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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 3:06:01 GMT -5
Astros @ Red Sox Tuesday, 8th June 2021 7pm @ Fenway
Valdez 1-0/1.64
Will be his 3rd start since coming off the IL. In his last start vs the Red Sox he held them to one run, five hits over 7IP.
Perez 4-2/3.09
After going 0-2 in his first seven starts has now won his past 4. He has an era of 1.82 during that streak with 20 k;s and 5 walks. He is coming off a season high 7 2/3 IP vs the Astros last week.
Hot Red Sox look for payback against Astros
Riding a five-game winning streak that dates back to their last contest against the Astros, the Boston Red Sox look to exact a measure of revenge when they welcome Houston for the start of a three-game series Tuesday night.
The Astros took three of four from the Red Sox at home from May 31 to June 3. Houston dropped the finale of the series, 5-1, and Boston has since swept the rival New York Yankees and beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 in the makeup of a May 30 rainout Monday.
The Astros were off Monday after taking two of three from the host Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.
Houston sends left-hander Framber Valdez (1-0, 1.64 ERA) to the mound after he held Boston to one run and struck out 10 over seven innings in his second start of the season June 2. The Red Sox counter with southpaw Martin Perez (4-2, 3.09).
Perez went 7 2/3 scoreless innings against Houston on June 3 to lead Boston to its sole win in the series. He surrendered just six hits, struck out four and walked one.
"I was throwing a lot of fastballs up, two-seamers down and away, changeups. I think I threw everything tonight, and it was a fun game. I enjoyed it, and we got the win," said Perez of his strategy last time out.
Perez is 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA in his past seven starts. He is 8-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 13 career starts against the Astros.
Valdez picked up the first win of his career against the Red Sox with his brilliant performance last week. He is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in three games (one start) against Boston.
Valdez, who missed the start of the campaign with a broken finger, spoke postgame of his early success on the mound.
"I feel really good where I'm at right now," he said. "My body physically feels really good -- my arm, my legs. My whole body feels good. The only thing I want to do is turn up the intensity, and that comes from working hard and getting after it all the time."
The three straight losses to Houston last week matched Boston's longest skid of the season. The two teams are each narrowly in second place in their respective American League divisions.
J.D. Martinez (wrist) missed his third straight game for the Red Sox in Monday's victory. Manager Alex Cora expects the slugger to return Tuesday.
"That's the goal for him," Cora said. "He's getting treatment the whole day."
The Astros expect to activate outfielder Michael Brantley (hamstring) from the injured list Tuesday. They placed key utility man Aledmys Diaz on the injured list over the weekend with a fractured left hand that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks.
After this series, Houston concludes a nine-game road trip at Minnesota. Boston will continue an eight-game homestand with four against Toronto.
--Field Level Media
Astros at Red Sox Tuesday, at 7:10 PM EST Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 79° F with a 19% chance of rain and 6 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 3:08:55 GMT -5
Astros @ Red Sox SP Probables
Wednesday...7pm..Odorizzi 0-3/7.16 vs Eovaldi 7-2/3.78
Thursday...7pm...Grienke 6-2/3.38 vs E-rod 5-4/5.59
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 3:26:36 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook Jarren Duran’s major league callup seems a matter of when, not if, as Red Sox prospect’s stock soars By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated June 7, 2021, 6:23 p.m.
On Tuesday night, Jarren Duran will be in a Red Sox uniform — but not in the big leagues.
With his time playing for Team USA in its successful mission to qualify for the Olympics complete, Duran is scheduled to return to the Worcester Red Sox as they open a six-game series in Syracuse against the Mets’ Triple A affiliate.
Still, any mention of the 24-year-old outfielder is almost unavoidably tied to the question of when he might be called up to the majors.
Duran’s stock is soaring. When Baseball America unveiled its latest prospect rankings Monday, Duran had rocketed from No. 86 to No. 29 — a reflection of a player who has shown in several environments that he has made huge strides to add power potential to his game-changing speed.
In 18 games with the WooSox this year, Duran is hitting .278/.366/.625 with seven homers — two more than he hit in 132 minor league games in 2019. His performance for Team USA (7 for 19 with a double, triple, and walk, good for a .368/.400/.526 line) earned raves from manager Mike Scioscia and veteran teammate Todd Frazier.
Conversations about his potential promotion to the big leagues continue to pick up outside of the Red Sox. What about within the organization?
“Obviously the conversations will always be there,” said manager Alex Cora. “This is a guy that’s going to impact this team in the future — and the future doesn’t mean tomorrow or a month, maybe next year or two years.
“But we know he’s a good player. The way he impacts the game — offensively, running the bases — is eye-opening. I talked to [Red Sox minor league coordinator Darren Fenster, who coached third for Team USA] and the things that he did running the bases, he changed the whole complexion of that team. We know that he’s a good player.”
But good, in the eyes of the Red Sox, does not necessarily mean major league-ready. The Sox value what a player can learn from extended exposure to Triple A — whether it’s adapting to a league that adjusts to pitch away from his strengths, or controlling his strikeout rate (25.6 percent in Triple A thus far), or improving his outfield play both in center and at the corners.
“We know that he still has some things that he needs to get better,” said Cora. “We keep talking about him and we’re very happy with where he’s at right now. Now he has to go back and play and keep getting better, but obviously, like [chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom] said in spring training, I think it’s something that we’re going to keep paying attention to him and we’ll see what happens in the future.” A Sale sighting
For the first time in several weeks, Chris Sale rejoined the Red Sox at Fenway Park. He threw his full arsenal on flat ground. The lefthander, who has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in Fort Myers, Fla., will stay with the Sox during their current eight-game homestand and may join the team on its next road trip.
It’s possible that Sale will face live hitters during this stretch. At the least, he is likely to have hitters stand in the box without swinging as he continues his progress toward rehab games and eventually — though not soon — a return to the big league team.
“He is in a great place,” said Cora. “He feels great, he’s excited for what happened this weekend [with the sweep of the Yankees], obviously excited about where we are.
“The way he put it is, like, ‘Man when I come back, what am I gonna do?’ You don’t have to worry about that. Just get healthy, be ready, and I know he’s going to contribute.” Valdez pitches in
Phillips Valdez earned his first save in Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Yankees, a meaningful career milestone for the righthander. Valdez spent 10 years in the minor leagues before joining the Rangers in 2019 and is now in his second season with the Red Sox, who claimed him off waivers in February 2020.
“Being in Yankee Stadium and being in that moment, to be able to get the ball in my hands to try to get the save is something that I really appreciate,” the 29-year-old said through a translator. “Obviously, my journey has been a long one, but it’s one that I really appreciate because it made me into a better individual and a better player, and I’m just really fortunate to be up here at this level.” Martinez still out
J.D. Martinez sat for the third straight game with soreness in his left wrist. However, he was able to swing a bat late during the game Sunday night, and the Red Sox are hopeful he’ll be ready to return to the lineup Tuesday against the Astros … Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier, who suffered a concussion last week when struck by a line drive, is back at home and in stable condition. He is expected to return to full baseball activities after a necessary period of recovery … Closer Matt Barnes, who pitched three straight games in New York, said that he’s never pitched four games in a row in his life. Cora, who has suggested that he overused Barnes in 2019 and hurt the pitcher’s performance for a stretch in June, did not seem inclined to break that streak. “You just have to be careful,” said Cora before Monday’s game. “We have to play the long game. It’s 162-plus for us; that’s the way we’re thinking. Somebody will step up. I think stuff-wise we are where we want to be [in the bullpen]. Those guys are throwing the ball amazingly and we’ll take care of [Barnes] when we have to take care of him.”
New leading man
There are times when teams commit themselves to endless debates about details to make a decision. But even in the information age, there also are times when they throw stuff against a wall. Case in point: Christian Arroyo, leadoff hitter. “We’re just trying to get something going up there,” shrugged Cora. “How can I put it? [From] the information department, there’s no numbers, there’s nothing. We’re just like, you know what, hopefully he goes there and he does his job. There’s other guys that are scuffling right now, they’re trying to find their swings, we’ve just got to find somebody that goes up there and puts [up] good at-bats and sets the table — or hits a home run.” ... Members of the family of Manny Familia, the Worcester police officer who died while trying to save a drowning boy over the weekend, were recognized on the field prior to the game and participated in the ceremonial first pitch.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 3:44:04 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 7h Through 60 games…
2020: 24-36 2021: 37-23
2020: -59 run diff. 2021: +54 run diff.
2020: 5.58 ERA 2021: 3.81 ERA
2020: 98 HR allowed 2021: 44 HR allowed
2020: 5th place (-16.0 GB) 2021: 2nd place (-0.5 GB)
2020: 25 starts of 5.0+ innings 2021: 50 starts of 5.0+ innings
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 3:44:36 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 5h The Red Sox have rebounded quickly after each of their 3-game losing streaks:
Apr. 2-4: 0-3 Next 9 G: 9-0
May 10-12: 0-3 Next 9 G: 7-2
May 31-June 2: 0-3 Since: 5-0
The Sox are 1 of only 4 teams without a losing streak of 4+ games this season (also CWS, NYM, and SF).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 8:35:29 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 19m Among the 27 rookies who have thrown at least 25.0 innings this season, Garrett Whitlock owns the lowest ERA (1.61) and 3rd-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.14).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 9:17:32 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 2m The Red Sox’ .254 batting average with 2 outs leads the majors.
The Sox have 126 RBI with 2 strikes, 20 more than any other team.
The Sox lead MLB with 21 come-from-behind wins.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 10:44:38 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 47m In his last 19 games, Alex Verdugo is 22-for-66 (.333) with a .965 OPS.
Among AL outfielders in 2021: .292 AVG – 6th .351 OBP – 8th 61 hits – T3rd 36 runs – T5th 12.1 K% – 3rd 1.3 WAR – 10th
(min. 150 PA)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 11:20:04 GMT -5
How Martín Pérez is getting strikeouts without improving his stuff
It’s been a major key to his flourishing this season.By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Jun 8, 2021, 12:01pm EDT I’m starting to come to grips with being very wrong about this Red Sox team. There’s still a lot of season left to be played, but I saw this team as .500 at best in a reasonable world, and it’s safe to say they are better than that. Granted, I realize that this is not the first time I have been wrong, nor will it be the last. It’s part of the fun of sports, and at least in this case it’s the good kind of wrong where who you are rooting for is exceeding expectations. For me, the biggest reasoning for my low expectations surrounded the rotation. A lot of that had to do with my expectations for health, or lack thereof, among the unit, and to this point they have been remarkably healthy. It’s impossible to project that going forward, but so far it’s been great. But it hasn’t been all about health. They’ve also exceeded my expectations performance-wise, particularly in the bottom half of the group. And if we’re talking about pitchers exceeding expectations performance-wise, we have to start with Martín Pérez. Pérez didn’t have the lowest expectations from me coming into the year within this rotation (that would be Nick Pivetta) but I certainly didn’t see him as anything more than a decent number five, and I did scoff at the idea of “Pérez Day” being a thing people celebrated. Well, I’m now celebrating as well. There’s a fair argument to be made that Pérez has been the best pitcher in this rotation full stop. So far this season he has pitched to a 3.09 ERA with a 3.49 FIP through 11 starts, and he only seems to be getting stronger as the year goes on. And really, it’s not even just the fact that he’s putting up those numbers, but also how he’s getting it done. Pérez defenders have always pointed to his batted ball profile as the selling point, as he has consistently gotten weak contact over the last couple of seasons since adding a cutter as the focal point of his arsenal. This season, though, it hasn’t been weak contact getting it done. He’s getting decently weak contact, coming in at the 63rd percentile in average exit velocity and right in the middle of the pack in hard-hit rate, per Baseball Savant, but that hasn’t really been anything too special. In fact, his .301 batting average on balls in play isn’t really a net positive at all. Instead, the lefty is actually getting by with improved strikeout and walk numbers, which is exactly the opposite from the kind of pitcher he’s been more recently in his career. So far this season, Pérez is walking only 7.3 percent of his opponents, the second lowest of his career and the lowest since back in 2013. Meanwhile, he’s striking out 21 percent of his opponents. That’s not necessarily a huge number in today’s MLB, but it’s the highest of his career. And it’s not even just that he’s getting these strikeouts. It’s that he’s doing it while not really missing bats. Pérez has never really been one to miss bats, which you can probably tell by him having never struck out 21 percent of his opponents in a season before. But his whiff rate (again, per Baseball Savant) is actually down from the last two seasons. The same trend follows when you look at his individual offerings, of which the curveball is the only pitch that saw more than a full percentage point increase in whiff rate from 2020, and he throws the curveball less than 10 percent of the time. So he’s getting strikeouts, but not missing bats, which in turn obviously has to mean he’s freezing more hitters and getting more strikes called than ever before. And that is exactly what is happening. Pérez is hitting the zone more than he ever has, with Baseball Savant showing him hitting the zone at a rate over 50 percent for the first time in his career. Hitters are yet to make the adjustment to this new zone-pounding way of life, however, and in fact have done the opposite. Batters are swinging at these pitches in the zone just 63 percent of the time this year, the lowest rate he’s ever induced and a rate about three percentage points lower than the league-average. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but these things add up and they are resulting in an average strikeout rate (which, again, is a legitimate leap for Pérez) as well as a reduction in walks. To dig a little deeper into it, I went to Savant’s zone profiles to see if I could discern where in the zone he’s throwing more and where he’s getting more looks. I didn’t find a satisfying answer to the first inquiry, but the second question appeared to have a more convincing answer. As you can see below in a comparison between last season and this season in terms of which pitches opponents are swinging at, it’s the bottom of the zone where these pitches are going by, and specifically on the arm side. Looking at this, it makes it pretty clear that hitters are not swinging much at the changeup and the sinker. Him getting these called strikes on the changeup is especially helping his performance against right-handed batters, who have just a .306 wOBA against him so far this season. (wOBA is an all-encompassing offensive stat on the same scale as OBP.) The sinker, meanwhile, is working against everyone, and while his whiff rate from last season has stayed pretty much stagnant into 2021, is up from 15 percent to 29 percent. I do still have some concerns with Pérez moving forward, largely surrounding batters adjusting to what we’re seeing here and putting more of these balls into play. Maybe they’ll result in some weaker contact, but pitches low in the zone can be hit hard in an era of uppercut swings. That said, you can’t argue with the results thus far, and if he’s commanding the very bottom of the zone with movement, which he’s done this year, it’s easier said than done to both pull the trigger at the plate and impact the baseball. I suspect there will be some regression coming at some point for Pérez, but this new zone-pounding version of the lefty is putting him way ahead of my expectations, and helping the team follow that same path.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 11:47:50 GMT -5
Pérez Day takes center stage vs. Astros
Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- When it comes to the 2021 Red Sox, lefty Martín Pérez is the player who can be described best as the man of the people.
He sends messages to fans via Twitter before starts. He thanks them after starts -- good and bad -- for their support. And he pretty much just has a good time being part of their world, which is known as Red Sox Nation.
So maybe it is fitting that when the Red Sox get what will be their biggest crowd of the season so far on Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the Astros, Pérez will be on the mound.
Why has he gone out of his way to form such a strong connection with the fanbase in his first two seasons in Boston?
“I like for the fans to know who Martín Pérez is. It’s not just a baseball player,” Pérez said. “I just want the people and the fans to know who Martín Pérez is as a person, where I come from, what kind of things that I do. No matter what I do, if I have a good game or a bad game, I’m going to be there for my fans and I want the fans to understand that, when I don’t have a good game, I’m still going to say thank you for the support because we need that."
Though Tuesday will be the third game Fenway has been operating at full capacity, it will be the first one that fans with season-ticket packages are included in, which will make the attendance vault to what will easily be the highest of the season. Add in the fact the Astros are in town and it will make for an even more charged atmosphere.
After pitching at an empty Fenway last season, then at 12% and 25% capacity this season, Pérez will gladly take in all the volume that comes with 100% capacity.
“I’m going to enjoy that moment and show the fans what I have. That’s it,” Pérez said. “Now it’s fun because we’re going to have the fans, and we’re going to have them at 100%. I think I’m going to enjoy it a little bit more, because we’re finally going to have the support that we've been waiting for.”
This will be the first Pérez Day with a large audience. What exactly is Pérez Day?
It was just one of those quirky things that took off on social media during an otherwise depressing season for the Red Sox. Pérez’s starts became known as Pérez Day on places like Twitter and Instagram, and now you can tell what day it is by the attire in the Boston clubhouse.
“This Spring Training, a company from Canada, I think it was a [Red Sox] fan, sent me a text and said, 'We’re going to make you a shirt, a Pérez Day shirt,' and he made me a couple, and I’m just trying to give each one to my teammates, but we needed more,” said Pérez. “My teammates are telling me, 'We need more.' I called him again and he made 100 shirts and I gave it to everybody, and that’s why we have a Pérez Day in the clubhouse, but it’s really fun.
“I think it’s not just Pérez Day, it’s a Red Sox day. We come ready every night and do our best to perform and make it a great game for the people who are watching us. We’re proud to be here and do that for a lot of people. Everybody in the clubhouse -- clubbies, staff, I think our GMs, too -- wear the shirts. That’s fun. That makes me go out there and I have to [pitch well], because they really love me and I need to give that support back with my outing that day.”
These days, Pérez is worthy of team and fan support for more than just his friendly personality.
The man who entered the season as the club’s No. 5 starter has the best ERA of any member of the rotation at 3.09. This, even though he had a 5.71 ERA after four starts. In his last seven starts, Pérez is 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA.
The dramatic change in Pérez’s results have come from, well, the changeup.
“I started talking with my pitching coach and with Jason [Varitek] and [manager Alex Cora] and they told me, 'You’ve got to use your changeup a little bit more,'” said Pérez. “So I just worked on that and I started focusing a little more on my bullpens and trying to find the feeling again with that pitch.”
In his 10th season in the Majors, Pérez is trying to make this his best yet.
“Yeah, you can still learn,” said Pérez. “Every day is something new. Every day is not going to be the same. I’ll never say I know everything. I’m a humble guy. It’s not just one player or just one pitcher, I think it’s everybody and that’s why we’ve been doing good -- we’re all together on this ride.”
Because of Pérez’s always-sunny personality, perhaps people took it with a grain of salt in Spring Training when he said over and over how good he thought the Red Sox could be this season.
When it looked like they were about to hit a bump in the road when Boston lost his start on May 5 against the Tigers, Pérez doubled down.
“We’re [bleeping] good,” Pérez said, as some members of the media couldn’t help but laugh.
What prompted him to say that on Zoom?
“I say that because a lot of guys from Twitter or Instagram, they started talking about the first three games that we lost. And when I had the chance to say, 'We’re [bleeping] good,' I was going to say it,” Pérez said.
The main reason he said it is because of how strongly he believes it.
“We’re going to do good, and we’re never going to quit,” said Pérez. “Our mentality is to compete, no matter what. We have a good team, we have good players, we have good coaches. We have to do it now and we’re ready to do it now.”
The man of the people has once again spoken. And on Tuesday, he will let his pitching do the talking in front of 30,000 or so of his closest friends.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 13:10:49 GMT -5
Red Sox vs. Houston Series Preview
The Red Sox look for revenge against the Astros at Fenway Park. By HPJoker Jun 8, 2021, 1:30pm EDT
SB Nation Blog
Crawfish Boxes The opponent in one sentence
The disgraced former World Series champions are trying to start anew, but their strikeout rate is still lowest in baseball by a mile, raising the suspicions of conspiracy theorists everywhere. Record
33-26 Head-to-Head Record
1-3 Trend
Up! After a brief dip at the end of May where they lost six of seven, the ‘Stros have won six of their last ten and back-to-back series against the Sox and Blue Jays
Pitching Matchups
6/8: Martín Pérez vs. Framber Valdez, 7:10 PM ET
I was thinking about Pérez the other day and it got me thinking about modern pitching and how not everyone needs to fit into a box to be successful. This is something we all know deep down, but my preconceived notion of Pérez is that he sucks so I end up looking for ways to ding him. But he keeps pitching well so I gotta stop looking at why he’s not going to succeed and start looking for why he’s succeeding. He’s been striking out more guys this year and keeping the ball in the yard en route to some of the best numbers of his career, and arguably the best numbers of the staff.
Framber is a power sinker guy who chewed the Sox up his last time out. He pairs his power sinker with a plus curve. When both are working, he’s lethal. His spin rates will be fun to monitor as there was fuss about foreign substances on his glove.
6/9: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Jake Odorizzi, 7:10 PM ET
Eovaldi’s been on a roll his last five starts with a 2.60 ERA. He’s throwing as many strikes as anyone in baseball and it’s working for him. Eventually the home runs are going to catch up to him, but he’s managed to limit them thus far and as long as he continues to do so, he’ll be a good pitcher.
The last time Odorizzi pitched, he got bombed out the yard by Boston. His stuff looked fine in the first inning, but his fastball was as straight as an arrow, wasn’t missing any bats, and wasn’t hitting the edges of the zone. Boston will look for similar results this time around.
6/10: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Zack Greinke, 7:10 PM ET (MLB Network for out-of-market)
E-Rod is a fascinating pitcher for much different reasons. He’s remarkably inconsistent and his pitch mix is wacky. I haven’t done enough research into this, but I’ve wondered if he should narrow his pitch mix down and trash the sinker in favor of more fastballs and especially changeups. He’s had a rough go of things for the past month including a rough start against the Astros. This go-around won’t be any easier.
Zack Greinke’s Baseball Savant page paints a picture of how good a grasp of command he has on his secondaries. For instance, his changeup:
That’s absolutely perfect location for him, arm-side low on the edge. Or his curveball!
Perfect location! Greinke is one of the softest throwing starting pitchers in baseball, and he’s not doing it as a sinker-baller like Kyle Hendricks and Dallas Keuchel. I love this style of pitching and I can’t wait to watch him. Old Friends
Matt will tell you that Ryan Pressly is an old friend, but if he didn’t play for the big club is he really an old friend or is he more like a distant family cousin you’ve never met? Ryan Pressly is no friend of mine. Notable Position Players
Jose Altuve is still one of the best hitters in baseball and is somehow only 31. After a down season last year, he’s back to hitting above .300 with his customary power. If he can pick it back up, maybe he can eventually build a Hall of Fame case.
Carlos Correa is somehow only 26 and is back to being one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball after a down season last year. It’s not spoken enough how good this guy is. A 128 career wRC+ for a shortstop is absurd! He’s already approaching 30 career rWAR! That’s more than Xander!
Alex Bregman isn’t coming close to replicating his 2019 MVP-caliber season, but xeroxing two-thirds of his career line minus about 75 points of slugging. He remains one of the best players in baseball.
Yordan Alvarez hasn’t matched the prodigious pace that he went on in 2019 to begin his career, but he’s been really good this year! The troubling thing is that his walk rate has cratered. In 2019, he walked at a 14.1 percent clip while this year he’s walking only 3.6 percent of the time. His strikeout to walk ratio is the fourth worse in all of baseball.
Yuli Gurriel is another Astro on the rebound after a disappointing 2020. Contrary to Yordan, Gurriel has the second best strikeout to walk ratio in all of baseball. T-Shirt Collection
Take a look at the entire shirt collection from our friends over at BreakingT, including the latest one pictured above.
Kyle Tucker is a many-time former top 100 prospect who’s lived up to the hype. His Baseball Savant page is chock full of red, which means he’s doing something right!
Chas McCormick sounds like a create-a-player in The Show. A $1,000 senior sign in the 2017 draft, McCormick made his way onto the Astros’ Wildcard playoff roster and is filling in for Michael Brantley while he’s hurt.
Myles Straw (not to be confused with former Red Sox prospect Miles Head) is the Astros designated speedster. He leads the team in stolen base attempts but is a Punch and Judy hitter with only five home runs in his pro career.
Martín Maldonado has been traded four times, and twice to the Astros! He’s 34 this year and striking out 30 percent of the time with a .529 OPS. Bullpen Snapshot
Ryan Pressly is a spin-rate God. It’ll be interesting to see if his numbers are affected by MLB’s clamping down on the use of sticky stuff.
“It’s not Ryan it’s Ryne” Stanek isn’t opening games anymore, but he is still throwing gas with questionable command.
Brooks Raley is the top lefty in the bullpen. He throws four pitches with some regularity, His peripherals look fine, the savant exit velocity readings are excellent, so it’s about time for his ERA to start ticking down. Injuries
Michael Brantely has been fighting a hamstring injury and should make his return this series.
Jason Castro was put on the 10-day IL with left Achilles soreness retroactive to 5/25. There is no timetable for his return.
Lance McCullers has been dealing with shoulder soreness and will miss this series, but is scheduled to return to the rotation soon.
Justin Verlander is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Bryan Abreu hurt his calf shagging fly balls. He’s on crutches and Dusty Baker says he’ll be out for “a while”.
Pedro Báez is dealing with shoulder soreness. There is no timetable set for his return as he’s not throwing off a mound.
It was just announced that Kent Emanuel will undergo Tommy John surgery.
Josh James’ return from hip surgery should come any day now as his mid-June timetable is creeping up.
Austin Pruitt is recovering from a hairline fracture in his pitching elbow. It is unsure when he will return.
Francis Martes is serving a full season suspension for flunking a second PED test. Weather Forecast
It’s going to be hot this week with temperatures in the 90’s. There are chances of some scattered thunderstorms tonight and early in the evening on Wednesday, though it’s unclear how much of a threat they’ll pose to the games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 13:33:16 GMT -5
Game 61: Astros at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated June 8, 2021, 2 hours ago The Red Sox will take a five-game winning streak into their three-game series with the Astros. Houston is the last team to beat the Sox, taking the first three games of the series at Minute Maid Park last week before the Red Sox won the finale. Martín Pérez pitched 7 ⅔ scoreless innings as the Sox avoided a sweep at Houston on June 3. He allowed just six hits, struck out four, and walked one. Pérez will be on the mound for the Sox tonight at Fenway Park. Lineups ASTROS (33-26): 1. Jose Altuve (R) 2B 2. Carlos Correa (R) SS 3. Alex Bregman (R) 3B 4. Yordan Alvarez (L) DH 5. Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B 6. Michael Brantley (L) LF 7. Kyle Tucker (L) RF 8. Martin Maldonado (R) C 9. Myles Straw (R) CF Pitching: LHP Framber Valdez (1-0, 1.64 ERA) RED SOX (37-23): 1. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 5. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 6. Marwin Gonzalez (S) LF 7. Kevin Plawecki (R) C 8. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 9. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B Pitching: LHP Martín Pérez (4-2, 3.09 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Astros vs. Pérez: Altuve 13-42, Alvarez 0-3, Bregman 3-17, Correa 5-20, Díaz 3-11, Gurriel 6-12, Jones 0-3, Maldonado 8-14, McCormick 1-3, Straw 0-3, Stubbs 1-3. Red Sox vs. Valdez: Arroyo 2-3, Bogaerts 1-3, Dalbec 0-3, Devers 2-4, Gonzalez 0-0, Hernández 2-8, Martinez 1-3, Renfroe 0-2, Santana 0-1, Verdugo 0-3, Vázquez 0-4. Stat of the day: Pérez is 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA in his past seven starts. Notes: This is the 15th time in franchise history that the Red Sox have won as many as 37 of their first 60 games. In three of the last four instances, they reached the World Series, winning it in each of the last two (1986, 2002, ’07, ’18) ... In 19 games beginning May 15, Alex Verdugo is batting .333 with a .965 OPS (22-for-66, 11 runs, four doubles, four home runs, 10 RBI, and six walks) ... Pérez is 8-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 13 career starts against the Astros … Valdez held the Sox to one run and struck out 10 in seven innings in his second start of the season June 2. He is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in three games (one start) against the Red Sox. Song of the Day: Duran Duran - Notoriouswww.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9z0e1Wm64M
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 14:23:07 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 6m Chris Sale is throwing in the bullpen at Fenway for what I believe is the first time since 2019.
25 pitches: fastball, changeup, slider. ‘Physically, he looks a lot stronger than he did two years ago,’ said Cora.
Cora said this was the equivalent of a bullpen in January. ‘We have to be disciplined. We have to be patient.’
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 14:32:11 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 15m
* Sox have won 4 straight.
* Perez last 7 starts: 4-1, 1.98. Facing the Astros two times in a row. Threw 7.2 shutout IP on Thursday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 8, 2021 14:37:43 GMT -5
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