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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 2:28:38 GMT -5
Yankees @ Red Sox
Thursday, 22nd July 2021
7pm @ Fenway Park
Montgomery 3-5/4.18
Montgomery allowed three runs over six innings on Friday in a loss to the Red Sox. Montgomery turned in a solid performance, as all of the damage came in the second inning courtesy of a Hunter Renfroe RBI ground out and a two-run homer by Christian Arroyo, but he got zero run support from the Yankees' lineup. The 28-year-old lefty owns a solid 4.18 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 99/30 K/BB ratio across 99 innings (18 starts).
Houck 0-2/3.38
Tanner Houck hurled three scoreless innings on Friday in a relief appearance against the Yankees to collect his first career save. Houck stranded a pair of baserunners in the seventh inning and fired two consecutive scoreless frames to slam the door on the Yankees. The 25-year-old righty notched three strikeouts in his first big-league appearance since April 18
Yankees look to close gap on rival Red Sox
After taking two of three from their rivals last weekend, the New York Yankees aren't resting on their laurels.
They know the tough task ahead of them in their rematch with the Red Sox in Boston for a four-game set beginning Thursday. Before their last series, New York began the season 0-7 against its storied counterpart, and the Yankees are still seven games back of the Red Sox in the American League East.
"It's no secret who our biggest rivals are and where we're at in the standings," said New York outfielder Brett Gardner. "We have a very important week of baseball coming up this next road trip. I feel like we've obviously played better against them here recently right after the break. We're looking forward to that matchup this weekend. It's always a fun place to play."
The Yankees enter on a four-game winning streak, including a 6-5 walk-off victory in the 10th inning Wednesday night that completed a two-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Red Sox are coming off back-to-back wins over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (3-5, 4.18 ERA) is set to take the mound for New York to start the series. Right-hander Tanner Houck (0-2, 3.38) will go for Boston in his first major league start since April.
Held to one run in each of their two losses to the Yankees last weekend, the Red Sox exploded for 20 in their visit with the Blue Jays. Boston's offense slugged six home runs during a 13-4 rout Monday before following a rainout with five homers in a 7-4 triumph Wednesday.
Enrique Hernandez had three of the blasts, while Hunter Renfroe and Rafael Devers each slugged two.
"I don't have a secret," said Hernandez, who has gone deep six times this month to raise his season total to 14. "I'm just trying to get good at-bats, make good decisions at the pitches that I want to swing at. And it's going well for me right now. I'm just going to try and do my job."
Ryan LaMarre did his job for New York on Wednesday, singling home the winning run on the first pitch he saw after Gleyber Torres laid down a sacrifice bunt to begin the 10th. The Yankees had blown a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning.
Montgomery took the lone loss in the series against the Red Sox last week, allowing three runs on three hits over six innings in a 4-0 defeat. The southpaw is 0-4 in seven starts since June 2.
Montgomery is 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA in eight career starts versus Boston.
Houck made his first major league appearance since April 18 with a three-inning save at New York's expense in that 4-0 win. He allowed just one hit and one walk and struck out three.
Houck's only start against the Yankees came as a rookie last year, when he gave up just one unearned run over six innings in a victory.
After this weekend's series, the Red Sox remain home for four against the Blue Jays. The Yankees visit the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins for three apiece.
--Field Level Media
Yankees
at
Red Sox
Thursday, at 7:10 PM EST
Partly Cloudy
According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 74° F with a 2% chance of rain and 4 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 7:10 PM EST.
Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 2:30:12 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
3h
Pitching matchups for the #Yankees - #RedSox series that starts Thursday at Fenway Park:
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 2:54:38 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook
Chris Sale making next rehab start Sunday as Red Sox ace continues progress
By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated July 21, 2021, 8:08 p.m.
BUFFALO — Chris Sale will make his next rehab start Sunday at Portland.
The lefthander tossed 3⅔ hitless innings for the Sea Dogs Tuesday, striking out six and walking a batter. Overall, the reports that manager Alex Cora got on Sale were very encouraging.
“He was a little bit off mechanically early on,” Cora said before the Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays, 7-4. “And that’s part of the progression right now, but he settled down. Everybody is very happy with the way that the outing went.”
Sale threw 49 pitches and 34 for strikes, topping out at 98 miles per hour. Last week, Sale tossed three innings (39 pitches) in the Florida Complex League. Cora said he’s happy with Sale’s progression to this point.
“Everybody’s excited with what we saw yesterday,” Cora said. “I’m happier with the way he reacted today. Hopefully, we keep progressing the way it should be and he’ll join us whenever he’s ready.”
Verdugo does not start
Alex Verdugo didn’t start against lefthander Robbie Ray. With the exception of Rafael Devers, Cora wanted to stack the lineup with all righties against Ray. Heading into Wednesday’s contest, lefties were hitting just .165/.208/.308 against him.
Verdugo has hit lefties well in the past, but has just a .195 batting average against them this year. He’s struggled some, in general, as of late. Since the start of June, Verdugo has a .250 batting average and just a .686 slugging mark. According to Cora, though, Verdugo not being in the lineup has nothing to do with his recent skid.
“I know it’s more about Ray,” Cora said. “Let’s put all those righties there with Rafi and see where it takes us.”
Verdugo did enter the game when Danny Santana was hurt going after a ball in left field in the seventh inning. Santana exited with a left groin strain. Cora said a stint on the IL is likely.
Dalbec back in
Bobby Dalbec was back in the lineup Wednesday, playing first and batting eighth. He went 1 for 4 with a double. Dalbec has become a matchup guy for the Red Sox, facing mainly lefthanders. Dalbec is hitting just .216 with a .659 OPS. He does have 10 homers, but has only walked three times since the start of June.
“He’s got to be more consistent,” hitting coach Tim Hyers said Wednesday. “He’s just a guy that’s got to keep a consistent approach and discipline and be [on time with the fastball]. He’s a guy that early in the count on fastballs, I don’t think he can miss.”
Pitching matchups vs. Yanks
The Red Sox will start Tanner Houck to begin their series against the Yankees at Fenway Thursday. Houck was originally slated to start Wednesday against the Jays, but Tuesday’s postponement due to rain pushed him back a day. Houck has one career start against the Yankees at Fenway which took place in his debut season last year. The righthander tossed six innings and allowed just one hit and one run. The Sox won that game, 10-2. The Yankees will start Jordan Montgomery.
Eduardo Rodriguez will go up against Gerrit Cole Friday evening, followed by Nate Eovaldi vs. Jameson Tallion, and Martín Pérez vs. Domingo German.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 3:03:12 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
·
5h
Cora on facing the Yankees again -- 'They beat us two out of three.'
'They're playing good baseball. Obviously a different team.'
'A little bit more athletic. They're doing a lot of things they weren't doing.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 3:04:23 GMT -5
Pete Abraham
@peteabe
·
5h
Cora says Santana's injury is "not too positive" and the IL seems likely.
Gonzalez is not close to a return, either. So perhaps Franchy Cordero will get another shot.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 3:18:38 GMT -5
Franchy Cordero could return to Boston Red Sox on Thursday as Danny Santana (left groin) likely will be placed on IL
Updated 11:43 PM; Today 11:04 PM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BUFFALO — Franchy Cordero is a strong candidate to be recalled to Boston on Thursday if Danny Santana is placed on the IL.
Santana left the Boston Red Sox’s 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays here at Sahlen Field on Wednesday because of left groin tightness.
Santana being placed on the IL appears likely.
“It seems that way,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll see. It’s the left groin. He felt it. I was just talking to him. We’ll know more tomorrow but it doesn’t seem too promising.”
The Red Sox had just activated Santana from the IL on Monday after he missed 12 days with a left quad strain.
The 26-year-old Cordero has batted .329 with a .411 on-base percentage, .545 slugging percentage, .955 OPS, six home runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 29 RBIs and 28 runs in 44 games for Triple-A Worcester. But he has struggled in July, slashing .241/.317/.352/.668 in 15 games.
Cordero, who Boston acquired from the Royals in the Andrew Benintendi trade on Feb. 10, hit .179 (17-for-95) with one homer, six doubles and a .501 OPS in 34 games for Boston before being optioned to Worcester on May 27.
Cordero, a left fielder, began learning first base earlier this month. He has started six games there and hasn’t committed an error.
He initially signed in amateur international free agency with the San Diego Padres as a shortstop Nov. 1, 2011. He made 164 starts at shortstop and one start at third base during his minor league career. But he has spent most of his professional career playing the outfield.
Marcus Wilson, who’s also on the 40-man roster, is another candidate to take Santana’s spot.
The 24-year-old Wilson is batting .251 with a .381 on-base percentage, .469 slugging percentage, .850 OPS, 10 homers, nine doubles, three triples, 33 and 29 RBIs in 60 games for the WooSox. He has 40 walks and 83 strikeouts.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 3:19:44 GMT -5
Kiké Hernández, Boston Red Sox power-hitting leadoff man? He’s slugging .708 with 8 homers, 6 doubles in past 19 games
Updated 12:51 AM; Today 12:49 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BUFFALO — Kiké Hernández suddenly is a power-hitting leadoff man.
He went 2-for-4 with a home run and double Wednesday to help the Boston Red Sox to a 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays here at Sahlen Field.
He belted three homers and two doubles in Boston’s two victories here in Buffalo this week.
Hernández has six home runs in 15 games during July. He has hit eight home runs and six doubles with a .708 slugging percentage in 19 games since June 27.
Manager Alex Cora gave Hernández three straight days off (two games) in mid-June. Hernández returned to the lineup July 19 in Kansas City. Since then, his OPS has increased 123 points from .660 to .783.
“He’s not trying to do too much,” Cora said. “It’s the other way around. He’s working counts. He’s hunting pitches in certain spots. And he’s putting good swings on it. That was a great at-bat. 0-2 count. He gets on top of the fastball and the ball goes out of the ballpark. But it started in Kansas City. ... He doesn’t play for three days and then in Kansas City he started hunting pitches in the zone. He didn’t expand. And good things started to happen.”
The right-handed hitter has a .348 on-base percentage, .540 slugging percentage and .888 OPS vs. left-handed pitchers this year. His two-run homer that put Boston ahead 2-0 in the third inning came against lefty Robbie Ray.
Hernández was asked why he has been so successful against lefties throughout his career.
“My dad threw me BP my whole life and he throws left-handed,” Hernández said. “To be honest, I don’t know. I’m pretty positive I was a reverse-split guy in the minor leagues. I felt like I couldn’t hit left-handed pitchers. I got to LA and that was my role. My role was to play against left-handed pitchers. And if that’s my role, I had to figure out a way to get the job done and stay in the big leagues.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 3:30:56 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats
@redsoxstats
·
5h
If Cordero is coming up for Santana tomorrow it's at a point where he's cooled considerably after his insane June. Would be interesting to see if he sneaks some 1B starts vs. RH starters.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 6:46:07 GMT -5
Peter Gammons
@pgammo
·
13h
It will be fun for Marcelo Mayer to hit at Fenway tomorrow before the Yankee-Red Sox game
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 6:48:19 GMT -5
Kiké Hernandez has become quite a find for the Red Sox
Current Time 0:13
/
Duration 0:30
By Rob Bradford
an hour ago
Kiké Hernandez has become one of the most important Red Sox. That was put on display once again Wednesday night in the Sox' 7-4 win with the 29-year-old notching two more hits, including his third homer in the last two games.
But this wasn't exactly how they drew it up.
When the team signed Hernandez to his two-year, $14 million contract there was an expectation that this was going to be his big chance to become an everyday second baseman. Sure, he would move around to other positions on occasion, but second was going to be his calling card.
In spring training, Red Sox manager insinuated that Hernandez might be best defensive second baseman in baseball, leading to the proclamation that if the Sox had a late lead in a close game the likelihood was that the former Dodger would find his way to second.
But then came the need for a centerfielder and next thing you know Hernandez was doing the seemingly impossible -- limiting the "Jackie would have had it" conversation to a dull murmur.
Then there was the plan to use Hernandez as the leadoff man, a guy who would take advantage of first-pitch fastballs in the spirit of Mookie Betts. But that didn't really take, either, with the Red Sox left searching for a viable leadoff man for much of their first three months.
But now? It's all coming together.
In the last month -- dating back to June 21 -- Hernandez carries the 14th-best OPS (.994) in baseball, tied with Fernando Tatis. Over that time he has managed seven games of two hits over more, with the Red Sox winning six of them.
"I do believe he's not trying to do too much, actually," said Cora after his team's second straight win over the Jays. "It's the other way around. He's working counts, he's hunting pitches in certain spots, and he's putting good swings on it. That was a great at-bat, 0-2 count, gets on top of a fastball and the ball goes out of the ballpark. This started in Kansas City. He doesn't play the games in Atlanta, he doesn't play for three days. Then in Kansas City he started hunting pitches in the zone. He didn't expand and good things started to happen."
Hernandez sits with a WAR of 3.0, only behind Rafael Devers (3.5) and J.D. Martinez (3.1) among Red Sox, while equaling the number currently possessed by Xander Bogaerts.
In terms of fielding, the current Red Sox second baseman has the fifth-best Defensive WAR (1.3) in the majors.
No matter the path, and the bumps in the road long the way, the plan has worked out. Hernandez is an enormous part of the Red Sox' solution.
“I don’t know, to be honest with you. No clue," Hernandez said regarding his turnaround. "I don’t have a secret. Like I said in the past few weeks, I’m just trying to get good at-bats, make good decisions at the pitches that I want to swing at. It’s going well for me right now. I’m just going to try to do my job.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 6:51:24 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Have the Red Sox finally found their leadoff man?
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
July 22, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.
The lineup change that may have gone overlooked is the change that the Red Sox are currently most benefiting from.
On June 19, manager Alex Cora dropped Kiké Hernandez from the leadoff spot all the way to eighth.
Since then, Hernandez has been one of the best in the game. His .402 on-base percentage in that span ranks 18th among all qualified big leaguers in that time, while his 1.072 OPS ranks 12th.
He’s also fourth with nine home runs in a 25-game span for the first time ever in his career.
But until June, the leadoff experiment had been a total disaster.
There’s a reason the Sox were able to nab a 29-year-old who can play elite defense at two premier positions for just two years, $14 million. He had mostly been used a lefty platoon guy, one who has an above-average.822 OPS against lefties compared to a below-average .680 OPS against righties.
Because of that, he had never been an everyday player, going over 400 at-bats just twice over parts of eight big league seasons.
And the Red Sox wanted him to play every day and bat leadoff. It seemed like a stretch. And for a while, it was.
For the first three months of the season, it was every bit as bad as it looked on paper. Until June 19, Hernandez was hitting .225 with a .279 on-base percentage, making the Red Sox the worst team in baseball at getting their leadoff man on base.
Considering how well their middle of the order had performed, it seemed like a waste.
Cora had experimented with Hernandez at the bottom of the order for five games in early June, but quickly moved him back up to leadoff when nobody else was getting the job done.
The second demotion two weeks later was the one that clicked.
“I do believe he’s not trying to do too much, actually,” Cora said. “It’s the other way around. He’s working counts, he’s hunting pitches in certain spots, and he’s putting good swings on it.”
Cora moved Hernandez to the bottom of the order in Kansas City and kept him there for the better part of three series.
“This started in Kansas City,” Cora said. “He doesn’t play the games in Atlanta, he doesn’t play for three days. Then in Kansas City he started hunting pitches in the zone. He didn’t expand and good things started to happen.”
Asked how he’s been one of the game’s best power hitters over the last month, the former Dodgers utility man said, “I don’t know, to be honest with you. No clue. I don’t have a secret. I’m just trying to get good at-bats, make good decisions at the pitches that I want to swing at. It’s going well for me right now.”
And while Hernandez is homering almost twice as often against lefties as he is against righties, he’s been good enough against righties over the last month to justify hitting him at leadoff.
Asked why he’s been so good against lefties over his career, he said it was a product of his dad being left-handed and throwing him batting practice as a kid.
“I’m pretty positive I was a reverse-split guy in the minor leagues,” he said. “I felt like I couldn’t hit left-handed pitchers, and I got to L.A. and that was my role,” he said. “My role was to play against left-handed pitchers. If that’s my job, I had to figure out a way to get the job done and stay in the big leagues. Now, I’m hitting lefties still.”
Over the last month, he’s hitting righties, too, with an .819 OPS vs. righties and a bonkers 1.477 OPS against lefties.
Cora showed more than two months of patience in Hernandez and it didn’t pay off.
Twice he drops him to the bottom of the order and back again. Finally, it looks like he may have found his leadoff guy.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 9:07:57 GMT -5
Yankees will get important bullpen weapon back in time for Red Sox
Today 10:00 AM
By Ryan Novozinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Jonathan Loaisiga was counting down the hours until his big trip.
He hasn’t seen his family in months, so naturally he was antsy waiting for his All-Star break vacation to his native Nicaragua. The only thing left to do for the fully-vaccinated Loaisiga was test negative for COVID-19 to comply with Nicaragua’s guidelines.
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A surprise diagnosis derailed everything.
“When the test came back positive it was shocking,” Loaisiga said. “You feel sad because it was an opportunity to see your family. Unfortunately, God had other plans.”
Loaisiga, who tested positive on July 10, was especially bummed because he was an asymptomatic case. He is the first player to test positive in the Yankees’ latest outbreak –– which is their second of the season. Including Loaisiga, the team has six players on the COVID-19 injury list: Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka, Wandy Peralta, Gio Urshela and Nestor Cortes Jr.
He’ll be the first to return. Loaisiga threw a bullpen session Wednesday and could return against the Red Sox this weekend.
“The plan was to do a bullpen (Wednesday) and see how I feel (Thursday) and wait and see what the team decides to do,” Loaisiga said. “But overall, I felt pretty good doing this bullpen.”
Manager Aaron Boone also said Loaisiga could return this weekend, but that a few additional bullpen sessions may be needed. Regardless, Boone can’t wait for his pitcher to return.
“We’ll be really excited to get Lo back,” Boone said. “He’s been one of the best relievers in the game this year.”
Because he tested positive while the team was on the road in Houston, Loaisiga had to stay there for quarantine. This made for some of the longest –– and laziest –- days of his life.
“Very bored,” he said. “A lot of video games. A lot of TV series. My back was hurting just from laying down in bed all day long.”
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With his 2.11 ERA, 46 strikeouts and 0.96 WHIP in 47 innings this year, Loaisiga (7-3) has been a force for the Yankees. But after spending all these days in bed –– and apparently becoming an expert in the IOS game “Clash Royale” –– surely he’ll have some rust when he comes back, right? Don’t worry, his agent found a way for him to train. Both infected with the virus, Loaisiga and Peralta made a 165-mile road trip to Austin, Texas, after his agent found them a park to train and play catch for their last three days of quarantine.
“It was really fun for us,” Loaisiga said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 9:16:36 GMT -5
A Franchy Cordero return might be in the cards
Current Time 0:13
/
Duration 10:08
By Rob Bradford
4 hours ago
The first go-round didn't take, but perhaps the time is right for another introduction to Franchy Cordero.
With the groin injury to Danny Santana Wednesday night during the Red Sox' 7-4 win over the Blue Jays at Buffalo, it appears there is a good chance Cordero is on the verge of getting his second chance with the Sox.
Santana is almost certainly headed to the injured list, and it just so happens Cordero is in position to fill the spots needed on the Sox' roster -- first base and outfield.
“It seems that way,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said when asked about the odds Santana would end up on the injured list. “We’ll see. It’s the left groin. He felt it. I was just talking to him. We’ll know more tomorrow but it doesn’t seem too promising.”
While Cordero has had somewhat of a downturn with Triple-A Worcester during July (.241 batting average, .668 OPS) he has impressed with his overall production since being demoted.
With the WooSox, Cordero he is hitting .329 with a .955 OPS and six homers in 44 games. The 26-year-old has also gotten six starts at first base without making an error.
This has come after a disastrous start to the season for Cordero with the Red Sox in which he hit .179 (17-for-95) with a .504 OPS in 34 big-league games.
The other option for the Red Sox when it comes to replacing Santana would be outfielder Marcus Wilson, who is on the team's 40-man roster. Wilson is hitting .251 with an .850 OPS or Worcester.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2021 9:18:03 GMT -5
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Post by Kimmi on Jul 22, 2021 9:42:06 GMT -5
I both love and hate when we play the Yankees.
We need to at least split the series.
The Yankees are really starting to tick me off.
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