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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 13:51:30 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe ·
6-0 Cleveland.
So this will be a "hey, we won the series" day.
Take the loss, rest Devers, probably some other guys before it ends, call up some other arms tomorrow then Sale faces the Rays.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 14:17:19 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 5m Two in, two on, still no outs in the 5th. Sox down 6-2 but showing life against Plesac, who had cruising to this point.
Shaw missed a three-run homer by maybe a foot. Thumped a double off the front of the Red Sox bullpen. RBI double instead.
Angry Fenway crowd boos as Plawecki is held at third on a fly ball to left and the was nowhere near the plate.
Now Devers pinch-hits. Cora taking his shot in the 5th.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 14:25:32 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2m Sox scored three, but with runners at second and third, made three outs.
6-3 Cleveland after 5.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 14:45:12 GMT -5
Renfroe with a neat little single and JDM crushed a tater into the Red Sox bullpen 6-5 Tribe 6th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 15:17:31 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m Taylor Motter got picked off first by the catcher to end the 7th inning with Kyle Schwarber up.
That just can't happen.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 18:56:20 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h Not a good day for Captain Phillips Valdez. He's faced five batters, all have reached and three have scored.
9-5 Cleveland.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 18:57:16 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h Cleveland has 10 runs on 15 hits with Jose Ramirez getting a day off.
#Indians 11, #RedSox 5, final.
Sox (79-60) snap a four-game streak. Nearly overcame an early 6-0 deficit but Cleveland scored five in the ninth.
A's lost. Yankees lost.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 18:57:58 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2h Santana has tested negative but doesn't feel well. That's why he went on the IL. They also seem hopeful Pivetta may only be a few days.
Crawford's flight got delayed. He arrived in Boston at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday not knowing for sure if he would pitch.
Found out after the game Saturday it was possible.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 18:59:48 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox can’t complete comeback, leave 12 on base (3-for-18 RISP) in loss to Cleveland Indians Updated: 5:19 p.m. | Published: 5:14 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — J.D. Martinez’s 401-foot two-run home run in the sixth inning cut the deficit to 6-5.
The Red Sox made a comeback attempt after falling behind 6-0 in the third inning. But they lost 11-5 to the Cleveland Indians here at Fenway Park.
The Indians scored five runs in the top of the ninth off Phillips Valdez.
The Red Sox went 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.
Crawford’s MLB debut
Kutter Crawford struggled in his major league debut but he showed signs of potential.
The 25-year-old righty lasted just 2-plus innings, giving up five runs, all earned, five hits (one homer) and two walks while striking out two.
Crawford recorded nine swings-and-misses, including seven in the first inning and at least one with all four of his pitches. He also topped out at 96 mph and threw 70% strikes. He averaged 1.5 walks per nine innings in the minors this year.
Missed opportunity in second inning
Boston had runners at second and third with no outs in the second inning after Travis Shaw walked and Bobby Dalbec doubled.
But Jack López struck out swinging, Jonathan Araúz flied out to shallow center field and Kyle Schwarber grounded out to third base.
Getting back in the game
The first five hitters of the fifth inning reached for the Red Sox. Hunter Renfroe doubled. J.D. Martinez doubled to score Renfroe.
Alex Verdugo walked, then Kevin Plawecki singled home Martinez.
Travis Shaw followed with a line-drive double that left his bat at 108 mph and hit the top of the right field wall. It missed leaving the park by about an inch. It cut it to 6-3.
But the Red Sox were unable to score any more runs with Plawecki at third base and Shaw at second with no outs.
Bobby Dalbec flied out to left field. Rafael Devers pinch hit for López and struck out swinging. Araúz also struck out swinging.
Schreiber keeps Red Sox in it
John Schreiber replaced Crawford and kept Boston in the game. He allowed one run, four hits and one walk while striking out five.
Schreiber was making his first major league appearance of 2021.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 19:00:55 GMT -5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 19:02:18 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 3h I wish Valdez would stop having the miracle games where he looks like the greatest pitcher to ever live so we could just be done.
Thee with Tampa starting tomorrow, then Chicago, then Seattle. Got to pick your battles I think.
Can complain about Valdez in this spot all you want but Cora has said repeatedly recently they can't chase wins when losing, impossible in this situation. Pitching Whitlock for a 3rd time in 5 days when losing? Richards on 2 days rest after throwing 50 pitches when losing?
Annoying loss. Not being able to get the big hit in a million opportunities killed. The difference between pitching Whitlock for the win or Valdez when losing.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 5, 2021 19:05:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 2h #RedSox Manager Alex Cora on Kutter Crawford's 1st #MLB starter: "It's not easy to come into a situation like this an maneuver a big league lineup…Like I told him on the mound, he's a big leaguer. He had the experience…he's a little bit disappointed…but he'll be a good one."
#RedSox Manager Cora on Kutter Crawford: "It's something you dream about as a kid. I wanted him to take a deep breath, look around, see the whole thing…with time, I know he's going to contribute. He'll be part of this."
#RedSox Manager Cora: "We went for the jugular with Raffy [Devers]…we felt it was a perfect situation, it just didn't happen."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 6, 2021 2:32:32 GMT -5
Red Sox lose finale, win series: 'Very proud' September 5th, 2021
Ken Powtak
BOSTON -- There was no late-inning magic for the Red Sox this time.
Forced to switch their starting pitcher after scheduled starter Nick Pivetta was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list before the game, Kutter Crawford was knocked out in the third inning of his Major League debut and Boston fell to Cleveland, 11-5, on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Coming off an emotional walk-off win a day earlier, the Red Sox fell behind 6-0 after three innings.
Boston chipped away, cutting it to 6-5 on J.D. Martinez’s two-run homer in the sixth inning, after scoring three times in the fifth, but it couldn’t pull it off late, ending its winning streak at four games.
“We felt like we were in a good spot when J.D. hit the homer,” manager Alex Cora said.
Then the Indians pulled away with a five-run ninth.
In Friday’s series opener, Boston also rallied late, so it still ended up taking two of three from Cleveland.
It was just the Red Sox’s third loss in their last 12 games at Fenway.
“It’s not about winning 30 games in a row at this point. It’s winning series,” Cora said before the game. “If we win series, we’ll be there.”
Now, the race to the finish and a push for a postseason berth starts.
The old saying in baseball is: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Well, with the Red Sox's next game on Labor Day, there are just four full weeks and 23 games left in the regular season for Boston.
Let the sprint begin.
It was also the beginning for the 25-year-old Crawford, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday morning. He gave up five runs in two-plus innings.
“I was told to be on standby, tried to get as much sleep as possible,” Crawford said. “Unfortunately, it didn't go as I wanted it to, but we live and we learn and we're going to make adjustments and move forward.”
It may not have gone how the rookie dreamed of his big league debut, but Cora still was happy for him. When the skipper walked out to the mound, he chatted briefly with the righty before making the call to the 'pen.
“I wanted him to actually take a deep breath and enjoy the situation,” Cora said. “It’s Fenway Park on a Sunday afternoon, and there’s nothing better than that.
“There’s only one Major League debut. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good one or you struggle. It’s something you dream about as a kid and I wanted him to take a deep breath and look around. He probably didn’t have a chance to do that before.”
The Red Sox banged out 13 hits in the loss, stranded 12 baserunners and went just 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
“There were a lot of empty at-bats with men in scoring position and the infield back,” said Cora, who pinch-hit Rafael Devers with two on in the fifth. Devers originally had the day off.
“We went for the jugular there with Raffy,” Cora said.
But Devers struck out and the Red Sox ended up leaving runners on second and third, trailing 6-3 in the fifth.
Hunter Renfroe and Martinez had three hits apiece for the Red Sox (79-60).
Now, Boston enters the home stretch of the season, holding the AL’s second Wild Card spot, just a half-game behind New York (78-58), which currently has the top Wild Card slot.
It was a series victory, even with the added names on the COVID-related IL.
“Very proud. They’ve done an amazing job,” Cora said. “It’s weird here in the clubhouse. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the clubhouse, some things we have to do to hopefully stop this. But at the same time, we’ve won a series and that’s what we try to do every time we compete.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 6, 2021 3:07:21 GMT -5
Emergency starter Kutter Crawford struggles in major league debut as Red Sox drop series finale to Indians By Julian Benbow Globe Staff,Updated September 5, 2021, 5:12 p.m.
The way that COVID-19 had battered the Red Sox roster over the past week, manager Alex Cora was already bracing for the possibility he might lose another player.
He already had two pitchers on standby. Kutter Crawford and Connor Seabold had both been pulled from their starts with Triple A Worcester last week in case the Sox needed arms this weekend. That’s exactly what happened when Crawford got the start in Sunday’s 11-5 loss to the Indians at Fenway Park.
Crawford started making his way to Boston on Friday night from Rochester. He had a connecting flight through Charlotte that was supposed to take off at 10:30 p.m. that didn’t end up leaving until 1:45 a.m. He made it to Boston at 4:30 a.m. Saturday and was told to stay ready just in case.
“There was some anxiety, playing all these situations in my head,” he said. “But I just tried to not think too far into it.”
When the Sox got the sense Saturday night that Sunday’s scheduled starter Nick Pivetta might land on the COVID-related injury list, Cora had to break the emergency glass and call on Crawford.
Debuting under inauspicious circumstances, Crawford gave up five runs on five hits and two walks in two innings.
“Probably was in a rush, but that’s where we’re at right now,” Cora said. “There’s no heads-up, there’s no wake-up call with this COVID thing. They can tell you in the third inning or they can tell you at 10 in the morning or they can text you at 7. So we’re used to it.”
Crawford was thrown right in.
“It’s kind of been a crazy 24 hours,” Crawford said. “Kind of uncertain what the plan was with all the COVID stuff. I was kind of told to be on standby. And after the game [Saturday], I was notified that I’d be starting today, then tried to get as much sleep as possible. Obviously, I was super excited. Went to sleep, woke up, and tried to do my normal routine and go out there and do my best.”
Franmil Reyes went 4 for 4 with three RBIs for Cleveland. Bradley Zimmer and Harold Ramirez drove in two runs apiece.
“It’s not easy to come into a situation like this and maneuver through a big-league lineup,” Cora said.
After Crawford loaded the bases to start the game with a leadoff walk to Andrés Giménez and singles by Amed Rosario and Reyes, Cleveland pushed two runs across on sacrifice flies by Bobby Bradley and Ramirez. An RBI single by Myles Straw in the second inning stretched the lead to 3-0. Related: Abraham: Alex Cora played Sunday as secondary to what beleaguered Red Sox have coming up
Crawford couldn’t get an out in the third inning. He gave up a solo homer to Reyes and walked Bradley before handing the ball over to John Schneider, who allowed a double to Ramirez and a two-run single by Zimmer to push Cleveland’s lead to 6-0.
Before Crawford went left the mound, Cora had him take in everything around him. The results weren’t as important as the moment.
“I wanted him to actually take a deep breath and enjoy the situation,” Cora said. “It’s Fenway Park on a Sunday afternoon. There’s nothing better than that. There’s only one MLB debut, right? And it doesn’t matter if it’s a good one or you struggle, it’s still something that you dream about as a kid, right?
“And I wanted him to take a deep breath look around see the whole thing because probably he didn’t do that before the game or during the game. And now with time I know he’s going to contribute. He’ll be part of this.”
The Sox rallied in the middle innings. J. D. Martinez (3 for 5) had a two-run double in a three-run fifth inning and a two-run homer in the sixth. But they completely couldn’t climb out of the hole, and any thoughts of a comeback were crushed by a five-run ninth inning by the Indians against reliever Phillips Valdez.
The loss snapped the Sox’ four-game win streak, but they’ve won six of 10 since COVID swept the clubhouse. The remained a half-game behind AL wild card leader New York and 3½ games up on the Mariners (who were playing later at Arizona) for the second wild card spot.
Crawford’s last start for Worcester was Aug. 27, and Seabold pitched the next day. Cora decided to go with Crawford because he was more rested and Seabold had started Saturday for Worcester, throwing six scoreless innings.
Cora didn’t rule out the possibility of needing them again down the line.
“Honestly, we shut down both of them for one day, and it was just out of precaution in case we needed starters over the weekend,” Cora said. “So just he was the one like in regular rest. We just let Seabold pitch.”
“But obviously, with everything that is going on, [Seabold] might be in consideration the next five days. You never know.”
Despite the loss, the Sox took two of three from Cleveland as they prepare to face the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
Not long after Pivetta went on the COVID list, rehabbing infielder Danny Santana had to do the same, and Cora acknowledged that keeping track has been a challenge.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on in the clubhouse,” Cora said. “And some things that we have to do to hopefully stop this. But at the same time, we won the series and that’s what we tried to accomplish every time we go out there and we compete against the other team.”
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