in the series opener. On Saturday, Nick Pivetta will start opposite Frankie Montas, and in the series finale, the starting matchup is TBD on both sides. The Sox wanted to give Tanner Houck an extra day of rest so they pushed him back to Monday night’s series opener against the Blue Jays at Fenway … Since he was recalled May 29 from Triple A Worcester, infielder Enmanuel Valdez is hitting .333/.423/.733 with a 1.156 OPS and four home runs … Ceddanne Rafaela is up to .251 after a hot June where the center fielder has hit .377/.406/.475 with a .888 OPS and a homer … The Reds (35-39) are in last place in the NL Central. Cincinnati is 18-19 at home, and 4-6 in the last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Sox (40-35) have won five straight games and are 8-2 in the last 10 … Outfielder Wilyer Abreu (ankle) continued a rehab stint with Worcester and went 1 for 3 (single) as the designated hitter in a 7-6 loss to visiting Columbus.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 8:49:04 GMT -5
Tyler Milliken ⚾️ @tylermilliken_ Through 75 games, the Red Sox are just 1 GB of the 3rd Wild Card. Only 1.5 GB of the 2nd Wild Card. 11th-best record in MLB. 8th-best run differential. 8-2 over their last 10. Next 12 games against teams under .500. Keep stacking wins and make the front office have to invest.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 21, 2024 9:52:24 GMT -5
Tyler Milliken ⚾️ @tylermilliken_ Through 75 games, the Red Sox are just 1 GB of the 3rd Wild Card. Only 1.5 GB of the 2nd Wild Card. 11th-best record in MLB. 8th-best run differential. 8-2 over their last 10. Next 12 games against teams under .500. Keep stacking wins and make the front office have to invest. We played incredibly well through our toughest series - the west coast trip to open the season and the 2 series against the Phillies and the Yankees, not to mention on the road against division rivals Blue Jays. We cannot take the next 12 games lightly. Keep that same intensity. Should be fun.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 13:23:42 GMT -5
.Game 76: Red Sox at Reds lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated June 21, 2024, 9:03 a.m. After a day off, the Red Sox return to action with a three-game series at Cincinnati beginning Friday. They will hope to keeps the bats going at Great American Ball Park. Over the course of their five-game winning streak, they belted at least 10 hits in each contest. The Reds have struggled offensively, failing to score more than two runs while dropping two of three to the Pirates, including a 1-0 loss on Wednesday in which they managed just two hits. They have dropped four of their last five to fall into last place in the National League Central. Kutter Crawford will get the start for the Sox in the opener. Lineups RED SOX (40-35): Jarren Duran (L) LF Romy Gonzalez (R) SS Tyler O'Neill (R) RF Rafael Devers (L) 3B Connor Wong (R) C Masataka Yoshida (L) DH Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF Pitching: RHP Kutter Crawford (3-6, 3.54 ERA) REDS (35-39): TJ Friedl (L) CF Elly De La Cruz (S) SS Jeimer Candelario (S) DH Spencer Steer (R) 1B Jake Fraley (L) RF Jonathan India (R) 2B Santiago Espinal (R) 3B Will Benson (L) LF Luke Maile (R) C Pitching: LHP Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.42 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Abbott: Tyler O’Neill 0-2 Reds vs. Crawford: Jeimer Candelario 1-1, Santiago Espinal 2-4, Jake Fraley 0-1, Jonathan India 0-0, Luke Maile 0-2, Spencer Steer 0-0, Tyler Stephenson 0-1 Stat of the day: The Red Sox lead the American League in stolen bases with 76. They have not finished a season leading the AL in stolen bases since 1935, when they swiped 91. Notes: The Red Sox have swept four series this year, all on the road. … Jarren Duran is batting .364 with a .997 OPS during his 10-game hitting streak.… The Red Sox have won seven of their last eight games and are five games above .500 for the first time since May 1. … Crawford recorded a season-high nine strikeouts over six innings in his last start, a 9-3 victory over the Yankees. … Abbott is coming off a 3-1 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday and has never faced the Red Sox. Song of the Day: The Racounters "Steady As she Goes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_B_QRdX6kY
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 16:58:03 GMT -5
shit don't like this
Red Sox outfielder dealing with right knee soreness
Updated: Jun. 21, 2024, 5:47 p.m.|Published: Jun. 21, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
CINCINNATI — Right-handed hitting outfielder Rob Refsnyder bashes left-handed pitchers but he’s not in the Red Sox lineup Friday against Reds left-handed starter Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.42 ERA).
Refsnyder is dealing with a sore knee.
“Ref is a little bit banged up. He has right knee soreness so we decided to go this route (with the lineup),” manager Alex Cora said before Friday’s game.
Asked if it is anything serious, Cora replied, “I don’t believe so.”
Boston and Cincinnati play at 7:10 p.m. here at Great American Ball Park. Romy Gonzalez is at shortstop. Masataka Yoshida will serve as the DH. Jarren Duran is in left field. Ceddanne Rafaela is in center field. Tyler O’Neill will play right field.
The Red Sox will activate outfielder Wilyer Abreu (ankle sprain) from the IL on Saturday. It doesn’t sound like Refsnyder will need an IL stint. Boston will need to make a move to activate Abreu though.
The Sox will have plenty of outfield depth with Abreu, Refsnyder, Duran, O’Neill and Rafaela.
“But that’s good. It’s a deeper ballclub,” Cora said. “We have options late in games. We can take care of guys.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 17:06:27 GMT -5
We all knew this was happening
Pete Abraham @peteabe Abreu is here. Says he’s ready to go. 5:10 PM · Jun 21, 2024 · 18.6K Views
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 18:25:55 GMT -5
Red Sox do nothing in the first Crawford gives up his 9th home run, a no doubter
In an ideal world, he would be be our loogy.....
1-0 Cincy
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 18:29:11 GMT -5
Whoa Wong ties it up ball is carrying tonight 1-1 in the 2nd
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 18:38:32 GMT -5
Crawford hangs a breaking ball to India and he banged it to India 10 Home runs now on the year 6 in his last 3 games 2-1 Cincy 2nd
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 18:48:28 GMT -5
Crawford with back to back walks with 2 outs then plunks the next batter DeLaCruz at bat
and he strikes him out his best pitch of the night
Red up up 2-1
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 18:53:08 GMT -5
Duran goes yard 2-2 in the 3rd
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 21, 2024 19:00:46 GMT -5
11 home runs allowed by Crawford now
3-2 Cincy
You would think the analytic department would act on this.....
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