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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 16:34:08 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 34m Red Sox less awful than Rangers, 8-4 (11).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 16:41:34 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 25m Eovaldi says Sox had a pregame players meeting.
Shaw talked with gratitude about appreciating ‘moments that surprise you,’ characterizing the grand slam as one of those.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 16:42:45 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 38m "Huge. Huge hit." -- Cora, on the grand slam by Travis Shaw that ended the game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 16:45:11 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 42m Big swing from Travis Shaw. Rafael Devers tied it in the 10th and came a few feet from walking it off on his own.
Garrett Whitlock, man. #RedSox were lulled into a false sense of security until the 9th. His performance was the cold water to the face they needed to pull through.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 16:52:13 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 25m #RedSox Manager Alex Cora on Nathan Eovaldi: "He was amazing. He did an amazing job. Got the ball [game] to where we wanted to. We weren't able to finish it. Garrett [Whitlock] came in and did an amazing job…Gave us a chance to win the ballgame."
#RedSox Manager Cora on Garrett Whitlock: "He's still a rookie in this league, though he doesn't act like it. Today, in that situation, he did what he usually does…He never panicked."
#RedSox Manager Cora on Rafael Devers: "I've been saying all along, I'll take my chances with those guys in the middle of the line-up…They're good hitters. They're going through a tough stretch, but…we take our chances with them…we like what they do."
#RedSox Manager Cora: "We just won a series, right? Which is very important…It's not about winning 33-in-a-row, or whatever. If we win series from now on, we'll be in a great spot…That's what we did early in the season and we haven't done that in a while."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 16:54:01 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 19m #RedSox Nathan Eovaldi: "I felt good. Getting the extra day helped out a lot…[Kevin Plawecki] and I were on the same page from the get-go…he did a great job behind the plate today."
#RedSox Eovaldi on Garrett Whitlock: "Can't say enough about him. He's been unbelievable for us all year. He had a bad outing last night, and he was able to turn the page real quick. And that's one of the toughest things to do, especially as a young player…amazing job."
#RedSox Nathan Eovaldi confirms a players-only meeting occurred earlier today: "We had a meeting, talked about it. That stuff stays in the clubhouse. I think it helps us out. We were able to get some things off our chest. Get the job done today."
#RedSox Alex Verdugo: "It's tough to give up the lead in the 9th, obviously, but the boys showed the reliance. Didn't stop, kept going…and Travis Shaw, doing what he's doing, coming up huge with that grand slam."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 23, 2021 17:06:23 GMT -5
@jmastrodonato Matt Barnes has a 7.84 ERA with five saves, two blown saves and three losses since the Red Sox signed him to a two-year contract extension on July 11.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 1:59:48 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 10h If Barnes can no longer protect two-run leads against 43-80 teams, I'm just not sure where you go from here.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 2:10:55 GMT -5
Welcome back Travis! Shaw slams walk-off 11th-inning blast follows clutch moments from Devers, Whitlock in much-needed win August 23rd, 2021 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- The losses and the frustration had been piling up for the Red Sox of late, and those troubles threatened to mount again on Monday afternoon.
This time, a slumping team took action to reverse its fate.
Travis Shaw emphatically welcomed himself back to Boston and the Red Sox – his original franchise -- with a walk-off grand slam at Fenway Park to seal an 8-4 victory in 11 innings over the Rangers.
But it became possible when Garrett Whitlock did a brilliant job in relief (2 2/3 innings, one hit, one unearned run, no walks, four strikeouts) after Matt Barnes suffered his sixth blown save of the season.
And it became even more possible -- perhaps even probable -- when Rafael Devers swatted a game-tying 414-foot double with the Red Sox one strike away from defeat in the bottom of the 10th.
“Yeah, that’s a big hit by Raffy,” said Shaw. “He falls behind in the count right there. The guy is on first, too, so you’ve got to drive it in the gap for him to score on one hit, and he was able to do that. I’m pretty sure that’s a homer in 28 or 29 other ballparks. The game could have ended there, but the uniqueness of Fenway, it’s a double, but big spot right there, down in the count, two outs, and we needed it.”
Perhaps the stage was set before the game when veterans Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale spoke during an impassioned team meeting.
“We’re going to keep that in-house for the most part, but the biggest thing to come from it was just that we want to play energized,” said Alex Verdugo, who provided early energy with a two-run homer. “That’s it. It doesn’t matter if something good is happening, bad is happening. It feels good to hear that.
“When you’re in the box and hear your guys cheering you on from the dugout, it makes a hitter lock in a little bit more. Some people think that’s what Little Leaguers do. Well, that’s what brings energy. That’s what gets you going.”
Verdugo made sure that Devers heard him just before the slugging third baseman -- who is having a tremendous season but a tough August -- unloaded for his equalizing knock to the triangle in right-center that got Fenway roaring as Bogaerts scored all the way from first.
“And then Devers going down 0-2, kind of just yelling from the dugout, yelling at him, ‘Win this pitch. Win this pitch. Whatever happened was in the past. Learn from it, flush it, go forward, and just win that next pitch.’ That’s exactly what he did,” said Verdugo. “He drove it [almost] 415 feet. It’s great to see.”
After a clean 11th by Whitlock, Christian Vázquez bunted automatic runner Hunter Renfroe to third, and the Rangers made an error on the play, allowing Vázquez to reach with nobody out.
Texas manager Chris Woodward then issued an intentional walk to Verdugo, putting the game in the hands of Shaw, who had gone 0-for-5 while being used sparingly in his first week back with the Red Sox.
With the count full, Shaw got a 97 mph sinker from Dennis Santana and destroyed it, sending it over the Boston bullpen and into the bleachers for a game-ending slam that traveled a projected 423 feet.
“Huge. Huge hit. He worked the count. He's a guy that we know he can put a good at-bat together,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Usually he doesn't expand, and that was a huge swing for us.”
For Shaw, it was one sweet trot around the bases for his first Fenway homer since July 24, 2016.
“Yeah, it’s special. Anytime you get DFA’d and a team claims you and gives you a second life, it means a lot to get claimed,” said Shaw. “It shows that there’s still a role for you, whatever role that is down the stretch. Just looking to kind of help out. Good start today. Good first hit back. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It didn’t seem like the Red Sox were going to need all those late-game heroics when Nathan Eovaldi departed after seven masterful innings (four hits, one unearned run, no walks, seven strikeouts) with a 3-1 lead.
However, Barnes (15.19 ERA in August) couldn’t hold that lead in the ninth.
The Red Sox got some measure of momentum back when Whitlock came into a mess -- runners on second and third and one out -- and kept the game tied.
The Rangers took their first lead in the 10th on Nathaniel Lowe’s single through the shortstop hole that scored the automatic runner from second. The Red Sox had a counterpunch from Devers and a knockout blow by Shaw.
Though the Red Sox, who are 8-15 since July 29, trail the first-place Rays by 6 1/2 games in the American League East, they are right there in the AL Wild Card hunt, in possession of the second spot by one game over Oakland after Monday's slate.
“Today just felt good,” said Verdugo. “Obviously it sucked to give up the lead, but to fight back, chip back, to have, when it felt like the guys’ demeanors, the attitude, the quality of at-bats, it felt like none of that deteriorated. None of that went downhill.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 2:31:57 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 9h The Red Sox had a players-only meeting before the game. The emphasis of that meeting? Alex Verdugo explains:
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 2:44:31 GMT -5
Red Sox win a wild one at Fenway on Travis Shaw’s grand slam in the 11th inning By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated August 23, 2021, 4:59 p.m.
Familiar dread formed at Fenway on Monday afternoon. In a pattern common amidst a stretch of 15 losses in 22 games, the Red Sox seemed determined to turn all-but-certain victory into crushing defeat, this time against one of the worst teams in baseball.
After eight comfortable innings, familiar ingredients of bad defense and a struggling closer dissolved a 3-1 advantage over the Texas Rangers. After a two-run double tied the game, a shared thought emanated from the announced Fenway crowd of 27,652: This again.
Yet in the dugout, Red Sox players — who met on Monday morning in a players-only meeting led by Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, and Chris Sale — walled off the sense of foreboding.
“Obviously, it sucked to give up the lead,” admitted Alex Verdugo. “[But] the guys’ demeanors, the attitude, the quality of at-bats, it felt like none of that deteriorated. None of that went downhill.
“Guys could have easily been, ‘Here it goes again. Ugh.’ Instead, we stuck with it — stuck with our approach, stuck with our plan, and we executed.”
That outlook helped the Sox shrug off Matt Barnes’s game-tying stumble in the ninth and being down to its final strike in the 10th. In their most notable sign of resilience in weeks, the Sox claimed an 8-4, 11-inning victory Monday. Travis Shaw’s grand slam set in motion a celebration for a team that needed just such a moment.
It seemed difficult to imagine a few innings earlier circumstances that would make a walkoff necessary. Starter Nate Eovaldi dominated the Rangers, allowing just one unearned run on four singles while walking none and striking out seven in seven innings. Texas seemed helpless against his five-pitch mix, particularly a 96-100 m.p.h. fastball, rarely hitting the ball into the outfield.
The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Verdugo drilled a hanging curveball off Rangers lefty Kolby Allard into the Red Sox bullpen. It was Verdugo’s 12th homer of the season, but just his second off a lefty.
Eovaldi seemed capable of making the advantage stand. He sailed through four shutout innings before enduring his only significant jam of the day — one not of his own making.
After a leadoff single, Rafael Devers fielded a grounder, but flubbed the transfer from glove to throwing hand for an error. After a sacrifice put runners on second and third, a groundball to short produced yet another example of Red Sox defensive self-sabotage, as Xander Bogaerts’s throw clanged off the mitt of first baseman Bobby Dalbec for an E3.
But with one run in and runners on the corners, the Rangers allowed the Red Sox to escape the inning with a 2-1 lead intact. Bad baserunning turned a safety squeeze attempt into a 1-2-5-7 double play.
After the inning, Devers sulked in the dugout. During their pregame meeting, Red Sox veterans had discussed the need to support each other in precisely such moments. Eovaldi sought out his third baseman and offered a hug.
“I just wanted him to know I got his back, help pick him up right there,” said Eovaldi. “There was still a lot of game left to play. You never know how it will happen.” Related: Energy sought, supplied after players-only meeting prior to Monday’s Red Sox win
Those words proved prophetic.
The Sox extended the lead to 3-1 with a Hunter Renfroe solo homer in the sixth inning, his 23rd of the year and major league-leading eighth of August. The advantage held up until Barnes entered for the ninth.
The Rangers quickly struck with a pair of opposite-field singles. After a strikeout, Barnes induced a Nick Solak grounder up the middle. Bogaerts speared it with a dive to his left and made a glove-hand flip to second. But Christian Arroyo, playing for the first time since July 18, tried to catch the ball with his bare hand to spin a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Instead, he fumbled the ball. Two possible outs turned to none. Andy Ibáñez immediately capitalized for the Rangers, crushing a game-tying, two-run, ground-rule double to right-center. In his last seven appearances, Barnes has allowed nine runs in 4⅓ innings (18.69 ERA), getting charged with three losses and two blown saves.
But rookie Garrett Whitlock bailed out his teammate, striking out Trevino and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to strand runners at second and third. Still, as the game headed into extras, the Sox courted more danger.
Nathaniel Lowe’s 10th-inning single plated the automatic runner and gave Texas a 4-3 lead. When J.D. Martinez drilled a 390-foot flyball into the triangle in the bottom of the 10th and Arroyo (the automatic runner) was cut down at the plate on a groundball for the second out, the Sox seemed at risk of a devastating series defeat.
But Devers, after falling behind, 0-2, crushed a slider into the triangle for a game-tying double, much to the delight of his teammates.
“[With] Devers going down 0-2 [Sox players were] kind of just yelling from the dugout, yelling at him, ‘Win this pitch. Win this pitch. Whatever happened was in the past. Learn from it, flush it, go forward, and just win that next pitch,’ ” said Verdugo. “That’s exactly what he did.”
Whitlock (5-2, 1.64) held the Rangers scoreless in the 11th, punctuating his 37 pitches and 2⅔ innings by howling after an inning-ending groundout.
“For him to show emotion, that’s awesome,” manager Alex Cora said of the typically stoic rookie.
A half-inning later, the Sox had reason to show considerably more emotion. Rangers reliever Dennis Santana committed a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by Christian Vázquez to put runners on the corners, and Texas intentionally walked Verdugo to load the bases and create a force at the plate.
Shaw foiled the strategy with his first hit since returning to the Red Sox, a 423-foot shot that marked the second Red Sox extra-innings walkoff grand slam this century.
“A pretty cool moment,” said Shaw.
For the Sox, an ugly win against a 43-81 club again highlighted the team’s defensive shortcomings, bullpen concerns, and offensive inconsistency. Yet on Monday, none of that mattered, as the Sox enjoyed a rare opportunity to savor a series victory.
“It wasn’t perfect, but we’ll take the W,” said manager Alex Cora. “If we win series from now on, we’ll be in a great spot, that’s the bottom line. That’s what we did early on in the season and we haven’t done that in a while. To win this series was important and now we get ready for the Twins.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 2:46:26 GMT -5
Once again, Garrett Whitlock answers the call when Red Sox need him most By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 23, 2021, 8:38 p.m.
Garrett Whitlock erupted with emotion late Monday afternoon.
Whitlock had just induced a Jose Trevino groundout in the top of the 11th inning, keeping the extra-inning rubber match against the Rangers knotted at four apiece. First, Whitlock screamed inward with that emotion. Then, he turned to his Red Sox teammates in the dugout and urged them to finish the job.
Whitlock took care of his own business, completing 2⅔ crucial innings for the Sox. It helped them turn around what would have been yet another inexplicable defeat to a lesser opponent. Travis Shaw walked it off with a grand slam in that bottom of the frame, stamping an 8-4 win.
Emotion is a given under these circumstances. It’s what the Sox were looking for when they called a players’ only meeting Monday morning. They wanted energy. Granted, Whitlock’s given that the entire season, which is part of the reason why he has a 1.64 ERA in his first 35 MLB appearances.
“That was cool to see,” manager Alex Cora said. “It hasn’t been easy the last 14 days because he’s struggled against Tampa, he struggled against the Yankees. But you know, these ones are very important, too. They count, too. That’s a big-league team and every game counts. And for him to show emotion, that’s awesome. That’s great.”
Whitlock came into the game following yet another implosion from Matt Barnes in the ninth. A 3-1 lead suddenly became a tie ballgame.
With a runner on second and one out, Whitlock fanned Trevino. Whitlock then hit Yonny Hernandez, but responded by striking out Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Whitlock allowed an unearned run when Nathaniel Lowe slapped an RBI single on the ground through the left side in the 10th, but produced back-to-back strikeouts to end it.
“He was frustrated that he gave up that run,” said Nate Eovaldi, who chucked seven innings and yielded his own unearned run on four hits. “And it’s like, ‘Dude, you’re coming in with the runner on second base.’ He did an amazing job.
“All his pitches are really good. They’re all electric pitches. Fastball’s good. Changeup is really good. The slider is outstanding. I mean, he’s kind of learned those pitches on the fly this year.”
On the fly, indeed. Whitlock already had a fastball-changeup mix when he arrived with Boston, but had nothing going away from righthanded hitters. That’s when he and pitching coach Dave Bush decided to implement a slider, so Whitlock could create some inconsistent direction for the hitter. Keep them on their heels.
Whitlock tossed his slider 17 times on Monday, the most of any pitch, and got four swings and misses. (Also the most.) The fact that he could depend on a pitch he just learned the most of any in his arsenal says something about him.
The Red Sox have made it their mission to remind Whitlock how good his stuff is. In the words of Cora, Whitlock might have been a Rule 5 draft pick in December, but he’s not a Rule 5 guy. This is someone the Red Sox depend on.
And when the Sox called his name again Monday afternoon, he delivered.
“It was impressive,” Alex Verdugo said. “Very impressive. “Playing behind him, he’s been doing this all year. I don’t think he gets talked about enough. You know, from MLB or people like that. He’s having an unbelievable season, you know, definitely could be Rookie of the Year. He’s just been dominant, man.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 2:56:18 GMT -5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 2:57:18 GMT -5
How the Red Sox' players-only meeting came about Current Time 0:14 / Duration 1:30
By Rob Bradford 10 hours ago
It wasn't exactly how they drew it up, but evidently it worked.
Hours before the Red Sox claimed their walk-off, 11-inning, 8-4 win over the Rangers, the participants gathered together for a players-only meeting at Fenway Park Monday morning.
Not only did it evidently help lead to a much-needed victory, but the get-together also helped identify a good chunk of those viewed as the primary voices for this year's Red Sox.
That would Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale.
"Bogey and J.D. and Sale addressed the team this morning and it was just great to have those guys lead us and push us forward," said Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock on the Red Sox Radio Network Postgame Show. "Those are the guys that we look up too, especially as a rookie. Just to have them really lead us, really pushing us ... It's a great team and there is no place I would rather be."
Asked what message from the meeting truly hit home, Whitlock said, "This is our group. This is who we are. We know we have got each other's backs. We're going to take it one day at a time and win each day."
When the subject of the meeting was broached in postgame Zoom calls with the media, Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi, outfielder Alex Verdugo and manager Alex Cora offered a wide range of answers.
"I’m not sure who called it but yeah we had a meeting. We talked about it," Eovaldi said. "That stuff stays in the clubhouse but it helped us out. We were able to get some things off of our chest. And got the job done today."
"Energy. That’s the biggest thing. Obviously the players, we had a little player meeting," Verdugo sad. "We’re going to keep that in-house for the most part, but the biggest thing to come from it was just we want to play energized. That’s it. It doesn’t matter if something good is happening, bad is happening. It feels good to hear that. When you’re in the box and hear your guys cheering you on from the dugout, it makes a hitter lock in a little bit more.
"Some people think that’s what Little Leaguers do. Well, that’s what brings energy. That’s what gets you going. When I’m hitting and I hear guys cheering me on from my dugout, I take a foul ball and they’re like, ‘That a boy – you’re right on it!’ It fires you up. It definitely makes you want to get that next pitch that much more.
"Us as players just wanted to get together and talk. That’s all that really matters for us. We’re out there playing, giving it our all, for 162 games a year. We just, it felt like it was the right time. It felt like it was what the boys needed. Obviously coming out today and having the big win is huge."
"I'm a manager," Cora added. "I stay away from the clubhouse. That's my choice. You guys think I'm involved, I just stay away from it."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 24, 2021 3:02:31 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook: Players-only meeting comes at perfect time to ‘get things off our chest’
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: August 23, 2021 at 6:42 p.m. | UPDATED: August 23, 2021 at 8:53 p.m.
After Alex Cora called out his team, his coaching staff and himself on Saturday night, the Red Sox responded with their own message on Monday.
Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Chris Sale called a players-only meeting before the Sox’ 8-4 win over the Rangers on Monday, Garrett Whitlock said on WEEI after the win.
“Bogey and J.D. and Sale addressed the team this morning and it was just great to have those guys lead us and push us forward,” Whitlock said. “Those are the guys that we look up to, especially as a rookie. Just to have them really lead us, really pushing us. … It’s a great team and there is no place I would rather be.”
Outfielder Alex Verdugo, among others, confirmed that the meeting took place.
Asked what the focus was, Verdugo said, “Energy. That’s the biggest thing. Obviously the players, we had a little players meeting. We’re going to keep that in-house for the most part, but the biggest thing to come from it was just we want to play energized. That’s it. It doesn’t matter if something good is happening, bad is happening. It feels good to hear that. When you’re in the box and hear your guys cheering you on from the dugout, it makes a hitter lock in a little bit more.
“Some people think that’s what Little Leaguers do. Well, that’s what brings energy. That’s what gets you going. When I’m hitting and I hear guys cheering me on from my dugout, I take a foul ball and they’re like, ‘That a boy – you’re right on it!’ It fires you up. It definitely makes you want to get that next pitch that much more.”
Verdugo, who was on base four times and hit his 12th homer of the year, said it was the perfect time for a meeting.
“We were able to get some things off of our chest,” starter Nathan Eovaldi said.
Cora said he stays out of the clubhouse for those meetings, but noted earlier in the day that “the players know how I felt” after Saturday’s ugly loss. Rookie of the Year?
Whitlock was the star of the game on Monday.
The rookie relieved Matt Barnes with one out in the ninth, when Barnes had already given up the Sox’ lead and exited with just one out and men on second and third.
But Whitlock struck out two to escape the jam while keeping the score 3-3.
“You can’t say enough about him, he’s been unbelievable for us all year,” Eovaldi said.
Whitlock allowed the ghost runner to score in the 10th, but pitched the 10th and 11th without allowing an earned run. He allowed just one hit, one walk and struck out four to lower his ERA to 1.64.
“What he did out there, that’s impressive,” Verdugo said. “Very impressive. Playing behind him, he’s been doing this all year. I don’t think he gets talked about enough from MLB or people like that. He’s having an unbelievable season. He can be Rookie of the Year. He’s dominant, man.” Big day for Verdugo
Verdugo’s three-hit game was badly needed.
Until Monday, he had hit just .259 with a .693 OPS and two homers in 51 games since July 16.
“I feel like recently, this whole month, I feel like I’ve been seeing the ball well, putting good swings on the ball,” he said. “Today happened to be one of those days, too.” On the defensive
Kyle Schwarber made his first defensive start in a Red Sox uniform. He played left field and didn’t make much of an impact defensively, though he did run all the way from left to second base to tag out a man in a rundown between first and second in the fifth inning.
He’ll continue to learn first base, though the Sox don’t think he’s ready for that yet.
“I think that’s the ultimate goal,” Cora said. “That was the thought process about this whole thing. He’s getting close. He’s going to go through a workout today at first base. Saturday was a positive one. … We’ve just got to make sure that he feels very comfortable there. He’s feeling that way. It’s good to have him in left field. I think he’ll be a lot better when he can play first.”
It’s becoming quite urgent as Bobby Dalbec made his ninth error of the season at first base, then Travis Shaw replaced him and made a defensive mistake as well. Arroyo returns
Christian Arroyo returned from the injured list and didn’t start, but entered as a pinch runner and made a key defensive blunder at second base in the ninth inning, when he dropped the transfer on what could’ve been a beautiful double play started by Xander Bogaerts.
Jonathan Arauz was optioned back to Triple-A Worcester to make room. …
Tanner Houck will likely start on Tuesday’s series opener against the Twins. Nick Pivetta and Chris Sale will follow.
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