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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 14:16:26 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
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8m
Dalbec on Garrett Whitlock, who he faced in the minors -- 'He's throwing a lot harder now. Couple years ago I would say he had more sink than lateral run. He's a different pitcher.'
'I faced him for a couple live at-bats. I felt like he was slapping me in the face.' #RedSox
Dalbec on why #RedSox base runners wave to the dugout -- 'I honestly have no idea. I just kind of do it.'
Bobby Dalbec on Eduardo Rodriguez, who starts tonight -- 'He's always locked in. He's always competing.'
'He's fun to play behind. He's the man.' #RedSox
Dalbec -- 'We started to jell pretty quick. I'll still stand by that. I think it's even more so now. It's a really fun group to be around.' #RedSox
Dalbec -- 'It's a different team. The core elements are still there.'
'Guys are really just kind of taking off.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 14:25:07 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo
@chriscotillo
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2m
Alex Cora not yet cleared to manage the Red Sox tonight due to COVID-19 protocols. He's hoping to make it on time.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 14:27:57 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo
@chriscotillo
· 4m
Alex Cora not yet cleared to manage the Red Sox tonight due to COVID-19 protocols. He's hoping to make it on time.
Cora says he's not sick. He's confident he'll be there to manage tonight. He said his testing didn't go the way he wanted this week (vague, but what he said). Waiting to clear one more hurdle before heading to Fenway.
Cora says "things have trended in the right direction the last 24 hours" (that usually means multiple negative tests). But sounds like he might have had a false/non-infectious positive and is awaiting final clearance.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 14:34:38 GMT -5
Scott Carson
🇨🇦
@koas1963
#BlueJays Rowdy Tellez has homered 11 times in his 25 career games against #RedSox. Only Hall of Famers Babe Ruth & Frank Robinson had more (12) thru 25 career games
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 14:43:28 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
·
16m
Replying to
@billkoch25
Cora still plans to get his second COVID-19 shot on Wednesday. #RedSox
Cora said Christian Arroyo (foot) was available on Monday but they wanted to give him one more day. #RedSox
Alex Cora on the Blue Jays -- 'They have a great team. They made it to the playoff last year.'
'I do believe George (Springer, who is on the IL) is going to be a force in that lineup.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'I do believe the game is in a great spot as far as talent -- young talent. It's a watchable industry to be honest.'
Calls Bo Bichette 'a great athlete' -- he's obviously another #MLB son with Toronto. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 14:45:02 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
·
15m
Cora said he thinks the waving to the dugout from the bases started when Franchy Cordero doubled off the Monster against the Rays. Kiké Hernandez picked it up and it's gone on from there. #RedSox
Cora on the Blue Jays sons (Vlad, Biggio, Gurriel, etc.) -- 'My dad was involved in Little League and all that. Having a brother who played in the big leagues was amazing.' #RedSox
Will Venable would manage in his place if necessary. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 16:20:45 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams
@byjulianmack
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23m
Alex Cora made it through protocols and is at the ballpark.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 20, 2021 16:21:23 GMT -5
SP Match Ups
Tonight....Ryu vs Erod
Wednesday....7pm...TBA (A. Kay 0-0/10.80) vs Richards 0-1/6.00
I hope the Sox offense has it in them tonight. |
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 16:21:34 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
56m
Tonight will be Eduardo Rodriguez's first start at Fenway in nearly 19 months.
Tonight's starters at Fenway, Eduardo Rodriguez and Hyun Jin Ryu, have struck out 31 and walked 3 this season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2021 18:18:19 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
1h
Counting today's game (No. 18):
* Red Sox have used 16 different defensive lineups
* and 17 different batting orders.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 20, 2021 19:22:29 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
·
9m
Boston is all right-handed against Hyun Jin Ryu. Nice setup. |
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 20, 2021 19:29:46 GMT -5
71 pitch count thru 5. Should be enough for at least one more inning. 4-1, but I'd like to chip away with a run here and there.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2021 1:50:32 GMT -5
Bogaerts' power surge backs 'Steady Eddie'
April 20th, 2021
Jordan Horrobin
Jordan Horrobin
@jordanhorrobin
Xander Bogaerts’ shoulders slacked as soon as the ball left his bat. Perhaps he felt an imaginary weight being lifted. More likely, though, he just knew the ball was leaving the yard.
With his first home run of the season in his 59th at-bat, Bogaerts brought the Red Sox a lead they would not relinquish in a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. The win improved the Red Sox's record to 12-6 -- best in the American League.
Bogaerts may not have had a home run in his first 15 games, but he did post a .927 OPS and served as a key cog in Boston’s red-hot offense. The Red Sox now have 22 homers in 19 games -- second most in the AL -- and they lead the Majors in OPS (.817).
In the fourth inning, Bogaerts stepped to the plate with two on, no outs and the Red Sox trailing by a run. That changed in a flash, as he turned swiftly on a high-and-tight fastball and soared it over the Green Monster. What made the three-run shot additionally impressive is that it produced more runs than Toronto starter Hyun Jin Ryu had allowed in any of his past six outings.
Bogaerts also doubled off Ryu earlier in the game -- one of five extra-base hits for the Red Sox on the night.
“[The Blue Jays] needed a shutdown inning -- they didn’t get it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It was a good swing. That was a good effort against a good pitcher.”
What Cora failed to mention is that he predicted the home run, or so Bogaerts alleges. The shortstop said Cora predicted that Christian Arroyo and J.D. Martinez would get on, and Bogaerts would bring them home.
“I think that whole inning, Alex Cora predicted [that], to be honest with you,” Bogaerts said. “I was like, ‘You’re talking about me hitting a home run? I don’t have a home run at all.’”
Sometimes, a manager just knows. Bogaerts’ power surge came after he requested to take Monday off, and he spent the day working in the cage and fielding grounders.
“Obviously, you want to play, but [Cora] talked to me a little bit, and I told him I kind of needed a little mental getaway, you know, a break,” Bogaerts said. “It worked out perfectly.”
'Steady Eddie' shoves again
Very few pitchers model consistency as well as Eduardo Rodriguez these days, which is why the moniker, “Steady Eddie,” makes so much sense.
Rodriguez worked six-plus innings on Tuesday, marking his 31st consecutive start of five-plus innings. Only Shane Bieber (36) and Justin Verlander (33) have longer active streaks.
“He’s evolving into one of the best lefties in the league,” Cora said. “He attacks the zone with good stuff. The tempo is magnificent. He slows the running game down, too. He has a good feel of what he wants to do.”
On this night, Rodriguez made two mistakes, and they both cleared the wall. But both homers were solo shots, a testament to Rodriguez’s ability to largely keep the Blue Jays off the bases. He worked his five-pitch mix effectively, allowing no more than one baserunner per inning.
Unsurprisingly, Rodriguez’s ability to work five or more innings has led to great results for his team. The Red Sox are 25-6 during his streak, and Rodriguez has enjoyed a 3.38 ERA along the way.
It’s fair to remember that Rodriguez has only made three starts since 2019 after missing all of last year with myocarditis (a complication of COVID-19). He’s happy with the early success he’s had this season -- including a fastball that’s back up to touching 95 mph -- but hopes to keep sharpening his command.
“Right now, it’s just -- try to attack more hitters, throw more strikes and get more deep in the game,” Rodriguez said.
He has only pitched into the seventh inning twice in his past 10 starts, but his five-inning baseline is nothing to scoff at -- it means he’s consistently giving Boston a chance to win.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2021 2:13:55 GMT -5
Big fourth inning keeps Red Sox, Eduardo Rodriguez on winning track
By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 20, 2021, 9:58 p.m.
The Red Sox knew the Toronto Blue Jays were a dangerous bunch heading into Tuesday.
For the last two years, the group led by young talent Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette lurked in the shadows of the American League East. When the Jays signed George Springer to a lucrative free-agent deal this past offseason — though he’s currently on the injured list — in addition to adding Marcus Semien, it showed that the Blue Jays were ready to compete. A 2020 playoff berth certainly moved that needle, too.
“They have a great team,” manager Alex Cora said. “They are where they want to be. It took them a while, but it feels like that young talent is finally all together.”
The Red Sox beat the Jays, 4-2, in the first of a two-game set at Fenway Park. Matt Barnes shut the door in the ninth, getting Cavan Biggio to fly out to Alex Verdugo in left as the tying run.
But it wasn’t an easy one.
The Red Sox hitters didn’t get to Hyun Jin Ryu in the first three innings, the Toronto starter needing only 29 pitches and surrendering just two hits. In the top of the fourth inning, Eduardo Rodriguez surrendered a light-tower solo shot to Bichette to give the Jays the lead.
Yet the Sox, as they have in this small sample of a season, have proven themselves not to be an easy out. Though Ryu came into the contest sporting a 1.89 ERA in his three starts, he hadn’t faced a lineup this hot, the Red Sox leading the majors in runs scored (100), batting average (.287), OPS (.817), and doubles (43).
As the lineup turned over, Christian Arroyo led off the bottom of the fourth with a single. The next hitter, J.D. Martinez, collected a single of his own, too. That set the stage for Bogaerts. Down 1-2 in the count, after Ryu had worked in a four-seamer and two cutters, he tried to beat Bogaerts with another four-seamer, this one high and tight.
Bogaerts was all over it, belting a no-doubter deep into the Fenway sky to put the Red Sox up, 3-1. It was his first homer of the season.
“It’s good to get the first one out of the way,” Bogaerts said. “I wasn’t trying to get anything. That whole inning Alex Cora predicted, to be honest with you.”
The manager, apparently, told his team that Martinez would get a hit and Bogaerts would homer.
“I was like, ‘You talking about me? I don’t have a home run at all,’ ” Bogaerts joked.
After a Christian Vázquez strikeout, Marwin Gonzalez doubled. With two out, Bobby Dalbec laced an RBI triple over Randal Grichuk’s head in center to make it 4-1.
What once looked like yet another dominant start for Ryu wasn’t. He was lifted after five innings, leaving his team to play from behind.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, worked through six innings, striking out six against two hits and a walk. This is the second time in Rodriguez’s career that he’s made three straight starts allowing no more than one walk. The last was August of 2015.
“I feel really good with everything, all my pitches,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like my body is right where it needs to be.”
The Sox allowed him to start the seventh, but a Grichuk solo shot to lead off the inning forced Cora to go to Matt Andriese. It was Rodriguez’s first start at Fenway in 19 months, and the first time he had pitched past the fifth this season.
That the Red Sox could win by such a convincing margin Monday, 11-4, to close out the Chicago White Sox, then turn around and win a nail-biter affirms another Cora prediction, this one dating back to spring training.
“I’m going to repeat myself. We have a good baseball team,” Cora said. “Very balanced. We made some good plays defensively today. We put together good at-bats. Seems like we just finish games right from the first pitch all the way to the end.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2021 2:15:51 GMT -5
Even before beating Blue Jays, return to Fenway mound a victory for Eduardo Rodriguez
By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 20, 2021, 11:35 p.m.
Tuesday night, for the first time in nearly 19 months, Eduardo Rodriguez took the mound at Fenway Park.
The lefthander had not pitched a home game since the final day of the 2019 season. With a chance for his 20th win, Rodriguez went seven innings against the Orioles and handed a one-run lead to the bullpen.
An unearned run cost him the milestone in a game the Sox came back to win. Rodriguez then missed all of last season recovering from inflammation around his heart caused by COVID-19.
Back on familiar ground Tuesday night, Rodriguez looked like a pitcher who is finally going to get those 20 wins. He pitched into the seventh inning and allowed two runs as the Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2.
Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 3.38 earned run average in three starts. He’s one of the best comeback stories of the season.
“It feels amazing to be back here, to step on the mound and be able to compete,” Rodriguez said. “That feels really good. It was something special.”
Rodriguez is 35-11 with a 3.79 ERA since the start of the 2018 season. When Alex Cora took over as manager before that season, Rodriguez was one of the players he challenged to be better.
That process included occasional public scoldings that Rodriguez didn’t appreciate, and their relationship was frosty at times. But now Rodriguez is a front-of-the-rotation starter who Cora often holds up as an example to others.
It’s never been a question of talent. Rodriguez has one of best changeups in the game and a fastball that Tuesday topped out at 94.8 miles per hour.
It seemed like it was always foolish little things that would trip him up. Rodriguez was a poor fielder who sometimes forgot to hold runners. Or he’d ruin a potentially quick inning with a walk and then trouble would start.
Now you see the focus that allows a pitcher to win 20 games or throw 200-plus innings, which Rodriguez did for the first time in 2019 and very badly wants to accomplish again.
The Red Sox scored four runs in the fourth inning Tuesday, sending eight batters to the plate. Rodriguez came back out for the fifth and recorded three outs on 14 pitches to get his teammates back to the bat rack.
Rodriguez pitched like that all game, working fast and getting ahead. He has two walks in 16 innings this season.
That kind of crisp tempo was never part of his game until the second half of the ’19 season. Pitching coach Dave Bush has made that a priority for all of the staff this season.
Baseball, as we all know, can plod along. But when the starting pitcher sets the pace and controls the flow of the game, his teammates almost invariably benefit.
“It benefits all of us,” Cora said. “It’s something that is very important. His stuff is that good. You have to give him credit, his stuff is that good. He’s evolved into one of the best lefties in the league.
Related: Big fourth inning keeps Red Sox, Eduardo Rodriguez on winning track
“He attacks the zone with good stuff and the tempo is magnificent. He has a good feel of what he wants to do.”
Cora pushed Rodriguez a bit, sending him out for the seventh inning having already thrown 88 pitches. Randal Grichuk led off with a home run and Cora came out to get his starter.
The knowledgeable crowd of 4,728 gave Rodriguez an ovation as he came back to the dugout. This time, the bullpen held on.
“Every time I go out there, I just enjoy what I do, every pitch that I throw,” Rodriguez said.
That Rodriguez worked deep into the game and maintained his velocity was important. He’s the only pitcher to miss a full season after a COVID-related illness and the training staff is closely monitoring his conditioning and energy.
Rodriguez has promised them he’ll be honest. Through three starts, it’s all positive.
The Sox have won 42 of the 50 games Rodriguez has started since 2019, including 17 of the last 20. As Chris Sale recovers from Tommy John surgery, Eddie’s their ace.
“It’s been pretty nice to see,” said Xander Bogaerts, whose three-run home in the fourth inning gave Rodriguez all the support he needed. “We’re enjoying the moment and hopefully we can continue it for a long time.”
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