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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 6:28:28 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 1h Granted, Bogaerts, Hernandez, Arroyo are out, but the difference between the Red Sox--with the worst defensive efficiency of the 30 teams--and the second worst(Angels) is greater than the second and tenth(Twins).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 6:32:21 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Alex Verdugo’s awful day reminder that Red Sox don’t have a true center fielder Alex Cora forced to choose between offense or defense at center field
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald September 7, 2021 at 5:36 a.m.
One might want to forget about the game the Red Sox lost on Monday, when they had a 7-1 lead over the Rays with Chris Sale on the mound, then slowly bled out on their way to an 11-10 loss in extra innings.
But forgetting isn’t the answer.
“Days like this hurt,” Sale said afterwards. “There’s no getting around it. You know, it’s a gut-punch. We lost a game we should have won — easily, honestly. I mean, we had a 7-1 lead. We’ve got to have that one… Obviously an ugly, ugly loss in the grand scheme of things.”
The Red Sox played atrocious defense on Monday.
“I think we have been inconsistent the whole season,” manager Alex Cora said. “We know that. When we’re catching the ball we win games. When we’re inconsistent, it’s tough.”
The No. 1 offender was Alex Verdugo, who looks out of place in center field, where he’s been forced to play because of imperfect roster construction.
In the first inning, Verdugo gave chase to a towering fly ball by Wander Franco. But he mistimed his leap at the center-field wall and the ball sailed just to the side of his glove as it dropped down for a triple. Franco eventually came around to score.
That’s one run given away by questionable defense.
Then in the fourth inning, when the Sox had a 7-1 lead, the Rays connected on three straight singles to load the bases with two outs. Nelson Cruz hit a routine fly ball to center field and Verdugo camped under it, crouched low to the ground and stabbed his glove at it. But the ball bounced off his glove, three runs scored and Cruz came all around to score on a terrible relay throw by Taylor Motter.
Make that five runs given away defensively.
Verdugo did not talk to reporters after the game, but right fielder Hunter Renfroe answered questions about the four-run mistake on Verdugo’s behalf.
“The sun ball obviously hurt us a lot,” Renfroe said, explaining that the sun was in Verdugo’s eyes. “I’ve told y’all before, the big ball of fire in the sky is undefeated. You can’t fight it and win. It happened to Dugie there.”
In the ninth inning, the Sox really embarrassed themselves.
A struggling Adam Ottavino allowed a deep shot by Austin Meadows that was similar to the one hit by Franco in the first inning. This time, Verdugo appeared to time his leap better, but the ball was just out of his reach and bounced off the wall and back toward the infield.
Left fielder J.D. Martinez was nowhere to be found and Renfroe had taken up position on Verdugo’s right side, in case the ball bounced off the wall toward right field.
All the way from shortstop, Jose Iglesias was the first to retrieve the ball, but by that time it was too late. Meadows scored on an inside-the-park home run to tie the game in the ninth and send it to extras.
“The corner outfielders, they have got to go there,” Cora said. “Iglesias went out there because of his instincts, but balls to center field, everybody has to crash there and they didn’t.”
To make matters worse, Christian Vazquez popped up a bunt attempt in the bottom of the ninth as the Sox failed to score, eventually losing in extras.
It looked like a spring training game in September. The Sox failed to do all the little things.
Teams that have more talent than everyone else can afford to forget about the little things. The Sox can’t.
“We didn’t help ourselves,” Sale said.
The COVID-19 outbreak hasn’t helped matters either, but even when the Sox are fully healthy their best offensive alignment might be with Verdugo in center field. And that’s looking like it could be a problem.
Renfroe is proving to be the everyday choice in right field, even against right-handers.
And with a pair of designated hitters in Martinez and Kyle Schwarber, the Sox have been playing one of them in left field.
That leaves Verdugo in center and Kiké Hernandez at second base, unless the Sox want to take the red-hot Bobby Dalbec out of the lineup and let Schwarber play first base instead, but that doesn’t seem optimal.
What remains is a defense that has arguably below-average defenders at five positions: left field, center field, third base, shortstop and first base.
“We can talk about people playing out of position or needing people here, but it doesn’t matter,” Cora said. “You have to win those games.”
The reality is that they’ll need to win games despite their defense, not because of it.
They aren’t going to get any better anytime soon. Xander Bogaerts coming back will help the offense, but he isn’t a Gold Glove shortstop. Christian Arroyo can play second base well, but his presence in the lineup likely means Verdugo or Dalbec won’t be playing, and that’s not ideal either.
This is what the Red Sox are working with.
Either Cora is going to eventually choose quality defense and sacrifice a little bit on offense, or the Sox will have to out-slug the opposition while knowing they might lose games like the one on Monday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 6:35:56 GMT -5
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 7, 2021 7:31:44 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 1h Granted, Bogaerts, Hernandez, Arroyo are out, but the difference between the Red Sox--with the worst defensive efficiency of the 30 teams--and the second worst(Angels) is greater than the second and tenth(Twins). Defense, Defense, Defense.
That said, the Sox are holding their own considering all the players that they have out.
It would be really nice if we could beat the Rays.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 8:23:25 GMT -5
Jamie Campbell @snetcampbell · 25m The Red Sox have 22 games remaining. The #BlueJays have 26.
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 7, 2021 8:26:47 GMT -5
Jamie Campbell @snetcampbell · 25m The Red Sox have 22 games remaining. The #BlueJays have 26. The Blue Jays have a +136 run differential. They should be in second place with 81 wins.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 8:30:59 GMT -5
This was a reminder the Red Sox need their whole crew back Current Time 0:27 / Duration 1:26
By Rob Bradford an hour ago
It was the beginning to the 2001 season and the Red Sox had discovered that their star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was going to be out of action for a while due to a wrist injury.
No problem. They had Mike Lansing.
Sure, the infielder was supposed to be a supporting character on that team, but maybe he would be able to rediscover some of that offensive promise displayed while serving as a starter in Colorado a few years before. And, what do you know ... he did ... for a while.
The Red Sox went 11-4 to begin that season with Lansing capably manning Garciaparra's position. But then you know what happened? Reality kicks in. It usually does.
When it was all said and done, the Red Sox went 38-38 when Lansing manned shortstop, with our own Lou Merloni making the next most starts (36) at the position for the 2001 team.
Lesson learned. The patchwork stuff will only last so long, especially once teams like the Rays come to town.
The good times that had come with those Worcester players coming up and filling in the COVID-induced gaps has dissipated thanks in large part to the Sox' 11-10 loss Monday.
For example, second baseman Taylor Motter, claimed off waivers just last week, made two defensive miscues - airmailing a relay to third and dropping a sure out at second - that cost the Red Sox at least two runs.
And while it was somewhat excusable that Alex Verdugo dropped what should have been the inning-ending fourth-inning fly ball, succumbing to the sun and allowing four runs to score, it's hard to ignore that Kiké Hernandez has become one of the best centerfielders in the game and has not been available.
And perhaps if Verdugo was playing left or right field, he would have offered the backup that J.D. Martinez and Hunter Renfroe didn't when an Austin Meadows' 10th-inning ball off the wall resulted in an inside-the-park homer.
In case you missed it, the Red Sox have also left double-digit baserunners on base in each of their last three games (10, 12, 12). That's a first for this team. Xander Bogaerts, Christian Arroyo and Hernandez certainly would seem to be potential solutions to that problem.
Then there is the need for late-inning relief help.
Whether or not he is the closer, the Red Sox desperately can use the return of a good Matt Barnes. The same goes for Josh Taylor, who came back from close contact quarantine to pitch for the first time since Aug. 29.
Tampa Bay. The White Sox. Seattle. That group is a collective 69 games over .500. That is what is staring at the Red Sox for the next couple of weeks.
The good news for the Red Sox is that this week figures to see the return of a fair chunk of the cavalry. Good thing. That was a reminder offered by one Labor Day loss.
"It was a great bad game, all the way to the last hitter," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "It wasn't great as far as throwing to the bases, backing up guys, putting guys away. It was great that we had a chance to tie the game or win it at the end, but at the same time we can't give a big league team more than 27 outs, and we did. Credit to them. They put the ball in play. They were relentless. They put on good at-bats, going the other way. But we still didn't make plays. That's what cost us."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 11:26:06 GMT -5
Tomase: Kike Hernandez's Red Sox return can't come soon enough 1H ago / by John Tomase John Tomase RED SOX INSIDER
With the door to the COVID penalty box finally swinging open, the Red Sox can envision a stretch run manned by their best players and not Triple-A filler and street free agents.W
Those Triple-A filler and street free agents have kept the club afloat, mind you, and if the Sox make the playoffs, they'll have Jonathan Arauz and Jack Lopez in part to thank. But it's time for the team that opened the season to bring us home.
And as we await the return of veterans, it's now clear that one player holds the key to unlocking the rest of the roster: Kiké Hernández.
This isn't just a knee-jerk reaction to some horrible defense in center field during Sunday's absurdly agonizing 11-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays that saw Alex Verdugo effectively misplay two balls into a pair of Little League homers totaling five runs. Red Sox bullpen finds new way to implode vs. Rays
The Red Sox' outfield defense has been putrid for a while now, but that wasn't always the case. For three months, in fact, the Red Sox could legitimately stake a claim as the best defensive outfield in baseball with Verdugo in left, Hernández in center, and Hunter Renfroe in right.
"The way we play defense in the outfield is elite, put it that way," said manager Alex Cora in early July. "I know a lot of people had their doubts coming into the season, because we didn't have Mookie (Betts), Benny (Andrew Benintendi) and Jackie (Bradley Jr.), but these three guys are playing up there, they're playing elite defense.
"They throw to the right bases, they keep their throws down, their routes are great, the communication is outstanding, so defensively, we're one of the best outfields in the big leagues, if not the best."
Not anymore. With Hernández on the shelf and Kyle Schwarber needing at-bats somewhere, the Red Sox have seen the quality of their outfield defense disintegrate.
Verdugo is an above-average left fielder who has been worth an extra seven runs there, per Baseball Info Solutions. Put him in center, however, and he struggles, especially on balls hit over his head. According to BIS, if he played a full season in center, Verdugo would cost the Red Sox 23 runs.
His shortcomings were on full display on Sunday when he lost a Nelson Cruz fly ball in the sun, letting it clang off his glove for a three-base error.
He then futilely leaped at the fence for Austin Meadows' drive leading off the ninth. When Renfroe failed to back him up and forced shortstop Jose Iglesias to range deep into center, Meadows came all the way around for the game-tying inside-the-park homer.
Now imagine an outfield with Hernández in center. Despite opening the season as the starting second baseman, he was 10 runs better than average in center, projecting to a plus-21 overall. Where Verdugo looks hesitant and lets the ball play him, Hernández attacks. He's blessed with a monster arm, too.
"I'll run through walls if I have to," Hernández said, "and people tend to love that." Center of attention Alex Verdugo's defensive runs saved in CF (projected) -23 Kike Hernandez's defensive runs saved in CF 21
It gets worse. Moving Verdugo out of left has put either Schwarber or regular designated hitter J.D. Martinez there, and the Red Sox have predictably suffered. Martinez provides diminished range and has periodically thrown to the wrong base, but his issues aren't so much defensive as offensive.
When Martinez DHs, he's hitting .304 with 23 homers, 78 RBIs, and a .941 OPS; i.e., he's one of the most dynamic sluggers in baseball.
But when he plays the outfield, his numbers crater. In 31 games, he's hitting .229 with two homers, 11 RBIs, and a .627 OPS. This was not the case early in Martinez's Red Sox career. In 2018 and 2019, for example, he hit .362 in the outfield.
Schwarber may bring a welcome dimension offensively, where he's reaching base in nearly half of his plate appearances, but he's a man without a position. He has played seven games in left field and one of his misplays in Tampa last week effectively cost the Red Sox a game when he short-armed a ball near the fence.
Even Renfroe, who will earn Gold Glove consideration as the AL's assists leader, hasn't been immune to mistakes. In addition to failing to back up Verdugo on Meadows' homer, he also twice uncorked unnecessary throws to home plate that allowed runners to take an extra base. One of them, Cruz, ended up scoring the decisive run in the 10th.
Put Hernández back in center, however, and many of these problems go away, and that's before we even mention his offensive impact. At the time of his COVID diagnosis, he was the hottest hitter on the team, batting .300 with a .401 on base percentage and .937 OPS since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox desperately need him to return, and he could be in the lineup as soon as Tuesday. That's great news for a team that needs to stabilize its outfield defense as it makes this final postseason push.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 11:29:37 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 9m Darwinzon Hernández is starting a rehab assignment with the Triple-A WooSox tonight. His absence as a LH relief option capable of high K rates for the Red Sox has been significant.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 11:41:48 GMT -5
Game 141: Rays at Red Sox lineups and pregame notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated September 7, 2021, 9:31 a.m. Red Sox fans had to be feeling pretty good Monday afternoon with Chris Sale on the mound and a 7-1 lead in the fourth inning. But things went sour fast, and the inning was capped by Nelson Cruz’s “Little League home run” that knocked Sale of out of the game after 3⅔ innings and started the Rays on the path to an 11-10 win. It’s been a tough couple of days for Taylor Motter, the utility man claimed by the Sox off waivers after posting a line of .150/.227/.150 in 22 plate appearances with the Rockies. On Sunday, he was picked off at first base with Kyle Schwarber at the plate and two outs. On Monday, he got the start at second and showed off that cannon of an arm of his when he took a relay throw from Alex Verdugo and tried to nail Cruz at third, but the ball sailed high and wide, allowing Cruz to score. The Sox will try to bounce back on Tuesday. Eduardo Rodriguez will get the start. Lineups RAYS (87-51): 1. Randy Arozarena (R) LF 2. Wander Franco (S) SS 3. Nelson Cruz (R) DH 4. Yandy Diaz (R) 3B 5. Jordan Luplow (R) 1B 6. Manuel Margot (R) RF 7. Joey Wendle (L) 2B 8. Mike Zunino (R) C 9. Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF Pitching: RHP Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 3.38 ERA) RED SOX (79-61): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Kyle Schwarber (L) 1B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 6. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 7. Christian Vazquez (R) C 8. Jose Iglesias (R) SS 9. Jonathan Arauz (S) 2B Pitching: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (11-7, 4.88 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Rays vs. Rodriguez: Randy Arozarena 3-9, Nelson Cruz 4-25, Yandy Díaz 7-15, Wander Franco 2-7, Kevin Kiermaier 1-10, Brandon Lowe 4-13, Jordan Luplow 0-4, Manuel Margot 3-10, Austin Meadows 1-10, Francisco Mejía 2-5, Taylor Walls 1-5, Mike Zunino 2-9. Red Sox vs. Rasmussen: Jonathan Araúz 0-1, Franchy Cordero 0-1, Bobby Dalbec 0-1, Rafael Devers 1-5, J.D. Martinez 1-6, Kevin Plawecki 0-2, Hunter Renfroe 0-4, Kyle Schwarber 0-3, Alex Verdugo 2-4, Christian Vázquez 2-3. Stat of the day: The Rays are an MLB-best 34-14 since the All-Star break and have won six straight road games. Notes: The Red Sox are 24-25 since the All-Star break and 36-29 against the division … Rodriguez is 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 12 career starts against Tampa Bay. He pitched six scoreless innings his last time out as the Red Sox beat the Rays 4-0 Thursday in Florida … The Rays are 12-3 in their last 15 games, including five comeback wins, and are averaging 6.5 runs per game … Rasmussen is 0-0 with a 2.53 ERA in five appearances, including three starts, against the Sox. Song of the Day: Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDl6iuku_mw
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 17:36:43 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1h #RedSox make their roster moves official: - Hernandez, Santana activated off COVID IL - Motter DFA - Cordero optioned to Triple-A Worcester
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 17:38:05 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Cora, in Spanish, said it's a unique situation in terms of making roster moves with the COVID IL in mind. Having someone like Motter for one game and deciding to DFA isn't ideal, but it's reality for the #RedSox at the moment.
Cora -- 'Kiké is going to play a lot of center field.'
Iglesias could be used as a regular second baseman. #RedSox
Cora -- 'For how much we love to hit, you have to prevent runs.'
Dalbec will play first base against left-handed pitching. Schwarber is likely to play there against right-handed pitching. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 17:39:20 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Cora on Monday's errors -- 'You've just got to move on. You've got the next day. That's the beauty of our sport.' #RedSox
Cora said Darwinzon Hernandez will pitch one inning tonight for Triple-A Worcester. Could pitch again Wednesday. #RedSox
Cora said Bogaerts 'feels great' and could return as soon as Friday. #RedSox
Cora on Christian Arroyo -- 'With his situation it's going to be longer than we expected.'
Arroyo remains quarantined in Cleveland. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 17:41:06 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 2h Replying to @billkoch25 Cora said Nick Pivetta has tested positive for COVID-19.
He was placed on the reserve list Sunday. #RedSox
Cora said Pivetta is asymptomatic. He is vaccinated.
Could return this weekend. #RedSox
Cora -- 'Kiké is going to play a lot of center field.'
Iglesias could be used as a regular second baseman. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 7, 2021 17:43:34 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 2h Cora added that against some lefties, Verdugo will sit and Schwarber will play LF.
Hernández will play some 2B, but Cora says the grouping of Hernández in CF, Verdugo in LF and Renfroe in RF is ‘a special unit.’ Iglesias will get some time at 2B when Bogaerts returns.
Cora without context: ‘The sun has been there for a while.’
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