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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 4:19:31 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers, who homered Friday, talks to himself at plate, ‘getting into the zone’ and becoming a calm player
Updated 12:20 AM; Today 12:10 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rafael Devers went on a four-game hitting bonanza in early April, going 7-for-16 with five homers and 10 RBIs in three games in Baltimore and one game in Minnesota.
“It feels like he’s going to go into one of those runs like he did in Baltimore early on that he’s going to start hitting everything hard and the ball is going to start going out of the ballpark,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before Friday’s game.
Cora — who correctly predicted Devers’ first homer this season — was right again. Devers blasted a 390-foot, 105.6-mph home run to center field in the Red Sox’s 6-1 victory over the Rangers here at Globe Life Field on Friday.
The slugger’s 105.5 mph line-out during the first inning actually was hit harder than both back-to-back home runs that J.D. Martinez (98.8 mph) and Xander Bogaerts (102.6 mph) belted earlier in the inning.
“(Thursday) in BP was the most impressive BP I’ve seen from Raffy,” Cora said pregame Friday. “It was actually unreal. He was hitting line drives to left-center. The ball was going out. He was hitting the ball to center field. The ball was going out. To right field. And mentally, he’s happy. As he always says, ‘I’m happy playing the game.’ But the last two days, I don’t want to say more quiet because he’s always talking but it seems like he’s getting into the zone as far as keeping stuff to himself and be calm.”
Devers always has been an emotional player. He’s hard on himself. He even has been known to punch his helmet during at-bats.
He’s acting calmer. Still, he talks to himself in the batter’s box like he did before hitting a two-out, game-tying double Thursday. But that’s one way of focusing. Boston Globe’s Alex Speier summed it up perfectly on Twitter: “Devers is the quirkiest, most entertaining Red Sox player in the batter’s box since (Adrian) Beltre. Also, he’s quite good. Works the count to 3-2, shakes his head about 1,000 times while talking to himself, then golfs a game-tying double to RF.”
Cora said Martinez and then-mental skills coordinator Laz Gutierrez in 2019 taught Devers to take a deep breath at the plate.
“And he took it by heart and he’s doing that,” Cora said. “He talks to himself.”
Cora said he hears Devers talking to himself both in English and Spanish.
“The English is actually getting better,” Cora said. “You can see him talking to the players and all that.”
His defense also is improving. He has made just three errors. Two of them came early in the season on rushed throws.
“He will always hit,” Cora said. “But the defensive part is the one that really bothers him because he wants to be really good. When he’s not playing good defense, he takes it to the batter’s box. But I think he found a routine. ... He’s been really good in the shift playing in the shortstop area. He looks very comfortable.”
His homer Friday came on a changeup low and away.
“Like I told you guys, his batting practice yesterday was phenomenal,” Cora said after the game. “It was unreal. We were talking about it today. (Alex) Verdugo was saying that what he did yesterday was impressive. He’s been able to stay back, drive the ball to left field. Hit the first changeup hard to right field. He moved well in the infield. He’s in a great place right now. He’s slowing down the game. And I do believe he’s about to go on one of those runs that he’s going to start hitting the ball out of the ballpark, hit for average, get on base. He got another walk today against a lefty. That’s very important.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 4:22:51 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats
@redsoxstats
·
8h
Renfroe really just needs to homer occasionally to be a fine player, but it's just not happening. He's at .172/.242/.259.
Sox need Santana ready asap, they need to see what AAA Duran looks like in games (K-rate and Def), and they may need to investigate an outside corner OF.
Red Sox starters' ERA is 3.88 (11th) and their FIP is 3.33 (8th).
Last seasons: 5.34 ERA (25th), 5.50 FIP (29th)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 4:24:42 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes
@soxnotes
·
9h
This is the 24th time J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts have homered in the same game, tied for 16th-most by any Red Sox duo.
Can you guess which duo holds the club record? They homered in the same game 56 times. (It’s not Ortiz & Manny.)
I love how many of you didn't believe me and still picked Manny & Ortiz. Here are the all-time leaders:
1. Dewey & Rice (56)
2. Papi & Manny (48)
3. Bobby Doerr & Ted Williams (38)
4. Tony C & Yaz (29)
T5. Trot & Manny (28)
T5. Rico & Yaz (28)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 4:25:31 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes
@soxnotes
·
8h
J.D. Martinez is only the fourth Red Sox player to hit as many as 9 HR before May.
David Ortiz (2006) – 10
Hanley Ramirez (2015) – 10
Manny Ramirez (2001) – 9
J.D. Martinez (2021) – 9
Last 6 starts:
Eovaldi – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Rodriguez – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Richards – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Pivetta – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Pérez – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Eovaldi – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
2.52 ERA, 35.2 IP, 10 ER, 6 BB, 40 K, 1 HR
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 4:39:18 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rangers
Saturday, May 1rst
7pm @ Globe Life Field
E-rod 4-0/ 3.52
Has gone at least 5 innings in each of his starts reaching seven in his last start vs the Mariners. In 4 career starts vs Texas he is 3-0/4.44.
Lyles 1-2/6.75
Was not able to get out of the 3rd inning in his last start. Looking to provide length for the Rangers and get deeper into games.
Boston Red Sox vs Texas Rangers
Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:05pm EDT
Written by Doug Gilghrist
The first place Boston Red Sox stay in Texas to play game three of their four-game series against the Rangers on Saturday evening. The teams have split the first two games of the series, with Texas winning on Thursday by a score of 4-1 and the Red Sox evening the series with a 6-1 win on Friday. Boston enters the contest with a 3.5-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, while the Rangers occupy last place in the AL West, five games behind the first place Oakland Athletics.
In game two of the series on Friday night, all seven runs were scored in the first three innings of the game, as Boston cruised to the victory. All six of the Red Sox' runs were scored via the home run, as J.D. Martinez hit 842 feet worth of home runs, hitting a three-run shot in the first and a solo round tripper in the third. Xander Bogaerts and Raphael Devers also went deep for the winning BoSox. Martinez had a total of three hits in the game. Both teams had only six hits in the game, but in contrast to the Red Sox, the Rangers hits were all singles. Brock Holt had two of them, and had the only run batted in for Texas in the game. The Rangers' bullpen threw 6.1 scoreless innings, after the starter, Kohei Arihara gave up six runs in less than three innings.
Martinez takes over home run lead after nearly not playing
Just hours after being removed from Thursday night's game due to migraine-like symptoms, Boston manager Alex Cora made the decision to rest Martinez on Friday. After all, if he continued to display the same symptoms that forced him to miss his final at bat on Thursday, he wouldn't be any good to the team on Friday. Managers make tons of hard decisions every season, but this was a no-brainer. However, Martinez was not having any of that. He talked his way into the starting lineup on Friday, and promptly hit his eighth and ninth home runs of the season (in his first two at bats) to take over the Major League home run lead. If that's the way he plays with a migraine, the rest of the league better watch out.
“He stopped by the office last night after he got treatment and I told him, ‘You're not playing tomorrow.’ He's like, ‘No, I should be OK.’ This morning he texted me right away, he let me know,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on mlb.com. “You've got to trust your players. He's not going to lie to us. If he's feeling dizzy or has a migraine, he's not going to try to compete that way. That was an easy one.”
Friday's win was Boston's fifth in their last seven games. It was only the third time in those seven games that they have scored more than two runs in a game.Besides his home run total, Martinez is having an all-around great season. He is fourth in batting average (.351) and first in RBI (25) in the Major Leagues this season. Bogaerts (.330) and Alex Verdugo (.300) are also raking the ball for Boston, who has a .258 team batting average. The Red Sox have hit 31 home runs in their first 27 games of the season. They are averaging 4.73 runs per game, while they are giving up 4.00 runs per game. The Boston pitching staff has a 3.51 ERA this season.
Eduardo Rodriguez goes to the mound on Saturday for the Red Sox. He has been perfect this season, record-wise anyway, as he has won each of his first four starts of the season. His last game, on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners, was his longest stint, as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits. It was his second straight quality start. Rodriguez has a 3.52 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP this season. Opposing batters are hitting .209 against him this season. The sixth-year pitcher, who has a 55-31 career record (including a 19-6 record in 2019), is 3-0 against the Rangers in four career starts with a 5.59 ERA. Texas' batters have six hits in 20 career at bats (.300) against Rodriguez.
Rangers look to break out of offensive slump
The Texas Rangers fans have not had much to cheer about this season, especially when their offense is at bat. The Rangers are scoring an average of just 3.96 runs per game this season, and they have scored just eight runs in their last three games. One aspect of their game that is sorely lacking is hitting doubles. When Joey Gallo pulled into second base on Thursday night in game one of the series, he probably didn't know what to do. It was just his first double of the season, and just the 23rd two-bagger for the Rangers this season. They managed all singles in Friday's game, which means they now have just 23 doubles in 27 games. They are averaging one double every 38.7 at bats this season. Texas does have 31 home runs this season, but they are hitting just .229 as a team.
“I’d like to see more,” manager Chris Woodward said on Dallasnews.com. “[Hitting instructor Luis Ortiz] talks a lot with our guys about leading the league in doubles. Because if you say you are going to lead the league in home runs, you are probably going to get too big and you are going to pop balls up.”
Nick Solak leads the team with a .293 batting average and seven home runs this season, while Nate Lowe is among the league leaders with his 22 RBI this season. Solak (.910) and Lowe (.845) are the only Rangers with an OPS above .800. Texas has struck out a ton this season, as they are dead-last, striking out 10.58 times per game. The Rangers pitching staff has a 4.45 ERA this season.
Jordan Lyles takes the ball for the Rangers on Saturday. He is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA this season. He is coming off his worst start of the season, in which he worked just 2.2 innings, giving up seven earned runs and 10 hits (including two home runs) to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Opposing hitters are batting .313 against him this season. Lyles has only faced the Red Sox twice in his career, and Saturday's game will be the first time since 2013. In his two starts, he is 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA against them. The current Red Sox hitters are a combined 0-8 against Lyles in their careers.
The Red Sox are 4-1 in their last five games overall
The Red Sox are 11-4 in their last 15 games versus Texas
The Red Sox are 13-7 in their last 20 games versus an American League opponent
The Rangers are 2-6 in their last eight games overall
The Rangers are 2-6 in their last eight home games versus Boston
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Post by Kimmi on May 1, 2021 7:09:19 GMT -5
I've ditched it in the finance office. It's a small group of us and we are all vaccinated. I still wear it in the main building, but mostly for show. I just ditched it running outside. I use to carry it with me and put it on every time I passed someone (technically, every time someone passed me). It feels a lot better to not bother with it.
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Post by Kimmi on May 1, 2021 7:11:48 GMT -5
Jon Couture
@joncouture
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8h
Excedrin and breaking balls floating in the middle of the zone are approved migraine medications, it would seem. #RedSox
While I thoroughly enjoyed the 1-0 game a couple of nights ago, it was nice to have a comfortable lead throughout the game. Good job from out pitchers once again. |
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Post by Kimmi on May 1, 2021 7:15:24 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
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6h
Franchy Cordero -- 0-for-17, 1-for-29.
Only one strikeout tonight. But man, he continues to scuffle. #RedSox
The good news is, we've managed to keep winning.
With the line up that we have, it's fairly easy to bury Cordero in the #9 spot. Not as easy to bury 3 hitters in the #7, 8, and 9 spots. |
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 7:37:27 GMT -5
Lou Merloni
@loumerloni
·
59m
May 1st. Sox have the best record in Baseball. Have a nice Saturday
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 9:19:11 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Nathan Eovaldi’s father texted him about 1,000 career innings before start; Alex Verdugo had better April than Mookie Betts
Updated 9:21 AM; Today 9:04 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — Nathan Eovaldi reached 1,000 career innings Friday.
The 31-year-old righty tossed 6 innings and allowed one run in Boston’s 6-1 win over the Rangers here at Globe Life Field. He improved to 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in six starts this season.
“I’m definitely grateful for being able to achieve that goal,” Eovaldi said. “To overcome the injuries, I feel like that’s been the toughest part for me. So to be able to reach 1,000, it means a lot to me, for sure.”
Eovaldi, a Texas native, has overcome two Tommy John surgeries and multiple arm injuries during his baseball career. He had no idea he was nearing 1,000 innings until his dad told him before the game.
“My dad had texted me,” Eovaldi said. “He kind of told me I was close to 1,000 innings. He was like, ‘I don’t want to jinx you.’ He’s like, ‘I didn’t know you didn’t know.’ It’s one of those things that I’m not really looking at my stats personally. But he told me I was 5 ⅓ (innings) away. It meant a lot to be able to get it here in Texas against these guys. So it was a big deal for me.”
Verdugo had better stats than Betts in April
Alex Verdugo has been one of Boston’s top hitters this season, batting .300 with a .363 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, .863 OPS, three homers, seven doubles and one triple in 25 games.
Verdugo always says he doesn’t think of himself as the player traded for Mookie Betts. He’s his own person.
Cora was asked before Friday’s game if it might weigh on Verdugo some.
“If we’re fair right now, it would be cool to compare them, right?” Cora said. “But I understand it’s only 25 games or whatever. For him honestly, he just wants to be himself. He doesn’t care. He understands that Mookie is a great player. He’s one of the best players in baseball. But I really believe inside of him, he knows he can be a five-tool player. That he can impact the game in any aspect of the game. He’s a young age. He’s doing a great job hitting second for this team. He still has a lot to learn, a lot to improve. That’s eye opening.”
Verdugo had a better April than Betts who slashed .250/.364/.405/.768 in 20 games.
“His intensity at 7:05 is cool to see,” Cora said. “Sometimes we’ve got to talk to him to control his emotions. He takes every at-bat, every pitch very serious. One thing I notice with him, he knows the strike zone. And whenever he complains about a pitch that we think like, ‘Ah, maybe it’s a strike,’ we go to the iPad an inning later and it’s a ball. He understands the strike zone.”
Cora said Verdugo is a different type of hitter in an era centered on strikeouts, walks and home runs.
“He’s not that type of player and I think that benefits him,” Cora said. “He’s able to go the other way. He stays up the middle. He can pull the ball for power. But he understands that he needs to swing at strikes and try to make contact. And he’s excellent at that. I think he’s driving the ball more so far compared to last year.”
Cora thinks Red Sox fans will appreciate Verdugo’s energy.
“I can’t wait to have a packed house at Fenway and for them to enjoy the way he goes about it,” Cora said. “And I know they love him already but until they see him on a daily basis with a packed house, it’s going to be cool to see.”
‘He’s in a bad place’
Franchy Cordero has the highest strikeout percentage (47.3%) among major leaguers with 50 or more plate appearances. He has 26 strikeouts in 51 at-bats.
“There’s a few things he’s going through,” Cora said before Friday’s game. “I think the most important thing is controlling the strike zone. He’s been expanding up, expanding down. He’s in a bad place. Let’s be honest. Late on fastballs, out in front on offspeed pitches. Yesterday, he had a great BP session here. He was hitting line drives to left-center. But we have to go to the game and recognize pitches in the zone and put good swings on it.”
Cordero went 0-for-4 on Friday but he made contact in three of his four at-bats.
He also made a terrific catch in left field.
Nine teams reach 85% threshold
MLB announced Friday that four clubs are at least 85% fully vaccinated. Certain health and safety protocols for those teams have been relaxed. Five more clubs have reached 85% vaccinated and will have their protocols relaxed within the next two weeks. A person is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after his or her second shot.
The Red Sox have not yet reached 85%.
“Because of where we play, our process started a little bit later than other places,” Cora said. “So we just have to be patient. I’m not sure how close we are to 85%.”
Massachusetts residents 16 and older weren’t eligible to receive the vaccine until April 19. Teams in other states were able to receive it earlier.
“We’re trending up. Hopefully we can get to 85 sooner rather than later if we get there,” Cora added.
Cora mentioned he would love for his family to travel on the road with him.
“If we don’t get to 85%, we’re not going to be able to do that regardless if my family’s vaccinated or I’m vaccinated,” Cora said.
Pitching matchup Saturday
The Red Sox and Rangers will play the third game of this four-game series Saturday at 7:05 p.m., eastern. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52 ERA) will start for Boston opposite Texas righty Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75 ERA).
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 1, 2021 13:20:05 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Nathan Eovaldi’s father texted him about 1,000 career innings before start; Alex Verdugo had better April than Mookie BettsUpdated 9:21 AM; Today 9:04 AM By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com Verdugo had a better April than Betts who slashed .250/.364/.405/.768 in 20 games. Good, one more month that we don't have to read about what an awful trade it was. That said, this is completely misleading. Betts was fine until he was drilled in the forearm on 4/19, and has had a .570 since then. My guess is that he might've been IL'd except for the fact that Bellinger is also IL'd. Still, while I am still thrilled with the trade, I would've hoped that our writers would've known the reason why Betts is struggling. |
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 13:25:52 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes
@soxnotes
·
3h
Red Sox to lead the majors outright in both HR and RBI at the start of play on May 1:
Jimmie Foxx (1940) – 4 HR, 19 RBI
J.D. Martinez (2021) – 9 HR, 25 RBI
(since RBI became an official stat in 1920)
(h/t @eliassports
)
J.D. Martinez (9 HR, 25 RBI) and Rafael Devers (7 HR, 21 RBI) are the first Red Sox teammates to each record at least 7 HR and 20 RBI in a season before May.
(h/t @kylemontemagno
)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 13:27:56 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats
@redsoxstats
·
3h
Swing and misses on fastballs
1. 50% Darwinzon Hernandez
1. 50% James Karinchak
3. 47% Josh Hader
Swing and misses on curveballs
1. 60% Jesus Luzardo
2. 55% Matt Barnes
2. 55% Tyler Glasnow
Red Sox team rank at swinging at pitches over the heart of the plate
2017: 30th
2018: 10th
2019: 9th
2020: 19th
2021: 6th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 13:46:10 GMT -5
Game 28: Red Sox at Rangers lineups and notesBy Brandon Chase Globe Correspondent,Updated May 1, 2021, 1 minute ago J.D. Martinez hit his 8th and 9th home runs of the season Friday to lead the Red Sox to a 6-1 win. Boston has now won four of its last five games. The Red Sox will try to win another on Saturday in Arlington. Lineups RED SOX (17-10): 1. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 2. Alex Verdugo (L) CF 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 6. Christian Vazquez (R) C 7. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 8. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 9. Franchy Cordero (L) LF Pitching: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52) RANGERS (11-16): 1. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) SS 2. Nick Solak (R) 2B 3. Joey Gallo (L) RF 4. Adolis Garcia (R) LF 5. Nate Lowe (L) 1B 6. Jose Trevino (R) C 7. Willie Calhoun (L) DH 8. Charlie Culberson (R) 3B 9. Eli White (R) CF Pitching: RHP Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75) Time: 7:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, 93.7 WEEI-FM Red Sox vs. Lyles: Renfroe 0-2, Martinez 0-2, Gonzalez 0-1, Verdugo 0-1, Hernandez 0-0, BB Rangers vs. Rodriguez: Kiner-Falefa 2-7, Gallo 2-3, Trevino 1-3, Solak 0-3, Calhoun 1-2, Dahl 0-2 Stat of the Day: Rodriguez has pitched at least five innings in all four of his starts this season. Notes: J.D. Martinez’s 3-for-4 performance on Friday was his 10th multi-hit game of the season. He has at least one hit in 20 of his 27 games ... Rafael Devers has raised his batting average from .264 to .293 over the last seven games ... Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 4.44 ERA against the Rangers in his career ... Christian Arroyo is hitting .348 on the road this season.
Song of the Day: April Wine: Rock Myself to Sleepwww.youtube.com/watch?v=65wxXQqJfCE
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2021 15:05:05 GMT -5
Don't give a rats ass that they are winning today
the Yankees are a hot mess.
Over rated by all the talking heads all pre season.
Piss on them.
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