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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 3:50:20 GMT -5
Red Sox postseason picture: Boston back in virtual tie with Yankees, Blue Jays after win over Mariners (standings) Updated: 3:53 a.m. | Published: 3:53 a.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
The Red Sox won Tuesday night, beating Seattle, 8-4, behind Kyle Schwarber’s pinch-hit heroics in the eighth inning. Boston is now 2-3 on its road trip, which ends Wednesday afternoon against the Mariners.
Here’s how Tuesday’s action impacts the postseason picture:
If the season ended today: Red Sox would be out of the postseason but only by mere percentage points because they have played more games than the Yankees and Blue Jays. The three teams are basically in a tie, though the Sox have played two more games than the other two teams.
Where the Red Sox stand:
Tied with the Yankees and Blue Jays for the top (and second) AL wild-card spot
3 games ahead of the Mariners and 3 ½ games ahead of the Athletics in the wild-card race
9 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East SCORES:
Red Sox 8, Mariners 4 (Red Sox gain game on Mariners)
Rays 2, Blue Jays 0 (Red Sox gain game on Blue Jays)
Yankees 7, Orioles 2 (Red Sox and Yankees stand pat)
Royals 10, Athletics 7 (Red Sox gain game on Athletics) STANDINGS:
AL WILD CARD
Yankees: 81-64 (tied with Blue Jays, virtually tied with Red Sox)
Blue Jays: 81-64 (tied with Yankees, virtually tied with Red Sox)
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Red Sox: 82-65 (trail Blue Jays and Yankees by percentage points because teams have played an uneven number of games)
Mariners: 78-67 (trail TOR/NYY/BOS by 3 games)
Athletics: 77-67 (trail TOR/NYY/BOS by 3 ½ games)
***
AL EAST
Rays: 90-55
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Blue Jays: 81-64 (9 games back)
Yankees: 81-64 (9 games back)
Red Sox: 82-65 (9 games back)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 7:13:22 GMT -5
It was a glass-is-half-full kind of night for the Red Sox
By Rob Bradford an hour ago
The Red Sox are living an imperfect existence. We have known that for a while.
They have had to fend off a month-long tidal wave of COVID cases. Their defense is not good. And, when the Sox woke up Wednesday morning, they sat in a virtual tie with two other teams for the two Wild Card spots.
But thanks in part to the team's 8-4 win over the Mariners Tuesday night, it's officially glass-half-full time heading into the final 15 regular-season games.
The COVID situation? Martin Perez re-entered the equation Tuesday, with Matt Barnes and Chris Sale also on the way. (Sale will start either Friday or Saturday). The standings? Who doesn't like a good pennant race?
The uneasiness has been easy to come by. That's why games like this can offer an important reminder that there are still pieces that can still complete this puzzle.
Start with Kyle Schwarber.
The defensive goat from Monday night's win showed he is far more part of the solution than the problem, breaking open a 2-2 game in the eighth inning with a pinch-hit, three-run double.
The eighth inning also should have reminded Red Sox followers of the kind of button-pushing Cora has been prone to this time of year.
Before the game, the manager noted how things were about to look a little bit different, with starters finding their way into relief roles with four days off. As far as Cora was concerned, even in mid-September, this was postseason baseball time.
Against the Mariners, however, the desperation alterations were about tweaking the offense at just the right time. In this case it started with the decision to pinch-hit Travis Shaw for the red-hot Bobby Dalbec, who had continued an impressive 1 1/2-month run with his 22nd home run. The result was a Shaw walk, setting the stage for Schwarber to pinch-hit for Kevin Plawecki.
"They know the moment, they know the situation," Cora said. "Travis has been amazing for us since he got here, not expanding the zone, attacking the pitches he wants to attack, and understanding the situation. Second and third, one out, knowing he had Kyle behind him, he’s looking for certain pitches in certain spots, he didn’t get them and kept the line moving and we were able to score right after that."
There were other reminders as to why the Red Sox might actually be able to weather this regular-season storm.
J.D. Martinez's back worked well enough to hit his 26th homer.
Nathan Eovaldi continued to deal, allowing one earned run in five innings. (The Red Sox have won six of the pitcher's last seven starts.)
Darwinzon Hernandez offered another solid appearance since returning from an oblique injury, holding Seattle hitless over 1 2/3 innings in relief of Eovaldi.
And Alex Verdugo has suddenly gotten Dalbec-level hot, sealing the deal with his a two-run homer in the eighth. For September, the outfielder is now hitting .341 with a .908 OPS.
There is a path this team can take. It showed that Tuesday night.
"It was a great win, one that we needed," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "We know where we’re at, where they’re at, everybody else. It was a good win overall."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 7:15:23 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Nathan Eovaldi’s heroics in Red Sox’ win over Mariners just another chapter in the best season of his career
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald September 15, 2021 at 5:36 a.m.
The Red Sox’ 8-4 triumph over the Mariners on Tuesday night in Seattle was a game they desperately needed to win, and it was there for the taking in the eighth inning.
But it was Nathan Eovaldi’s work in the fourth inning that shouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon.
With two on and nobody out, Hunter Renfroe camped under a routine fly ball near the warning track. Renfroe let the ball fall into his glove, then watched it jump to the ground and roll away from him. Everybody was safe. It was Renfroe’s 11th error of the season, six more than any other big league right fielder.
The magnitude of the moment was evident in Renfroe’s face as he fumbled for the ball in a pure panic. And what Eovaldi did next, emptying the tank in a single inning to save his team from falling into pieces, was a performance no less heroic than his Game 6 relief outing in the 2018 World Series.
Think it’s over-dramatic to compare the two? Hardly. This could’ve been the end of the Red Sox’ season on Tuesday night.
If the Sox lost, they would’ve fallen a game back of the Blue Jays and Yankees in the Wild Card chase. And to make matters worse, the Mariners would’ve been just one game back of the Red Sox with one game left in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon.
That would’ve put four teams within two games of each other for two Wild Card spots.
The Sox couldn’t afford to lose this game. They don’t look like a team with enough confidence to overcome another series loss against a good team. They haven’t won a series against a team with a winning record since mid-July.
“It was a great win, one that we needed,” manager Alex Cora said. “We know where we’re at, where they’re at, everybody else. It was a good win.”
In the midst of the best season of his career, leading all big league starting pitchers in WAR (4.8 entering Tuesday), Eovaldi touched 99 mph in the second inning as he completed a scoreless frame and looked completely in control of the Mariners below-average offense.
But the M’s started the fourth inning with three straight singles, including an RBI single by Ty France that tied the game, 1-1, and put runners on first and second. The next batter, Abraham Toro, got a 2-2 curveball from Eovaldi and lifted it to the warning track. Renfroe drifted back and got underneath, but before the ball was in his glove he had already started moving as if he was getting ready to throw. He took his eye off it as it bounced into his glove, then out. Everybody was safe.
The NESN broadcast caught an angle of Eovaldi trying not to react to the play. It looked like he spit into the ground in disbelief, but never shook his head or displayed any signs of frustration.
“Hunter made that error out there but he’s been unbelievable all year, so you can’t be upset with that,” Eovaldi said. “I wanted to pick him up as best as I could. He apologized right away but I can’t be upset.”
At that moment, it was fair to argue that the entire season rested in Eovaldi’s hands. If he couldn’t stop the bleeding and the Mariners ran away with that game on the heels of yet another defensive blunder by the Red Sox, there’s no telling what it would’ve meant for this team’s confidence going forward.
The math says that with bases loaded and nobody out a team will score on average of 2.3 runs per game. The Mariners only got one.
The next three batters went strikeout, sacrifice fly, strikeout to end the inning as Eovali walked off the mound with assurance. He ran out of gas in the fifth inning, barely making it through, but after emptying the tank to keep his team in the game in the fourth, it was to be expected.
The Sox were down 2-1, but the game was still within reach. It was there for the taking. And finally, in the eighth inning, with the bases loaded and one out, Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run double into the right-field gap to give the Red Sox relief.
“It’s a huge win,” Eovaldi said. “You see the other teams in front of us winning ballgames. Seattle is right behind us.”
Schwarber will get a lot of credit for coming off the bench and putting together an impressive bat. Travis Shaw did the same thing just before him and drew a walk. And Bobby Dalbec had already homered early in the game to get the Sox on the board. All three first basemen had impacts on this game. Important ones, too.
But what shouldn’t be overlooked is Eovaldi’s ability to get out of the fourth inning.
Every night it looks like the Red Sox’ defense has hit rock bottom. And then they do something else.
One of these times they make a boneheaded defensive mistake is going to be the last one before the team completely unravels.
Younger pitchers, less experienced pitchers, might’ve fallen apart. Eovaldi didn’t.
It’s just another chapter in the greatest season of his career.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 12:52:31 GMT -5
Game 148: Red Sox at Mariners lineups and pregame notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated September 15, 2021, 32 minutes ago The Red Sox will be going for the series win at Seattle on Wednesday after posting an 8-4 victory Tuesday night. The Sox improved to 82-65 with the win, and are tied with the Blue Jays and Yankees, both 81-64, for the first wild card in the American League. Here are the standings. It’s a 4:10 p.m. start as the Sox will conclude their six-game road trip and head back to Boston after the game. After an off-day Thursday, the Sox will begin an eight-game homestand on Friday with a three-game series with the Orioles. Lineups RED SOX (82-65):1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 6. Kyle Schwarber (L) LF 7. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C 9. Jose Iglesias (R) 2B Pitching: RHP Tanner Houck (0-4, 3.54 ERA) MARINERS (78-67): 1. J.P. Crawford (L) SS 2. Mitch Haniger (R) RF 3. Kyle Seager (L) 3B 4. Ty France (R) 1B 5. Abraham Toro (S) 2B 6. Jake Fraley (L) LF 7. Luis Torrens (R) DH 8. Jarred Kelenic (L) CF 9. Tom Murphy (R) C Pitching: LHP Marco Gonzales (8-5, 4.03 ERA) Time: 4:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Gonzales: Xander Bogaerts 2-6, Rafael Devers 3-8, Kiké Hernández 0-2, José Iglesias 6-11, J.D. Martinez 4-8, Hunter Renfroe 1-2, Kyle Schwarber 1-1, Travis Shaw 1-2, Christian Vázquez 2-5. Mariners vs. Houck: Has not faced any Seattle batters. Stat of the day: This is Rafael Devers’s second time hitting at least 30 home runs (32 in 2019) and reaching RBI (115 in 2019). He is the 13th player to record multiple 30/100 seasons with the Sox, but only the second to do so before turning 25 years old, joining Ted Williams. Notes: The Sox improved to 6-6 in their last 12 road games and are 7-6 in September. … Houck has a 4.55 ERA in his last six games with an 8.78 strikeouts per nine innings. … Gonzales is 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox. He has won his last seven decisions. Song of the Day: Alice In Chains - Check My Brainwww.youtube.com/watch?v=SBcADQziQWY
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 13:15:34 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes · 3h Last 5 games for the Red Sox’ bullpen:
4.1 IP, 0 ER 7.0 IP, 1 ER 3.1 IP, 1 ER 2.0 IP, 0 ER 4.0 IP, 0 ER
Totals: 0.87 ERA, 20.2 IP, 2 ER
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 13:24:21 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h
Of note: Cora initially said Bogaerts would get another day off in this series. That changed. This is also 2 starts in a row for Plawecki
Bogaerts talked his way into to the lineup. Plawecki is in the lineup to try and get more offense against a lefty starter. Sale on track for Friday.
#RedSox list Pivetta as their starter on Saturday. Friday and Sunday are blank.
Their plan is Sale for Friday assuming he is cleared. Presumably Rodriguez or Eovaldi would go Sunday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 13:26:04 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 49m Cora likes Plawecki against an opposing LHP this afternoon. Vazquez will be back in the lineup Friday. #RedSox
Cora on Roberto Clemente Day -- 'It's great. It's a day that's very special for everybody, not only for us Puerto Ricans.'
'Clemente means more than our community or our race.'
'If there's a Hall of Fame above the Hall of Fame off the field, he's in that Hall of Fame.' #RedSox
Cora said he and Kiké Hernandez will wear Clemente's No. 21 jersey this afternoon. He's not sure for right now if any other members of the #RedSox will do so.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 13:28:00 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 54m Replying to @billkoch25 Alex Cora, asked by Jonny Miller about the #RedSox defense -- 'It hasn't been great. That's all I can say.'
Miller prefaced his question with an apology -- 'not to beat a dead horse.'
Cora -- 'We hate getting ahead of ourselves. But I think from Friday on it should be a great atmosphere at Fenway.' #RedSox
Cora on Chris Sale -- 'Hopefully he can pitch on Friday. We're still waiting for MLB and the COVID committee.'
'He'll be fine for us.' #RedSox
Cora said 'there's a good chance' Jarren Duran and Christian Arroyo could play tonight for Triple-A Worcester.
Matt Barnes is scheduled to pitch and should join the #RedSox on Friday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 14:57:59 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 40m A few #RedSox notes:
* 19 of Dalbec's last 27 hits have been for extra bases. His OPS was .651 on July 30. It's .786 now.
* Sox have allowed 18 unearned runs in the last 8 games.
* Sox are 9-9 since their Covid outbreak.
* Shaw has a .960OPS in 19 games with the Sox.
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 15, 2021 15:09:33 GMT -5
It's crunch time Red Sox. To state the obvious, a win today would be really, really nice.
I think the 2 wildcards are coming out of the AL East. I don't think Oakland or Seattle have a chance. And I am still confident that one of those teams will be the Red Sox.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 15:17:30 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m Hunter Renfroe to LCF. 1-0 Red Sox, who have homered in 21 of their last 23 games,
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 16:07:58 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 45m Houck:
2.45 ERA in his first seven games this season and 12.6 K/9
4.55 ERA in his last 6 games with 8.78 K/9
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 16:08:23 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7m And again it happens.
Renfroe with a throw to third base that goes into the camera well and allows a run to score.
His 12th error.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 16:09:01 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 5m Up 3-0, play there is to hit the cutoff man, keep the runner at first (and the double play in order). Sox have been playing some really poor fundamental baseball lately. They weren't going to get Kelenic at 3B.
And now it's 3-3.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 15, 2021 16:09:44 GMT -5
Houck won't make it to the 5th at this rate as usual
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