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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 4:09:43 GMT -5
Matt Barnes gets 5-out save in Boston Red Sox win: ‘We had to go win a game,’ Alex Cora says Updated 1:32 AM; Today 12:50 AM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- With one out in the eighth inning and the bases loaded in a three-run game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned to closer Matt Barnes for his longest save of the season against the Tigers on Tuesday night.
Cora was rewarded for his aggressive decision, as Barnes’ second pitch forced Miguel Cabrera to ground into an inning-ending double play that vanquished the threat. Barnes then needed just 14 pitches in a 1-2-3 ninth inning as he saved his seventh game of the season and clinched an 11-7 Red Sox win.
Barnes recorded three outs in his previous five saves, but Cora -- knowing the closer had only thrown five pitches in the last five days -- wanted to make sure a strong offensive showing didn’t go to waste.
“We had to go win a game,” Cora said. “Our offense did an outstanding job. We had a hiccup there in the sixth inning when we gave up four. They had traffic and you have to go to the best in that situation.”
Barnes was summoned after Darwinzon Hernandez, pitching for the fourth time in five games, loaded the bases by allowing an error and walking two batters with one out. Hernandez’s wildness was a discouraging sign after three straight lights-out appearances in Texas, where he struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced.
“We’ve been using him a lot lately,” Cora said. “He pitched three out of four in Texas. I think he went to his off-speed a little bit too much. He wasn’t as aggressive with the fastball. He got himself in trouble. But he got a strikeout with a fastball up so it’s a good learning experience with him tonight.”
The Red Sox used a bit of an unconventional relief order at the end of the game, with setup man Adam Ottavino tossing a scoreless seventh before Hernandez entered for the eighth. Though Boston’s bullpen gave up four runs and allowed seven baserunners in four innings, it still did enough to get the job done.
“We had to use Adam earlier because of the matchups and we felt like the matchups were good for us in the eighth inning with Darwinzon,” Cora said. “It didn’t work out, but (Barnes) made a good pitch on Miguel and then he finished the game.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 4:14:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h Can't imagine Brice is long for the roster. 7.2 IP in 29 games and has not been good.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 4:15:28 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 6h Matt Barnes is the first Red Sox pitcher to record a save of 5+ outs on 16 or fewer pitches since Jonathan Papelbon on 7/21/08 at SEA (5 outs, 15 pitches).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 4:26:33 GMT -5
Tigers @ Red Sox Wednesday, 5th May 2021 7pm @ Fenway
Mize 1-3/ 5.06
Has lost his last 3 starts after beating the Astros. He did take a shut out in his last start vs the Pale Hose after walking 2 in the 5th that led to a 3 run rally.
Perez 0-2/ 4.70
Allowed one run over 5 and struck out seven Rangers. Has made 9 starts at Fenway since last year and is still looking for his first win at home.
Detroit Tigers vs.Boston Red Sox Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 7:10pm EDT Written by Doug Gilghrist
The Boston Red Sox host the Detroit Tigers in the middle game of their three-game on Wednesday evening. This is the first series of the season between these two teams. Boston, who has the second-best record in the American League, leads the American League East by 2.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays.The Toronto Blue Jays are three games behind the Red Sox heading into Wednesday's action. Detroit, on the other hand, has the worst record in baseball, and are already nine games out of first place in the AL Central. Game one of the series went the Red Sox' way, as they led the entire way before finally ending up with an 11-7 victory.
Boston jumped out to a 7-2 lead after two innings on Tuesday night, and more or less cruised to the victory. The Tigers tried to make a comeback, as they scored four runs in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 9-7, but could get no closer. Five players for the Red Sox had multi-hit games, including Christian Vasquez and Hunter Renfroe, who both had three hits and two RBI apiece. The Red Sox hit four home runs in the game, as Renfroe, Enrique Hernandez, Xander Bogaerts, and Alex Verdugo all went deep in the win. Detroit got three hits, three RBI, and two walks from Robbie Grossman, while Victor Reyes also contributed three hits in the losing cause.
Tigers threatening modern record for futility To say that the Detroit Tigers are not having a good season in 2021 may be the understatement of the century. However, to say that they are the worst team in MLB history may not be much of a stretch. With their loss to Boston on Tuesday, the Tigers fell to a pathetic 8-22, which is a .267 winning percentage. Only six teams since 1900 have ended a season with a worse mark, including Detroit's 2003 team that went 43-119 (.265). At their current rate, they are on pace to end up 43.2-118.8 (which equates to another 43-119 season) this season. The worst record since 1900 was recorded by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, who went 36-117 for a .235 winning percentage. The Tigers record may actually be a little bit inflated because of a decent start this season, if you can believe that. Detroit started the season by winning six of their first 12 games, but they have lost 16 of their last 18 games, which is a .111 winning percentage over those 18 games. Even the Tigers can't keep that pace up, so let's assume that they will play somewhere between their overall percentage (.267) and their last 18-game pace (.111) the rest of the season. The midway point between those two percentages is .189. With 132 games remaining, a .189 winning percentage will give them an additional 25 wins, which, when added to their current total of eight, would give the Tigers a 33-129 final record, or a .204 winning percentage, obliterating the old record. To put it another way, if Detroit plays all 162 games this season, they would need 39 total wins to avoid the Philadelphia A's mark for futility, which means that they have to play at a .235 pace the rest of the way. That is 6.2 wins per month, or one win every 4.8 days. Wednesday is the fifth day of May, and they don't yet have a victory this month, so without a win in the middle game of their series against the Red Sox, they will already be behind schedule to avoid the worst season in MLB history.
Detroit's offense broke out a little bit on Tuesday, but they had scored just five total runs in their previous five games, which included three shutout losses. The Tigers have been shutout a total of six times this season.
“We lost a couple of key at-bats. They just kept coming at us," Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said on espn.com. “I thought our bats were the best they’ve been in a while. I thought our guys hung in quite a bit, just not quite enough.”
Detroit has the worst offense in baseball this season, as they are last in runs per game (2.87), hits per game (6.23), and walks per game (2.50). Jeimer Candelario is one of only a handful of players who have an average over .200 this season for the Tigers, as he leads the team with a .270 batting average. Wilson Ramos leads Detroit in home runs with six, while Akil Baddoo has a team-leading 13 RBI. Future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is in possibly the worst stretch of his career, as he is in a 3-33 slump, which has dropped his current batting average to .105. Five of the Tigers' nine starters on Tuesday are batting under the Mendoza line. Detroit raised their team batting average to .199 with their 10-hit performance on Tuesday, and they have 31 home runs in their 30 games. The Tigers also have the worst ERA in baseball at 5.21 this season.
Casey Mize takes the mound on Wednesday to try and halt Detroit's six-game losing streak. He is 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA in five starts this season. Mize is coming of a loss to the Chicago White Sox, as he gave up three runs on four hits in six innings pitched on Thursday. Opposing hitters are batting .267 with five home runs this season. This will be Mize's first career start against the Red Sox.
Red Sox looking to take advantage of Tigers poor play The Boston Red Sox couldn't have picked a better time to have the Detroit Tigers come to town. The Red Sox were coming off just their second series loss of the season, as they dropped three of four games to the Texas Rangers over the weekend. Before that, Boston had won four of their previous five games. Boston's pitching has let them down over the last three games, as they have given up an average of 6.7 runs per game in their last three games. Even though they have a .600 winning percentage this season, they have not played well over the last few weeks. Since their nine-game winning streak early in the season, the Red Sox are playing just .500 ball in their last 18 games (9-9).
“Our offense did an outstanding job," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Tuesday’s win on espn.com.
Boston has the best hitting team in the Major Leagues this season, as they are hitting .265 through their first 30 games of the season. They have hit 37 home runs this season, which is the median total in the league. The Red Sox are also leading the league in OPS with a .776 mark this season. J.D. Martinez leads the way for Boston's offense, as he is hitting .349 (second on the team) with nine home runs and 27 RBI (both league-leading totals) this season. Bogaerts is leading the team with a .351 batting average this season. The Red Sox have the 13th-best ERA in baseball at 3.86 this season.
Martin Perez will toe the rubber for Boston on Wednesday. He is 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA this season in five starts. Perez is coming off his second loss of the season, but he pitched pretty well on Thursday against the Texas Rangers. He gave up just one earned run and five hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Opposing batters are hitting .278 against Perez this season, but he has given up just one home run. He has not pitched well against the Tigers in his career, going 2-4 with a 6.81 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). The Tigers have hit Perez very well in their careers, as they have a .333 batting average with two home runs and six doubles in 63 at bats.
Tigers at Red Sox Wednesday, at 7:10 PM EST Rainy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 50° F with a 76% chance of rain and 6 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io 8:10 PM rain 72% Rain 49° W 6 mph L-R 9:10 PM rain 49% Rain 49° W 6 mph L-R 10:10 PM rain 28% Rain
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 6:27:34 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 1h Two morning glimpses:Xander Bogaerts(1.086 OPS, 25 G, 6 HR, 13 G) is a guy on whose back to rely, and the magical handling of Rays P:consecutive back-to-back McLanahan/Patino starts are 13 10 3 3 2 17. Building towards October with bigtime power
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 6:30:05 GMT -5
The idea of Hunter Renfroe now seems like a good one Current Time 0:13 / Duration 0:15 By Rob Bradford 2 hours ago
Who and what is Hunter Renfroe? That's what Major League Baseball has been trying to find out since the outfielder came into the bigs back in 2016.
Renfroe was always useful. The fact that he now has 100 major league home runs in 454 games will suggest that. But was there more? To a certain extent, the Red Sox were banking on ... even if it's just a few less swings and misses, and a few more times on base while still hitting those home runs once every 15 at-bats.
The last few games, the Red Sox have been getting their wish.
With the narrative that the biggest problem facing these first-place Red Sox is the bottom third of their batting order pounding Alex Cora's team over its collective head, one of the targeted participants, Renfroe, has done his part to change that conversation.
Renfroe highlighted a fairly ugly 11-7 Red Sox win over the hapless Tigers Tuesday night at Fenway Park with a single, double a home run. In the last three games, the athletic outfielder has risen his batting average from .167 to .222 and OPS fro m.485 to .664.
"Any time you’re a baseball player, you want to see some hits fall. But it was good to stay with my approach," said Renfroe, whose was joined in the Red Sox' home run parade by fellow outfielders Alex Verdugo, and Enrique Hernandez along with Xander Bogaerts. "I knew it was going to work out. I knew that some balls were going to fall eventually. It’s all I can do – go in there, work hard, keep hitting it, and they’ll fall."
“He’s been swinging the bat well. It started in Texas," Cora added. "He hit the home run, but then like we said earlier today, he got two hits the opposite way. He put the ball in play, and today he did the same thing. Even the out was a good swing going to the opposite field. He’s in a good place now. It looks like he’s having confidence. He’s seeing the ball better, and it seems like good things are going to happen.”
There is a ways to go before the Red Sox truly know what they have in Renfroe. This is, after all, a hitter who hit just .216 the last time (2019) he was counted on to play the much. (Although that season with the Padres, there were those 33 home runs.)
He certainly fits Fenway Park's right field well in terms of range and a throwing arm. And if the foundation of the Sox' lineup keeps hitting like it has been, there will be a certain amount of patience allowed for those roller-coaster stretches.
But, let's be honest, there is a reason the Red Sox entered this season putting their faith in the best version of Renfroe: They need him.
With left-handed-hitting Verdugo as the outfields staple, the Sox truly were counting on, at very least, Renfroe to be their righty-hitting go-to guy out there. And if there were some hiccups in games he had to play against right-handed pitching, so be it. At least the Red Sox would have his range.
So far, overall the plan has been good enough, with the Red Sox leading the American League in runs while managing virtually the same batting average an OPS against righties and lefties.
Still, there needs to be more of the kind of progress shown by Renfroe. The Red Sox still own the worst OPS of any team out of the No. 7 spot (where Christian Arroyo went 0-for-4 against the Tigers). And the No. 9 position sits at fourth-worst, with a myriad of pitcher-hitting National League teams in front of them.
Now, however, it would seem that Renfroe at the very least is becoming more of the solution than the problem. And for the Red Sox team, that's all they should be asking for.
"You got guys in the bottom of the lineup that hit the ball .500 feet, I think that's pretty special that not a lot of people have," Renfroe said. "With the speed that Franchy (Cordero) has and stuff like that, if he ever gets going, you know, I think that's going to be a huge offensive help for everybody, and just take the load off of (Xander) Bogaerts, and J.D. (Martinez) and those guys at the top of the lineup knowing that they don't have to necessarily be on their A game when you’ve got guys at the bottom of the lineup picking up their slack.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 10:06:40 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Minor leagues return after 19-month hiatus, Nick Pivetta inefficient in win; Alex Cora jokes about changing Fenway Park music to help home woes Updated 9:21 AM; Today 9:04 AM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- For the first time in months, Red Sox affiliates took the field against real, live competition Tuesday night. The minor league season got underway after being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In Trenton, New Jersey, the WooSox lost their inaugural game, 6-1, to the Buffalo Bisons (who are moonlighting as the Trenton Thunder early in the season). The Sea Dogs dropped their opener, 11-2, to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. High-A Greenville and Low-A Salem were washed out, meaning the big-league team was the only affiliate to win Tuesday.
Still, the day was a successful one for the organization -- as well as anyone associated with minor league baseball.
“It’s a special day every year and when you think, it has been 600-some days since we’ve had a minor league Opening Day,” said Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. “It’s so special for all our players who get to go out and play. Our staff, who last year, couldn’t do what they loved to do. And our players who were working from home, now being able to go out there and play — games against opponents, games that count — this is what we do this for. You go out there and compete. For everybody to get a chance to do that is really, really exciting.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he thinks the organization will learn more about the development of its young players in game action than it has at any point during the 19-month shutdown.
“As far as their progress and development, now it’s time,” Cora said. “The opposition is getting ready for you and you are getting ready for the opposition. Facing your teammates or your colleagues, whatever you want to call it, it’s hard. I bet those guys on the mound don’t want to throw up and in to (their) teammate. From today on, it’s about fastballs up and in and breaking balls down and away. Compete and try to win games while you’re developing. That makes it a lot better.
“I’m happy for the baseball world that we’re going to have minor league baseball,” he added. “For all those towns that they have their teams, it’s going to be amazing. For us as baseball fans, it’s a great day. For those kids to be able to compete after 19 months or whatever it is, it has to be great.”
Pivetta inefficient, but picks up win
Right-hander Nick Pivetta was not as sharp Tuesday night as he had been in his previous three outings but still did enough to keep the Red Sox in the game as he picked up his fourth win of the season.
Pivetta struck out eight batters but lasted only five innings, allowing three runs and six hits on 100 pitches. The Red Sox won, 11-7, behind 14 hits and four homers.
“I really wish I would have limited pitches in that game, got ahead of guys a couple more times, used my breaking ball a little bit more and my changeup more to get into the sixth or seventh inning,” Pivetta said.
Pivetta has been one of Boston’s most consistent starters in 2021 and owns a 3.23 ERA in 30 ⅔ innings. The Red Sox are 5-1 in his starts.
“Nick was okay today,” Cora said. “He battled control. They put some long at-bats and it feels like he wasn’t as aggressive in the strike zone like the last two (outings). He gave us a chance to win, but we’ve seen better. We’ll get him back to that.”
Home cooking not kind so far this year
All season, Cora has stressed the importance of the Red Sox playing better at home after posting a combined 49-63 record at Fenway Park over the last two years. Entering Tuesday, Boston was just 8-8 at home compared to its 9-4 mark on the road.
Cora joked that he told team president and CEO Sam Kennedy to change the music to help the club out at home.
“We’ve just got to find a better way,” Cora said. “I don’t know if the at-bats are (different), if we’re more cautious about the wall in left field because it’s right there or the approach changes and you want to pull the ball instead of staying up the middle. It’s something that, as a team, we have to do better. That’s the bottom line.
“In our division, I think the only team that has a positive home record is actually the Jays, and they’re playing in Dunedin,” he added. “Maybe (we will) go to Worcester, play there and see if it changes.”
Trade talks not yet heating up
Though the Red Sox are always looking at ways to upgrade their roster, Bloom said trade talks with other clubs had not become serious yet this season. That’s typical, considering it’s early May. An increased emphasis on depth around the majors could force the market to move a bit quicker than normal.
“Usually, at this point in the season (talks are) pretty sporadic,” Bloom said. “They happen from time to time. We’re always talking to our counterparts and making sure we have our finger on the pulse of things. This is a time period where it’s rare to see significant action. You might -- around the league, there have been some talks and sometimes players end up out there. I think one of the things we saw last summer, even though it was very compressed and I think we’re going to see again this year, is we know that these seasons, more than normal, are going to take their toll on teams’ depth. I think teams, more than usual, are going to be in a mode of trying to horde as many guys as they can to get them through it.”
The Red Sox do have some unfinished business to take care of, as they still need to acquire three players to be named later (one from the Mets and two from the Royals) to complete the February trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City. Bloom wouldn’t disclose the deadline for those moves.
“I don’t want to get into an exact date, but safe to say, once the minor-league season is well underway, we’ll get some resolution to that,” he said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 10:08:52 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 1h Alex Verdugo is batting .352 with a 1.001 OPS during his current 23-game on-base streak. That is tied for MLB’s longest on-base streak of the season (also Joey Gallo). Verdugo has struck out only twice in his last 8 games with an at-bat.
The Red Sox lead the AL in runs scored (149). They lead the majors in AVG (.265) and OPS (.776).
Xander Bogaerts leads the majors in hits (39).
J.D. Martinez leads the majors in RBI (27).
Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, and Eduardo Rodriguez are tied for the AL lead in wins (4).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 10:10:04 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 48m Renfroe
First 19 games 10-60, 2 2B, HR, 2 barrels
Last 3 games 6-12, 2B, 2 HR, 3 barrels
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 10:12:42 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 18m #RedSox now scheduled to play the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., May 18-19-20 then in Buffalo July 19-20-21 and Aug. 6-7-8.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 13:22:47 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h 2018 #1 overall pick Casey Mize pitches at Fenway tonight. Things have not been going well for Mize: 27 IP, 5.06 ERA, 5.51 FIP, 20 K, 10 BB, 5 HR
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 13:30:56 GMT -5
Game 31: Tigers at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 5, 2021, 10:41 a.m. 15 After holding on for an 11-7 win in the series opener, the Red Sox will face the Tigers again tonight. Martín Pérez will get the start. In his last start, Pérez held the Texas Rangers to two runs (one earned) on five hits over 5⅔ innings. Lineups TIGERS (8-22)1. Robbie Grossman (S) LF 2. Jonathan Schoop (R) DH 3. Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B 4. Miguel Cabrera (R) 1B 5. Niko Goodrum (S) SS 6. Willi Castro (S) 2B 7. JaCoby Jones (R) CF 8. Victor Reyes (S) RF 9. Grayson Greiner (R) C Pitching: RHP Casey Mize (1-3, 5.06 ERA) RED SOX (18-12)1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Christian Vazquez (R) C 6. Marwin Gonzalez (S) 1B 7. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 8. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 9. Franchy Cordero (L) LF Pitching: LHP Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.70 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Tigers vs. Pérez: Cabrera 4-8, Candelario 0-2, Castro 1-3, Castro 1-4, Goodrum 0-2, Grossman 4-16, Jones 0-2, Ramos 3-8, Reyes 4-6, Schoop 4-12. Red Sox vs. Mize: Gonzalez 1-2. Stat of the day: The Red Sox are 9-3 when scoring first and 15-1 when scoring four or more runs. Notes: Pérez is 2-4 with a 6.81 ERA in eight games (seven starts) lifetime against the Tigers … The Red Sox have hit 10 home runs in their last four games, after hitting one in their previous five … Xander Bogaerts has hit .384 with a 1.086 OPS in his last 25 games (38 for 99, 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 17 RBIs). He has six home runs in his last 13 games … The Tigers have lost six in a row, 11 of their last 12, and 16 of their last 18 … Two-time American League MVP Miguel Cabrera is hitless in his past 23 at-bats, punching out 13 times in that span. Cabrera is hitting .105 … Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, has lost each of his last three starts. Song of the Day: Aerosmith "Lick and a Promise"www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU4ua5fyxDw
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 14:23:57 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5m Alex Cora expects to play tonight's game against the Tigers. #RedSox
Cora -- 'We try to structure a week and look ahead. Like tomorrow -- Christian (Vazquez) is not playing.'
'We try to get ahead of stuff and give them rest.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 14:25:15 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7m Replying to @billkoch25 Cora wants to see Perez attack the strike zone and use his changeup tonight. Felt he did a better job of it last time out. #RedSox
Cora on staying healthy with injuries rising in #MLB in 2021 -- 'You've got to give credit to our medical staff and our strength and conditioning staff. They do an outstanding job.'
'I think luck has to do with it too. We have to be honest about the whole situation.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'We don't mind guys going into the training room. It's about preventing injuries.'
'Raffy, he was okay to play yesterday -- why push him?' #RedSox
Cora -- 'We try to structure a week and look ahead. Like tomorrow -- Christian (Vazquez) is not playing.'
'We try to get ahead of stuff and give them rest.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2021 14:42:54 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 9m Cora on Verdugo -- 'There's a reason he's hitting second. We're very happy with the way he goes about his approach.' #RedSox
Cora said there are no physical issues with Phillips Valdez, who hasn't pitched since April 24. He would have worked Tuesday if the #RedSox had maintained their lead into the final three innings.
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