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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 4:01:31 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h #RedSox in first place alone for the first time since May 22.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 4:04:37 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook: Ranking 30th out of 30 at the leadoff spot, Sox won’t try out Alex Verdugo
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: June 19, 2021 at 4:42 p.m. | UPDATED: June 19, 2021 at 4:58 p.m.
And just like that, Kiké Hernandez is out of the leadoff spot again.
Almost midway through the season, the Red Sox still haven’t found a leadoff hitter.
Danny Santana, who has a .211 on-base percentage this year, was hitting leadoff while playing center field against the Royals on Saturday. Hernandez returned to the lineup after two days off and was moved from leadoff down to eighth.
“We’re working on it, we’re working on it,” manager Alex Cora said. “Trying to find good matchups and hopefully the guy we put in the leadoff spot comes through. We’re trying to be consistent, but we haven’t hit and that’s real. Today’s Danny, we feel it’s a good matchup for him. Hopefully he can work the count and go the other way and get on base.”
It’s gotten worse and worse for the Red Sox out of the leadoff spot this year. They’re now sitting on a .284 on-base percentage as a team from that spot. They rank 30th out of 30 teams.
“It’s been a challenge,” Cora said. “It’s not just putting guys there just to put them. (Friday) we felt Christian Arroyo, it was a good matchup for him, it just didn’t work out. We’ve been rotating guys. Somebody has to step up. It’s kind of like a challenge for them. Somebody had to come through.”
The Sox paid Hernandez $14 million over two years hoping he could become more than just a platoon player. Cora challenged him to leadoff in spring training, but Hernandez never seemed up to the task. He’s been an aggressive hitter who hasn’t been able to take advantage of pitchers’ mistakes and hasn’t been patient enough to draw walks.
Over the last four games, the Sox have used Santana (.211 OBP), Arroyo (.323 OBP), Marwin Gonzalez (.276 OBP) and Hernandez (.279 OBP) at leadoff.
“We’re facing four lefties in a row starting tomorrow, that’s one of the reasons Danny is playing today and Christian is not, because Christian should play tomorrow and the three games in Tampa,” Cora said. “We’ve got to get Danny going, too. We’ve got to trust the roster and you’ve got to trust the player. We got him for a reason and we do believe he’s still a good player, regardless of the results.”
While the Sox are getting top-heavy production from four players hitting in the two through five spots in the order, the lack of anyone to get on base in front of them has been a black hole.
“I wish we could pencil somebody in, ‘You’re our leadoff guy,’ and go from there,” Cora said. “Even Christian with the big swings, he’s had four big swings this month, but at the same time, although (Friday) he had some good at-bats, he struck out three times. We’re just searching right now. We’re trying to use the information to our benefit. It hasn’t worked out in a while for us.”
Some have asked why Alex Verdugo isn’t hitting leadoff. He hit leadoff for the 2020 Red Sox and did well in the spot.
“No,” Cora said. “For now, we’re going to keep these guys where they’re at. He’s going to hit second, J.D. (Martinez)’s going to hit third, Xander‘s (Bogaerts) going to hit fourth, and Raffy‘s (Devers) going to hit fifth, with Hunter (Renfroe) behind him. That’s where we’re at. Although I think that yeah, he can lead off, we saw that last year, but there’s other pieces we don’t want to move where they’re at and we feel comfortable where we’re at with that group.” Sale progressing quickly
Chris Sale is getting closer and closer to a minor league rehab assignment.
Sale will throw bullpen sessions Tuesday and Friday, then the team will look to get him a few live batting practice sessions. It’ll be the first time he’s faced hitters since the end of the 2019 season.
Cora estimated that a week from Thursday he’ll begin live batting practice and then will go to Double-A Portland to continue rehabbing with the team.
“Those guys will get a good meal up there,” Cora joked. “He’s been saying that all along. They’ve been eating well over the course of this week. Most likely he’ll go to Portland, stay that week in Portland, and then join us when we get back home.” Road dominance continued
The Red Sox entered Saturday having won 42 of their first 70 games. The last two times they’ve won at least 42 in their first 70, they went on to win the World Series (2013 and 2018).
They continue to struggle at Fenway Park (20-17) but have MLB’s second-best road record at 22-11. …
The franchise is celebrating Juneteenth by donating baseball equipment, tickets and clinics to parts of Dorchester and Roxbury. They also provided vaccinations and handed out free tickets to anyone who was vaccinated. …
Reliever Josh Taylor has 19 consecutive scoreless appearances, the longest active streak in the majors. Matt Barnes leads MLB in strikeout percentage, having fanned 48% of the 108 batters he’s faced this year.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 4:08:44 GMT -5
Bobby Dalbec becoming slugger Boston Red Sox envisioned? Rookie began choking up on bat and ‘just trying to have more fun’ Updated Jun 19, 2021; Posted Jun 19, 2021
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
KANSAS CITY — Bobby Dalbec is choking up on the bat and having more fun playing baseball.
The Red Sox rookie went 3-for-3 with an RBI triple, two-run homer, single and walk to lead the Boston Red Sox 7-1 over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday here at Kauffman Stadium.
The 25-year-old slugger is 11-for-30 (.367) with three homers, two triples, one double and eight RBIs in his past eight games.
“I’m just trying to ride the wave,” Dalbec said. “Let go of things quicker. Just not really put as much pressure on myself day-to-day, pitch-to-pitch. So just trying to have more fun. Have fun with it. The team’s winning. That’s all that matters.”
Is Dalbec developing into the slugger the Red Sox envisioned when they handed him the starting first base job Opening Day despite fewer than 100 plate appearances in the major leagues?
One thing is for sure: The Red Sox have confidence in him to become that type of everyday player who both slugs and gets on base at a decent rate. They certainly have stuck with him through a tough 2021 season.
“We’ll keep working with him. We’ll keep helping him,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll pick certain days and we’ll stay away from him. But most of the time, he’ll be out there. He’s doing a good job for us.”
Cora said Dalbec is making better swing decisions.
“He started choking up a little bit,” Cora added. “It feels like you have more control of the barrel that way. There was a game he didn’t play. Alex (Verdugo) didn’t either. I saw them talking a lot. And I think that came from that conversation. But at the end of the day, we know when he gets into a roll, he’s really good.”
Dalbec hit so well in 23 games following a late-season promotion at the end of 2020. He posted a .359 on-base percentage, .600 slugging percentage, eight homers, three doubles, 13 runs and 16 RBIs in 92 plate appearances.
But he was slashing only .185/.237/.358/.595 after his first 49 games this season. Since then, he has increased his OPS 104 points in eight games.
“Obviously, the league is making adjustments. They’re pitching him differently,” Cora said. “The ups and downs of a season. He’s still a rookie and he’s still learning. It’s hard to struggle. ... At one point, it looked ugly to be honest with you. And he knew it. But he kept putting (in) work. We made some adjustments as far as his routine. He made some adjustments on his own. Right now, he’s doing an amazing job.”
Dalbec said choking up “is an easy way to create more time for myself.”
His offensive woes were a result of not being on time to the baseball.
“Just less length on the bat. Less bat to get around into the zone,” Dalbec said.
Dalbec crushed a 368-foot triple that left his bat at 114.1 mph and soared over left fielder Hunter Dozier’s head to score Kiké Hernández. That put Boston ahead 2-1 in the fifth inning. He hit an opposite field homer in the ninth.
“The fact that he hit a slider to the pull side (for the triple) and that changeup (on the homer), that was pretty impressive right there,” Cora said. “I think the quality of the at-bats are a lot better. The fact that he went the other way with a line drive, that’s good, too.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 4:24:56 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Royals Sunday, 20th June 2021 2pm @ Kaufman Stadium
Eovaldi 7-3/3.76
Coming off a strong effort in his last start vs the Blue Jays when he went 6 and 2/3 IP. Has given up 2 earned runs or less in four of his last 5 starts. Is 4-0/2.42 ERA on the road this season.
Minor 5-4/4.63
In his last start vs the Tigers, he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits. Has given up 13 home runs this season.
Stuck in clutch, Royals seek to drive in runs vs. Red Sox According to STATS
"Get 'em on, get 'em over, leave 'em stranded."
That's not exactly the way it's supposed to go, especially for a baseball team that relies on situational hitting rather than the long ball. But that seems to be the way the Kansas City Royals are playing lately.
The Royals are 6-for-67 with runners in scoring position in their last eight games, and they've lost seven of them, including Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, in which the Royals were 0-for-11 with RISP.
The Red Sox and Royals will play the rubber game of a three-game series Sunday.
Boston will send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (7-3, 3.76 ERA) to the mound. Kansas City will counter with left-hander Mike Minor (5-4, 4.63).
"When you're able to come through in those situations, you put a pitcher on his heels," Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said of his team's recent offensive futility. "If we get a lead, you never know how it's going to impact the outcome of the game."
The Royals have had only one game in the last eight with more than one hit with runners in scoring position. Matheny says his players just need to keep attacking.
"Our guys have the right approach," he said. "When you've got a pitcher making good pitches, you have to put the ball in play. We just haven't been able to do that."
Hoping to keep the Royals in a funk will be Eovaldi. He is coming off a tremendous outing against the Blue Jays, when he allowed no runs on three hits in 6 2/3 innings. Eovaldi has given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.
"Whenever we get on a good streak, it starts with good pitching," Eovaldi said after his start against the Blue Jays. "If you look back to the previous ones, all the starters, we were all rolling together. I think it takes one starter to go out there and do a great job, and it kind of resets everybody."
His start was much needed by the Red Sox, whose starters were 0-4 with a 12.00 ERA, 10 home runs allowed and a .400 opponent batting average in their previous six games.
"It was definitely a big one," Eovaldi said. "Our bullpen was down a little bit. So for me to be able to come in and get past the sixth inning and give the team a chance to win, it was a big one for us."
In four career outings (two starts) against the Royals, Eovaldi is 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA.
If the recent pattern holds, Minor is due for a solid outing. He's alternated wins and losses in his last four starts. In his last start, he allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked none. But it wasn't enough, at least in his mind.
"I didn't have anything really tonight," Minor said. "They had some holes, but I couldn't exploit them because I couldn't locate any pitches. We threw a lot of fastballs, and I probably shook (catcher Salvador Perez) too many times, but I didn't really have a whole lot of confidence with any of the pitches."
In 10 career games - six starts - against the Red Sox, Minor is 2-3 with a 3.77 ERA.
--Field Level Media
Red Sox at Royals Sunday, at 2:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 87° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 17 MPH wind blowing out in Kansas City at 2:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2021 8:47:20 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 1h Not sure I get the leadoff spot decisions. Obviously Santana is going to go 4-for-4 because I'm tweeting this but he's slashing .118/.211/.275/.485 No kidding. Not that line up changes make that much difference, but my opinion is that Cora really should get over his desire to keep the #2-5 guys intact. I understand his desire, but I really think the offense would benefit more from having someone who can get on base leading off, even if it means putting a lesser hitter in between the #2-5 guys.
That said, I have been willing to give Cora the benefit of the doubt because the team is winning and the offense is doing well. I will continue to give him the benefit of the doubt as long as the team is winning.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2021 8:50:23 GMT -5
according to Rex, the Red Sox are last in the AL in walks, and I checked and he is right and I agree that is something with this team... Yes, too many times the Sox have chased pitches well outside the zone.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2021 8:51:58 GMT -5
Santana lines out to start the game however, the Analytics team says he is a fast runner, they don;t know he rarely hits Verdugo follows with a 2b to CF This is 100% not on the analytics team. The analytics team knows better.
This decision is solely on Cora, who should also know better.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2021 8:53:42 GMT -5
Whitlock is warming in the 5thand Perez survived thru the 5th Very nice bounce back performance for Perez.
Good job by the pen as well.
Great game overall.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2021 8:56:06 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h #RedSox in first place alone for the first time since May 22. Woohoo! Let's go!
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2021 9:03:21 GMT -5
Bobby Dalbec becoming slugger Boston Red Sox envisioned? Rookie began choking up on bat and ‘just trying to have more fun’Updated Jun 19, 2021; Posted Jun 19, 2021 It's great to see Dalbec have a great game like he did last night. Hopefully, he is becoming the slugger the Red Sox envisioned, but it's far too soon to say that. At any rate, people have to have patience with him.
As far as choking up on the bat, I'm not sure why this has become such a lost art. Hardly anyone does it anymore. Situational hitting and hitting with 2 strikes, choke up on the bat, shorten your swing, and stop swinging for the fences. Baseball 101.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 10:14:41 GMT -5
Game 72: Red Sox at Royals lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated June 20, 2021, 54 minutes ago Having taken sole possession of first place in the American League East with Saturday’s win, the Red Sox will look to take a weekend series against the Royals on Sunday afternoon. Nathan Eovaldi has the ball for his 15th start of the year, hoping to follow up Martín Pérez’s strong outing Saturday to break the Sox rotation’s recent slump. Eovaldi threw 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball in his last appearance against Toronto on Monday. Related: Martín Pérez bounces back against Royals after recent struggles Lineups RED SOX (43-28): 1. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 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. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 9. Kevin Plawecki (R) C Pitching: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (7-3, 3.76 ERA)
ROYALS (31-38): 1. Whit Merrifield (R) RF 2. Carlos Santana (S) DH 3. Salvador Perez (R) C 4. Adalberto Mondesi (S) SS 5. Kelvin Gutierrez (R) 3B 6. Hunter Dozier (R) 1B 7. Jarrod Dyson (L) LF 8. Michael A. Taylor (R) CF 9. Nicky Lopez (L) 2B Pitching: LHP Mike Minor (5-4, 4.63 ERA) Time: 2:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Minor: Bogaerts 2-11, Devers 1-10, Gonzalez 3-16, Hernández 0-4, Martinez 7-12, Plawecki 0-3, Renfroe 1-6, Santana 0-1,Vázquez 1-5 Royals vs. Eovaldi: Alberto 2-8, Dozier 1-1, Dyson 2-4, Lopez 1-2, Merrifield 1-1, Perez 0-3, Santana 2-5, Soler 0-1, Taylor 1-7 Stat of the day: The Royals are 6-for-67 with runners in scoring position in their last eight games, and they’ve lost seven of them - including Saturday’s 7-1 loss to Red Sox, in which the Royals were 0-for-11 with RISP. Notes: Eovaldi has given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. His start was much needed by the Red Sox, whose starters were 0-4 with a 12.00 ERA, 10 home runs allowed, and a .400 opponent batting average in their previous six games ... In four career outings (two starts) against the Royals, Eovaldi is 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA ... Minor has alternated wins and losses in his last four starts. In his last start, he allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking none. In 10 career games - six starts - against the Red Sox, Minor is 2-3 with a 3.77 ERA ... Boston enters Sunday half a game up on the Rays in the AL East, with Tampa Bay trying to stop a five-game skid before the two teams square off in Tampa this week. Song of the Day: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born On The Bayouwww.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjUY3pjN8E
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 11:38:05 GMT -5
Jerry Remy (RemDawg) @jerry_Remy · 2h Happy Father’s Day to all. Glad to be returning to work for today’s game against the KC Royals.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 11:38:37 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 35m Pre-game Zoom with Jason Varitek.
* "That's my boy," he said about Garrett Whitlock.
* Lots of praise for how Christian Vazquez catching, too.
Tek seems to be really enjoying his duties on the staff, which are widespread.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 11:39:01 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 29m #RedSox will stay in order for the #Rays series:
Tuesday: Rodriguez Wednesday: Richards Thursday: Pivetta
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2021 11:42:22 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 55m Red Sox' J.D. Martinez has gone 7-for-12 with a homer, three RBIs, two walks and one strikeout against Mike Minor, who will start today for the Royals.
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