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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 16:48:04 GMT -5
Rays @ Red Sox 10th August 2021 7pm @ Fenway
Patino 2-3/4.42
Luis Patino surrendered three runs on five hits over five innings in Tuesday's loss to the Mariners. Patino struck out three and walked two in the outing. The runs on his line came home via a Cal Raleigh sacrifice fly in the second inning and a pair of solo home runs -- by Abraham Toro and Jarred Kelenic -- in the fourth inning. In seven starts (nine total appearances) this season, the 21-year-old hurler has pitched to a 4.42 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 39/12 K/BB ratio.
E-rod 8-6/5.33
Eduardo Rodriguez blanked the Tigers for five innings and struck out a season-high 10 in Boston's 4-1 win Wednesday. Rodriguez is still sporting an ugly 5.33 ERA, but his peripherals are far better than that and his issues haven't hurt the Red Sox. The team is 14-7 in his starts, and the club has scored more than two runs in just two of those losse
Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 7:10pm EDT Written by Chris Kubala
The top two teams in the AL East open up an important series on the diamond in Beantown. It’s the Tampa Bay Rays on the road as they kick off a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox Tuesday night. Tampa Bay swept Baltimore on the road over the weekend, winning the series finale 9-6 Sunday afternoon in their most recent game. Boston dropped three of four on the road to Toronto as they fell 9-8 in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The Rays lead the season series 5-4, including a three-game sweep at home in the most recent series July 30-August 1. Will Tampa Bay build on their lead or can Boston regroup and gain some ground?
Tampa Bay Rays Looking to Maintain Momentum Tampa Bay swept Baltimore on the road as they earned a win on Sunday afternoon to run their win streak to four games. The Rays entered Monday holding a four-game advantage on the Red Sox in the AL East race. On Sunday, Tampa Bay got two hits each from Brandon Lowe (run, RBI), Brett Phillips (two runs, five RBI) and Austin Meadows (run, RBI) in the contest. Phillips (his seventh and eighth, including a grand slam) homered twice in the game while Meadows added his 21st of the season. Michael Wacha didn’t factor in the decision as he threw five innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits with one walk and two strikeouts. JT Chargois (2-0) earned the win in relief as he threw 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits with a walk and no strikeouts.
Luis Patino gets the call for Tampa Bay as he makes his 10th appearance and eighth start of the season in this contest. He comes in 2-3 with a 4.42 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, 12 walks and 39 strikeouts over 36.2 innings of work this season. Patino took the loss in his last start, which came last Tuesday at home against the Mariners. He threw five frames, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a 4-2 Rays defeat. Pitching on the road this year, Patino has gone 1-1 with a 7.41 ERA, a 1.529 WHIP, six walks and 20 strikeouts over 17 innings in four appearances, three starts. In his 21st career major league appearance and ninth start, he pitches against the Red Sox for the first time here. As a result, this marks Patino’s first career outing at Fenway Park.
Boston Red Sox Trying to Right the Ship Boston dropped three of four on the road to Toronto after blowing a big lead Sunday and enter this one having lost nine of their previous 11 games. The Red Sox entered Monday second in the AL East, four games behind the Rays for the division lead. In the AL wild card picture, the team are tied with Oakland for the two wild card spots, 2.5 games ahead of the Yankees to remain in the playoff picture. On Sunday, Boston led 7-2 after four innings only to lose. J.D. Martinez (two runs, three RBI) had four hits to lead the Red Sox while Kevin Plawecki (run, three RBI) added three to pace a 16-hit attack. Garrett Richards didn’t factor in the decision as he threw five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Matt Barnes (6-4) took the loss as he gave up two runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in one-third of an inning.
Eduardo Rodriguez gets the ball for his 22nd start of the season for the Red Sox in this contest. He comes in 8-6 with a 5.33 ERA, a 1.404 WHIP, 32 walks and 131 strikeouts over 104.2 innings of work this season. Rodriguez earned the win in his last start, which came Wednesday on the road against the Tigers. He threw five innings, allowing no runs on two hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts in a 4-1 Red Sox win. Pitching at home this season, Rodriguez is 3-2 with a 6.35 ERA, a 1.353 WHIP, 10 walks and 45 strikeouts over 34 innings of work spanning seven starts. This marks Rodriguez’s 11th career start against the Rays. He comes in 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA, a 1.548 WHIP, 20 walks and 63 strikeouts over 52.1 innings of work against them. Rodriguez is 27-16 with a 4.22 ERA, a 1.317 WHIP, 132 walks and 402 strikeouts over 382 innings in 72 career appearances, 68 starts, at Fenway Park.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 16:53:42 GMT -5
The Death Spiral Continues Roto
Wednesday 7pm....TBA (Fleming 9-5/4.12) vs Eovaldi 9-7/4.07
Thursday....4pm....TBA (Yarbrough 6-4/4.76) vs Pivetta 8-5/4.34
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 16:55:46 GMT -5
A closer look at the Red Sox’ slide: What’s causing it and just how bad is it? By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated August 9, 2021, 49 minutes ago
What on earth has happened to the Red Sox?
The team is in a dizzying nosedive. The just-completed 2-8 road trip pulled the Red Sox from a 1½-game lead in the American League East to a four-game deficit. They are closer to the third-place Yankees and fourth-place Blue Jays than they are to the first-place Rays.
They remain in possession of one of the AL’s two wild-card spots — tied with the A’s for the best record by a team not leading a division — but surely they can feel the approaching pack.
What to make of this downward spiral?
In a vacuum, a 2-8 stretch isn’t that unusual, even for contenders. The Rays hit a 3-8 pothole in April and had a 4-12 stumble shortly before the All-Star break. The Yankees had a 3-10 slide this year. The Jays hit a 4-10 skid in June.
But the concerns are amplified both by the Red Sox’ relative inaction at the trade deadline (the addition of Kyle Schwarber could prove significant, but his activation from the injured list comes without a fixed date) and by warning signs that had been present well before the last two weeks.
So what has taken the Red Sox from a position of comfort to one of peril? The end of the charmed life
On July 5, the Red Sox beat the Angels, 5-4, improving to 54-32 to open a 4½-game lead over the Rays — while being nine games ahead of the Jays and 10½ in front of the Yankees. But as well and as consistently as they’d played, it seemed fair to wonder whether the Sox were due for a correction.
They had outscored opponents by 64 runs through 86 games — good but not great. The Rays (+67) and Jays (+73) both had better run differentials, typically a solid indicator of a team’s underlying talent.
The Sox’ record was based on an outrageous number of comebacks (they’d trailed at some point in 28 of their 54 wins). Half of their wins (27 of 54) had been by one or two runs. Their residence in first place for most of the season’s first four months relied on a prevalence of white-knuckle victories that were impressive but also suggested potential vulnerability.
The Sox lost the next two games, one by a run and one by two. That started a stretch in which they went 11-17, including 4-9 in one- or two-run games.
That skid coincided with excellence from the other AL East teams. As of Monday, the three best records in the AL since July 5 belonged to the Rays (19-8), Yankees (19-9), and Jays (17-11). Wrong turn for the rotation
Through July 5, the Sox had benefited from reliable if unspectacular starting pitching. The rotation’s 4.32 ERA ranked 20th, but its average of roughly 5⅓ innings a night (ninth-best) gave structure to the staff and helped avoid bullpen overuse.
Over the 28-game stretch that started with a loss in Anaheim July 6, the rotation has a 5.78 ERA — fourth-worst in MLB. The Red Sox have gotten just three quality starts and just four outings of at least six innings. Their starters are averaging just under 4⅔ innings in that time, 28th in the majors.
As bad as that has been, there are reasons to believe the rotation is better than its showing over the past five weeks. The starters’ 25.7 percent strikeout rate is fourth-best in the majors, suggesting an ability to miss bats.
But that is balanced by a dramatic increase in not missing barrels, as the team has yielded a disturbing 1.7 homers per nine innings since July 6 — a number inflated by the struggles of Martín Pérez (8.53 ERA, 3.8 homers per nine) and Garrett Richards (6.46, 2.7).
The addition of Tanner Houck (at the expense of Pérez) and Chris Sale (perhaps at the expense of Richards) should help. So, too, should better luck for Nate Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez, both of whom have shown underlying traits — high strikeout rates, low walk rates, generally poor contact — that are better than their ERAs suggest during the span.
But the stress on the team resulting from short, ineffectual outings has been considerable. The Sox have received fewer than five innings in 15 of their last 28 games, going 5-10 in those contests. No relief in sight
The bullpen has sprung several leaks. Whether it’s the increased workload forced by shorter starts, the toll of a season that is now nearly twice as long as 2020 was, or just the typical peaks and valleys of a season, most of the key relievers appear to be running on fumes.
Garrett Whitlock (one run in his last 21⅓ innings, none in his last 14) has been a staff-saving force. But beyond him, the Red Sox’ late-innings procession has been upended.
Darwinzon Hernandez is out with an oblique injury, leaving more responsibility on Josh Taylor, and Hirokazu Sawamura’s departure from Sunday’s 9-8 loss in Toronto due to elbow tightness had a ripple effect on a bullpen that was at least one arm short — just as it did when he was sidelined in July with hip soreness.
Matt Barnes has seen his strikeout rate drop from 44.6 percent through July 5 to 26.7 percent since then. Adam Ottavino has gone from a 27.1 percent strikeout rate to 22.7 percent. Taylor’s walk rate has nearly doubled from 8.7 percent to 16.2 percent. Decreased strikeouts and increased walks tend to indicate fatigue.
“We’ve got to find guys,” manager Alex Cora said Sunday. “There are a few guys that are struggling, there’s a few guys that we need them to get better, and we’ll keep working on it.”
The performance of the key late-innings contributors raises questions about why the Red Sox didn’t aim higher in adding bullpen reinforcements at the deadline. At the same time, the relief struggles haven’t been as significant a concern as the rotation or offense.
Most games have been decided before the bullpen’s entry into games, and while Barnes suffered losses on back-to-back days in Toronto, the Red Sox have blown only two saves since July 5. Perhaps that number would be larger if the offense had supplied more leads.
Limping lineup
Remember the early days of the season, when J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers carried the Red Sox — and left open the question of what might happen if they didn’t excel? It appears we have an answer.
The trio hasn’t been bad. Devers (.266 average, .864 OPS) and Martinez (.263, .816) have been respectable since July 6. Bogaerts, fighting a wrist injury and then the poor mechanics that it wrought, has struggled to a .241 average and .719 OPS during the period.
Still, while all three have performed below their season lines, those numbers don’t quite explain the magnitude of the team’s offensive plummet. The Sox are averaging just below four runs per game since July 6. A team that was held to four or fewer runs less than half of the time (48 percent) through 86 games has been thusly contained 19 times (68 percent of the time) during its current 11-17 stumble, going 4-15 in those games.
So what gives? Put simply, they have been awful in the most promising situations.
Devers (.154 average, .688 OPS), Martinez (.233/.639), Alex Verdugo (.143/.412), and Bogaerts (.067/.361) have all struggled with runners in scoring position since July 6. From July 22-Aug. 6, the Sox have been among the worst in baseball in virtually every statistical category with runners in scoring position.
Over a stretch from July 25-Aug. 5, the Sox built their identity around squandered scoring opportunities. In 22 plate appearances with runners on third and fewer than two outs, they scored just four runs (two on sacrifice flies, two on ground outs), going 0 for 17 with two walks, one hit batter, 10 strikeouts, and two double plays.
That sort of inefficiency tends to go in cycles throughout a season. If the Sox continue to amass opportunities with runners in scoring position, they’ll likely see their offense rebound significantly. But the recent struggles have made it almost impossible for the Sox to negate the poor performances by their starters.
That diabolical combination, in tandem with outstanding runs by the other AL East contenders, has seen the Red Sox slip from the summit to a desperate scramble for a toehold.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 3:00:57 GMT -5
Rays at Red Sox Tuesday, 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 7 MPH wind blowing right to left in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 3:14:20 GMT -5
red sox notebook A lot of the Red Sox’ problems have started with the starters By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated August 9, 2021, 6:29 p.m.
The Red Sox rotation is now squarely in the middle of the American League rankings with a 4.65 earned run average. Every other playoff contender is ahead of them.
A 2-8 road trip that ended Sunday took the Sox from first place in the AL East to a tie for the first wild-card spot with the Athletics.
As the Sox open a three-game series against the Rays at Fenway Park Tuesday, the onus will be on their starters to get the team headed in the right direction again after losing nine of 11 games.
The starters are 1-7 with a 7.09 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in those 11 games and completed five innings only four times. Quality starts aren’t always the most telling statistic, but the Sox have only six in their last 33 games.
There is hope. Eduardo Rodriguez, the scheduled starter Tuesday, pitched five scoreless innings and struck out 10 against the Tigers in his last start. It was a sign the lefthander had regained his form after leaving his July 23 start against the Yankees with a migraine.
The Rays are expected to start rookie righthander Luis Patino, who has a 4.42 ERA in nine games (seven starts) and will be facing the Sox for the first time in his career.
Patino was one of the three prospects the Rays obtained from the Padres for Blake Snell in December.
The first-place Rays have won four in a row. Coaches in limbo
Bench coach Will Venable and first base coach Tom Goodwin remain quarantined in Canada Monday under COVID-19 protocols.
Venable, who has been vaccinated, had a breakthrough positive test over the weekend. Goodwin did not test positive but was deemed a close contact of Venable.
Manager Alex Cora suggested Sunday that the Sox would promote coaches from the minor league ranks to fill in until Venable and Goodwin are cleared to return.
Return from the rings
The Sox will have five players rejoining their minor league teams this week after playing for their national teams during the Olympics.
Triston Casas will rejoin Double A Portland after going 5 for 23 with three homers, a double, and eight RBIs for the United States. Casas was named to the All-Olympic team.
Infielder Jack Lopez played in all six games for Team USA, starting three times. He was 2 for 14 with two RBIs and is expected to return to Triple A Worcester.
Portland catcher Roldani Baldwin, Worcester outfielder Johan Mieses, and Portland reliever Denyi Reyes helped the Dominican Republic to the bronze medal.
The 26-year-old Mieses was 3 of 16 with two homers, four runs, and four RBIs for the DR, which rallied to beat Korea for its medal. Mieses had the game-winning hit, a two-run homer in the eighth inning.
Reyes appeared in two games, allowing two runs over 4⅔ innings and striking out four.
Utility player Joey Meneses rejoined Worcester last week after going 6 for 12 with a homer and four RBIs for Mexico, which went 0-3. Stolen opportunities
Now that teams better understand the value of outs, stolen bases attempts have to be considered a sure thing, or close to it. The MLB success rate this season is 75 percent, a number all teams aspire to. The Sox are down to 65 percent, last in the American League and 28th overall. They have been caught 13 times, with Rafael Devers (5) and Christian Vázquez (4) accounting for most of them … The Sox have 48 games remaining, half against teams with winning records. Tuesday is the first of 10 games left against the Rays, an oddity considering they don’t have any games remaining against the Blue Jays.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 3:20:37 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook: Playoff odds plummeting, but players stay positive
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: August 9, 2021 at 5:57 p.m. | UPDATED: August 9, 2021 at 6:15 p.m.
If the Red Sox want a snowball’s chance of getting back on top of the American League East and avoiding the dreaded Wild Card Game, it starts with this three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays beginning on Tuesday.
Eduardo Rodriguez will be on the mound against a Rays’ team that struggles against left-handed pitchers, but has made up a lot of ground on the Red Sox in the last 10 days, when the Rays, Blue Jays and Yankees have all gone 8-2 while the Sox have gone 2-8.
“All of us know it’s a big series,” said closer Matt Barnes, who has allowed home runs in back-to-back appearances and said he needs to figure out why he’s not throwing his fastballs as accurately as he was early this year. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks … But we still have seven weeks of the season left. The season isn’t ending in two weeks. It’s not ending in three weeks. We have seven weeks left, three series with Tampa left, now that we’re done with Toronto.”
The Red Sox playoff odds were 90.5% on the day of the trade deadline, but have plummeted to 70%, according to FanGraphs.
And Baseball-Reference has them even lower, with the Sox having dropped 25% in the last week and now down to 54% odds to make the postseason.
“We’ve had a bad road trip,” said struggling starter Garrett Richards. “It’s one road trip. There’s a lot of games left to play. We still have our foot on the gas. Nobody’s letting up. It’s a little frustrating right now, but every team goes through this at some point during the year. We’re not down. We know what we have in the clubhouse and we know what we’ve done so far. A little discouragement, a little frustration, but for the most part we’re on to the next game and every game we feel like we’re still going to win.” Martinez makes sparkling return
On the bright side, the Sox were back to their simple approach at the plate on Sunday, when they tallied 13 singles, most singles in a game since 2017.
J.D. Martinez was 4-for-5 with two doubles and two singles.
Martinez said his trip to the COVID-19 related injury list over the weekend wasn’t too concerning, despite bench coach Will Venable’s positive test resulting in a mandatory 14-day quarantine in which he cannot leave Canada.
“That’s the world we live in right now,” Martinez said. “You get sick and everybody thinks it’s COVID. First question everyone wants to ask, ‘Are you vaccinated, are you vaccinated?’ It’s the world we live in. You’ve just got to wait, see the results, and go from there.
“I was sick (Saturday). I didn’t sit out because I was waiting for the result. I was sitting out because I felt like trash. Obviously the precaution and everything, the test results were fine. … I still felt crappy, still coughing, not feeling good. But the good thing is it’s not COVID, so I could play.” Richards’ next step
Richards allowed three runs in five innings, striking out just two, and looks like a guy who might need to be moved to the bullpen now that Chris Sale and Tanner Houck are coming back into the rotation.
“I love that you guys ask that every week, to be honest,” he said. “That’s not something I worry about. My job is to take the ball when they ask me to take the ball. I feel like you guys are the only ones that are really thinking that direction. Internally, I’m taking the ball every fifth, sixth day and trying to give my team a chance to win. I don’t know what’s going forward, but that’s where my head’s at right now. That’s kind of all I can do right now is worry about the next one and try to make steps forward.” Trade deadline updates
Here’s a list of some key trade acquisitions by AL East clubs since June, and how they’ve performed since the trade deadline on July 30:
JAYS (9-2): Jose Berrios: 12 IP, 0.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9.8 K/9
Joakim Soria: 1 IP, 0 ERA, 0 WHIP, 9 K/9
Brad Hand: 3 IP, 5.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 8.1 K/9
Trevor Richards: 11.1 IP, 2.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 12.7 K/9
Adam Cimber: 15 IP, 0.60 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 6.6 K/9
Corey Dickerson: 6 G, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .739 OPS
Jacob Barnes: 9 IP, 6.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 13 K/9
YANKEES (8-2):
Clay Holmes: 7.1 IP, 1.23 ERA, 0.41 WHIP, 8.6 K/9
Joely Rodriguez: 4 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4.5 K/9
Joey Gallo: 10 G, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .647 OPS
Anthony Rizzo: 9 G, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .963 OPS
Andrew Heaney: 10 IP, 7.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 11.7 K/9
RAYS (7-2):
Nelson Cruz: 13 G, 4 HR, 10 RBI, .735 OPS
Matt Wisler: 26.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 11.6 K/9
Red Sox (2-8):
Hansel Robles: 3.1 IP, 13.50 ERA, 2.70 WHIP, 13.5 K/9
Austin Davis: 4.1 IP, 4.15 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 10.4 K/9
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 7:48:43 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 3h When the Rays come to Fenway, is one surprised by comparables: Tampa Boston 147 HR 141 570 R 551 108 ops+ 102 704.1(8) Def Eff 658(30) +121 R Diff +33
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 7:53:01 GMT -5
Tony Massarotti @tonymassarotti · 59m We don't pay much attention to it anymore, but the Red Sox have allowed the second-most SB in the AL while allowing opponents a success rate of 81.4 percent. That smells.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 10, 2021 9:15:12 GMT -5
A closer look at the Red Sox’ slide: What’s causing it and just how bad is it?By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated August 9, 2021, 49 minutes ago What on earth has happened to the Red Sox? The team is in a dizzying nosedive. The just-completed 2-8 road trip pulled the Red Sox from a 1½-game lead in the American League East to a four-game deficit. They are closer to the third-place Yankees and fourth-place Blue Jays than they are to the first-place Rays. As Speier pointed out, the Sox were due for some correction. We have been on the fortunate side of things while the Jays, as are the forever lucky Yankees, while the Jays have been on the unfortunate side of things.
I know that a lot of blame has been placed on our starting rotation. While our rotation has not been great, I tend to think our offense was the bigger problem. We know our starters are usually going to be meh. Our offense is supposed to be our strength. Not counting last night's game when the offense finally showed up, since the ASB, they have scored 3.6 runs/game. Since July 28, in which the team went 3-9, the offense scored 2.4 runs/game.
As I said in the other game thread, this is a great time to reset and get things turned around. It starts tonight.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 9:24:32 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 23m Over their 11-17 skid, Red Sox scoring is down about 23 percent, from 5.12 runs per game to 3.96. Yet their average, OBP, slugging, and K% are all pretty close to what they were through 7/5
A lot of this has to do with RISP. In their first 86 games, the Red Sox had a lower K rate with RISP than with bases empty, and higher across-the-board numbers. Their offense was very efficient. The last 28 games? Not so much.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 11:20:56 GMT -5
Red Sox vs. Rays Series Preview
A look ahead to a crucial three games at Fenway By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Aug 10, 2021, 12:17pm EDT
SB Nation Blog
DRay’s Bay The opponent in one sentence
The Rays remain the team to be in the American League East, with their typical pitching depth to go with an offense that can score in bunches. Record
68-44 Head-to-head record
Red Sox 4, Rays 5 Trend
Up. We know the Rays had a nice time a couple of weeks ago when they swept the Red Sox and gained control of the division, but that was only the start of a hot streak. They’ve won four in a row, and looking further out they’ve taken eight of their last 10. AKA the anti-Boston streak. Pitching Matchups
8/10: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Luis Patiño, 7:10 PM ET
When we did our roundtable last week and asked who the most important player for the Red Sox was down the stretch, Rodriguez was a very popular choice. And it makes sense. The lefty needs to step up and help stabilize this rotation that lately has been anything but stable. He’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since the break, throwing a terrific outing, then leaving early with a migraine, then getting hit all around the park before coming back out last time and shoving again. There have been some issues with efficiency throughout, and given how the bullpen is looking lately as well it would be nice to get six from him, but we’ll take an outing like the last one where he went five strong, striking out ten without allowing a run. He did get six against Tampa earlier this year, though they scored five runs (three earned) against him in that game.
Patiño was one of the big pieces to come back from San Diego in the trade that sent Blake Snell to the Padres last winter. One of the top pitching prospects in the game, Patiño has made seven starts in the majors this year along with two appearances out of the bullpen. Over that time he’s been solid, though there have been some cracks. While he can miss bats at a good rate — just over a batter per inning this year — the command has wavered from time to time, especially with respect home runs. He’s allowed four over his last four outings, including two his last time out. This will be the first time the Red Sox see the young righty, which can always set up for a tough day at the plate. Patiño has leaned most heavily on his fastball and slider this year, also throwing the occasional changeup and curveball.
8/11: Nathan Eovaldi vs. TBD, 7:10 PM ET
As the Red Sox have waited all year to get Chris Sale back in their rotation (which will happen this weekend, by the way), Eovaldi has emerged as the top starter for the team, even earning his first All-Star appearance. Over the course of this season, the biggest boon in his game has been his consistency, as he had never really put together two bad outings in a row. That’s a valuable thing for a team to have that kind of assurance. Unfortunately, the run ended recently with each of his last two outings coming in as duds. The first was against these Rays, who scored six runs (five earned) over 5 1⁄3 innings. More recently, Eovaldi cruised through four innings against the Jays before collapsing for seven runs in the fifth. Both the pitcher and the team desperately need a bounce back here.
The Rays have not yet announced their starters beyond the first game of this series, but right now it would appear Josh Fleming is on schedule for this start. The lefty is a bit of a throwback, not really missing a ton of bats but, when at his best, inducing a lot of weak contact. He will get into some trouble with hard contact at times and has been more average than good, but he is the kind of soft-tossing lefty that the Red Sox have had trouble with in the past. When they faced him in the last series between these two they scored three runs over five innings. Fleming throws a low-90s fastball with a cutter and a changeup.
8/12: TBD vs. TBD, 4:10 PM ET
Neither side has announced their starter for this one, but Nick Pivetta would be on normal rest if he were to make this start. The righty is coming off his best start of the season, tossing six innings of one-hit ball while keeping the Blue Jays off the board. They lost that game, but it was not his fault. That said, start-to-start, it’s really hard to know what to expect from Pivetta. When his command is even average, his stuff is typically good enough to at least keep his team in the game. On the other hand, when he’s leaving stuff over the plate, it gets rocked, and this Rays lineup can punish mistakes. The good news is he’s had success against Tampa this year, facing them three times and allowing runs in only one of them.
If the Rays stick with their current rotation, Ryan Yarbrough will get the bulk of the innings in this finale. Like Fleming, Yarbrough doesn’t rely on big velocity but rather secondaries from the left side. He’s certainly not a superstar, but he’s developed into a very solid pitcher for this Rays team. That said, he’s been on a bit of a bad run lately, allowing five runs in each of his last two starts, including one against the Red Sox, the second time Boston has put up a five-spot against the southpaw. He’s going to pound the zone, so it’s about hunting specific parts of the zone and unleashing when you get your pitch. Yarbrough will lean most heavily on his cutter while also throwing a changeup, curveball and two-seam, none of which sit over 90 mph. Old Friends
Manuel Margot was a part of the trade that brought Craig Kimbrel to Boston all those years ago, and after some time with the Padres he was sent to Tampa Bay prior to last season. He plays mostly an everyday role.
Collin McHugh never actually played for the Red Sox as he opted out of the 2020 season, but he was under contract last season before the pandemic hit. He’s now in a relief role for the Rays.
Jalen Beeks was traded in that all-important 2018 deadline deal that brought Eovaldi to Boston. The lefty had emerged as a solid swingman, but he’s out now having undergone Tommy John late last season.
Jeffrey Springs was part of the revolving door of long relievers for the Red Sox last summer, and was dealt to Tampa Bay this past winter.
Notable Position Players
Nelson Cruz was the big addition to the Rays at the deadline and provides massive power in the middle of this lineup. While that power has been as advertised since coming to Tampa, the slugger is striking out much more often since the trade.
Austin Meadows took a step back last year, albeit in a strange season, but he looks like a core piece of this lineup yet again in 2021, hitting for power and drawing plenty of walks.
Brandon Lowe can be had with strikeouts, as he succumbs to the K nearly 30 percent of the time this season, but like Meadows he has enough power and patience to overcome the whiffs.
Wander Franco was the top prospect in the world coming into this season, and while he struggled a bit at first adjusting to the bigs, the shortstop is showing why he’s so beloved by scouts more recently. His wRC+ since the break is 116, up 50 points from his short time in the first half.
Ji-Man Choi has missed some time this year, and his power isn’t as consistent as it’s been in the past, but he still is a threat to leave the park every time, and he’s drawing a ton of walks as well.
Joey Wendle goes against the grain of much of the rest of this lineup, reyling on a contact-heavy approach that does result in some power, though more from doubles and triples than homers.
Margot is able to hover around league-average at the plate mostly due to his ability to put the ball in play in combination with his athleticism, but the lack of power limits his ceiling with the bat. He does, however, add plus defense in the outfield as well.
Kevin Kiermaier is another plus outfielder, as Red Sox fans are all too familiar with, though his lack of power has been more pronounced this year and has really hindered his performance with the bat.
Mike Zunino is having a breakout season behind the plate, managing to mask his strikeout issues with some of the best power from any catcher in the game.
Bullpen Snapshot
The Rays made an unconventional trade for a team in their position toward the deadline, dealing Diego Castillo to the Mariners. They’re able to do that because of their never-ending stream of relievers. They mix and match late in games like always, with any of a group of five relievers getting those chances. Right now, Matt Wisler seems to be the most effective, but it’s a moving target knowing just who will be brought in at what juncture of a game. Injuries
I’m running late on this post, and there are just far too many injuries to list out individually. The big one right now is Randy Arozarena, with the rookie outfielder on the COVID protocol list. He may be able to return as soon as tonight for the opener, however, which would push Kiermaier and Margot into more of a platoon. Tampa is also missing a handful of their top relievers, most notably Nick Anderson, Peter Fairbanks and Oliver Drake, as well as their top starter in Tyler Glasnow, who will be out for the entire season. Their rotation is also missing Chris Archer and Yonny Chirinos. Weather Forecast
It’s going to be hot and sticky at Fenway this week. That can sometimes make rain just kind of appear out of nowhere, but as of now things seem alright.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 13:01:22 GMT -5
Game 115: Rays at Red Sox lineups and pregame notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated August 10, 2021, 1 hour ago The Red Sox are hoping a day off and a return to Fenway will get them back on track. They will need that to be the case when they open a pivotal three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox’ struggles have been well-documented after going 2-8 on the recent road trip. The Rays took advantage, going 8-2 in that span to seize a four-game lead, and five games in the loss column, in the American League East. Here are the standings. Lineups RAYS (68-44):1. Randy Arozarena (R) RF 2. Nelson Cruz (R) DH 3. Wander Franco (S) SS 4. Yandy Diaz (R) 3B 5. Austin Meadows (L) LF 6. Jordan Luplow (R) 1B 7. Manuel Margot (R) CF 8. Brandon Lowe (L) 2B 9. Mike Zunino (R) C Pitching: RHP Luis Patiño (2-3, 4.42 ERA) RED SOX (65-49):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) LF 6. Kevin Plawecki (R) DH 7. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 8. Christian Vazquez (R) C 9. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B Pitching: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (8-6, 5.33 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Rays vs. Rodriguez: Nelson Cruz 4-20, Yandy Díaz 6-10, Wander Franco 1-2, Kevin Kiermaier 1-10, Brandon Lowe 3-9, Manuel Margot 2-6, Austin Meadows 1-8, Francisco Mejía 2-5, Mike Zunino 0-5 Red Sox vs. Patiño: Kiké Hernández 0-1 Stat of the day: Since July 6, the Red Sox rotation has a 5.78 ERA, with starters averaging just under 4⅔ innings in that time. Notes: Rodriguez struck out 10 and pitched five scoreless innings against the Tigers last week. Rodriguez is 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA in 10 starts lifetime against Tampa Bay. … Since July 6, Rafael Devers (.154 average, .688 OPS), J.D. Martinez (.233/.639), Alex Verdugo (.143/.412), and Xander Bogaerts (.067/.361) have all struggled with runners in scoring position. … Patiño is facing the Red Sox for the first time. He allowed three runs over five innings in his last start, a loss to the Mariners. He has yet to pitch more than six innings in a start in his career. Song of the Day: Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silencewww.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSKrC7dGcY
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 13:34:10 GMT -5
Rays Reinstate Randy Arozarena; Place Ryan Yarbrough On COVID-IL, DJ Johnson On 10-Day IL
By Mark Polishuk | August 10, 2021 at 5:21pm CDT
5:21 pm: Cash didn’t sound particularly optimistic regarding Johnson’s prognosis, noting that the righty’s shoulder injury is “pretty severe” and will require him to miss “substantial time” (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).
1:37 pm: The Rays announced a series of roster moves, including the reinstatement of outfielder Randy Arozarena from the COVID-related injury list and the placement of right-hander DJ Johnson on the 10-day injured list due to a right shoulder sprain. While these transactions were expected, the club also announced that southpaw Ryan Yarbrough has been placed on the COVID-19 list. Left-hander Louis Head has been recalled from Triple-A to take Yarbrough’s roster spot.
League rules don’t require Yarbrough’s exact situation to be made public, so it isn’t known whether or not the lefty has tested positive for the coronavirus himself, or if he is being held out as a precautionary measure due to contact tracing or symptoms. (Yarbrough had another brief one-day stint on the COVID-IL earlier this season due to vaccine side effects.) Whatever the reason, it would now seem unlikely that Yarbrough will make his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Red Sox, so the Rays may need to go with a bullpen game in this key AL East matchup.
Yarbrough has a 4.76 ERA/4.26 SIERA over 119 innings, usually working as a traditional starting pitcher but also making a few appearances as a bulk pitcher behind an opener. The southpaw is among the league’s best pitchers at limiting hard contact and avoiding walks, though his 19.6% strikeout rate is far below average.
Arozarena returns after just a few days on the COVID-IL for being a close contact to a positive case. Head is also back in the big leagues in short order after being optioned to Triple-A over the weekend, as teams are able to make quick recalls of players in the event of injury.
Johnson’s shoulder problem arose during Sunday’s game, with the right-hander falling to the ground after throwing a pitch. Manager Kevin Cash ominously reported that Johnson said he felt a crack in his shoulder, though further tests revealed only a sprain rather than a more serious injury. Johnson was making his third appearance for Tampa Bay after being acquired in a deadline deal with the Indians.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 13:34:45 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 7m Sources: Red Sox have gotten positive news on Hirokazu Sawamura. Appears he avoided a serious arm injury.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 10, 2021 17:27:55 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h Other than to say Eovaldi is tomorrow and Sale is Saturday, Cora did not reveal the rotation.
Said conversations have to be held today with some of the pitchers.
Minor league coordinators Andy Fox and Darren Fenster are joining the Sox coaching staff while Tom Goodwin and Will Venable are quarantined in Canada.
Sounds like new father Alex Verdugo won't be back until Thursday
Rajai Davis, who played for the Red Sox in 2017, is back at Fenway Park today.
He works for MLB as a senior director of on-field operations
Davis, who is from New London, Conn. played parts of 14 seasons in the majors.
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