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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 5, 2021 17:51:48 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 15m Cora said Arroyo (right knee) will be active tonight and start at second base.
Cora on Ohtani -- 'He's been amazing.'
Cora said facing him is like dealing with Trout -- be careful, but you still have to attack and follow the pitching plan. #RedSox
Cora on Ohtani -- 'To be able to be successful doing both is amazing. I'm actually in awe of what he's doing.' #RedSox
Cora on Ohtani as an MVP contender -- 'We should make a new award for him. He's just a different breed. This is something different.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 5, 2021 17:53:44 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 16m Cora on being able to keep Eovaldi healthy to this point -- 'Our training staff, they've been amazing.'
'He's not lazy. He doesn't take anything for granted.'
Cora has praised Eovadi for his conditioning since his arrival in 2018. #RedSox
Cora said he'll be peeking at the radar gun in Colorado and hopes Eovaldi will take it easy -- maybe 94-95 with his fastball.
But he knows differently and is expecting 101-102. #RedSox
Cora said it 'wasn't fair' for the #RedSox to ask Eovaldi to start and relieve when he came off the IL in 2019.
His buildup and consistency as a starter has made him an All-Star for the first time, and Cora said Boston 'would love him to pitch' in the game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 5, 2021 17:55:27 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · Cora on being able to keep Eovaldi healthy to this point -- 'Our training staff, they've been amazing.'
'He's not lazy. He doesn't take anything for granted.'
Cora has praised Eovadi for his conditioning since his arrival in 2018. #RedSox
Cora, speaking about relief pitchers being selected to the All-Star team, said he thinks Jonathan Loaisiga has been 'amazing' with the Yankees.
But the ballot tends to only feature closers. Otherwise the #RedSox would be lobbying for Josh Taylor as well.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 5, 2021 17:56:35 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 Replying to @billkoch25 Cora said Sale and Seabold will both throw live BP in Fort Myers on Tuesday. Sale will work two innings, Seabold will work three innings. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 5, 2021 17:58:40 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6m Arroyo on his two IL stints this season -- 'I play the game hard. I'm always trying to make plays. It's been freak stuff.' #RedSox
Arroyo said the weather in Worcester made it tricky during his rehab assignment, but his four at-bats on Saturday felt like enough. #RedSox
Arroyo on Ohtani -- 'What he's done is incredible. It's obviously unparalleled.'
'Ideally, I can't wait to see him do nothing this series.' #RedSox
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jul 5, 2021 19:35:31 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m #RedSox activated Christian Arroyo from the IL and optioned Michael Chavis to Worcester. Chavis had a 9/1 K/W in his mini-return.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jul 5, 2021 19:38:09 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · Cora on being able to keep Eovaldi healthy to this point -- 'Our training staff, they've been amazing.'
'He's not lazy. He doesn't take anything for granted.'
Cora has praised Eovadi for his conditioning since his arrival in 2018. #RedSox
Cora, speaking about relief pitchers being selected to the All-Star team, said he thinks Jonathan Loaisiga has been 'amazing' with the Yankees.
But the ballot tends to only feature closers. Otherwise the #RedSox would be lobbying for Josh Taylor as well. I remember the players saying that in 2018. That he lifted like crazy.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 2:50:29 GMT -5
No way, Kiké! OF shows off glove and arm Red Sox ride defense, Devers to tight win over Ohtani and Angels 5 minutes ago Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
ANAHEIM -- It is easy to forget all these months later that the Red Sox signed Kiké Hernández to be their second baseman. Due to the in-season construction of the roster, Hernández has instead emerged as their primary center fielder and that’s been one of the most significant developments of the season.
Hernández was at it again on Monday night at Angel Stadium, using his glove and arm to help his red-hot team to a 5-4 victory in the opener of a three-game series.
Making his 50th start of the season, compared to 16 at second base, Hernández raced back to the wall for a fly ball hit by Luis Rengifo that looked like trouble in the second. But Hernández got back in time, jumped as high as he could and came down with the baseball. At the very least, it would have been a run-scoring double if Hernández wasn’t able to come down with the ball. There’s also a chance it could have been a two-run homer.
He wasn’t done. In the sixth, with the leadoff man at first and nobody out, Max Stassi smashed one into the gap in right-center. Hernández fired a strike to second base, where Xander Bogaerts tagged out Stassi.
The Red Sox rode their stingy defense to their 10th win their last 11 games -- and 15th in the last 20 -- to maintain a 4 1/2 game lead over the Rays in the American League East.
“Kiké, he made two good plays and I think that was a key to win the game,” said winning pitcher Martín Pérez. “The first catch in the second inning. And in the sixth, he got a good throw to second and got the guy out.”
It was the MLB-leading 28th outfield assist of the season and second of the night for the Red Sox, as left fielder Danny Santana fielded a single by Shohei Ohtani and fired a bullet to the plate to nail Jose Rojas, who was originally ruled safe in the fifth. Thanks to a challenge by Sox manager Alex Cora, that call was reversed.
“It was part of the scouting report coming in. It's not something that surprised us,” said Angels manager Joe Maddon. “And I love it because it illustrates how important outfield defense is. I think it's one of the more underrated parts of the game. When you have technically good outfield defense and guys know what they are doing and they can throw well and accurately, you see what can happen. It's a huge part of the game, and they do it really well."
With Alex Verdugo, Hernández and the cannon-armed Hunter Renfroe getting most of the reps in the outfield, opponents should think hard before running on the Red Sox. Of late, others have also stepped up with key assists, including J.D. Martinez and Santana.
“The way [Hernández] has been playing center field is above average. The fact [that] they have to respect our arms, all of them out there, we can shut the running game down because of who they are, it’s a plus for us,” said Cora.
One of the key reasons Cora has stuck with Hernández so much in center is because of how good Christian Arroyo has been at second base.
That was demonstrated at a most critical point in this one. With two on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, megastar Ohtani came to the plate looking for the best way possible to cap his 27th birthday.
“I mean, I was trying to avoid that ever getting to that point. I had in the back of my mind, ‘Don’t let Ohtani come up.’ Of course, it happens,” said Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino. “In the moment, I’m ready for battle. It’s a fun situation.”
Behind in the count 3-1, Ottavino threw a slider that caught too much plate. Ohtani belted it 101.9 mph into the second-base hole. Per Statcast, the well-struck grounder had an expected batting average of .910. Fortunately, Arroyo was shifted into the perfect spot in short right field and kept the laser-beam in front of him. He picked it smoothly on the short hop and fired to first to complete the exciting win.
It was a sweet comeback from the 10-day injured list for Arroyo, who also smashed a solo homer in his first at-bat since June 20.
“That play by Christian at the end was great,” said Cora.
Of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without some more heroics from Rafael Devers. The first-time All-Star mashed his 21st homer of the season, a two-run shot to right-center in the fourth as part of a three-hit, three-RBI night.
“I think I always said when he dominates the strike zone the way he’s dominating right now, he’s that good,” said Cora. “He hits a home run to right-center and then he sits on a fastball and goes the other way. He’s just a pure hitter. Sometimes I don’t want to tell him to be more selective because it might work against him.”
These days, just about everything is going for the Red Sox rather than against them.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:05:22 GMT -5
Red Sox survive rally, outlast Angels to stay rolling By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated July 6, 2021, 1 hour ago
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Expected batting average is a statistic that measures the velocity and angle of a batted ball and determines the likelihood it will be a base hit.
With two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday night, Shohei Ohtani hit a ball off Adam Ottavino that had an expected batting average of .910.
More simply put: He crushed it.
But Red Sox second baseman Christian Arroyo was positioned in shallow right field and played the scorching line drive on one hop. He fired to first base and the Red Sox had a 5-4 victory.
Instead of at least tying the game on his 27th birthday, Ohtani was 1 for 5 and the Red Sox have now won 10 of their last 11.
Ottavino was designated the closer after Matt Barnes needed 33 pitches to pitch the final inning at Oakland on Sunday. He walked leadoff hitter José Iglesias then struck out the next two batters.
Jose Rojas singled to drive in Iglesias, who had stolen second and taken third base on defensive indifference. David Fletcher then singled to bring Ohtani up.
Ohtani has 52 extra-base hits and 67 RBIs this season. Many in the crowd of 38,201 — the largest of the season at Angel Stadium — raised their cell phones to record the moment. Related: Angels’ two-way All-Star Shohei Ohtani on the mound Tuesday against the Red Sox
Sox manager Alex Cora said it reminded him of how fans once hung on every swing Barry Bonds took.
“I was trying to avoid it ever getting to that point,” Ottavino said. “I had it in the back of my mind, ‘Don’t let Ohtani come up.’ Of course it happened.”
Ottavino would sometimes prefer the defense not shift because he feels it takes away certain pitches he would otherwise use.
“I kind of resist it a little bit because it keeps my options open,” Ottavino said. “But at the same time I pay attention to it.”
Ottavino fell behind 3 and 1 and threw Ohtani a slider that stayed over the middle of the plate. The righthander said later he wanted to live and die with his best pitch.
Had Ohtani got under it a touch more, it might have been a walk-off homer.
“It was a good bet and it kind of worked out,” Ottavino said.
Ottavino’s seventh save made a winner of Martín Pérez (7-4), who pitched into the sixth inning and allowed one earned run. Related: ‘I want all the spirits that are in here to favor me.’ How Adam Ottavino uses Earthing to help him focus on pitching
Lefthander José Suarez, who was making his first start of the season for the Angels, put seven men on base in three innings but only two scored.
Arroyo, who was activated off the injured list earlier in the day, homered to left center with one out in the second inning. It was his fifth home run of the season; all have either tied the game or given the Sox a lead.
Dylan Bundy, demoted to the bullpen late last month after going 1-7 with a 6.78 earned run average in 14 starts, took over in the fourth inning for the Angels.
He got two outs before walking Kiké Hernández. Bundy then fell behind Devers 3 and 0. The next pitch was a sinker that caught too much of the bottom of the strike zone and Devers drove it into the bleachers in right center.
It was his 21st home run and gave him a major league-leading 71 RBIs. It also was his first career home run on a 3-and-0 pitch and Devers paused for a second to watch it go.
Xander Bogaerts reached on an error to open the fifth inning. He advanced when Arroyo drew a two-out walk and scored on a single by Danny Santana.
Santana had entered the game in the third inning in place of left fielder Marwin Gonzalez. The Sox said it was for a tight right hamstring.
Pérez had plenty of defensive help. With a run in and a runner on second in the second inning, Luis Rengifo drove a changeup to the wall in left center. Hernández made a leaping catch to steal a home run away.
In the fifth inning, again with a run in and a runner on second, Ohtani singled to center. Santana made a strong throw to the plate to get Rojas.
Umpire Alfonso Marquez initially called Rojas safe, but replays clearly showed Christian Vazquez applied the tag in time.
Phil Gosselin opened the sixth inning with a single and went to third when Max Stasi lined a pitch to the wall in right center. Hernández threw Stasi out at second.
It was the 28th outfield assist of the season for the Sox, 12 fewer than they had over 162 games in 2019.
Hirokazu Sawamura, very much the second most well-known Japanese player in the field, replaced Pérez and got two quick outs.
Rojas homered off Sawamura in the seventh to draw the Angels within two runs at 5-3. Josh Taylor replaced Sawamura and retired all four batters he faced, three by strikeout.
He has 26 consecutive scoreless appearances, one shy of tying the team record set by Koji Uehara in 2013.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:07:34 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook Angels’ two-way All-Star Shohei Ohtani on the mound Tuesday against the Red Sox By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated July 6, 2021, 2 hours ago
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Red Sox haven’t faced Shohei Ohtani the pitcher since April 17, 2018. It was his third start in the major leagues.
Mookie Betts led off the game with a home run, the first of three he hit that night. Ohtani allowed three runs over two innings in a game the Sox won, 10-1.
An injured right elbow that eventually led to Tommy John surgery limited Ohtani to seven more starts in 2018, none in 2019 and two last season.
Now Ohtani, who faces the Sox Tuesday night, is an American League All-Star on the mound. He is 3-1 with a 3.60 earned run average in 12 starts and has struck out 83 in 60 innings.
Ohtani averages 95.4 miles per hour with his fastball and throws a splitter that has been practically unhittable this season.
As you also may have heard, Ohtani had 31 home runs, 67 RBIs and a 1.070 OPS through Sunday.
“This is the best level in baseball. For him to be successful and do both is amazing,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday. “I’m actually in awe with everything he is doing … This is something MLB hasn’t seen since Babe Ruth.”
Ohtani will face fellow All-Star Nate Eovaldi.
Ohtani was selected as the starting designated hitter for the All-Star Game. American League manager Kevin Cash is working on a plan to have him pitch, too. The Angels have approved of that idea, manager Joe Maddon said. Taylor a star, too
The Sox have five All-Stars, the most of any team. So there is certainly no room for complaining.
But lefthanded reliever Josh Taylor had a good case.
Taylor arrived at Angel Stadium not having allowed a run since April 24, a string of 25 consecutive appearances and 20⅓ innings. With his 1⅓ innings of perfect relief Monday, he passed Daniel Bard for the second-longest streak in team history. Koji Uehara has the team record of 27 in 2013.
Taylor has struck out 28 and walked only seven in his streak. Opponents are 11 of 74 (.149) with two doubles.
On the bullen depth chart, Taylor shares the setup role with righthander Adam Ottavino, who pitched a hair-raising ninth Monday for his seventh save.
Eight relievers were named All-Stars, either voted in by the players and selected by MLB to fill out the rosters. All were closers.
“That’s the nature of the voting,” Cora said. “When you go through your ballot, you see closers. They’re the ones that get all the accolades and the recognition. There’s a lot of good relievers out there.” Arroyo returns
Infielder Christian Arroyo was activated off the injured list before the game and started at second base. He had been out since June 21 with a bone bruise below his right kneecap.
Arroyo had a brief rehab assignment with Triple A Worcester (two games, five at-bats) but was deemed ready to return. He proved that point with a second-inning solo homer.
“I felt great coming out of it,” said Arroyo, who has hit .264 with a .756 OPS in 41 games for the Sox this season.
Michael Chavis was optioned to Worcester. He has hit .207 with a .557 OPS this season, striking out in 22 of his 61 plate appearances. Bello in Futures Game
Double A righthander Brayan Bello was added to the American League roster for the Futures Game on Sunday. He replaced Seattle righthander Emerson Hancock, who is dealing with an injury.
Bello is 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA in 10 starts for Portland and Single A Greenville. The 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic has averaged 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and has a 1.01 WHIP.
Bello will join Triple A infielder Jeter Downs on the AL roster. Sale’s schedule
The next step for Chris Sale will be two innings of live batting practice at the team’s complex in Fort Myers, Fla. But with Tropical Storm Elsa bearing down on Florida, that could get pushed back. Minor league righthander Connor Seabold, who has been out all season with elbow inflammation, is scheduled for three innings …. Angels star Mike Trout, who has been on the injured list since May 18 with a calf strain, took some swings on the field before the game. But he is not yet running at anything close to full speed … Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was out of the lineup with a tight left hamstring … Through Sunday, Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos led the majors with 27 doubles. Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and St. Louis’s Nolan Arenado were tied for second with 25 … The Red Sox opened a spot on the 40-man roster by reinstating righthander Eduard Bazardo from the minor-league injured list, recalling him from Worcester and placing him on the major league 60-day injured list.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:24:54 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h Danny Santana to LF in the bottom of the 3rd. Marwin Gonzalez is out of the game. #RedSox
Right hamstring tightness for Marwin Gonzalez. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:27:11 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h Max Stassi. Yet another victim for the #RedSox outfield -- Kiké Hernandez this time.
That's all for Martin Perez after 5 1/3. He leaves an inherited runner for Hirokazu Sawamura and holds a 5-2 lead.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:28:49 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 3h Could be a tough morning for Alfonso Marquez on @umpscorecards later this Tuesday. Multiple pitchers and hitters have a legit beef with some of his calls in Anaheim this evening. #RedSox
Josh Taylor with a 26th consecutive scoreless outing. He bridges 1 1/3 innings this time to the 9th.
Keeping Barnes down for two days, pitching him Wednesday and then having another (scheduled) off day Thursday would seem ideal. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:30:41 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Alex Cora said Christian Vazquez will have the day off Tuesday. Scheduled rest. Shouldering most of the work with Connor Wong currently serving as his backup. #RedSox
If it's the final game of a playoff series or a September regular season game they really needed, Vazquez would be catching.
You can do this in Games 75, 81 and 87 of the regular season. It's normal. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 6, 2021 3:32:18 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Cora on Marwin Gonzalez (right hamstring) -- 'Hopefully it's not an IL thing.'
Gonzalez likely to be down at least Tuesday. #RedSox
Cora said it was a scheduled off day for Verdugo. Will play Tuesday and Wednesday. #RedSox
Cora, who debuted with the Dodgers, on the Ohtani Effect -- 'I played in Southern California for a while. I've never seen fans show up to the ballpark so early and stay until so late in the game.' #RedSox
Cora said Barnes and Hernandez were both down tonight. #RedSox had a short bullpen.
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