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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 6:33:53 GMT -5
Ian Cundall @iancundall · 11h One of the most impressive parts of Jarren Duran’s power development over the past year is that it played in game to all fields. If he got a fastball away, he showed the ability to stay back and drive the ball out the other way, just like he did tonight, for his first MLB HR.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 6:40:54 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Alex Cora is managing the Red Sox like it’s 2018 again
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald July 20, 2021 at 5:12 a.m.
The best managers are those who can recognize their own team’s weaknesses before anyone else.
Alex Cora hit close to 1.000 in that regard in 2018.
In 2019, it seemed like he and his pupils lost focus, or drive, or they were simply too optimistic and confident in their own ability to make the necessary changes.
There he was again last Friday, stubbornly defiant that Alex Verdugo needed to continue batting second, even against the very left-handers that have silenced him all year.
Less than a week later, he changed his mind.
Monday night, Cora moved Verdugo down to the six hole for the first time all year. Jarren Duran, with three days of big league service time, went from seventh to second. And the heart of the order got a makeover. The new three-four-five now goes Xander Bogaerts-Rafael Devers-J.D. Martinez.
What was the old term Cora used for Mookie Betts, “instant offense?” That’s what Cora got from his new lineup on Monday.
The Sox came out and scored eight runs in the first inning while they steamrolled the Toronto Blue Jays in a 13-4 win in front of 12,811 fans at the Jays’ temporary home at Sahlen Field in Buffalo.
“In the middle of the game (Sunday) I wrote it down,” Cora said afterwards. “We haven’t been great offensively since we went to Oakland. I just felt like moving people around would relax a few guys and I think the key also is getting those two guys in front of J.D. He’s an RBI machine and it just so happens he’s been doing a good job throughout the season.”
The lineup change didn’t exactly go according to plan. Bogaerts never got on base. Devers was on base twice with an RBI.
And Martinez got on base five times, going 4-for-4 with a walk, but never drove in a run.
The difference was that the Sox looked confident at the plate for the first time all month.
“He’s a genius,” Martinez said of Cora in a NESN interview after the game.
Since the team went to Oakland on July 3, Cora has been adamant that his offense hasn’t looked right. The Sox rank 14th in OPS with a .734 mark in that span, but something has been off.
A lot of it has to do with Verdugo, who has been nursing a hamstring injury for much of the season. He entered Monday hitting .222 with a .560 OPS since the Oakland series and has been visibly frustrated at the plate. Moving him down in the order might’ve taken some pressure off him, and he responded with a patient plate approach, going 0-for-2 but walking three times on Monday.
“We made a lineup change and they made me look good,” Cora joked after the game.
The lineup might not change the game’s outcome that much, but it can change attitudes. And the Sox were the first to admit they needed an attitude change on Sunday night, after losing two of three to a dismembered Yankees team that was missing six guys due to COVID-19.
Afterwards, Christian Vazquez said the Red Sox “need to continue to play hard like we are in first place. We need to act more like we’re in first place. That’s the key for us. We need to be more cocky, like we’re in a good place. And we’re not acting like that. That’s what I see right now.”
Cora said he saw those comments, talked to Vazquez about it and agreed with him. The Red Sox weren’t acting like they were a first-place team.
Monday, Cora came out and started talking up Duran, who had just one hit in his first two games, but “looked like he belongs,” according to what the Yankees’ coaching staff told Cora.
“He just said that he was going to try some things out, moving pieces around,” Duran said. “Who knows if I stay there or not, but wherever AC wants to put me, I’m going to do the best I can.”
It’s unusual for Cora to pump up a rookie so quickly, but it might’ve lit a fire under his guys. Moving Martinez, a top-10 hitter in baseball this year, to the five spot might’ve sent a message. Dropping Verdugo might’ve changed his attitude.
For whatever happened on Monday night, Cora will argue he didn’t have any impact.
“The at-bats were really professional today,” he said.
But to notice that his team needed a change, to shuffle the deck in the middle of July with his roster in first place, to be unafraid to insert a rookie in the two-hole for a guy who has hit there all year — these are moves that only a few managers have the guts to make.
Even if the Sox were shutout on Monday, we could sit back and appreciate that he’s willing to make changes when something isn’t working.
The Sox might be in first-place, but they’re far from flawless.
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Post by Kimmi on Jul 20, 2021 8:16:37 GMT -5
The Jays pitching is middle of the road, have some nice pen arms but everyone knows their strength U can't make mistakes,give extra outs, or walk these guys the hitting in their line up is something else..... Absolutely. The Jays hitting scares me.
Thankfully, our offense showed up last night and our pitching held their offense in check.
It's always great winning the series opener, but now we can't lose the next 2 games like we've done in the last 3 series.
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Post by Kimmi on Jul 20, 2021 8:22:24 GMT -5
Fans and media tend to overreact with every little bit of adversity. I don't like losing anymore than anyone else does, but once I get past the original disappointment, I know that all teams are going to go through struggles during the season. The team has scuffled a bit since the series with the Angels, but they've been so resilient. The Sox will be fine.
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Post by Kimmi on Jul 20, 2021 8:32:56 GMT -5
Meh. A lot of articles about 8 games. 0.2 in one-run games and 0-2 in two-run games. That's what most hot and cold streaks are made of. A team could play 12 games, score and allow 60 runs. Your record should be 6-6, but if you win 3 one-run games, you're 9-3 and a world-beater. The losses in 1 or 2 run games are often some of the toughest losses to take because those games are so winnable. The reality is that it's much better to lose a game by 1 or 2 runs than to lose by 5 runs or more. As I always say, the outcomes of those close games is mostly random and has little to do with the overall talent of the teams.
I don't like that we've lost the last three series, but I'm not concerned about the state of the Red Sox for the remainder of the season.
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Post by Kimmi on Jul 20, 2021 8:36:46 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Jarren Duran begins gangbusters first inning for Red Sox with MLB home run No. 1By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated July 19, 2021, 8:26 p.m. Yes, but Kike getting on base to start the game is the real igniter, IMO. The importance of the leadoff hitter getting on base cannot be overstated.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 9:10:39 GMT -5
How one quote changed mindset, result for the Red Sox Current Time 0:19 / Duration 1:27
By Rob Bradford an hour ago
Often times not a lot can be made of these postgame Zoom get-togethers with players. The questions and answers are results of immediate reaction to what just transpired on the field. Too often, it is simply path of least resistance heading to the wee hours of the night.
But every once in a while, something sticks. That's what happened with Christian Vazquez's words Sunday night.
Next thing you know, the Red Sox are winning, 13-4, over one of the hottest, most dangerous teams in baseball, the Blue Jays.
So, what happened? Let's rely on one of those aforementioned postgame interviews for an explanation.
“I tell you what, I think Christian made a comment yesterday after the game," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "It’s not that we didn’t play with an edge in New York. We got beat two out of three. But I read the quote, and we talked a little bit about that. Where we’re at right now, we’re not going to surprise people. We’re in first place in the American League East and everybody knows how good we are. We have to show every day, every single day, and we’ve done a great job throughout the season, but it felt like there was an X factor today. Like, here we go. They’re good. Everybody talks about them, their offense and everything that they do. They had some big games at Fenway early in the season. And today it seems like we were very locked in.”
Eight runs and three home runs before the Blue Jays even got to the plate would have suggested there was a heightened awareness.
But while the wake-up call supplied by Vazquez's words were clearly productive, Cora deserves a good chunk of credit, as well.
The Red Sox' manager didn't just sit back and wait for his team to crawl out of its offensive slump. He made a move. In this case it was sliding Jarren Duran to the No. 2 spot, putting Alex Verdugo at No. 6. He also protected Rafael Devers in the cleanup position with J.D. Martinez hitting fifth. Oh, and Hunter Renfroe? He hit a grand slam in his new spot at No. 7.
“In the middle of the game (Sunday), I wrote it down," Cora noted. "We haven’t been great offensively since we went to Oakland. I just felt like moving people around would probably relax a few guys. I think the key, also, is getting J.D., getting those two guys in front of him. He’s an RBI machine and it just happens that, he’s been doing a good job throughout the season, but I just felt that it was time to go with Xander (Bogaerts), Raffy and J.D. in that order. And just giving the kid a chance to hit at the top of the lineup and see what happens. That was a great first inning. I think the at-bats were really professional today. We stayed in the zone, and we did a lot of things, and hopefully it can continue tomorrow.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 11:34:18 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 15m Sale will be the most important pitcher for Sox in October. But for the next month, month and a half? It’s Houck given how they are using him.
Sale going tonight in Portland on the same night Garrett Richards is pitching for the Sox. Not a coincidence. These things are planned out way ahead of time
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 13:23:26 GMT -5
shameful these assholes print money radio market across the country up here has always been strong. what they have been doing this year, is piping in the sportsnet audio. when before they had a damn good radio crew....
Rob Longley @longleysunsport ·
To this point there is no indication that Rogers plans to bring back radio broadcasts when the #Bluejays return to Toronto. An inexcusable, inexplicable call by Rogers if that’s how it plays out.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 13:31:00 GMT -5
Study: Garrett Richards has experienced 3rd-biggest drop in spin rate since MLB's crackdown on sticky stuff
By Alex Reimer 2 hours ago
Almost every pitcher in MLB has experienced a drop in his spin rate since the league started enhancing its enforcement against sticky substances.
But Garrett Richards has seen a bigger decrease than all but two hurlers.
The New York Times recently analyzed data from every fastball from 2017 to 2021 (about 1.7 million pitches in total), and compared the change in spin rates in previous seasons with what’s happened in 2021.
Since June 15, fastball spin rates fell for all but 29 of the 131 pitchers whom the Times examined. Richards is No. 3 on the list, with his fastball losing an average of 206 revolutions per minute. James Kaprielian of the Athletics and Trevor Bauer of the Dodgers are No. 1 and No. 2 on the list, respectively. (Gerrit Cole, who was tongue-tied when first asked about his use of sticky stuff, is at No. 7.)
Richards, 33, saw his performance suffer dramatically after MLB had announced its new edict. He posted an 8.31 ERA in five starts from June 6 through June 28, allowing opponents to slug .644.
In other words, the right-hander with nasty stuff was throwing glorified batting practice.
Richards wasn’t shy about sharing his frustration. “It’s changed pretty much everything for me. It’s changed a lot for me,” he told reporters on June 23 after an atrocious start against the Rays (five runs in 1 2/3 innings). “I feel like I need to be a different pitcher than I’ve been the last nine and a half years.”
That line didn’t garner Richards sympathy from baseball fans tired of rising strikeout rates and a sluggish pace of play. Since then, Richards has spoken more positively about his situation, saying he’s learning to adapt.
“I’ve had to reinvent a lot of things, but I’ve already talked about that stuff, so I’m trying to move forward,” he said on July 10. “I’m trying to improve. I’m about taking steps forward now.”
Richards’ numbers back up his newfound optimism. He’s allowed five runs over his first two starts in July. (He'll take the hill Tuesday night against Toronto.)
Overall, Red Sox starters have fared well since MLB upped its enforcement of illicit substances, posting a 3.69 ERA over the last 30 days. That is the fourth-best ERA in the American League.
Still, offense is increasing across the game, with strikeout rates falling and walk rates moving upwards. MLB’s midseason changes are having the desired affect around the league.
As Richards said, it’s now up to hurlers to adapt.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 13:35:00 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 16m #RedSox hitting coach Tim Hyers will be available on Zoom shortly.
Generally he does this if Boston is struggling on offense. Nice change of pace to have it come off Monday's outburst in Buffalo.
Hyers on Verdugo's recent struggles (prior to last night) -- 'He's trying to make some adjustments that aren't necessary. That's one thing.'
'The second thing is to not press. Don't try to get three hits in one at-bat.' #RedSox
Hyers on the #RedSox being in first place -- 'We've earned this position.'
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 13:36:27 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 15m Replying to @billkoch25 Hyers on Jarren Duran -- 'First of all, he's fearless. That's the type of guy I like.'
'He's obviously going to take some lumps being a young player. But he's a guy who's fearless, aggressive and a guy who can spark our lineup.' #RedSox
Hyers on Duran -- 'Your first couple of games, you're not going to get them back. Enjoy the moment.'
'You're not here to carry the team. You're here to compete.' #RedSox
Hyers after ball/foreign substance crackdown -- 'I've seen a few more hanging breaking balls. I've seen a lot more two-seamers come into play. Probably not as many high fastballs that they could get away with.'
'I think we're going to see the changeup come into play a lot more.'
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 13:51:40 GMT -5
Game 96: Red Sox at Blue Jays lineups and pregame notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated July 20, 2021, 10:26 a.m. After pounding out a 13-4 win over the Blue Jays Monday night, the Red Sox will continue their series in Buffalo on Tuesday. Coming off a weekend in which they scored just six runs in three games against the Yankees, the Red Sox ripped the Blue Jays for eight runs in the first inning and three in the second. Six homers accounted for 12 of the 13 runs. Lineups RED SOX (57-38):1. Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B 2. Jarren Duran (L) CF 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 6. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 7. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 8. Danny Santana (S) 1B 9. Christian Vazquez (R) C Pitching: RHP Garrett Richards (5-5, 4.91 ERA) BLUE JAYS (48-43):1. Marcus Semien (R) 2B 2. Bo Bichette (R) SS 3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) DH 4. George Springer (R) CF 5. Teoscar Hernandez (R) LF 6. Randal Grichuk (R) RF 7. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) 1B 8. Cavan Biggio (L) 3B 9. Danny Jansen (R) C Pitching: RHP Thomas Hatch (season debut) Time: 7:07 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Hatch: Xander Bogaerts 0-2, Michael Chavis 0-1, Bobby Dalbec 0-1, Rafael Devers 0-1, J.D. Martinez 1-3, Kevin Plawecki 0-0, Hunter Renfroe 0-1, Alex Verdugo 0-1, Christian Vázquez 0-2 Blue Jays vs. Richards: Bo Bichette 3-8, Cavan Biggio 1-7, Jonathan Davis 0-2, Randal Grichuk 3-9, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 5-7, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 1-7, Teoscar Hernández 4-8, Danny Jansen 0-1, Reese McGuire 3-6, Marcus Semien 5-19, George Springer 4-20 Stat of the day: Monday night marked the first time in franchise history the Red Sox belted three homers in the top of the first inning, and their first eight-run first inning since July 2, 2015, also against Toronto on the road. Notes: Richards is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts against Toronto this season. He is 3-5 with a 5.26 ERA in 11 career games (nine starts) against the Blue Jays … Hatch is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three career games, all in relief in 2020, against the Red Sox. He started the season on the 60-day IL because of an elbow impingement. He was called up from Buffalo to replace Alek Manoah, who slipped on the dugout steps during the weekend, sustained a back contusion, and was placed on the IL. Song of the Day: REM "Man on the Moon"www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLxpNiF0YKs
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 15:06:17 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7m
* Richards last pitched on July 9. So 10 days off for him between starts. Good or bad? We'll see.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 20, 2021 15:08:35 GMT -5
This game if played has the smell of the scoreboard doing this:
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