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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 3:44:34 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 6h On the Astros today, Alex Cora said, "They put [on] a clinic. That's why they are the best offensive team in baseball."
"I'm not concerned, to be honest with you." -- Alex Cora, on recent slippage of starting rotation. He said "Not to make excuses", but Monday's makeup put them in a tough spot.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 3:57:52 GMT -5
Astros @ Red Sox Thursday, 10th June 2021 7pm @ Fenway
Grienke 6-2/3.38
Threw his first CG in more than four years last time out vs the Blue Jays. In his last 5 starts he is 4-1/2.37/0.84 WHIP in 38IP.
E-rod 5-4/5.59
The past 5 starts have not been kind to E-rod who has racked up a 7.29 ERA in that span.
Red Sox face Astros, Zack Greinke looking to avoid sweep According to STATS
Eduardo Rodriguez is tasked with trying to cool off the Houston Astros' bats as the host Boston Red Sox hope to avoid a three-game series sweep on Thursday night.
Rodriguez will be opposed by Astros ace Zack Greinke.
Houston's bats came alive in a pair of blowout wins to open the series, a 7-1 drubbing on Tuesday and an 8-3 victory on Wednesday. The Astros have won five of six games against the Red Sox this season after taking three of four in Houston last week.
"Competition brings out the best in you -- or the worst in you. But it happens to bring out the best in this club," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "We've got one more big game against them. You want to end up beating them more than they beat you."
Rodriguez (5-4, 5.59 ERA) will seek to turn things around for the Red Sox and build on a solid start last time out after a rough stretch.
The 28-year-old left-hander held the Yankees to three runs on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in Boston's 7-3 win at New York on Saturday.
Rodriguez had allowed four or more runs in four prior starts, all losses, including giving up a season-high six runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings in an 11-2 loss at Houston on May 31.
In that game, the Astros' Jose Altuve hit a two-run home run in the third inning and Kyle Tucker added a two-run single in the fifth.
Rodriguez is 1-3 with a 7.84 ERA in five career starts against the Astros.
Alex Bregman, who hit a two-run shot Wednesday, is 3-for-9 with two homers and three RBIs in his career against Rodriguez. Altuve (4-for-10), Martin Maldonado (2-for-7) and Michael Brantley (1-for-6) have each hit one home run against him.
Greinke (6-2, 3.38 ERA) is coming off one of his best starts of the season. On Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, the veteran right-hander tossed a complete game, allowing just one run on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a 13-1 Astros rout.
Greinke is 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA over his past five starts. He did not face the Red Sox during the team's four-game series last week and has struggled in his career against Boston, going 2-5 with a 4.60 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). He is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA in three games (two starts) at Fenway Park.
Hunter Renfroe is 6-for-21 with three homers and six RBIs against Greinke. Enrique Hernandez is 3-for-12 with two home runs and five RBIs and J.D. Martinez is 4-for-16 with one homer and three RBIs against him.
Alex Verdugo, who is 1-for-6 lifetime against Greinke, is expected back in the lineup after missing the Red Sox's past two games due to back tightness.
Boston is 5-5 over its last 10 games and has dropped two straight following a five-game winning streak.
"We're in the middle of a grind," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "We're a little bit short against a great team. Our starters, they give it up early in the game. That's what (the Astros) do. I'm not concerned, to be honest with you."
--Field Level Media
Astros at Red Sox Thursday, at 7:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 63° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 8 MPH wind blowing right to left in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 6:56:57 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Are the Astros simply beating the Red Sox, or exposing them?
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald June 10, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.
When J.D. Martinez popped up to Jose Altuve in his final at-bat of the night and all but ended the Red Sox’ hopes of a ninth-inning comeback, the picture had been painted.
All night, the Astros peppered him with fastballs up in the zone. Most of them were on the inside part of the plate. He couldn’t his arm extended on anything low and went 0-for-4.
In six games against the Astros this season, the Red Sox are now 1-5. They’ve been out-scored 34-13.
Not even a sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx this weekend and a five-game winning streak was enough to give the Sox some momentum in a fresh series vs. Houston.
The Astros came to town and, in manager Alex Cora’s words, “put on a clinic of controlling the strike zone, going the other way, taking their walks and not striking out. That’s why they are the best offense in baseball.”
And on the pitching side, they’ve found a way to silence most of the Red Sox’ lineup.
Martinez, one of MLB’s best hitters this season, is 4-for-24 (.167) with two doubles, two singles and eight strikeouts in those six games.
And he isn’t the only one.
Last week, they Astros pitchers threw a remarkable 56 consecutive fastballs to Rafael Devers, who is now 4-for-21 (.190) with eight strikeouts against them this year.
Xander Bogaerts broke through with a two-run homer on Wednesday night, but he’s also 4-for-21 (.190) with nine strikeouts against the ‘Stros.
Add it all up and the Red Sox’ three best hitters are just 12-for-66 (.182). They’ve struck out 25 times in those 66 at-bats, marking a 38% strikeout rate that would be one of the highest in the majors if it was a single player.
“We looked like we were very disciplined early in the game, taking to the edges and working the count,” Cora said. “And then little by little we deviated from that and we were very aggressive to the edge.
These are three players with strikeout rates of 21% (Martinez), 27% (Devers) and 21% (Bogaerts) but suddenly can’t make contact.
Outfielder Hunter Renfroe had an interesting theory when asked about the ‘Stros dominance of Red Sox hitters this year.
“I think that’s a big deal of ours and everybody kind of knows the book that we crush fastballs,” Renfroe said. “We may struggle at times hitting offspeed. They have some really good pitchers that have very good offspeed. Whereas in the past, they had some guys that threw 100-mph. They had Gerrit Cole, they had Justin Verlander, they had guys who had very, very good fastballs. I think they kind of re-adjusted their team now, not because they wanted to but kind of had to. They have very good offspeed pitches.”
The Red Sox have typically been great at making adjustments under Cora’s leadership, and will be tested not only in the series finale on Thursday, but in the coming series against the Blue Jays, Braves, Royals and Rays, who will surely study the tape and see what the Astros did so well.
On the pitching side, the Red Sox have been allowing almost six runs a game to Houston this year. Cora said it’s because “they prepare themselves and they take certain stuff out of the equation; they stayed within what they do.”
Said starter Nathan Eovaldi, who allowed five runs in this one: “I think it’s their approach. They’ve got guys who don’t really swing and miss that much. They put the ball in play, they make things happen.”
The Sox are also quite clearly short on quality pitchers at the moment.
It wasn’t an issue early in the year, when the starting rotation was pitching beyond expectations. It looked like the Sox were five deep.
But when the Sox have to dig into their bullpen early, they’ve started to show the lack of depth to keep the game close.
Cora said they were trying to use Garrett Whitlock and Matt Andriese the way the Astros used Christian Javier on Wednesday night. Javier entered in the sixth and held the Red Sox to just one hit the rest of the way.
But because the Sox have been short on quality arms, Whitlock has turned into a defacto set-up man.
“That’s what we envisioned before the season started with Matt and Garrett,” Cora said. “Hopefully we can reset our bullpen so we can start doing that.”
In Cora’s 19 regular season meetings against the Astros since he left Houston, his teams are just 6-13 against them (though they went 4-1 against them in the 2018 postseason).
Thankfully, the Sox won’t see the Astros again this year until the two teams meet in the playoffs.
“Obviously, we have to find it offensively against them,” Cora said. “Hopefully we get a chance later on in the year. But today they put a clinic. They did.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 8:06:43 GMT -5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 13:20:17 GMT -5
Game 63: Astros at Red Sox lineups and notes By Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated June 10, 2021, 11:07 a.m.
The Red Sox were pounded again Wednesday night, dropping an 8-3 decision to the Astros. It was Boston’s fifth loss in six meetings against Houston.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, tonight’s matchup will be the last time they face Astros during the regular season. Eduardo Rodriguez will be on the mound tonight as the Red Sox look to avoid a sweep at Fenway Park Lineups
ASTROS (35-26):
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. Kyle Tucker (L) RF 7. Taylor Jones (R) LF 8. Martin Maldonado (R) C 9. Myles Straw (R) CF
Pitching: RHP Zack Greinke (6-2, 3.38 ERA)
RED SOX (37-25):
1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 6. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 7. Christian Vazquez (R) C 8. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 9. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B
Pitching: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 5.59 ERA)
Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Astros vs. Rodriguez: Altuve 4-10, Brantley 1-6, Bregman 3-9, Correa 6-9, Gurriel 1-6, Jones 1-1, Maldonado 2-7, McCormick 0-2, Straw 0-2, Tucker 1-2.
Red Sox vs. Greinke: Gonzalez 1-7, Hernández 3-12, Martinez 4-16, Plawecki 2-6, Renfroe 6-21, Santana 0-5, Verdugo 1-6.
Stat of the day: Greinke is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA in three games (two starts) at Fenway Park.
Notes: Xander Bogaerts leads American League shortstops in extra-base hits (27), RBI (38) and home runs (tied, 11). He also leads AL shortstops in batting average (.321), OBP (.378), slugging percentage (.543), OPS (.921), and doubles (16) … Rodriguez is 1-3 with a 7.84 ERA in five career starts against the Astros, including giving up a season-high six runs on seven hits over 4⅔ innings in an 11-2 loss at Houston on May 31 … Greinke is 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA over his past five starts, but has struggled in his career against the Red Sox, going 2-5 with a 4.60 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts).
Song of the Day: Led Zeppelin - Dancing Days
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 14:24:57 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 2m Cora says Hirokazu Sawamura has a sore hip and won't be available today. A chance he ends up on the injured list in the coming days.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 14:31:56 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo 4m If Sawamura or another reliever needs to hit the IL, righty Brandon Brennan is the obvious candidate to join the Red Sox. He's on the 40-man.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 14:36:51 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 Alex Cora joining us on Zoom. #RedSox 4:17 PM · Jun 10, 2021·Twitter Web App
Cora on Hernandez returning to the leadoff spot -- 'We just felt like he's swinging the bat good the last few days. He's hit the ball hard up the middle.'
'Hopefully he can stay with that mentality, that process.' #RedSox
Cora said the Astros have consistently found 'the blue' against #RedSox hitters -- the cold zones on their heat maps at the plate.
Also credits Maldonado with his work/game calling behind the plate.
Cora on Tucker, who has ripped the #RedSox through six games this season -- 'You can see why they're so high on this kid.'
Cora on Brasier -- 'He's resting at home.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 14:45:40 GMT -5
jesus In the last 7 days he is 5 for 25. .200.
just wondering what the "Make the Line Up" app from the analytics department is up to date.
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 23m Replying to @billkoch25 Cora on Hernandez returning to the leadoff spot -- 'We just felt like he's swinging the bat good the last few days. He's hit the ball hard up the middle.'
'Hopefully he can stay with that mentality, that process.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 15:22:37 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack ·
Cora said he’s liked the way Hernández has been swinging the bat the last couple of days. Said he’s staying in the middle of the field, which is part of why hes back in the leadoff spot. Seems as if this spot will be different depending on the day/opponent/pitcher.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 10, 2021 16:17:35 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7m #RedSox announce they've recalled RHP Brandon Brennan from Triple-A Worcester. Phillips Valdez optioned.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 10, 2021 16:29:36 GMT -5
Astros tonight The Astros have our stinking number this year.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 10, 2021 16:37:33 GMT -5
jesus In the last 7 days he is 5 for 25. .200.
just wondering what the "Make the Line Up" app from the analytics department is up to date.Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 23m Replying to @billkoch25 Cora on Hernandez returning to the leadoff spot -- 'We just felt like he's swinging the bat good the last few days. He's hit the ball hard up the middle.'
'Hopefully he can stay with that mentality, that process.' #RedSox I know Cora likes to have his 2-5 guys bunched together like he does, but I'd put Verdugo in the leadoff spot. Cora really needs to get away from all of these low OBP guys leading off.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 10, 2021 16:38:46 GMT -5
Just win.
That is all.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2021 2:19:42 GMT -5
bottom of the order
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