|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 18, 2021 15:30:13 GMT -5
Alex Speier
@alexspeier
·
9m
Garrett Richards as a starter: .300 average, .868 OPS allowed, 17.3% K rate, 5.22 ERA.
Garrett Richards as a reliever: .216 average, .577 OPS allowed, 28.0% K rate, 0.92 ERA.
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 18, 2021 15:37:19 GMT -5
tribe win 11-3
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 18, 2021 15:58:10 GMT -5
Alex Speier
@alexspeier
·
25m
Cora on bullpen usage: ‘Today we needed to be aggressive. … Tanner was ready. It was time to use him in that situation.’
Cora on Bogaerts: ‘He crushed the ball a few times.’
Bogaerts says he was ‘in a pretty rough spot’ - with struggles, performance, concerns about outbreak - before he landed on the injured list. Said being on the COVID IL helped him to appreciate playing more.
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 18, 2021 16:01:28 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats
@rsnstats
·
9m
#RedSox Manager Alex Cora on the early hook for Nick Pivetta today: "When we have to be aggressive, we're going to be aggressive. And today we needed to be aggressive…the whole bullpen did a great job."
#RedSox Manager Cora on how he'll use Tanner Houck out of the bullpen: "He will be able to go back-to-back games, but right now he's down for a few days. But, like I said, you win this one, it's one less day, one more win, and we move forward."
#RedSox Manager Cora: "There's a few guys who had good at-bats today…it was a good day offensively. They scored right away, we answered back…we didn't stop playing…we pitched, we played great defense and offensively, we did a lot of good things."
#RedSox Manager Cora on bullpen flexibility: "Tanner, he doesn't care. He just wants to pitch. I believe the key has been [Richards] and [Pérez]. Their willingness to go out there and just get outs. They didn't get down on themselves, it was the other way around."
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 18, 2021 16:57:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats
@rsnstats
·
52m
#RedSox Nick Pivetta: "They came out really aggressive against me…so I had to make an adjustment with my game plan, had to throw more offspeed…As the game went on I got a lot stronger."
#RedSox Pivetta on the aggressive bullpen use: "I think the game just dictates itself…because it was such a close game, it goes in the direction of match play…Whatever the game dictates, that's just the way it goes…You always go out there and try to go as deep as you can."
#RedSox Tanner Houck: "Today was a different experience but it's still 60-feet, 6-inches. It's about going out there and just putting the team in the best spot to win. Came in today and felt pretty good with everything and just really went at hitters."
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 18, 2021 17:07:02 GMT -5
Blue Jays win
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 2:49:26 GMT -5
Bogey (4 RBIs), Sox keep Wild Card lead
'Every game matters': Shortstop homers among 3 hits as Boston wins 4th straight
September 18th, 2021
Ian Browne
Ian Browne
@ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- It was somewhat surprising to hear Red Sox manager Alex Cora say a couple of times recently that Xander Bogaerts has been “battling” with his swing since coming off the COVID-19 injured list on Sept. 10.
Well, it’s a battle that Bogaerts keeps winning. He certainly did on Saturday, when he hammered the baseball all afternoon as the Red Sox continued to push hard toward a postseason berth by battering the Orioles, 9-3, at Fenway Park.
With 12 games left in the season, Boston (85-65) is 20 games above .500 for the first time in two weeks. Cora’s squad holds the top American League Wild Card spot by one game over the Blue Jays, who beat the Twins on Saturday, and 1 1/2 over the Yankees, who were routed by Cleveland.
“It’s fun, being able to go out there and help your team. We know that every game matters right now,” said Bogaerts. “We’re at a point in the season where every game is huge regardless of how you get them. It’s fun that everyone is playing pretty much their best game as of the moment.”
One thing that would help the Red Sox greatly is if their offense can start to resemble the high-powered machine it was earlier in the season.
Of late, that has been the case. The Red Sox have scored seven runs or more in each game of this four-game winning streak.
It sure helps to have Bogaerts back in the swing. The All-Star shortstop, Boston’s unquestioned leader, turned a close game into a rout when he blistered a three-run homer off a sign beyond the Monster Seats to cap a four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth.
It seemed that everything Bogaerts put his bat on was scalded. He kept a three-run rally going in the first inning with a 98.5 mph single to right. In the third, Bogaerts was the victim of bad aim, hitting a 108.8 mph lineout to left. But he got back in the hit column in the fifth with an RBI single (105.1 mph exit velocity) that snapped a 3-3 tie.
Then came the crowning moment in the sixth, when Bogaerts tore into a first-pitch fastball on the inner and upper portion of the zone that left his bat at 104.3 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected distance of 419 feet for his 22nd homer on the season.
“It starts with a line drive the other way,” said Cora. “Sometimes he becomes pull-happy, but he went the other way, and then after that it was barrel after barrel. And obviously the home run, that was the highlight of the day for him. But I think the line drive right away, going first pitch, hitting it hard the other way, was the beginning of a great day.”
Since his return last weekend in Chicago, Bogaerts is 11-for-30 (.366 average) with seven runs, one double, one triple, two homers and four walks.
Yet Bogaerts agrees with Cora’s assessment that it has been a battle. That just shows how gifted Bogaerts is, and how much he expects of himself.
“I enjoy expecting a lot of myself. Whatever they expect of me, I expect twice, three times more than that,” said Bogaerts. “I find it fun that way, and that’s the way that I do it, and I appreciate that about myself. It’s not like I’m coming in here lollygagging every day. It’s fun for me that way. That fuels me.”
The two months before Bogaerts tested positive for COVID-19 were his toughest of the season. From July 1 through Aug. 31, Bogaerts slashed .247/.327/.420 with seven homers and 22 RBIs.
So maybe the break helped, though he clearly didn’t want one.
Houck provides relief -– and gets elusive ‘W’
In 12 starts this season, Red Sox righty Tanner Houck is 0-4 with a 4.02 ERA. Cora moved him to the bullpen for the stretch run, and that paid off in a big way on Saturday.
On a day Nick Pivetta was pulled after only 3 2/3 innings (seven hits, three runs), Houck was able to get eight big outs for the Red Sox. The righty walked none and struck out three, facing nine batters and throwing 42 pitches.
Houck came on with the game tied and was able to finally get his first win of 2021 and fourth of his career.
The outing was reminiscent of Houck’s relief effort at Yankee Stadium on July 16, when he fired three scoreless innings. His power arm gives the Red Sox another significant weapon in the middle to late innings.
“Today, coming in with runners on, that’s not what I’ve done in a while,” said Houck. “Having that today was a different experience, but it’s still 60 feet, 6 inches. It’s about going out there and putting the team in the best spot to win. So I came in today, felt pretty good with everything and really went at hitters, and it was a really positive thing to take away from today.
“Regardless of the circumstances of starting or relieving or whatever it is, I’m just happy I went out there and went right at hitters and threw strikes with all my pitches today.”
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 2:58:45 GMT -5
Xander Bogaerts looks like he’s clicked, and the Red Sox have won four straight
By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 18, 2021, 4:20 p.m.
The Red Sox’ COVID-19 outbreak took an emotional toll on Xander Bogaerts. When names began to pile up on the COVID-19 related injured list, Bogaerts admitted that it impacted his mental stability, which spilled over toward his play.
“I was just stressing out a lot,” Bogaerts said Saturday afternoon. “We had a lot of stuff with the COVID going on. I wasn’t playing well for a while. So, I kind of was in a pretty rough spot.”
Bogaerts ultimately ended up contracting COVID, testing positive Aug. 31 during the road series with the Rays. He returned to the lineup Sept. 10 with his mind rested, but his timing was off thanks to the time missed.
Prior to Saturday’s contest with the Orioles, manager Alex Cora said his shortstop was still scuffling at the plate despite hitting .320 following his return. A true hitter like Bogaerts knew his swing was off.
In a 9-3 thumping of the Orioles, Bogaerts certainly looked as if he found his swing. He went 3 for 5 with 4 RBIs, on a single in the fifth and a three-run homer in the sixth which locked up a series win. Bogaerts stung the ball with the authority that you’re used to seeing from arguably the best offensive shortstop in baseball.
His line out to center in the third inning registered at 108.8 miles per hour, the second-hardest hit ball of the day.
“Obviously he crushed the ball a few times,” Cora said. “The home run was huge. It was a good day offensively.”
For Bogaerts, finding his swing ultimately comes down to attention to detail. Whether it’s the night or morning after a game, Bogaerts is in the video room. It also comes down to expectations, and Bogaerts sets a high bar for himself.
“If you’re not feeling good, you still have to go out there and compete,” Bogaerts said. “You got to do the best you can to be able to contribute and be productive for the team. I put a lot of pressure on myself and I like that. That’s what gets me going.”
The Orioles got going against Nick Pivetta early, with two runs on his first two pitches. Cedric Mullins doubled off Pivetta, then Ryan Mountcastle lifted a two-run shot, the 30th home run of his rookie season, over the Green Monster. (Anthony Santander lined Pivetta’s third pitch for a single as well.)
“I think they came out really aggressive against me,” said Pivetta, who lasted just 3⅔ innings. “So I had to make an adjustment with my game plan and had to throw more offspeed.”
After the Red Sox immediately answered with three runs on five hits against Zac Lowther, Bobby Dalbec doubling home two after Rafael Devers singled home Kiké Hernández, Austin Wynns tied it with a solo homer off Pivetta in the second. But that was all the scoring for 101-loss Baltimore. The Red Sox scored six unanswered runs, including four in the sixth with two out via a Hunter Renfroe RBI double and Bogaerts.
A Yankees loss to Cleveland and Toronto win against Minnesota put the Sox (85-65) one game ahead of the Jays (83-65) for the right to host the Wild Card Game, and New York (83-66) a half-game further back. The Red Sox have 12 games left on their schedule, and the fight for space at the wild-card table will likely remain a tight squeeze until the final one against the Nationals on Oct. 3.
Having Bogaerts feeling like himself again undoubtedly gives the Sox a better chance to play beyond that point.
“It doesn’t matter at this point, man,” Bogaerts said. “It really doesn’t matter how you win, it’s just that you need to win it. [Down] 2-0 in the beginning of the game, and we answered back nicely. That’s when I kind of felt like this was pretty much us in the beginning and then halfway through the season.”
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 3:00:20 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook
Alex Cora getting his quick hook ready in a potential playoff preview
By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 18, 2021, 7:11 p.m.
Manager Alex Cora gave Red Sox fans a peek into his all-hands-on-deck philosophy Saturday afternoon, if not a look into the team’s playoff strategy.
Nick Pivetta labored on the hill against Baltimore, and Cora didn’t waste any time going to his bullpen. With two outs in the fourth, Darwinzon Hernandez came in, followed after two-thirds of an inning by Tanner Houck, who earned his first victory of the season with 2⅔ scoreless.
Related: Xander Bogaerts, bullpen lift Red Sox over Orioles, 9-3
It was an example of not only a unified team philosophy, but also managing with aggression. If a starter is struggling, particularly if it’s not Chris Sale or Nate Eovaldi, Cora isn’t going to waste any time seeing if that starter can get out of it.
“When we have to be aggressive, we’re going to be aggressive,” he said following the 9-3 win. “And today we needed to be aggressive.”
Pivetta said he was on board with Cora’s decision to yank him at the time that he did.
“To be honest with you, it’s just a part of baseball right now,” Pivetta said. “We’re in this game to win games today . . . We have a really versatile, great bullpen. So that’s just the way it goes.”
Though Houck’s future with the Red Sox beyond this year remains as a starter, the team officially moved him to the bullpen in a defined role. On Saturday, Houck dazzled, holding the Orioles scoreless while striking out three on just one hit.
Though Houck can run into trouble if left in for too long — like, say, a third time through the order — he can smother an offense in short spurts. That could be a weapon down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“I think it’s a huge advantage having guys in the bullpen and in the starting rotation that can fill both roles,” Houck said. “Whether it is coming in with runners on or starting games. I think we have a lot of versatility not only on the hitting side, but a lot on the pitching side as well.”
The Red Sox relief group has been solid, allowing just two runs in its last 35⅔ innings. The rotation remains a question mark beyond Sale and Eovaldi, which puts more onus on the relievers to be just as good as they’ve been.
Is that sustainable? The last 12 games of the season will be the judge.
“You try to maximize [the relievers] stuff against [the opposing team’s] lineup,” Cora said. “So, it’s fun to manage that way. It’s great. I like it. We like it as a group.”
Another looming COVID loss
A lot can happen in 12 games, but should the Red Sox reach the Wild Card Game as they’re in line to, they might be without at least one of their staff members. MLB will require non-playing personnel (managers, coaches, athletic trainers) to be vaccinated prior to the start of the postseason. The Red Sox have at least one staff member, first base coach Tom Goodwin, who is unvaccinated. “We’re having conversations about that,” Cora said. “I’m surprised, but not surprised, to be honest with you. I’ve been hearing this for a while. So right now [chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom] and the group, they’re talking to everybody, going over the situation and we’ll make adjustments” . . . Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts for Triple A Worcester on Friday. The Red Sox are still waiting to determine what his next steps will be. Jonathan Araúz was in the WooSox lineup Saturday, his first game since his symptom-based placement on the COVID-IL on Sept. 10 . . . Bobby Dalbec was 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the first inning. Twenty-two of his last 31 hits have been extra base hits, and he’s batting .293/.373/.653 in 51 games since the All-Star break.
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 3:05:31 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Alex Cora has multiple Garrett Whitlock-like relievers right now, can be aggressive in final 12 games; ‘It’s fun to manage’
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Just 12 regular season games remain and Alex Cora is managing the Boston Red Sox with urgency.
Take note of how Cora used his bullpen in the Red Sox’s 9-3 victory over the Orioles here at Fenway Park on Saturday.
Boston remains atop the AL Wild Card standings with a one-game lead over Toronto and 1.5 game lead over the Yankees.
“When we have to be aggressive, we’re going to be aggressive,” Cora said. “And today we needed to be aggressive.”
It’s that time of year to chase wins.
Cora removed starter Nick Pivetta with the score tied 3-3 and a runner at third base with two outs in the fourth. He had matchups on his mind — and it worked.
Darwinzon Hernandez, Tanner Houck, Hansel Robles and Garrett Richards combined to toss 5 ⅓ scoreless innings. They allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Red Sox relievers have allowed just two earned runs in 35 ⅔ innings (0.50 ERA) in the past eight games.
“It’s just different arms, different angles, different stuff,” Cora said. “And you mix and match. You try to maximize their stuff against their lineup knowing that tomorrow you’re going to have enough guys available for multiple innings and with great stuff. It’s fun to manage that way. It’s great. I like it. We like it as a group.”
Hernandez, a lefty, replaced Pivetta. He retired left-handed hitter Cedric Mullins on a line-out to left field to end the fourth inning.
Houck replaced Hernandez with two runners on base and two outs in the fifth. Five straight right-handed hitters were due when Cora brought in Houck, a righty.
“Tanner was ready so it was time to use him in that situation knowing that they didn’t have more lefties until Mullins again,” Cora said. “So he went out there and did an outstanding job.”
Houck pitched 2 ⅔ scoreless innings. He allowed just one base runner.
“Coming in with runners on, it’s not what I’ve done in a while,” Houck said. “I think the last time I did that was in ‘19 whenever I first went to the bullpen for a little stint (at Triple A). So having that today, it was a different experience. But it’s still 60-feet, 6-inches. It’s about going out there and just putting the team in the best spot to win. So came in today and felt pretty good with everything. And just really went at hitters. It’s a really positive thing to take away from today. Regardless of the circumstances of starting, relieving, whatever it is, I’m just happy I went out there, went right at hitters, threw strikes with all my pitches today.”
Boston has three built-in off days remaining. So Cora has the ability to go with a four-man rotation (Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez and Pivetta) and use Houck in a similar way as he has used Garrett Whitlock this year.
Cora actually has two relievers he can use like Whitlock the rest of this season. Richards also has emerged as a multi-inning weapon since being moved from the rotation to the bullpen.
Richards has a 0.92 ERA (two earned runs, 19 ⅔ innings), .216 batting average against and 1.22 WHIP in 12 relief outings.
Cora can use Whitlock, Richards and Houck for multiple innings in the middle of close games if he needs to remove a starter early. He also can use all three pitchers late in games with a lead. Cora said he doesn’t have a specific closer in mind the rest of the way. He will go with the best matchups in the ninth inning.
“Tanner, he doesn’t care. He just wants to pitch,” Cora said. “I believe the key have been G-Rich and Martín (Pérez), their willingness to go out there and just get outs. They didn’t get down on themselves. It was the other way around. Kind of like, ‘OK, this is where I’m going. We’re going to do the job.’ There’s a lot of weapons back there. But at the same time, we’d love our starters to go 5 or 6 innings.”
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 3:15:06 GMT -5
Orioles @ Red Sox
Sunday, 19th September
1pm @ Fenway
Wells 1-3/7.76
1-3 with a 7.76 ERA in 8 games (5 starts) of 2021. Will be his 1st career appearance vs BOS.
Eovaldi 10-8/3.52
10-8 with a 3.52 ERA in 29 starts of 2021. 6-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 13 career starts vs BAL.
Baltimore Orioles vs.Boston Red Sox
Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 1:10pm EDT
Written by Nick Raffoul
The Baltimore Orioles will head to Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon for an American League East showdown against the Boston Red Sox.
Baltimore sits in last place in the AL East standings with a 47-101 overall record. Meanwhile, Boston is fighting for a postseason spot in the American League, where it leads the Wild Card standings with an 85-65 overall mark after winning four in a row.
Can the Red Sox close their series with a win at home against the Orioles on Sunday afternoon?
Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Red Sox in their series finale at Fenway Park on Sunday. The 31-year-old is 10-8 with a 3.52 ERA in 29 starts this season and he’s turned the corner over the last month, allowing three earned runs or fewer in seven straight starts. In his previous trip to the mound, Eovaldi surrendered two runs (one earned) on five hits in five innings of work against the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox right-hander has been excellent at Fenway Park this season, going 6-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 17 home starts.
The Red Sox ace has been enjoying one of the best seasons of his career in 2021. Not only does Eovaldi’s 3.52 ERA mark a career-low mark but he has also fanned 9.60 batters and walked 1.65 batters per nine innings of work this season. He’s also shown terrific command of the strike zone, throwing 65.5 percent of his first pitches for strikes this year.
In 13 starts against the Orioles, Eovaldi is 6-2 with a 3.95 ERA. He tossed 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball in his lone start of the season against Baltimore back on April 2. According to Baseball Savant, current Balitmore hitters are batting just .286 in 78 plate appearances off of the Red Sox ace heading into Sunday’s start.
Wells hoping for better results in first career start vs. Red Sox
Baltimore is expected to close the series with left-handed rookie Alexander Wells, who will be making just his sixth career MLB start, Wells comes in with a 1-3 overall record through eight games and five starts this season. After allowing three earned runs or fewer in six of his first seven appearances, the Orioles’ southpaw was knocked around for five earned runs in just four frames in his last start against the New York Yankees.
In 26 ⅓ big league frames, Wells has struck out 6,75 batters and walked 4.05 batters per nine innings of work. The Orioles’ left-hander has also struggled with the long ball, giving up a whopping 2.36 home runs per nine innings of work and a home run per fly ball rate of 16.3 percent.
This will be Wells’ first career start against the Red Sox.
Red Sox Nation Stats
@rsnstats
·
11h
#RedSox game time Sunday is 1:10 ET/10:10 PT. Expected conditions at Fenway Park in Boston: Sunny, 72°F / 22°C. Winds: NE 15 MPH. #MLB #Orioles #MLB
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 3:15:57 GMT -5
Bill Koch
@billkoch25
·
6h
Current AL Wild Card standings:
Team Record GB
BOS 85-65 --
TOR 83-65 1
NYY 83-66 1 1/2
#RedSox hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over both the Blue Jays and Yankees.
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 6:17:40 GMT -5
Christopher 'Smitty' Smith
@smittyonmlb
Red Sox relievers have allowed just two earned runs in 35 ⅔ innings (0.50 ERA) in the past eight games.
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 8:14:20 GMT -5
Welcome to Xander Bogaerts' baseball revival
Current Time 0:03
/
Duration 1:45
By Rob Bradford
34 minutes ago
It was the wake-up call nobody really wanted.
COVID.
For the Red Sox, it was the tidal wave of cases and absences that the virus led to, putting the roster in a constant state of uncertainty.
For Xander Bogaerts, it was the unexpected path to an awakening.
"Before I went on the IL, I was just stressing out a lot," the shortstop said after the Sox' 9-3 win over the Orioles. "We had a lot of stuff going on with the COVID and I wasn’t playing as well for a while. I kind of was in a pretty rough spot. Being able to get the COVID, I know it was bad timing because we were in the thick of things at that moment. It kind of helped me relax a little bit more, maybe appreciate the game a lot more, and like I said, man, I love this game, this is all I do. This is what I want to do. Just being able to get that itch back to being back on the field and helping the team, I think that’s something I needed. I definitely found it, especially when we had that COVID issue going on. It was a rough couple of days with all that stuff going on."
Now that much the quarantines have come and gone, we can now see what these 10 days off in the heart of the season might have meant. For pitchers like Matt Barnes and Nick Pivetta, for instance, this could ultimately be just the unplanned respite that pays off in October.
For Bogaerts, the hiatus meant perhaps more than anyone might have known.
The player so many leaned on for stability, leadership and consistency had found himself worn down in the weeks after the All-Star break, still dealing with a wrist ailment that wouldn't go away.
The swings painted the picture. Those authoritative cuts that had put Bogaerts at the top of everyone's shortstop power rankings throughout the season's first few months were noticeably absent. The batting averages in July (.234) and August (.254) took a nose-dive, as did his ability to consistently drive the ball.
Then Saturday we were reminded why the expectations for Bogaerts are what they are.
It wasn't just the game-changing 419-foot, three-run homer. It was virtually every swing Bogaerts executed against the Orioles. It started with a 98.5 mph single, was followed with 108.8 mph line-out, which was chased by a 105.1 mph base hit. That paved the way for the homer.
Before the game, Alex Cora proclaimed that he hoped Bogaerts could rediscover his swing soon. A few hours later, there it was.
"He crushed the ball a few times," the Red Sox manager noted.
Bogaerts certainly did. The shortstop everyone had been waiting for has returned, with a brand new perspective and an all-too-familiar swing.
|
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 19, 2021 8:17:20 GMT -5
Lou Merloni
@loumerloni
·
1h
12 left. 8-4 get them in? You really want to host this 1 game playoff if you can. 9-3 to do that? Unfortunately for those that enjoy rooting against this team, they’re healthy and rolling. Rotation, Pen and Lineup. See ya Oct 5th!!
|
|
