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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:44:39 GMT -5
Quiet bats, defensive lapses doom Red Sox in Arlington opener against Rangers By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 29, 2021, 10:59 p.m.
Somehow, the Red Sox conjured a rabbit from a hat during their sweep against the Mets in New York. The Sox scored just three runs in two games, yet still managed a pair of one-run victories.
Neither the rabbit nor the team’s bats appeared to arrive in punctual fashion for the start of the series at Globe Life Field against the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox managed just three hits against righthander Kyle Gibson and a trio of relievers in falling, 4-1. The Sox fell to 16-10, three games ahead of the Rays in the American League East.
Gibson (3-0, 2.16 ERA) continued his early season excellence, limiting the Sox to one run on three hits over six innings. He ran his scoreless innings streak at Globe Life Field to 25 before the Sox finally pushed across their only run of the game in the sixth inning.
“He threw the ball well,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He was that good.”
Yet while the Sox credited the sinkerballer for his meticulous work on Thursday, the offensive struggles cannot be dismissed as solely the product of their opponents’ work. The Sox have been limited to two runs or fewer in three straight games, the longest such streak for the team since June 2017, and in six of 12. The club has three or fewer runs in eight of its last 12, a slightly troubling cluster of games for a team that is 13-0 when scoring at least four runs and 3-10 when not.
“It’s been a grind the last week to be honest with you. We haven’t been able to do too much,” said Cora. “[But] this is a good offense. Just a matter of get back and start doing the things we do best. Compete out there, hit the ball the other way, and when we do that we become a good, good offense.”
The game provided a silver lining, in the form of continued excellence by the team’s starting rotation. Martín Pérez looked as good as he has in 2021, working to the edges of the plate with cutters, changeups, and a lively two-seam fastball that effectively carved up the Rangers. With three scoreless frames to open the game, Pérez extended his team’s scoreless innings streak to 19 — the club’s longest shutout stretch since a 26-inning run in September 2017.
But Pérez’s early cruise through the evening hit a pothole with one out in the fourth inning. Pérez bisected the plate with a 1-2, two-seam fastball to Joey Gallo, who drilled the offering down the left-field line for an easy double. That seemingly routine two-bagger took a turn for the bizarre when leftfielder Alex Verdugo lobbed the ball toward third baseman Rafael Devers.
The throw was wide of Devers and hopped sideways on the turf, caroming off the tip of the third baseman’s glove for an error, then past shortstop Xander Bogaerts (moving towards third to cover), then rolling across the infield as Gallo scampered to third.
“One of those freak plays,” said Cora. “It’s nobody’s fault.”
The Rangers took advantage of the gift, as Adolis García blasted a sac fly to deep center to put the Rangers ahead, 1-0.
The Red Sox, coming off a 1-0 victory over the Mets on Wednesday, broke through in the sixth. Verdugo blasted a double to the warning track in center to lead off the frame. With two outs, Devers negotiated a full count and stayed on an ankle-high slider, golfing it down the right-field line to tie the game.
The reset proved ephemeral. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Bogaerts booted a García grounder. While Pérez recovered to induce a flyout, Cora determined 5⅔ innings and 82 pitches was enough from his lefthander. Cora summoned righty Hirokazu Sawamura to face catcher Jose Trevino, a righthanded hitter. It didn’t go well.
“We felt like that was a good matchup for us,” rued Cora. “We got burned.”
Sawamura’s 88-mph slider declined to break, permitting Trevino to whale on the offering and clear the fence in left-center for a two-run homer that put the Rangers ahead, 3-1.
The homer closed the book on Pérez, who was charged with the loss (0-2, 4.70), but buoyed by his best outing of the year. After a poor start against Seattle last Friday in which he struggled to execute his changeup, Pérez spent the subsequent days throwing that pitch while playing long-toss at 120 feet to try to re-establish his extension and feel for the offering.
It worked. Pérez threw 20 changeups, resulting in 16 strikes including five swings and misses. That pitch helped him unbalance the Rangers, allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out seven and walking none.
“Good outing,” said Pérez. “I needed one of these games.”
Sawamura allowed another homer — a solo shot to Isiah Kiner-Falefa — in the seventh, and the Sox went quietly over three final, hitless frames during which the most notable development had little to do with anything in the batter’s box.
In the top of the eighth inning, the Sox had Christian Arroyo pinch-hit for designated hitter J.D. Martinez (0-for-1 with two walks in his first two plate appearances) due to what the team called “migraine-like symptoms.” Martinez will not play on Friday.
“Hopefully it’s something that’s nothing too serious and he can be back on Saturday,” said Cora.
Though Martinez (0-for-9 on the road trip) has been slumping, his departure represents a less-than-ideal development for a team that is looking to regain its offensive footing.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:46:56 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Nate Eovaldi ends up in Texas, but still as part of Red Sox rotation By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated April 29, 2021, 7:39 p.m.
Nate Eovaldi will make his Globe Life Field debut on Friday. But for a flickering moment last summer, it seemed fair to wonder whether the Red Sox starter’s first appearance in the new ballpark might come sooner — and in a Rangers uniform.
At the trade deadline last year, according to multiple major league sources, the Red Sox and Rangers had exploratory discussions about a deal to send Eovaldi (owed roughly $37 million of his four-year, $68 million deal that runs through 2022) to Texas in exchange for second baseman Rougned Odor (owed roughly $29 million over the duration of his six-year, $49.5 million contract).
For the Red Sox, the prize wasn’t Odor, whom Texas ended up trading to the Yankees early this year. Instead, the Sox were sellers looking to fortify their farm system as the Aug. 31 trade deadline neared. They sought deals that would allow them to “buy” prospects either by parting with big league talent (Eovaldi), absorbing bad contracts from other teams (Odor), or both. But despite some early discussions of a framework built around a swap of those players and young talent coming to the Red Sox, conversations never advanced.
The Sox remained open to dealing Eovaldi this winter, just as they’d surveyed market interest in him in the 2019-20 offseason. A rival evaluator whose team had interest in Eovaldi said that while the Sox listened to offers, they never showed a willingness to dump the hard-throwing righthander’s contract — or, more specifically, to pay another team to take Eovaldi without getting prospects in return.
Eovaldi remained with the Red Sox — much to the team’s delight thus far this year. Though he struggled in his most recent outing (5 innings, 5 runs) against the Mariners, his strong start (3-1, 3.77 ERA, 27 strikeouts, 5 walks in 28⅔ innings) has helped guide the Red Sox through the first four weeks of the season, Eovaldi contributing both with his on-field performance and through his leadership.
“He’s been great. For everything we’ve been talking about pitching-wise, he’s the perfect example,” said manager Alex Cora. “Last year, he did an amazing job throwing strikes. That’s what he did in Tampa, that’s what he did with us in ’18, and that’s what he’s doing right now. If there’s a spokesman in the clubhouse about pounding the strike zone, it’s him — and Eddie [Rodriguez] also — but I think he’s been very vocal about it [with Matt Barnes] and the young guys. He’s been amazing for us.” Brock Holt making his mark
During his seven seasons with the Red Sox, Brock Holt made the All-Star team in 2015 and was a key member of the 2018 championship. An equally important part of his legacy was the work he and his wife, Lakyn, did with The Jimmy Fund.
Holt was a Jimmy Fund Captain from 2016-19, visiting the clinic regularly and arranging for patients and their families to attend games at Fenway Park.
“We spent a lot of time at the Jimmy Fund, with some of the kids and some of the families, and was able to build some really good, really good relationships,” he said.
The Holts are bringing that spirit to Texas. On Friday, he announced a fundraising initiative that will benefit the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth and the Jimmy Fund. T-shirts and caps are available at jasportstexas.com/collections/holtoffcancer.
Holt, a native of Fort Worth who grew up in nearby Stephenville, has played for the Brewers, Nationals, and now the Rangers since leaving the Sox. He’s been a platoon third baseman for Texas, with whom he signed in February.
The Rangers also see the 32-year-old as being important to team chemistry and setting a better tone after four consecutive losing seasons.
“I came up on a Red Sox team with a lot of veteran guys and a lot of good veteran guys … those guys were great. They helped us out,” Holt said. “That’s a big part of this game and we have a lot of young guys here.”
The Holts and their two sons moved out of Boston last winter, but the city remains important to him.
“I’m obviously not rooting for the Red Sox the next four days but always rooting for everyone on that team and in that organization,” he said.
Role play
When the Red Sox signed Matt Andriese this winter, it was natural to view him as a potential multi-inning reliever or spot starter. While he has logged as many as three innings in an appearance, he’s also emerged as a single-inning, tight-game option, recording one save while serving as a setup man in others. “He’s our utility guy in the bullpen,” said Cora. Andriese, who has a 1.42 ERA in 12⅔ innings, is enjoying a role that is not just varied but that has seen him assume unanticipated prominence. “Coming here, a lot of people thought, ‘Hey, he’s going to be a long reliever, he can do everything,’ ” said Andriese. “I think that’s what makes it fun. At least for myself and my career, I’ve always been kind of under the table. Nobody knows who I am. I embrace that” . . . Outfielder Franchy Cordero (1-for-22 with 14 strikeouts since April 15) was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game (and second straight against a righthanded starter) to focus on work in the batting cage. Cora said Cordero will start on Friday and Saturday. However, his roster spot seems uncertain with switch-hitting utilityman Danny Santana — signed in spring training to a minor league deal, but slowed by a foot infection that required a surgical procedure in mid-March — slated to start a rehab assignment in High-A Greenville on Tuesday. “[Santana is] a switch-hitter with speed and power,” said Cora. “We need him to get healthy and get his repetitions. We have to be patient and see where it takes us. … But he’s a player that we really like and we do feel like when he’s right, he can contribute to a championship-caliber team.”
Red Sox under center?
As much as available quarterbacks at the top of the first round dominated the attention of the NFL on Thursday, the Red Sox had a vested interest in the later rounds of the draft. Quarterback Feleipe Franks of Arkansas, viewed as a potential late-round selection, was selected by the Red Sox as a pitcher in the 31st round of the 2019 MLB Draft, when he was playing football for the University of Florida, and signed for $40,000. The Sox had seen him throw as hard as 94 mph, and took a flyer on the 6-foot-6 righthander. Franks, 23, has maintained contact with the Red Sox the last two years, but hasn’t taken part in any formal activities such as spring training or instructional league. He’s expected to pursue his football career before making any determination about his interest in baseball. He hasn’t played for a baseball team since his junior year of high school . . . Former Red Sox closer Brandon Workman was designated for assignment by the Cubs. The Sox dealt Workman and fellow reliever Heath Hembree to the Phillies last August in exchange for Nick Pivetta and prospect Connor Seabold, a move that shed a pair of relievers who have both since left Philly. Workman allowed nine runs (6 earned) in eight innings this year for the Cubs. Hembree, who was released by the Phillies after the 2020 season, has thrown 3⅓ scoreless innings with the Reds . . . On Wednesday, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service — the second-highest award presented by the Secretary of Defense — for his work with Home Base. The Red Sox Foundation and MGH program provides clinical care and support for service members, veterans, and their families in dealing with invisible wounds such as traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, and related conditions.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:48:42 GMT -5
Sox enjoy normalcy of a road crowd, but suffer loss to Rangers By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 30, 2021, 12:11 a.m.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Hello from Texas, where the pandemic has been called off.
The Rangers are allowed to sell as many tickets as they want at year-old Globe Life Field, which holds 40,300 fans. A crowd of 23,640 turned out Thursday night with the first-place Red Sox in town.
That was more than twice as many fans as the Sox had played in front of this season.
The rebuilding Rangers had lost five of six and drew only 17,875 against the Angels on Wednesday. The Red Sox were a better attraction than Mike Trout, even against the first round of the NFL Draft.
With ear-splitting indoor fireworks accompanying two home runs, the Rangers beat the Red Sox, 4-1.
Martín Pérez, who pitched well but was a victim of poor defense, tries to tune out the fans when he pitches. But after starting 12 games last season to the sound of canned crowd noise with those creepy cardboard cutouts in the seats, he appreciated the atmosphere.
“It was nice after the [first] inning to look around and see all the fans, and especially the Rangers fans,” said Pérez, who was signed by Texas out of Venezuela 14 years ago and pitched at Globe Life Park across the street from 2012-18.
“They’re amazing fans. It was fun to go out there and see the kids enjoying the game and watching us play baseball again. It’s really good for us.”
Pérez felt last season was “kind of weird” with the empty ballparks.
“To come here and look around and see all the fans, it feels pretty good,” he said. “Hopefully back in Boston we can have more people come in to watch us play games.”
It was a temperate 64 degrees outside when the game started but the retractable roof was closed.
There are numerous signs around the ballpark urging folks to wear a mask, but only a small percentage complied. As the second inning got started, there were more people wearing masks in the Red Sox dugout than in the 10 rows behind it.
Sox manager Alex Cora, who said Wednesday he was curious to see what the atmosphere would be like, was the target of some boos when he was introduced before the game.
Rangers fans don’t much like the Astros — or apparently their sign-stealing former bench coach, either.
It was the first time Cora has been booed on the road this season but surely not the last. The Sox play the Yankees in New York for the first time on June 4. Teams in New York will be allowed to have at least 33 percent of capacity by then, which means about 18,000 in the Bronx. They won’t need much of an excuse to boo the Sox.
Then again, they may be too busy with Aaron Boone given how the Yankees have been playing.
Cora, once a candidate to manage the Rangers, was eager to get a look at the new park. The crowd wasn’t as much of a factor for him because he was serving his suspension last season.
“It was a great atmosphere. This is a great facility,” Cora said. “Their fans, they’re always into the game. Besides the result, it was a fun night to see so many fans.
“It gives you a taste. If we keep doing things the right way as a society — hopefully sooner rather than later — everybody can do that and we can have fun at the ballpark.”
The crowd didn’t have anything else to get excited about until the fourth inning when slumping Joey Gallo doubled down the line in left field.
Alex Verdugo picked the ball up and casually flipped it to the infield. The ball evaded Rafael Devers and rolled across the mound. Gallo took third on the error and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Xander Bogaerts booted a routine grounder in the sixth inning, which proved costly when Jose Trevino homered off Hirokazu Sawamura.
Sawamura gave up another homer in the seventh inning when Isiah Kiner-Falefa crushed a poorly located fastball.
After a two-game sweep of the Mets, the Sox looked a little tired. They’ve scored only four runs in the last three games and won’t have J.D. Martinez on Friday. He missed his final at-bat Thursday with a migraine.
The Rangers are expecting good crowds over the weekend. Here in Texas, it’s a normal day at the park.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:52:13 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Cora expects a day off for Martinez (migraines) and Gonzalez (rest) on Friday. #RedSox
Cora on Martin Perez -- 'If he throws the ball like he did tonight he's going to be in good shape.' #RedSox
Alex Cora on the Jose Trevino homer -- 'We felt like that was a good matchup for us and we got burned.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:53:42 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h They gave that error to Devers. I think Verdugo was equally if not more at fault with that casual throw.
3 runs in the last 29 innings for the #RedSox offense.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:57:55 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook: Alex Cora’s approval of star rookie Garrett Whitlock goes beyond the field
By Steve Hewitt | stephen.hewitt@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: April 29, 2021 at 6:47 p.m. | UPDATED: April 29, 2021 at 6:47 p.m.
Garrett Whitlock has passed every test as the biggest surprise of the Red Sox on the field, and he’s apparently impressing on the team plane, too.
The rookie Rule 5 pick has thrown 13 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to start his big-league career. But it’s not just his pitching that’s caught Alex Cora’s eye in what’s been a perfect first impression, as the Red Sox manager jokingly acknowledged on Thursday.
“From what he does in bullpens to the weight room to the training room, even carrying the beer on the plane is kind of perfect,” Cora said with a smile. “Everything is so structured. We’ve got a good one. We’ve got a good one.”
Cora has been sold on Whitlock, who the Red Sox grabbed from the Yankees in last December’s Rule 5 draft, seemingly since he first saw him in spring training. Whitlock’s confidence in himself has never wavered, and it’s showing.
“He’s been competing since Day 1 in spring training,” Cora said. “It wasn’t a given that he was going to make the team. Since Day 1, he’s been competing. He never showed hesitation about his work or what we’ve been preaching to him. It just keeps going. It’s fun to watch. In an era where everybody puts pressure on people and everyone’s in the spotlight and everybody knows what you’re doing because of social media, he’s just the same Garrett as when we got to spring training on Feb. 11.”
Cordero looks for fixes
Franchy Cordero was not in the Red Sox’ lineup for Thursday’s series opener in Texas, but Cora said the Red Sox left fielder will play Friday and Saturday as he tries to put an end to his struggles at the plate, where he’s 0 for his last 13. He has 25 strikeouts in 47 at-bats this season.
Cora said Cordero has been working hard with the coaching staff this week to correct his issues, which include chasing too many pitches out of the zone.
“He’ll be good,” Cora said. “It’s not easy. He knows what’s going on, he knows he’s swinging and missing a lot and you can see it. But I don’t want him to feel the pressure that hey, there’s a reason he’s hitting in the bottom of the lineup. You don’t have to carry this offense. You don’t have to do too much. Just do enough, do your part and big things are going to happen.”
Gonzalez’s defense ‘eye-opening’
Marwin Gonzalez has already played six defensive positions this season and has been reliable everywhere. He’s even making some highlight-reel plays, like he did in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s win over the Mets when he leaped high at second base to snowcone a line drive.
Cora, who spent 2017 with Gonzalez in Houston, didn’t seem surprised and said it all goes back to the work he puts in every day. Gonzalez and Kiké Hernández do work in the infield every day pregame that Cora described as “eye-opening.”
“I talked to (Gonzalez) the other day about the decision to come here and one of the things that he really liked was that he was going to be able to play second and short in certain situations,” Cora said. “He’s in tune with the game. He notices stuff that happens, helps his pitchers, always in communication with Bobby (Dalbec) when he’s at second, turns the double play. He’s been great for Raffy (Devers). They have their games and early work and during groundballs, I think he clicked with him right away when he got here, he’s been helping him a lot defensively. He’s been great.”
Santana on the way?
Danny Santana, who signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in March, is working his way back from a foot infection that required hospitalization at the end of spring training. Cora confirmed a report from Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com that Santana will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Greenville next week when the minor league season begins.
It’s unclear when Santana, who hit 28 homers with the Rangers in 2019, could make an impact with the Red Sox, but the team loves his versatility, speed and power.
“We need him to get healthy and get his repetitions,” Cora said. “We have to be patient and see where it takes us. But he’s a good player. He’s a player we recognized during the offseason just like the other two, Enrique and Marwin. It just happened that his situation was a little bit different with the surgery, but he’s a player that we really like and we do feel like when he’s right, he can contribute to a championship-caliber team.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 2:59:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 6h Prior to tonight’s 4th inning, Red Sox pitchers had allowed 0 runs in their previous 19.0 IP, the club’s longest scoreless streak since September 2017 (26.0 IP, Sept. 18-20).
Last turn through the rotation:
Eovaldi – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR Rodriguez – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0 HR Richards – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 1 HR Pivetta – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 0 HR Pérez – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
2.73 ERA, 29.2 IP, 9 ER, 4 BB, 35 K, 1 HR
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 3:03:21 GMT -5
J.D. Martinez not expected to play for Boston Red Sox on Friday after exiting loss Thursday in eighth because of migraine symptoms Updated 2:02 AM; Today 11:36 PM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez is not expected to play Friday after leaving Boston’s loss Thursday in the eighth inning because of migraine symptoms.
Christian Arroyo pinch hit for Martinez during the eighth inning. The Red Sox lost 4-1 to the Texas Rangers here at Globe Life Field.
“Definitely we’ll stay away from J.D. tomorrow,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Martinez went 0-for-1 with two walks before exiting.
“It’s a migraine. So he felt his neck, started getting some headaches,” Cora said. “Hopefully it’s nothing that’s too serious and he can be back on Saturday.”
Martinez is batting .333 with a .417 on-base percentage, .678 slugging percentage, 1.095 OPS, seven homers, 10 doubles and 21 RBIs in 24 games.
Being without Martinez on Friday hurts a Red Sox offense that has scored only four runs in three games this road trip. Boston recorded just three hits in Thursday’s loss.
“Overall, it’s been a grind the last week, to be honest with you,” Cora said. “We haven’t been able to do too much. As you guys know, this is a good offense. It’s just a matter of getting back, start doing the things that we do best. Compete out there, hit the ball the other way. And if we do that, we become a good, good offense.”
Cora also said he plans to give Marwin Gonzalez a day off Friday and Kiké Hernández a day off Saturday. Franchy Cordero, who sat Thursday, will play Friday.
Boston dropped to 16-10 and 8-2 on the road. The Red Sox have three more games in Texas against the Rangers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.77) will start vs. Texas right-hander Kohei Arihara (2-2, 4.03) on Saturday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 3:04:18 GMT -5
Red Sox
Why did Boston Red Sox replace Martín Pérez with Hirokazu Sawamura in tie game with two outs in sixth? Alex Cora explains Updated 12:11 AM; Today 12:10 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — Red Sox left-handed starter Martín Pérez had thrown 82 pitches when manager Alex Cora replaced him with reliever Hirokazu Sawamura with two outs in the sixth inning Thursday.
Sawamura entered with the game tied 1-1 and a runner at first base who had reached on an error by Xander Bogaerts.
Jose Trevino crushed a two-run homer 411 feet to left-center field off Sawamura to make it 3-1 Texas. The Rangers won 4-1 here at Globe Life Field.
Cora felt Sawamura was a better matchup against Trevino, a right-handed hitter.
“We a righty (right-handed hitter) in that situation,” Cora said. “We pushed Martín to get out there. We don’t make a play. And we felt that was a good matchup for us and we got burned.”
Pérez added, “Like I said to you guys before, I respect Alex’s decision. He’s the manager. He can do whatever he wants. If he say that’s enough for me, I’m just going to give you the ball. I’m going to respect him. He’s my friend.”
Sawamura also allowed a solo home run in the seventh inning.
Pérez gave up two runs (one earned run), five hits and no walks while striking out seven in 5 ⅔ innings.
“He did an amazing job staying in the zone,” Cora said. “Had a good changeup. Probably his best changeup. Velocity was down today, 91, 92 (mph). But he was under control. We just didn’t make two plays behind him and it cost us the game. But if he throws the ball the way he did today, he’s going to be in good shape.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 3:05:40 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Will Alex Cora change batting order with offense slumping? Marwin Gonzalez helping Rafael Devers ‘a lot defensively’ Updated 2:21 AM; Today 2:12 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — Manager Alex Cora doesn’t sound like he plans to make any drastic changes to the batting order despite the Red Sox scoring just four runs in their past three games.
Boston recorded just three hits in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers here at Globe Life Field on Thursday.
“Overall, it’s been a grind the last week, to be honest with you,” Cora said. “We haven’t been able to do too much. As you guys know, this is a good offense. It’s just a matter of getting back, start doing the things that we do best. Compete out there, hit the ball the other way. And if we do that, we become a good, good offense.”
Kiké Hernández has remained Boston’s leadoff hitter despite a .271 on-base percentage in 25 games this season and a .311 career OBP.
Alex Verdugo, who has a .371 on-base percentage, thrived in the leadoff spot last year. He posted a .304/.362/.442/.804 line in 33 starts there.
He has been hitting second this year, but it seems possible he’s a candidate to lead off if Hernández eventually is dropped down in the batting order.
Eovaldi needs to elevate his fastball
Nathan Eovaldi will start Friday here against the Rangers on an extra day of rest after losing to the Mariners last Saturday.
“I think his fastball that day wasn’t his best one as far as location,” Cora said. “Most of the hits were down in the zone. For me, Nate needs to live waist high, up with his fastball. His secondary pitches were OK. He never found a rhythm that day.”
Eovaldi has a 3.77 ERA in five starts this year. He has thrown 68% strikes.
“If there’s a spokesman in the clubhouse about pounding the strike zone, it’s him and Eddie (Rodriguez),” Cora said. “He’s been vocal about it, talking to (Matt) Barnes and the young guys.”
Perez worked on his changeup between starts
Red Sox starter Martín Pérez went just 3 ⅔ innings in each of his previous two starts. But he pitched much better Thursday thanks to an improved changeup.
Pérez allowed two runs (one earned run), five hits and no walks while striking out seven in 5 ⅔ innings.
He said he threw the changeup during long toss in between starts and that helped him get back the feel for it.
“120 feet. Just trying to get good extension,” he said.
Cora added, “He did an amazing job staying in the zone. Had a good changeup. Probably his best changeup. Velocity was down today, 91, 92 (mph). But he was under control. We just didn’t make two plays behind him and it cost us the game. But if he throws the ball the way he did today, he’s going to be in good shape.”
Cordero working on swing decisions
Franchy Cordero is expected to start in left field Friday. He has taken just two at-bats as a pinch hitter since last starting a game Saturday.
He has been working with hitting coaches Tim Hyers and Peter Fatse on swing decisions.
Cordero has the highest strikeout percentage (49.0%) among major leaguers with 50 or more plate appearances. He has 25 strikeouts in 47 at-bats.
“They’re working with him. One thing is swing decisions,” Cora said. “He needs to understand where his power is and where he should swing. He’s been chasing a lot of pitches up in the zone and that changeup low and away. So we start with that. He’ll play tomorrow. He’ll play the next day.”
Andriese is Boston’s utility reliever
Matt Andriese’s past three outings have been high-leverage situations late. He pitched the seventh inning twice and the eighth inning Tuesday.
“We use him just like Enrique (Kiké Hernández) and Marwin (Gonzalez) on the offensive side,” Cora said. “He’s our utility guy in the bullpen.
Hernández, Gonzalez ‘eye opening’ pregame
Cora said Kiké Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez, who both play infield and outfield, spend most of their time during their pregame work in the infield.
“Their work for outfield is in BP only,” Cora said. “They go out there and they shag. But the work they put before games defensively in the infield is eye opening.”
Gonzalez helping Devers
Rafael Devers has made only three errors this season. He struggled with throws at the beginning of the regular season but he has looked much more confident the past couple of weeks.
Cora said Gonzalez has been working with Devers.
“He’s been great for Raffy,” Cora said. “They have their games in early work during ground balls. I think he clicked with him right away when he got here and he’s helping him a lot defensively. He’s been great.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 3:07:35 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 5h Finally caught back up with the Sox, that Bogaerts error is a killer. He at bare minimum need to be flawless on normal plays. Eye test, statcast, defensive runs saved all terrible this month.
Since scoring 11 on Patriots' Day, the Red Sox offense has been quiet. 4 3 3 6 2 5 2 1 and 0 so far tonight
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 3:18:51 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rangers Friday, 30th April 2021 8pm @ Globe Life Field
Eovaldi 3-2/ 3.77
Struggled in his last start vs the Mariners. Brings a 3.00 ERA in 2 career starts vs Texas.
Arihara 2-2/4.03
Coming off a rough start in his last outing vs Chicago where he gave up five runs over 2 IP.
Boston Red Sox vs.Texas Rangers Friday, April 30, 2021 at 8:15pm EDT Written by Doug Gilghrist
The Texas Rangers continue their seven-game homestand on Friday evening, as they host the Boston Red Sox in game two of their four-game series. The Rangers are 2-2 in the first four games of their homestand. Texas won the first game of the series by a score of 4-1 on Thursday night. The Rangers lost two of three games to the Los Angeles Angels before Thursday's game, while the Red Sox swept a two-game series with the New York Mets on Tuesday and Wednesday. Boston enters play in first place with a three-game lead in the American League East, while Texas is in last place in the AL West.
In Thursday's game, Texas catcher Jose Trevino hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning which broke a 1-1 tie, giving starting pitcher Kyle Gibson his third win of the season without a loss. Trevino had two hits in the game, and he was the only Texas player with a multi-hit game. Gibson gave up just three hits in his six innings, while three relievers combined for three hitless innings to close the game. Alex Verdugo and Rafael Devers both doubled for the Red Sox in the losing effort.
Red Sox winning streak halted Thursday's loss to the Rangers was Boston's first loss of the week, as the Red Sox had won three straight games before Thursday. Boston has won four of their last six games overall. The Red Sox had a nine-game winning streak earlier in the season. Despite maintaining a relatively comfortable lead in the AL East, Boston has not played all that well since their nine-game streak ended. Each of their last five wins has been by one or two runs. Boston's bats have gone quiet in their last three games, as they have scored just four runs in their last three games. They defeated the Mets by scores of 2-1 and 1-0 before Thursday's loss.
“It’s been a grind,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on espn.com.
The Red Sox are led offensively by J.D. Martinez, who leads the team with a .333 batting average, seven home runs, and 21 RBI this season. His home run and RBI totals rank him fifth and third in the Major Leagues, respectively. Martinez is also sixth in the major with a 1.095 OPS. Xander Bogaerts is also batting .333 for Boston, who is hitting .267 as a team this season. Boston has hit 27 home runs this season. Boston's pitching staff has been pretty good this season, as they have just a 3.66 ERA, while they have given up just 15 home runs in 26 games.
Nathan Eovaldi goes to the mound for the Red Sox on Friday. He is 3-2 this season with a 3.77 ERA. He has made five starts this season, but has not pitched well in his last two. In 11.1 innings pitched in his last two times out, Eovaldi has given up eight earned runs on 16 hits. Opposing batters are hitting .250 against him this season. Eovaldi has only faced the Rangers twice in his career, and he hasn't pitched against them since 2016. He is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA against Texas.
Rangers look to make move in AL West The Texas Rangers have had a rough season so far, as they are the only team in the division that is below .500 currently. They have, however, won two of their last three games, with a one-run loss to the Angels in between. Before their current stretch of two wins in three games, the Rangers lost four straight games. Texas has scored four runs or less in five of their last six games.
“I don’t know if I can come up with an adjective,” manager Chris Woodward said on espn.com about Gibson, who didn’t make it out of the first inning in his first start, when asked to describe the difference. “This is what I was expecting. I think I’m not surprised.”
The Rangers are led by Nick Solak, who leads the team with a .305 batting average and seven home runs this season. Nate Lowe has a team-leading 22 RBI, which is tied for first in the Major Leagues. Texas is batting just .230 for the season , but they have hit 29 home runs in their first 26 games this season. The Rangers enter action on Friday with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP this season.
Kohei Arihara gets the ball for game two of their Texas' series with the Red Sox on Friday. He is 2-2 in five starts this season with a 4.03 ERA. He is coming off a horrible start, in which he lasted just two innings. Arihara gave up five runs on six hits and walked five on Sunday versus the Chicago White Sox. Before that game, however, he had two straight scoreless outings. Opposing batters are hitting .268 against him this season. This is Arihara's first season in the Major Leagues after spending the last six seasons pitching in Japan.
The Red Sox are 2-4 in their last six games versus an American League opponent
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 6:42:10 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 6h Alex Verdugo's OBP is 100 points higher than Kiké Hernández's. I like Hernández as an overall player but I see him more suited for the seventh spot. Verdugo should be leading off for the Red Sox.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 9:08:50 GMT -5
Right on got my appointment for the first dose of AstroZenca on May 11th....
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2021 12:29:23 GMT -5
Red Sox starting pitchers made the most of this turn Bill Koch The Providence Journal
It seems like this sort of thing didn’t happen often for the Red Sox last season.
Five starting pitchers just finished a turn in the rotation with a 2.73 ERA. Boston’s recent cooling off period on offense still resulted in three wins over that span.
Martin Perez turned in the latest solid performance Thursday night. This 4-1 loss to the Rangers was sealed when Hirokazu Sawamura allowed a pair of home runs in relief, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth.
You could dismiss the right-hander's performance out of the bullpen as an anomaly. Sawamura has been generally reliable thus far in his debut season. What shouldn’t be overlooked is the fact Perez entered with the worst ERA in the rotation and spent 5 2/3 innings lowering it by 1.01 runs.
“I think I put everything together,” Perez said. “My changeup was there. That made the difference between the pitches.”
Eduardo Rodriguez, Garrett Richards and Perez combined for 25 strikeouts against no walks in 19 2/3 innings beginning on Sunday. Rodriguez and Richards each finished seven frames while winning their most recent starts against the Mariners and Mets, respectively. It’s that type of pitching that will give the Red Sox a chance to prevail on most nights.
“We just didn’t make two plays behind him, and it cost us the game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “If he throws the ball the way he did today he’s going to be in good shape.”
Perez played long toss with his changeup between outings, moving out to 120 feet. He was attempting to find some sort of feel and comfort with what at times has been an out pitch in his career. Perez recorded five of his 15 swings and misses on the changeup at Globe Life Field, holding Texas down to open this four-game weekend series.
“I could feel good things coming,” Perez said. “When you’re a pitcher and you have a great changeup and sometimes you don’t have it, it’s hard for you to compete with only two pitches.”
Perez made a team-high 12 starts for Boston in a shortened 2020, and he was one of 16 pitchers who opened at least one game for the Red Sox last year. The collective output was dreadful – a franchise-worst 5.58 ERA and several members of the staff who were jettisoned in the winter months. It’s unlikely we’ll see Zack Godley, Ryan Weber or Matt Hall again, and Boston traded Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs to the Rays in the offseason. Joey Gallo doubled, took third on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly for the Rangers on Thursday.
Perez might have been scoreless if not for a pair of painful mistakes behind him. Joey Gallo’s double to left in the bottom of the fourth was thrown wide of third base by Alex Verdugo and missed by both Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts. That set up an Adolis Garcia sacrifice fly, and Garcia was on base courtesy of a Bogaerts error when Jose Trevino snapped a 1-1 tie with a blast to left-center.
“(Perez) did an amazing job staying in the zone,” Cora said. “Good changeup – probably his best changeup of the month. Velocity was down today, but he was under control.”
Verdugo’s double to deep center and an RBI double by Devers to the corner in right gave the Red Sox their only run in the sixth. Boston otherwise looked like a team that boarded an overnight flight from New York after sweeping the Mets and arrived at their hotel rooms just before dawn. Kyle Gibson and three relievers held the Red Sox to three hits and struck out six while snapping Boston’s three-game winning streak.
“It doesn’t matter how long the flight or how tough the trip,” Perez said. “You’ve got to be ready to compete out there and give your team a chance to win.
“That was the focus tonight. It’s not an excuse.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @billkoch25
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