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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 30, 2021 20:06:18 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 31m Sox score twice to get back in the game, Perez gives up two HRs in the bottom of the inning.
6-2 Rays, who have scored 5 runs with two outs.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 30, 2021 20:07:30 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 28m 30 ER in the last 40.1 IP for Martín Pérez
Perez allowed 4 HRs in his first 11 starts, 12 in the 10 starts since.
Yacksel Rios replaces an ineffective Martín Pérez.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:00:37 GMT -5
Pérez, Sox fall to Rays after quiet Deadline After working around margins to boost bullpen, Boston drops series opener at Trop 1:47 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
ST. PETERSBURG -- The perception that the Red Sox could have used another impact pitcher or two before the Trade Deadline gained more steam when Boston fell, 7-3, to the Rays at Tropicana Field in Friday night’s opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the American League East.
The defeat, Boston’s second in a row and third in the last four games, left the Red Sox clinging to the smallest lead possible (a half-game) over the Rays in the division.
“We’re fine. I think we’re good,” said Pérez. “Every time you ask me questions, I always tell you guys we’re going to be fine. We’ve been fighting the whole season and we’re in the same spot -- we’re in first place. Couple of bad games. That’s part of the game and that’s going to happen in the season.”
Pérez and the 63-42 Red Sox have 57 more games in the regular season to prove they’ll be fine.
When the Sox added Kyle Schwarber’s big bat on Trade Deadline eve Thursday, there was anticipation from media and fans that it could be a precursor to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom beating Friday’s 4 p.m. ET Deadline by adding a big bullpen arm like Craig Kimbrel, Ian Kennedy or Richard Rodriguez. If not, then perhaps a starter such as José Berríos, Kyle Gibson, Andrew Heaney, or what would have been the sentimental favorite -- old friend Jon Lester.
But all of those players went elsewhere on Friday and Bloom wound up adding two complementary pieces in righty Hansel Robles from the Twins and lefty Austin Davis from the Pirates.
Why not make a bigger splash to bolster a team that has exceeded nearly everyone’s expectations so far?
Simply put, Bloom felt the asking price for marquee pitching was prohibitive in that fine line of balancing short- and long-term interests. The leader of Boston’s front office called it a “seller’s market.”
“We want to win,” said Bloom. “We’re really passionate about what we do. We know how hard it is to get to this position, and we don’t take that for granted. But at the same time, I’ve said it all along and I mean it, we want to win a lot and we want to win every year. If we want the future to be really good, you have to take care of the future, and you have to care about that.
“That’s a very difficult tightrope to walk. It’s a tough balance. I think it was really tough this year in what I think turned out to be a big-time seller’s market in a lot of cases. That’s why we just need to stay strong with our plan and try to walk that tightrope as much as we can.”
While the addition of Schwarber put the Red Sox close to the luxury-tax threshold, they were able to stay below it with Friday’s moves.
Was that a factor?
“Yeah, we were mindful of it,” said Bloom. “I think we have to be, because there are implications to crossing that line that go beyond just money, and some of those implications actually hurt our competitiveness and could hurt our talent base over time. We were mindful of it, but it was never a hard line.
“We did explore a lot of possibilities this week that would have taken us over. We just looked at it as something that we need to factor in. Was it worth the cost? Ultimately there were some things we explored that we certainly would have done that for. We just didn’t feel like it was worth the cost in talent, let alone the additional effects of going over the line.”
What about the rumor floated earlier this week by Jim Bowden of The Athletic that Red Sox owner John Henry was pressuring Bloom to do whatever it took to get Max Scherzer, the ace who wound up going to the Dodgers? Scherzer had a no-trade clause which he waived to go to L.A.
“Obviously, I can’t explain everything that gets out there. Without getting into any specifics, I’m not going to address whether a player who is not our player may or may not have done, but I will say that that report isn’t true,” Bloom said. “We felt nothing but supported and encouraged by ownership. We obviously talked to them a lot about different possibilities and things we might do, but there was never any pressure to do anything besides what’s right for the Red Sox and what’s right for the goal of sustainable championship baseball.”
Bloom is comfortable with the process the front office took this week, and he feels good about Boston’s chances down the stretch, particularly with ace Chris Sale aiming to return from Tommy John surgery as early as Aug. 10.
“Obviously the closer to 100 percent he is, the better. When he’s 100 percent, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. We hope we get that,” said Bloom. “I think it’s almost too much to ask someone who’s coming back from what he’s coming back from. It does happen sometimes. Look, wherever he is, he is.”
Bloom has been in Boston long enough to know what some of the fan reaction was to the club not making a major splash on Friday.
“I get it. Especially when things are flying left and right like they have been the last 48 hours, any fan would like to see their team right in the thick of it, and you love to see your team making big moves,” said Bloom. “We would, too. We just aren't going to do that when we think those moves are running counter to our goal.
“We know how high the expectations of our fans are, and if we do something for short-term gratification that has too high of a long-term price, we're going to end up letting them down more than we're going to help them. It might be fun today. You may or may not get what you're hoping for over the last two months, but you certainly are going to pay the price for years to come.
“There were some moves, including the ones that we made, where we did feel there was some price to be paid, and it was a price we were willing to pay. There were a lot of things that were put to us where we just felt we're not doing our jobs and ultimately we're going to let our fans down, whether it be tomorrow or whether it be next year or the year after or all of the above if we did some of things we could've done to make more of a splash.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:18:31 GMT -5
Red Sox absorb third loss in four games as Rays close in on tightening division race By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated July 30, 2021, 10:27 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Red Sox did not make any additions to their rotation before the trade deadline hit on Friday afternoon. That was a surprise given the apparent need.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom acknowledged that he pursued starting pitching, but the conversations the Sox had with other clubs didn’t produce any deals he was comfortable making.
“The fact that we tried to add to the group isn’t an indictment of the guys we have,” Bloom said. “We really like the group we have.”
A few hours later, there was less to like.
Martín Peréz didn’t give the Red Sox a chance against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing six runs in a 7-3 loss before a crowd of 11,109 at Tropicana Field.
It was the third loss in four games for the Sox, who now lead the second-place Rays by a half-game in the division race.
Nate Eovaldi, the lone trustworthy starter in recent weeks, goes on Saturday night against Ryan Yarbrough.
Peréz (7-7) lasted only four innings as the Rays battered him for three home runs. It was the third time in his last four starts that Peréz was unable to go five innings.
It’s a downturn that has lasted two months now. Peréz was 4-2 with a 3.09 earned run average in his first 11 starts, allowing only four home runs.
He is 3-5 with a 6.69 ERA in 10 starts since and has given up 12 homers.
The lefty is not alone in going through a slump. Garrett Richards (6.65), Eduardo Rodriguez (5.55), and Nick Pivetta (5.17) also have lofty ERAs since June 1.
“We’re fine. I think we’re good,” Peréz said. “We’ve been fighting all season and we’re in the same spot, first place.”
The Red Sox rotation had a 4.20 ERA in the first two months of the season. It’s 4.98 since including 5.29 in 14 games since the All-Star break.
“It’s about execution,” said manager Alex Cora, who has been left waiting for Chris Sale to return sometime next month. “Stuff-wise, we’re good … Lately the walks have put us in a bad spot.”
The Sox had 10 hits even with Rafael Devers out of the lineup for the second straight game with a strained left quadriceps. But they left nine runners on base against Josh Fleming (8-5) and four relievers.
Devers was available to pinch hit and should be back in the lineup on Saturday.
“Offensively it was a weird night,” Cora said. “There were a lot of hits, a lot of deep counts. It felt like we were one swing away from getting back [in the game].”
Peréz set the tone for his poor outing with an aggravating first inning.
He needed only five pitches to retire two righthanded hitters on ground balls then walked lefthanded hitting Austin Meadows on five pitches.
“We put ourselves in a bad spot,” Cora said.
The next pitch was a lifeless cutter that Yandy Diaz hammered into the stands in left field for his seventh home run.
It proved to be the only walk for Peréz, but it was a costly one.
“That’s what happens when you walk a guy, especially a lefty” Peréz said. “The ball was moving too much inside. Then I was trying to get a ground ball with Diaz and he was cheating to the cutter.”
With a runner on first and two outs in the third inning, Peréz fell behind Diaz and allowed a single to center field. Wander Franco followed with a two-run double to center.
The Red Sox got to Fleming in the fourth inning, scoring two runs on four hits. Christian Vazquez and Bobby Dalbec had RBI singles.
Jarren Duran singled and Jonathan Araúz walked to load the bases with two outs, but Kiké Hernández popped to third base.
At 4-2, the Sox were back in the game. But Peréz allowed home runs by Mike Zunino and Randy Arozarena in the bottom of the inning. Both came on poorly located cutters.
Zunino has homered four times off Peréz in his career, his most against any pitcher.
The Sox got a run back in the fifth inning when Xander Bogaerts singled and raced around to score on a two-out double by Hunter Renfroe.
Yacksel Rios replaced Peréz and allowed a triple by Franco before chucking a wild pitch that gave the Rays a 7-3 lead.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen allowed two hits over four scoreless innings to close it out.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:22:54 GMT -5
red sox notebook Red Sox’ Michael Chavis comes full circle at Tropicana Field By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated July 30, 2021, 8:39 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Michael Chavis made his major league debut with the Red Sox at Tropicana Field on April 20, 2019, arriving in time to collect a pinch-hit double in his first at-bat.
Chavis made his departure from the same ballpark on Friday after he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The former first-round pick, now 25, was swapped for 28-year-old lefthanded reliever Austin Davis.
Sox manager Alex Cora said it was a tough conversation.
“You don’t want to give that news. But at the same time, see the big picture and what it might mean to his career,” Cora said.
For Chavis, it was a boom-and-bust tenure in Boston.
He hit .280 with a .915 OPS, 10 home runs, and 26 RBIs over his first 33 games and 125 at-bats in the majors, making an immediate impact.
But Chavis hit .221 with a .642 OPS, 15 home runs, and 57 RBIs over the 135 games and 447 at-bats that followed, striking out 197 times.
Chavis had been getting fairly regular playing time after being called up on June 24 but was 6 for 46 (.130) with 19 strikeouts.
“It’s a league of adjustments. He’s still working on it,” Cora said. “He’s going to an organization where they work hard to improve their players, just like we do.”
Cora joked that Chavis would now be working with the “tough Cora” — Pirates third base coach Joey Cora, his older brother.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington was GM of the Red Sox when Chavis was the 26th overall pick of the 2014 draft.
Chavis was developed as a third baseman but started only two games at that position in the majors. He was primarily a first baseman and second baseman. If at first…
Kyle Schwarber won’t be joining the Red Sox any time soon. Once he does, he could be changing positions.
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Schwarber has been on the injured list since July 3 with a strained right hamstring. He has been taking batting practice but not yet run the bases.
“If it were up to him, he’d be active tomorrow. But we’ve got to be smart,” Cora said.
Schwarber, who is expected to join up with the Sox on Saturday, spoke to Cora on Thursday and Friday and expressed enthusiasm for learning first base.
The Sox see Schwarber as at least the lefthanded portion of a platoon at first base with Bobby Dalbec along with playing the outfield.
“We’ll work with him,” Cora said. “[Coaches Carlos Fables and Ramón Vázquez] will be on top of it. We can use him at the DH spot, too, and play J.D. [Martinez] in the outfield.”
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom believes Schwarber can fill the team’s need at first.
“He’s excited to do it. This is someone I would not bet against,” Bloom said.
Schwarber has been primarily a left fielder and DH in his career with two starts in right field and 15 as a catcher, the last of those in 2015.
Schwarber has played first base once, for three pitches on April 7, 2017.
In the bottom of the ninth inning of a game at Milwaukee, the Cubs moved Schwarber from left field to first base with the bases loaded and one out. The game was decided on a wild pitch.
“He can play left field, we know that … he’s actually better than people think,” Cora said.
Nationals head athletic trainer Paul Lessard, who was formerly with the Red Sox, indicated to the medical staff that Schwarber was getting close to a minor league rehab assignment.
“I want him to breathe a little bit and our staff to get a hold of him,” Cora said.
Schwarber and Rafael Devers have been offseason workout partners in the Tampa area. Sawamura returns
The Red Sox activated Hirokazu Sawamura from the injured list after a 10-day stint because of triceps inflammation. He pitched a scoreless seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in a 7-3 loss, leaving two runners stranded … Marwin Gonzalez, out since July 13 with a strained right hamstring, began a rehab assignment with Triple A Worcester. He started at second base and was 1 for 2 with a walk. Gonzalez played five innings in the field … Worcester outfielder Marcus Wilson was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Hansel Robles. The 24-year-old has an .822 OPS for the WooSox along with 10 homers and 10 stolen bases … Two players from Worcester — righthander Austin Brice and lefthander Stephen Gonsalves — were at Tropicana Field on the taxi squad in the event more trades were made. Jonathan Araúz started the day on the taxi squad then was activated to take Chavis’s spot and started at third base. He was 2 for 3 with a walk.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:25:10 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7h 15 Ks in 38 ABs for Duran thus far
Cora said Robles and Davis would join the team tomorrow. Devers expected back in the lineup.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:29:20 GMT -5
Martin Perez shelled as Red Sox’ rotation issues continue in loss to Rays Perez hit for six runs in four innings
PUBLISHED: July 30, 2021 at 10:28 p.m. | UPDATED: July 30, 2021 at 11:07 p.m.
As Friday’s trade deadline came and went, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox chose not to fortify their struggling starting rotation with another arm. They’re hedging their bets on Chris Sale, hoping they can scratch together what they have for a deep playoff run.
Sale’s next rehab start comes Saturday in Worcester. Though he’s looked good in the minor leagues, it’s not certain how good he’ll look when he gets back to the majors. But the way things are going, he can’t get there soon enough.
A rough week for the Red Sox’ rotation continued at a bad time. Just a few hours after the deadline, another one of their starters was shelled as Martin Perez was hit around for six runs — including three home runs — in a 7-3 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. The Red Sox now hold just a half-game lead in the division with two more in St. Pete this weekend.
A night after Eduardo Rodriguez was also tagged for six runs in an ugly loss to the Blue Jays, Perez didn’t do much to instill confidence in the rotation, one that overachieved to start the season and has come back down to earth over the last two months. Beyond Nathan Eovaldi, the remainder of the staff hasn’t been cutting it.
Since the start of June, each of the four starters after Eovaldi have produced an ERA over 5.00. Nick Pivetta has a 5.17 mark, Rodriguez was trending well for a few weeks but is at 5.55, Garrett Richards has been abysmal since MLB’s ban on foreign substances with a 6.65 ERA since June 1, and Perez is at 5.63 after Friday night’s start.
Meanwhile, Tanner Houck has produced every time he’s called upon but is back in Worcester.
Manager Alex Cora hasn’t lost faith.
“I think it’s about execution,” Cora said. “Stuff-wise, we’re good. We’re still good. You see the numbers on Martin. We’ve gotta execute. I think lately, the walks, too, are putting us in a bad spot. Yesterday with Eddie late in the game. Today right away. We just keep working. (Saturday) is another day. We’ve got Nate on the mound, so hopefully he can go out there and establish the strike zone and give us a quality start.”
Perez continued the struggles right away Friday by serving up a two-run homer to Yandy Diaz in the first inning, and it didn’t get much better as Wander Franco’s two-run double in the fourth made it 4-0.
The Red Sox got two back in the fourth on a pair of RBI singles by Christian Vazquez and Bobby Dalbec, but Kiké Hernandez stranded the bases loaded when he popped out to end the inning. Needing a shutdown inning, Perez failed to deliver as he allowed solo homers, a pair of no-doubters, to Mike Zunino and Randy Arozarena.
Perez’s night lasted just four innings. Since the All-Star break, Red Sox starters have only reached five innings in six of 14 games.
“We’re fine. I think we’re good,” Perez said. “We’ve been fighting all season and we’re in the same spot, in first place. So, couple of bad games. That’s part of the game and that’s going to happen in the season. I think we’ll be fine and I think everybody’s doing their job to go out there and compete and do our job every day. We just have to compete with what we have here.
“We have amazing talent and we can do a lot of things with all the guys that we have here. Just stay strong.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:32:55 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Chaim Bloom had ‘ton on conversations’ before trade deadline about adding to starting rotation; Rafael Devers to play Saturday Updated 12:34 AM; Today 12:22 AM
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ST. PETERSBURG — Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was unable to acquire a starting pitcher by the 4 p.m. trade deadline Friday.
“We certainly looked this week for ways to add,” Bloom said. “And I told you guys that going in. And we had a lot of different conversations about a lot of different possibilities. Obviously if we had seen something, if we had matched up on something we thought made sense for us and made sense to the organization, we would have pulled the trigger. Ultimately, despite a ton of conversations, we didn’t line up on anything.”
Martin Pérez struggled Friday in a 7-3 loss to the Rays here at Tropicana Field. He allowed six runs on seven hits (three homers) in 4 innings.
Boston ranks 20th in the majors in starter ERA (4.57).
Manager Alex Cora said he’s not concerned about the starting pitching.
“No, I’m not,” Cora said. “I think it’s about execution. Stuff-wise, we’re good. ... We’ve got to execute. I think lately the walks, too, are putting us in a bad spot. Yesterday with Eddie (Rodriguez), late in the game. Today right away. So we just keep working. Tomorrow it’s another day. We’ve got Nate (Eovaldi) on the mound. So hopefully, he can go out there and establish the strike zone and give us a quality start.”
Eovaldi allowed only one run in 7 innings against the the Rays on April 7. He has a 2.92 ERA in his past 13 starts.
“We feel really good about that group,” Bloom said about the starting rotation before Friday’s game. “They’ve helped get us where we’ve gotten. And we’re about to get deeper and about to add a lot more impact.”
Bloom was referring to ace Chris Sale who is expected back soon. Sale, who underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020, will make his fourth rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Worcester. He likely will make one more rehab start after Saturday.
Devers to play Saturday
Rafael Devers did not play Friday. But the slugger — who is day-to-day with quad tightness — is expected back in the lineup Saturday.
“He’s good. He’ll play tomorrow,” Cora said. “He had treatment. Talking to the medical staff, with the turf and obviously traveling late last night, it was good to keep him out of the ballgame. Actually, he was going to pinch hit for Jonathan (Araúz) with more traffic in the last at-bat against the righty. So he’s a go tomorrow.”
New relievers to join team Saturday
Hansel Robles and Austin Davis both are expected to be activated before Saturday’s game.
Boston acquired Robles from the Twins for pitching prospect Alex Scherff.
Robles, 30, has a 4.91 ERA, 4.82 FIP and 1.39 WHIP in 45 outings for the Twins this season. He has posted a 4.03 ERA in 358 career outings.
The Red Sox acquired Davis from the Pirates for Michael Chavis. The 28-year-old lefty has allowed six earned runs in 9 ⅔ innings (5.59 ERA) this season.
Martinez, Bogaerts struggling
J.D. Martinez went 0-for-4 and left three men on base Friday.
He’s 0-for-12 with four strikeouts in his past three games. He’s 4-for-34 (.118) in his past nine games.
“J.D. went through a stretch like a month ago ... that he wasn’t walking. And he was swinging at pitches that were at the edges of the strike zone. It doesn’t matter if you’re J.D. Martinez or Alex Cora, a .230 hitter, if you swing at the edge of the strike zone, it’s hard to hit the ball hard. So it’s just getting back to what he does. ... Teams are going to avoid the strike zone with him. They’re going to pitch to the edges. And when he’s in that swing-mode, aggressive-mode, then he expands and there’s no hard contact.”
Xander Bogaerts had two infield singles Friday. He’s 6-for-33 (.182) in his past nine games. He has dealt with a wrist issue recently.
“With Xander, I think it’s just timing,” Cora added. “Kind of struggling with the pitch up in the zone, which he doesn’t do. He’ll keep working. He’s OK with the wrist obviously. That’s why we let him play. But timing-wise, that pitch up in the zone that he usually gets to it, he hasn’t been able to get the last few days.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:34:57 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 9h The last full month of baseball that Bogaerts played where he was worse than a league average hitter was May 2018. 15 straight months above average (besides a few games last July).
.214/.288/.371 July coming into tonight, now a K & weak grounder. What’s the deal with his wrist?
.158/.195/.316 with 37% strikeouts and contact on 64% of swings for Duran so far. These things can take a long time time to settle, just look at Kelenic in Seattle, but this is a rough start. Curious if Verdugo starts getting more CF run with Schwarber looming.
Eovaldi vs. Yarbrough tomorrow. Sox have touched him up for 14 hits and 11 runs in 7 innings so far this year.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 4:44:12 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rays 31 July 2021 7pm @ The Trop
Nasty Nate 9-5/3.49
Nathan Eovaldi gave up just two runs in 7 2/3 innings on Saturday, but came away with no decision in his start against the Yankees. Eovaldi was absolutely brilliant through the first seven innings. He pounded the strike zone with 82-of-100 pitches landing for strikes, and he struck out eight while not issuing a walk. Unfortunately, he ran into some trouble in the seventh, and the Yankees turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead after Eovaldi exited the game. Still, even without the win it's another impressive outing for the 31-year-old, who has firmly implanted himself as the Boston ace. Well, until that Sale guy comes back, anyway.
Yarbrough 6-4/4.38
The 29-year-old southpaw holds a respectable 4.38 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 90/20 K/BB ratio across 109 innings (20 appearances, 15 starts) this season.
Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox will try to stay ahead of Rays According to STATS
The Boston Red Sox will be looking to Nathan Eovaldi to stop their slide against his former team when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays for the middle game of a three-game weekend series on Saturday night.
Eovaldi (9-5, 3.49 ERA), who spent the first half of the 2018 season with Tampa Bay before being traded to Boston, has been the team's most consistent starter this season. However, the veteran right-hander has just one win in his past four starts.
Boston's lead atop the American League East shrank to a half game following second-place Tampa Bay's 7-3 victory in the series opener Friday.
"I think it's about executing (on the mound). Stuff-wise, we're good. ... But we've got to execute," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the loss. "We've got Nate on the mound (Saturday), so hopefully he can go out there and establish the strike zone and give us a quality start."
Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer and both Mike Zunino and Randy Arozarena clubbed solo shots Friday to spark Tampa Bay, which put up 14 runs while blanking the New York Yankees in its prior game on Thursday.
The Rays improved to 3-4 against the Red Sox this year after dropping their first four meetings.
"The lineups in this division are really well-rounded, and to see us be able to put runs up like that against two of the better teams in this division -- it's pleasing to see," Rays catcher Zunino told Bally Sports Sun after the game.
Eovaldi pitched well against the Rays earlier this season, but has struggled against them throughout his career. On April 7, Eovaldi held Tampa Bay to one run on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings in Boston's 9-2 victory.
Overall, Eovaldi is 3-5 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 appearances (nine starts) opposite the Rays.
Tampa Bay will counter by sending left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (6-4, 4.38 ERA) to the mound.
Yarbrough turned in one of his better starts of the season last time out against Cleveland but was unable to earn a win. He limited the Indians to one run on five hits while walking one and striking out six over seven innings in a 3-2 defeat last Sunday.
Against the Red Sox this season, Yarbrough has struggled mightily to the tune of 14 runs (11 earned) allowed in seven innings over two appearances. Overall, he is 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 13 career games (six starts) against Boston.
On April 7, Yarbrough was knocked around for a season-high nine runs (six earned) while allowing nine hits, walking one and striking out two over five innings in a 9-2 blowout loss in Boston.
His next outing against the Red Sox on June 22 wasn't much better. Yarbrough was tagged for five runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts in two innings of relief in the Rays' 9-5 loss in 11 innings.
Boston will get a boost in the form of returning All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers on Saturday. Devers was not in the lineup the last two games after exiting Wednesday's nightcap against Toronto with left quad tightness.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 7:09:52 GMT -5
In a season of great days for these Red Sox, this was not one of them
By Rob Bradford 2 hours ago
Make this perfectly clear: This was just one day for a baseball team which has made a living off changing the minds of its naysayers.
The Red Sox get to the cliff, and routinely start putting it in reverse. That's been their way.
So when we talk about July 30, some might chalk it up to another round of reactionary bluster. It was one loss. It was one bit of roster-building. It was still a Friday that ended with the Red Sox in first-place.
But, that said, this was not a feather-in-their-cap moment for what has been a pretty remarkable 2021 Red Sox season.
It started with what was supposed to be the next wave of excitement, the trade deadline.
The build-up included a fairly significant addition in the form of All-Star Kyle Schwarber, murmurs of the Red Sox' ownership wanting to go hard after the deadline's biggest fish, and hints from Chaim Bloom that this team deserved some significant additions.
Then one name after another started coming off the board, and going to American League rivals, to boot. By the time 4 p.m. rolled around, the Red Sox were left with a couple of relievers who weren't likely to ever see the eighth or ninth innings while parting ways with former first-round pick Michael Chavis. This seller's market had the Red Sox on the outside looking in.
All of it was the ultimate sad trombone.
“I get it," the Red Sox chief baseball officer said. "Especially when things are flying left and right like they have been the last 48 hours, any fan would like to see their team right in the thick of it, and you love to see your team making big moves. We would, too. We just aren't going to do that when we think those moves are running counter to our goal.
“We know how high the expectations of our fans are, and if we do something for short-term gratification that has too high of a long-term price, we're going to end up letting them down more than we're going to help them. It might be fun today. You may or may not get what you're hoping for over the last two months, but you certainly are going to pay the price for years to come.
“There were some moves, including the ones that we made, where we did feel there was some price to be paid, and it was a price we were willing to pay. There were a lot of things that were put to us where we just felt we're not doing our jobs and ultimately we're going to let our fans down, whether it be tomorrow or whether it be next year or the year after or all of the above if we did some of things we could've done to make more of a splash.”
The discomfort didn't stop there.
The idea that the Red Sox were taking an enormous chance not adding to a pitching staff ripe with uncertainty had gained steam thanks to Eduardo Rodriguez' outing Thursday night. Then came Martin Perez's four innings against the Rays in the Sox' 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay, with the lefty allowing six runs and three homers.
In 24 hours, the Schwarber-induced optimism had officially left the building.
When the Red Sox woke up Saturday there certainly wasn't the internal vitriol that had built up throughout the fan base throughout Friday. When the Sox front office stayed put at the 2019 deadline, it resulted in an eight-game, season-killing losing streak. But this circle-the-wagons group most likely believe they can still take on all comers.
Chris Sale is coming back. So is Ryan Brasier. Schwarber will help. And the likes of Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran will be evolving into difference-makers.
After the loss to the Rays, the Red Sox' spokesman for the tone of team would be Perez.
“We’re fine. I think we’re good,” said Pérez. “Every time you ask me questions, I always tell you guys we’re going to be fine. We’ve been fighting the whole season and we’re in the same spot -- we’re in first place. Couple of bad games. That’s part of the game and that’s going to happen in the season.”
Now we find out if it was just another blip on the radar, or the kind of turning point we witnessed two years ago.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 10:21:36 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Good morning. Triston Casas had a two-run homer as @usabaseball beat South Korea 4-2 in Japan.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 11:13:49 GMT -5
Game 106: Red Sox at Rays lineups and pregame notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated July 31, 2021, 2 hours ago Having dropped three of their last four, the Red Sox are looking to turn things around against the Rays on Saturday evening in game two of a 10-game road trip. Now just a half game up on the Rays, the Sox will turn to Nate Eovaldi to try and stop the slide in Tampa, the righthander taking on a former employer for a third consecutive start. Despite two solid outings against the Yankees in his last two appearances - five innings of one-run ball on July 17, one strike away from eight shutout innings on July 24 - he took back-to-back no decisions in Boston losses. The Sox will take confidence in their success against Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough, who has had a forgettable time against Boston this season - in two appearances, Yarbrough allowed 14 runs (11 earned) in just seven innings against the Sox, good for a 14.14 ERA. Lineups RED SOX (63-42):1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 6. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 7. Christian Vazquez (R) C 8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 9. Jonathan Arauz (S) 2B Pitching: RHP Nate Eovaldi (9-5, 3.49 ERA) RAYS (62-42): 1. Brandon Lowe (L) 2B 2. Ji-Man Choi (L) 1B 3. Nelson Cruz (R) DH 4. Austin Meadows (L) LF 5. Randy Arozarena (R) RF 6. Joey Wendle (L) 3B 7. Wander Franco (S) SS 8. Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF 9. Francisco Mejia (S) C Pitching: LHP Ryan Yarbrough (6-4, 4.38 ERA) Time: 6:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Yarbrough: Araúz 1-4, Bogaerts 10-25, Dalbec 1-4, Devers 5-16, Hernández 2-4, Martinez 11-19, Plawecki 1-3, Renfroe 1-5, Verdugo 3-5, Vázquez 8-21 Rays vs. Eovaldi: Arozarena 0-5, Choi 3-10, Cruz 2-6, Díaz 2-10, Kiermaier 3-11, Lowe 2-11, Margot 1-4, Meadows 6-12, Mejía 1-3, Wendle 5-9, Zunino 1-7 Stat of the day: Of pitchers with at least 50 innings of work, Garrett Whitlock’s 1.26 ERA is the lowest in the American League this season. Notes: With Friday’s win, the Rays improved to 3-4 against the Red Sox this year after dropping their first four meetings ... Eovaldi pitched well against the Rays earlier this season, but has struggled against them throughout his career. On April 7, Eovaldi held Tampa Bay to one run on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings in Boston’s 9-2 victory. Overall, Eovaldi is 3-5 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 appearances (nine starts) opposite the Rays ... Yarbrough is 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 13 career games (six starts) against Boston ... Boston should get a boost in the form of returning All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers on Saturday. Devers was not in the lineup the last two games after exiting Wednesday’s nightcap against Toronto with left quad tightness. Song of the Day: 5 Man Electrical Band- Signswww.youtube.com/watch?v=c9lh7lqZojc
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 14:58:16 GMT -5
Red Sox placed LHP Darwinzon Hernandez on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique.
Hernandez's injury likely explains why the Red Sox picked up relievers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis in the closing moments before Friday's trade deadline. It's unclear exactly how long he'll be sidelined, but given the nature of the injury it seems like he'll be out for at least a few weeks.
Red Sox optioned C Connor Wong to Triple-A Worcester.
The Red Sox needed to clear an active roster spot for Hansel Robles and Austin Davis, so Wong will head back to the minor leagues. The 25-year-old rookie backstop has appeared in five games at the big-league level this season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 31, 2021 15:00:58 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 1h Tonight, Xander Bogaerts will become the 3rd player to appear in 1,000 games at shortstop for the Red Sox, joining Rick Burleson (1,004) and Everett Scott (1,093).
Bogaerts will become the 70th player to appear in 1,000 games at SS for a single franchise (h/t @eliassports).
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