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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:16:51 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 7h Eovaldi goes exactly 6 shutout innings. The Red Sox have 19 starts of more than 6 innings this year -- 25th in MLB. That isn't bad in a vacuum -- the Rays have 14 -- but you need a lot of bullpen depth to win that way.
By the way: In pulling Eovaldi after the 6th and 90 pitches, the Red Sox eased off his workload in advance of a potential start in either Game 163 or a Wild Card game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:18:44 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 5h Cora on Eovaldi being on turn for Game 163 or the Wild Card Game: ‘He’ll be ready to go. We expect him to dominate.’
Cora, asked if the Sox would consider Eovaldi on Sunday if Sox need a win in Game 162: ‘We’ll see. We’ll talk about it.’
Eovaldi says he had everything working except his slider. ‘If I have four out of five (pitches), that’s pretty good.’
Eovaldi on his season: ‘I’m definitely satisfied. The biggest thing is I’ve been healthy.’ Says he feels like he’s been able to give the Sox a chance to win nearly every start, and hopes to continue that for another month.
Eovaldi on potential Game 163 or WC: ‘Extremely excited. I love being that stopper.’
Martinez: ‘Being able to get the monkey off our back, this was a big one for us.’
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:20:22 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: J.D. Martinez needs a hot streak, for the Red Sox and for himself Sox’ DH was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in 6-0 win
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald September 30, 2021 at 12:06 a.m.
This was supposed to be J.D. Matinez’s comeback season.
After admitting he wasn’t prepared for the 2020 season without fans and limited travel while playing in the heart of a global pandemic — surely, a sin that can be forgiven — we rightly wondered if it would be that easy to flip the switch back on in 2021.
For the first two months of the season, it looked like he had.
Over the last four months, he’s looked like a 34-year-old who is still a very good hitter, but perhaps not the same dominant one he was in his prime.
Wednesday night, Martinez played the hero to give the dormant Red Sox offense a little bit of life.
He was 3-for-4 with a double, homer and three RBIs to lead the Sox to a desperately-needed 6-0 win over the Orioles.
“I’ve been feeling just kind of off-and-on, off-and-on, off-and-on type deal,” Martinez said afterwards. “Hoping that I can kind of just carry what I was feeling today and ride it for as long as I can.”
There wasn’t a more important player than Martinez in the month of April, when he hit .351 with a jaw-dropping 1.175 OPS, nine homers and 25 RBIs to lead the Sox to a 16-9 month.
It looked like he was on a revenge tour after hitting just .213 with a .680 OPS over 54 games the year before.
But since the start of May, Martinez has been remarkably average. He entered Wednesday with a .270 average and .794 OPS over 509 plate appearances in that time. It’s not far from the league average from the DH position in that span: .248 average and a .780 OPS.
Martinez said it’s been a grind since the start of the second half, as the Red Sox lost their lead in the A.L. East and have been fighting for a Wild Card spot.
“That’s why you never get too up, never get too down, because you never know what can happen man,” Martinez said. “This game is crazy. You just never know. There are so many teams, there are other teams around the league, I forgot who I saw, they were leading the division all year and then they haven’t been.
“It’s the same thing. This game is crazy. It really comes down to August and September.”
Martinez hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination. He remains one of the better DHs in baseball and most teams would be thrilled to have him in the middle of the order.
But compared to his own standard, the .287 average and .870 OPS he took into Thursday would add up to his worst season since 2015.
He has one year, $19.35 million remaining on his contract and can opt out after the season, though it would seem unwise for him given his down year, despite the possibility that the National League adds the DH.
“I’m right in the middle,” Martinez told WEEI.com when asked about the opt-out earlier this week. “It’s a balancing line, and I’m right in the middle. I haven’t made a decision. I don’t worry about that stuff, but right now I’m right in the middle.”
That’s why his Wednesday was so important. Not just for him, but for the team.
“He hasn’t deviated from what he does as far as preparation and his swing,” manager Alex Cora said. “Today was a great day. He did an amazing job, obviously the homer and then the rest of his at-bats. Seeing him in the dugout and throughout the game, he was pretty locked in.
“We need the big boys to do their thing. We’re a very offensive team. We’re a lot better when the big boys are swinging the bat. The other guys will contribute like Hunter (Renfroe) and Alex (Verdugo) and Kiké (Hernandez). It’s not that we depend on them, but when we’re really, really good, they do damage.”
Martinez said he’s seen some guys putting too much pressure on themselves at the plate.
“It’s a tough question,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been pressing maybe a little bit. I don’t know. We went up against some good pitching. New York, the guys threw the ball well. It was a battle. Every time you face those guys, it’s a battle.
“We’ve been getting frustrated like that since New York. We felt like we hit a couple balls hard since New York. Felt like the ball wasn’t bouncing our way, really. So, anytime that happens man it’s tough. This game is so hard.”
Martinez’s big night might’ve been a result of his mindset at the moment.
The Sox are hanging on by a thread in the Wild Card chase.
“It’s fun,” Martinez said. “This is awesome. I’m sure you guys are having fun with it too. We’re having fun. This is a little more pressure on us, but I like to have fun with these things. This is what we play for, to be in these situations. If they told us at the beginning of spring training we’d be in this situation, I think everybody would be excited and be looking forward to the challenge.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:23:25 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 6h Pivetta tomorrow night. He's been great with Plawecki: 43.2 IP, 2.68 ERA, 3.67 FIP, .628 OPS
Run it back again
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:24:59 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox notebook: Garrett Whitlock to throw bullpen Friday; Tom Goodwin (unvaccinated) no longer coaching first base Updated: Sep. 29, 2021, 7:12 p.m. | Published: Sep. 29, 2021, 6:58 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BALTIMORE — Garrett Whitlock, who is on the 10-day injured list with a right pectoral strain, threw here at Camden Yards on Wednesday for the second straight day.
“He played catch again today,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He feels great. The goal is for him to throw a bullpen on Friday and go from there.”
Whitlock is 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA (72 ⅓ innings, 16 earned runs), two saves, 14 holds and a .235 batting average against in 45 outings.
Boston could activate him Saturday or Sunday.
Taylor back in Boston
Lefty Josh Taylor — who is on the IL with low back strain — is back in Boston receiving treatment.
“Nothing baseball-wise yet,” Cora said.
Goodwin won’t coach in postseason
Red Sox quality control coach Ramon Vázquez was coaching first base Tuesday here in Baltimore instead of Tom Goodwin. Vázquez will continue to coach first base for the remainder of the regular season and during the postseason if Boston makes it.
Goodwin is not vaccinated. MLB will not allow unvaccinated staff members to gain field access during the postseason.
“We have to prepare for the postseason, if we get there,” Cora said. “Obviously MLB, they mandated or they decided that the staff has to be vaccinated. As you guys know, Goody is not. So we’ve got Goody on the bench and working with the outfielders. And Ramon will be coaching first the rest of the season.”
Every other member of the Red Sox coaching staff is vaccinated.
Plawecki catching Eovaldi
Kevin Plawecki will catch Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday.
Eovaldi has a 3.50 ERA in the 16 starts when Plawecki has caught him this year. He has a 4.77 ERA in 13 starts with Christian Vázquez as his catcher.
“It’s actually not about that,” Cora said. “It’s about getting Kevin’s bat against lefties. For some reason this year, Christian has struggled against lefties. ... Kevin has been solid against lefties.”
ERod to start Friday
Eduardo Rodriguez will start Friday for the Red Sox in Washington against the Nationals. The Red Sox still have not named a starter for Saturday and Sunday.
Valdez, Santana rehabbing for Worcester
Phillips Valdez and Danny Santana (both on COVID-related IL) are on a rehab assignment with Worcester.
“We’ve just got to get them ready,” Cora said. “You never know what can happen in two hours or the upcoming days. We learned this for the next month in a half. So we keep everybody ready and we go from there.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:28:38 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 5h #RedSox Nathan Eovaldi: "I made the mechanical adjustments I felt like I need to make. I felt like I was able to command the zone tonight. I had a good feel for my curveball, splitter. I mixed my cutter in there…the only pitch I felt like wasn't great tonight was the slider."
#RedSox Eovaldi: "You definitely don't want to give [Orioles] a chance to get anything going…they can hit the ball out of the park at any time. I feel like that's any team…it's just staying out there long enough for it to happen on your side."
#RedSox Eovaldi on his year's work: "The biggest for me has being able to stay healthy, and I've been able to accomplish that this year. Go out there any give the team a good chance to win all my starts. That's the one thing I try to do, try to take a lot of pride in."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:29:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Nation Stats @rsnstats · 5h #RedSox Alex Cora on Nathan Eovaldi: "I think overall his fastball tonight was pretty electric, and as far as location, it was really, really good."
#RedSox Alex Cora on tonight's offense: "We did a lot of good things. At the end we felt that using Kyle and Travis, just to add on, it made sense for us. Travis with the walk, and then Dugie going the other way, was a good at-bat, too. Overall, a pretty good game."
#RedSox Alex Cora on J.D. Martinez: "He hasn't deviated from what he does, as far as preparation in his swing and today was a great day. He did an amazing job. Obviously, the homer and then the rest of the at-bats…he was pretty locked in."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 3:34:05 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Thursday, 30th September 2021 7pm @ OPACY
Pivetta
9-7 with a 4.52 ERA in 29 starts of 2021. 6-0 with a 3.35 ERA in 7 career starts vs BAL.
Wells
1-3 with a 7.61 ERA in 10 games (7 starts) of 2021. 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in 1 career start vs BOS.
Nick Pivetta, Red Sox continue wild-card push vs. Orioles According to STATS
Nick Pivetta gets the nod for Boston in the finale of a three-game series on the road against Alexander Wells and the Baltimore Orioles as the Red Sox desperately try to hang on to the final American League playoff spot.
Boston (89-69) earned a 6-0 victory against Baltimore on Wednesday to bounce back from a 4-2 loss in the series opener Tuesday. J.D. Martinez homered and drove in three runs while Nathan Eovaldi pitched six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts for the Red Sox.
The win kept the Red Sox in possession of the second AL wild-card spot with four games remaining. Boston pulled within one game of the New York Yankees for the top AL wild card while remaining a half-game ahead of Seattle and one game in front of Toronto.
"It's fun, it's fun. (I'm always trying to) see the scores. I didn't know what happened around the league, but it's fun," Martinez told NESN after Wednesday's win. "This is the best part of the season, and it's awesome that it's coming down to this."
Baltimore (51-107) has alternated wins and losses over its last seven games as it seeks to end a long-lost season on a positive note. The last-place Orioles are 4-14 against the Red Sox this season, with three of those wins coming in a season-opening sweep at Boston on April 2-4.
"To face a good offense in must-win games for them right now and giving up one run into the sixth inning, I think that's a real positive going forward and taking into next year," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said after Zac Lowther's five-inning, two-run start on Wednesday.
Pivetta (9-7, 4.52 ERA) has pitched well in the month of September despite being unable to record a win in his three starts. The right-hander has pitched to a 3.14 ERA with five runs allowed and 15 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings this month.
One of those starts was a short 3 2/3-inning outing versus Baltimore on Sept. 18. Pivetta threw just 68 pitches while allowing three earned runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out three in an eventual 9-3 Red Sox win.
This season, Pivetta is 3-0 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts opposite Baltimore. Overall, he is a perfect 6-0 with a 3.35 ERA and 46 strikeouts over seven career starts against the Orioles.
Baltimore will counter with Wells (1-3, 7.61 ERA) as the young left-hander makes his eighth start of the season.
Wells turned in a decent start last time out in a no-decision versus Texas last Friday. He allowed three runs on five hits -- including a home run -- while issuing one free pass and recording a strikeout over five innings in an eventual 8-5 loss.
Prior to that, Wells also went five innings in a no-decision at Boston on Sept. 19. Wells allowed six hits and a walk while fanning three in Baltimore's 8-6 loss. It marked the second time this season the rookie recorded consecutive starts of at least five innings pitched.
Martinez went 1 for 2 with a solo home run against Wells in the Sept. 19 meeting. Current Boston hitters are batting a combined .296 (6-for-20) versus Wells.
--Field Level Media
Red Sox at Orioles Thursday, at 7:05 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 67° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 8 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 30, 2021 3:34:55 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 3h Mariners hold off the Athletics, 4-2. Oakland eliminated from playoff contention.
Four teams for two spots, and the #RedSox currently hold one.
AL Wild Card Standings Team Record GB NYY 90-68 -- BOS 89-69 1 SEA 89-70 1 1/2 TOR 88-70 2
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 9:01:26 GMT -5
The Red Sox show how this could actually work
By Rob Bradford 2 hours ago
It was just one win. And one win against a team that has now lost 107 games, nonetheless.
But within the Red Sox' 6-0 victory over the Orioles Wednesday night at Camden Yards was a blueprint. This is exactly how this team can get to where they want to go.
In the short-term, what transpired before 8,732 folks kept the Red Sox' afloat in their quest to play beyond Game 162. With the Blue Jays and Mariners victories, the Sox are one game in back of the Yankees for the Wild Card top spot, 1/2-game in front of Seattle and one ahed of the Jays.
There are four more regular season games to decide exactly what the Red Sox' October existence will look like.
What the likes of Nathan Eovaldi and J.D. Martinez did on this night was tease more than just the here and the now. They supplied a reminder that Alex Cora's club wouldn't exactly be running on fumes if presented an opportunity to play either a tie-breaker or Wild Card game.
Start with Eovaldi. Six innings and no runs when it counted the most.
The pitcher's reputation was born during those six innings of relief in Dodger Stadium on Oct. 26, 2018 and took another big step forward Wednesday night.
"We've been through this path before I know what he can do in those situations. We lived it, right? It doesn't seem like the moment gets too big on him," Cora said. "Last week was last week. The good ones, they struggle sometimes. Hopefully, it's his last bad one and he can continue. Whenever he pitches he'll be ready to go and we expect him to dominate."
Cora added, "He's the same guy on Opening Day, same guy tonight, same guy in 2018. He shows up prepares, his stuff is that good, we know that. He stays in the moment, he doesn't get ahead of himself. We feel good about him, we feel good about Chris, we're going to feel good tomorrow with Nick (Pivetta). With Nate, we've seen it before. He had to be perfect in the playoffs in that game, every pitch had to be perfect, and he almost did it. Just one home run in I don't know how many pitches. He doesn't get caught up in the moment. He knows what he has to do."
It is an existence that has to make Cora feel somewhat secure for whatever postseason scenario arrives. You have Eovaldi. You have Chris Sale. You have been gifted an emerging and experienced bullpen arm in Ryan Brasier (who has allowed one hit and no runs in his last five outings). And Matt Barnes took a step forward in his low-leverage ninth inning, throwing a clean inning while claiming a strikeout.
There are also the bats ... more specifically, the bat. The one belonging to J.D. Martinez.
The Red Sox' offense just looks different when Martinez is a presence, as was the case against the Orioles with the designated hitter going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Evidence: The Red Sox are 38-8 when Martinez manages three or more RBI, and now 79-24 when he hits at least one homer.
"He hasn't deviated from what he does as far as preparation and his swing," Cora said of Martinez. "Today was a great day. He did an amazing job, obviously the homer and then the rest of his at-bats. Seeing him in the dugout and throughout the game, he was pretty locked in. We need the big boys to do their thing. We're a very offensive team. We're a lot better when the big boys are swinging the bat. The other guys will contribute like Hunter (Renfroe, who managed his 30th homer) and Alex (Verdugo) and Kiké (Hernandez). It's not that we depend on them, but when we're really, really good, they do damage. They do what they did today, so that was a good first step."
This is also exactly how the steps will keep coming.
"It’s fun. This is awesome," Martinez said. "I’m sure you guys are having fun with it too. We’re having fun. This is a little more pressure on us, but I like to have fun with these things. This is what we play for, to be in these situations. If they told us at the beginning of spring training we’d be in this situation, I think everybody would be excited and be looking forward to the challenge.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 9:03:51 GMT -5
Unpacking what these crazy Red Sox' tiebreakers look like By Rob Bradford an hour ago
With four regular season games to play, this we know: If the Red Sox win out, they are in the Wild Card game.
After their 6-0 win over the Orioles, the Red Sox sit one game in back of the Yankees for the top spot in the Wild Card race, with Seattle residing 1/2-game in back of Boston, and Toronto trailing by a game.
And while Red Sox followers would certainly settle for landing Sunday night exactly where they currently find themselves, there is a chance the whole ball of wax gets pretty convulated.
Thanks to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, we have some answers as to what might be waiting around the corner if some of these teams do end up with identical records. Here is what Castrovince expertly uncovered and subsequently reported ...
Scenario: Two teams tie for best record in Wild Card
This would not involve any extra games. If, say, the Red Sox and Yankees were the only two clubs in AL Wild Card position at season’s end and had identical records, they would not play an extra game to determine who gets home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game. It would go to the team with the better head-to-head record (in that case, Boston).
Scenario: Two teams tie for the second Wild Card spot
If, for example, the Red Sox and Blue Jays tied for the second AL Wild Card spot, they’d have to play each other Monday, Oct. 4, for the right to advance to the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Home-field advantage would go to the team with the better head-to-head record (Red Sox, 10-9).
Scenario: Three-team tie for two Wild Card spots
If the Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox were all tied, with no other non-division winners in the AL ahead of them, the three teams would choose/receive A, B and C designations. Club A would host Club B. The winner of that game would be one Wild Card club, while the loser would then play Club C on the road to determine the other. The winners of the two games would face each other in the Wild Card Game.
The three designations are decided by head-to-head records. The Red Sox went 10-9 in each of their season series against the Blue Jays and Yankees, so they would have the first pick of designation. The Blue Jays are also 11-7 against the Yanks, as of this writing, so they would pick second. The Yankees would get whichever designation is left over. The first selection comes down to a choice of playing up to two games (Club A) or taking your chances as the home team in a single elimination game (Club C).
Scenario: Three-team tie for one Wild Card spot
If, for example, the Yankees were in the top Wild Card spot and the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Mariners were all tied for the second spot, the three tied teams would choose/receive A, B and C designations. Club A would host Club B on Monday, Oct. 4. The winner of that game would then host Club C on Tuesday to determine the second Wild Card spot. The AL Wild Card Game would be pushed back from Tuesday in this scenario.
Scenario: Three or four teams tie for one Wild Card spot
In the three-team tie, we’d have to have the three teams choose/receive their A, B and C designations, with Club C traveling to face the winner of the game between Clubs A and B to determine who advances to the Wild Card Game.
In a four-team tie, we’d have to add a D designation to the mix. Club A would host Club B and Club C would host Club D, and the winners of each of those games would then face each other in the home park of the winner of the game between Club A and Club B to determine who goes to the Wild Card Game.
Scenario: Four teams tie for two Wild Card spots
As of this writing, this is still mathematically feasible in the AL. If the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners were to all wind up tied for those two spots, we’d have a mini-tournament on our hands. The clubs would choose/receive their A, B, C and D designations. On Monday, Oct. 4, Club A would host Club B and Club C would host Club D. The winners of those two games would be the Wild Card teams and would face each other in the ballpark of whoever had the superior head-to-head record.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 9:07:07 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 45m If they do they will be in a tie and will need to play a play in game to play in the play in game that should get them in the play in game. Got it?They need to win out. It’s going to get messy. Sea may not lose again. If Tor wins tonight vs Yanks, they may not lose again. Win out
Bark Mellhorn @barkmellhorn12 · 35m Replying to @loumerloni With the Rays having everything clinched, do you expect them to "punt" these last 3 games?
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 18m No. This isn’t like years past where teams had 38 guys on their team in September. It’s a 28 man roster. You CAN’T sit everyone. Their bench is solid. Their bullpen still needs to throw and get ready. I’m sure they’d love to bury the Yanks. They don’t like each other
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 9:08:54 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier 33m RT @swydan: Fun fact: If the Red Sox win one more game and the Blue Jays win two more games, the AL East will become the first division in the Wild Card Era to have four 90-win teams. Most divisions have had 3 in one season or another, but no one has had 4. h/t @andysayegh for asking the Q.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 10:18:35 GMT -5
It’s good that the Red Sox won a baseball game
They should do it again tonight. By bryanjoiner@bryanjoiner Sep 30, 2021, 10:30am EDT
Heading into the final month of the season there was a real question of whether or not the Red Sox would be able to hold on to one of the two wildcard spots after leading the division for basically the entire first half. Heading into the final week of the season, there was a (semi)real question of whether the Red Sox would ever win another game.
Thankfully, we know the answer to the second question. Last night the Red Sox throttled the Orioles behind a wonderful Nathan Eovaldi performance, giving the Sox a desperately-needed victory. While it’s sort of six of one and a half a dozen of the other because they’re playing the Blue Jays, the Yankees lost too, which made it an extra nice night.
More than nice, it was a relief. On Tuesday night the Sox lost to the Orioles with Chris Sale on the mound, a sequence of words that should never appear. With Eovaldi getting hammered last time out by the Yanks, heading into last night there was, between Sale and Eovaldi, perhaps a growing anxiety about who would start a Wildcard Game should the Sox actually make it.
Then all Eovaldi did was go do the damn thing, not unlike Nick Pivetta did to the Yankees on Saturday, but obviously with a better result. And the point of this column as reflected in the headline is that it’s friggin’ rad that the Red Sox won. Holy smokes, is it great. It feels like a weight has been lifted, if only for a few hours, only the weight was resting on our collective neck, so it’s a very important few hours.
Now comes what should be the easy part, with another game against the Orioles with Pivetta on the mound, then three against the rebuilding Nationals and Juan Soto, who ought to walk about 15 times over the weekend. If he ever gets a pitch to hit it better be because he went to the batting cage and the batting cage operator didn’t get the memo not to pitch to him, or the Sox somehow smuggle him onto their own 40-man roster, which I highly endorse but I bet Chaim Bloom lacks the VISION to make happen.
FanGraphs now has the Sox at 75.4 percent to make the wild card game, behind the Yankees at 82.5 percent and ahead of the Blue Jays (22.9 percent) and surging Mariners (19.3 percent). Obviously that Blue Jays number could rise pretty quickly if they beat the Yankees tonight, because they’re only two games back of New York and one game back of the Sox. Every day presents a must-win game for just about everyone, as the de facto playoffs have begun.
The good news is that the Sox have the smoothest road to the playoffs, and with a little luck they won’t even have to hit said road, and could host a game at Fenway Park. But beggars can’t be choosers, and no matter how the Sox manage it, a playoff appearance in what was expected to be a bridge year would be a gift. If they can knock the Yankees out of the playoffs, that would be even better.
That’s getting ahead of ourselves, though. Baseball is a daily game, and every day presents a new agony or ecstasy, and to that end, I’m mostly just happy the Sox won last night. It was a good decision on their parts. They should choose to do so again, imho, for the rest of the year. Easier said than done? Probably. But it IS easy to say, so I’ve said it.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 30, 2021 13:03:34 GMT -5
Game 159: Red Sox at Orioles lineups and pregame notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated September 30, 2021, 2 hours ago The Red Sox will look to maintain their hold on the second wild card when they close out their series with the Orioles at Camden Yards Thursday night. They defeated the Orioles 6-0 on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak and pull within a game of the Yankees for the top wild card while remaining a half-game ahead of Seattle and one game in front of Toronto. Here are the standings. Lineups RED SOX (89-69): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Kyle Schwarber (L) 1B 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 6. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 7. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C 9. Jose Iglesias (R) 2B Pitching: RHP Nick Pivetta (9-7, 4.52 ERA) ORIOLES (51-107): 1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF 2. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B 3. Austin Hays (R) RF 4. Trey Mancini (R) DH 5. Pedro Severino (R) C 6. Kelvin Gutierrez (R) 3B 7. Tyler Nevin (R) LF 8. Pat Valaika (R) SS 9. Jahmai Jones (R) 2B Pitching: LHP Alexander Wells (1-3, 7.61 ERA) Time: 7:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Wells: Xander Bogaerts 0-3, Bobby Dalbec 0-1, Rafael Devers 1-3, Kiké Hernández 1-2, José Iglesias 0-2, J.D. Martinez 1-2, Kevin Plawecki 1-2, Hunter Renfroe 1-3, Alex Verdugo 1-2 Orioles vs. Pivetta: Kelvin Gutierrez 1-4, Austin Hays 0-9, Trey Mancini 1-12, Richie Martin 2-4, Ryan McKenna 1-1, Ryan Mountcastle 3-11, Cedric Mullins 6-13, Pedro Severino 0-11, Pat Valaika 2-6, Austin Wynns 1-2 Stat of the day: In three starts this month, Pivetta has a 3.14 ERA, with five runs allowed and 15 strikeouts in 14⅓ innings. Notes: The Sox are 13-5 against the Orioles with a game remaining, and they’re 7-2 at Camden Yards … Pivetta is 3-0 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts against Baltimore this season. Overall, he is 6-0 with a 3.35 ERA and 46 strikeouts over seven career starts against the Orioles … Wells is making his eighth start of the season. He faced the Red Sox on Sept. 19, allowing six hits and a walk in five innings in a no-decision at Fenway. Song of the Day: Led Zeppelin - Travelling Riverside Blues www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSht5j3Cnh0
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