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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:35:38 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Boston wins for the 20th time in its 33rd game of 2021.
#RedSox won for the 20th time in their 54th game of 2020.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:37:20 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Cora said Ottavino was down and he was 'trying to stay away from Darwinzon and Matt (Andriese).' #RedSox
Alex Cora on Bobby Dalbec -- 'He felt good yesterday on his last swing against Funkhouser. He's been working hard. It's not lack of effort.'
'It's good to see him smile. This is such a tough sport.' #RedSox
Cora on Hernandez (right hamstring) -- 'We hope it's 10 days.'
Could split leadoff between Gonzalez against righties and Arroyo against lefties. #RedSox
Cora said Chavis is likely to play Saturday. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:39:56 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Cora on Whitlock -- 'It was good to see him going through those two innings and helping us to win the ballgame.' #RedSox
Cora on Eduardo Rodriguez -- 'We were very short today bullpen-wise. He grinded.' #RedSox
Cora on Dalbec -- 'We have to be patient. It's not that easy. We've been seeing good pitching throughout, even in spring training. But you've got to be patient with the player.' #RedSox
Cora on the speed from Devers -- 'I told him the other day on one of the websites they had J.D. ranked ahead of him speed-wise. He took it personally.' #RedSox
Cora on Devers -- 'He's in better shape than last year. We know that. He's a smart baserunner. He'll take his chances.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:41:11 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 3h Rodriguez on pitching at Camden Yards -- 'The first couple starts of my career I was excited to pitch over here.'
'Now it's just another ballpark to me.'
(He's 7-2 there. The Orioles were the team that signed him out of Venezuela.) #RedSox
Eduardo Rodriguez -- 'I didn't have my fastball command today.'
'It was one of those days where we decided to use my secondary pitches.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:42:54 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 3h Bobby Dalbec on snapping out of his slump -- 'Little less pressure I guess, or weight off my shoulders.'
'I would say the last couple days I haven't really had that pressure. Just tried to have fun and see the ball.' #RedSox
Dalbec on hitting -- 'It's so hard.'
'Isn't the whole league down offensively? Pitchers are nasty right now. It just comes down to timing, vision.' #RedSox
Dalbec said he talked to Pedroia a couple days ago. The former #RedSox second baseman went through a well-documented slump of his own as a rookie.
'He's awesome.'
Dalbec -- 'The team as a whole has helped me out. Just sticking with me and being positive.'
'It all comes down to timing, seeing the ball -- it's usually not a swing thing. I've never taken a bad swing when I saw the ball well and I was on time.' #RedSox
Dalbec on relating with Cordero -- 'Me and him have had a few talks and been pulling for each other and talking with each other after games.'
'We didn't feel like we were alone going through it.'
'He came up to me in Texas after one of the games and we talked for 5-10 minutes.'
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:46:29 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 4h Rays, Yanks, and Jays all lost. Sox now 2.5 games up.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:49:33 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 6h As much as Dalbec had been in what seemed an unending slump, the underlying numbers for Dalbec - swing/miss numbers, Chase percentages, exit velos - had suggested a similar and perhaps even improved approach compared to 2020 until a bad but relatively brief cluster of games.
Results just hadn’t been there. Until tonight.
Also worth noting that Cora is a big believer in looking at that sort of underlying data to remain committed to a slumping player. He often pointed to Bradley’s quality of contact when keeping him in the lineup even when results weren’t there..
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:56:41 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 6h Bobby Dalbec is only the 12th Red Sox player ever to hit 10 HR in his first 50 career games.
Ted Williams, Fred Lynn, Rafael Devers, and Nomar Garciaparra each hit 9 HR in their first 50 games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 3:59:10 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 5h Sawamura throws his fastball down, and in this day and age, those get rocked sometimes. 3 HR allowed on fastballs, 1 on a slider, in 14 IP. We'll see what adjustments come.
He only throws his split 30% of the time, that may need to go way, way up.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 4:00:03 GMT -5
Dan Connolly @danconnolly2016 · 4h Hyde said will Zac Lowther will start Saturday night’s game against Boston
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 4h Orioles #11 prospect, has thrown 1 MLB inning. Left handed, throws 92 up, with a curve and breaking ball. Pretty uninspiring prospect writeups, but was very good in Double-A in 2019.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 4:06:17 GMT -5
Dustin Pedroia gave Boston Red Sox’s Bobby Dalbec advice about ‘grinding’ through slump; ‘He’s awesome’ Updated 1:52 AM; Today 1:49 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — Red Sox manager Alex Cora has talked with Bobby Dalbec about the slump Dustin Pedroia went through during his rookie season in 2007. Pedroia went 10-for-55 (.182 batting average) in April.
But Pedroia slashed .333/.389/.467/.856 in 119 games from May 1 through the end of the regular season and won AL Rookie of the Year.
“I talked to Pedey the other day, too,” Dalbec said. “You’ve just kind of got to talk about it. If you just keep it internalized the whole time, it’s gonna eat you up.”
Dalbec broke his 0-for-27 slump with two hits, including a three-run home run, Friday here at Camden Yards. He helped the Red Sox win 6-2 over the Baltimore Orioles.
Dalbec played at the University of Arizona and returns to Arizona during the offseason. He hit with Pedroia at Pedroia’s Arizona house following the 2019 season.
“Part of it, you’ve just kind of got to grind through it,” Dalbec said, summarizing Pedroia’s message. “It’s never as bad as it seems. And it’s never as good as it seems, too. So the whole ride-the-wave thing. You’ve got to be the same guy. He’s awesome.”
Dalbec said the whole team, including Franchy Cordero, has helped him during this tough stretch. Cordero broke his own 0-for-25 slump with three hits Thursday.
“Me and him have had a few talks and been pulling for each other and talking to each other after games,” Dalbec said. “Just so it didn’t feel like we were alone going through it. So that helps a lot. He’s an awesome dude. He came up to me in Texas after one of the games and we talked for five, 10 minutes. So it’s great. It’s good to have teammates like that.”
He said his teammates and coaches have stuck with him and stressed positivity.
“I know what I can do,” Dalbec said. “It’s just a matter of time. Obviously I don’t want to hurt the team at the dish. That’s why I’ve been really grinding on defense throughout this — so I can help the team in some way.”
Dalbec said he didn’t feel much pressure the past couple of days.
“I just tried to have fun and just see the ball,” Dalbec said. “It felt really good to get a couple and getting something rolling. So just gotta keep working.”
Dalbec said it all comes down to timing and seeing the ball.
“Just trying to see the ball deeper,” Dalbec said. “I feel like I was seeing the ball well out of the hand during that tough stretch. But I was just trying to make decisions too early. Didn’t really feel like myself attacking the ball.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 4:07:27 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Michael Chavis likely to play Saturday; Rafael Devers’ steal of third comes after Alex Cora’s J.D. Martinez comparison Updated 2:44 AM; Today 2:38 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — The Red Sox recalled Michael Chavis from Triple-A Worcester before Friday’s game to take Kiké Hernández’s spot on the active roster.
Hernández was placed on the 10-day IL because of a right hamstring strain.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Chavis likely will play Saturday against the Orioles here at Camden Yards.
“He did a good job in spring training early on,” Cora said. “I do believe toward the end because of the competition, he started chasing hits and he got out of his approach.”
Chavis competed with Christian Arroyo for the final positional roster spot.
“We know what he can do. I saw it in ‘19,” Cora said. “Obviously the league caught up with him. I do believe he did a good job in spring training knowing the boundaries of his swing. And hopefully, when he gets a chance here, he can do it.”
In his first 26 major league games, Chavis batted .296 with a .389 on-base percentage, .592 slugging percentage, .981 OPS, nine home runs, two doubles, 24 RBIs, 14 walks and 30 strikeouts (119 plate appearances). In 111 major league games since then, he has batted .228 with a .281 on-base percentage, .382 slugging percentage, 14 homers, 13 doubles, three triples, 53 RBIs, 25 walks and 147 strikeouts (427 plate appearances).
How long will Hernández be out?
Cora said the hope is Hernández will return after 10 days on the IL and he won’t need any longer.
Hernández left Thursday’s game during the first inning because of right hamstring tightness.
Who will lead off?
With Hernández sidelined, who will lead off for the Red Sox?
Marwin Gonzalez led off Friday. Cora said he likely will use Gonzalez as the leadoff hitter against right-handed starting pitchers. He’s likely to use Christian Arroyo as the leadoff hitter against left-handed starters.
Devers steals third
Rafael Devers stole third base Friday.
“I told him the other day that on one of the websites, they had J.D. (Martinez) running ahead of him speed-wise and he took it personally,” Cora said. “He’s a good base runner. He’s a good athlete. He’s fast actually. Just gotta be careful with him, right? He’s scores from first. He takes his chances as far as like stealing bases and he’s in better shape than last year.”
Rodriguez relies on secondary pitches
Eduardo Rodriguez threw 91 pitches (61 strikes). He allowed just one run. But he gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out only two.
He threw 28 changeups, 23 cutters, 19 four-seam fastballs, 15 sliders and six sinkers. His four-seamer averaged 91.6 mph and topped out at 92.8 mph, per Baseball Savant.
“I didn’t feel like I had my fastball command today,” Rodriguez said. “So that’s why I decided to throw all my secondary pitches.”
Cora added, “I was hoping six (innings) but he grinded. They put good at-bats. They put some good swings on pitches inside and put the ball in play. But he gave us the chance to win and we got the W.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 4:21:27 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Saturday, 8th May 2021 7pm @ OPACY
Richards 1-2/4.40 Has rounded into form in his last 2 starts. Held the Rangers to four hits, one run, while striking out seven over 5ip.
Zac Lowther ( MLB debut)
Orioles are bringing up their #11 prospect for his MLB debut.
Red Sox seek another road win against Orioles
Garrett Richards hopes to stay on a roll when the Boston Red Sox visit the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night in the second of a four-game series.
The veteran right-hander has turned around a rough start to his Red Sox career in back-to-back strong road outings against the New York Mets and Texas Rangers.
Richards (1-2, 4.40 ERA) allowed one run and struck out seven over five innings last Sunday in Texas. Against the Mets on April 27, Richards struck out a season-high 10 over seven innings of one-run ball.
After allowing 14 runs (13 earned) with 12 strikeouts in his first 16 2/3 innings, Richards has allowed just two over his past 12 innings while striking out 17.
"A nice little building block outing," Richards said after his start against the Rangers. "The last one was good, this one was decent. We're moving in the right direction. There's still work to be done, but I'm starting to feel some familiar stuff of, you know, when I'm going good."
Baltimore already is familiar with Richards after facing him in his first two starts of the year.
The Orioles rocked Richards in his season debut on April 4 to the tune of a season-high six runs on seven hits in just two innings. On April 10, Richards allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four in five innings against them.
Richards has never beaten Baltimore, going 0-5 with a 6.38 ERA -- his third-highest against any opponent -- in 10 games (six starts).
Baltimore's Trey Mancini is 2 for 5 with a solo home run against Richards. Cedric Mullins is 3 for 5 and Maikel Franco is 1 for 1 with two RBIs and three walks against the right-hander.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde will send rookie left-hander Zac Lowther to the mound to make his first major-league start.
Lowther likely will appear in an opener role as he has pitched only once this season, allowing just one hit with a strikeout in a scoreless inning on April 25 against Oakland.
Last-place Baltimore had won five of seven, including John Means' masterpiece on Wednesday in Seattle when he threw the team's first no-hitter in 52 years. A pregame ceremony at Oriole Park at Camden Yards celebrating Means' no-hitter scheduled for Friday was rescheduled to Saturday due to a rain delay.
After Friday's defeat, the Orioles have now lost three of five and dropped to 3-4 against Boston this season.
"We had a lot of base runners -- we just didn't get the big hit," Hyde said postgame Friday after his team had 11 hits but scored just twice. "A lot of guys had a lot of hits. We just didn't drive in a ton of runs tonight. That's baseball, that happens. Just one of those nights offensively where we couldn't deliver the big blow."
The first-place Red Sox have won three of four and seven of their past 11 games.
--Field Level Media
Red Sox at Orioles Saturday, at 7:05 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 57° F with a 1% chance of rain and 13 MPH wind blowing left to right in Baltimore at 7:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 7:02:32 GMT -5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 8, 2021 7:16:32 GMT -5
What a difference this version of Bobby Dalbec makes Current Time 0:44 / Duration 1:23
By Rob Bradford 34 minutes ago
Who knows where he goes from here.
It would be easy to resurface the notion that Bobby Dalbec sits at the same crossroads Dustin Pedroia did in 2007, with virtually the identical number of plate appearances.
And if Friday night isn't just a one-time deal, than maybe we will look back and say that Dalbec's two-hit game against the Orioles -- which included a three-run homer -- was the equivalent of that game on May 5, 2007, when Pedroia used a pair of hits against Johan Santana to begin his surge toward American League Rookie of the Year.
But this is the one thing we do know after witnessing the Red Sox become the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 20 wins: When Dalbec swings the bat like this, Alex Cora's lineup takes on a whole new dimension.
"He’s been working hard," said Cora after his team's 6-2 win over the Orioles. "It’s not lack of effort, like I said yesterday. I’m glad he got a single in the first one and he hung a breaking ball and he put a good swing on it. Like i said about Franchy (Cordero), yesterday and today, it’s good to see them smile. This is stuff a tough sport and for them to see results it’s a good feeling and hopefully they can take off now."
Much as was the case with Pedroia, the struggles following Dalbec throughout the early stages of the 2021 season were no surprise. Pitchers and teams were going to adjust, unlike in the Grapefruit League when he was hitting homers almost on demand.
It's why the comparison was an easy one to draw for Dalbec and his manager, who just happened to be the one who helped the former second baseman through that April, 2007 downturn. Now it was his first baseman's turn.
“Yeah, a couple days ago, I talked to [Cora] about [Pedroia],” said Dalbec, who had been in an 0-for-27 slump. “I talked to Pedey about it the other day, too. You’ve just got to talk about it. If you keep it internalized the whole time, it’s going to eat you up.”
Now, we wait.
If Dalbec does get hot, life just gets a whole lot easier for the Red Sox. It's not rocket science: Home runs are good, and this is a guy who can hit a bunch of them.
Want proof? The Red Sox are 7-0 when hitting two or more homers this season and 16-7 when notching at least one. Dating back to last season the Sox' record is 8-2 when Dalbec goes deep.
And now with the likes of Hunter Renfroe and Franchy Cordero showing signs of life, Dalbec's resurgence would go a long way to plugging the lineup hole that had been plaguing this team for much of the season.
“Yeah, me and (Cordero) had a few good talks, and [we’ve] been pulling for each other and talking with each other after games, just so it didn't feel like we were alone going through it,” Dalbec said. “So that helps a lot. He’s an awesome dude, and I'm glad that he came up to me in Texas after one of the games. We talked for five to 10 minutes, so it's great. It’s good to have teammates like that. I'm very fortunate to have teammates like that.”
There were other positives for the Red Sox in their win, such as another rookie, Garrett Whitlock, bouncing back after two straight subpar outings to throw two scoreless innings. Or starter Eduardo Rodriguez giving up just one run in five innings.
But Dalbec was the story this time around. The Red Sox are banking on it becoming a regular thing.
"I mean it’s always good when he hits the ball out of the ballpark," Cora said. "But he put good at-bats. The walk at the end was a good one too. It’s one of those we have to be patient. It’s something that, it’s not that easy. We’ve been seeing good pitching throughout, even in spring training. You’ve got to be patient with the player. One of the things i told you guys a week ago, if we don’t feel these guys can do the job then we made a bad choice in spring training roster wise. You’re going to go through up and downs throughout the season. Hopefully theirs happen early in the season and like I said just put consistent at-bats. If they do that they're going to be in good shape."
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