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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:00:48 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rangers Thursday, 29th April 2021 8pm @ Globe Life Park
Perez 0-1/5.71
Coming off back to back outings not getting out of the 4th inning. He is 1-0/4.94 vs the Rangers in 2 starts.
Gibson 2-0/2.30
Has yet to take a loss this season and has only allowed only 2 earned runs or less over his last 4 starts holding opponents to a .235 batting average.
Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 8:05pm EDT Written by Nick Raffoul
The Boston Red Sox will travel to Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas on Thursday night for the opening of a four-game American League series clash versus the Texas Rangers.
The Red Sox remain atop the AL East standings with a 16-9 record after dethroning Mets ace Jacob deGrom in a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Boston owns a three-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the division standings. Meanwhile, Texas is trying to battle its way out of the cellar in the AL West, where it trails the division-leading Oakland A’s by 4.5-games with a 10-14 overall record.
Can Boston open its series in Texas with a win over the Rangers on Thursday night?
In search of first win, Perez set to face former team The Red Sox will turn to veteran left-hander Martin Perez for his fifth start of the season on Thursday evening. Perez enters with an 0-1 record to go along with a 5.71 ERA in four starts this season. The Red Sox left-hander has failed to get out of the fourth inning in each of his last two starts. In his previous trip to the mound, he allowed just two runs in 3 ⅔ frames against the Seattle Mariners but walked a season-high four batters on the night.
Perez has a 5.71 ERA and a 5.51 xFIP but his overall peripherals aren’t that bad. Sure, he’s posted a walk rate of 4.67 batters per nine innings of work, but he’s also striking out a career-high 7.79 batters per nine this season. The Red Sox lefty has also been victimized by a .352 BABIP but has been able to hold down the fort by allowing just 5.3 percent of his fly balls to leave the ballpark. If he can keep up that mark, he should be able to turn things around in the near future.
Perez spent the first seven seasons of his career in Arlington with the Rangers. Since being acquired by the Red Sox, Perez has made two starts against Texas, going 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in those matchups. According to Baseball Savant, current Rangers are batting a slim .188 in 16 plate appearances off of Perez heading into Thursday’s start against his former team.
Gibson looking to string together fifth straight quality start Veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson will try to continue his strong start to the season when he takes the hill at Globe Life Park on Thursday. The 33-year-old is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA with 23 strikeouts in five starts this season. After managing just one out and giving up five earned runs in his first start of the year, Gibson has bounced back wonderfully, allowing just two earned runs over his next four starts. The Rangers’ righty has turned in four consecutive quality starts with a 0.67 ERA in 27 combined innings of work. Last time out, Gibson held the Chicago White Sox to just one run in six innings of work but was rendered with a no-decision for his efforts.
After posting an ERA north of 4.50 in each of the past two seasons, Gibson has found his form again in Arlington. It’s hard to poke hole in his strong start. The veteran has cut his walk rate down to just 2.63 batters per nine innings of work and owns a 2.95 xERA to go along with a 2.38 FIP through five starts.
Gibson hasn’t seen the Red Sox since the 2019 season when he was lit up for six runs in 4 ⅓ frames. He is 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA in seven career starts against Boston. Per Baseball Savant, Gibson has held current Red Sox batters to a .250 batting average and 84.1 average exit velocity in 82 plate appearances heading into Thursday’s start.
Boston
Red Sox are 39-15 in their last 54 games as a road favorite. Red Sox are 15-6 in their last 21 overall. Red Sox are 6-1 in their last 7 during game 1 of a series
Texas
Rangers are 2-6 in their last 8 home games. Rangers are 1-4 in their last 5 overall. Rangers are 15-37 in their last 52 during game 1 of a series.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:05:05 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rangers Match Ups
Thursday, 8:05 p.m. -- LHP Martín Pérez (0-1, 5.71 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (2-0, 2.30 ERA)
Friday, 8:05 p.m. -- RHP Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.77 ERA) vs. RHP Kohei Arihara (2-2, 4.03 ERA)
Saturday, 7:05 p.m. -- LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52 ERA) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75 ERA)
Sunday, 2:35 p.m. -- RHP Garrett Richards (1-2, 4.94 ERA) vs. RHP Mike Foltynewicz (1-3, 4.61 ERA)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:35:57 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 5h Lone #RedSox 16-win month the prior two seasons was in May 2019.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:43:39 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook The Red Sox’ Rafael Devers has a well-earned reputation as a clutch player By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 28, 2021, 7:56 p.m.
NEW YORK — Rafael Devers singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning Tuesday in the Red Sox’ 2-1 victory over the Mets.
Devers, 24, is no stranger to what it means to be a clutch player, even at this early stage in his career. Since the start of the 2019 season, Devers leads the majors with 61 go-ahead or tying RBIs.
“He’s important,” manager Alex Cora said before Wednesday night’s 1-0 win. “There’s a reason he’s hitting behind those two guys [J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts]. He’s going to have a lot of traffic in front of him and he does a good job with the game on the line and men in scoring position.”
Heading into Wednesday night’s series finale, Devers was hitting .393 with runners in scoring position this season, and .296 for his career.
“I try to mostly be a complete player,” Devers said. “That’s really the type of player that I try to focus on. It doesn’t matter what the score is. I’m always going to give the same at-bat that I always do throughout the game because that’s just the type of mentality that I have.”
Devers also has played a solid third base, displaying a level of enthusiasm that eluded him last season.
He’s a happy guy, you know, he’s happy,” Cora said. “He enjoys playing the game. There’s not like, the moments aren’t that big for him. They’re not. And I think it’s more because he trusts himself. He trusts the ability.” Full house awaits
The Red Sox next travel to Texas for a four-game series against the Rangers that begins Thursday night.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced updated COVID-19 guidelines, which included a plan to ease some restrictions at large venues. As a result, Fenway Park will be able to increase attendance to 25 percent of capacity. Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, however, has been at full capacity, seating more than 40,000 fans.
“We haven’t talked about it [as a team],” Cora said. “I don’t think too many things change. Well, just keep it very simple: from the room to the bus, to the bus to the stadium, and just keep doing what we do.”
There is a golf course at the hotel at which the Red Sox will be staying, but Cora noted that the players will not be allowed to use it because of Major League Baseball protocols. Turning it around?
Christian Vázquez laced an RBI double off Mets ace Jacob deGrom in the second inning Wednesday night, giving the Sox a 1-0 lead.
Vázquez was short and quick to the ball, getting to a 100-mile-per-hour pitch above the strike zone. That might be what gets Vázquez going. In his last six games, he was hitting just .095 in 23 plate appearances, a result of a long swing, according to Cora.
“When Christian is going well, he hits the ball the other way,” Cora said before the game. “He has a tendency of getting big, and then he starts hitting too many fly balls and he starts getting long. The good hitter is the one that stays short to the ball and tries to work right-center.”
The double, indeed, was to right-center, giving Vázquez his sixth RBI of the season. Keep battling
The Red Sox lead the majors with 11 come-from behind wins, and Cora credits the starting pitching. “Even though we fall behind, they keep pitching,” Cora said. “They keep the game in check. And then, offensively, we’re going to score runs at some point. I‘ve been saying all along, the cool thing about this team is from pitch one all the way to the end, they’re fighting every pitch.” … Home plate umpire Jerry Layne took a Francisco Lindor foul tip off the mask in the third inning. Lindor and Vázquez rushed to hold up Layne as he stumbled back. The pair quickly motioned for trainers. Layne left the game and first base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt took over behind the plate … The Red Sox’ next three series are against teams with losing records — Rangers (10-15), Tigers (8-16), and Orioles (10-14) — giving them a chance to cushion their lead in the American League East.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:49:46 GMT -5
This season, the Red Sox are capable of winning in many ways By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 28, 2021, 11:18 p.m.
NEW YORK — If the Red Sox remain this captivating into the summer, Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory against the Mets will be remembered as a signpost.
Playing with a nice pile of house money after winning the first game of the series, the Sox stared down the dragon that is Jacob deGrom.
They scored a run in the second inning against the best pitcher in baseball and made it stand up with a group of pitchers other teams gave away.
Nick Pivetta was serving time in Philadelphia’s alternate site last August when the Red Sox took him as a throw-in for relievers Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman.
He pitched five strong innings and in the third inning worked deGrom for 10 pitches before striking out. The entire Sox dugout was hollering as Pivetta fouled off six consecutive pitches.
“I was just trying to compete against him, do the best I could,” said Pivetta, who hadn’t had an at-bat in a major league game since 2019. “Just wear down his pitch count and do the best I can with the job that I have.”
DeGrom only pitched six innings, in part because Pivetta made him throw those extra pitches..
Garrett Whitlock was left off the 40-man roster by the Yankees and the Sox snapped him up in the Rule 5 draft in December.
The rookie entered the game in the sixth inning charged with protecting a one-run lead. Whitlock put two runners on that inning but stranded them before breezing through the seventh.
In less than a month, he’s earned the trust of manager Alex Cora.
“This guy, he’s a strike-throwing machine with great stuff,” Cora said. “Great composure. We’ve been talking about this kid from the get-go.” Related: Nick Pivetta, Red Sox bullpen outduel ace Jacob deGrom and Mets for 1-0 victory
Since the start of spring training, Whitlock has worked 22⅓ innings and struck out 30 with two walks. This from a pitcher the Yankees were willing to lose because he was coming off elbow surgery.
Adam Ottavino was a salary dump by the Yankees in January, the Red Sox taking on $8.1 million of his salary to get a prospect in return.
Those three pitchers shut out the Mets for eight innings, allowing two hits and striking out 12.
Their leading roles in what was a compelling game also speak to why the Red Sox hired Chaim Bloom to run baseball operations.
Pivetta was a cast-off in need of a fresh start. Whitlock was a product of good scouting and a willingness to use all avenues to find talent. Ottavino was a good short-term use of some spare payroll.
We’ve all marveled at how the Rays dig up hard-throwing pitchers and run them at you in waves. The Sox are starting to build their own conveyor belt.
Bloom also deserves credit for bringing back Cora to manage, warts and all. Plenty of people in his position would have pressed to make a fresh start with somebody new.
Cora won with a bunch of stars in 2018, invigorating a group that needed a push. Now he’s drawing up new lineups most every night and developing players to mix in with the established players.
If the Sox were going to compete this season, the belief was that they’d have to outslug teams, which they have. They lead the American League in runs. But they came to Citi Field and won two games with three runs.
The Sox had only four hits on Wednesday but found a way to win. Catcher Christian Vázquez, Cora said, was “amazing” all game. Second baseman Marwin Gonzalez made a leaping catch to steal a hit from Francisco Lindor in the eighth inning.
When Matt Barnes entered the game in the ninth inning, he struck out three batters on 12 pitches.
“This is a tight group,” Cora said. “We’ve been saying that all along. We feel we have a good baseball team. Obviously we still have to get better. But it feels great.”
Cora said there’s something special about winning close, well-pitched games.
He’s right about that. Those are the kind of games you need to win in October.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:50:36 GMT -5
April 28: Red Sox 1, Mets 0 -- Winning the nailbiters For all the talk about their offense, the 16-9 Sox are finding ways to win when they don't put up big numbers. In the 5-3 win over the Mariners, the Sox had five hits, followed by another five in a 2-1 win over the Mets on Tuesday and four hits in the 1-0 thriller over the Mets on Wednesday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 2:52:32 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 6h The Red Sox next three series are all against teams with losing records.
Texas Rangers: 10-14 (currently losing to the Angels)
Detroit Tigers: 8-16
Baltimore Orioles: 10-14
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 3:09:06 GMT -5
Alex Cora’s suggestion that Red Sox could be MLB’s best team is not as crazy as it sounds Red Sox (16-9) tied with Dodgers for best record in MLB
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: April 29, 2021 at 12:05 a.m. | UPDATED: April 29, 2021 at 12:21 a.m.
It’s probably a little soon to take a victory lap, but the Red Sox are clearly feeling good about themselves these days.
What a turnaround this has been.
Six months ago, Alex Cora was in the process of taking over a team that put its own fans to sleep. Boston, a city that so often lives and dies with its beloved baseball team, didn’t even bother tuning into the games. The play on the field was putrid. Ratings plummeted. And the town had become rightfully apathetic.
And yet here we are, with the Red Sox knocking off Jacob deGrom to get to 16-9, best record in the majors (the Dodgers are also 16-9), and a manager that isn’t afraid to let everyone know how he feels about it.
“We have our own inside joke about power rankings,” Cora said. “We treat it like college baseball. I told Xander (Bogaerts) before the game, we beat this guy, (deGrom), we might be No. 1 in the nation in the upcoming days.”
Does Cora have the best team baseball? It’s debatable.
His club ranks No. 5 in runs per game (4.88), No. 1 in batting average (.267), No. 1 in OPS (.772), No. 9 in ERA (3.66), No. 13 in WHIP (1.26) and No. 21 in fielding percentage (.982).
The Dodgers won it all last year, added big names in the winter and look as good as always. The A’s just had a 13-game winning streak. The Padres and Yankees are probably a lot better than their current records. We’re expecting more from the White Sox, Astros and Rays too.
Had Cora said something about his team being No. 1 in the nation four weeks ago, he’d have been laughed off the esplanade and tossed into the Charles River.
Wednesday, it wasn’t all that crazy.
Cora said it’s just a “silly” thing to talk about, and then sidestepped the question when asked if he was serious about thinking his team was the best team in baseball.
“No, I went to college, I know how it works,” he said. “I don’t know how we jumped from 20 in the nation to No. 4. That’s a big jump. I don’t know who was voting in that. I went to Miami and that’s not possible. You can’t go from No. 20 to No. 4 in just one week. That’s not true.”
It appears Cora was talking about the rankings from ESPN’s Buster Olney, who tweeted a list three days ago entitled, “This Week’s Super Unofficial Top 10 from here.”
According to Olney, the Dodgers were at No. 1, Padres at No. 2, A’s at No. 3 and Red Sox at No. 4.
“We just feel we’re a good baseball team,” Cora said. “We’ve been feeling this for a while. We have room to improve. There’s a lot of stuff we have to keep going. I think defense, solid, the at-bats the last week, we need to get better. But we just feel we have a good baseball team.”
And why shouldn’t they?
The Red Sox just went into New York to play a Mets team that pitches very well but doesn’t hit, and the Red Sox, who typically are the exact opposite, beat the Mets at their own game.
Garrett Richards shined in a 2-1 win on Tuesday, and Nick Pivetta out-pitched deGrom, the best pitcher on the planet, in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
It was National League baseball at its best, and the Red Sox played it beautifully, right down to J.D. Martinez’s highlight-reel throw and Pivetta’s 10-pitch at-bat against deGrom.
That the Red Sox pitching staff shut down the Mets isn’t too surprising; deGrom has been the Mets best hitter (seriously) and their offense ranks 27th in OPS (.671).
The Sox have pitched well all year, though.
Ten of the 16 pitchers they’ve used were part of last year’s staff, the one that needed a strong finish to avoid ending the year with one of the worst ERAs by any big league team this millennium. Thanks to a solid final few weeks, the Sox ended 2020 with a 5.58 ERA.
They have a 3.66 ERA after Wednesday.
The offense is largely being driven by the same cast of characters from a year ago, too.
The big difference, of course, is Cora.
You can see it on the field in so many ways. Wednesday, it was evident in their approach against deGrom, who had entered the game having allowed just one earned run in 29 innings while striking out 50 batters.
Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez and Rafael Devers each collected doubles off him for the Sox’ only three hits. They waited for pitches up in the zone and took level swings to let deGrom’s velocity work against him.
And it was evident in their confidence.
“I think I’m just as good as deGrom,” Pivetta said of his pregame mentality in an attempt to pump himself up. “He’s an incredible pitcher of course, but I have to put myself on that level with that same confidence. I can’t put anybody higher than I am.”
The Red Sox may not be No. 1, and they certainly don’t have anyone like Jacob deGrom. But they’re in the conversation.
So far, they’re the surprise team of the season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 3:19:56 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 6h “I’m not buying this team yet, it’s early”. They’re really good. They’re fun. Not sure why you wouldn’t believe in them unless you haven’t been watching these games and just want to be part of this “mob” mentality about not liking them for whatever reason
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 9:01:36 GMT -5
Mike Petriello @mike_petriello · 15m When you're in the low minors vs when you have a 38% strikeout rate for the first place Red Sox:
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 9:06:12 GMT -5
The Boston bullpen owns a sparkling 3.07 ERA for the season. Red Sox relievers have punched out 110 batters in 93.2 innings and own a 1.21 WHIP.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 11:05:25 GMT -5
Red Sox at Rangers Series Preview
A look at the four-game set down in Texas this weekend. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Apr 29, 2021, 12:01pm EDT
SB Nation Blog
Lone Star Ball The opponent in one sentence
Although there have been a handful of early-season surprises of teams projected to be bad topping their divisions, Texas has not been one of them as their season has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start. Record
10-15 Head-to-head record
0-0 Trend
Down. The Rangers did have a nice stretch in the middle of April in which they made some noise, but that time is now behind them and they are coming off a couple of rough series. Most recently, they dropped two of three at home against the Angels, a series loss that came directly after being swept on the road by the White Sox. Pitching Matchups
4/29: Martín Pérez vs. Kyle Gibson, 8:05 PM ET
It’s a Pérez day to start this series as the Red Sox lefty goes back to where his career began. Once a top prospect for the Rangers, Pérez has carved out a nice role as a back-end starter, and he’s serving that role in Boston right now. He’s been fine this year, although things haven’t been trending in the right direction. He has a chance to turn things around against a rebuilding Rangers team, although their problems are more on the pitching staff and less in the lineup. Pérez has pitched to a 5.71 ERA this year, struggling even more than usual with his control. Look for him to throw strikes and try to induce some weak contact down in Texas.
Gibson landed a three-year deal from the Rangers prior to last season, but he struggled mightily for them in the shortened season with an ERA over 5.00. Early on this season, things are going much better as he has clearly been the best pitcher on this staff. His control is back in check with fewer than three walks per nine innings, a 2.30 ERA and peripherals that almost exactly match that. Gibson won’t miss a ton of bats, but he does get a bunch of ground balls which can make for frustrating games. Look for the Red Sox to try and string together some hits rather than doing it all with one swing Thursday night. The righty will feature a sinker that sits in the 91-93 range along with a slider, a cutter and a four-seam, along with a few other occasional secondaries.
4/30: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Kohei Arihara, 8:05 PM ET
Eovaldi has, for the most part, been very good for the Red Sox this season, combining with Eduardo Rodriguez to give them a formidable one-two punch. That said, things went a bit sideways last time out as he allowed five runs (four earned) over just five innings of work. It was his second straight start with at least four runs crossing the plate. On the season his ERA is still 3.77, but he’s been giving up a bunch of hits lately. Look for him to get back to basics and try to induce some of that weak contact we saw in his first few starts of 2021.
Arihara was one of the bigger names to come over from Asia this past winter, leaving behind the NPB in search for a career in the majors. The 28-year-old landed a two-year pact in Texas, and the early returns have been just solid. He isn’t going to miss very many bats which makes him something of an anomaly in the modern era, but the righty has good command and can be tough to square up when he’s on. For the season, he has pitched to a 4.03 ERA through five starts, though some of the expected numbers suggest he’s in for the bad kind of regression at some point. Arihara will throw the kitchen sink at you, featuring a low-90s fastball, a slider, a cutter, a changeup, a sinker, a splitter and a curveball.
5/1: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Jordan Lyles, 7:05 PM ET (MLB Network for out-of-market)
There really isn’t a whole lot more to say about Rodriguez, who has stepped up in a big way through this first month of the season as the team’s ace. The lefty has pitched to a 3.52 ERA, which is good in its own right, but also has peripherals that are even better. Phil wrote up where this success is coming from in more detail.
Like Gibson above, Lyles got a multi-year deal from the Rangers prior to last season and did not perform up to par in the 2020 season. Unlike Gibson, he has yet to turn things around. It’s been another tough showing for the righty this summer, starting off his season with a 6.75 ERA (which is actually a bit better than last season). He’s had a few different issues, which is not surprising for a guy with an ERA approaching 7.00, but the biggest problem has been the long ball. After allowing 12 dingers in 12 appearances (nine starts and three relief appearances) last season, he’s allowed seven in five starts in 2021. The Red Sox have a chance to put him in an early hole on Saturday if they take advantage of mistakes. Lyles will feature a fastball that sits around 92-93, a slider and a curveball.
5/2: Garrett Richards vs. Mike Foltynewicz, 2:35 PM ET
For most of this season, Richards had been far and away the worst starter for the Red Sox, struggling mightily with his control. This buried him in a few starts, and while he had a couple where things got better as they went along, the start was bad enough to paint the whole picture as ugly. Then, his last start in Queens came around and he looked like a totally different guy. The command was on point with all of his pitches, and his curveball in particular was electric. He won’t necessarily be that good every start — he allowed one run over seven innings with ten strikeouts and no walks — but it will be interesting to see how he builds off that outing. I’ll be looking in particular at how he approaches things with his curveball.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Foltynewicz looked like he was going to carve out a long career as a major-league starter. The righty had a few solid seasons with the Braves before breaking out in a big way in 2018, posting a sub-3.00 ERA over a full season. Things quickly fell apart from there, to the point where he was available to everyone on waivers last year and no one bit. Now in Texas, he’s settled in to some extent this year, pitching to a 4.61 ERA which is certainly not good, but it’s also not disastrous. As with Lyles, the performance for Foltynewicz will come down almost entirely to his ability to keep the ball in the yard. The righty will feature a pair of mid-90s fastballs along with a slider, plus the occasional changeup and curveball.
Old Friends
Brock Holt is one of the great cult heroes in recent Red Sox history, building up a huge fanbase in Boston with his exciting play, community service and fun personality. The Red Sox opted to let him walk, though, and he’s now in Texas with a new mustache to boot. He does have something not too far off from an everyday role, though. Notable Position Players
Joey Gallo is one of the most fearsome power hitters in baseball and is on the shortlist for the most raw power in the game. He will strike out a ton, but he more than makes up for it with patience and that aforementioned power. That power hasn’t really shown up yet this year, but he’s still putting up good numbers thanks in large part to a 22 percent walk rate.
Nick Solak has been one of the big surprises in baseball early on this season, hitting .319/.404/.582. The power has been the big surprise with seven home runs already, but he’s always been able to put the bat on the ball.
Nate Lowe is a former Rays first baseman who got squeezed out of playing time by Ji-Man Choi in Tampa. He’s another three true outcomes player, and while he’s been better than Gallo so far this season that should be expected to keep up.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is an interesting player who started his career as a catcher, moved to third base and is now at shortstop. At the plate he’s struggled to get going with an aggressive approach that hasn’t resulted in enough hard contact.
Willie Calhoun is a former top prospect who doesn’t really have a defensive home but has some talent at the plate.
Adolis Garcia has been an all-or-nothing outfielder for Texas early this season, with a ton of strikeouts, not many walks, but also a whole lot of power.
David Dahl was a hot commodity among fans on the free agent market this winter, but his early season has been really disappointing with a 47 wRC+.
Holt, as I said, has been playing a bunch as a platoon infielder, and he’s been able to remain close to average thanks in large part to a huge walk rate.
Jose Trevino is the Rangers catcher and he has not provided much of anything offensively to this point. Bullpen Snapshot
Ian Kennedy has come out of nowhere in recent seasons as a really solid late-inning reliever, and he’s had a good start this year with solid strikeout stuff and really good control. In fact, if he walks anyone this weekend it will be a first for 2021.
Joely Rodriguez hasn’t had a ton of time this year and has been bit by the BABIP bug some, but he’s shown off great stuff and also hasn’t issued a walk to this point in the year. Injuries
José Leclerc looked like one of the game’s top young relievers just a few years ago, but injuries have hurt him. He’s rehabbing from Tommy John and will miss the entire season.
Khris Davis was traded to the Rangers this past winter but he’s been set back by hamstring issues. He’s starting his rehab up, though, so he could be back soon.
Ronald Guzmán hurt his knee early in the season and the injury was bad enough that it required season-ending surgery.
Joanthan Hernández is another Rangers reliever who will be out the rest of the year recovering from Tommy John.
Matt Bush is yet another Rangers reliever on the shelf, and while he won’t miss the whole season he’s not expected back for at least a couple more months.
Sam Huff underwent minor knee surgery earlier this month, and should be back at some point but the timeline is not totally clear.
Kyle Cody was just recently put on the IL with some shoulder inflammation. Weather Forecast
The weather in Texas isn’t a huge deal since they now have a roof in Arlington. That will come in handy because it does look like there are thunderstorms in and out of the forecast all weekend.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 11:07:25 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 19m The Red Sox are good:
16-9 (.640) 1st in AL East 3-game win streak 4-0-3 in last 7 series 9-3 in games decided by 1 or 2 runs 13-0 when scoring 4+ runs 12 comeback wins (most in MLB) 3.66 ERA (3rd in AL) 0 R allowed in last 16.0 IP 8-1, 2.79 ERA on the road .772 OPS (1st in MLB)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 11:29:46 GMT -5
Boston Sports Info @bostonsportsinf · 1h Red Sox pitching on the road
W/L - 1st - (8-1, .889) ERA - 2nd - 2.79 WHIP - 2nd - 1.11
BA - 2nd - .199 OBP - 2nd - .285 SLG - 3rd - .323 OPS - 2nd - .608
You'll win a lot of games pitching that way
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2021 11:39:25 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 11m Red Sox' Franchy Cordero has the highest strikeout percentage (49.0%) among major leagues with 50 or more plate appearances. He has 25 strikeouts in 47 at-bats. The Red Sox face four righties in Texas. Should be interesting to see how much the left-handed hitter plays
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