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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 13, 2021 15:22:12 GMT -5
and a throwing error by Xander
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 13, 2021 16:06:39 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 12m Surely just as the Sox planned, the Arroyo-Dalbec connection pays off again as they take a 3-2 lead.
Dalbec has a history of struggling when he moves up a level then figuring it out.
Still early yet, but you can see why. He stays true to his approach and doesn't get pull happy.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 13, 2021 16:18:55 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5m Darwinzon Hernandez with a scoreless 8th to preserve the 3-2 lead. Much better his last two appearances. Changes the #RedSox bullpen considerably if he's the 2019 version.
Rafael Devers with some insurance on one swing. He's homered in four straight games.
It's 4-2 #RedSox in the 9th.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 13, 2021 16:30:46 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m #RedSox 4, #Twins 2, final.
Sox have won seven straight for the first time since a 10-game streak from July 2-12, 2010,
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 13, 2021 21:01:28 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 12m Surely just as the Sox planned, the Arroyo-Dalbec connection pays off again as they take a 3-2 lead.
Dalbec has a history of struggling when he moves up a level then figuring it out.
Still early yet, but you can see why. He stays true to his approach and doesn't get pull happy. Beautiful double. He just leaned into it and hit it exactly like it was pitched.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:16:05 GMT -5
Snow can't cool bats in Sox's 7th straight win Dalbec breaks out of slump with two RBI doubles, Devers homers in 4th straight April 13th, 2021 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
As the first pitch crossed the plate at Target Field on Tuesday afternoon, the temperature was a frigid 33 degrees -- the second chilliest to start a game in Red Sox history.
But when you’re as hot as the Red Sox are, you can easily tune out the elements, including snow that fell for portions of the game.
• Box score
Backed by a pair of RBI doubles from slump-busting rookie Bobby Dalbec, the rolling Red Sox ran their winning streak to seven games by edging out the Twins, 4-2.
“That was tough today, but the guys were talking and actually [they said] the conditions felt better than the first few games at home,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It didn’t feel that way [to me], I don’t know what they were talking about. But you have to trust them, right?”
There’s probably a reason why Tuesday felt warmer to the Sox than the games they played in Boston from April 2-4: The Fenway games were all losses and didn’t include many hits.
Winning makes the heart and the body feel warmer, it seems. The only other time in Red Sox history the team played at a colder game-time temperature was April 7, 1979, at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. They lost that day, with current NESN broadcaster Jerry Remy getting the only hit.
As for the current state of affairs, this is the first time since the championship-winning season of 2018 that Boston has put together a winning streak of seven games or more.
While this was the continuation of the most gratifying stretch the 7-3 Red Sox have had in a while, it was something much different for Dalbec, who came into the day hitting .120 with one extra-base hit and one RBI.
Perhaps the key to Dalbec turning his slow start around was the first at-bat, when he hit a 107.4-mph lineout to right.
“Yeah, you know, try to repeat [that swing], that’s a win in my book, I lined out,” Dalbec said. “I’m trying to win at-bats. Hitting the ball hard is a win for me.”
Those winning at-bats are more fun, it turns out, when the ball hits a patch of grass and then some dirt before it finds a glove.
That’s what happened in Dalbec’s next at-bat, in the fifth inning. With snow falling, Dalbec lashed a two-out double down the line in right to score Christian Arroyo from first to tie the game.
A little snow and cold? The weather didn't seem to be a problem for the Colorado native.
“Today was pretty cold,” said Dalbec. “Opening Day this season was pretty cold. A few cold games in high school, too, playing out there. But I live in Arizona now, so I’m not as acclimated to the cold weather as you’d think.”
Three innings later, the game was still tied and the snow had stopped when Dalbec put the Red Sox in front with an eerily similar double down the line in right with an exit velocity of 111.3 mph -- the hardest-hit ball of the game by either team. Arroyo again set Dalbec up with his own double.
Dalbec wore out the opposite field during his best day so far of 2021. For many slumping hitters, going the other way signifies things are turning, because it shows they are able to track the ball for longer. Dalbec puts himself in that boat.
“I think it always ends up working out that way, whether I'm trying to or not. But yeah, I would say using center to right-center, right field is kind of a good spot for me to get back in line,” said Dalbec.
Cora is all-in on what he saw from Dalbec on Tuesday.
“Like everybody else, if you control the strike zone and you control your aggression in the strike zone, you're going to see results,” Cora said. “We trust the player. We know there are going to be a few days where he might swing and miss a lot, but we do believe he can make adjustments and he can go the other way.”
It exemplified the depth of Boston's order that the No. 8-9 hitters carried the day -- at least until Rafael Devers hit a tape-measure homer to right for an insurance run in the top of the ninth. For Devers, it was his fifth homer in the last four games.
The win would not have been possible without strong pitching. Lefty starter Martín Pérez struggled in the first, allowing two runs. But he was untouched for the rest of his five-inning performance. The bullpen took it home for the final 12 outs, capped by Matt Barnes picking up his first save. The defense also played well, particularly Arroyo at second base.
At this point, the Red Sox are crisp in all facets of the game.
“That's what makes us a good team,” said Cora. “I do believe on a daily basis, regardless of who plays, we're going to be competitive offensively and we're going to be good defensively. We hit the ball hard the whole day. That's a good sign. Tough conditions. Tough pitcher on the mound. But we grinded it out and we ended up with a win.”
And suddenly, those wins are piling up for Boston.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:17:29 GMT -5
Notes: Could Houck return vs. White Sox? Cora says 2021 Red Sox are 'a bunch of grinders' April 13th, 2021 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
The postponement of Monday’s Red Sox-Twins game to be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday has created a log-jam in manager Alex Cora’s rotation that could lead to another start this weekend for highly-touted prospect Tanner Houck.
With Martín Pérez’s start getting pushed from Monday to Tuesday, the Sox don’t have a rostered starter who could pitch on regular rest for Saturday’s home game against the White Sox.
The logical move would be to recall Houck from the alternate training site for that start.
In his first four Major League starts, including on April 3, Boston’s No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline is 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA.
“We probably have to make a move, do something over the weekend,” said Cora. “We’ll wait. I know the weather doesn’t look too promising on Friday, so we’ll plan accordingly. We’ll plan ahead and be ready for whatever we have to do over the weekend. It’s going to be an interesting one schedule-wise, but so far it’s been a different type of schedule so we’ll prepare for it.”
Fans have been clamoring to get more looks at Houck, so it would certainly be a popular decision if the 24-year-old makes a start at Fenway this weekend.
The Sox will also be able to add an extra player to the roster for Wednesday’s doubleheader, and Cora expects it will be a pitcher.
Nathan Eovaldi will start Game 1 of the twin bill, and Eduardo Rodriguez gets the nod in Game 2.
Garrett Richards will pitch the finale of the four-game series at Target Field on Thursday afternoon.
Comfortable but new Cora has blended so seamlessly back to the Red Sox that a reporter asked him on Tuesday if it feels like he never left. Cora’s answer was interesting.
“Not really,” said Cora. “There's so many new things that are going on right now, with the guidelines and the protocols that I wasn't obviously part of it last year, that it makes it a new experience. As far as the group, yeah, we’ve got a few guys that they played for me a few years ago, but overall it’s a new club.
“There's a lot of new faces. So from that end, it's a new experience. As far as the game and all that, it’s still the same thing. Just prepare them to be successful and go at it on a daily basis.”
At least early in the season, Cora is getting results out of his team, and they are playing with a gritty attitude reminiscent of his first stint with the Red Sox.
“I was talking to my mom two days ago,” said Cora. “And I said, ‘Mom, we’ve got a good team.’ She’s like, ‘Yes you do.’ I’m like, ‘Why do you say that?’ She said, ‘It seems like they care. Guys get upset when they strike out, they get upset when they don’t get a call.’ So if she agrees with that, I’ll go with that.
“It’s a good baseball team -- a bunch of grinders. They’re willing to work. It’s not the names we had in ’18 or ’19, but overall it's just guys that we have to show up every day. If not, the results won't be there, but they're willing to work, they're willing to put their work before and after the game and during the game, they're very in tune with it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:40:08 GMT -5
Bottom of the order, led by Bobby Dalbec, delivers in seventh straight Red Sox win By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 13, 2021, 5:33 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS — Bobby Dalbec got ahead in the count in the third inning Tuesday, then drove a low fastball from Minnesota Twins starter J.A. Happ to right field.
It was 107.4 miles-per-hour off the bat, one of his hardest-hit balls of the season. But right fielder Ryan Garlick ranged back and made the catch.
“That’s a win in my book even though I lined out,” Dalbec said. “Just trying to win at-bats and hitting the ball hard is a win for me.”
A good process is fine; good results are even better.
Dalbec won his at-bat against Happ again in the fifth inning, when his RBI double to right field tied the game. Then, he gave the Sox the lead with another double to right in the eighth inning.
On a day better suited for the Patriots and Vikings in December, Dalbec and the Red Sox beat the Twins, 4-2. That’s seven wins in a row for the Sox, their longest streak since winning 10 straight from July 2-12, 2018.
It’s the longest win streak in the majors this season, and five of the victories have been comebacks.
It was 33 degrees and snowing when the game started. According to Baseball-Reference.com, it was the coldest game for the Red Sox since April 7, 1979, when it was 32 degrees at first pitch at cavernous Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.
The Sox lost that game, 3-0, and were held to one hit, a single by Jerry Remy in the sixth inning.
This game was more eventful as the Sox fell behind, 2-0, in the first inning before winning again on the road.
The Sox are the first team since the 1991 Seattle Mariners to open the season with a losing streak of three or more games, then immediately win seven or more in a row.
The Mariners finished in fifth place that season, so don’t get too excited yet, but the Sox are showing good balance and a sense of resolve early in the season.
The bottom three hitters in the order — Hunter Renfroe, Christian Arroyo, and Dalbec — were 5 for 10 with four extra-base hits, three RBIs, and three runs scored. The last three spots in the order have hit .280 during the winning streak, with eight extra-base hits and seven RBIs.
“We feel from top to bottom we’re good. But that’s a game changer,” manager Alex Cora said. “I do believe we’re going to hit for power at the bottom of the lineup. But at the same time, when the game is on the line, we can put up good at-bats and that’s the most important thing.”
Said Dalbec: “I think it can be a dangerous lineup, any part of it. Just try and build off each other.”
The Twins scored twice off Martín Pérez in the first inning as he threw only 12 of 25 pitches for strikes. He couldn’t feel his fingers in the wintry conditions, he said.
Byron Buxton led off with a double. Pérez then hit Kyle Garlick and walked Mitch Garver. Jorge Polanco followed with a sacrifice fly.
When Miguel Sanó walked to reload the bases, Cora came to the mound as the bullpen started to stir.
A run scored on a ground out by Luis Arraez, but Perez escaped further damage.
Pérez went four more innings without allowing a run, leaving five runners stranded. His biggest adjustment may have been shedding the long-sleeve shirt he had under his jersey in the first inning.
“I feel too tight in the first inning. I don’t feel loose,” Pérez said. “I just told myself I have to be me. Got to go out there and do my job.”
Happ, who has bedeviled the Red Sox for years, did so again for four innings, allowing one hit. But Renfroe homered in the fifth, his first with the Sox.
Arroyo followed with a single up the middle, and scored from first when Dalbec stayed on a two-strike fastball from Happ and drove it down the right field line for a double.
That same combination clicked again in the eighth inning when Arroyo and Dalbec doubled off Randy Dobnak to give the Sox the lead.
Dalbec started the season 2 for 21 with nine strikeouts, but his contact rate — and confidence — is improving.
“We trust him,” Cora said. “We know that there’s going to be a few days that he might swing miss a lot. But we do believe that he can make adjustments and he can go the other way.”
Rafael Devers added to the advantage with a home run beyond the seats in right field in the ninth inning.
Perez and four relievers held the Twins to five hits. Adam Ottavino was the winner, with Matt Barnes getting his first save.
After a dismal 2020 season, the Sox are, if nothing else, an interesting team.
“It’s a testament to them,” Cora said of his players. “Last year it was tough to watch; it was tough for them that were here. Now, it’s still early, but they can see the talent that we have and what we’re doing.
“It’s fun for them again. Baseball is fun for them.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:45:20 GMT -5
Red Sox turnaround from calamitous 2020 revolves around the rotation By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 13, 2021, 8:07 p.m.
Icy dread spread quickly through the visitor’s dugout at Target Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Red Sox starter Martín Pérez had recorded just one out through 21 pitches in the bottom of the first inning. He’d already allowed a double, walked two, and hit a Twins batter.
While the Red Sox trailed, 1-0, the game seemed in danger of quickly getting out of hand. A disastrous possibility, given that the Red Sox will navigate a doubleheader Wednesday.
“It didn’t look too promising,” acknowledged manager Alex Cora.
In 2020, the sense of foreboding from such a start almost inevitably translated to a lopsided loss, often in a fashion that decimated the Red Sox pitching staff in a fashion that carried into subsequent games. Losing streaks mounted on the basis of one disastrous start after another.
But on Tuesday, the Red Sox took another step to distance themselves from last year’s abomination. Pérez allowed a run-scoring ground out as the Red Sox fell behind, 2-0, but escaped the first inning without further damage.
Then, he went to work behind the scenes. Pérez reviewed video of the flawed mechanics that contributed to his loss of the strike zone, and also abandoned his long-sleeve undershirt in favor of short sleeves in the snow.
“I felt too tight in the first inning. I didn’t feel loose,” explained the pitcher. “I just told myself, ‘I have to be me. I’ve got to go out there and do my job.’ … I was able to throw a good game after that.”
When he returned to the mound for the second, the lefthander seemed transformed. He spun four more scoreless innings — finishing his afternoon with a five-inning, two-run yield in which he worked around nine baserunners (four hits, three walks, and two hit batters) — to buy time for his team’s offense to awaken in an eventual 4-2 victory, the seventh straight win for the first-place Red Sox.
The common denominator in those seven victories? Competence in the rotation.
In 2020, gutted by the decision to trade David Price and the season-long absences of Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez, the Sox rotation had just 25 starts of five or more innings, third-fewest in the majors.
When that modest bar was cleared last year, the team performed well, going 16-9 (.640). Otherwise, theywere a well-nigh hopeless 8-27 (.229).
This year, the Red Sox have gotten starts of five or more innings in nine of their 10 games — the most in the American League. That includes a run of seven straight that perfectly overlaps the team’s winning streak.
No member of the starting quintet of Pérez, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Nate Eovaldi has ever been named to an All-Star Game. The group won’t be confused for the starting staffs of the Dodgers or Padres.
But the last seven games, the Sox rotation has a 3.55 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 38 innings. That solid performance has featured one brilliant outing by Eovaldi against the Rays (7 innings, 1 run) last week, as well as a steady array of effective outings. The regular solid efforts represent a marked departure from what transpired last year when the team set a record for the worst rotation ERA in club history.
“We’ve got a good mentality,” said Pérez. “We don’t have big names here, but this is what we’ve got and we’re just doing our job. It doesn’t matter who’s pitching.”
The provision of solid performances has, in turn, helped to organize the rest of the pitching staff. Cora has been able to deploy the bullpen using his best relievers — most notably Matt Barnes, who has six no-hit innings with 12 strikeouts after his perfect ninth Tuesday — in the highest-leverage moments rather than burning them in lopsided games.
Meanwhile, the rotation keeping small deficits from mushrooming into blowouts has permitted the lineup time to mount comebacks. The team already has five comeback victories, half as many as it had in the entire 2020 season.
“[The performance of the rotation is] very important because offensively, we believe that we are pretty solid. We can score runs,” said Cora. “It’s just about giving us a chance to get the offense going.”
Overall, the team’s steady march through the past week-plus is a reflection of a rotation whose performance has served as a metronome. The development offers a dramatic contrast to what transpired a year ago, and serves as part of the reason why the early season has stoked rather than extinguished optimism about the team.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:47:38 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Twins, Red Sox decide to play remainder of series in Minneapolis By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 13, 2021, 7:42 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS — After consulting with city and state officials, as well as Major League Baseball, the Twins and Red Sox started their series at Target Field on Tuesday after Monday’s last-minute postponement.
There was a moment of silence before the game in memory of Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old Black man shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop in nearby Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Sunday.
A crowd of 6,724 turned out for a 4-2 Red Sox victory.
The Twins postponed Monday’s game out of respect for Wright’s family and for safety purposes, given the tension in the Twin Cities.
The teams have a doubleheader scheduled at 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday, with the series finale at 1:10 p.m. Thursday. Wednesday will be a straight doubleheader, with two seven-inning games.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli contacted Sox manager Alex Cora on Monday night to tell him the team planned to continue the series.
“Communication-wise, they did an outstanding job staying in touch with us. Talking to Chaim [Bloom], Sam [Kennedy],” Cora said. “We did a good job with our players.”
The Sox will keep their rotation in order. Nate Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez are scheduled to start the doubleheader games, with Garrett Richards starting Thursday.
The doubleheader could affect the pitching plans for the weekend series against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park.
The Sox can use Nick Pivetta on Friday on regular rest, but would need a starter for Saturday. Cora acknowledged Tanner Houck was a candidate to be called up.
There is rain in the forecast for Friday, so the Sox can wait on that decision. The 24-year-old Houck is 3-1 with a 1.17 earned run average in five major league games since making his debut last season. On the way
The Sox will get a 27th player for the doubleheader. Eduard Bazardo traveled to Minneapolis on Tuesday and seems to be the choice.
The 25-year-old righthander was added to the 40-man roster in November. Bazardo has no big-league experience, but appeared in four games during spring training, allowing one run on two hits and striking out four over five innings.
With the Twins loaded with righthanded hitters, Cora said the Sox wanted a righthanded reliever. Good company
Rafael Devers has homered in four consecutive games. The only other Red Sox players to do that before turning 25 were Babe Ruth and Ted Williams … Matt Barnes picked up his first save of the season, getting three outs on 14 pitches. Barnes has retired 18 of the 19 hitters he has faced this season, 12 by strikeout. He has thrown 62 of his 79 pitches for strikes … Cora said it was the coldest game he had experienced since a minor league game in Kansas in 1997. But the players felt the first few games at Fenway this season were worse because of the wind … Nelson Cruz, who had a 1.395 OPS in his first nine games, was scratched from the lineup with what the Twins were careful to say was a non-COVID illness … The Sox are 18-13 at Target Field and have won four of their last five games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:51:08 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 11h Red Sox starters have thrown 5.0+ innings in 9 of the club’s 10 games, including each of the last 7.
In their last 7 games, Red Sox starters have a 3.55 ERA (38.0 IP, 15 ER).
The Red Sox’ 7-game winning streak is their longest since 2018, and the longest by any team this season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:55:27 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 10h Alex Cora -- 'One of the things Martin has going for him is he induces the opposition into weak contact.'
Wants more aggression in the strike zone. There was too much nibbling early. #RedSox
Cora -- 'We believe we are very, very solid. We believe we can score runs against just about anyone we're facing.'
With that in mind, Cora asked Perez to give the #RedSox a chance to find their offense. Minnesota didn't score after the 1st inning.
Cora -- 'You can see the talent that we have and what we're doing. Baseball is fun for them again.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'We believe we are very, very solid. We believe we can score runs against just about anyone we're facing.'
With that in mind, Cora asked Perez to give the #RedSox a chance to find their offense. Minnesota didn't score after the 1st inning.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:56:49 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 10h Replying to @billkoch25 Cora -- 'All-around, a great baseball game. That was fun to watch. It was fun to be a part of it.' #RedSox
Cora said the at-bats in Baltimore set up today for Bobby Dalbec. Felt like he was staying on pitches better by the time the #RedSox left Camden Yards.
Cora on Dalbec -- 'There are going to be a few days where he might swing and miss a lot. But we do believe he can make adjustments.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 2:59:26 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 10h Martin Perez -- 'It was cold. I didn't feel my fingers in the first inning.' #RedSox
Perez -- 'We've got a good mentality. We're working together and we stay together. Like I said before, we don't have big names here. But this is what we've got, and we just do our jobs.' #RedSox
Perez -- 'We have fans. I know we don't have a full stadium -- at some point we're going to have it. But it's fun when you have the fans out there to support you.' #RedSox
Perez said he took off his long-sleeved shirt after the first inning because 'I have to be me.'
'I felt too tight.' #RedSox
Perez -- 'We're having a good time hitting. I know we can score runs.' #RedSox
Perez -- 'We've got a good mentality. We're working together and we stay together. Like I said before, we don't have big names here. But this is what we've got, and we just do our jobs.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 14, 2021 3:01:52 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 9h Dalbec -- 'It can be a dangerous lineup in any part of it, especially when everyone is clicking. It's just next guy up.' #RedSox
Dalbec on opening with a liner to right -- 'Just try to repeat it. That's a win in my book even though I lined out. Just trying to win at-bats.' #RedSox
Bobby Dalbec -- 'Obviously it's pretty cold and tough to get the hands going. You've just got to find a way to push through it.' #RedSox
Dalbec said he was just trying to get something up in the zone he could handle from Happ and Dobnak. #RedSox
Dalbec said he felt like he 'got back in line' with his swing and his approach over the last few days.
'It's more mental for me. I think when I'm in a good spot mentally my swing cuts down on its own.' #RedSox
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