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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:33:52 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 6h The Red Sox…
…have the AL’s best record (28-18).
…are a season-high 10 games over .500.
…have won their last 3 games.
…have ended 42 consecutive days in 1st place.
…own MLB’s best road record (15-6).
…have gotten 5.0+ innings from their starters in 14 straight games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:35:32 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 8h Red Sox starters throwing 5+ innings
2018: 116/162 games 72% 2019: 108/162 games 67% 2020: 25/60 games 42% 2021: 39/46 games 85%
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:37:03 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h Is Bryce Harper on drugs tonight or what
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:40:02 GMT -5
Alex Verdugo removed from Boston Red Sox game with hamstring tightness, unlikely to play Saturday Updated 11:18 PM; Today 11:18 PM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
PHILADELPHIA -- Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo was removed in the sixth inning of Boston’s 11-3 win over the Phillies on Friday night with left hamstring tightness. He’s unlikely to play Saturday, manager Alex Cora said.
Verdugo was 3-for-3 with three singles against Phillies starter Aaron Nola before being lifted in the sixth. Kiké Hernández took over for him in center field for the last 3 ½ innings.
“He’s doing okay. We had to take him out. At the end, it was more like he feels it was nothing. He just got scared,” Cora said. “We’ll check him out tomorrow and see how he feels. Not sure if I’m going to play him tomorrow. We’ll stay away from him, most likely, and give him some rest. We’ll check on Sunday again.”
Verdugo appeared to be limping around the bases early in Thursday’s win over the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., but played the whole game, going 1-for-5 with an RBI. He scored twice Friday night.
The Red Sox have won three in a row and will look to extend their winning streak to four against rookie righty Spencer Howard on Saturday night. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to start for Boston.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:41:18 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Nick Pivetta reflects on Phillies’ tenure in return to town; Danny Santana homers after ‘nervous’ first at-bat Updated 11:33 PM; Today 11:33 PM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
PHILADELPHIA -- This weekend’s interleague series between the Red Sox and Phillies represents a homecoming of sorts for Nick Pivetta, who spent the first 3-½ years of his major-league career with Philadelphia before being traded to Boston in August. Though Pivetta isn’t scheduled to pitch against his old team, the trip allowed him to catch up with some old friends and teammates and reflect on the success he has had since switching teams nine months ago.
Pivetta had some good times with the Phillies -- including in 2018 when he posted a 4.77 ERA in 164 innings as a member of their rotation -- but it’s clear the relationship between the player and the team had run its course when former general manager Matt Klentak decided to deal him last summer. In 11 starts with the Red Sox, Pivetta has looked like a new pitcher, posting a 7-0 record and 3.59 ERA. The Red Sox are 10-1 in his outings.
“The change of scenery is always a thing. It seems like it’s a thing. I always thought it wouldn’t be a thing for me but it was a thing,” Pivetta said. “I think it was that and a combination of believing in myself and being comfortable, knowing I have a second chance. I worked really hard. I came back. I didn’t throw very well at the end with Philly and I’ve been throwing well since. I’ve made the right adjustments that I needed to make.”
Since Pivetta joined the Red Sox, he has worked with pitching coach Dave Bush and other coaches to fine-tune his approach, both mentally and physically. As soon as the Red Sox acquired him, Pivetta said, he knew it was the right place for him.
“They gave me the confidence in myself, which was really good,” he said. “They valued me, they traded for me, which was really nice of them. They valued me as a starter, which was huge, so it instilled a lot of confidence in me. They kind of let me be me, but they’ve helped me.
“It’s not just moving, a change of scenery,” he added. “It’s different verbiage, different ways people have talked to me. I’ve been able to grow and understand that knowledge a little better and it has helped me.”
By the end of his tenure with the Phillies, Pivetta was bouncing back and forth between Triple-A and the major-league bullpen, but his goal was to be in the majors as a starter. He had a miserable 15.88 ERA (10 runs in 5 ⅔ innings) in three outings in the majors with the Phils last year.
“I didn’t pitch good,” he said. “I wasn’t comfortable. I didn’t pitch good at the end of the day. I wasn’t doing good, I was trying too hard and I was trying to be something that I’m not and I didn’t have success.”
Pivetta wouldn’t say whether or not the success he has had with the Red Sox would have been possible in a Phillies’ uniform, noting that he doesn’t have a crystal ball. He is certain, however, that his time in the Phillies’ organization helped him transform into the successful pitcher he has been so far in 2021.
“I’ve learned a lot from my past and where I came from and I’ve just been able to step into my own and do my own thing here,” he said. “It has been really good so far.”
Santana homers after nervous first at-bat
Newcomer Danny Santana homered in the third at-bat of his Red Sox career, crushing an Aaron Nola curveball into the right-field stands with two outs in the fifth inning. But two innings earlier, leading off the game, Santana felt some nerves as he stepped into the plate for the first time in a Sox uniform.
“He said he was a little bit nervous before his first at-bat and during his first at-bat,” Cora said. “I said, ‘Well, you’re only human. That’s part of what we’re doing. If you don’t feel nervous at this level, there’s something wrong with you.’ We all feel that way on a daily basis.”
Santana hit 28 homers for the Rangers in 2019. The Red Sox his swing against Nola is a sign of things to come.
“That’s what he brings,” Cora said. “He can hit the ball out of the ballpark. We’re very excited that he’s with us and I know he’s going to help us.”
Sox inching closer to vaccine threshold
Slowly but surely, the Red Sox are inching closer to the 85% threshold of vaccinated coaches and players required for Major League Baseball to relax COVID-19 restrictions. Fourteen of baseball’s 30 teams had reached the mark as of Friday but the Red Sox are not one of them.
“We are getting closer,” said manager Alex Cora. “We’re closer than 15 days ago. We’re almost there but we’re not there.”
Getting to the 85% mark means the Red Sox wouldn’t be required to wear masks in the dugout during games and that players and coaches could do more activities off the field, including playing cards on the team plane and gathering indoors without masks.
Thursday’s win a ‘circle game,’ Cora says
Thursday’s dramatic win over the Blue Jays counts as a single victory over the course of an 162-game season, but Cora readily admitted that it could mean more. J.D. Martinez’s ninth-inning homer to give Boston an 8-7 victory could easily go down as one of the key moments in a special season for Boston.
“Wins like that, they matter,” Cora said. “Like my friend Tim Kurkjian says on ESPN, those are ‘circle games.’ Let’s see what happens after that. Hopefully, in a month and a half, we get hot and we can keep playing good baseball and we look back at that game and it’s like, ‘You know what, that was a game-changer.’”
‘Circle games,’ as Cora mentioned, are the few of the 162 that stand out as critical. Though Thursday’s win might prove to be just that, it was already in the rearview mirror for the Red Sox as of Friday afternoon.
“One thing also that I like about the group — today, they’re not caught up on what happened yesterday,” Cora said. “They’re getting ready for the Phillies, which is the mark of a good team. You’ve got to turn the page, when it’s a tough loss or a W like yesterday.”
Eovaldi, Rodriguez look to get back on track
Boston’s two best starters, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez, have both struggled in May but have a chance to right the ship this weekend against Philadelphia. Eovaldi owns a 6.46 ERA in three May starts after allowing six runs (four earned) in five innings against the Angels on Sunday; Rodriguez has a 6.00 ERA in four May outings.
Cora doesn’t think each pitcher has been particularly bad, noting he believes they have both been victims of some bad luck.
“The last one by Nate and the last one by Eduardo, the batting average for balls in play had to be like .700,” Cora said. “And that’s going to happen.”
Eovaldi will get his chance to bounce back Saturday night and Rodriguez will pitch the finale Sunday afternoon. Cora thinks Rodriguez has more work to do than Eovaldi.
“With Eduardo, there’s a few things he needs to do better but I do believe he’s getting closer... we’ve got to find the right mix,” Cora said. “The more he throws, the better he feels about his fastball. That’s going to be a game-changer.
“With Nate, just keep doing what you’re doing,” he said. “Don’t change too much. Sometimes, we feel like he should elevate a little bit more. At the end, you see the real numbers and you ask, ‘What else could we ask from him?’ Hopefully, they can have better results because I think the process is good.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:42:38 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Martín Pérez becoming stabilizing force at back end of rotation; lefty has 2.22 ERA in last 5 starts Updated 11:56 PM; Today 11:56 PM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
PHILADELPHIA -- Quietly, Martín Pérez has become a stabilizing force at the back end of the Red Sox’ rotation.
Pérez, who got the win Friday night after allowing three runs on five hits in six innings against the Phillies, owns a 2.22 ERA (seven earned runs in 28 ⅓ innings) over his last five starts, going at least five innings in each outing. The lefty now owns a 3.55 ERA on the season -- a better mark than fellow starters Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Richards.
Re-signed to be the club’s No. 5 starter over the winter, Pérez has been better than the Red Sox could have expected. He has given them five innings in seven of nine outings and struck out 29 batters in his last 28 ⅓ innings.
“He has been doing that the whole time,” said manager Alex Cora. “Overall, in every outing, he’s giving us a chance and that’s what we wanted.”
Facing off against Phillies ace Aaron Nola on Friday night, Pérez generally made quick work of Philadelphia’s lineup and needed just 79 pitches to get through six frames. His only real trouble came in the third inning, when he allowed a double to Andrew McCutchen and a home run to Jean Segura in a three-pitch span. The Red Sox won, 11-3.
“I was pounding the zone, Pérez said. “I think my changeup was good. Not against Segura, but I think I was moving the ball really good inside and outside. The fastball up helped me a lot, too. Just trying to attack the hitters and compete, man. My velocity was not there tonight but I was able to compete and feel great.”
“That’s a tough lineup to maneuver with all those righties and he did a good job elevating his pitches, using his changeup,” Cora said. “His stuff was crisp. For him to go six, it put us in a good spot. We were able to stay away from certain guys. Just another good one.”
With Eovaldi (6.46 ERA in May) and Rodriguez (6.00 ERA in May) both struggling as of late, Boston’s other three starters have stepped up in a big way. Nick Pivetta has continued his solid season with a strong month and both Richards and Pérez have stepped up, posting better numbers than they did in April. The back end of the rotation has picked up the slack for a struggling front end.
“Our job is just trying to cover when one other starter doesn’t have a great game,” Pérez said. “Our goal is to go out the next day and be the guy who can go more than five and win.”
Pérez’s night wasn’t all fun, as his swing-and-miss on the third strike of his second-inning against Nola might go down as the ugliest of the season for the Red Sox. On a curveball that hit his foot, Pérez swung and missed by a wide margin.
Cora thought Pérez might have twisted his ankle on the pitch but was able to laugh with the rest of the Red Sox once he realized the lefty was okay.
“They’re giving him a hard time,” Cora said, “but he pitched well.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 4:53:45 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Philly Saturday, 22nd May 2021 7pm @ Citizens Bank Park
Eovaldi 4-2/ 4.50
Has been touched up and roughed up as of late, allowing 6 hits and 4 runs in his last start. Opponents are hitting .247 vs him. Is 1-1/ 4.05 in 5 starts in Philly.
Howard 0-0/8.30
Taking the place of struggling Chase Anderson. Howard is the Philly #1 prospect in their pipeline and #32 in all MLB. He will be limited to 60 pitches.
Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 7:15pm EDT Written by Eric P.
The Boston Red Sox take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night in game two of their three-game series from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Boston dominated in the opener, getting on the scoreboard quick in the first, and then a steady offensive and defensive night saw them through to the finish line. The Red Sox get to at least hang onto the top of the division for another night with the win, and would love to keep the momentum going into the finale on Sunday. Philadelphia’s offense looked lethargic out there on Friday, even without one of Boston’s top arms out there, and it’s still a record of under .500 over their last ten games. They’ll have to wait another series, at least, to catch the Mets atop the NL East divisional standings. The Phillies have the big name bats to compete with Boston, but the question is how will consistency continue to play a role. Will Boston clinch the series on Saturday or will Philadelphia grab a win to push everything off to the finale on Sunday?
Boston Offense Continued To Lead It didn’t take long for Boston to pick up where they’ve left off all season from an offensive point of view. Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers got things going in the first inning to put the Red Sox up earlier, and then the rest of the offense continued to contribute to help finish off the game. Watching the Red Sox find success on Friday shouldn’t come as a surprise given how balanced the offense has been all season long. Boston is hitting over .250 as a team with 59 home runs and a slugging percentage up near .500. The most impressive part for fans so far has been the back and forth between Devers and JD Martinez within the team leaderboard. Martinez got out to a quick start this season, but about two weeks ago Devers started to have one of the hottest stretches of his career to overtake the crown in home runs and RBI. Since then the back and forth has been consistent, but Devers now again has the team lead in home runs with 12 compared to Martinz’s 11.
Devers also contributed two RBI on Friday night to set the tone for the rest of the series and take back over the team lead in RBI. The team's leading hitter, Bogaerts, is hitting .341 on the year, ten points higher than Martinez. Another player to keep an eye on is Alex Verdugo, as he is nearing hitting .300 on the year and is becoming more and more dangerous by the day as he gets acclimated to life with the Red Sox.
According to MLB.com, the ever inconsistent Nathan Eovaldi will get the ball for the Red Sox as they look to clinch the series on Saturday. Eovaldi, who was one of the hero’s of Boston’s last championship run, has struggled since to find himself in the rotation. A big contract showed faith in the hard-throwing righty, but he’s yet to live up to his end of the deal. On the season he’s 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA and 47 strikeouts, as he’s seen the strikeout rates come down recently. Eovaldi finally had strung together a few strong starts, but his last start was a disaster. He allowed six hits and four runs in only five innings, and his ability to work out of jams so far, has overshadowed his inability to keep runners off the base paths.
Phillies Need Big Bats On Saturday Heading into the weekend the Phillies knew exactly what they were getting into and what would be expected of them to win. Opponents know for the most part that they aren’t going to stop the Boston offense, so instead they need to focus on limiting their production and scoring some runs of their own. Friday saw neither of those happen, especially with the Phillies struggling to score. Jean Segura was a bright spot on Friday with his home run, especially as his .321 batting average looks to replace some of the production lost from Didi Gregorius out in the middle infield. Alec Bohm had a late inning RBI to help him see his team lead in that category only expand as well. The Phillies are desperate for production from Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper, who continue to be two of the most dynamic bats in baseball, who also happen to reside in the same lineup. Hoskins started the year hot and still leads the team with eight home runs, but the reliance on his power is only becoming more and more evident as the Phillies continue to drop games that he struggles in. Harper was also up around .320 just a few weeks ago, but a cold spell has seen him fall to .287 on the season. With both of the stars going cold of late, it puts the Philadelphia offense in a difficult position to find run support for their staff, especially against a team as strong as Boston is. Add in injuries to Matt Joyce (10-day IL), Scott Kingery (7-day IL), and J.T. Realmuto (day to day), and you really have an offense that’s struggling to patch together something competitive. One player to keep an eye on is veteran Andrew McCutchen, who has found the power of late, and can slide in for a few games to produce while Hoskins and Harper figure out their offensive woes. In the end though, teams need to play a nearly perfect offensive game to take down Boston, which doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Philadelphia at this moment.
According to MLB.com, youngster Spencer Howard will get the start for the Phillies in a must-win game if they want any chance at taking this weekend’s series. Howard is yet to get a decision one way or another yet this season, but does have an ERA of 8.31. Howard shouldn’t be expected to make a deep start, as the Phillies aim to preserve one of their most valued young arms. MLB Pipeline ranks Howard as Philadelphia’s top overall prospect, as well as the 32nd best prospect in baseball. As a rookie, he showed glimpses of the talent and talk that followed his name, but in six starts still only finished at 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA.
Howard is yet to make a start this year, coming out of the bullpen in all three of his appearances so far. His longest appearance was last time out against the Rockies, where he went two innings, but struggled as he allowed four hits and three runs. The only appearance this year where he hasn’t allowed a run was against MLB’s best team, the Giants, where he didn’t allow a base runner over the course of 1.1 innings of work. He’s yet to face Boston in his career and Saturday could be a definite wake up call for the youngster and a potential welcome to the league.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 9:19:46 GMT -5
Latest great sign for the Red Sox came Friday Bill Koch The Providence Journal Christian Vazquez (7) and Rafael Devers helped the Red Sox blow open Friday's win.
We won’t know until much later this season if the Red Sox are great.
Baseball is a marathon. Eventual champions are developed over periods of months, not weeks.
One certain indicator on the way to that conclusion is a consistent ability to focus. Put the previous day’s result in the rearview mirror, good or bad, and move on. Boston did that on Friday night.
The Red Sox followed up Thursday's dramatic victory over the Blue Jays with a shellacking of the Phillies on Friday night. Boston’s offense was relentless and Martin Perez is now on a five-start run of effectiveness. The resulting 11-3 thumping brought the welcome sound of booing from the traditionally prickly locals.
“You come here and you feed off the fans and everything that goes on,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You could feel the energy from the get-go.
“It’s not that we felt more prepared today than other days, but you could feel it in the dugout. It’s a big challenge.”
Taking two of three from Toronto in its adopted home was a good start to the Red Sox road trip. TD Ballpark is a Grapefruit League staple with casual fans in the bleachers, not a big market populated by diehards. Citizens Bank Park is a different sort of stage, and the visitors made themselves at home despite a predawn arrival on the team charter.
“You want to face the best,” Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez said. “You can prove yourself when you face the best. We did it today.”
Boston dispatched Aaron Nola after just five innings and piled on against the Philadelphia bullpen. Rafael Devers drilled a two-run homer to the boxes in right and Vazquez sent a three-run double down the line in right to provide the cushion in what was a 5-2 game. Bryce Harper’s seemingly misjudged bid to make a catch on the Vazquez ball wasn’t ruled an error, but the Phillies committed three of them and were generally sloppy throughout.
Perez hung a changeup to Jean Segura for a two-run homer and was fooled badly while striking out swinging at a curveball from Nola that hit him on the lower left leg. The left-hander was still smiling in his postgame meeting with the media after finishing six innings for the second straight start. Perez holds a fine 2.22 ERA over his last five outings.
“It’s a game,” Perez said. “I know it’s our job, too, but the way I see it is go out there and just have fun and enjoy it.”
The Red Sox improved to 10 games over .500 with the victory, reaching that standard for the first time since September 2019. Boston was 76-65 early in the final month and suffered through a five-game losing streak, dipping under the mark for good. The Red Sox started 6-18 in a shortened 2020 and never came close to recovering.
Boston was a runaway train in Cora’s debut season, sitting at least 50 games over .500 through its final 34 contests in 2018. The Red Sox raced to 10 games over after a 12-2 start and never dropped to single digits again. The current group isn’t built to hammer the competition in similar fashion, and its peers in the American League East are considerably improved.
What Boston does have in common with that club is a spot in first place and a developing feeling of confidence. The Red Sox would improve to 9-3-3 in their 15 series to date with a victory in either of the next two games. Current scuffles aside, you generally wouldn’t bet against Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez on consecutive days.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @billkoch25
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 14:14:45 GMT -5
Game 47: Red Sox at Phillies lineups and notesBy Brandon Chase Globe Correspondent,May 22, 2021, 1 hour ago The Red Sox’ offense exploded again Friday night in an 11-3 win over the Phillies in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park. Nathan Eovaldi will get the start on Saturday. Here are the lineups. Lineups RED SOX (28-18): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) RF 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Danny Santana (S) CF 6. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 7. Franchy Cordero (L) LF 8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C 9. Nathan Eovaldi (R) P Pitching: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 4.50) PHILLIES (22-23):1. Andrew McCutchen (R) LF 2. Jean Segura (R) 2B 3. Bryce Harper (L) RF 4. Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B 5. Brad Miller (L) 3B 6. Odubel Herrera (L) CF 7. Nick Maton (L) SS 8. Rafael Marchan (S) C 9. Spencer Howard (R) P Pitching: RHP Spencer Howard (0-0, 8.31) Time: 7:15 p.m. TV, radio: FOX, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Howard: No data Phillies vs. Eovaldi: Harper 8-21, Segura 4-12, Joyce 3-10, Miller 2-9, McCutchen 3-7, Hoskins 1-3, Herrera 0-2 Stat of the Day: 17 of the Red Sox’ last 20 runs have been scored with two outs Notes: The Red Sox have allowed four earned runs or fewer in 10 of their last 12 games ... Howard was selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2017 draft. He is making his first start this season ... J.D Martinez ranks second in the American League in hits and second in MLB in RBI ... Eovaldi is 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last six starts against the Phillies. Song of the Day: Helix "Kids are all Shaking"www.youtube.com/watch?v=77faXxtxkh4
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 14:22:28 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 1h Thanks to Joe Sheehan, we are aware that while the earned run average Nate Eovaldi takes into his start tonight is 4.50, his FIP is 2.17, biggest ERA-FIP difference in the game
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 15:04:13 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe 4m #Phillies called up RHP Spencer Howard to start tonight against the #RedSox. First MLB start since last season. Started three times in AAA this year, total of 9 IP. Phils think he can go 55-60 pitches.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 15:43:39 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 7m Eduard Bazardo will be shut down for a while. Cora said he will have more details on the extent of the injury tomorrow.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 15:45:45 GMT -5
the sox have always done well with the inter league games
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 34m A few #RedSox tidbits:
* They are 15-6 on the road (best in MLB), winning 6 of the last 8.
* Have scored 17 of their last 19 runs with two outs.
* Are 3-0 in interleague games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 15:48:46 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 17m Chris Sale and Ryan Brasier threw bullpens this morning in Fort Myers.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2021 15:56:41 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 17m Chris Sale and Ryan Brasier threw bullpens this morning in Fort Myers.
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