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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:16:32 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h Down 3-2, Red Sox have seen 12 pitches the last two innings.
12 Twelve. One more than 11. 12.
4-2 Orioles as Houck allowed three straight hits with two outs.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:17:22 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 5h 3.74 pitches per plate appearance for the Red Sox tonight, 2.83 for the final 12 batters.
“Yeah, that [expletive] sucked. There’s no question. We’ve got to win these games. That’s it.”
Chris Sale and the #RedSox have lost four in a row. Tuesday night's 4-2 loss at Baltimore was mailed in
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:20:01 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 6h Cora: ‘A lot of empty at-bars. We didn’t put pressure on them. We’re an offensive team. We’re a lot better than what we showed today.’
Cora says Robles was up only if there was trouble in the 6th.
Sale: ‘That (expletive) sucked.’
Sale: ‘There’s no doubt, we’ve been dragged through the mud these last four games.’
Sale on whether it was hard to motivate against a last-place team and 8,000 fans: ‘Better not be. We’ve got two more against them.’
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:21:39 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Red Sox don’t look anything like a playoff team right now Three hits against the worst pitching team in baseball won’t cut it
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: September 28, 2021 at 11:02 p.m. | UPDATED: September 28, 2021 at 11:22 p.m.
Baseball is a long season, yada yada yada.
Forget about that.
Tuesday was Game No. 157 and there’s no way anybody who watched the Red Sox lose at Baltimore could come out of it thinking the Red Sox are a playoff team.
It doesn’t matter what they looked like in the five months before. The Red Sox might’ve played their worst game of the year, all things considered, against the worst team in baseball at a time when they can’t afford to be anything less than their best.
Chris Sale, whose name will forever be in the loss column of the 4-2 defeat to the Orioles, gave up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings as the Sox continue to slip in the standings, holding on by a thread with five games left.
“It’s not even really us versus anybody,” he said. “It’s us versus us.”
The Red Sox must’ve beaten themselves on Tuesday. How else does one explain scoring just two runs on three hits against an Orioles team that is allowing about six runs per game this season, has 106 losses and is using pitchers who have nothing better than average big league stuff, at best.
Bruce Zimmermann, who started this game for Baltimore, has given up some of the hardest contact in baseball during the 2021 season. Pull up his page on Baseball Savant and you’ll find nothing but blue bubbles representing the poorness of his average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity, expected ERA, strikeout rate and fastball velocity.
He’s a traditional lefty junkballer who averages 90 mph. And the Red Sox scored one run off him in four innings.
“We didn’t do much,” manager Alex Cora said. “There were a lot of empty at-bats. We didn’t put pressure on them. We are an offensive team. We’re a lot better than what we showed today.”
The Sox’ offensive performance was nothing short of an embarrassment. It looked like they had one swing and one swing only as every player, one through nine, appeared as though they were trying to hit 500-foot shots out of the ballpark.
Two of them connected. Kyle Schwarber and Hunter Renfroe hit solo shots to account for both Boston runs. Renfroe also singled.
That was it. The Sox finished with three hits against the worst pitching staff in baseball that is playing for nothing and doing it in front of nobody at a mostly-empty Camden Yards.
The eighth inning was unwatchable. The Sox saw four pitches, took three swings and produced three outs.
In the ninth, Rafael Devers swung through a fastball that was eye-level before flying out to left, Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third and J.D. Martinez lined out to left to end the game with a 12-pitch inning.
Cora has been preaching for months that he wants his team to grind out at-bats, use the whole field, take singles, take walks and be good overall offensive players, not just power hitters.
And yet here we are, with five games remaining, the Sox chasing a playoff spot and the manager saying the same things he was saying months ago.
“We’re really good when we go up the middle or go the other way,” Cora said.
At this point, the manager doesn’t even look mad. He doesn’t look sad. Is his team feeling the pressure? He knows his guys better than anyone, and yet he said he’s not sure.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t measure that.”
If anything, Cora looks apathetic, like there’s nothing else he can do but watch his flat-footed squad take bad swings, play poor defense and lose to the worst team in the league.
“It didn’t happen today,” he said. “Hopefully (Wednesday) we come the same way, prepare, be ready, and get better results.”
Sale pitched well for five innings, then left a lazy changeup over the plate to Ryan Mountcastle, who crushed it for a two-run shot that prompted Cora to take him out of the game after just 85 pitches.
Hansel Robles came in and gave up two singles, including one that rolled under Devers glove, and the O’s took the lead.
In the eighth, Alex Verdugo, making a rare appearance in right field after a double switch, overran a bloop single and had to chase it down while one run scored.
The Red Sox showed little fight after falling behind.
“There are going to be days like this,” Schwarber said.
It’s usually unfair to say a team gave up, especially from an outsider’s perspective. Nobody could say for sure if professional athletes gave up or didn’t.
But they sure looked like they did on Tuesday night.
Whether the Red Sox finish with one of the five best records in the American League or not, they aren’t going anywhere if they play another game like that one.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:23:53 GMT -5
Chris Sale livid after Boston Red Sox blow game to last-place Orioles to open road trip: ‘It’s us vs. us. We’ve got to win games’ Updated: 11:39 p.m. | Published: 11:39 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BALTIMORE -- Red Sox ace Chris Sale didn’t mince words when asked what he thought about Boston’s crushing 4-2 loss to the last-place Orioles on Tuesday night.
“It (expletive) sucks,” Sale said. “There’s no question. We have to win these games. That’s it. Any game we lose, it (expletive) sucks. Any game we win, we’re one step closer.”
Facing an O’s team that entered Tuesday with 50 wins on the season, the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead into the sixth with Sale -- who cruised through his first five innings -- on the mound. Things then unraveled, as Sale allowed a leadoff single to No. 9 hitter Kelvin Gutierrez and then left a changeup over the plate to Ryan Mountcastle, who homered to tie the game.
Three more singles later (including two off reliever Hansel Robles), Baltimore took a 3-2 lead. The O’s would add a run in the eighth and beat the Red Sox for just the second time in 14 tries.
The loss was particularly gutting on the heels of the Red Sox being swept by the Yankees in a three-game series over the weekend. The defeat, coupled with New York’s 7-2 win over the Blue Jays, dropped Boston two games back of the Yankees for the first wild-card spot. The Sox still hold narrow leads over the Jays (one game) and Mariners (one game as of this writing) for the second spot.
“We’ve been getting (dragged) through the mud the last four days -- the last four games anyways,” Sale said. “We’ve got to find something, man. These games, they’re not making any more of them. We’re getting toward the end. We know where we’re at. We know what we’re up against. It’s not even really us vs. anybody. It’s us vs. us. We’ve got to win games.”
The Red Sox were heavy betting favorites to win Tuesday night with Sale, their ace, facing one of the worst teams in baseball. But the club’s offense only mustered three hits, leading to an ominous start to a six-game road trip against last place teams in Baltimore and Washington.
“We know what we have to do,” said manager Alex Cora. “Today, it wasn’t a good start for us. Our goal is to win both series. One here and one in Washington. They know it. Everybody knows where we’re at. It’s not like we’re hiding from it. Of course they know what’s at stake.”
On Tuesday, the Sox will look to get back on track with All-Star righty Nathan Eovaldi on the mound. Sale hopes the team doesn’t view the series in Baltimore as a layup after a high-octane weekend against the Yankees at home.
“It better not be, because we’ve got two more against them and we need both of them,” Sale said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:25:00 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s ‘big week’ starts with big clunker; ‘We’re a lot better than that. A lot better,’ Alex Cora says Updated: 12:14 a.m. | Published: 11:53 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — “It’s a big week, Jonny. It’s a big week.”
That was how manager Alex Cora began his pregame press conference Tuesday. He was expecting WBZ’s Jonny Miller to ask him about Boston’s crucial six-game road trip (three games in Baltimore and three games in Washington) to close out the regular season. He answered before Miller could ask him the question.
A big week began with a big clunker Tuesday. The Red Sox lost 4-2 to the 106-loss Baltimore Orioles here at Camden Yards.
Boston’s offense managed just three hits. It averaged only 2.9 pitches per at-bat during the final five innings.
It was a lifeless and unacceptable type of loss with a Wild Card spot at stake.
“Today, it wasn’t a good start for us,” Cora said. “Our goal is to win both series. One here, one in Washington. And they know it. Everybody knows where we’re at. It’s not like we’re hiding from it. Of course they know what’s at stake. But at the same time you try to keep it as normal as possible, go through the progression, go through the preparation and just be ready to play at 7:05.”
The Orioles have allowed 920 runs this season, an average of 5.9 runs per game. The Red Sox managed two solo homers and one single. Orioles pitchers retired the final 12 Red Sox batters in order.
“I think we pitched well. Offensively we didn’t do much,” Cora said. “There were a lot of empty at-bats. We didn’t put pressure on them. We’re an offensive team. And we’re a lot of better than what we showed today. A lot of quick outs. There were only a few at-bats where we grind it out and we got deep into counts. But there were a lot of quick outs. And we need to be better offensively.”
Red Sox hitters saw just 10 pitches in the fifth inning, 12 pitches in the sixth, eight pitches in the seventh, four pitches in the eighth and 12 pitches in the ninth.
Alex Verdugo grounded out to first base on the first pitch he saw during the four-pitch eighth. Kiké Hernández grounded out to third base on the second pitch of his at-bat. Hunter Renfroe popped out to the catcher on the first pitch he saw.
Boston led 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth but Chris Sale couldn’t hold the lead. This game is not on Sale though. It’s on the offense.
“As an offensive, we wanted to go out there and want to do more. Definitely give him more runs,” Kyle Schwarber said. “It’s Major League Baseball. Anything can happen. And we want to go out there and score as many runs as we can. It stinks. The writing is on the wall there. But we’ve got to be able to move on from it.”
Schwarber called this kind of game a head scratcher.
“We’re a lot better than that. A lot better,” Cora added. “(Orioles starter Bruce) Zimmermann did a good job throwing offspeed pitches in the zone. We didn’t use the whole field either. We didn’t get into too many deep counts. We didn’t do a good enough job offensively to grind and to put pressure on all their pitchers. And you saw the results.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:26:33 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 8h Why does NESN keep bragging about Chris Sale's dominance of the Orioles? He's 10-0 with a 1.92 vs. the team that loses 105 games per year. He makes $30 million per year. Did not pitch in two series (Sox0-6) vs. Yankees. Whee!
Apart from his three starts against the Orioles, and one each vs. bottom-feeder Twins, Rangers and Mets, Sale did start two games vs. Tampa Bay: 9.2 innings, 16 hits, three walks, seven runs (three earned).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:27:04 GMT -5
alan miller @alanm33 · 8h When are the Red Sox going to call Chris Sale up from the minors. He has been awesome so far in Triple A
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:27:32 GMT -5
Jason Mastrodonato @jmastrodonato · 6h Red Sox have lost to the 106-loss Orioles. Frankly, they looked dead. Nothing but home run swings. Did not play good defense. Game took about 2 hours, 40 minutes.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:30:46 GMT -5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:33:28 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 6h #RedSox Manager Alex Cora: "I think we pitched well, offensively we didn't do much…There were a lot of empty at-bats. We didn't put pressure on them…We're a lot better than what we showed today."
#RedSox Manager Cora: "Pitching wise, Chris was good, just that changeup he pulled against [Ryan] Mountcastle…And then in the 8th, we had 2 outs again, and they were able to add on."
#RedSox Manager Cora on the quick outs: "We're aggressive, right? And he was throwing strikes…Obviously, we like to swing the bats…but at the same time we're really good when we go up the middle, we go the other way…and tonight we didn't do that.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:39:32 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Wednesday, 29th September 2021 7pm @ OPACY
Eovaldi 10-9/3.88
10-9 with a 3.88 ERA in 31 starts of 2021. 6-2 with a 4.56 ERA in 32 career starts vs BAL.
Lowthers 1-2/ 7.66
1-2 with a 7.66 ERA in 9 games (5 starts) of 2021. 0-1 with a 15.88 ERA in 2 career starts vs BOS.
Red Sox try to stop skid as Orioles play spoiler According to STATS
The Boston Red Sox are skidding at the worst possible time.
The visiting Red Sox (88-69) will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak when they play the second of a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (51-106) on Wednesday.
Boston is two games behind the New York Yankees (90-67) for the top wild card spot in the American League and maintains a half-game lead on the Seattle Mariners (88-70) and a one-game edge over the Toronto Blue Jays (87-70) for the second wild card.
The Red Sox had won 12 of 13 against Baltimore entering Tuesday and had ace Chris Sale on the mound, but the last-place Orioles rallied for a 4-2 win.
"There's no doubt we've been getting (dragged) through the mud the past four days," Sale said. "We know where we're at; we know what we're up against."
Boston right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (10-9, 3.88 ERA) opposes rookie left-hander Zac Lowther (1-2, 7.66) on Wednesday.
The Red Sox had won six straight Eovaldi starts before his last outing. On Sept. 24 against the New York Yankees, Eovaldi allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, his shortest start of the season. He had given up three earned runs or fewer in his eight previous starts.
"The good ones, they have bad ones," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Eovaldi lost to the Orioles back on April 2 despite giving up one run in 5 1/3 innings. In 14 career starts against Baltimore, he is 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA.
Lowther earned his first major league win on Sept. 23, with five scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers. However, he is 0-1 with a 15.88 ERA in two starts this season against the Red Sox, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.
On Tuesday night, Bruce Zimmermann pitched four innings in his return from the injured list, four Orioles pitchers limited Boston to three hits and the last 12 Red Sox batters went down in order.
"Playing spoiler is a lot of fun," Zimmermann said.
Kyle Schwarber and Hunter Renfroe homered for Boston, but it wasn't enough.
"I think we pitched well. Offensively we didn't do much," Cora said. "There were a lot of empty at-bats. We didn't put pressure on them. We're an offensive team. And we're a lot better than what we showed today. A lot of quick outs."
Boston has scored three runs or fewer in each of its past four games.
Renfroe, however, is 12-for-36 (.333) over his past 10 games, with two homers and seven RBIs.
Baltimore rallied from a 2-0 deficit in a three-run sixth Tuesday, chasing Sale. Ryan Mountcastle hit his 32nd home run of the season.
"We did some good things offensively against one of the elite starters in this game," manager Brandon Hyde said. "I just want to be competitive. We're facing good teams that put themselves in a great position to play in October. Hopefully one day we're going to be in that spot."
Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander, who had 18 homers and 50 RBIs in 110 games, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, ending his season.
Boston reliever Garrett Whitlock, who is on the 10-day injured list (right pectoral strain), threw on flat ground Tuesday, but it is unlikely he will return Thursday when he is eligible, Cora said.
--Field Level Media
Red Sox at Orioles Wednesday, at 7:05 PM EST Clear According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 67° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 5 MPH wind blowing in Baltimore at 7:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 3:44:00 GMT -5
Wild Card Standings
Nyy 90-67 +2 Red Sox 88-68 0 Mariners 88-70 0.5 Blue Jays 87-70 1 Oakland 85-73 3.5
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 6:11:32 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 1h If the Mariners win out in their final 4 home games with the A's and Angels, the Red Sox have to win their 5 in Baltimore and Wshington to avoid a play-in vs. Seattle, and the Jays have to win their 5 with the Yanks and O's to have a play-in for the final play-in.
The Red Sox are taking their final three games with the Nationals seriously enough to have an advance scout following Washington as if it's the playoffs. Not that there is a scouting report for Juan Soto
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 29, 2021 6:13:48 GMT -5
OverTheMonster @overthemonster · 9h Might lose my mind if I see one more person say "They weren't supposed to be here anyway so it's fine." If you're not upset about the potential to blow this, do you. But if you can't understand how people are getting upset about it, you are being purposely dense
There's no such thing as being a spoiled fan and there's nothing wrong with wanting your team to be good every year, especially when said team prints money in a league without a salary cap
Not much that gets me more annoyed these days than people talking about spoiled fans. Oh, you have the gall to expect your team to be good? Get over yourself!
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