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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 3:24:25 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 5h Meanwhile mass.gov has hurricane safety tips and the Sox remain scheduled to play at 1:10 p.m. tomorrow.www.mass.gov/
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 3:25:42 GMT -5
Are Red Sox starting to feel the pressure? Current Time 0:04 / Duration 8:46
By Ryan Hannable 5 hours ago
On July 31, the day following MLB’s Trade Deadline, the Red Sox were 63-43 and half a game behind the Rays in the AL East, but had a seven-game lead over the Yankees.
Going into Saturday, the Red Sox were 70-54, 5.5 games behind the Rays in the division and now 1.5 games behind the Yankees.
Clearly, things are going in the wrong direction and based on how Saturday’s game against the Rangers went, it seems the Red Sox could be starting to feel the heat.
The Red Sox lost 10-1 and are now 6.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East and if the playoffs began today they would be on the outside looking in.
In the loss the team had a few mental lapses, which could be a sign they are feeling the pressure of a historic collapse.
“Embarrassing is the word," manager Alex Cora said to reporters after the game. "It starts from me. Five errors, we didn’t run the bases well, we didn’t put good at-bats, we didn’t pitch. I think in this thing, it’s a team effort. It starts with us, with the coaches, to keep coaching and we’ve been playing sloppy ball for a while. They keep doing it. At one point, we’ve got to be accountable too. That was embarrassing today. It’s not acceptable. For a team that is fighting for the playoffs, to show up like that and play like that -- it doesn’t matter if you win or lose a game, it’s how you win or lose the game. That’s not acceptable.”
On top of committing a season-high five errors as a team, Christian Vazquez should have tagged a runner out at the plate on a good throw from Alex Verdugo, but made a lazy tag and also should have easily blocked an Eduardo Rodriguez wild pitch.
It wasn’t just Vazquez who had a tough night.
Kiké Hernández was doubled up at first base following center fielder DJ Peters making a nice catch up against the wall. J.D. Martinez was thrown out at the plate trying to score in the second inning. And facing a Rangers team that was 1-16 and hitting .162 in 17 road games since the All-Star break, Rodriguez only lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. He also badly misplayed a Brock Holt dribbler that led to three Rangers runs with two outs.
Lastly, facing Jordan Lyles, who entered with a 5.55 ERA in 24 appearances (23 starts) this season, the Red Sox offense managed just one run and five hits against him in seven innings.
All of these things seem to be associated with a team feeling some pressure and are not things that typically happen to a good team.
Cora did say this isn't the case.
"That’s not feeling the pressure," he said. "That’s just playing bad baseball, you know, it’s not the pressure. We played a good baseball game yesterday and today was awful. That was a bad game.”
Regardless, the Red Sox are quickly running out of time to get things back on track.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 3:29:19 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Alex Cora: ‘That was embarrassing today. It’s not acceptable’ Updated: 12:05 a.m. | Published: 11:49 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox made a season-high five errors, ran into two outs on the bases and scored one run against starting pitcher Jordan Lyles who has a 5.33 ERA.
Boston also gave up 17 hits to a Rangers offense that entered with a .162 batting average, .222 on-base percentage, .262 slugging percentage, .484 OPS and 1.7 runs per game in 17 road games since the All-Star break.
“That was embarrassing today,” manager Alex Cora said after the Red Sox lost 10-1 to Texas here at Fenway Park on Saturday.
“It’s not acceptable,” Cora added. “For a team that is fighting for the playoffs, to show up like that and play like that. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose the game — it’s how you win or lose the game and that’s not acceptable.”
The Rangers improved to just 2-16 on the road since the All-Star break. They have the third worst winning percentage (.350) in the majors. They entered Saturday with a 14-46 record (.233 winning percentage) on the road.
“Embarrassing is the word,” Cora said. “And it starts from me. Five errors. We didn’t run the bases well. We didn’t put good at-bats. We didn’t pitch. In this thing, it’s a team effort. It starts with us, with the coaches — to keep coaching. We’ve been playing sloppy ball for a while. And they keep doing it. So at one point, we’ve got to be accountable, too.”
The Rangers offense — which has been shut out an AL-leading 12 times — knocked out Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez after 3 ⅔ innings.
“There’s not much to talk about him,” Cora said when asked about Rodriguez. “You saw what happened. Wasn’t able to put people away. And he didn’t give us enough innings for us to win the game.”
Cora was short with his words about Rodriguez just six days after he and the lefty had a lengthy exchange in the dugout following the top of the sixth. Rodriguez felt he was being pulled too early in his start last Sunday vs. the Orioles and let Cora know it.
Rodriguez allowed five runs, all earned, eight hits and one walk while striking three here Saturday. His failure to field a slow ground ball back to the mound led to Texas scoring three runs with two outs in the fourth.
Brock Holt hit a 67.1 mph ground ball that deflected off Rodriguez and rolled slowly to second baseman Kiké Hernández’s left. Andy Ibáñez scored from second base to make it 3-1 Rangers.
“We’re not in the business of trying to make plays,” Cora said when asked about the grounder Rodriguez missed. “We have to make plays. And we haven’t been making plays for a while. So we have a job to do. We have to play better. Today we didn’t play good. We deserve what happened today on the field.”
Holt made it all the way to third base on the play because of a throwing error by Hernández.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa two-out double put the Rangers ahead 4-1.
Texas went ahead 5-1 when Xander Bogaerts made an errant throw to first base after fielding a ball to his right.
Cora said the Red Sox need to continue to work on fundamentals, which they have been doing before games. The pitchers took fielding practice before Saturday’s game. The hitters also have been working on bunting.
“We’re bunting early. We’re working on defense,” Cora said. “We’re not going to stop. We’re a group that we take care of the players physically. And we do that. But we’ve got to keep pushing. Base running, defense, bunting, situational hitting. We’ve got to keep pushing. They’re good. They’re very talented. Don’t get me wrong. We have a good baseball team. But at the same time, we’ve got to keep working hard at it. And if we have to do more, we’ll do more.”
J.D. Martinez got thrown out by a couple feet trying to score to end the third inning.
The base running mistakes continued in the fourth. Rafael Devers blasted a 389-foot fly ball that Rangers center fielder DJ Peters caught against the wall. Peters then threw a one-hopper to first base to double off Hernández.
“It’s hard to watch,” Cora said. “It’s hard on us. I hate the way we play today. I hate it. That’s the bottom line. I know a lot of people praise me because I pay attention to details and all that stuff. Well, that’s not attention to detail. That’s not good, sound baseball. It starts with leadership. I’m the manager of this team. So I’m accountable.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 3:30:59 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 6h Schwarber must be like, "this suuuuuucks."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 3:57:59 GMT -5
The Death Spiral rolls on Rangers @ Red Sox Sunday 22nd 1pm @ Fenway
Allard 3-10/4.88
Kolby Allard allowed three runs on seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-4 win over the A's on Sunday. Allard completed his third consecutive quality start on Sunday, holding the A's to three runs over 6 1/3. Matt Chapman took Allard deep for a solo homer in the second inning. He completed three more scoreless innings before Mark Canha added a run with a solo shot in the sixth. Allard started the seventh, but was relieved after giving up a pair of singles with one out. One of the inherited runs would come in to score, but the Rangers held on to give Allard his third win of the season.
Eovaldi 10-8/3.91
Eovaldi allowed two runs over five innings Tuesday to take a loss to the Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader. Eovaldi did his part, but run support has been an awfully inconsistent thing for him lately. It's his first loss in five starts against the Yankees this season. He's given up a total of eight runs -- seven earned -- over 31 1/3 innings in those games.
Weather a concern for a Rangers-Red Sox series finale According to STATS
The Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers will have to contend with the weather before doing battle on the field to determine a winner in the finale of their three-game weekend series on Sunday at Fenway Park.
With hurricane warnings issued ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Henri -- which is projected to make landfall in the New England area on Sunday -- there is a significant chance that the scheduled matinee will be postponed.
"As of now, I'm not sure (if we'll play). I don't know where we're at, but obviously the chances are very slim," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday about the prospects of getting Sunday's game in on time.
Both the Rangers and Red Sox have a mutual off-day on Monday as a possible make-up date.
If the teams do play Sunday, the Rangers will be looking to maintain their momentum after knotting the series with a 10-1 rout of the Red Sox on Saturday. Boston had opened the series with a 6-0 victory the day before.
"That was one of our better games on all sides of the ball," Texas manager Chris Woodward said. "I thought from the at-bat quality, it was way better. You could see the grind; you could see the fight."
Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.91 ERA) is set to take the mound opposite Rangers left-hander Kolby Allard (3-10, 4.88 ERA) in the finale.
Eovaldi aims to bounce back from a hard-luck loss versus his former team in a 2-0 defeat at the New York Yankees last Tuesday.
The veteran right-hander permitted only two runs over five innings while allowing seven hits, walking one and striking out six. The loss was his third in four starts, and Eovaldi has won just once in his last seven starts.
Eovaldi has faced the Rangers once already this season, tossing six innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 victory on April 30 in Arlington, Texas. He allowed four hits and a pair of walks while striking out five.
Overall, Eovaldi is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA in three career starts against Texas. Former Red Sox utility man Brock Holt has five of the current Rangers' batters seven hits against Eovaldi, going 5-for-14 with three RBIs against him.
Allard looks to build on his last start last Sunday against Oakland when he snapped a 10-start winless spell dating back to June 12.
The 24-year-old southpaw tossed a season-high 6 1/3 innings while allowing three runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts in a 7-4 win over the Athletics.
Despite going winless in two prior starts, Allard has shown exceptional control in his recent outings. Allard has not walked a batter in a span of 18 1/3 innings over his last three starts while pitching to a 3.44 ERA.
Allard has faced the Red Sox only once before in his career in 2019. The then-second-year hurler surrendered five runs on six hits with a walk and one strikeout in a three-inning outing. Boston catcher Christian Vazquez went 1-for-2 with a tiebreaking two-run home run against Allard in the contest.
--Field Level Media
Rangers at Red Sox Sunday, at 1:10 PM EST Rainy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 66° F with a 54% chance of rain and 20 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 1:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io 2:10 PM rain 49% Rain 67° W 20 mph In 3:10 PM rain 42% Rain 67° W 20 mph In 4:10 PM rain 39% Rain 67° W 20 mph In
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 6:09:11 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 2h On this the 82d birthday of the man who played The Wall better than anyone ever--Carl Yastrzemski--the Red Sox have the worst Defensive Efficiency in the major leagues. By far. Baltimore is on the horizon, at 29, Franchy Cordero is in Worcester.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 8:00:17 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 10m #Rangers - #RedSox ppd. today. Now scheduled for 1:10 tomorrow.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 22, 2021 8:31:06 GMT -5
Cora: Red Sox's effort 'embarrassing' E-Rod chased in 4th inning; Boston commits season-high 5 errors1:35 AM ADT Ian Browne Ian Browne @ianmbrowne BOSTON -- “E” didn’t just stand for errors on a Saturday night in which the reeling Red Sox made five of them in an ugly 10-1 loss to the Rangers. “Embarrassing is the word,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It starts from me. Five errors. We didn’t run the bases well, we didn’t put good at-bats [together], we didn’t pitch. I think in this thing, it’s a team effort. It starts with us, with the coaches, to keep coaching, and we’ve been playing sloppy ball for a while. They keep doing it. At one point, we’ve got to be accountable too.” That was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
The pitching was awful. But honestly, I'm more upset with the offense.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 22, 2021 8:33:55 GMT -5
Matthew Kory @mattymatty2000 · 5h I'm not in Boston but it seems to me since coming back Alex Cora has had a pretty smooth ride. I wonder if that starts to change because it doesn't speak well of any manager to have their team perform as the Red Sox did tonight.
Jon Couture @joncouture · 3h It does remind of how he spent the latter half of 2019 basically just saying, "We'll be fine" repeatedly until the season ended. I'm a huge Cora fan and have often credited Cora for how well the team was playing the first half of the season. Things are tough right now, to say the least, but this when a great manager has to show he's a great manager. If the team continues to free fall, a lot of this falls on Cora.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 12:32:26 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 7m Watched that Sox game this morning. That Vazquez tag at the dish was just lazy and inexcusable. Obviously, he isn’t the only one and that’s the problem. Hustle and focus are FREE for everyone at ANY level.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 14:01:15 GMT -5
Matt Walsh @tylerguinness · 1h Replying to @loumerloni So what happened at the trade deadline that made the players turn off?
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 1h I’m pissed they didn’t do enough at the deadline, but Sale is back…Schwarber is in the lineup. This is like excusing Cam Newton’s play week 16 because he got Covid week 3.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 14:01:59 GMT -5
Dave Lyle @massholeman · 1h Replying to @loumerloni Isn’t that on the manager?
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 1h That’s why he was so pissed after that game. It reflects poorly on him
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 19:00:53 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 4h Nate Eovaldi starts for the Red Sox on Monday. Hearing that Tanner Houck will come back from AAA for Tuesday's game.
That would give Pivetta, Sale and Rodriguez an extra day of rest this turn. Sox are scheduled to play 17 days in a row starting Monday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 22, 2021 19:36:43 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h Wild read on defense here.
The team defensive efficiency going from 12th to 26th to 29th to now 30th this year is ridiculous and I wouldn't be shocked if there is a jarring move made to upgrade it this winter.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 3:00:56 GMT -5
Saturday’s debacle flashpoint of glaring Red Sox issue: Defense By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated August 22, 2021, 6:56 p.m.
It was an indefensible performance by a Red Sox defense that represents an increasingly glaring liability.
On Saturday night, the Red Sox suffered a 10-1 loss to the Rangers — the worst offense in baseball — in which they were charged with five errors, the team’s most in a single game since 2017. Yet even those five errors and two unearned runs understated how badly the team played in the field.
Yes, there were the throwing errors by Xander Bogaerts and Kiké Hernández, a muffed attempt by Rafael Devers to transfer the ball from his glove to his throwing hand, an errant pickoff attempt by reliever Hansel Robles, and a Hunter Renfroe overrun of a single down the right field line.
But there was also an almost comically slow roller (expected batting average: .120) that snuck through a shift for a run-scoring single; the even slower comebacker (expected batting average: .060) that bounced off the back heel of Eduardo Rodriguez for a run-scoring hit; and a slow-motion tag attempt by catcher Christian Vázquez that allowed Yohel Pozo, one of the slowest runners in baseball, to score.
Rodriguez also failed to cover first on a bouncer to the right side, resulting in a gift hit. The range limitations of Bogaerts and leftfielder J.D. Martinez were both exposed when a liner up the middle not only got past the shortstop’s outstretched glove, but rolled all the way to the Wall.
Bad Red Sox defense contributed to eight Rangers runs. Texas put 38 balls in play. The expected batting average on those 38 balls in play — based on the exit velocity and launch angle off the bat — was .236, according to BaseballSavant.com, meaning you’d expect roughly 29 outs and nine hits as a normal outcome. Instead, the Rangers reached base 18 times on those 38 balls in play — a shocking .474 rate that resulted in the sloppiest Red Sox game in recent memory.
“Awful.” “Unacceptable.” “Embarrassing.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora was unsparing in his postgame assessment. Still, even good teams endure a game like that one. Stuff happens that can make any team look like Little Leaguers on a given night.
But for the Red Sox, Saturday’s performance was not concerning so much for a single unwatchable game as for what it said about the bigger defensive picture.
According to Statcast data, based on the type of contact they’ve permitted, Red Sox pitchers this year have an expected batting average against of .242. But the team has yielded an actual average of .261 — a 19-point discrepancy that is the worst in the majors.
Playing in Fenway Park and the other hitter-friendly environments of the American League East makes it inevitable that the Sox will see more balls in play turn into hits than other teams. But the Sox have seen the pattern worsen in the second half (.230 expected average, .259 actual average), suggesting that more is in play than just the cozy dimensions of their home ballpark.
“We’re not in the business of trying to make plays. We have to make plays,” said Cora. “We haven’t been making plays for a while.”
There are several culprits:
▪ Across multiple publicly available metrics (Defensive Runs Saved, UZR, Outs Above Average), Hernández was an elite center fielder in the first half. His primary replacement in center since the All-Star break, Jarren Duran, has graded as average (OAA) to below average (DRS, UZR).
▪ At second, Christian Arroyo graded as average (OAA) to above average (DRS, UZR) in the first half. Hernández — the team’s primary second baseman since the All-Star break — has graded as significantly below average across metrics.
▪ The team has been the worst in the big leagues at turning groundballs into outs this season. The Sox have allowed a .275 batting average on ground balls. No other team has been worse than .263. Likewise, the 29-point disparity between the expected average on grounders (.246) and the actual average is the worst in the game. Bogaerts and first baseman Bobby Dalbec both have graded as having well below-average range at their positions, resulting in considerable inefficiency at turning grounders into outs. That disparity has grown to 41 points (.274 actual average, .233 expected average) since the All-Star break. The expectation that Hernández — viewed as a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman entering the season — would stabilize the infield defense has proven confoundingly unfounded.
▪ Despite their struggles on grounders throughout the season, the Sox managed to limit damage by turning 77 double plays (tied for second most in MLB) in the first half. Since the break, the team has turned just 16, tied for fourth-fewest in the majors.
▪ In recent days, in order to accommodate the addition of Kyle Schwarber to the lineup, the Red Sox have used Martinez as a corner outfielder. Whereas the first half alignment of Hernández in center and Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe in the corners excelled, the trio of Martinez, Renfroe, and either Verdugo or Duran in center has been a recipe for a lot of balls in play finding the lawn. In six days since Martinez went to the outfield, the Sox have allowed a .377 average on balls in play.
The appeal of acquiring a first baseman like Anthony Rizzo prior to the trade deadline was not just in his potential offensive upgrade, but also in the defensive improvement he offered at first base. The Sox instead acquired a player limited thus far to DH, thus forcing them to move a player best suited for DH (Martinez) into the field, and weakening their overall run prevention.
It would be misguided to peg the team’s poor second half (15-19) solely or even primarily on the defense. The Red Sox offense has sputtered since the All-Star break, scoring two runs or fewer 13 times and going 1-12 in those contests. It would be hard to identify defense as the cause of defeat. Still, the lineup’s slide has left the team with a diminished margin for error(s).
Instead of improving, the Red Sox have taken a drastic turn for the worse in the field.
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