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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 14:46:23 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6m
Danny Santana back from his rehab assignment. Worcester's middle infield gets another start after acquitting themselves fairly well Wednesday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 15:14:36 GMT -5
I don't get over why Verdugo is sitting and I dont care what tap dancing bullshit reason is given until some of the Covoid game come back, they need the rest of the regulars in the line up.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 15:52:35 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7m Cora said it's just a day off for Alex Verdugo. #RedSox
Cora on Jarren Duran's outfield defense -- 'He's playing different places. It's not that easy. You have to get repetitions. That's the growing part of being a big leaguer.'
'There are some that haven't been that great, but he's been sharp on others.' #RedSox
Cora confirms he asked Devers and Dalbec to take some pregame grounders at shortstop during this series at Tampa Bay.
'We have to be open-minded with Raffy and Bobby. If we hit for one of the kids (Arauz and Lopez), who's going to play up the middle?' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 15:53:29 GMT -5
Cora said regardless of production he thinks Nelson Cruz would be a net positive for the Rays. He's assuming Cruz is sharing his vast experience with the likes of Wander Franco -- bad news for the rest of the league. #RedSox
Cora on Garrett Whitlock -- 'When I saw this kid in spring training I was impressed. I was very impressed.'
'He doesn't stop working.'
'He's great. He cares about winning. We took care of him early, but now it's a full go with him.' #RedSox
Cora said the #RedSox saw a bullpen Whitlock threw in the offseason on Instagram. That was part of what convinced the club he was healthy enough to select in the Rule 5 Draft.
Whitlock was coming off Tommy John surgery.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 15:53:51 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2m Cora said he's known Jack Lopez 'for a long, long time.'
Lopez's father was a bullpen catcher and coach with Dusty Baker.
'He's kind of like a little brother for us.'
'He's a good player. The situation is not perfect, but I'm glad he's getting his opportunity.' #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 15:55:04 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 16m Replying to @billkoch25 Cora said the #RedSox are still waiting on waiver pickup Taylor Motter to report/clear protocols.
'He was having a good season in Triple-A.'
'We jumped at the opportunity.'
Cora said the #RedSox have no new COVID positives thus far today.
'It was a good day today. Nothing to report. Guys are feeling okay -- feeling better.' #RedSox
Cora said Kiké Hernandez is feeling close to 100% and Christian Arroyo is getting better. Both remain in Cleveland. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 18:02:24 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 58m #MLB names #RedSox @bobbydalbec American League Rookie of the Month for August.
Dalbec took his .659 OPS through July all the way to 1.205 in August, batting .339 with with 7 home runs and 21 RBI. Lowered his strikeout rate from 37.5% through July to 25% in August.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 2, 2021 18:03:45 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7m A'd beat the Tigers. Sox start their game with a 1.5-game lead for the second wild card.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 2, 2021 19:49:33 GMT -5
Not much help from the Tigers as Oakland are up a touch down early. The Tigers gave it a run. They're going to be a pretty decent team next year.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 2, 2021 20:53:54 GMT -5
Two good innings from Richards. Do you keep him in? I'd gamble and keep him in, but would understand Barnes as well. The issue would be, if you yank Richards for Barnes, and Barnes struggles, you don't have a lot of good options.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 2, 2021 22:03:44 GMT -5
Another good game. That's 4-7 on the road trip, against a decent and an excellent teams.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 3, 2021 2:46:31 GMT -5
Sox roll with E-Rod's 'best start of season' Boston rallies after COVID issues, caps winning road trip with split vs. Rays 2:00 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
ST. PETERSBURG -- During a two-city road trip in which COVID-19 depleted their roster, the Red Sox demonstrated some impressive mettle by making it a winning journey, capped by a 4-0 victory over the Rays on Thursday night at Tropicana Field.
Eduardo Rodriguez had the most to do with making it a happy flight to Boston as he dominated for six-plus innings, allowing the Red Sox (77-59) to split this four-game series against the American League East-leading Rays (84-50) after losing the first two games.
Though a 4-3 road trip isn’t usually one to brag about for a contender, this is one the Sox can feel plenty good about.
Eight players -- four position players and four relievers -- were placed on the COVID-19 related injury list on the first six days of this sojourn through Cleveland and St. Petersburg.
But on lucky Day 7 -- and for the first time since Saturday -- there were no positive tests, which made it a very positive getaway night for the Sox, who are in the second AL Wild Card spot by two games over the A’s (74-60 after an 8-6 win over the Tigers on Thursday).
“There was a lot of energy today. The guys were into it from the get-go and to be able to do that is a testament to them, as a group,” manager Alex Cora said. “They understand that teams go through stuff like that. It’s not the first team that has a COVID issue, but there have been teams that went through this and then they took off, right? Hopefully this is our ‘taking off’ and we can play solid baseball all the way through September and get to October to play in October.”
Rodriguez bookended the trip by winning the first and the last game. He went seven strong in Cleveland and followed it with a scoreless performance against the Rays.
“Today was one of those days that, for the first time of the whole season, I felt completely like me in my location,” Rodriguez said. “The cutter, the changeup, the curveball, the four-seam -- for the first time, I felt good with all of it. That’s how I want to feel the rest of the season, especially when you’re trying to make it to the playoffs.”
When you consider that the rotation is the one area of the Red Sox in which there are no COVID cases -- knock on wood -- it’s more important than usual for the starters to come through during this next week to 10 days.
“We feel like we can pitch. We can pitch with anybody in the league,” Cora said.
Though it’s been an up-and-down season for Rodriguez (11-7, 4.88 ERA), he could be positioning himself for a strong finish in a rotation fronted by Chris Sale and first-time All-Star Nathan Eovaldi.
“I feel like that was my best start of the season. That’s the way I feel today,” Rodriguez said. “Velocity-wise, control-wise, body-wise, everything.”
When Rodriguez departed in the midst of a jam in the seventh (two on, nobody out), Garrett Richards mowed through the Rays.
In fact, Richards was the setup man and the closer, working the final three innings (one hit, one walk, four strikeouts) for his second save since he came out of the rotation.
Richards has allowed one run over 13 1/3 innings covering seven appearances since his switch in roles.
“It's just a matter that we had other guys coming in and he embraced the opportunity,” Cora said. “He didn't see it as a demotion. He wants to help us win and has been outstanding. A lot more competitive pitches from the bullpen.”
Offensively, the Red Sox chipped away with a pair of RBI singles by Bobby Dalbec (the American League Rookie of the Month for August) and run-scoring knocks from Hunter Renfroe and J.D. Martinez.
Much like Richards giving the bullpen a lift at a time it is needed, Dalbec is doing it for a lineup that has been without spark plug Kiké Hernández for a week and team leader Xander Bogaerts for the better part of the final three games in St. Pete. Bogaerts was pulled off the field due to a positive COVID test in the second inning of Tuesday’s defeat.
As stressful as things have been lately, and as concerned as the Red Sox's players have been about their sidelined teammates, they had some satisfaction as they headed back to Boston.
"It's huge,” Dalbec said. “Tough timing to go through this, but we're pulling through, weathering the storm. It’s all part of it.”
And after Sale set the tone with his left arm on Wednesday, he did so with his voice on Thursday.
“Chris was talking to the guys today and he’s been saying all along, ‘Nothing is going to stop us.’” Cora said. “He’s been very loud in the clubhouse just letting them know, ‘It doesn’t matter what’s going on, we’re going to keep pushing, we’re going to be OK.’ And when you have guys like that that can speak up in the clubhouse, and then they go out there and they perform, it’s a lot easier.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 3, 2021 2:47:14 GMT -5
Two good innings from Richards. Do you keep him in? I'd gamble and keep him in, but would understand Barnes as well. The issue would be, if you yank Richards for Barnes, and Barnes struggles, you don't have a lot of good options. Not for 10 million a season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 3, 2021 3:19:08 GMT -5
4 takeaways as Red Sox pitching shuts out Rays, helps salvage road trip "September, it’s not a grind anymore. It’s fun."
By Tom Westerholm September 3, 2021 | 12:30 AM
Here are the takeaways, as the Red Sox knocked off the Rays 4-0 on Thursday to salvage a split of their four-game series with some help from an impressive all-around pitching performance. The Big Picture
The Red Sox jumped on top in the first, as Bobby Dalbec continued his white-hot streak with a single to right that drove in Hunter Renfroe. Renfroe added to the lead in the second, plating Danny Santana with an RBI single of his own. The Red Sox tacked on their final two runs in the fifth with a pair of RBI singles — one each by J.D. Martinez and Dalbec.
Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez threw six solid innings — scattering four hits with six strikeouts. Garrett Richards came in to relieve him in the seventh after the first two batters of the inning reached base, and Richards went the rest of the way — allowing just one hit with four strikeouts. Star of the Game
Bobby Dalbec — 2-for-4, two RBIs
Either of the pitchers could slot here as well, but Dalbec won AL Rookie of the Month in August batting .339/.431/.774 and his numbers in the first two games of September are even better. What It Means
The Red Sox survived the hardest stretch of their season to date and one hopes, given the circumstances, that it will be the hardest stretch they will face. They are now 1.5 games behind the Yankees, eight games behind the Rays and two games ahead of the A’s for the final wildcard slot. Takeaways
1. Getting Chris Sale back made a major difference both on and off the field, but Rodriguez’s performance in his last two starts is plenty encouraging as well — a pair of victories that showed what he could bring in the postseason.
“I feel like the team needs you every time. … every time you go out there, you need to think you need to go six, seven innings all the time,” Rodriguez said on Thursday. “That’s the way I’ve been thinking all the time. That’s the way I do it. No matter who you are, you have to go out there six or seven. Every time you step on the mound, the team needs you.”
Rodriguez added that Thursday’s victory felt like his best performance of the season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora agreed.
“He’s been really really good the last two,” Cora said. “That’s the guy we envisioned. He understands this is fun. There’s a lot of guys in there that regardless of what’s going on with the group, we know we have a chance to make it to the playoffs. September, it’s not a grind anymore. It’s fun.”
2. Meanwhile, Richards came out of the bullpen at the shakiest moment of the game and immediately shut down the threat with a pair of strikeouts and a fly-out to center.
Since he was converted into a reliever on Aug. 11, Richards has looked far more comfortable — a 0.69 ERA in stark contrast with his 5.22 ERA as a starter.
“He wants to help us win, and he’s been outstanding,” Cora said. “A lot more competitive pitches from the bullpen. The slider is playing, and just looking around the league, that’s a pitch we were missing in the bullpen, and he’s been amazing.
“There’s certain guys, they love the fact that they have to compete on a daily basis, and he has to be ready for that. He pitched three days in a row, he doesn’t pitch for a while, today he goes three. He loves that. He’s a work-a-holic. He works hard at his craft, and he’s locked in right now. It’s fun to watch.”
3. Rafael Devers had a weird moment in the top of the seventh — he was livid after a swinging strikeout. Presumably, Devers thought he fouled the pitch off, although replays showed that he missed, and he appeared on the verge of getting himself thrown out.
Given the Red Sox’s absences, getting thrown out would have been a tough look for Devers, who might owe Carlos Febles a thank you despite the smack Devers took to the face.
4. Alex Cora said he isn’t certain what Kiké Hernández’s status will be on Friday. Hernández reportedly could return this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox — buoyed by their victory on Wednesday — have remained positive with some help from Chris Sale.
“Chris was talking to the guys today, and he’s been saying all along, nothing is going to stop us,” Cora said. “He’s been very loud in the clubhouse just letting them know, ‘It doesn’t matter what’s going on, we just have to keep pushing. We’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.’ When you have guys like that can speak up in the clubhouse and then they go out there and they perform, it’s a lot easier.
“We’re not the first team that has had a COVID issue. But there have been teams who have gone through this and then they took off. Hopefully, things are taking off, and we can play solid baseball all the way through September and get to October and play in October.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 3, 2021 3:21:36 GMT -5
Eduardo Rodriguez leads Red Sox to shutout of Rays By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 2, 2021, 10:13 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A night after Chris Sale delivered a crucial win for the Sox, Eduardo Rodriguez turned in his own stellar performance.
With a makeshift starting lineup behind him, a team ravaged by the outbreak of COVID-19, Rodriguez deftly worked his way through seven innings without yielding a run Thursday night. His performance was enough to escape Tropicana Field with a 4-0 win and a series split.
“I feel like that’s been my best start of the season,” Rodriguez said afterward. “That’s the way I feel.”
Rodriguez established the inner-third of the plate with his fastball-cutter mix which gave the Rays fits. His velocity on both pitches was a tick up over his yearly average (a tick above one mile per hour).
“For the first time the whole season I finally feel like I’m completely me,” said Rodriguez, who lowered his ERA to 4.88 on the year and struck out six on the night. “I feel good and that’s how I want to feel the rest of the season — especially if we’re trying to make it to the playoffs. With the fastball, mentality-wise, everything was just perfect.”
Rodriguez allowed just four hits through his six-plus innings of work, giving away just one free pass. The lefthander yielded minimal hard contact with one of the hits coming on a Manuel Margot broken-bat single in the fifth. This start builds off Rodriguez’s prior outing against the Rays when he went seven innings, surrendering three runs in a Sox win. But the timing of this start, considering all the Red Sox had endured, how much the Sox needed Rodriguez, and, in turn, how he performed, is why it’s such a signature victory for Rodriguez.
Consider: The Sox lost three straight heading into Sale’s start Wednesday. But the Sox, paper-thin roster and all, figured out a way to escape the road trip with a 4-3 record while still in command of that second wild-card spot over Oakland by two games.
“There was a lot of energy today,” manager Alex Cora said. “The guys were into it from the get-go. And to be able to do that, it’s a testament to them as a group. They understand that teams go through some stuff like that.’’ Cora pointed out that the Red Sox are not the only team that has had to manage COVID-19 issues.
The Red Sox had a tough opponent on the hill in Shane McClanahan, but they made easy work of the Rays starter beginning in the top of the first. Hunter Renfroe carved a leadoff single to right field. Then Bobby Dalbec’s RBI single brought in Renfroe, giving the Red Sox a quick 1-0 lead.
In the second, it was Renfroe who came through for the Sox. Following a leadoff walk to Danny Santana, Jack Lopez put down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Santana to second. Later that inning, Renfroe’s two-out knock scored Santana.
The fifth inning was what ultimately ended McClanahan’s night. Jonathan Aráuz made him work in what ended in a walk after an 11-pitch at-bat. Kyle Schwarber’s single put the Red Sox in prime position to add on. J.D. Martinez did just that, scorching a line drive single to right. Dalbec followed with his second RBI of the contest, peppering a single to give the Sox a 4-0 lead. The Sox hitters didn’t get to McClanahan with brute force, but more so with quality at-bats.
“We’re controlling the strike zone,” Cora said. Overall it was pretty solid. It’s who we are right now. The bottom lineup doesn’t look great but if they can put together competitive at-bats, we’ll take that.”
Cora sent Rodriguez back out for the seventh. But when the southpaw walked Wander Franco and surrendered a single to Yandy Diaz, that’s when Cora called on Garrett Richards, who has thrived in his role as a reliever. He continued, delivering three scoreless innings and sealing the win. Richards was requested for a postgame interview but declined, the second time he has done so since being relegated to the bullpen, a role Cora said Richards has embraced.
The Red Sox return to Fenway for a three-game set against the Indians starting Friday. It’s a much different roster than the one they took with them to Cleveland just last week. Nevertheless, they return with the same resolve, still in control of a playoff berth.
“It’s huge,” Dalbec said of the win. “Tough timing for us to go through this. But we’re pulling through, weathering the storm. Whatever you want to call it. It comes with the territory this year.”
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