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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 2:56:02 GMT -5
Rangers @ Red Sox Friday, 20th August 2021 7pm @ Fenway
Dunning 5-7/4.06
Dane Dunning yielded two runs in 4 2/3 innings Friday in a no-decision versus the A's. Both runs came in the fifth, and Dunning had to be lifted one inning shy of qualifying for a victory. At least Dennis Santana bailed him out of the jam that frame, stranding a pair of runners in a 3-2 game. Dunning was returning tonight after missing one start with a right ankle impingement.
Sale 0-0/3.60
Chris Sale struck out eight over five innings of two-run baseball as the Red Sox clobbered the Orioles 16-2 on Saturday. Welcome back. Sale allowed six hits -- two of them solo homers -- and he didn't issue a walk to go along with the eight punchouts. It was Sale's first time on the mound since 2019, and while there were some moments of struggles, there were many more that suggested he's going to be a strong option going forward. The left-hander will look to build on this solid outing next weekend in an outing against the Rangers.
Chris Sale back on mound as Red Sox host Rangers
The Boston Red Sox will turn to left-hander Chris Sale, in his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, for damage control as they get set to host the Texas Rangers for a three-game series beginning Friday.
The Red Sox are coming off a disastrous three-game sweep in New York that saw the Yankees surpass them in the standings. Not only is Boston now 6 1/2 games back in the American League East, but the club is out of playoff position, a half-game behind the Oakland Athletics for the second AL wild card.
"We're pretty (mad) at ourselves. We wanted to come out here and we wanted to win the series," said outfielder Hunter Renfroe, part of an offense held to five runs in the series. "A few weeks of us not playing up to our potential, and I think everybody's frustrated with themselves and kind of beating themselves up."
Overall, the Red Sox have lost 14 of 20 to fall a long way from being tied for the top record in the AL at the All-Star break. Boston has a four-game series on the horizon at the end of the month against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays that could make or break its season, but Boston can't overlook the Rangers after losing three of four in Texas during their first meeting this year.
Sale (1-0, 3.60 ERA) takes the mound after allowing two runs over five innings against the Baltimore Orioles in his first start in two years. He's expected to ramp up slowly following his elbow injury.
Sale struck out eight and threw 89 pitches against the Orioles. The ace was grateful to be back with the club, which made things easy for him with a 16-2 victory.
"It was just a special day," Sale said of the support he received from the fans and his family. "I couldn't be more appreciative."
Sale is 7-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) vs. the Rangers.
Texas, the second-worst team in the AL, has dropped 12 of 15, including an 11-inning defeat at home Thursday that sealed a three-game sweep for the Seattle Mariners -- another club nipping on Boston's heels in the playoff hunt.
The Rangers rallied for five runs -- including a game-tying three-run home run from No. 9 hitter Jason Martin -- in the ninth inning to force extra innings against the Mariners on Thursday.
"Obviously we didn't finish and we didn't end up winning that game, but there's definitely (positive) things like being down and coming back and fighting in the last couple of innings," Martin said. "It just shows that we just keep going, and that's something that we need to do throughout this year."
Right-hander Dane Dunning (5-7, 4.06) will toe the rubber for the Rangers.
Dunning will make his first career start against the Red Sox. In his last outing, he held the Athletics to two runs but lasted just 4 2/3 innings in his return from the injured list with right ankle impingement.
After Thursday's game, Texas announced assistant general manager Shiraz Rehman left the organization this week.
--Field Level Media
Rangers at Red Sox Friday, at 7:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 78° F with a 9% chance of rain and 3 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 20, 2021 2:58:24 GMT -5
Rest of Series Match Ups
Saturday....7pm....Lyles 5-10/5.55 vs E-rod 9-6/4.97
Sunday....1pm....Allard 3-10/4.88 vs Houck 0-0/3.12
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 3:13:04 GMT -5
First it was the rotation and now it’s the lineup; Red Sox have slipped since All-Star break By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated August 19, 2021, 7:50 p.m.
Alex Cora sounded like the captain of a rickety rowboat after the Red Sox were swept in a three-game series by the Yankees.
For every leak he patches, another one bubbles up.
“We haven’t clicked, obviously,” Cora said. “When we pitch, we don’t hit. When we hit, we don’t pitch. It’s a bad combination.”
It was the rotation for a few weeks and now it’s the lineup. The Sox were swept in a three-game series against the Yankees in New York, losing the finale, 5-2, on Wednesday night.
The Sox scored five runs over 23 innings and were 3 for 18 with runners in scoring position. Three of the five runs were the product of solo home runs. The Sox otherwise didn’t have an extra-base hit in the series.
It’s part of a worrisome trend. The Sox were fourth in the majors with a .761 OPS at the All-Star break and fifth with 5.10 runs per game. A potent lineup had them in first place.
They are 14th in the majors with 4.59 runs per game since the break and ninth in OPS. Take away the 30 runs the Sox scored against hapless Baltimore in three games last weekend and the Sox have averaged only 4.03 runs since the break.
All-Stars Rafael Devers (.246 with a .747 OPS) and J.D. Martinez (.265 with a .762 OPS) have dropped off significantly at the plate over the last 20 games.
“It’s what everybody sees: We’re having trouble stringing hits together,” right fielder Hunter Renfroe said. “When guys get on, [we] hit into a double play. I think that’s the deal we’ve been in. It’s a struggle.”
Renfroe sees the Sox hitters, including himself, trying too hard with runners on base. It was something that was discussed as a group before Wednesday’s loss.
“Take a walk and allow the next guy to go up there,” he said.
Renfroe blasted a long home run off Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning on Wednesday to bring the Sox within three runs. Xander Bogaerts then worked a walk before Devers swung at two pitches off the plate to fall behind 0 and 2 before grounding to first.
Martinez kept the game going with a single, which knocked Chapman out of the game. Kevin Plawecki saw nine pitches from Lucas Luetge before hitting a sharp grounder into the shortstop hole.
Plawecki was out by half a step. It ultimately didn’t pay off, but that inning may have provided a blueprint to follow.
“We need to relax and go out there and play our game,” Renfroe said. “We know that we’re good. We know that we have the guys that we need to go as far as we want to go.”
Said Cora: “To produce at this level you’ve got to keep the line moving. You’ve got to walk, and you’ve got to get deep into counts and recognize what’s going on in the game … we haven’t been able to make adjustments.”
With Tampa Bay beating Baltimore on Thursday, the Sox are now 6½ games out of first place in the American League East. Related: Scranton’s Sean Boyle no-hits Worcester Red Sox, 5-0
They had a 2½-game lead on July 28 but have lost 14 of 20 since.
The Sox are scheduled to open a six-game homestand Friday against the Texas Rangers, who are 42-79 after losing, 9-8, in 11 innings against Seattle on Thursday.
Texas is 7-24 since the All-Star break and allowed 5.61 runs per game.
“We have to show up on Friday and start putting good games together. That’s the bottom line,” Cora said. “We know where we’re at. We put ourselves in this situation.
“Regardless of what happened the last month or whatever it is, we still control our own destiny.”
Chris Sale is the scheduled starter on Friday. He allowed two runs over five innings and struck out eight without a walk in his season debut on Saturday after returning from Tommy John surgery.
“I do believe we’re getting close to who we are and the way we’re supposed to be playing,” Cora said. “The pitching staff is going to do their job. Now it’s a matter of the offense kind of like waking up, having that good feeling and getting going.
“If we can do that we’ll be in good shape.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 3:17:35 GMT -5
red sox notebook Martin Pérez and Garrett Richards come through in relief By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated August 19, 2021, 8:22 p.m.
Have you heard about the new relievers pitching well for the Red Sox?
Since being dropped from the rotation, Martín Pérez and Garrett Richards have pitched 10⅓ innings of relief and allowed one earned run on nine hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts.
Richards pitched four no-hit innings in relief against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing only a walk and striking out five.
The righthander was 6-7 with a 5.22 earned run average and 1.65 WHIP in 22 starts but has fired seven scoreless innings and struck out nine as a starter.
Richards averaged 95 miles per hour with his fastball on Wednesday and used a four-pitch mix that included an effective changeup.
Richards has 150 career stars and 61 relief appearances. He has pitched a little better as a starter over that stretch but significantly so with the Red Sox based on the small sample size.
The 33-year-old has ample motivation to pitch well down the stretch given it’s unlikely the Sox will pick up his $10 million option for 2022.
Pérez has been used more situationally by manager Alex Cora in five relief appearances. He has not worked more than one inning yet, facing 16 batters in all and retiring 10 of them.
Pérez entered Wednesday’s game in the sixth inning, replacing Richards with two outs and the bases empty. He allowed a single by Brett Gardner then struck out Andrew Velazquez.
Pérez is 21-27 with a 5.27 ERA as a starter the last four seasons. His future could be working in relief. Pérez also will be a free agent after the season assuming the Sox decline his $6 million option.
Cora said last week the Sox felt the duo could be effective in relief. They have not been tested in high-leverage situations yet but may be close to earning that opportunity.
Christian Arroyo takes steps
Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with a walk and a run scored for Triple A Worcester on Thursday. It was his second game in a rehabilitation assignment.
Arroyo started at second base against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the first game of a doubleheader and played five innings in the field.
Arroyo is 0 for 4 in two games as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain. Arroyo has been on the injured list since July 19.
Righthanded reliever Ryan Brasier threw a scoreless inning, striking out one in his fifth rehab game. Cora suggested Wednesday that Brasier was close to returning to the majors after out all season because of a series of injuries.
Brasier’s strikeout victim was former Northeastern shortstop Max Burt, who was recently promoted to Triple A. The 24-year-old North Andover native was a 28th-round pick in 2018.
Burt was 1 for 3 in Game 1. Triston Casas bringing offense to Sea Dogs
Triston Casas is 10 of 30 with three doubles in eight games for Double A Portland since returning from the Olympics with a silver medal. He was away from the Sea Dogs for 26 days while playing for Team USA. Casas has hit .280 with a .787 OPS in 54 games for Portland, which was rained out on Thursday. The game will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader on Saturday … Righthander Matt Andriese, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday, cleared waivers and was released. He is now a free agent with the Red Sox responsible for what’s left on his $2.1 million contract. Andriese had a negative-0.7 WAR … Righthanded reliever Marcus Walden, who was released from the Worcester roster on Aug. 8, was signed to a minor league contract by the Cubs. The Sox also recently released Worcester lefthander Matt Hall, who had a 7.36 ERA in 28 relief appearances. He appeared in four major-league games for the Sox last season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 8:54:14 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers preview: TV schedule, pitching probables, key stories, how to watch (Aug. 20-22) Updated: 9:21 a.m. | Published: 9:17 a.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The slumping Boston Red Sox welcome the Texas Rangers to Fenway Park for a three-game series starting Friday.
Boston has gone 6-11 during August and 9-16 since July 24 to drop from first place to third place in the AL East standings.
The Rangers enter 42-79. They are in last place in the AL West. Boston Red Sox (69-54) vs. Texas Rangers (42-79) · Fenway Park · Boston, Mass.
SERIES SCHEDULE (and TV information):
Friday. Aug. 20, 7:10 p.m. ET -- NESN
Saturday, Aug. 21, 7:10 p.m. ET -- NESN / MLB Network
Sunday, Aug. 22, 1:10 p.m. ET -- NESN
HOW TO WATCH:
Friday, August 20, 7:10 p.m. ET — NESN (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: Watch NESN Live, fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)
Saturday, August 21, 7:10 p.m. ET — NESN / MLB Network (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: Watch NESN Live, fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)
Sunday, Aug. 22, 1:10 p.m. ET — NESN (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: Watch NESN Live, fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT:
The Rangers took three of four games against Boston in Texas April 29-May 2, but they have the second worst winning percentage (.347) in the American League behind the Orioles (.317).
Texas ranks last in OPS (.657) and second-to-last in runs scored (455) in the major leagues.
The Rangers rank 18th in the big leagues in reliever ERA (4.30) and 25th in starter ERA (5.02).
They traded their best position player, Joey Gallo, and best starting pitcher, Kyle Gibson, at the trade deadline.
PITCHING PROBABLES:
Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET — LHP Chris Sale (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. RHP Dane Dunning (5-7, 4.06 ERA)
Saturday, 7:10 p.m. ET — LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (9-6, 4.97 ERA) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (5-10, 5.55 ERA)
Sunday, 1:10 p.m. ET — RHP Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.91 ERA) vs. LHP Kolby Allard (3-10, 4.88 ERA)
THREE SOX TO WATCH:
Chris Sale
Sale will make his second start of the season after returning from a lengthy Tommy John surgery rehab. He earned a victory over Baltimore on Saturday, allowing two runs, six hits and no walks in 5 innings. He struck out eight.
Kyle Schwarber
Schwarber is expected to play the outfield this weekend for the first time since returning from the injured list last week. He has started four games at DH for Boston, going 4-for-11 (.364) with two doubles.
J.D. Martinez
Martinez has a .268/.311/.482/.793 line with five homers and nine doubles in 29 games (119 plate appearances) during the second half compared to a .299/.371/.556/.926 line with 18 homers, 23 doubles and three triples in 84 games (367 plate appearances) during the first half.
SERIES NOTES:
Alex Verdugo is 16-for-45 (.356) with a .423 on-base percentage, .511 slugging percentage, .934 OPS, four doubles and one homer in 13 games during August. Rangers’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa is 4-for-10 with a homer and walk against Eduardo Rodriguez, who starts Saturday. Former Red Sox Brock Holt plays for the Rangers. He has a .203/.285/.294/.579 line with two homers, 12 doubles, 17 RBIs and 19 runs in 65 games (221 plate appearances) this season. Holt is 5-for-14 (.357) with three RBIs and a walk against Nathan Eovaldi who starts Sunday. Red Sox starters have posted a 3.17 ERA (59 ⅔ innings, 21 earned runs) in their past 12 games. Xander Bogaerts has a .785 OPS in 29 games (117 plate appearances) during the second half compared to a .930 OPS in 85 games (361 plate appearances) during the first half. Eduardo Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA and .206 batting average against during the second half. He went 6-5 with a 5.52 ERA and .284 batting average in 17 starts during the first half. His 3.34 FIP suggests he has pitched better than his 4.97 ERA this season indicates.
UP NEXT:
Mon. 8/24 - Wed. 8/26 -- vs. Twins (3)
Fri. 8/27 - Sun. 8/29 -- @ Indians (3)
Mon. 8/30 - Thu. 9/2 -- @ Rays (4)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 13:23:41 GMT -5
Red Sox vs. Rangers Series Preview 1 comment By HPJoker Aug 20, 2021, 1:30pm EDT
Lone Star Ball The opponent in one sentence
A team lost in the wilderness since 2016, Texas sold hard at the deadline and appear to be heading towards another rebuild cycle. Record
42-79 Head-to-Head Record
Red Sox 1, Rangers 3 Trend
Down. This team is 7-24 since the All-Star break, which is somehow worse than the Orioles! Pitching Matchups
8/20: Dane Dunning vs. Chris Sale, 7:10 PM ET (MLB Network for out-of-market)
Dunning is a fun, effective pitcher. Traded by the White Sox for Lance Lynn last offseason, he features a 90 mph sinker, a slider, and a changeup. He throws the sinker over half the time and relies on weak contact, something he’s gotten a lot of but is either lacking the gloves behind him or the proper positioning because he’s running a .336 batting average on balls in play.
Sale looked excellent save for two pitches in his debut. Sale threw way more four seamers than he has in the past and leaned on his changeup more than his slider, a departure from the rest of his career where his slider was his top secondary, and in 2019, his most frequent pitch.
8/21: Jordan Lyles vs. Eduardo Rodriguez, 7:10 PM ET (MLB Network for out-of-network)
The deceptively young Jordan Lyles has been a bad pitcher for virtually his entire career, save for 2019 when he posted his only ERA+ over 100. He’s been bad for Texas this year too. He leads baseball in hits allowed and earned runs and is only behind teammate Mike Foltynewicz in home runs allowed. This should be a guy the Sox rock for six runs.
FIP and DRA based metrics say that Rodriguez is having one of the best years of his career. I hate doing this on principle, but the difference between E-Rod’s FIP and ERA are by far the largest in the league with well over a 1.5 run separation. His DRA and ERA are separated by exactly a run, he’s striking out more dudes than ever before while walking less people than he ever has since his rookie season, all while keeping his exit velocities down. He’s seen his ERA plummet since July, so maybe luck is catching up to him and he can finish the year with a respectable ERA.
8/22: Kolby Allard vs. Nathan Eovaldi, 1:10 PM ET
Allard, a former Braves first round pick, has found the elite control he possessed in the minors, but he’s at the bottom of the league in whiff rate and chase rate. He lacks any sort of swing and miss offering, so he’s prone to giving up hard contact.
Eovaldi wasn’t going to keep balls in the park forever with the way he pitches, which is fine. He’s had a good year and is still leading baseball in HR/9 despite giving up six home runs in his last four starts. There are guys in this lineup that can take him yard like Garcia and Peters, but this lineup has more holes in it than an episode of Monday Night Raw so Eovaldi should fare pretty easily. The Rangers team he ran through in April was considerably stronger than this and he threw 6 innings of one-run ball that night. On the other hand, it’s remarkable that Eovaldi has remained healthy the entire season. The only blemish this rotation has had all year long was Rodriguez’s injury to begin the year. A remarkable achievement for a rotation that had BIG injuries questions at the start of the season. Old Friends
Brock Holt’s been bad since he left Boston. He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers last off-season and has hit .202/.282/.295 in limited time.
Notable Position Players
Isiah Kiner-Falefa has gone from a utility man who donned the tools of ignorance to everyday shortstop, a conversion I can’t recall ever happening off the top of my head. He provides his value on the defensive side of the ball, as he has an OBP below .300 and slugs below .370.
Yonny Hernandez has some of the weakest power in all of professional baseball. In 1,952 plate appearances, he’s knocked 4 home runs. It’s a weird profile. A slap and dash hitter with high walk rates. This is his first turn through the league as he made his debut on August 5th.
Adolis García is the lone bright spot left on this offense. García scorches the ball, but the strikeout to walk numbers are atrocious and the average isn’t high enough to support a good OBP. He’s going to easily clear 30 home runs this year, though and if you do that you have to try really hard in other areas to be a bad player.
Nate Lowe gets on base a fair bit, but a first baseman can’t have a slugging percentage that begins with a “3”.
Andy Ibáñez was a glove-first seven-figure IFA signing in 2015. He finally debuted this year at the age of 28 and has been putrid with the stick, hitting .213/.257/.354
Jonah Heim was traded to the Rangers last February with Khris Davis and Dane Acker for Elvis Andrus and Aramis Garcia. Neither he nor his battery mate Jose Trevino can hit, but they are an excellent framing duo.
Jason Martin was a part of the package the Astros sent to the Pirates for Gerrit Cole. He washed out in Pittsburgh and signed with the Rangers last offseason. After raking in AAA to begin the year, he has struggled mightily to hit big league pitching.
Yohel Pozo skipped AA entirely and started the year in AAA Round Rock, hitting .336/.350/.608. He made his Major League debut last week and has been DH’ing. His primary position is that of catcher.
DJ Peters was claimed off waivers at the beginning of the month after the Los Angeles Dodgers designated him for assignment. He’s hit badly in the 15 games since joining the team, but he’s got plenty of raw power. Bullpen Snapshot
Joe Barlow is the Rangers new closer after dealing Ian Kennedy. His Major League career has gotten off to a stellar start, but he did hit a road bump yesterday against the Mariners, giving up a home run in two innings of work. He’s a 95 and a slider guy, but both pitches are good. T-Shirt Collection
Take a look at the entire shirt collection from our friends over at BreakingT, including the latest one pictured above.
Spencer Patton spent the last four seasons in Japan pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars after bouncing around the bigs from 2014-2016 and is doing alright for himself. He possesses a low-mid 90’s fastball, a slider, and an occasional splitter.
Brett Martin is a left-handed reliever who doesn’t strike anybody out and has a remarkably balanced pitch mix. He throws his sinker, slider, four-seam, and curveball over 20% of the time. Injuries
Ronald Guzmán underwent surgery on his right knee for a torn meniscus back in April and will return in 2022.
Willie Calhoun underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his left ulna back in late June. He was moved to the 60-day IL on August 5th, but there remains hope that he could return before the end of the season.
Eli White went on the 10-day IL on August 5th with a right elbow strain. There is no time table for his return.
Kohei Arihara had surgery to repair an aneurysm in his right shoulder back in late May. He threw a simulated game on Tuesday and could start a rehab assignment next week.
Kyle Cody has been on the IL since April with a shoulder impingement. The last word from late-July was that he was shooting for a September return, but he hasn’t started throwing.
Matt Bush suffered a right flexor strain back in April and was originally slated to be out for 12 weeks. He hasn’t thrown a pitch since and his timetable for a return is unknown.
Jonathan Hernández had Tommy John surgery in April. He’s out for the remainder of the year.
John King went on the 10-day IL with shoulder inflammation back on July 9th. He’s expected to return before the end of the month.
José Leclerc underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of March and will miss the rest of the season.
Hunter Wood went on the 10-day IL with a mild UCL sprain that later required surgery. He will miss the next 8-14 months. Weather Forecast
It’s going to be a wet weekend at Fenway, but they might actually be able to escape with all three games played. Friday looks good, and while there is rain in the forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, there’s a chance there will be clear windows during the scheduled game times.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:00:55 GMT -5
Game 124: Rangers at Red Sox lineups and pregame notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated August 20, 2021, 9:43 a.m. The Red Sox, having dropped 14 of 20 games — including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees — return home to Fenway Park for a three-game series with Texas. In that 20-game span, the Sox have gone from first place in the AL East and a 2½ game lead, to third place and 6½ games back. Here are the standings. Last weekend the Red Sox briefly regained their winning ways by sweeping a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles, owners of the worst record in baseball. This weekend, they’ll look to right the ship against a Rangers team that has the second-worst record in the American League. Chris Sale will be making his second start after returning from Tommy John surgery, while Kyle Schwarber is expected to see time in left field. Lineups RANGERS (42-79): 1. Brock Holt (L) 3B 2. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) SS 3. Adolis Garcia (R) RF 4. DJ Peters (R) CF 5. Jonah Heim (S) C 6. Yohel Pozo (R) DH 7. Yonny Hernandez (S) 2B 8. Jason Martin (L) LF 9. Andy Ibanez (R) 1B Pitching: RHP Dane Dunning (5-7, 4.06 ERA) RED SOX (69-54): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. Kyle Schwarber (L) DH 5. J.D. Martinez (R) LF 6. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 7. Christian Vazquez (R) C 8. Jarren Duran (L) CF 9. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B Pitching: LHP Chris Sale (1-0, 3.60 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Rangers vs. Sale: Charlie Culberson 1-2, Brock Holt 1-11, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 0-2 Red Sox vs. Dunning: Kyle Schwarber 0-1 Stat of the day: In 32 games since the All-Star break, the Red Sox have scored three runs or fewer 15 times. Notes: The Sox scored five runs over 23 innings and were 3 for 18 with runners in scoring position while getting swept by the Yankees. … Sale is 7-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) vs. the Rangers. He struck out eight and threw 89 pitches through five innings against the Orioles. … The Rangers have dropped 12 of their last 15 games. … Dunning is making his first career start against the Red Sox. Song of the Day" Queen "Keep Yourself Alive"www.youtube.com/watch?v=JofwEB9g1zg
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:02:35 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 12m Make or break time for the Sox. Hopefully the players show up tonight with their heads out of their asses and are done with this underperformance. Need a solid Sale and the training wheels off Schwarber. Bat him at the top of the lineup and go with the best 9 until it clicks.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:09:26 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 37m Per @juniorpepen , Kyle Schwarber and Danny Santana were both working out at first base in Boston earlier this afternoon. #RedSox
Joe McDonald @joeymachockey · 40m Christian Arroyo working out at first base today at Polar Park.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:29:08 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 1m Alex Cora said the fact Christian Arroyo stole a base yesterday is a good sign.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:30:21 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 27s Cora suggested earlier this week that Schwarber could play the field today. But now it seems to be Sunday at the earliest.
Tonight will be 5 straight games in the OF for Martinez (albeit with 2 days off). They're playing with a little fire there. He hasn't done that in 2 years.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:37:36 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6m Cora on the standings -- 'Whoever said they don't look at the scoreboard, with all due respect to them, they're lying.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'Nobody here is going to feel sorry for themselves. We're going to keep pushing. We have a good baseball team.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'We've been chasing pitches for a while now. That's probably who we are. We added some at-bats (Schwarber) to hopefully help fix that.' #RedSox
Cora on Jarren Duran -- 'This is a tough league. This is not an easy league. You guys know what Joey says about #MLB -- this is MLB. It's not Four-A.'
'There are some things we want him to work on and some things we want him to add to his game. Today we were out there bunting.'
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:38:54 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5m Cora on his off day -- 'Yesterday I had to throw batting practice to (his twin) boys, and they raked.' #RedSox
Alex Cora joining us on Zoom. He said the Sunday game against the Rangers is still on despite Henri moving up the East Coast. Decision could be made later. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:42:03 GMT -5
The soon to be hurricane Henri seems to be on track to head right over the Gulf of Maine and on track between south Nova Scotia and into New Brunswick....we are gonna get rain..but will take it.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2021 14:43:52 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 18m Cora said he expects Kyle Schwarber to play the field at some point soon -- possibly this weekend.
'At some point we have to do it.'
On Schwarber playing first base -- 'He's going to learn playing the position.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'We been pitching since that bad inning in Toronto. I think we've done a good job.'
Cora alludes to some struggles in the bullpen, but said 'we're very comfortable right now.' #RedSox
Cora -- 'We've been chasing pitches for a while now. That's probably who we are. We added some at-bats (Schwarber) to hopefully help fix that.' #RedSox
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