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Post by Kimmi on Apr 16, 2021 16:25:30 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 32m The Red Sox scored only five runs in their first three games. But they are tied with the Dodgers and Reds for the major league lead in runs (75) through 13 games.
The Red Sox 11th in the majors in starter ERA (3.72) and seventh in reliever ERA (3.35). Really only one bad start through 13 games. Yup. Every game we've played so far was winnable except for one. The offense will usually score some runs. The pitching staff just needs to keep the games close enough to give them a chance.
While it would be extremely nice, we don't need the team to continue with long winning streaks. Just keep winning series.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 16, 2021 19:27:03 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 32m The Red Sox scored only five runs in their first three games. But they are tied with the Dodgers and Reds for the major league lead in runs (75) through 13 games.
The Red Sox 11th in the majors in starter ERA (3.72) and seventh in reliever ERA (3.35). Really only one bad start through 13 games. Yup. Every game we've played so far was winnable except for one. The offense will usually score some runs. The pitching staff just needs to keep the games close enough to give them a chance.
While it would be extremely nice, we don't need the team to continue with long winning streaks. Just keep winning series.
That's the process, imo. If we allow 5 or less runs, then we are favored, to varying degrees, in everyone of those games. And we only allowed more than 5 runs in two of the 13 games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 3:12:50 GMT -5
The White Sox announced that they have reinstated right-hander Dylan Cease from the COVID IL and optioned righty Zack Burdi to their alternate site. Cease was only on the list for two days, but he’s already set to return after “a series of negative tests,” the team stated. He’ll make his third start of the season Saturday against the Red Sox. Cease logged a 3.86 ERA with nine strikeouts and six walks over 9 1/3 innings in his first two appearances.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 3:22:58 GMT -5
White Sox-Red Sox postponed; DH Sunday April 16th, 2021 Mark Feinsand
Mark Feinsand @feinsand
Winter-like conditions in Boston resulted in the postponement of Friday’s White Sox-Red Sox game, setting up a split doubleheader on Sunday at Fenway Park.
Nick Pivetta, who had been slated to start Friday’s series opener for Boston, will have his start pushed back to Saturday.
The Red Sox have not announced a starting pitcher for the first game Sunday, which will begin at its regularly scheduled time of 1:10 p.m. ET. Martín Pérez will start the second game of the doubleheader, which is scheduled to begin at 5:10 p.m.
Sunday’s doubleheader will feature a pair of seven-inning regulation games, while both clubs will be able to add an extra player for both games of the doubleheader.
The four-game series will conclude Monday with the annual Patriots Day game, with first pitch scheduled for 11:10 a.m.
Tickets for Friday night’s game will be good for the second game on Sunday. The Fenway Park gates are expected to open 45 minutes before Sunday’s second game.
The Red Sox, who saw their nine-game winning streak snapped with a walk-off loss to the Twins on Thursday, are returning home following a 6-1 road trip. After the four-game set against the White Sox, Boston will host the Blue Jays for two games and the Mariners for four.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 3:46:53 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Surging starters will still need to tighten up if Red Sox want to stay hot By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 16, 2021, 9:02 p.m.
Panic broke out across New England when the Red Sox dropped the first three games of the 2021 season to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox’ bats hit a frigid .160 in that series, slugging .234.
Yet the offense finally came around when the Sox rattled off their next nine in a row. They hit a whopping .319 in that span, with 15 homers, a .543 slugging percentage, and a .922 OPS. But that shouldn’t be a surprise, necessarily.
“The biggest surprises may be kind of how we came out of the chute in the first three games,” hitting coach Tim Hyers said after the Red Sox-White Sox opener Friday at Fenway was postponed because of rain. “Nothing went well for us. And then the complete turnaround. It’s kind of the tale of two different teams.”
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Sunday. The first game is scheduled for 1:10 p.m., the second at 5:10 p.m. Both games are on NESN.
If there’s any doubt about this Red Sox team, it’s not because of a lack of offense. Even in 2020, they ranked third in the majors in batting average (.265), eighth in slugging (.445), and ninth in OPS (.775). That was without the usual presence of J.D. Martinez, who hit just .213.
Yet with Martinez back on track this year and a lineup clicking on all cylinders, even after Thursday’s 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins snapped the winning streak, the Sox enter their four-game series against the Chicago White Sox 9-4 and comfortably at the top of the American League East.
Before Friday’s play, Boston had the fourth-best slugging percentage (.456), second-best batting average (.273), and the fourth-best OPS (.792) in the majors. The Sox are also striking out just 22.2 percent of the time, sixth in baseball.
“We’ve got to stay in tune with putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the defense and pitchers, and not sacrificing everything for the power, and that’s something we try to preach,” Hyers said. “It’s difficult for the hitting coach and even for hitters to balance the two because, you know, you have to slug the baseball and you have to get on base to score runs.”
If there is a surprise, it should be the rotation. Red Sox starters have thrown at least five innings in all but one start, including each of the last 10 games. In those 10 contests, Sox starters are 6-0 with a 3.06 ERA (18 ER/53.0 IP). The 26.1-percent hard hit rate against them was the third lowest in baseball prior to Friday.
Still, Sox fans should proceed with caution. While the end results for the rotation are promising, it doesn’t tell the full story.
In a number of the games, Sox starters have labored at certain points, but wiggled out of it. On Thursday, Garrett Richards had a 37-pitch second inning. In Martín Pérez’s Tuesday start against the Twins, he had a 26-pitch first, but settled in and gave the Sox five quality innings allowing just two runs. But like Richards, to get through those five innings it took close to 90 pitches.
That could be a recipe for disaster, especially as hitters — who take a bit longer time to get their feet under them — begin to get their rhythm at the dish.
The Red Sox will send out for Saturday’s start Nick Pivetta, who has yet to lose a game in his four starts with the Sox dating to last year. He has a 2-0 record this season, but also has oftentimes escaped innings by the skin of his teeth. His 5.73 walks per nine innings is an indication of that.
Meanwhile, in the bullpen, the Red Sox are going to have to figure out a way to get Adam Ottavino going. He has put 11 runners on in 3 innings of work. Four have come around to score.
Boston will face Dylan Cease, who has a 3.86 ERA with nine strikeouts in 9⅓ innings.
Chicago (6-7) comes into Boston not having quite hit their stride under Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, back in the majors 10 years after his retirement and 35 after the end of his first White Sox managerial tenure.
Sunday features Pérez against the White Sox’ Dallas Keuchel in the first game. In the second game, neither team has announced starters. The finale on Marathon Monday is Nate Eovaldi vs. Lucas Giolito. Carlos Rodón, who threw a no-hitter against Cleveland in his last start, is getting an extra day of rest and won’t pitch in Boston.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are in the middle of their stride. And while it’s too early to tell what this team will look like down the road, they have proven early on that they can compete.
“It’s good to have a team that made it to the playoffs last year,” manager Alex Cora said of the White Sox. “We already played two of them: The Tampa Bay Rays and Twins. We are ready for it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 3:58:30 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Tanner Houck lined up for Sunday start; Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi throw in snow at Fenway Park Updated Apr 16, 2021; Posted Apr 16, 2021
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
Though Friday’s game was postponed due to “winterlike conditions,” the Red Sox are planning to keep their starting rotation in line.
Righty Nick Pivetta will start Saturday afternoon in what is now the series opener against the White Sox. On Sunday, in a split doubleheader, the Red Sox announced their Game 1 starter is “to be announced” and that Martín Pérez will pitch Game 2. Nathan Eovaldi will start on Patriots’ Day in the series finale.
Barring a surprise, Tanner Houck will be recalled from the alternate site in Worcester to make his second start of the season in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Houck, who was optioned to the minors last Wednesday, was likely to start Saturday’s game before the rainout pushed things back.
The postponement actually will allow the Red Sox to catch a break, as they won’t need to make a corresponding move to add Houck to their roster. He’ll likely be recalled as the 27th player for the doubleheader and then sent back to Worcester after the second game.
Cora believes new baseballs making a difference
During Boston’s opening homestand, it was too cold to tell if the new baseballs -- which are slightly lighter and wound less tightly -- were making a tangible impact on in-game play. After three games in Baltimore and four in Minnesota, Cora has concluded that there is a difference.
“I think it’s real,” Cora said on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria.”. “It’s not traveling. You have to crush it. You have to. I haven’t seen too many fly balls that just go out. Actually, we hit the ball hard the other day.”
Cora mentioned two deep fly balls hit by Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe as examples of balls not traveling as far. He thinks that the game is going to be markedly different in 2021.
“As far as runs and home runs, it’s going to come back to reality,” Cora said. “The other part of it, if that happens, you have to play better defense. If fly balls are not going out, then you can start running because you’ve got to move the guys around. I think, sometimes, we overthink how we’re going to get this game better and watchable. Let’s see how it plays out now.”
Barnes pounding the zone
One of the most impressive players of the first two weeks of the season has been de facto closer Matt Barnes, who has yet to allow a hit in seven scoreless innings. Barnes has struck out 14 hitters and walked just two.
Barnes, who has averaged 4.5 walks per nine innings or more in each of the last three years, is thriving because of an increased focus on pounding the strike zone.
“More aggressive,” Cora told OMF. “Sometimes, I wonder if we got caught up on the playoff run in October (2018). In October, we pitched to the edges, in 2018, a lot. We got some swings and misses, we avoided damage. I think that mindset stuck with us in ’19. We walked a lot of people. We were striking out people. We were avoiding damage the whole season and that’s hard to do. I think our bullpen led the league in walks. We had (Workman) and (Barnes) either striking out people or walking people.
“Now, the message is different,” he said. “We have to pound the strike zone and we have to throw strikes. You look at the Rays and Dodgers, what they did last year. They were always working ahead in the count.”
Martinez-for-Verdugo switch never a consideration
In the eighth inning of Thursday’s loss, the Red Sox had the bases loaded and two outs when the Twins made a pitching change, bringing in lefty Taylor Rogers to face Alex Verdugo. Though Cora had slugger J.D. Martinez available on the bench, he never considered employing him as a pinch-hitter.
“Alex is a good hitter,” Cora said on OMF. “He can hit lefties. He showed that last year. He’s hitting second for a reason on this team. He’s one of our best hitters.
“You’ve got to let Alex hit in that situation,” he said. “He will hit in those situations throughout the season. We’re not going to pinch-hit for him.”
Cora was rewarded for sticking with Verdugo, as the outfielder worked a 10-pitch at-bat against Rogers before lining a bases-clearing double into left field and tying the game.
“I think he knows we’re not going to hit for him there,” Cora said. “If I hit for him there, probably, I’ll lose him. He knows how I feel about him. He knows we know he’s a great hitter.”
Sale, Eovaldi throw in snow
The bad weather in Boston didn’t prevent two of the Sox’ most notable pitchers from getting in some work. The Red Sox tweeted a picture of Eovaldi and Chris Sale throwing on the snow-covered field at Fenway Park on Friday.
Sale still hasn’t thrown off a mound as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. The plan is for him to rehab in Boston instead of Fort Myers for the foreseeable future.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 4:04:54 GMT -5
Red Sox host White Sox in adjusted four-game set According to STATS
After winter weather blindsided the Boston area Friday, the Red Sox and Chicago White Sox will plan to play their four-game series over the course of three days beginning Saturday evening.
Friday's series opener was postponed five hours prior to first pitch due to a mix of snow and rain that was expected to continue throughout the night. The teams will now play a split doubleheader Sunday, with the second contest set for 5:10 p.m. ET following their originally scheduled matchup at 1:10 p.m. ET. Both games will be reduced to seven innings of regulation.
The series between the clubs had already featured a scheduling oddity in the form of Monday's 11:10 a.m. ET first pitch -- a Patriots Day tradition in Boston usually designed to accommodate the city's marathon that day. Despite the 2021 Boston Marathon being delayed until Oct. 11 due to COVID-19, the Red Sox kept the morning matchup in place.
Saturday's game is expected to see Friday's projected starters face off. Right-hander Dylan Cease (0-0, 3.86 ERA) takes the mound for the White Sox after testing negative for COVID-19 following a symptoms scare earlier in the week. Fellow righty Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.27) will go for the Red Sox.
Boston will have left-hander Martin Perez pitch one end of the doubleheader Sunday, but the team has yet to determine who will start the other game. Even before Friday's postponement, an arm to rejoin the rotation had yet to be announced.
"We're going to have to make an adjustment," manager Alex Cora said Thursday. "... Conversations are going right now. We'll just have to wait and see."
The doubleheader will be Boston's second in five days after taking a pair from the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to nine games. The run ended with a 4-3 defeat Thursday in the series finale in Minnesota.
Chicago has alternated wins and losses across its last seven games, having been beaten 4-2 by the Cleveland Indians at home Thursday. Before the game, the White Sox activated star shortstop Tim Anderson from a stint on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Anderson went 2-for-5 in his return.
"We're a better and deeper lineup with him setting the table," said manager Tony La Russa. "... We're really happy to get him back."
Cease will make his third start of the season Saturday, having pitched 4 2/3 innings in each of his first two outings. He allowed one run on four hits against the Kansas City Royals last time out. Cease, in his third year, has never faced Boston.
Pivetta went six innings in his last start, getting the win against the Baltimore Orioles despite allowing four runs on seven hits. Pivetta will make his first start against Chicago.
The Red Sox will play their next 10 games at home. The White Sox kick off a six-game road trip.
--Field Level Media
White Sox at Red Sox Saturday, at 4:05 PM EST Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 46° F with a 4% chance of rain and 7 MPH wind blowing left to right in Boston at 4:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 7:22:50 GMT -5
Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 4:05pm EDT Written by Nick Raffoul
The Chicago White Sox will continue their American League series battle on the road against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon.
These two teams had the first game of their series in Boston postponed on Friday due to snow. Chicago enters with a 6-7 overall record while the Red Sox have raced out to an AL East-leading 9-4 overall record through 13 games. After starting the season 0-4, Boston caught fire before having its nine-game winning streak snapped in its series finale against the Twins on Thursday.
Can Boston bounce back with a win at home against the White Sox on Saturday afternoon?
Cease expected to get the call after landing on IL Chicago is scheduled to hand the ball to right-hander Dylan Cease for his third start of the 2021 season on Saturday. Cease hasn’t factored into a decision in either of his two starts but has escaped with a 3.86 ERA in 9 ⅓ combined innings of work. The White Sox right-hander has yet to complete five innings yet this year but is fresh off of allowing one run in 4 ⅔ frames in a loss versus the Kansas City Royals.
While Cease is just 28 starts into his MLB career, he has yet to prove that he can command his arsenal at the level necessary to be a full-time starter. He comes in with a career walk rate of 4.80 batters per nine innings of work and that number has jumped to a career-high 5.79 batters per nine so far this year. Despite his penchant for issuing free passes, Cease has managed to keep runs off of the board and the ball in the ballpark. However, his 5.95 xERA and 4.81 xFIP indicate that some regression could be on the way for the right-hander soon.
This will be Cease’s first career start against the Red Sox and his first at historic Fenway Park.
Pivetta looking to win fifth straight start with Red Sox Boston is expected to get another look at emerging right-hander Pick Pivetta on Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old became the first pitcher since Tim Wakefield in 1995 to win his first four starts with the Red Sox. In his last trip to the mound, Pivetta turned in six innings of four-run ball while striking out seven batters in a 14-9 win versus the Baltimore Orioles.
The change of scenery has worked wonders for the former Phillies’ prospect. He went 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts in just 10 innings of work last season and is off to a strong start once again. He comes in with a 2-0 record to go along with a 3.27 ERA but will need to cut down on his walk rate if he wants to keep up his success. Pivetta is currently walking a career-high 5.43 batters per nine innings of work so far this season.
Pivetta has owned the White Sox throughout his career. In two starts, he is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings of work. According to Baseball Savant current White Six are batting .350 in 22 plate appearances off of the Red Sox right-hander heading into Saturday’s contest.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 9:59:04 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 1h The Red Sox & White Sox begin a 4-game series today at 4:05.
Boston (+23) & Chicago (+16) own the AL’s 2 highest run differentials.
Boston leads the AL in runs (75); Chicago leads the AL in ERA (3.12).
J.D. Martinez & Yermín Mercedes both have a 1.307 OPS, highest in the AL.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 10:06:55 GMT -5
Game 14: White Sox at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Brandon Chase Globe Correspondent,Updated April 17, 2021, 11 minutes ago After inclement weather postponed Friday’s series opener with the White Sox, they’ll get back on the field Saturday afternoon. Lineups WHITE SOX (6-7): 1. Tim Anderson (R) SS 2. Adam Eaton (L) RF 3. Yoan Moncada (S) 3B 4. Jose Abreu (R) 1B 5. Yermin Mercedes (R) DH 6. Zack Collins (L) C 7. Luis Robert (R) CF 8. Andrew Vaughn (R) LF 9. Nick Madrigal (R) 2B Pitching: RHP Dylan Cease (0-0, 3.86) RED SOX (9-4): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 6. Marwin Gonzalez (S) 1B 7. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 8. Franchy Cordero (L) LF 9. Kevin Plawecki (R) C Pitching: RHP Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.27) Time: 4:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, FS1, WEEI-FM 93.7 White Sox vs. Pivetta: Eaton 5-11, Grandal 1-2, Lamb 1-2, Anderson 0-2, Garcia 0-2, Abreu 0-1 Red Sox vs. Cease: Gonzalez 1-3, Cordero 0-3 Stat of the Day: Pivetta is the first Red Sox starter since Tim Wakefield in 1995 to win his first four starts with the team. Notes: Cease was placed on the injured list on Thursday because he was showing symptoms of COVID-19 ... The White Sox come into this series after splitting a four-game set with the Indians ... Chicago’s Yermin Mercedes has a 1.307 OPS, tied with J.D Martinez for second in MLB ... The Red Sox and White Sox last played from June 24-26, 2019 at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won two out of three in that series. Song of the Day: Bryan Adams "Cuts Like a Knife"www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VZhSkREYBc
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 13:43:04 GMT -5
Dallas Keuchel will start Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
The White Sox haven't announced their plans for the second game of the twin-billing, but it'll be Keuchel versus Tanner Houck in the opening game. The 33-year-old left-hander has struggled out of the gate, posting a 6.43 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 9/7 K/BB ratio across 14 innings (three starts) this season. Source: James Fegan on Twitter
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 13:45:38 GMT -5
Tanner Houck will start Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the White Sox at Fenway Park.
It'll be Martin Perez who gets the ball for the nightcap of the twin-billing. Houck has looked extremely good in his exposure at the major-league level over the last two seasons, compiling a microscopic 1.17 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 31/10 K/BB ratio across 23 innings (five appearances, four starts). It's a challenging matchup against a loaded White Sox' lineup, but Houck represents an intriguing streaming option for fantasy managers in shallow mixed leagues. Source: Chris Cotillo on Twitter
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 13:53:20 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Xander Bogaerts -- 'I am surprised. Obviously we started 0-3 -- we know we're not an 0-3 ballclub.'
'For me to say I imagined us winning nine in a row -- I didn't. But I know we're far from an 0-3 ballclub.' #RedSox
Bogaerts -- 'So far it's been fun. The vibe has been great.' #RedSox
Bogaerts -- 'We're in a good spot right now. We're happy where we're at. Obviously that turnaround that we did was pretty impressive.' #RedSox
Bogaerts on three games in about 26 hours Sunday/Monday -- 'That's going to be tough. But we've got to deal with it. The way I see it, it's not only us -- it's also them.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 13:54:15 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Bogaerts -- 'Just being in the clubhouse together, I think that's helped a lot.'
'It was nice and all with the suites, but everybody kind of did their own thing. Now we can interact a lot more.' #RedSox
Bogaerts -- 'I know I have a huge responsibility with the team. I would say that. But we have so many leaders, so many guys, who have time in the big leagues.'
'I think it's just all of us doing it together.' #RedSox
Bogaerts, in Spanish, gives credit for the start and the turnaround to the pitching staff. Notes how improved they've been from 2020. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 17, 2021 13:55:16 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Bogaerts -- 'I know I have a huge responsibility with the team. I would say that. But we have so many leaders, so many guys, who have time in the big leagues.'
'I think it's just all of us doing it together.' #RedSox
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