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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 1:23:23 GMT -5
Rays @ Red Sox Monday 5th April 2021 7pm @ Fenway
Micheal Wacha
Coming off a strong spring, Wacha to make his Rays debut. He pitched at Fenway twice in 2013 during the World Series and as a Met last July.
Nick Pivetta
Has never met the Rays and thrived in his only start last season at Fenway holding the Orioles to one run over five.
Struggling Red Sox offense prepares for Rays' tough pitching
The Boston Red Sox are trying to get back on their feet after the Baltimore Orioles swept them in a season-opening series this weekend. That, though, might be a tough task as the defending American League champion Tampa Bay Rays come to town Monday.
The Rays took two of three from Miami in their season-opening series. They received a rare Sunday off -- thanks to those who made the schedule -- after the Marlins handed them a 12-7 loss on Saturday.
Still, even though the Rays didn't pitch well Saturday, they were content going to Fenway Park having taken the Miami series.
"I hate that we took the (loss) and I took the (loss) personally," said Chris Archer, who came on in relief for just the fourth time in his career. "I was responsible for it. But there's a lot of good also, and we won the series. We're heading to Boston with twice as many wins as losses, so there's a lot to hang our hat on."
Tampa Bay's strong pitching is something the Red Sox will need to figure out after Boston managed only five runs in three games against Baltimore. The Rays have used their unique ways to develop pitchers and have had a good staff for the past few years.
But they will be without pitcher Ryan Sherriff, who was placed on the restricted list Saturday before the loss in Miami, after saying he wanted to step away from the game. Catcher Joseph Odom will take Sherriff's roster spot, and the team isn't sure when he will be back.
"We fully support Ryan, his thoughts," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I think it's just best to leave it at that."
Michael Wacha gets the start for Tampa Bay in what will be his first appearance for the Rays. He was 1-4 with the Mets last year and has faced the Red Sox only once in his career (1-0, 1.80 ERA).
Nick Pivetta starts for the Red Sox. It will be the first time he will pitch against Tampa Bay.
Boston manager Alex Cora said this was not his team's best three games, and they've got things to work on.
"Things like this are going to happen," Cora said. "You hate them, of course, but I think it magnifies if it's early in the season. There were some positives, right? But I think overall, we're not proud of what happened this weekend. We talk about winning, playing good baseball against this division, playing good baseball at home -- and we didn't this weekend."
Cora spoke Saturday about the defensive struggles Rafael Devers had at third base through the first two games against the Orioles. Cora sat him on Sunday in favor of Marwin Gonzalez but said he still believes in Devers.
The Red Sox need to wake up on offense. J.D. Martinez was the lone bright spot Sunday, driving in two runs in the 11-3 loss to Baltimore.
Boston also signed veteran relief pitcher Hector Rondon. The 33-year-old went to the alternate training site for now.
The Red Sox hope that, if all goes well, pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez could return later this week. He is on the injured list with a tired arm.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 1:27:34 GMT -5
Rays/ Red Probables
Monday....Wacha vs Pivetta
Tuesday....Glasnow vs Perez
Wednesday....1pm....Yarbrough 0-0/000 vs Eovaldi 0-1/ 1.69
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 1:58:10 GMT -5
Notes: Devers' defense; E-Rod's progress April 4th, 2021 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- A story to watch for the Red Sox is Rafael Devers' quest to improve his defense at third base.
It didn’t trend well over the first two games, and Devers was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles at Fenway Park. But manager Alex Cora said that the 24-year-old’s struggles have nothing to do with a lack of effort.
If anything, Devers looked to be overdoing it, stepping in front of shortstop Xander Bogaerts multiple times, resulting in misplays. That included a costly throwing error by Devers in Saturday’s 4-2 loss.
“I have to tell him not to try to [force] plays,” Cora said. “You like the effort. Sometimes, obviously, the decisions are not sound, but the effort is there. He puts work in.
“Whoever says he needs to work on defense, they should join us in the mornings and the afternoons. He puts in work. That's what you ask for in a player. Do we need to get better? Of course. I think we need to get better as a group, not only one individual. We'll keep working with him, as you guys know. I do believe he can play the position.”
The Red Sox have an above-average third baseman playing across the diamond in rookie Bobby Dalbec. That makes speculation only natural that Cora could switch his infield alignment if things don’t progress well for Devers.
But Cora is giving no thought to making that switch. Marwin Gonzalez started at third base on Sunday against Orioles lefty Bruce Zimmermann, with Dalbec staying at first.
Cora remains convinced that Devers has the tools to be a reliable defender.
“He has a good arm, he's got good feet,” Cora said. “Sometimes the decisions are not sound. Sometimes it's a case of, he makes that [diving] play, well, don't throw the ball. Move on to the next play. Whatever happens after that, you can live with it, but don't give the opposition one more base.”
For Cora, it is a delicate balance.
“One thing you have to be careful with, if you tell him, 'Hey, don't go too far [toward Bogaerts],' then he's going to be gun-shy and he's going to be stuck at third base, one step to the left, one step to the right, and that's not good,” Cora said. “We'll keep working at it. I'll keep working with him, and we do believe he can play third base at this level.”
E-Rod’s next step? Two days after Eduardo Rodriguez (left elbow inflammation) threw four innings in a simulated game at the alternate training site at Polar Park in Worcester, Mass., Cora said the club was close to deciding what is next for the ace lefty.
Rodriguez is eligible to be activated from the injured list on Thursday, when the Sox open a three-game series in Baltimore.
“He's doing well,” Cora said. “We'll know after the game what we're going to do with him. Everything went well yesterday; it was kind of like Day 1 for him as far as preparation. Everything is trending that he'll be ready to be with us sooner rather than later. We'll probably know after he goes through the day, and we'll have a decision to make come tonight or tomorrow.”
Verdugo: Center, right, left Alex Verdugo started Opening Day in center field. When Hunter Renfroe was out of the lineup on Saturday, Verdugo moved to right. With Renfroe back in on Sunday and Franchy Cordero out, Cora put Verdugo in left field. For the second straight day, Enrique Hernández started in center.
“Yeah, I mean, he can do that,” Cora said of Verdugo. “He can play right, he can play center, he can play left, so there’s no problem with that. That’s part of what we bring on a daily basis. On a daily basis defensively, we’ll be fine in the outfield. Today we felt like that’s the best alignment for us to win the ballgame.”
Sox add Rondón The Red Sox added some depth in the bullpen by signing veteran righty Héctor Rondón to a Minor League deal and adding him to the alternate training site.
A onetime closer, the 33-year-old Rondón had a career year for the Cubs in 2015, notching a 1.67 ERA to go with 30 saves.
As recently as 2019, Rondón was a useful bullpen piece for the American League champion Astros, registering a 3.71 ERA in 62 appearances. In '20, Rondón struggled for the Phillies, posting a 7.65 ERA in 23 appearances
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:00:02 GMT -5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:15:41 GMT -5
Here’s why the Red Sox are ‘not proud of what happened this weekend’ against the Orioles "We have a good team, but we’ve got stuff to do and stuff to work on."
COMMENTS By Tom Westerholm April 4, 2021
Before the season began, some analysts believed the Boston Red Sox could be better than expected despite the departures that plagued the team’s narrative.
Early results have not been encouraging. The Red Sox dropped all three games in their opening series against the Baltimore Orioles, including Sunday’s matinee in an embarrassing 11-3 decision after the Orioles destroyed the Red Sox’s pitching in the opening frames.
Alex Cora called the loss “a tough one.”
“We got beat in every aspect of the game,” Cora said after the game. “The first two games, we didn’t play good defense. We didn’t swing the bat. Today, didn’t pitch.”
The Orioles jumped on top early, taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning. They then plated seven runs in the third, driving starting pitcher Garrett Richards out of the game with six earned runs.
The Red Sox made dubious history with Sunday’s loss — they haven’t been swept in their home-opening series since 1948.
“I think overall, we’re not proud of what happened this weekend,” Cora said. “We talk about winning, playing good baseball against this division, playing good baseball at home and we didn’t this weekend.”
Richards noted that he was beaten on the shift multiple times.
“Delivery felt good, physically I felt good, just tried to fill up the zone,” Richards said. “And unfortunately, every ball put in play just wasn’t around someone who had a glove on.”
Cora said the Red Sox played clean baseball during spring training, which has abandoned the team so far as games that count begin.
“I’ve been saying all along: We have a good team but we’ve got stuff to do and stuff to work on and we’ve just got to get better,” Cora said.
The Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:26:25 GMT -5
Red Sox can’t lose sight of the many warning signs from terrible opening weekend By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 4, 2021, 8:18 p.m.
The 2021 season was roughly 48 hours and fewer than 21 innings old when the Red Sox discovered their season-opening script had already been crumpled.
The team came out of spring training emboldened, insistent it would be significantly better than its 2020 predecessor. Manager Alex Cora spoke of the keys to make that case: Start quickly, play well at home, play well against the division.
Yet at 2:13 p.m. Sunday — exactly 48 hours after Nate Eovaldi had fired the first pitch of the season — a 10th Orioles run crossed the plate in the top of the third inning of an eventual 11-3 drubbing. As the Red Sox stared down the inevitability of their brooming at the hands of the only AL East team projected to finish behind them, the team recognized its failure to check a single box on the season-opening to-do list.
“We’re not proud of what happened this weekend,” Cora said. “We had urgency. We just got beat.”
The faceplant against the Orioles dropped the Sox to 0-3 out of the gate for the 20th time in franchise history. Though there are 159 games remaining, such a poor start bodes ill. In the wild card era, 15 of 83 teams (18 percent) that started 0-3 reached the playoffs. None of the 19 previous Red Sox teams that started 0-3 — something that happened most recently in the brutal 2012 season of Bobby Valentine — has qualified for the postseason.
Obviously, there’s an element of distortion at work when a team lays a season-opening (Easter) egg. Every team has a bad three-game series over the course of a year, but it usually comes with the benefit of the broader context of the season. That’s not the case for this year’s Red Sox.
“It’s three games in a season,” observed Garrett Richards, who allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in his inglorious Sox debut. “It’s kind of an early panic button.”
Yet while the team recognizes the ridiculousness of panic, it’s hard even for those in the Red Sox dugout to ignore the discomfort engendered by a poor start — and the proximity to the dirt of the word “Boston” on the giant scoreboard in left field.
“You look at the scoreboard, you look at the standings, there’s no wins,” Cora said. “We know where we’re at.”
Sound familiar?
Cora frequently repeated the “We know where we’re at” mantra in the second half of the disappointing 2019 campaign — once he abandoned the misplaced faith of a different refrain (“We’ll be fine”) heard throughout the first half of that year.
(Narrator: “They would not be fine.”)
On the bright side, that Cora has already turned to a more direct assessment should help the team avoid complacency in the wake of its poor start. At the same time, this Red Sox group doesn’t have a recent championship to allow it to shrug off a dismal season-opening weekend as an aberration.
In every facet of the game, the team disappointed against the Orioles. It played poor defense in the first two games, endured an atrocious pitching performance in the third game, and showed a poor offensive approach in all three. (The Red Sox scored five runs against the Orioles in the series, the fewest the team has scored through three games since 2001.)
Still, more disconcerting for the Sox than the particulars of the three losses is the way those defeats connected to the team’s struggles of the past two years. The Red Sox said they needed to reclaim home-field advantage. With the sweep, they are now instead 11-23 (.324) in home contests dating to the start of 2020 — the worst home record in baseball since the start of last year. Since 2019, they’re a woeful 49-66 (.426).
With the three losses to Baltimore, the Sox are now 49-70 (.412) against the AL East since the start of 2019. And the path now gets steeper, with the Rays (13-4 against the Red Sox since late July 2019) set to come to Fenway Park for three days starting Monday.
“We’ve got to show up,” Cora said. “I still feel the same way about the team five days ago [as] right now . . . We’ve got a good team but we’ve got stuff to do. We have stuff to work on and we’ve just got to get better.”
There’s time for that to happen. A three-game series represents such a small slice of the season that it can be covered quickly. No one remembers that the 1998 Yankees were winless through three games. Of course, the stench of three stink bombs doesn’t always go away easily — as the 2011 Red Sox, who started 0-6, discovered when a September collapse left them one game shy of a playoff berth.
This 2021 edition isn’t a team with the talent of the 1998 Yankees or even the 2011 Red Sox. It has to play to the top end of its projected potential if it wants to have meaningful games beyond the trade deadline.
There is a longer runway to take flight this year than in the compressed 2020 campaign. But as the team discovered in each of the last two years, there’s also the potential for a season to get late in a hurry.
On Friday, the Red Sox arrived at Opening Day with something to prove. As the team gets ready for its second series of the season starting Monday, that burden of proof has only grown.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:34:28 GMT -5
Sunday fun day? Rays have a very unusual break Rays notes | A scheduling quirk creates a “very, very bizarre” situation that happened to Tampa Bay only once before.
By Marc Topkin Published Yesterday Updated Yesterday
MIAMI — And on the seventh day, the Rays … rested?
An odd scheduling decision left the team in an unusual position, with Sunday — the first Sunday of the season — off.
“Very, very bizarre,’' manager Kevin Cash said Saturday. “Having a Sunday off in the big leagues is just not something you see normally, and certainly being Easter Sunday.’'
The reasons are related to starting the season with an interleague opponent.
With a leaguewide opening day on Thursday, and interleague series limited to three (or in some cases two) games, the Rays and Marlins couldn’t play all four days, as some teams with intraleague opponents are doing.
With a retractable roof, there was no need to be off Friday as a potential rain makeup day for the opener, as teams with open air stadiums plan for.
So that left league officials, in consultation with the Marlins, to decide, and they opted for three straight games, then the day off. It could be for baseball reasons, in managing the bullpen. Or maybe not playing on Easter factored in.
The result is that for just the second time in 24 seasons, the Rays have a scheduled Sunday off-day. The other was by choice, as they took off Aug. 26, 2012, to allow an extra day of preparation for an event at Tropicana Field related to the Republican National Convention that was staged in Tampa. (The Giants and Mariners are also off Sunday after playing three straight.)
The Rays took advantage, staying in Miami on Saturday night before planning to fly late Sunday afternoon to Boston, where high temperatures will be in the 50s.
The Rays also have a rare Friday off this year, May 28, so a two-day interleague series with the Phillies at the Trop can be played on Saturday and Sunday. Minor matters
Port Charlotte is a happening place, with more than 150 players working out daily.
That includes 28 active (and a few others) as part of the “alternate-training site” group — players who were “sent down” during spring training — and from which the Rays can supplement their roster, functioning for now like the Triple-A team.
And there are about 125 others, mostly less-advanced players, who on Saturday opened the delayed minor-league camp, with a month of workouts ahead until the rescheduled May 4 start to the season.
Workouts are split for protocol reasons, so the minor-leaguers have the morning shift, and the alt-site group the afternoon/evenings.
The Rays are working to schedule games against the two other Florida-based alternate-site teams — the Jays (Dunedin) and Marlins (Jacksonville).
Also, a replacement should be named soon for Double-A pitching coach Brian Reith, who was recently named to the big-league staff to assist coaches Kyle Snyder and Stan Boroski.
ALTERNATE TRAINING-SITE ROSTER
The alternate training-site roster, with the maximum 28 in Port Charlotte, plus four currently on the big-league taxi squad (noted with an *) after Joseph Odom was added to major-league roster:
PITCHERS (16): Stetson Allie, Chris Ellis, Dietrich Enns, Josh Fleming, Louis Head, David Hess*, Brent Honeywell, Joey Krehbiel, Chris Mazza*, Shane McClanahan, Brian Moran, Luis Patino, Trevor Richards, Yacksel Rios, Joe Ryan, Hunter Strickland
CATCHERS (5): Chris Betts, Joseph Odom*, Rene Pinto, Kevan Smith, Brett Sullivan
INFIELDERS (8): Vidal Brujan, Wander Franco, Tristan Gray, Dalton Kelly, Miles Mastrobuoni, Kevin Padlo*, Esteban Quiroz, Taylor Walls*
OUTFIELDERS (4): Ryan Boldt, Moises Gomez, Josh Lowe, Garrett Whitley.
INJURED/DEVELOPMENT LISTS: OF Nathan Lukes, LH Brendan McKay Miscellany
• Michael Wacha is expected start Monday in Boston rather than pitch behind an opener, though Cash said they could revisit that. Opening-day starter Tyler Glasnow will stay on a five-day schedule and pitch Tuesday, with Ryan Yarbrough working Wednesday’s matinee road-trip finale.
• Cash continued his plan to rest position players, as outfielder Randy Arozarena, second baseman Brandon Lowe and first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo were not in the lineup.
• The Marlins had the large leftfield windows open at LoanDepot Park, but the roof closed as there was a threat of high winds, which can impact closing. Attendance was 6,179 in distanced pod seating.
• Paul Campbell, taken by the Marlins from the Rays in the minor-league Rule 5 draft, made his debut Saturday, working two innings after starter Elieser Hernandez left with inflammation in his right biceps tendon.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:40:12 GMT -5
Tomase: From sneaky good to sneaky gross, Sox season already a disaster 10H ago / by John Tomase John Tomase RED SOX INSIDER
Bridge Year. Best Team Ever. Five aces. Turn the page. Luxury tax reset.B
The Red Sox have a talent for assigning lost seasons instantly recognizable shorthand. To that list, we may soon be adding, "Sneaky good."
A week ago, there was general agreement among the local baseball cognoscenti that the Red Sox might not make the playoffs, but they'd at least be "sneaky good."
This didn't make them world-beaters. It simply made them better than last year, when they punted on the season after about two weeks. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom imported a number of versatile veterans, upgraded the woeful pitching staff, and rehired manager Alex Cora. The Red Sox probably wouldn't be great, but they had every opportunity to be, you guessed it, sneaky good.
Three games into the season, it is time to reassess. The Red Sox aren't sneaky anything. They are plainly, straightforwardly, forthrightly horrible.
Remember how opening the season with six games against the Orioles would create some early momentum? It's now clear that Baltimore was right to view Boston as the easy W.
After dropping their first two games in low-scoring affairs that at least featured solid pitching, the Red Sox had their doors blown off in Sunday's finale, falling behind 3-0 in the first and 10-0 in the third en route to an 11-3 defeat.
Starter Garrett Richards, acquired because of spin rates and upside and a willingness to accept a 2022 option year, was a disaster. He couldn't spot his fastball, he couldn't command his slider, and he left after loading the bases with no outs in the third inning of a 3-0 game. Advertisement
Reliever Josh Taylor, returning after a year spent largely on the sidelines because of COVID, was even worse. He walked the first batter he faced to force in a run and then came completely unglued. By the time he was lifted after allowing five hits and a walk while recording just two outs, the Red Sox trailed 10-0.
Sneaky gross.
So much for the fast start that would remind local fans that they needn't torture themselves over the disappointing Celtics and Bruins while waiting for the Patriots to trade out of the first round. This start already ranks alongside 2011, when the Red Sox opened 0-6, and 2019, when they began their title defense by going 3-8 on the West Coast. Neither squad made the playoffs. In fact, no Red Sox team to start 0-3 has ever made the playoffs.
It's astounding how much has gone wrong. Rafael Devers played poor enough defense over the first two games to receive Sunday off while intensifying concerns over his long-term viability at third, which in turn complicates any possible contract extension. Newcomers Kiké Hernández, Marwin Gonzalez, Hunter Renfroe, and Franchy Cordero are a combined 3 for 30 with no extra-base hits.
Hernández booted a ball that cost them the opener. Devers threw one into right field that cost them the follow-up. Alex Verdugo, Devers, Cordero, and Bobby Dalbec remain hitless. The vaunted offense has managed exactly four extra-base hits, three of them from DH J.D. Martinez, the only batter carrying his weight.
It's not too soon to say this is the kind of series that sets the tone for a season of hopelessness. When the 2012 Red Sox started blowing games under manager Bobby Valentine because of a flammable bullpen, they never stopped en route to an inevitable last-place finish.
The 2010 club opened 4-9 and built a bridge to third place. The slow start in 2011 merely put that Best Team Ever in a position to collapse in epic fashion five months later. The Five Aces of 2015 turned out to be none, costing GM Ben Cherington his job. The Red Sox refused to turn the page in 2019 and paid the price. Last year they celebrated resetting their luxury tax penalties as the season went to hell.
Now comes the sneaky good club with the unambiguously horrible start. It could be a long season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:45:25 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox ‘got beat in every aspect of the game’ by Orioles, but Garrett Richards says sweep caused ‘early panic button’ Updated 3:42 AM; Today 11:10 PM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- It’s safe to say Alex Cora’s return to the manager’s bench at Fenway Park didn’t go anywhere close to as well as he wanted this weekend.
Facing a team that’s expected to be one of the worst in baseball, the Red Sox were swept on their home field, losing two close games before being blown out in Sunday’s finale. Baltimore teed off on Garrett Richards and Josh Taylor and took a 10-0 lead by the third inning Sunday afternoon. The final score was 11-3.
For Cora, the weekend was a disappointing one.
“A tough one,” he said. “There’s nothing else you can say. We got beat in every aspect of the game. The first two games, we didn’t play good defense and we didn’t swing the bat. Today, we didn’t pitch. We’re off to a rough start.”
Though spring training stats should always be taken with a grain of salt, the Red Sox had an impressive showing in Grapefruit League play. Boston went 16-11-1 while finishing near the top of the league leaderboard in virtually every offensive category. The club’s starting pitchers and top relievers all had moments of brilliance as well.
None of that positive momentum carried over to the opening weekend, as two sloppy errors -- by Kiké Hernández on Opening Day and by Rafael Devers on Saturday -- proved to be pivotal in the first two days. The wheels completely fell off Sunday as the O’s tallied 17 hits.
“Clean baseball, it’s always something I talk about,” Cora said. “It’s not about the record. We were playing some clean baseball and we didn’t play clean baseball the first two days. Games like this are going to happen.”
Many of Boston’s key hitters -- including Alex Verdugo (0-for-11), Bobby Dalbec (0-for-10, five strikeouts), Rafael Devers (0-for-6), Xander Bogaerts (1-for-12) and Kiké Hernandez (1-for-10) -- have gotten off to miserable starts at the plate, with the Sox only scoring five runs in three games. Nathan Eovaldi and Tanner Houck pitched well in their starts, but Richards -- a key newcomer -- was a disaster in his Sox debut. After starting 3-9 in 2019 and 6-18 in 2020, the Red Sox were in need of a strong start this season. So far, not so good.
“We’re not proud of what happened this weekend,” Cora said. “We talk about playing good baseball against the division and playing good baseball at home, right? We didn’t this weekend.”
Luckily for the Red Sox, this year’s season will last 162 games and not 60 like in 2020. That means they’ve only played less than 2% of their games and have plenty of time to right the ship.
“It’s three games into the season,” Richards said. “It’s kind of an early panic button.”
Boston’s next task isn’t a particularly easy one, as the defending American League champion Rays come into town for a three-game series starting Monday. Cora doesn’t feel as though his team was lackadaisical or lacking effort against the O’s, but that matters little when the execution isn’t there.
Against a good Rays club that the Sox have gone 1-12 against at Fenway Park over the last two years, Boston will need to be much sharper.
“We’ve got to show up,” Cora said. “We’re finished with the Orioles and we’ve got a series with the Rays. We’ve got to show up tomorrow and try to get better.
As discouraging as the weekend sweep was, the Red Sox are far from finding themselves in real trouble. Three bad dasy haven’t stripped Cora of the belief that his club can be a postseason contender.
“I still feel the same way I did about the team five days ago as right now,” Cora said. “We have a good team but we still need to work on our stuff.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 2:49:39 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo 5h More bad news: Rays in town tomorrow. Glasnow and Yarbrough both pitching during the series. And don't forget: TB is 12-1 at Fenway over the last two years.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 6:15:50 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays preview: TV schedule, pitching probables, key stories (April 5-7) Updated 6:00 AM; Today 6:00 AM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
The Red Sox are reeling through three games in 2021, having been swept by the Orioles over the weekend at Fenway Park. Their competition is about to get much tougher, as the reining American League champion Tampa Bay Rays will come to Fenway for a three-game set starting Monday night.
Here’s a preview: Tampa Bay Rays (2-1) vs. Boston Red Sox (0-3) · Fenway Park · Boston, MA
SERIES SCHEDULE (and TV information):
Mon. April 5, 7:10 p.m. ET: NESN/ESPN
Tue. April 6, 7:10 p.m. ET: NESN
Wed. April 7, 1:10 p.m. ET: YouTube
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT:
After winning 96 games in 2019, the Rays had another great regular season in 2020, going 40-20 and upsetting the Yankees to win the American League East. Tampa Bay then beat Toronto, New York and Houston in the postseason to clinch the franchise’s second appearance in the World Series.
The Rays lose in six games to the Mookie Betts-led Dodgers, then underwent a significant overhaul this winter. Blake Snell (traded to Padres) and Charlie Morton (signed with Braves) are gone, as well as Nate Lowe (traded to Rangers), Hunter Renfroe (signed with Red Sox) and Jose Alvarado (traded to Phillies). Rich Hill, Michael Wacha, Collin McHugh joined Tampa Bay as free agents, and Chris Archer is back with the Rays after a couple years in Pittsburgh.
Tampa Bay is once again expected to be a contender in the American League and is off to a good start. The Rays took two of three from the Marlins on opening weekend.
PITCHING PROBABLES:
Monday, 7:10 p.m. -- RHP Nick Pivetta (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. -- LHP Martín Pérez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wednesday, 1:10 p.m. -- RHP Nathan Eovaldi (0-1, 1.69 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
THREE SOX TO WATCH:
Nick Pivetta
Pivetta, who allowed just two earned runs in 10 innings (1.80 ERA) over two starts at the end of last season, will make his 2021 season debut in Monday’s series opener. The righty, who was acquired from Philadelphia in the Brandon Workman/Heath Hembree trade in August, won the No. 5 spot in the rotation during spring training.
Alex Verdugo
Verdugo, Boston’s offensive MVP in 2020, has gotten off to an ice-cold start in 2021, going 0-for-11 with two strikeouts. He’ll look to get on track against Tampa Bay.
Bobby Dalbec
Dalbec, who turned heads with eight spring training home runs, has also been hitless to start the year, going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts and a walk.
SERIES NOTES:
This is the first time since 2012 that the Red Sox have lost their first three games of the season and the first time since 1948 that they have lost three home games to start the year. Marwin Gonzalez (left field, second base and third base) and Alex Verdugo (all three outfield spots) became the first players in franchise history to start each of the Red Sox’ first three games at three different defensive positions. Four former Rays are on the Red Sox roster (Matt Andriese, Christian Arroyo, Nathan Eovaldi and Hunter Renfroe). Three former Red Sox pitchers are now with Tampa Bay (Rich Hill, Collin McHugh and Jeffrey Springs). Tampa Bay took seven of 10 from the Red Sox last year, including sweeping a four-game series at Fenway Park. In 2019, the Rays took 12 of 17 in the season series, including 8-1 in Boston. Over the last two years, the Red Sox are 12-1 at Fenway Park. The Sox and Rays will play each other 19 times this season. They’ll face in Boston again from Aug. 10-12 and Sept. 6-8 and play in St. Petersburg from June 22-24, July 30-Aug.1 and Aug. 30-Sept. 2. From April 10-25, the Sox will play 16 games in 16 days. Thirteen of their first 17 games are day games. Since sweeping the Orioles at home in Aug. 2019, the Red Sox are 15-34 at Fenway Park (beginning 8/20/19). In that time, the Sox are 3-12-1 in series at their home venue.
UP NEXT:
After facing the Rays, the Red Sox will hit the road for their first trip of the season. They’ll play three games in Baltimore and four in Minnesota in an eight-day span before returning home for a 10-game homestand.
Thu. 4/8 - Sun. 4/11: @ Orioles (3)
Mon. 4/12 - Thu. 4/15: @ Twins (4)
Fri. 4/16 - Mon. 4/19: vs. White Sox (4)
Tue. 4/20 - Wed. 4/21: vs. Blue Jays (2)
Thu. 4/22 - Sun. 4/25: vs. Mariners (4)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 9:36:28 GMT -5
Red Sox vs. Rays Series Preview
A look at an upcoming three-game tilt with another division rival. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Apr 5, 2021, 10:30am EDT
The opponent in one sentence
The Rays once again have a roster with a lean more towards depth than top-end talent, but it’s a formula that has worked in the past and there is, unfortuntely, little reason to doubt them in 2021 either. Record
2-1 Head-to-head record
0-0 Trend
Probably still a bit early for trends, but they did win two of three from the Marlins. The last game was a loss in which Rich Hill and Chris Archer both got hit around a bit. But again, too early for a trend unless it’s in the extreme in one way or the other. For example, your Boston Red Sox are trending down. Pitching Matchups
4/5: Nick Pivetta vs. Michael Wacha, 7:10 PM ET (ESPN for out of market)
The first series of the year did not go according to plan for the Red Sox, as we all know, but the pitching at least was good for the first two games. Pivetta is going to look to get the Red Sox back on that track after Garrett Richards’s blow-up on Sunday. The righty will not be making his debut with the team as Richards was, with Pivetta having made a pair of starts in 2020 before the close of the season. After not having much success at all for a couple of years with the Phillies, he did look much better late last season. The key for Pivetta is, and has always been, avoiding barrels and keeping hitters off-balance. The stuff, and specifically the fastball, is very much there. But nobody can get by with just that. If he’s keeping the ball in the yard and not giving up rockets every other at bat, he will be an effective back-end starter.
The Rays do have a team debut coming for them on Monday with Wacha making his first appearance in a Rays uniform. The former Cardinal and Met once looked like one of the better young starters in the game for the first few years of his career, but he’s struggled to get back to that over the last four years or so. Most recently he pitched with the Mets in 2020, putting up a brutal 6.62 ERA over 34 innings. Wacha generally isn’t going to miss a ton of bats — he did strike out over a batter per inning last year, but that is not in line with his career norms — but when he has good command he can be frustrating. The Rays, as most know, have a tendency to get the most out of those kinds of pitchers. Last year Wacha typically worked with a fastball that sits around 93 as well as a changeup (his best pitch) and a cutter.
4/6: Martín Pérez vs. Tyler Glasnow, 7:10 PM ET
The Red Sox finish their first turn through the rotation by handing the ball off to Pérez on Tuesday, who is of course coming back after being the most reliable pitcher on the roster a season ago. He was certainly not always perfect in 2020, but in a year where disaster was behind the corner in almost every inning a Red Sox pitcher was on the mound, Pérez was able to consistently take the ball every five days and generally not implode. As de facto ace at times last season he was totally miscast, but as a back-end arm in 2021 he should be able to hold that role quite well, especially if he continues to induce the weak contact that has become such a key part of his game over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately for Pérez, he is not matched up against another back-end arm. Instead, he is going up against the ace of the Rays staff in Glasnow. He is one of the nastiest pitchers in all of baseball, a threat to strike out double digit batters each and every time he grabs the ball. In his first start of the year against the Marlins, he struck out six over six shutout innings. More impressive was that he did not walk a batter. This has been the way to get to the righty in the past. He’s going to be tough to hit almost every time out, but he also struggles with control at points, including last year when he walked nine percent of his opponents. Look for the Red Sox to try and be patient at least early in this game until Glasnow proves he has the control for his second straight start. Look for him to throw a fastball that can get up in the high 90s along with a devastating slider and the occasional curveball.
4/7: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Ryan Yarbrough, 1:10 PM ET (YouTube exclusive broadcast)
The opening series did not go according to plan, but the Red Sox did get a good performance from Eovaldi on Opening Day on Friday. The righty didn’t go deep into the game as the Red Sox are looking to ease their injury-prone rotation into the season, but hopefully he’ll get a little more leash this time out if he looks as well as he did against Baltimore. In that start, he allowed just a run over 5 1⁄3 innings with four strikeouts and a walk. The stuff looked really crisp for Eovaldi, with his high fastball seeming impossible to both lay off and hit, and the slow breaking pitch down in the zone. If he can bring that back time after time, he should be able to keep stringing together good outings.
Yarbrough is one of the more underrated players on this Rays roster. He started his career as one of the original bulk arms to come in after an opener, which allowed him to fly under the radar. He’s been able to parlay those good performances into a full-time regular starter role these last couple of years. He’s a command-based lefty — the exact type of pitcher the Red Sox always struggle to hit — and he tossed 5 2⁄3 shutout innings in his first start of the year, striking out three and not issuing a walk. Last season he carried a 3.56 ERA in the Rays rotation. You won’t see 90 mph on the radar gun for Yarbrough, as he works off a cutter that sits in the low-80s as well as a changeup and a mid-80s two-seam. Old Friends
Manuel Margot was one of the prospects that was sent to the Padres when the Red Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel. At the time, there was no clear path to the majors for Margot, who spent a couple years in San Diego before heading to Tampa prior to last season.
Rich Hill had multiple stints with the Red Sox, the last one being the year he reinvented himself and resurrected his career as a starter. He was only in Boston for a handful of starts before leaving for Oakland in free agency. This is his first season in Tampa, but the Red Sox won’t see him this time around.
Jeffrey Springs was, of course, part of last year’s bullpen. I certainly think he was a bit underrated as he made a bad first impression but looked solid after that. I certainly don’t think he’ll be elite for the Rays, but he’s in their bullpen to start the year and I can see him staying there in a middle relief role for most of the season.
Jalen Beeks went to Tampa in the trade that first brought Nathan Eovaldi to Boston. The lefty has filled in as a solid bulk guy for the Rays, but he underwent Tommy John surgery last year.
Collin McHugh never actually pitched for the Red Sox, but was signed last year before opting out of the COVID season. He’s back on the mound this year, pitching in relief for the Rays. Notable Position Players
Brandon Lowe was the best player on the Rays last year, and for my money is the best overall player on the roster. Playing second base most days down in Tampa, the left-handed bat has some serious pop and will draw his share of walks. He will succumb to the swing and miss at times so that’s the best way to beat him.
Randy Arozarena was the star of the postseason last year, hitting home runs in seemingly every at bat. He’s not going to stay that good, of course, but he’ll play a big role for the Rays this year hitting in the middle of their order.
Austin Meadows looked to be a breakout star in Tampa, along with Glasnow from the same trade, in 2019 but he never quite got it going last year. I tend to look at 2019 more closely than last year, but the key will be keeping his strikeouts in check. If he does, his power is enough to get him back on the star track.
Yoshi Tsutsugo came over for his first year in the majors last season, showing off tremendous plate discipline but getting bitten badly by the BABIP bug.
Yandy Díaz can play either corner and at the plate his power can go in either direction but he has great plate discipline and generally hits the ball very hard.
Kevin Kiermaier is coming off a solid offensive season in 2020, but his game is still very much built around the defense he provides in center field.
Margot, as mentioned above, is in Tampa’s outfield these days where he provides another strong glove. He had a big opening series at the plate, but over his career has generally settled in a bit below average.
Willy Adames looked like a potential breakout last season at shortstop, though his strikeout issues could make it tough repeating that performance.
Mike Zunino is a good defensive catcher and has some serious pop, but his issues with contact make him the worst hitter in this lineup over the course of a full season. Bullpen Snapshot
Diego Castillo leads a Rays bullpen that annually finds elite late-inning types. He’ll be joined by Pete Fairbanks, and both bring big velocity and strikeout ability from the right side. They are missing their typical relief ace to injury, but look for this to be a very deep group as it is virtually every season. Injuries
Nick Anderson was supposed to be the closer and has been one of the game’s best over the last couple of seasons. The Rays are hoping rest and rehab will work on the partially torn UCL.
Ji-Man Choi went to get his knee checked out late in camp and underwent surgery, which will keep him out likely until about mid-May.
Yonny Chirinos underwent Tommy John surgery late last season and will be out for all of 2021.
Beeks, as mentioned above, also underwent Tommy John. He could be back late in the year, but that’s not guaranteed.
Brett Phillips went down with a hamstring issue in the middle of spring training, and will likely be out for at least another week or two.
Oliver Drake was hurt and diagnosed with a flexor strain last October, and he’ll be out for at least the first two months of this season.
Colin Poche is another Rays pitcher to have undergone Tommy John last year, likely causing him to also miss all of the season.
Ryan Sherriff isn’t injured, but he’s taking some time from baseball and has been placed on the restricted list. The exact reasoning here isn’t clear. Weather Forecast
The weather shouldn’t really be a factor at all for this three-game set, with the forecast showing weather in the 50s all three days with minimal chances of rain getting in the way.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 11:14:34 GMT -5
Sports Info Solutions - Baseball @sis_baseball · 26m The Red Sox made converting outs on ground balls an area of focus in spring training.
For good reason - they converted grounders/bunts into outs at lowest rate in MLB
Early on - same issue
Converted 25 of 42 vs Orioles -
59.5% out rate was 2nd-lowest MLB in first week
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 5, 2021 12:55:23 GMT -5
Sports Info Solutions - Baseball @sis_baseball · 26m The Red Sox made converting outs on ground balls an area of focus in spring training.
For good reason - they converted grounders/bunts into outs at lowest rate in MLB
Early on - same issue
Converted 25 of 42 vs Orioles -
59.5% out rate was 2nd-lowest MLB in first week This threatens to be a continuing problem. Bogaerts lacks range, and Devers makes too many errors. I'm also not liking the defensive alignment. Kike has started CF twice, even though he is supposed to be our 2B. We've had 3 different 2Bs in 3 games. We've had 3 different LFs in 3 games. Only two players have played 3 games in the same position. I like flexibility, but this has a Joe Maddon vibe to it. Pick a lineup and substitute one a week or so.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 5, 2021 13:25:17 GMT -5
gonna have to do some digging my MLB package is right now not showing this game as on right now
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 36m I'll start warning you all now: Wednesday's Red Sox-Rays game (1:10 p.m.) is available exclusively on YouTube. Not on NESN. Not anywhere else. YouTube.
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