Blue Jays @ Red Sox Game Thread/11th-14th June 2021

I was saying this pre-season, while the writers were fawning over them.  In 2020, their rotation was 9th in ERA and 11th in the BP.  They added an injured Yates and a mediocre Matz.

Notes: Dalbec working on timing; Kiké's shift
Cora on E-Rod, in-game adjustments; Sawamura ready to go
June 11th, 2021
Ian Browne

Ian Browne
@ianmbrowne



BOSTON -- For Red Sox rookie first baseman Bobby Dalbec, the key to making his impressive power show up more often during games is to be on time.

Oh, he is always on time to the park. In fact, many hours early quite often.

What he’s trying to do is be on time with his swing. And to do that, he is working on syncing up his leg kick.

“To me, it’s all about timing with his leg kick. He’s a big guy,” said Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers. “His leg kick gets him in trouble or it helps him. I think he’s working to make it a little more compact and to make it more on time. When he’s on time, he’s got this special power, but pitchers, their deal is to disrupt timing.”

It has been a work in progress, but there’s been some positive developments of late. Dalbec had a key single and a hard RBI double off the Monster in Thursday’s memorable, 12-8 win over the Astros.

“It's timing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Timing is everything. It doesn’t matter if it’s Little League or college, Minor Leagues or the big league level, you’ve got to be on time. We live in an era where hitters, they get caught up in talking about mechanics.”

When Cora thinks about hitters being successful due to great timing and balance, he always mentions his former teammate Manny Ramirez.

“I always mention Manny, because that was kind of like the best example for us when we were here, a guy that will come in and hit at 10 in the morning and work on his craft and all that,” said Cora. “But then at 7:05, 7:10, he would say, ‘Just get there on time. If you’re on time, you're gonna see the ball, you're gonna recognize pitches, you're gonna make good swing decisions’.

“[Dalbec] felt like yesterday was the first time he was on time this season, and you saw the results. Hopefully, you know, he doesn't get caught up in the result, he stays with the process and keeps working on that and we can see him taking off.”

Dalbec has been working overtime in the pregame hours with Hyers.

“We’ve been in early work, we had the pitch machine, we had some high velo, we were trying to mix some stuff up with breaking balls and just trying to get him to have a better awareness of space,” Hyers said. “That’s kind of where we’re at, and it’s really difficult here in the Major Leagues where you’re facing some of the best pitchers in the world night after night and trying to make those adjustments.

“That’s what makes it difficult. He’s been a gamer. He’s worked his butt off. He’s kept a great attitude. That’s all you can expect from a young guy, being ready to work each day.”


If at first you don’t succeed …
Cora pulled the plug on the struggling Kiké Hernández as his leadoff hitter last week at Yankee Stadium, ending the veteran’s 39-game run in the top spot in the batting order.

But when nobody else was able to step up in the ensuing days, Hernández got a second chance on Thursday and responded with two doubles and a bases-loaded walk in the thrilling win over the Astros. He was back in there on Friday night against the Blue Jays.

It seems like Hernández might finally be getting back to being the line-drive machine the Red Sox saw in Spring Training.

“It feels that way. It feels like he’s making better swing decisions,” Cora said. “Yesterday, I think that walk, he was down 0-2, and there were some good pitches made by [Zack] Greinke and he took them. He’s been on time. He’s been recognizing pitches. And he’s been doing a good job going up the middle.”


E-Rod needs to adjust quicker
The reason Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 6.03 ERA) and Cora were disappointed with his latest sub-performance on Thursday is that he didn’t make the type of in-game adjustments necessary against a top team like Houston.

“I just talked to him a little bit ago, and the fact that he had a good changeup early on and they made adjustments, and he wasn’t able to make adjustments,” said Cora. “He’s frustrated because of that. We walked through a few at-bats, and he saw what I saw, but then he didn’t make the in-game adjustments.”

In the past, this could have been chalked up to a young player learning on the fly. But Rodriguez should be past that stage.

“He’s a veteran. He’s been around. And he knows,” said Cora. “Our information from yesterday, stuff-wise, it’s good. Stuff-wise, he’s really good. He’s where he’s supposed to be. Now, like I said before the game yesterday, it’s about taking that stuff and applying it to the game. I do believe he can do it, and he’s in a great spot. He’ll pitch Tuesday in Atlanta. Hopefully he can get his [first career] hit, too, and we get it over with and he can get a 'W' there.”


Sawamura good to go
Just 24 hours after Cora raised the possibility of reliever Hirokazu Sawamura going on the injured list due to right hip soreness, there was a much more encouraging update.

“He’s a go. He’s a full go. He’s ready to go,” said Cora. “Actually he was available yesterday, but obviously, the smart move was to give him one more day so he’s a full go.”

Sawamura has been a big weapon for the Red Sox in the mid- to late-innings, so this was a significant development.

With Garrett Richards’s rough outing, Red Sox rotation is starting to become a concern
By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated June 12, 2021, 12:28 a.m.

Garrett Richards gave up four earned runs on a whopping 11 hits over 5⅓ innings Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

But he was smiling and cracking jokes after the Red Sox rallied for a 6-5 victory.

The game-winner came in the bottom of the ninth. Alex Verdugo’s line drive off the wall drove in pinch runner Danny Santana from second base after Kiké Hernández reached on a two-base error.

A noisy crowd of 25,257 celebrated just as rain started to fall.

“Fenway was electric. It’s another great Friday night at Fenway. It was fun,” manager Alex Cora said.

The Sox found a way to win. But it’s hard to make a regular habit of coming back from four-run deficits.


Red Sox starters have a 7.99 earned run average in the last seven games, allowing 29 earned runs on 54 hits over only 32⅔ innings.

The last four games — 21 earned runs over 18 innings — have been particularly bad for the rotation.

But Cora isn’t concerned.

“Not really. This is part of the equation, right? People have ups and downs,” he said.

Cora then praised Richards for getting into the sixth inning and taking some heat off the bullpen.

Maybe the manager is right and this poor turn through the rotation is just a blip in what has been an otherwise strong season or a function of having faced the hard-hitting Astros seven times in 10 days.

Or maybe it’s what the Red Sox have feared since spring training — that their rotation could be a weakness.

The Sox are 2-4 in the last six games Eduardo Rodriguez has started as the effects of not pitching last season seem to be catching up with him. His ERA now sits at 6.03.

Richards has given up 19 hits in his last 10⅓ innings. Martín Pérez lasted only two innings in his last start and Nate Eovaldi had a rough night Wednesday against Houston.


The Sox have been fortunate, too. Eovaldi, Pérez, Richards, Rodriguez and Nick Pivetta have started 62 of the 64 games. The Sox haven’t needed a depth starter since April 18 when Tanner Houck faced the White Sox.

That has been a surprise given how Eovaldi, Pivetta, Richards and Rodriguez have been dogged by injuries during their careers.

Houck is on the Triple A injured list recovering from a flexor muscle strain. It’s uncertain who would get called up if the Sox need a starter.

Raynel Espinal, a 29-year-old career minor leaguer, has pitched well for Worcester. So has Daniel Gossett, who had a 5.91 ERA in 23 games for the Oakland Athletics from 2017-18.

Maybe it’s best to chill out like Richards. His last games have been worrisome, but he’s not concerned.

“I’ve thrown a ton of strikes the last two outings but gotten hit kind of hard,” he said. “Whether it’s location or whatever, me and [pitching coach Dave Bush] will probably go over it in the next couple of days and try and figure out what’s going on.

“Just giving up hits all over the place. I’m just kind of waiting for the rollover or popup to come my way. I continue to fill up the zone. My mission is to throw as many strikes as possible.”

It was suggested to Richards that he’s walking a thin line giving up that many hits.


“Eleven hits with three runs? I don’t think I’ve done that in my entire career,” he said. “If I’m throwing strikes, I’ll bet on myself every time . . . I’m 33 years old. I’m not going to get in the Hall of Fame. So I don’t really care about my personal stats. I just want us to win every single night.

The Sox are 39-25 and a game out of first place. Everything is fine.

But Pivetta starts Saturday afternoon and the Sox could use a quality start. That’s a lot easier than manufacturing comebacks.