Tampa Bay Rays @ Red Sox Game Thread/ 5th- 7th April 2021

Red Sox 6, Rays 5: Dare we say turning point?

Whatever we want to call it, that game ruled.
By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Apr 6, 2021, 11:45pm EDT

After a brutal start to their season, the Red Sox are looking re-energized in these last two games. Monday was a blowout. Tuesday was very much not that, but it was a phenomenal game. It featured a pair of great starting pitching performances, controversial calls, big plays on both sides, and a pair of big-time clutch hits from the Red Sox. Add it all up you get a 12-inning victory with a chance to sweep tomorrow. We’ll take it, folks, We’ll take it.

Coming off their first win of the season, the Red Sox were looking for a fourth good start to finish the first turn through their rotation, with Martín Pérez taking the ball on Tuesday. The southpaw was very reliable, if not exactly great, last season, and he picked up where he left off here in this one. The Rays lineup can be a tough one to face as they are very disciplined and can make guys work, and things certainly weren’t smooth for Pérez the whole way through. That said, there was more good than bad, with some help from his catcher doing a hell of a job on borderline pitches all night long.

The first inning started quickly with a pair of outs including the southpaw’s first strikeout of the night, but his defense let him down a bit. On a pop up into shallow right field, the ball found no man’s land between a seemingly confused Hunter Renfroe and Christian Arroyo, both of whom let the ball fall in and bounce into the stands for a ground rule double. Pérez worked around the man in scoring position, though, getting out of the inning unscathed.

He’d come back out for the second with a lead suddenly in hand — we’ll come back to that in a minute — and he held it easily with a 1-2-3 second. Unfortunately, his one bit of trouble on the night came in the third. There, he got a strikeout to start off the inning, but then gave up a pair of base hits that were sandwiched by a walk, loading the bases with just one out. Pérez did get a weak line drive to nearly sneak his way out of the inning, but old friend Manny Margot brought home a pair with a base hit into right field, and just like that the Rays had a 2-1 lead.

Pérez, to his credit, did not allow that to snowball. He did hit another batter in that inning to load the bases back up, but escaped the jam with a huge strikeout to keep the damage at two. After that, he allowed a leadoff single in the fourth before retiring six straight to keep the Rays to two through five innings of work.

The bad news for the Red Sox is that they had to go up against Tyler Glasnow on the other side, and when he’s on he’s among the most difficult pitchers to hit in all of baseball. He was on in this one. That said, the Red Sox did get on the board early as alluded to above. Christian Arroyo, who was surprisingly hitting in the leadoff spot for this one, got things off to a good start with a leadoff double. He’d move on over to third with two outs on a ground out, and Glasnow made a mistake that got to the backstop, allowing Arroyo to come home and give Boston the early 1-0 lead.

That was not a sign of things to come, unfortunately, as Glasnow got in a zone after that first inning hiccup. Boston went down in order in the second, and then managed just a Franchy Cordero double in the third. They did get a better chance in the fourth when Xander Bogaerts smacked a one-out base hit and Vázquez drew a two-out walk, but they were stranded there to keep the deficit at 2-1. That score would hold through the fifth as well as the Sox went down in order.

So that brought us to the top of the sixth, with Pérez coming back in to start the inning. He was not long for the game, though, issuing a leadoff walk to the left-handed Brandon Lowe before Austin Brice entered. In all, Pérez tossed five innings, allowing the two runs on five hits (one double and four singles), two walks and six strikeouts.

As for Brice, his evening did not get off to a great start as Willy Adames put one off the Monster in the first at bat against the Red Sox righty. Fortunately, although Lowe got over to third Adames made a mental mistake. He thought it was gone off the bat and barely ran down the line, leading to him getting caught between first and second and gifting the Red Sox a run. After a pop up, Brice was suddenly one out away from escaping the inning with the deficit still at one. He couldn’t get that last out, with Joey Wendle finishing up a good at bat with a clean base hit up the middle, making it a 3-1 ballgame.

As the Red Sox looked for their answer, they instead made two very quick innings to start the sixth. Bogaerts kept the inning alive, though, with a four-pitch walk, and then Rafael Devers finally got his first hit of the season, smacking a base hit into right field. That brought Vázquez up for a big at bat with men on the corners and two outs. He couldn’t get it done, going down on a high fastball to strand the runners and keep the deficit at two.

Hirokazu Sawamura was in there for the seventh, and it was a strange inning. He hit a batter with one out, but Alex Cora challenged it only to have it upheld. Then Austin Meadows worked a long at bat that ended in a walk. And then it got real weird when Margot hit a ball to deep left field. Franchy Cordero caught it at the wall, or at least he thought so. Randy Arozarena, who started at second, did not think so and came around to score. Cordero threw it back in to double up Arozarena. The play went to review, and the umps decided he did indeed make the catch, ending the inning, much to the chagrin of the Rays. One replay angle made it look very much not like a catch, but another made it appear it was a catch. Ultimately, only the ump’s opinion matters, and it went Boston’s way here.

Now, the Red Sox were looking to get the bats going with Glasnow out of the game. They had Cody Reed on the mound to start things off, and Hunter Renfroe got some positive momentum going with a big one-out double. That brought Kiké Hernández to the plate as a pinch hitter for Cordero, but he went down swinging. Arroyo was then the last chance in the inning, with the Rays going to get Pete Fairbanks from the bullpen. The latter won this battle, getting a strikeout to strand the runner at second and keep it a 3-1 ballgame.

After Darwinzon Hernandez continued to struggle with control but managed to work around a pair of walks, Boston had six more outs to play with at the plate. They had the heart of the order coming up to start the eighth with Fairbanks still going for the Rays, and Alex Verdugo got them off to the right start by poking a double into right-center field. J.D. Martinez liked the way that looked, so he followed it up with a double of his own to make it a 3-2 ballgame, still with nobody out. After a Bogaerts strikeout, Devers hit one on a line but it hung up for Margot for the second out. The only problem is Martinez thought there were already two outs, so he was around third by this point, making it an easy double up for the Rays to end the inning. It was an inexcusable mistake by Martinez.

Matt Barnes came on for a perfect ninth that included a pair of strikeouts, giving Boston their final chance to at least force this one into extras. Diego Castillo got the call for Tampa to try and close this one out, and the Red Sox quickly welcomed him. More specifically, Vázquez welcomed him by smashing a moonshot into the Monster Seats on an 0-2 pitch, and just like that we were all tied up. That was all they could get, but it was enough to push this one into extras.

Here’s where I remind you that the 2020 extra inning rule remains in place this year, meaning the Rays started the top of the tenth with a runner on second. On the mound, Barnes was back for a second inning of work, something he has struggled with in the past. He did not struggle this time, once again tossing a perfect inning and once again striking out a pair in the process.

Now, the Red Sox just needed to get that free runner home to grab a walk off victory. Arroyo started the inning trying and failing to drop a bunt, but he still managed to move the runner up with a grounder to the right side. So now Hernández was at third base with one out, and the Rays opted to walk Verdugo, bringing Martinez up with a chance to make up for his blunder on the bases earlier. He did smoke one, but Willy Adames made a really nice diving stop with the infield in. Boston still had runners on second and third, but now two outs and leaving it up to Bogaerts. He couldn’t get the ball in play, and the strikeout moved this one along to the eleventh.


There, it was Tanner Houck coming out of the bullpen for a relief appearance before he gets sent down on Thursday. Adames immediately got to him, smoking a line drive double into left field to give Tampa the 4-3 lead. After a bunt moved the runner up to third, Houck kept the Rays in check with a pair of strikeouts to keep the deficit at just one.

In their attempt to come back, they were going up against old friend Jeffrey Springs. On his very first pitch, Devers ripped one into left for a base hit, and just like that we were all tied up once again. For a second straight frame, that was all they’d get and we’d go for another inning.

In the 12th, Phillips Valdez got the call for Boston, and after a quick first out he threw one to the backstop, allowing Mike Zunino to move up to third. That wild pitch would prove to be costly, as the runner was off on contact and while Bogaerts stopped a grounder up the middle playing in, he had no play at the plate and the Rays jumped ahead 5-4.

So once again the Red Sox found themselves looking for at least one run to keep this game going, or even better two runs to go home with the win. After two quick outs, the inning stayed alive when Verdugo was hit by a pitch, leaving things up to Martinez. The first pitch to him would get to the backstop, moving the runners up to second and third. Martinez then came through, smacking one into right field out of the reach of a diving Arozarena, bringing in both runners and walking it off.

The Red Sox and Rays will finish up their series here on Wednesday with Boston looking for a sweep in a YouTube-only game starting at 1:05 PM ET. Nathan Eovaldi will go for Boston while Ryan Yarbrough gets the ball for the Rays.

J.D. redeems rough night with extras walk-off
2:12 AM ADT
Ian Browne

Ian Browne
@ianmbrowne


BOSTON -- What was once a tough Tuesday night for J.D. Martinez turned into a glorious one.

The slugger mashed a two-run, walk-off double with two outs in the bottom of the 12th to give the Red Sox a thrilling 6-5 victory.

Martinez had a chance to end the festivities in the 10th when he just needed a sacrifice fly to drive in the walk-off run, but he grounded to short.

And in the eighth, Martinez lost track of how many outs there were and was doubled off to end the frame on a lineout to deep center by Rafael Devers.

In baseball, however, there so often seems to be a chance for redemption.

Martinez, who has come out swinging a red-hot bat this season after a 2020 that he’d like to forget, seized that moment.

The only question was whether Martinez got enough of the 1-1 pitch from Rays reliever Ryan Thompson to get it over the head of right fielder Randy Arozarena.

It seemed like Arozarena took a bit of a circuitous route on the 99.6 mph shot by Martinez, which had an expected batting average of .580.

Arozarena face-planted as the ball soared over him, and the Red Sox mobbed their walk-off hero between second and third base.

“I don’t know. You never know,” said Martinez, when asked if he thought his game-winner was going to be caught. “It’s Fenway in the winter. I feel like you never know if the ball is going to go or not. It was just enough I feel like. I think he had to play it exactly how he played it. Winning run is on second base. He’s got to shade in on that. That’s pretty much the only ball that could beat him there.”


And with that satisfying ending, Martinez no longer had to beat up himself.

After the baserunning snafu, Christian Vázquez made Martinez feel better when he hammered a game-tying homer to lead off the bottom of the ninth.


“Yeah I told him, ‘Christian, that was just planned, dude, because I knew you were going to take [Diego] Castillo deep’”, Martinez said. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, good job, good job.'”

But there would be more frustration for Martinez in the 10th.

When automatic baserunner Kiké Hernández advanced to third with one out on a groundout by Christian Arroyo, Rays manager Kevin Cash walked Alex Verdugo and put the game in Martinez’s hands.

All the master of the launch angle needed was a sacrifice fly to end the game right there. Instead, Martinez ripped a grounder that shortstop Willy Adames -- who was playing in -- made a nice play on, and there was no advancement.

The teams traded runs in the 11th, and the Rays once again scored in the top of the 12th.


With two on and two outs, the game came down to Martinez.

And he did the rest.

“All jokes aside, after I made that mental mistake on second and then coming up with the go-ahead run on third in the [10th] and hitting that ball, Adames made a great play on it, but not winning it there, it felt good to come through there in that situation,” Martinez said.

For the Red Sox, who were swept in three straight by the Orioles to start the season, this win was a big deal, especially considering the opponent.

After regrouping by thumping the Rays, 11-2 on Monday, the Red Sox trailed 3-1 on Tuesday when overpowering Rays ace Tyler Glasnow left the game after six dominant innings.

But they whittled away and got into a tug-of-war, before finally pulling through in the end.

“We didn't stop playing and that's the mark of a good team. It didn't look great at one point, but we kept fighting, we kept them within [striking] distance, the pitching staff did an amazing job, and we made some plays,” manager Alex Cora said. “I don't remember every play of the game, but we kept fighting, we were down to one pitch [from losing], we get a hit by pitch, then there’s a wild pitch, and J.D. put a good swing on it. We won the series against the defending American League champions.”

RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Red Sox having ‘conversations’ about vaccines, but leaving it as personal choice
By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 6, 2021, 7:34 p.m.


Like many in Massachusetts, members of the Red Sox organization are waiting to find out when they’ll be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. But whether or not to get vaccinated has been left up to individual players and staff members throughout Major League Baseball, and it remains unclear how many will commit to the personal safety and public health measure.

MLB and the Players Association are trying to incentivize widespread vaccinations. Some of the COVID-19 protocols will be relaxed, both at and away from the park, for teams where 85 percent of Tier 1 individuals (comprised mostly of players, coaches, support staff, and high-ranking team officials) get vaccinated.



For instance, no more masks required in the bullpen and dugout. They can resume communal activities — playing video games, and cards in the clubhouse. They can dine indoors. Vaccinations also have competitive implications, as those who receive vaccines won’t automatically be subjected to contact tracing isolation should a member of the team test positive for COVID-19.


Manager Alex Cora said that he’ll get vaccinated, but reiterated it’s up to each member of the Red Sox to decide.

“There’s a lot of ongoing conversations about vaccinations, and obviously that’s something that the individual has to decide what he wants to do. We’ll talk about it,” said Cora. “We’ll bring people to explain the effects or aftereffects — or no effects — of the vaccine. But at the end, the player, the individual, the coach or whoever is in the organization will decide if he wants to do it.

“From my end, I’m all for it. Whenever I get a chance to do it, I’ll do it.”

Already, the Angels and Cardinals have announced that they’ve reached the 85 percent threshold. Cora did not hazard a guess as to whether the Red Sox will do so.


“Right now I can’t answer that question because I’m not sure if the information is there for them to make a decision,” said Cora.
Eddie ready, Houck on hold

The Red Sox believe Eduardo Rodriguez is beyond his dead arm struggles, and the lefthander will make his much-anticipated first start of the 2021 campaign — and his first since the final day of the 2019 season — on Thursday in Baltimore. The Sox believe Rodriguez is capable of five or six innings in his first outing.

“We do believe that he’s ready to go deep into the game,” said Cora.

It seems almost certain that righthander Tanner Houck, who was available out of the bullpen on Tuesday, will be sent to the alternate site in Worcester when Rodriguez joins Nate Eovaldi, Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta, and Martín Pérez in the rotation. Even with the Red Sox amidst a season-opening stretch of 24 games in 25 days, including scheduled games on 16 straight days starting on Saturday, Cora ruled out employing a six-man rotation, and Houck is the only starter who can be optioned to the minors.

Houck has excelled in four big league starts, going 3-1 with a 1.23 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22 innings since his callup last September. Still, the Sox see him as a still-developing pitcher rather than a finished product.

“You can be successful here, but it doesn’t mean that you have checked all your boxes from our end,” said Cora. “You can keep getting better.”
A handful of gloves

Marwin Gonzalez said that he keeps eight gloves at Fenway, five of which travel with him ― four gamer gloves for his assortment of positions, as well as one for practice. Just four games into the season, he’d made use of a wide assortment of them, having started at first, second, third, and in left field. On Tuesday, Gonzalez finally made a repeat appearance at a position, getting the nod at first for a second straight night with Bobby Dalbec sitting out against Rays ace Tyler Glasnow. “I enjoy moving around,” said Gonzalez. “The times I get to play in my career for a week straight [at] just one position, it’s kind of weird. … It’s funny, but that’s weird now for me and the guys like Kiké [Hernández], too. You don’t play one position that many straight games” . . . Dalbec, 0-for-10 with five strikeouts and one walk, sat for a second straight day. Cora noted that Dalbec has struggled since taking a hard grounder off his right hand near the end of spring training and could benefit from another day of work behind the scenes. “He feels like there’s a few things that he’s working on, and he needs to do adjustment wise,” said Cora . . . Wednesday afternoon’s Red Sox-Rays game will be broadcast exclusively on YouTube. It can be found by searching for “MLB” either on YouTube’s website or the YouTube app on smart phones or smart TVs . . . The Rays placed outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (strained left quadriceps) on the injured list and called up infielder Kevin Padlo. Padlo made his major league debut as the starting third baseman, pulled for a pinch hitter after going 0 for 2.