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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2021 17:01:11 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 17m Red Sox's Kiké Hernández, a right-handed hitter, actually has been better against right-handed pitchers this year. He entered Thursday slashing .280/.321/.480/.801 in 53 plate appearances against righties and .192/.214/.346/.560 in 28 plate appearances vs. lefties.
Overall, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Hernández is hitting the ball hard but he hasn’t controlled the strike zone ahead in the count. “He gets to the 3-1, 2-0 counts and he gets big,” Cora said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2021 18:23:14 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m First triple of the season for the Sox comes from Alex Verdugo.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 2:03:13 GMT -5
tough loss last night Pivetta flirted with a no no but to no avail.....his line
6ip/ 1/2/2/3bb/4k/86-55
Red Sox bats left a village in RISP.
1 for 11 tonight and overall 5 for 34 in the last 3 nights.
The smell of gas also coming from the bullpen...Ottavino...melts down pitching wise, and a horrible throwing error.
D. Hernandez was simply awful.
and to make things look like last year, Franchy Cordero in LF makes 2 plays out there that will be on today;s gag reel.....simply an awful fielder.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 2:05:56 GMT -5
one other thing and that goes for both teams heck, all of MLB the home plate umpiring is awful. And that is what happens when they have no accountability to begin with.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 2:40:03 GMT -5
3 takeaways from extra-inning loss to Seattle 2:51 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Three hits allowed in 10 innings. Only one hit allowed in the first nine innings. That is almost always a win, right?
So what the heck happened to the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday night that they only gave up three hits and still suffered a 7-3 loss to the Mariners?
Well, walks happened, and manager Alex Cora wasn’t happy about it.
In all, Boston pitchers issued seven walks. Four of them wound up scoring, and that’s how the Red Sox lost on a night their offense didn’t provide much noise either.
“How many walks did we have? It doesn't matter [how many hits]. Two hits, three hits, if you walk seven guys, you're putting yourself in a bad situation,” said Cora. “It's not about getting hits, it's about getting on base. That's the name of the game and we walked seven guys.”
It was the first time the Red Sox lost a game while giving up two hits or fewer through nine innings since Sept. 5, 2019, when they lost to the Twins 2-1 at Fenway.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s three-hit loss.
Pivetta pushes forward Red Sox righty Nick Pivetta was the story early on in this one, facing the minimum of 15 batters over the first five innings and not allowing a hit until there were two outs in the sixth.
In fact, Pivetta was carving the Mariners up so effortlessly in the early stages of his memorable start on Thursday night that you couldn’t blame him for his confident trot toward the dugout on what he assumed was strike three to end the third inning.
Just short of the first-base foul line, Pivetta realized that home-plate umpire Bill Miller called it a ball, even though it did graze the upper-left quadrant of the strike zone on Statcast.
No matter though. Pivetta was in such a zone that he calmly ran back to the mound, threw one more pitch and was out of the inning on a groundout by J.P. Crawford.
“To be honest with you, I thought he said strike. At that moment, I started walking off the field,” Pivetta said. “Nobody was following me, so I turned around. He called a ball, which is fine. It is what it is. I got back on, made the next pitch, turned around and just said, ‘My bad, I thought you said strike.’ I don’t want to show up an umpire any time. That’s not what my intention was.”
Pivetta was determined to bounce back from his previous outing five days ago, when he threw 83 pitches and walked four in just 3 2/3 innings before getting the hook from Cora.
This time, Pivetta made a total of 86 pitches over six innings, allowing two hits and two runs, but also two costly walks in the sixth that led to the game-tying double. Pivetta acknowledged after the game he still needs to be more consistent.
Franchy’s positioning When Pivetta lost the no-hitter on a game-tying, two-run double by Ty France, there was buzz on social media that left fielder Franchy Cordero was to blame by taking a circuitous route to the ball.
Per Statcast, Cordero was victimized by shallow positioning. Cordero was standing 252 feet from home plate at the start of the play. The play had a catch probability of just 15 percent.
“We had him right there, that's the recommendation. We make adjustments, but we've been really good about positioning. I'm not going to second-guess that one,” said Cora.
For perspective, consider the average depth of Boston’s left fielder at home against a right-handed batter in the last three seasons. In 2019 and ‘20, it was 277 feet. This season, it is 287 feet.
“He was playing where he was supposed to,” Cora said. “From the dugout, you can't tell. I'll take a look at it, but he gave the effort.”
Missing Brasier Cora said late in Spring Training that the indefinite loss of Ryan Brasier (left calf strain) was going to be a challenge for the bullpen. That came to fruition on Thursday when the manager needed to lean on 24-year-old Darwinzon Hernandez in a tie game in the 10th.
Though Hernandez has electric stuff, his track record of command issues (42 walks in 45 2/3 career innings) makes it a leap of faith to consider him a high-leverage reliever at this stage of his career.
Hernandez’s inexperience showed on Thursday as he mislocated a 2-2 slider that Sam Haggerty hammered for an RBI double. The lefty also walked two, including one that set up a game-breaking, three-run homer by Mitch Haniger. That one was also a pitch where Hernandez didn’t hit his intended spot.
“Obviously it was supposed to be high, but it went low and he hit it out. That’s the pitch I was going with, the fastball,” said Hernandez.
There is still no time-table on when Brasier will return. It should be noted that veteran reliever Adam Ottavino also faltered in this game, walking two in the eighth and giving up the tying run.
“We've been saying that all along, that somebody has to step up. Bottom line is, we had a lead going into the eighth and we ended up losing the game. We feel like we have capable guys, but people have to step up and do the job,” Cora said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 2:41:28 GMT -5
Cora on bullpen roles, Ottavino's leadership April 22nd, 2021 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Three weeks into the season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora now has a set structure in the bullpen, and he plans on sticking with it unless something unforeseen happens.
In the late innings with a lead, the three pitchers Cora will go to are Matt Barnes, Adam Ottavino and Darwinzon Hernandez.
Barnes is the closer and will most often enter with a clean ninth. However, there will be times when he is asked to do a little more, such as when he got six outs in an extra-inning win over the Rays on April 6.
Preferably, Ottavino will come on for a clean eighth, but Cora will also ask the veteran righty to get the team out of a dirty inning at times. He can also close on days Barnes needs a rest.
Hernandez, a lefty with electric stuff, is still a work in progress when it comes to command, as evidenced by his six walks in six innings so far this season. But there is enough there that Cora trusts him when the game is hanging in the balance.
“He struggled early on with command, but as you know, he’s going to pitch high-leverage situations for us,” said Cora. “And we’re very comfortable with Darwinzon, Adam, and Barnesy right now, if we have the lead in the seventh, those are the guys you’re going to see. I think his fastball is getting better compared to Spring Training, and compared to last year. I do believe the swings-and-misses will start coming.”
If the Red Sox are going to keep notching the comeback wins that have been a staple in their strong start, some of the lower-leverage relievers need to gain more consistency.
Most prominent among them is lefty Josh Taylor, who was a pleasant surprise for Cora and the Sox in 2019, but struggled last season after getting COVID-19 and is off to a rough start this season.
In Wednesday’s eventual 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays, the Sox trailed by just a run when Taylor came on in the top of the ninth. His outing put the game more out of reach for Boston, as he gave up three hits, two walks and two runs in one inning.
Cora often repeats a piece of advice manager Terry Francona gave him in his playing days about not “chasing wins during the week.”
What that means is that when the team is down a run or two, you need to skip the highest-leverage relievers and go to other relievers. And that’s why Cora went to Taylor on Wednesday instead of Hernandez in that spot.
“We can’t go to Darwinzon in that situation, down one, trying to chase wins. If we’re gonna [get] a win, J.T. has to do the job,” Cora said. “So far, he hasn’t done it. Velocity is there, slider is OK. I do believe he’s avoiding the strike zone. When you do that, then it’s bases loaded, one out. Get ahead and bury the guys. That’s what you’ve got to do and he hasn’t done it so far.”
Righties Hirokazu Sawamura and Austin Brice are other pitchers Cora will go to when the Sox are down a run or two in the late innings. A rookie -- albeit one who had a decade-long career in Japan -- Sawamura could have the opportunity to pitch his way into higher-leverage situations.
Matt Andriese and Garrett Whitlock have carved out important roles of going multiple innings in the early-to-middle portion of a game when the starter struggles.
Ottavino: Mr. Professional Ottavino has not only established himself as one of Cora’s top weapons in the bullpen, but he’s proven to be someone who helps in more ways than just pitching.
“We're very pleased, and it's not only what he does in between the lines, it’s what he does in the bullpen and the communication with other guys,” Cora said. “He's made us better, you know, not only roster-wise but as far as the communication and things to look for scouting-wise. He's been amazing, he's been great for us.”
While there was an obvious competition between Barnes and Ottavino for the closer’s spot in Spring Training, Ottavino didn’t sulk when Barnes won the job. In fact, he somewhat encouraged Cora to make Barnes the closer.
“I’ve been in that situation where I’ve been the guy that’s been the guy in the place and then have a new guy come in and kind of take that role, and I didn’t really want to cause any waves or anything like that,” Ottavino said. “I could see that meant a lot to him, so I basically told Alex, ‘It’s not vital for me. I’ll do the job, I would love to have it, but at the same time, I understand that I can do other roles and help this team, too, so whatever decision you make, I’m going to be comfortable with it.’ That’s pretty much all I wanted to convey.”
Kiké critique Cora was excited about installing Kiké Hernández as his leadoff hitter to start off the year, but the results have been mixed so far. On the plus side, Hernández has been solid against right-handed pitchers (.280/.321/.480, two homers). However, the right-handed hitter has struggled against lefties (.192/.214/.346). This has been a bit of a reversal of what you would expect.
In his career, Hernández has an .812 OPS against lefties, but his OPS is just .679 against righties.
Cora thinks Hernández has been overanxious at the plate at times. That showed in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s loss when he swung at a 3-1 pitch out of the strike zone. A walk in that spot would have brought the potential tying run to the plate. Instead, Hernández was retired and the rally sputtered.
“He gets to the 3-1, 2-0 counts, and he gets big,” said Cora. “In Spring Training, he was hitting line drives all over the place. I mean, he’s hitting the ball hard. We know that. But he hasn’t been able to control the strike zone when he’s ahead in the count. We knew that coming into the season. We talked about it. We’ve been talking about it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 2:55:32 GMT -5
Red Sox somehow lose, 7-3, despite holding the Mariners to three hits By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 22, 2021, 10:40 p.m.
For six innings, a memorable night at Fenway Park seemed within reach. Starter Nick Pivetta looked as good as he has in a Boston uniform, performing in a fashion so dominant that it didn’t seem outlandish to think that he was capable of authoring the first Red Sox no-hitter since 2008.
Instead, Pivetta’s efforts became a footnote in the face of a night of uncharacteristic self-sabotage. Though Red Sox pitchers limited the Mariners to just three hits, they issued seven walks, resulting in a vexing 7-3, 10-inning loss. The game marked just the eighth time in big league history, and first since 1994, that a team allowed at least seven runs on no more than three hits.
“Two hits, three hits, if you walk seven guys, you’re putting yourself in a bad situation,” grimaced Red Sox manager Alex Cora, whose team fell to 12-8. “It’s not about getting hits, it’s about getting on base. That’s the name of game, and we walked seven guys.”
Four of those free passes were delivered by a bullpen that was charged with five runs over the final four innings, including two by lefthander Darwinzon Hernandez in the 10th. With a runner on second to open the additional frame, Hernandez (0-1) gave up a run-scoring, one-out double to Sam Haggerty, then issued a two-out free pass to No. 9 hitter J.P. Crawford that proved particularly costly when Mitch Haniger followed with a three-run, opposite-field homer into the Sox bullpen.
“It was just a bad day for me,” Hernandez said through translator Bryan Almonte. “Obviously, I wanted to limit those walks. I’m always trying to be aggressive attacking the zone, but it was one of those days that it just didn’t go my way. I just have to turn the page and just be ready for tomorrow.”
Seattle’s eruption in the 10th inning served as an anticlimactic coda for Pivetta’s outstanding outing. The righthander worked at a blistering pace, flying through three perfect innings in just 39 pitches. He featured his best fastball command of the season in combination with a curveball and slider that he proved capable of throwing both in the strike zone and to elicit chases.
Pivetta finally allowed a base runner by walking Haniger to open the fourth, but immediately erased him by eliciting a double- play grounder from Ty France. Pivetta followed with a perfect fifth, then quickly dispatched the first two Mariners of the sixth inning.
But his outing unraveled after 5⅔ hitless innings, once Pivetta lost his feel for the strike zone. He walked Crawford and Haniger to put two on with two outs. France then jumped on a full-count slider, lining it to left and over the head of Franchy Cordero, who was playing in puzzlingly shallow position — about 35 feet shallower than Red Sox left fielders have played against righthanded batters this year, according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com. The ball rolled to the Wall, permitting both runners to cross the plate, knotting the game at 2.
“We’ve been really good about positioning,” said Cora. “I’m not going to second-guess that one.”
France’s double — on which the designated hitter was thrown out attempting to advance to third — concluded the night for Pivetta, who absorbed a no-decision yet likely gained something more in a confidence-building outing that was as good as he’s had since being acquired in a trade last August.
“I think I’m getting more consistent as time goes on. I think today I was the most consistent I have been [with the Red Sox],” said Pivetta. “As a whole, I’m very confident with the direction I’m moving in.”
In six innings, he allowed two runs on just the one hit while walking three and striking out four. He lowered his ERA to 3.48 through four starts.
Still, Pivetta’s excellence was not rewarded with a win in part due to the solid work of former Boston College star Justin Dunn, who made his first big league appearance at Fenway. Dunn worked around a first-inning walk with three strikeouts on breaking pitches.
Mindful of how Dunn had carved his teammates, Rafael Devers wasn’t going to wait when the righthander came at him with a 93-mile-per-hour fastball on a 1-0 count to open the second. Devers slammed the offering over the Sox bullpen for a homer, his sixth of the season.
The Red Sox added another run in fourth inning when Devers singled, stole second, then scored on a single by Hunter Renfroe that put the Sox ahead, 2-0. But those two runs were all that Dunn allowed over five innings in which he gave up six hits, walked one, and struck out six.
The tie game was put in the hands of two bullpens that have been among the most effective in baseball, with Mariners relievers entering the night with a 2.69 ERA and the Sox bullpen at 2.86.
The Sox struck first in the seventh. Kiké Hernández took advantage of his home environment, lofting a fly ball to left-center. Center fielder Kyle Lewis and left fielder Taylor Trammell had an inharmonious convergence at the Wall, with the ball bouncing over both to permit Hernández to race to third base. He then scored on a wild pitch by Casey Sadler to put the Sox ahead, 3-2.
But the Sox, who’d entered the night with a 10-0 record when leading after six innings, could not preserve their advantage. Adam Ottavino walked the first two batters he faced, then threw wildly to third after fielding a sacrifice bunt attempt. His throw allowed pinch runner Haggerty to score the tying run, positioning the game to extend into extras, where the team’s previously unblemished record when holding a lead endured its first defacing.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 2:58:01 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook How Red Sox manager Alex Cora has more clearly defined bullpen roles By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 22, 2021, 7:21 p.m.
Throughout the spring, Alex Cora maintained an air of playful mystery about how he planned to navigate the late innings. Three weeks into the season, however, the Red Sox manager believes such gamesmanship is no longer necessary, as he’s forged a clearer sense of every pitcher’s role.
“We see what’s going on, we see where we’re at, we see what we’re doing,” said Cora. “Now it’s time to start structuring the bullpen.”
Cora said that when the Sox have a lead in the seventh inning, he envisions lefthander Darwinzon Hernandez and then righthanders Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes covering the final three innings.
“Right now, if we have the lead in the seventh, those are the guys you’re going to see,” said Cora.
The official unveiling of that trio went poorly in the Red Sox’ 7-3 loss to the Mariners on Thursday night. Ottavino inherited a 3-2 advantage in the eighth and promptly fumbled it, issuing two walks and committing an error when trying to force the lead runner at third on a sacrifice attempt. After a scoreless ninth by Barnes, Hernandez then allowed four runs on a pair of hits — a run-scoring double and three-run homer — wrapped around two walks.
That Hernandez has been put in such a high-leverage role is a reminder of the fact that the Red Sox are still, in some ways, trying to account for the absence of Ryan Brasier, who has been sidelined by a calf strain.
“Somebody has to step up,” said Cora. “We feel like we have capable guys, but people have to step up and do the job.”
Barnes has done just that. He now has a 0.90 ERA with 17 strikeouts and two walks in 10 innings.
While Cora left open the question of whether Barnes or Ottavino would close in spring training, Ottavino — acquired in a trade from the Yankees shortly before spring training — informed his manager that no matter what Cora decided, there would be no controversy.
“There was a lot of this closer competition talk,” said Ottavino (6.75 ERA, 9 strikeouts, 6 walks, and 2 blown saves in 6⅔ innings). “I didn’t really want to cause any waves or anything like that, so I figured, I could see that [closing] meant a lot to [Barnes], so I basically told Alex, it’s not vital for me. I’ll do the job, I would love to have it, but at the same time, I understand that I can do other roles and help this team, too, so whatever decision you make, I’m going to be comfortable with it.”
In theory, Ottavino and Hernandez strike out batters at elite rates, though Hernandez hasn’t been as overpowering in 2021 (20.0 percent strikeout rate) as he was in 2019-20 (37.4 percent). Despite his poor results on Thursday, however, Hernandez suggested he was undeterred.
“It feels great to know that [Cora] trusts me in those type of situations,” Hernandez said through translator Bryan Almonte. “I just have to go out there and prove him right.”
While Cora plans to use the frontline of Hernandez, Ottavino, and Barnes when holding a lead, he also envisions using a sort of “second line” of relievers to hold games in check when the Red Sox trail in competitive games. Hirokazu Sawamura (2.08 ERA, 7 strikeouts in 8⅔ innings), Phillips Valdez (2.00 ERA, 7 strikeouts in 9 innings), Austin Brice (4.76 ERA, 3 strikeouts in 5⅔ innings), and Josh Taylor (10.80 ERA, 7 strikeouts in 6⅔ innings) have handled most of the innings in those situations, with Taylor’s struggled to date representing cause for concern.
“If we’re gonna chase a win, J.T. has to do the job,” said Cora. “So far, he hasn’t done it.”
For now, Garrett Whitlock and Matt Andriese appear to have more loosely defined roles given their ability to pitch multiple innings and, in the case of Whitlock, the cautious approach employed by the team with a pitcher who has been a starter throughout his minor league career. Overall, Cora sees a commitment to structured roles as a key to maintaining the health and effectiveness of his relievers.
“It’s not about giving roles, but manage the game accordingly not only for tonight but also for the next day and the next series,” said Cora. “You abuse them this week and then in two weeks is when you see the workload taking over.” Golden opportunity
Red Sox prospects Triston Casas and Jarren Duran are slated to play for Team USA in the Olympic qualifying event scheduled for next month in Florida.
Team USA, managed by Mike Scioscia, is the top-ranked team in the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier May 31 through June 5 at ballparks in the Palm Beaches and St. Lucie County.
Canada, Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela are also in the tournament.
The winner receives a berth in the Olympics. The second- and third-place finishers will advance to another qualifying tournament in June. Jarren Duran had an impressive spring.
Casas, 21, was a first-round draft pick in 2018. Duran, 24, was a seventh-round pick that same year. Duran is with the Red Sox alternate site group in Worcester. Casas is attending minor league spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.
Red Sox minor league outfield and base-running coordinator Darren Fenster was selected as third base coach of Team USA.
“The potential of going to the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Fenster. “It’s something that’s very, very meaningful to me and I’m really excited about it.” Local talent
Thursday’s game represented a striking confluence of top pitching talent from Northeast college programs, with righthander Justin Dunn (a first-rounder out of Boston College in 2016) making the start for the Mariners, and Ottavino (2006 first-rounder from Northeastern) and Barnes (2011 first-rounder from UConn) in the Red Sox bullpen. “I always feel like we’re a little underrated up here in the Northeast, so I try to encourage as many guys as I can when they do get up here that I’m happy to see you and good luck,” said Ottavino. “It’s nice to connect with other guys [from the Northeast].” … Dunn’s first big league appearance at Fenway came exactly six years after his prior outing at Fenway, when he recorded a save for BC in a victory over Harvard in the Baseball Beanpot final … In an intrasquad game at the alternate site in Worcester, lefthander Kyle Hart struggled with his control, walking seven in two innings. First baseman Josh Ockimey smashed a 440-foot homer to right. Infielder Jonathan Araúz and outfielder Marcus Wilson also went deep.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:00:23 GMT -5
Red Sox righthander Nick Pivetta deserved better in his latest impressive start By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 22, 2021, 11:52 p.m.
With two outs in the third inning on Thursday night, Nick Pivetta threw a two-strike curveball to Seattle’s J.P. Crawford that appeared to catch the upper part of the strike zone.
Pivetta walked off the mound with a cocky strut that was practically a dance step. He got halfway to the dugout before realizing plate umpire Bill Miller had called the pitch a ball.
“Nobody was following me,” said Pivetta, who thought Miller had called a strike.
With a scowl, Pivetta got back atop the mound and threw another curveball that Crawford grounded to second.
This time, he stopped on his way to the dugout to assure Miller he wasn’t trying to show him up, even if that’s what it looked like.
Either way, Pivetta had that “can’t stop me” mojo going for much of the night at Fenway Park, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning before walking two and giving up a two-run double.
He didn’t get the decision in a game the Sox lost, 7-3, in 10 innings. Pivetta deserved better in his latest impressive start.
“He was outstanding. Good fastball, good command of his secondary pitches,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “If he can throw his fastball for strikes, he can go deep into games, and he did that today.”
Pivetta lost his no-hitter with two outs in the sixth when Ty France doubled to the gap in left. Had he not been playing shallow, left fielder Franchy Cordero might have had a play on the ball.
Cordero has been decidedly unimpressive this season. But don’t blame him for that one. The coaches had positioned him there based on the information they were given.
“He was playing where he was supposed to,” Cora said.
Pivetta blamed himself. He had a chance to get out of the inning but left a slider up.
“It was middle-up, middle up and away. Just didn’t locate it well enough,” he said.
Pivetta claimed a no-hitter was not on his mind.
“No, not at all,” he said. “Just focusing on getting outs and keeping my team in the best position to win the baseball game. At the time we had a two-run lead.” Related: Red Sox somehow lose, 7-3, despite holding the Mariners to three hits
You can blame Cordero for misplaying a ball in the 10th inning that gave Seattle the lead. Then Mitch Haniger’s three-run homer off Darwinzon Hernandez settled matters.
The Sox are 3-5 since their 9-3 start.
Pivetta, a 28-year-old righthander from Canada, competes with an edge. During a conversation in spring training, he seemed as much determined to prove the Phillies wrong for trading him last summer as he was to succeed for the Red Sox.
But motivation is where you find it.
“This guy, he has worked hard on his craft,” Cora said. “The season ended last year and he went down there to Fort Myers to keep working. He’s getting better. You see the stuff, it’s a lot better than last year. He’s put himself in a good position. We’re very happy with him.”
Even postgame, after pitching very well, Pivetta was visibly annoyed with some innocuous questions. Several of his answers were short and snappy.
But that’s not a bad thing. Too often we see pitchers look for positives after losses. He deflected that.
“I hold myself accountable,” Pivetta said.
For now, it’s certainly a deal that blew up on the Phillies. The Sox are 5-1 in the games Pivetta has started since the trade and he has a 2.93 ERA with 9.19 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Sox also landed 25-year-old righthander Connor Seabold, a former third-round pick who could make his debut later this season.
Philadelphia got back relievers Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman. Both pitched poorly down the stretch then weren’t invited back after becoming free agents.
Workman is now with the Cubs and Hembree has a minor league deal with the Reds. The Sox made out just fine.
“I’ve done a pretty good job to this point. There’s a lot to work on,” Pivetta said. “I’m capable of much more … on the whole I’m very confident in the direction I’m moving in.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:05:22 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 8h Quite a hustle 1st inning for Alex Verdugo. Sliding catch on defense and now he digs for his first #RedSox triple.
And now a stolen base for Alex Verdugo after a single in the 3rd.
This guy brings it. I enjoy that style. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:06:09 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7h Not a good route to that ball from Franchy Cordero, who broke to his left instead of going back. Not sure he had a play, but didn't give himself a chance.
#RedSox had him playing shallow.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:09:21 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h Could hear someone in the #RedSox infield yelling, 'Three! Three!'
Adam Ottavino throws it away. It's 3-3 in the 8th.
Darwinzon Hernandez getting squeezed and more misadventures in left from Franchy Cordero. It's 4-3 Mariners in the 10th.
Been all downhill for the #RedSox since taking a 2-0 lead. This has been sloppy.
Mitch Haniger to the #RedSox bullpen. It's 7-3 Mariners in the 10th.
Walk extended the inning. Got it to Seattle's best hitter. And Boston paid yet again.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:09:49 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h J.P. Crawford entered tonight with a .549 OPS. One extra-base hit in 62 plate appearances. The #RedSox walked him twice. He scored both times.
Just can't happen.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:11:02 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h Alex Cora -- 'We walked too many guys. There was a lot of traffic at the end. We weren't able to put them away.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'When you walk the ninth hitter you put yourselves in a bad spot. Lack of execution, you could say.' #RedSox
Cora on Cordero's positioning when France doubled -- 'That was the recommendation. We make adjustments, but we've been really good about positioning. I'm not going to second-guess that.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2021 3:12:38 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h Nick Pivetta said he never thought about trying to finish a no-hitter. Was just trying to get outs and win. #RedSox
Pivetta on the France double -- 'Obviously the two walks before that were really disappointing. I hold myself accountable for that.' #RedSox
Pivetta -- 'I think that I'm getting more consistent as time goes on.'
'As a whole I'm very confident with the direction I'm moving in.' #RedSox
Nick Pivetta -- 'I started walking off the field and nobody was following me, so I turned around. He'd called it a ball, which is fine.'
'I just turned around and said, 'My bad. I thought you said strike.' That's all it was. I don't want to show up an umpire.' #RedSox
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