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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:03:14 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 6h Garrett Whitlock — a Rule 5 Draft choice plucked by the Red Sox from the Yankees — still hasn't allowed a run this year. He's through 2 tonight, striking out three while allowing just one hit.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:06:03 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 6h Garrett Whitlock retired 25 consecutive batters before allowing that 6th-inning single. That was the longest streak by a Red Sox pitcher since Chris Sale retired 25 straight in June 2019 (h/t @eliassports).
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h Kyle Lewis with the first career extra-base hit allowed by Garrett Whitlock. He shoots a double off the visiting bullpen to open the 8th. #RedSox
And now Whitlock issues his first career walk to Evan White. Dave Bush coming out and Adam Ottavino is warming. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:08:45 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7h Martin Perez with four walks -- all of them to the bottom third of the Seattle lineup. Feels like he's done if he can't retire J.P. Crawford, and that would seem warranted. #RedSox
That's really just an awful inning from Martin Perez for a handful of reasons. Two walks, a single by the 9 hitter on 0-2, not backing up home plate and then cutting the throw.
Any two of those put together would be more than enough, let alone all of them at once. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:10:19 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h Alex Cora -- 'That was a grind. We'll take it. We're not going to complain about wins.' #RedSox
Cora on the Verdugo assist in the 5th -- 'He had the play right in front of him. Sometimes runners take that for granted.'
'It wasn't a close play at third base.' #RedSox
Cora on Whitlock -- 'He gave us what we needed.'
'What he did was amazing. We're very pleased with the way he's throwing the ball.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:11:41 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h Replying to @billkoch25 Cora -- 'I think the walks are killing us. It's something we need to address. We need to be more aggressive in the strike zone.' #RedSox
Cora on Sawamura -- 'That was a huge strikeout against Haniger.'
'That was a huge part of the game right there. He did an amazing job.' #RedSox
Cora on Bogaerts -- 'That was a great game by him today. He helped us to gain momentum. Defense was solid.'
'We grinded that one. It was a good win.' #RedSox
Cora on the Verdugo assist in the 5th -- 'He had the play right in front of him. Sometimes runners take that for granted.'
'It wasn't a close play at third base.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:13:09 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Martin Perez -- 'I didn't feel comfortable with my fastball today. I was throwing too many pitches around the zone.'
'My changeup wasn't there tonight, too. I need to throw more changeup for strikes.' #RedSox
Perez -- 'I know it's still early, but I have to fix it to have great games again and give wins to my teammates. I know what I have to do.'
'I have a couple things on my mind that I'm going to work on.' #RedSox
Perez on cutting off the throw from center in the 4th -- 'I got mad in that inning. I was supposed to go to home plate.'
'It was my bad.'
'Just turn the page, come back tomorrow and do my job.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:14:38 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Xander Bogaerts on starting a 6-4-3 in the 1st -- 'That was nice. That was better than a homer. It saved a run.' #RedSox
Bogaerts -- 'I knew a homer was going to come. I predicted it was going to come on this home stand. But I got a couple more after that.' #RedSox
Bogaerts -- 'It's fun. That lay in the 1st inning. That was really nice -- probably one of the best ones. And the timing -- I know we haven't been playing that good at home.' #RedSox
Bogaerts -- 'I've been here a long time. I know when it's cold you don't try to get any homers.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:15:49 GMT -5
Sean McAdam @sean_McAdam · 7h In game No. 21, JD Martinez has equaled his home run total from all of last year (seven).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:16:24 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h Since his first full season, Bogaerts has had the ability to punch singles up the middle or the other way with a runner on third.
Always has had a good situational approach.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:27:06 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Garrett Whitlock retires 25 straight batters over five outings; Alex Verdugo’s outfield assist was ‘amazing,’ Alex Cora says Updated 12:23 AM; Today 12:13 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
Rookie Garrett Whitlock hurled 2 ⅓ scoreless innings Friday and still has yet to allow a run in the majors.
The Red Sox won 6-5 over the Mariners at Fenway Park.
Whitlock — a Rule 5 Draft pick who Boston selected from the Yankees — has tossed 11 ⅓ scoreless innings in five outings. He has 14 strikeouts and just one walk. The opposition is batting .128 against him.
Whitlock had retired 25 straight batters over parts of five outings before giving up a single to Sam Haggerty with two outs in the sixth. It marked the longest such streak by a Red Sox pitcher since Chris Sale retired 25 consecutive batters in 2019.
Whitlock finally allowed his first walk Friday. His aggressiveness in the strike zone has been quite impressive.
“It’s amazing. I think he got to a 3-2 count against (Kyle) Seager and threw a fastball right by him,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He doesn’t shy away from the strike zone. And he has great stuff. Today, I was looking up and it wasn’t his best outing but he gave us what we needed. And his composure, he understands the game.”
Adam Ottavino deserves an assist in keeping Whitlock’s ERA at 0.00. Ottavino relieved Whitlock with one out in the eighth inning and runners at second and third. Ottavino struck out both batters he faced to end the inning and keep it a 6-2 game.
“Probably he (Whitlock) is a little bit down that he wasn’t able to finish that inning knowing where we were bullpen-wise coming into the game, but what he did was amazing and we’re very pleased with the way he’s throwing the ball,” Cora said.
Verdugo with an ‘amazing’ assist
Alex Verdugo, who started in left field, made an excellent play to end the top of the fifth and keep the lead at 3-2. Evan White hit a ball off the Green Monster that Verdugo bare handed.
Instead of throwing to second base to keep White out of scoring position, Verdugo threw out Kyle Seager going from first to third base.
“He had the play right in front of him,” Cora said. “Sometimes runners take that for granted. It wasn’t a close play at third base. So he saw it. He trusts his arm. He’s very accurate and he got him out.”
Verdugo, who also stroked three hits, should have had two outfield assists. Mitch Haniger led off the game with a double. Verdugo threw into second baseman Christian Arroyo who dropped the ball.
“The first play of the game he put the ball on the money at second base. Christian, he just didn’t catch the ball,” Cora said. “But that (second) throw was amazing because probably he was feeling, ‘Let me go to second.’ But he had the presence of mind where he turned, he saw Seager right there and he put it right on the money.
“We like Alex, the way he is playing,” Cora added. “The fact that he can play all over the place and be really good, that’s a plus for us.”
Martinez: ‘I am a DH’
DH J.D. Martinez likes when Alex Cora plays him in the outfield. But he’s fine with just being a DH in the cold New England weather during April.
“Days like yesterday (Thursday), I think I am a DH,” Martinez said. “Thank God I am one because I felt bad for those guys being out there. I know how I feel when I’m out there from the on-deck circle, then to the batter’s box and then I go back inside. So I know how it is. It’s cold. You’ve got the wind blowing in your face when you’re hitting. Your eyes are getting all watery. It’s freezing. Every pitch that goes by, your hands get more and more numb and your eyes more and more dry. It’s not fun. It really isn’t. It’s not baseball weather.”
Red Sox working on bunting
Red Sox hitters worked on bunting during batting practice Friday.
“You saw it already,” Cora said. “We’ve bunted twice in 20 games. We might break my own record as a manager this season. I do believe there’s a few things we’re going to do different this year offensively. And that’s why the guys are out there bunting.”
Cordero striking out too much
Franchy Cordero, who didn’t play Friday, has struck out 20 times in 42 at-bats. That’s a 43.5% strikeout percentage.
“Franchy’s striking out a lot lately,” Cora said. “That’s something we need to do a better job.”
Taking Dalbec aside
Cora said before Friday’s game an advanced scout told him the Red Sox are fourth in the majors in scoring runs with a man at third base and fewer than two outs. Cora has stressed the importance of making contact with a runner at third base and fewer than two outs.
He pulled Bobby Dalbec aside Thursday when the slugger had a day off.
“There was a situation where we didn’t make contact,” Cora said. “And Bobby wasn’t playing So I pulled him aside and I was like, ‘That’s what I mean. In those situations you put the ball into play. Even if you hit into a double play, we score a run. ... It’s about scoring runs.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:29:11 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Hirokazu Sawamura earns first MLB win with 4 crucial outs; ‘That was a huge part of the game right there. We needed that’ Updated 1:13 AM; Today 1:08 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
Red Sox starter Martín Pérez lacked command and lasted only 3 ⅔ innings Friday. But the bullpen, beginning with Hirokazu Sawamura, held the lead.
Sawamura inherited two runners with two outs in the fourth after J.P. Crawford’s RBI single cut the Red Sox lead to 3-2.
The righty struck out Seattle’s best hitter, Mitch Haniger, swinging on a 91.3 mph splitter. He then pitched a scoreless fifth inning to record his first MLB win.
The Red Sox won 6-5 over the Mariners at Fenway Park.
Sawamura started Haniger with two sliders and a four-seamer before putting him away with the splitter.
“That was a huge strikeout against Haniger,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The fastball actually is playing better. He’s elevating a little bit more, which is good. And now we can create that tunnel: throw the fastball up and the split down. If he can do that, he’s going to keep getting better and better.”
The Japanese righty, who signed with the Red Sox this offseason, came to the United States with the reputation of throwing a nasty splitter. But his slider initially looked better than his splitter, which he had difficulty commanding.
“I think the action is a lot better,” Cora said about Sawamura’s splitter. “And it started in Minnesota I think. He threw one at 95 (mph) with great action. It feels like little by little, it’s getting there. We talk about the slider in spring training and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s good. A third pitch.’ He’s been struggling with command and the action of his split. But the last few, it’s been there.”
Sawamura has allowed just two runs in 10 innings (1.80 ERA). He has held opposing hitters to a .182 batting average.
The Red Sox are easing him into the major leagues. He entered Friday having faced 28 batters in low-leverage situations, six batters in medium-leverage situations and one batter in a high-leverage situation. He should start seeing more high leverage opportunities.
“It’s his first big league experience. And I think little by little, you can see him gaining confidence,” Cora said. “And we’ll give him leverage innings. That was a huge part of the game right there. We needed that and he did an amazing job.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 3:32:32 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 6h Garrett Whitlock:
Spring Training – 4 G, 9.0 IP, 1 R, 8-for-35, 0 BB, 12 K
Regular Season – 5 G, 11.1 IP, 0 R, 5-for-39, 1 BB, 14 K
Total – 20.1 IP, 1 R, 0.44 ERA, 26 K, 1 BB, 13-for-74 (.176)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 4:03:43 GMT -5
Mariners @ Red Sox Saturday, 24th April 2021 1pm @ Fenway
Flexen 1-1/3.38
Went too to toe last time out vs Zach Grienke and earned a 1-0 win. He also reached the 6th inning for the 2nd time in his career.
Nasty Nate 3-1/3.04
Has issued just 4 walks and no home runs this season.
Seattle Mariners vs. Boston Red Sox Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 1:10pm EDT Written by Adam Rauzino
The Seattle Mariners continue to surprise and will seek yet another upset win when they clash with the Boston Red Sox in the third of a four-game series Saturday afternoon from Fenway Park. The Mariners have Chris Flexen on the hill and the Red Sox will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound. The Mariners tallied a 7-3 win in Thursday’s series opener, and the Red Sox answered with a 6-5 win on Friday.
Flexen Squanders 10 hits, Mariners Pitching Thrives
The Mariners will give Chris Flexen the nod on Saturday. Flexen evaded danger in his latest effort, conceding just one run on a whopping 10 hits in six innings against the Astros in a tough 1-0 loss. The young right-hander has fared well in two of his three performances this season and has registered a 3.38 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP accompanied by a 1-1 record in 16 innings. This will mark his first career meeting against the Red Sox.
Seattle has to be pleased with its results thus far. They have been competitive against strong opponents and held the potent Dodgers' offense to only a total of four runs in two games earlier this week before limiting Boston to just three runs in Thursday’s series opener.
The Mariners are glad to welcome Kyle Lewis back from the IL. The 25-year old right fielder made his season debut earlier this week after winning the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year. Lewis launched 11 home runs along with 28 RBI’s and a .801 OPS in 2020 and is 0 for 7 at the plate in his first two games of this season.
Seattle is averaging 4.26 runs per game, ranking them 16th in the big leagues. They own a solid 3.80 team ERA, good for 11th overall.
Eovaldi Registers Win, Red Sox Cool Down
Red Sox ace Nathan Eovaldi will start this one. Eovaldi wasn’t at his best last time out, squandering four runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings against a good White Sox lineup, resulting in an 11-4 win. The veteran right-hander is having a terrific season, posting a 3.04 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP complimented with a 3-1 record in 23.2 innings of work. Eovaldi has yielded decent results in his four career meetings against the Mariners, filing a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings.
Boston has cooled down after their big winning streak earlier in the month, especially from an offensive standpoint however they remain in the top spot in the AL East and it’s safe to say this team is going to score a ton of runs. They tallied one win in two games against Toronto this week, and have lost two straight bouts heading into Friday night.
Xander Bogaerts continues to come up huge at the dish, launching two big flys along with four RBI's in his last three clashes entering Friday night. The 28-year old slugger is flaunting a dazzling .371 average along with eight RBI’s and a .970 OPS. Bogaerts went 1 for 5 in the series opener.
The Red Sox rank second overall with an average of 5.30 runs per game on the season. They feature a 3.83 team ERA, good for 12th in the big leagues.
The Seattle Mariners are:
20-47 in their last 67 games against a starter with a WHIP above 1.30.
The Boston Red Sox are:
12-5 in their last 17 games overall. 4-0 in Eovaldi's last 4 starts against the AL West. 6-0 in Eovaldi's last 6 starts on 4 days of rest.
Mariners at Red Sox Saturday, at 1:10 PM EST Clear According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 66° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 12 MPH wind blowing left to right in Boston at 1:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 7:22:12 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 2h The Globe's Julian McWilliams nice quantified the quicker approach, curveball addition to slow hitters down for his 98-100 MPH stuff--in hi last 8 starts, Nate Eovaldi had a 2.01 ERA, 0 HR, 6 BB.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2021 8:51:28 GMT -5
The latest reminder that the Red Sox are fortunate to have Xander Bogaerts By Rob Bradford an hour ago
Xander Bogaerts has been a good player for a while now.
But, as the Red Sox' 6-5 win over the Mariners Friday night showed, the shortstop's current existence is more important than ever. Bogaerts is simply the foundation to whatever Chaim Bloom ... start and stop.
In this case, Bogaerts hit his third homer in the last four games. He is hitting .378 with a 1.012 OPS, far and away better than any shortstop in the big leagues.
“I don’t know how he gets to them sometimes right? It’s just, we talk about swings and getting on plane and hitting the ball in the air," Cora said of Bogaerts' swing. "Well, he hits the ball in the air in a different way. It seems more like an old-school swing. Chop wood and get on top of the ball, but he’s such a strong guy and he can get to whatever. There’s no limits when he can get up there and I think there’s no limits also when he’s looking at something inside. That was a great game by him today. He helped us to gain momentum, defense was solid. He’s actually doing a lot better job at shortstop moving his feet and throwing to first base, which is great. Like I said, we grinder that one and it was a good win.”
As the Herald's Jason Mastrodonato pointed out after the win, understand how good Bogaerts has been with the bat look to his numbers since the beginning of 2019. Bogaerts' OPS: .929; Mookie Betts OPS: .916.
Oh, yes, the defense.
The guy who some believed would be biding his time where it all started in 2013 -- at third base -- by now continues to help set the tone in the middle of the Red Sox' infield. In this case there was a nifty first-inning double play, along with a game-ending catch.
“I actually would love that (first) defensive play instead of that homer,” Bogaerts said. “It saved a run. They could’ve easily got a rally going and got a couple more, and it kind of stopped that. That was very nice. Very big.”
The other part of this equation is how Bogaerts is absolutely the right guy at the right time. You need this kind of player and presence in the midst of turning over a roster, an exercise Chaim Bloom and Co. and are currently undertaking.
So many players have shown potential on the way to this 13-8 start, with Cora still attempting to find exactly which pieces fits best where.
Is he the face of Boston sports? That might be a stretch. (Certainly doing what he has done the last few years on bad teams under pandemic restrictions hasn't helped push that narrative.) But is he currently the face of the Red Sox? Absolutely.
It's going to be important to keep that face front and center.
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