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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 2:51:53 GMT -5
MLB playoffs: Red Sox will face Astros in ALCS; here’s the schedule By Christopher Price Globe Staff,Updated October 13, 2021, 1:01 a.m.
The Red Sox beat the Rays Monday night to advance to the American League Championship Series, where they will face the Astros, who eliminated the White Sox on Tuesday. Here’s an early look at the schedule for the best-of-seven series.
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 15 at Houston, 8:07 p.m. (Fox)
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 16 at Houston, TBD (Fox or FS1)
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 18 at Boston, TBD (FS1)
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Boston, TBD (FS1) ADVERTISING
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 20 at Boston, TBD (FS1)*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 22 at Houston, TBD (FS1)*
Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 23 at Houston, TBD (Fox or FS1)*
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 2:56:18 GMT -5
Red Sox-Astros Game 1 FAQ (Fri., 8 ET, FOX) 12:03 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne Brian McTaggart
Brian McTaggart @brianmctaggart
Should they just start calling the American League Championship Series the Houston Astros invitational? Remarkably, this is the fifth straight ALCS trip for the Astros, who will be facing a Red Sox team that is in this round for the seventh time in the last 19 seasons. This best-of-seven series will open on Friday at Minute Maid Park.
It will be another reunion between Red Sox manager Alex Cora and the Astros. Cora was Houston’s bench coach during their 2017 World Series-winning season. Of course, that title has come under heavy scrutiny for the sign-stealing scandal that Cora was found to be a central part of, leading to his suspension from MLB for the 2020 season. Yes, that will get talked about a lot in the coming days, and Cora will continue to say all the right things, as he has all along.
“I texted him yesterday when he won, and he texted me right away [after Game 4],” Astros shortstop Carlos Correa said of Cora. “When I got to my locker, I had a text message. He told me yesterday, ‘See you soon,’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ Right now, I told him ‘See you soon.’”
And then the games will start and the focus will shift to where it should be -- on the field, where two battle-tested teams will square off for a chance to compete in the Fall Classic. Houston has a high-powered offense that scored 863 runs during the regular season. However, the Sox can also swing the bats, as they compiled 829 runs and got hot against the Rays in the ALDS. Both teams have had issues in the bullpen. Houston has a better overall pitching staff, as evidenced by a 3.78 season ERA -- compared to 4.26 for Boston.
Both teams took out their opponents in four games in the ALDS. The Astros did so in much more convincing fashion, outscoring the White Sox, 31-18, while Boston edged out Tampa Bay, 26-20. This is the rubber match between these two squads in October. The Astros defeated the Red Sox in four games in the ‘17 Division Series. The Sox returned the favor by downing the Astros in five games in the ‘18 ALCS.
When is the game and how can I watch it The game will air in primetime on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on Friday. It is also available to stream on MLB.TV with authentication.
What might the starting lineups look like? Red Sox: The Red Sox have picked the right time of year to be taking some of their best at-bats of the season. Not only are the Sox hitting with power, but they are also doing a good job with situational hitting. With a lefty likely on the hill for the Astros in Game 1, there's a chance Bobby Dalbec will get the start at first base. This would make Alex Verdugo -- who crushes righties -- a late-game weapon off the bench. In this scenario, Kyle Schwarber would start in left field; J.D. Martinez probably isn’t an option there given his balky left ankle.
1. Kyle Schwarber, LF 2. Kiké Hernández, CF 3. Xander Bogaerts, SS 4. Rafael Devers, 3B 5. J.D. Martinez, DH 6. Hunter Renfroe, RF 7. Bobby Dalbec, 1B 8. Kevin Plawecki, C 9. Christian Arroyo, 2B
Astros: The Astros averaged 7.8 runs per game in the ALDS with pretty much the same lineup, though the status of rookie center fielder Jake Meyers is in doubt after he banged his shoulder into the wall in Game 4 of the ALDS. Even so, Chas McCormick is a solid replacement:
1. Jose Altuve, 2B 2. Michael Brantley, LF 3. Alex Bregman, 3B 4. Yordan Alvarez, DH 5. Carlos Correa, SS 6. Yuli Gurriel, 1B 7. Kyle Tucker, RF 8. Chas McCormick, CF 9. Martín Maldonado, C
Who are the starting pitchers? Red Sox: Though Cora hasn’t named a starter yet for Game 1, righty Nathan Eovaldi (11-9 record, 3.75 season ERA; 3-1, 1.93 career ERA in postseason) seems like the obvious choice. The veteran, who is building a reputation as a pitcher teams don’t want to face in October, would be on the standard four days of rest after firing five innings in Game 3 of the ALDS. The Astros remember how good Eovaldi -- a native of Alvin, Texas -- can be in the postseason. With his idol Nolan Ryan sitting in the front row behind home plate, Eovaldi won the crucial Game 3 of the 2018 ALCS at Minute Maid Park, holding Houston to two runs over six innings. The flame-throwing righty is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in two starts so far this October. Eovaldi faced the Astros once this season and was hit hard, giving up 11 hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings in a loss at Fenway Park on June 9.
Astros: Left-hander Framber Valdez (11-6, 3.14 ERA), who would have started Game 4 for the Astros had Game 3 not been rained out, will go in Friday’s Game 1 instead. Valdez is better against right-handers (.626 opposing OPS) than he was against left-handers (.717), thanks to one of the best curveballs in the league. The key will be controlling walks; he averaged 3.88 walks per nine innings. Sidelined for the first two months of the season because of a broken finger suffered in Spring Training, he threw 134 2/3 innings, allowing 110 hits (12 homers) and 58 walks with 125 strikeouts.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter? Red Sox: As veteran Cora watchers know, it’s best not to predict what he will do with his bullpen in postseason games. Anything goes with Cora, including the liberal use of starting pitchers as “rovers.” Nick Pivetta seems to be the rover of choice this October, but there’s a chance the righty could move back into the rotation. Rookie Rule 5 Draft pick Garrett Whitlock is Cora’s most trusted reliever, and he will likely get most of his work in the eighth or ninth inning. Tanner Houck, the electric 25-year-old righty, can give dominant bulk performances, such as when he fired five strong innings in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Rays. Will Chris Sale, who has struggled of late, be used as a reliever or a starter in this series?
For the Red Sox, the beauty of beating the Rays in four games instead of five was the chance to reset a ‘pen that has been asked to do a lot lately. Ryan Brasier, Hansel Robles, Whitlock and Houck are four pitchers in particular who will benefit from three days without a game.
Astros: Astros relievers threw 17 1/3 innings in four games of the ALDS, which was one out shy of the workload of the starters (17 2/3). All in all, they’re in really good shape despite that heavy workload, especially with two days off between the ALDS and ALCS. Yimi García and Phil Maton giving them quality innings in Game 4 was a huge development, and Ryne Stanek, Kendall Graveman and Ryan Pressly at the back end were nails. The big question will be how they cover potentially even more innings in a longer ALCS, especially if Lance McCullers Jr. isn’t able to start. That means Cristian Javier or Zack Greinke could move back into the rotation, but they’re not stretched out to pitch deep into games.
Are there any relievers who are unavailable? Red Sox: For the start of the series, Cora will have a full deck coming off three days of rest.
Astros: None.
Any injuries of note? Red Sox: Righty Garrett Richards was taken off the roster in the Division Series when he strained his left hamstring, which makes him ineligible for this series. Star third baseman Rafael Devers is dealing with discomfort in his right forearm that is exacerbated when he swings and misses at high fastballs. When pitchers miss low, he’s been making them pay. Go back and look at his three-run bomb in Game 4 of the ALDS for proof. Martinez hasn’t been running at close to 100 percent since he sprained his left ankle tripping over second base in the final game of the regular season, but the Red Sox generally don’t rely on the big slugger for his legs.
Astros: Meyers banged his shoulder into the wall in Chicago in Game 4 and had to be removed from the game, so his status for the series is up in the air. If he can’t play, McCormick will be the starter in center. McCullers left his start in Game 4 of the ALDS after only four innings with tightness in his arm. His status remains up in the air, too.
Who is hot and who is not? Red Sox : The Astros can only hope that the three days off for the Red Sox will cool off Hernández, who hammered Rays pitching in the ALDS, going 9-for-20 with three doubles and two homers. Schwarber loves the October spotlight and is 6-for-19 with two homers and a 1.041 OPS during Boston’s current run. Dalbec has been prone to streaks in both directions and he’s in one of his cold runs right now, with an 0-for-10 mark so far this postseason.
Astros: Brantley has a 15-game postseason hitting streak, which ties for the longest active streak among active players (Alcides Escobar has a 15-game run, all from 2015). Altuve (.313), Correa (.385, four RBIs), Tucker (5-for-17, two homers, seven RBIs), Alvarez (3-for-11) and Bregman (6-for-16) each swung the bat well in the ALDS, while Gurriel went 3-for-17 in the ALDS, including two hits in Game 4, and Maldonado went 1-for-15.
Anything else fans might want to know? • The Astros dominated this matchup during the regular season, taking five of seven games from the Red Sox while winning the scoring battle, 42-25.
• In the 2018 ALCS, the sides split the first two games and Boston stunningly won all three games in Houston to advance to the World Series
• The Astros are the third team to reach the LCS in five consecutive seasons, joining the Braves (’95-’99) and A’s (’71-’75).
• Cora has a 15-4 postseason record and his .789 winning percentage is the best in history for any manager with a minimum of 15 playoff games.
• For venerable Astros skipper Dusty Baker, this is his fourth trip to the LCS. He is looking for his second pennant and his first trip to the World Series since ‘02.
• Hernández was selected by the Astros in the sixth round (191st overall) of the 2009 MLB Draft. He appeared in 24 games with the Astros in 2014 before being dealt to the Marlins.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 2:57:41 GMT -5
How Boston fared vs. ALCS foes Astros in '21 October 12th, 2021 Molly Burkhardt
Molly Burkhardt @mollyburkhardt
0:22
11:22
BOSTON -- As the Rays and Red Sox battled for a chance to play in the American League Championship Series, Houston and Chicago faced off halfway across the country looking for the same opportunity.
Boston polished off Tampa Bay on Monday night on Kiké Hernández's game-winning sac fly, but the Sox had to wait one more day to discover their opponent in the battle for the AL pennant after Game 4 between the Astros and White Sox was rained out and rescheduled for Tuesday. When all was said and done, Houston had romped to a 10-1 win to clinch its fifth straight ALCS appearance and set up a rematch of the 2018 ALCS, which Red Sox fans remember fondly.
The 2021 iteration of the ALCS begins Friday at Minute Maid Park, but before we get there, here’s a breakdown of how the Red Sox fared against Houston in 2021.
Season series: 2-5 Run differential: minus-17 (25-42) May 31-June 3 at Houston: Series loss June 8-June 10 at Fenway: Series loss
What went right Little went right for the Red Sox in their two series meetings with the Astros. Unlike in its losses to Chicago, Boston had no close games with Houston. Though the Red Sox scraped together a win on June 3, they didn’t see everything click until the final game of the second series, with a crazy 12-8 win. In that victory, catcher Christian Vázquez compared the environment at Fenway to that of a postseason game -- perhaps foreshadowing a matchup this October? The win highlighted something the Red Sox have been doing all of 2021, including in the postseason: coming back. Though the club ultimately won by four runs, Boston battled through six lead changes to come out on top.
What went wrong Boston’s offense struggled mightily against Houston, particularly the middle of the order. On June 1, the combination of Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers went 2-for-16. The good news for the Red Sox? The offense has since found its stride. So far this postseason, the quartet of Verdugo, Martinez, Bogaerts and Devers is slashing a combined .359/.412/.628 with six homers, nine extra-base hits and 20 RBIs.
Where were they In their first series at Minute Maid Park, the Red Sox were opening a seven-game road trip (four vs. Astros, three vs. Yankees) while sitting two games back of the Rays. After its June 1 loss, Boston sat at 32-22 one-third of the way through the season. Less than a week later they met again, with the Red Sox having made a slight jump in the standings (1 1/2 games back).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 2:59:48 GMT -5
Cora's managerial mastery lifts Sox into ALCS Verdugo on skipper: 'He's playing chess ... the other team's playing checkers' 12:16 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- There are many reasons the Red Sox have vaulted themselves to one of their most unlikely American League Championship Series appearances in team history.
But a convincing case can be made that the top reason is manager Alex Cora, who expertly guides his team from his office to the clubhouse to the dugout -- and oftentimes through text messages away from the ballpark -- on a daily basis.
Coming off a 24-36 season in 2020 in which the Red Sox were never in serious contention, the general expectation was for them to make incremental improvements in ’21 and perhaps get to .500 or maybe, if enough things went right, to reach the mid 80s in wins.
While everyone was breaking down the team’s strengths and weaknesses on paper, perhaps not enough people paid attention to something that is hard to quantify: the value of a manager.
What is Cora’s value to the 2021 Red Sox, who won 92 games in the regular season, upended the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game and then took out the 100-win Rays in a four-game Division Series?
“A lot. I mean, a lot,” said Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo. “That guy's amazing. How smart he is, baseball IQ-wise, the way he manages the game and plays with the bullpen; he's playing chess, man. The other team's playing checkers. It's a lot of fun and I'm just happy I can be along for the ride with him.”
After leading the Sox to a World Series title in 2018, Cora was suspended by MLB last season for his wrongdoing as bench coach in the 2017 Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and he has consistently held himself accountable for his actions.
The Red Sox had to weigh all the various pros and cons before deciding if they should re-hire Cora as their manager.
In the most non-glamorous interview venue imaginable -- an airport hangar in Puerto Rico -- Cora passionately convinced chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom that he was the right man to lead the Red Sox again.
“Obviously, the team is different as compared to last year, but he has [made a difference],” said shortstop Xander Bogaerts of Cora. “He and the guys that came in have recharged us.”
The decision to make the old boss the new boss paid off early and often as Cora changed the vibe of the Red Sox during Spring Training and had them on pace for 100 wins halfway through the season.
And then he gathered his team after they stumbled from the week before the All-Star break all the way through the dog days of August in a 21-27 stretch, at which time the Rays toppled them for the lead in the division.
Most challengingly, Cora gathered his club again when a COVID-19 outbreak decimated the roster (13 players went on the COVID IL) from Aug. 27-Sept. 13.
By getting his team through the regular season and into the postseason, Cora has gotten a chance to again demonstrate perhaps his top attribute: October tactician.
It’s no accident that Cora will enter the 2021 ALCS against the Astros with a postseason record of 15-4, the top winning percentage (.789) of any manager with at least 15 postseason games on a résumé.
Cora is also 5-0 in potential clincher games. The only manager in AL/NL history who won more clincher games before a loss was Terry Francona, who won his first six -- also for Boston.
“He made a huge difference,” said Red Sox owner John Henry. “You see it every night. You guys watch it every night. He makes a huge difference in the decisions he makes, as in 2018, especially in October -- his instincts and his intelligence in this game is unmatched.”
In the just-completed ALDS, Cora put on an absolute clinic.
Take, for example, Game 2, when Chris Sale gave up a grand slam to Jordan Luplow in the first inning to put the Red Sox in a 5-2 hole and in danger of falling into an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five-series.
Instead of being sentimental and giving his ace a chance to settle into the start, the cold-blooded Cora gave Sale the hook and went with 25-year-old rookie Tanner Houck. The hard-throwing righty fired five electric innings, which turned the momentum in the series.
Cora also stalked up and down the dugout and told his offense to stay relentless and not get down about what had transpired in the bottom of the first.
“So it was definitely a little deflating at first, but I just remember going into the dugout and A.C. is coming up and down the dugout just, ‘It's all right, we got a whole game, eight more innings. You know, keep going.’ I felt like that really set the tone,” said Verdugo.
The Red Sox bats responded with a 20-hit clinic and a 14-6 win that took the series back to Boston deadlocked.
Then came the epic that was Game 3 in Boston. After more deflation -- Hansel Robles coughing up a two-run lead in the eighth inning -- Cora picked the right guy to get his team through extra innings.
That man was Nick Pivetta, a starting pitcher by trade who had thrown 73 pitches out of the ‘pen in Game 1. Cora kept him out there for innings 10-13 on two days' rest in Game 3, as Pivetta gave the Red Sox 67 huge pitches and set up Christian Vázquez to be the walk-off hero in the bottom of the 13th.
One of Cora’s top gifts is knowing the pulse of his players and how each will respond to a given situation.
“Like I always say, 'He's like a father, brother, manager,' whatever, however you can call it to us,” said lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. “It means a lot to have him. He trusts us. He trusts everybody in that clubhouse. He gives you the chance every time that he hands it to you, and you've just got to go out there and do your job.” Get the latest from the Red Sox
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Rodriguez didn’t do his job in Game 1, throwing 41 pitches en route to being lifted after five outs.
But Cora sensed the veteran would bounce back, so he gave him the start in Game 4 on three days' rest. Rodriguez responded with five strong innings, which included just three hits allowed, two runs, no walks and six strikeouts.
By the end of the night, the Red Sox were drinking champagne -- again.
Cora was teary-eyed after the final out as he embraced his daughter Camila, a freshman at Boston College.
What had him so emotional?
“A lot of things. Just proud of the group. Proud of everybody here. Happy for my family that they can enjoy this. Happy for Boston,” said Cora.
Without a doubt, Boston is equally as happy to have Cora back in the big seat for another ride through October.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 3:12:26 GMT -5
Red Sox-Astros series is about the present, but here’s why you can’t help looking back at the past By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated October 12, 2021, 10:18 p.m.
There will be no shortcuts to the World Series for the Red Sox.
After upsetting the 100-win Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, the Sox will now play the Houston Astros in the ALCS.
The Astros had the second-best record in the league, winning 95 games. They then buzzed through the White Sox in four games, scoring 31 runs to advance to their fifth consecutive ALCS. The clincher was a 10-1 rout on Tuesday.
Game 1 will be Friday at Minute Maid Park.
This is familiar ground with the teams meeting in the postseason for the third time in five seasons.
The Astros beat the Red Sox in four games in the 2017 Division Series, putting John Farrell out of a job.
Houston bench coach Alex Cora switched teams after the Astros went on to win the World Series. With Cora as manager, the Sox beat the Astros in the 2018 ALCS in five games.
Now another trip to the World Series is at stake with many of the same faces in the dugouts.
It’s also rocky ground for some of the participants.
The ‘17 Astros rigged up a system to steal signs from the catcher that Cora played a lead role in putting together. They used a camera feed from the outfield then banged on a trash can to signal the hitter what pitch was coming.
The extent of the cheating wasn’t revealed until after the 2019 season when a report by The Athletic prompted an investigation by Major League Baseball.
Cora, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, and Astros manager A.J. Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season then quickly fired.
Cora served his suspension and was re-hired by the Red Sox. Hinch became manager of the Tigers and Dusty Baker now manages the Astros.
The Astros took three of four from the Sox at Minute Maid Park in a series that started May 31. Cora acknowledged it was awkward for him.
He remains close friends with Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron and has a good relationship with shortstop Carlos Correa and catcher Martín Maldonado.
Correa texted Cora congratulations when the Sox advanced on Monday.
Other friendships fractured because of the investigation. MLB gave Astros players immunity from punishment to testify and it’s clear some pinned it all on Cora or former Astros player Carlos Beltran.
This series also is notable because Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Astros general manager James Click are products of the Rays front office.
Bloom was hired by the Red Sox in October 2019. Click got his job four months later after Luhnow was shown the door.
They’d prefer this just be about baseball. But, even now, the Astros are viewed with suspicion. White Sox reliever Ryan Tepera suggested this week that Houston was again illicitly stealing signs at home.
“They’ve obviously had a reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there,” he said.
After eliminating the White Sox, the Astros threw Tepera’s comments back at him.
“We came out hungry,” Correa said.
The Astros escaped the wrath of fans last season when games were played in empty ballparks. They were frequent targets this season, especially in New York and Los Angeles. But they got through it.
“You know, I never hear them really jeering back or saying much,” Baker said. “I mean, these guys, they take that negativity and put it in a positive direction.”
The extra day off for the Red Sox could prove important. The Sox can use Nate Eovaldi on Friday with full rest and the same would be true for Eduardo Rodriguez on Saturday.
With three days to recover after the Division Series, Cora can be aggressive with his bullpen use this weekend, knowing a day off is coming Sunday.
The Astros have some issues. Lance McCullers went four innings Tuesday before leaving the game with forearm tightness. But lefthander Framber Valdez will be fully rested and then some for Friday.
He faced the Red Sox twice during the season and allowed two runs over 14⅓ innings with 18 strikeouts.
“That was disheartening news to me when the trainer came over and said that we’ve got to take him out of the game,” Baker said of McCullers. “Lance is a warrior, and for him to come out of a game of that magnitude, it had to be something, and we tried to stop it before it got serious. He is being evaluated now.”
Cora has managed three seasons and has a championship. This is Baker’s 24th and he’s seeking his first. His only pennant came in 2002 with the Giants, who lost a seven-game World Series against the Angels.
It all should make for a compelling series, one tinged by the past as both teams try to look ahead.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 3:15:36 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook Red Sox are plenty familiar with the Astros in the playoffs By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated October 12, 2021, 8:07 p.m.
A familiar rival awaits the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.
The Astros crushed the White Sox, 10-1, on Tuesday afternoon. Like the Red Sox, the Astros dispatched their Division Series opponent in four games, setting up an ALCS rematch.
The Red Sox and Astros squared off in the 2018 ALCS, with the Red Sox advancing to the World Series in five games, and in the 2017 ALDS, when the Astros won in four to kickstart their title run. In 2017, the Astros infamously employed a scheme to use a closed-circuit camera at Minute Maid Park to steal opposing catchers’ signs and relay them to the hitter by banging on a trash can.
MLB’s investigation, with findings were released in January 2020, identified then-Astros bench coach Alex Cora as a key figure in the scheme. That led to the decision by Cora and the Red Sox to part ways in 2020 — a season for which Cora was ultimately suspended — before his return as manager in 2021.
This year, when the Sox hosted the Astros at Fenway, Cora acknowledged his discomfort when fans took aim at Astros players.
“On a personal level, [it was] tough to swallow, tough to hear it, because at the end I was part of that. I was part of the 2017 Astros and I was part of the whole sign-stealing situation,” Cora said in June, after Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman were booed. “Them being booed and screamed at the way they did, I was part of that, too.”
While Cora and the legacy of the 2017 Astros will serve as an unavoidable backdrop, it’s ultimately a footnote to the effort to advance to the World Series. The Astros won five of seven games between the teams in the regular season, outscoring the Red Sox, 42-25.
Houston, which went 95-67 in the regular season under Dusty Baker to win the A.L. West, will have home-field advantage in the ALCS. Game 1 will take place at Minute Maid Park on Friday.
The Red Sox, who enjoyed a day off on Tuesday following their ALDS-clinching win on Monday night, will work out at Fenway Park on Wednesday. The Sox had five scouts covering the series between the Astros and White Sox.
While starting pitchers for the series have yet to be announced, Red Sox ace Nate Eovaldi would be going on four days’ rest if he took the ball in Game 1. Catching up
For Christian Vázquez, the regular season represented a step back. After he’d performed as one of the elite two-way catchers in baseball in 2019-20, hitting .278/.327/.472 with 30 homers in 710 plate appearances, the 31-year-old saw his offense drop considerably this year. Related: Sullivan: ‘If we keep winning, we keep partying.’ The Red Sox deserve this ALDS celebration, but the work isn’t done yet
He hit .258/.308/.352, numbers that resulted in Kevin Plawecki claiming a growing slice of the playing pie down the stretch. But even in a down year, Vázquez displayed traits that have proven valuable in the playoffs.
Throughout the year, Vázquez performed well against relievers, hitting .273/.336/.405. And against pitches of at least 95 miles per hour he hit .306 (16th best in MLB among the 118 batters who saw at least 300 such pitches) and slugged .556 (14th).
“He is not afraid of a fastball,” said bullpen coach Kevin Walker, whose history with Vázquez dates to their time together with the Lowell Spinners in 2009.
Those skills have allowed Vázquez to contribute immensely in the last week and a half. In the second-to-last day of the season, his RBI triple off a 98-m.p.h. fastball set in motion a four-run, ninth-inning rally that propelled the Sox to a huge win. In Game 3 of the ALDS, he turned on a 96-m.p.h. fastball from Rays reliever Luis Patiño and drilled a walkoff two-run homer. And in Game 4, his single off a Patiño slider kickstarted the winning rally in another walkoff victory. With Shaw’s shank, redemption
For Travis Shaw, a two-strike dribbler to third base against Rays reliever (and former Brewers teammate) J.P. Feyereisen represented a moment of considerable satisfaction. The ability to put the ball in play as a pinch hitter resulted in a ninth-inning infield single to put runners on first and third with one out, setting up a walkoff sacrifice fly by Kiké Hernández in Game 4 of the ALDS.
After the Brewers designated Shaw for assignment in mid-August, the Sox claimed him off waivers, envisioning his role as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement. Though Shaw went 2 for 18 with seven strikeouts as a pinch hitter in the regular season, he showed quality at-bats to earn Cora’s trust, faith that was rewarded when he put the ball in play Monday.
“It’s special. No way to sugarcoat it, you get kind of kicked to the curb by another organization, to come back here, come back to where it started, for them to have belief in me and keep putting me out there in those situations, those big spots means a lot,” said Shaw. “I’m not taking it for granted. The fact that A.C. still trusts me in those big spots means a lot. Hopefully in the next round I’ll come up again in a huge spot. I know I’ll be ready for it.”
Playing in pain
Rafael Devers, after going 6 for 18 with a pair of homers and two walks in the ALDS, downplayed the impact of his right forearm injury.
“Obviously I’ve been dealing with something for the past couple of days, but I only feel it when I swing [hard against fastballs] and I miss,” Devers said through translator Bryan Loor-Almonte. “But other than that, I’m still trying to grind it out, trying to give 100 percent to my team for a chance to win. I’m just going to make myself available and I’m glad I’m able to help out the team win.” Ratings boon
According to Fox Sports, Monday’s game averaged 3.29 million viewers on FS1, a 20-percent jump from the Yankees-Rays Game 4 in 2020.
The game had a 20.0 rating and 35 share in the Boston market. It was 8.1/15 in the Tampa Bay area.
Peter Abraham of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 3:20:19 GMT -5
just a hunch but all the game times likely this
MLB Communications @mlb_PR · 6h Friday’s ALCS Game 1 first pitch time for the host @astros and @redsox on @mlbonfox is at 8:07 p.m. (ET)/7:07 p.m. (CT). #Postseason #MakeItMajor
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 3:25:03 GMT -5
Red Sox Notebook: ALCS matchup with Astros is ripe with storylines
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald October 12, 2021 at 6:58 p.m.
Well, well, well, what do we have here?
The Houston Astros locked up their spot opposite the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series on Tuesday, meaning Major League Baseball will get a matchup for the ages with Red Sox manager Alex Cora returning to Houston for a playoff matchup against the team that threw him under the bus just more than a year ago.
Most of the Astros’ hitters walked free in the sign-stealing scandal that shook the sport before the 2020 season, but it was Cora and Carlos Beltran who were painted as the masterminds, with both losing their jobs as big league managers following MLB’s report.
“Witnesses consistently describe this new scheme as player-driven and, with the exception of Cora, non-player staff, including individuals in the video replay review room, had no involvement in the banging scheme,” commissioner Rob Manfred wrote in a report released on Jan. 13, 2020.
Cora lost his job, as did A.J. Hinch, leaving the Astros in the hands of veteran skipper Dusty Baker, a three-time Manager of the Year who is still looking for his first World Series title.
Now Baker’s team is being accused of cheating, with White Sox reliever Ryan Tepera saying the Astros were making contact more frequently at Minute Maid Park during the ALDS. Tepera told reporters Houston has a “reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there,” and noted that the swings were different at home vs. on the road.
Baker responded by pointing out the team had perfectly symmetrical home/road splits this year.
With a matchup between the Astros and Cora’s Red Sox, expect neither team to accuse the other of anything, given it’s a touchy subject for both of them
Cora got the last laugh in 2018, when he defeated Hinch’s Astros 4-1 in the ALCS and celebrated on Houston’s home field.
But since Cora was rehired by the Red Sox this year, the Astros have kicked him around. Houston is 5-2 against the Sox this year, out-scoring them 42-25.
Likely Game 1 starter Framber Valdez dominated in back-to-back starts against the Red Sox in June, throwing 14-1/3 innings while allowing just two runs and collecting 18 strikeouts over the two games.
And likely Game 2 starter Luis Garcia went seven innings of one-run ball striking out six against the Sox earlier this year.
For the Red Sox, Nathan Eovaldi got ripped to shreds for five runs on 11 hits in 5-2/3 innings vs. the Astros this year.
And nobody could forget Chris Sale’s last playoff start in Houston in 2017, when he gave up seven runs over five innings in Game 1 of the ALDS. Experience matters
The Red Sox and Astros are two teams ripe with playoff experience, particularly in their starting lineups.
Alex Verdugo and Christian Arroyo are playing in their first postseason, but the Sox’ other seven starters are veterans in October, with the following playoff numbers:
Kyle Schwarber: 101 plate appearances, .294 average, .994 OPS
Kiké Hernandez: 167 PAs, .248 AVG, .838 OPS
Rafael Devers: 75 PAs, .308 AVG, .925 OPS
Xander Bogaerts: 153 PAs, .239 AVG, .701 OPS
J.D. Martinez: 105 PAs, .315 AVG, .968 OPS
Hunter Renfroe: 47 PAs, .233 AVG, .716 OPS
Christian Vazquez: 64 PAs, .267 AVG, .685 OPS
Cora said of Devers, “It seemed like he was born to play in October. He did it in ’18, and then this year (his home run in) that last game of the regular season set the tone for the team to keep going and keep pushing.”
Hernandez said Devers is part of the reason why he decided to sign in Boston in the offseason.
“When I signed here and I looked at the roster and I started looking at their pages and their profiles as far as their stats, and I was like — I was beyond impressed with our third base side of our infield,” Hernandez said. “I was like, ‘how come nobody talks more about these two guys?’ Like these numbers are ridiculous. Like nobody’s talking about them.” Youth on the mound
The Rays started two rookies in Game 1 and Game 2 of the ALDS, so the narrative of Tampa relying heavily on young pitchers made sense, but these numbers were interesting:
Average age of Red Sox’ five most-used pitchers in ALDS: 27.4.
Average age of Rays’ five most-used pitchers in ALDS: 30.5. An unexpected coach
Arroyo had a key bunt to advance the eventual game-winning run into scoring position in the ninth inning on Monday, then told WEEI that Jose Iglesias gave him some key advice in that at-bat.
“When I went to bunt with two outs and I popped out (in Tampa), the next inning Iggy sat down with me and said, ‘Hey, when you bunt, you move your back foot a lot,'” Arroyo said. “That at-bat (Monday), I said, ‘Do not move your back foot at all. Stay in line. Get the bunt down and do what you got to do.’ As soon as I put the bunt down the only person I could think of was Jose Iglesias.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 3:31:04 GMT -5
Tomase: Old-school baseball will serve the Red Sox well in the ALCS 4H ago / by John Tomase John Tomase RED SOX INSIDER
Five months ago, before the extended run of survival mode, and well before they shocked us by knocking the 100-win Rays out of the playoffs, the Red Sox were described thusly:F
Old-school.
That compliment was directed specifically at their offense. The Red Sox put bat to ball, they didn't swing for the fences, and they valued contact over power. Some of us even wondered if they might herald a revolution in a launch-angle obsessed world.
It didn't really turn out that way. Soon enough, the Red Sox started striking out as much as anyone else, and their all-fields approach came and went in spurts.
But when they needed it most, in the ninth inning of Monday's clinching Game 4 vs. the Rays in the American League Division Series, the Red Sox went small and it paid off in a big way.
Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, they watched Christian Vazquez line a single to left beyond the dive of Rays third baseman Yandy Diaz, get bunted to second by Christian Arroyo, take third on Travis Shaw's defensive two-strike swing and grounder that led to an error, and be replaced for pinch runner Danny Santana, who scored on Kiké Hernández's walk-off sacrifice fly that sent 38,000 fans into delirium.
"This is how baseball is supposed to be," said first baseman Kyle Schwarber. "This is classic baseball, where you get the leadoff guy on, bunt him over, there's a little error -- it's like typical playoffs -- a little error and then you take advantage and the game is over. And Kiké, having an unbelievable postseason. Just making sure he was hotter than a piston and he kept it going when it mattered the most."
The classic baseball part of the equation could serve the Red Sox well in the American League Championship Series vs. the heavily favored Astros when it opens on Friday in Houston. The AL West champs own perhaps the most potent offense in the American League now that All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman is back in the lineup, and the Red Sox aren't likely to outslug them.
What they can do is take what Houston's pitching staff gives them, just as they did against the Rays. Tampa shifted aggressively, and guys like Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez, and J.D. Martinez didn't hesitate to line the ball the other way. The left-handed Alex Verdugo seems to be rediscovering his opposite-field approach as well, while Rafael Devers consistently hit the ball up the middle, be it lining singles over second or drilling homers into the bleachers.
This is the kind of baseball and atmosphere I've dreamt about as a kid and always thought it would be and it's living up to it. It's living up. Alex Verdugo
Monday's ninth inning perfectly illustrated the Red Sox doing merely what it took to win rather than overwhelm.
"A lot of people were talking about the bunt, giving outs away, but we didn't need to score four runs in the ninth," said manager Alex Cora. "We only needed to score one. Christian did a good job getting on base. Christian did a good job putting the bunt down. Travis did a good job putting the ball in play. It's something we always talk about.
"Then Kiké put the ball in the air. Old school baseball right there. Fundamental baseball, and we won the ALDS playing good fundamental baseball."
They'll need more of that when they face the Astros, who took five of seven from the Red Sox this season and outscored them 42-25. Of course, the Rays won the season series, too, and that didn't matter at all once postseason advancement was on the line.
The Red Sox made Tampa's sluggers one-dimensional, while their own knocked the ball around the park more frequently than they left it.
"This is the kind of baseball and atmosphere I've dreamt about as a kid and always thought it would be and it's living up to it," Verdugo said. "It's living up
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 3:33:37 GMT -5
5 things to watch as the Red Sox prepare to take on the Astros in the ALCS The Red Sox were 2-5 against the Astros this season.
By Tom Westerholm October 13, 2021 | 12:11 AM
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One day after the Red Sox punched their ticket to the American League Championship Series in dramatic fashion, the Astros eliminated the White Sox with a 10-1 win to set up a showdown between Alex Cora’s new club and his old one.
The teams split their last two meetings in the postseason — the Astros claimed a victory in 2017, while the Red Sox beat them en route to a World Series in 2018.
Here are five things to watch before the series opens on Friday. The Red Sox were 2-5 against the Astros this season
Don’t panic: All seven games took place over a brief stretch in early June, and the teams that take the field on Friday have some notable differences. The Red Sox struggled badly with the Rays down the stretch as well, and they dispatched their division opponents in four ALDS games.
Still, the Astros are a formidable opponent who have had a lot of success against the Red Sox this season. While the Red Sox’ betting odds to win the World Series shot up significantly when they knocked off the Rays, they remain underdogs against the Astros. Red Sox pitchers got knocked around by the Astros
Again, take this with some salt, but Astros hitters punished Red Sox pitchers. Eduardo Rodriguez gave up six hits and six runs in his lone appearance against Houston, while Nathan Eovaldi had one of his worst outings of the year — a season-high 11 hits to go with five runs and three walks in a 5.2-inning loss.
To make matters worse: The Astros didn’t just hit Red Sox pitchers, they hit hard. Two of the Astros’ hardest-hitting games this season came against the Red Sox, per Baseball Savant, including one performance in which 64.4 percent of hits met the qualifications.
Some good news? The two hardest-hit games were coughed up by Martín Perez and Garrett Richards, neither of whom remain in the rotation. The Red Sox also got a nice performance by Nick Pivetta (three hits, two runs nine strikeouts) in a 2-1 loss on June 2. If the Red Sox lose games when the Astros score two runs during this series, their pitching won’t be at fault. The Astros’ rotation might be up in the air
Few pitchers are throwing better than Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. right now.
Just ask Lance McCullers Jr.
“I don’t feel like there’s another pitcher in the world throwing better than me right now,” McCullers told reporters after the Astros knocked off the White Sox.
The only problem? McCullers’s availability is up in the air after he experienced forearm tightness that forced him to leave after four innings.
Astros pitching coach Brent Strom told reporters he is “praying for the best case scenario” with McCullers — an ominous phrase — but followed it by noting that he is “very optimistic” McCullers will be fine. McCullers himself said the reason he left was that it was a good time for the bullpen to take over and he believed he could have gone six or seven innings.
Red Sox fans should probably expect to see the right-hander at some point. The Red Sox likely will also see Luis Garcia and Framber Valdez. Interestingly, in three meetings with the Red Sox this season, Garcia and Valdez gave up five hits and one run in every outing. The Red Sox offense has been extra potent since August (but the Astros are better).
Since Kyle Schwarber made his debut in the Red Sox lineup on Aug. 13, the team’s batting numbers are excellent. The Red Sox have the league’s sixth-best WAR and the third-best batting average over that span. Their offense — as calculated by FanGraphs — is fourth-best in the majors.
The only problem? The Astros’ offense is better at nearly everything except for drawing walks. The Astros have the league’s top offense this year by a wide margin per FanGraphs (and third-best since Aug. 13), and the league’s best WAR for the season (again, third-best since Aug. 13), as well as the No. 2 batting average.
When you reach this stage of the postseason, you might face a team without many holes. The Astros have batters who can hit for power and average, and their offense is one of their many strong points. On paper, the Astros might be the better team.
The good news for the Red Sox, of course, is that games still need to be played. The Rays looked like a better team as well.
Baseball is an odd game, which fits the Red Sox perfectly: They are an odd team.
The first pitch on Friday is slated for 8:07 p.m. on FOX.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 7:27:41 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 25m Fun matchup starting Friday:Graveman and Whitlock were January throwing partners, each wondering what 2021 would bring. Well, it brought them here, prime timers in the ALCS
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 7:33:53 GMT -5
Some Red Sox players are doing things reminiscent of past postseason stars
By Chad Finn, The Boston Globe October 13, 2021 | 7:27 AM
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Playing nine innings while making irresistible comparisons between these resilient Red Sox and memorable players of postseasons past …
1. Nate Eovaldi
Comparison: 2007 Josh Beckett (a slightly lesser version)
Anyone who suggests the Red Sox don’t have an ace hasn’t been paying attention.
Eovaldi finished fifth in the AL in pitching Wins Above Replacement (4.6), trailing only the Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, and a pair of White Sox, Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon. He was fourth in innings pitched (182⅓), eighth in ERA (3.75), and led the league in fewest walks per nine innings (1.7).
In his postseason career, spanning eight appearances and four starts, all with the Red Sox, he has a 1.93 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP, with 32 strikeouts in 32⅔ innings. That WHIP is the seventh-best all-time in the postseason, behind Roy Halladay, 1930s Yankee Monte Pearson, ‘67 Impossible Dreamer Jim Lonborg, and three relievers.
Eovaldi’s overall postseason stats compare to Beckett’s dominating performance in ‘07, when Beckett allowed four earned runs in 30 innings during the Red Sox’ title run.
2. Kiké Hernández
Comparison: 2013 Shane Victorino
I mean, this is the perfect comp, right? Hernández, like Victorino, is a jolt of electricity as a player, and one who inspires and feeds off the crowd.
The loudest I have ever heard Fenway was in the foundation-rocking moments after Victorino’s don’t-worry-’bout-a-thing grand slam in Game 6 of the 2013 ALCS against the Tigers.
Hernández inspired similarly high decibels with his series-clinching sacrifice fly in the ninth inning Monday night, capping an extraordinary final three games of the series in which he went 9 for 16 (.563) with 2 homers, 3 doubles, and 6 RBIs.
3. Rafael Devers
Comparison: 2007 Manny Ramirez
One swing, he’ll look hurt and on his way to hopeless. The next, he’s launching a baseball deep into the night sky, and all is right again. And no matter what, it’s impossible to look away.
The circumstances were different, but Devers’s home run that staked the Red Sox to a 3-0 lead in Game 4 reminded me a lot of Manny’s walkoff against Francisco Rodriguez and the Angels in Game 2 of the ‘07 ALDS.
In 493 postseason plate appearances, Ramirez posted a .937 OPS. Devers, through 75 postseason PAs, is right in the neighborhood at .925. Good company, I say.
4. Christian Vazquez
Comparison: 2013 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
It’s pretty much impossible not to compare his walkoff homer in Game 3 to Carlton Fisk’s home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. On the MLB Network broadcast, play-by-play voice Matt Vasgersian (who seems much more at ease working with John Smoltz than A-Rod, don’t you think?) drew the comparison immediately.
But nothing that’s happened yet this postseason belongs in the conversation with Fisk’s homer, an iconic moment in baseball history. The more apt comparison, at least in terms of magnitude if not hit type, is Saltalamacchia’s winning single off Rick Porcello in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ‘13 ALCS, an inning after David Ortiz’s tying grand slam.
5. Kyle Schwarber
Comparison: 2013 Mike Napoli
There are a few things they don’t have in common. Schwarber hits lefty, Napoli swung righty. Schwarber is an adventure at first base, Napoli was deceptively smooth. But there’s much more they do have in common: They’re converted catchers, patient at the plate, can hit the baseball a long, long way, and have a great sense of humor about themselves.
If the Red Sox somehow win two more rounds, Schwarber is the odds-on favorite to be the Red Sox player who roams the streets of Boston shirtless, Napoli-style, during the extended hours of celebration.
6a and 6b. Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck
Comparisons: 1999 Pedro Martinez, 2018 Nate Eovaldi
Very specific and hopefully obvious comparisons here. Pivetta (four intense shutout innings in Game 3 against the Rays) and Houck (five one-run innings in Game 2 as the Red Sox rallied from a 5-2 deficit for a 14-6 win) delivered brilliant relief performances reminiscent of Pedro’s transcendent six no-hit innings out of the bullpen in Game 5 of the ‘99 ALDS against the Indians and Eovaldi’s six-inning, 97-pitch, staff-saving effort in Game 3 of the ‘18 World Series. Pretty, pretty good company right there.
7. Hunter Renfroe
Comparison: 2003-04 Trot Nixon
Renfroe, like Nixon, is both a good defensive right fielder and an absolute adventure. He made a hat trick of mistakes during the eighth inning Monday night as the Rays rallied to tie the score at 5, and he was so hyped up that he seemed in dire need of some breathing exercises or maybe some yoga.
But Nixon, who never caught much grief for chasing his tail on Derek Jeter’s hit that got the Yankees’ sickening rally started in the eighth inning of Game 7 in 2003, had a knack for the big hit. Bet ya Renfroe does too at some point.
8. Matt Barnes
Comparison: 2004 Curtis Leskanic
One of the trademarks of all four championship teams is that every player on the active roster ends up having a moment of meaningful contribution along the way. Leskanic (occasionally pronounced “Let’s Panic”) got his by retiring the ever-dangerous Bernie Williams with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 11th inning during the history-altering Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.
He pitched the 12th, too, and earned the win on David Ortiz’s walkoff home run.
Barnes, whose stuff abandoned him after an All-Star first half, is going to have to get an important out along the way. It’s how this always goes.
9. Garrett Whitlock
Comparison: Incomparable
You’re telling me the Red Sox have a Rule 5 pick coming off Tommy John surgery who was plucked from the Yankees after scouts liked what they saw on his Instagram pitching videos … and rather than being the next John Trautwein or Mike Trujillo, he has turned into a true relief ace who most recently got six important outs against the Rays in Game 4 on just 15 pitches? Yeah, man, this is a new one.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 7:43:36 GMT -5
Red Sox suddenly look capable of a deep playoff run after a season filled with stops and starts | Matt Vautour Updated: 7:27 a.m. | Published: 7:27 a.m.
By Matt Vautour | mvautour@masslive.com
BOSTON — As Danny Santana raced home from third base with the winning run and his teammates streamed out of the dugout to meet him there, it seemed surreal. The Red Sox are headed to the American League Championship series.
The same Red Sox who were one of the worst teams in baseball in 2020 and appeared on the verge of collapse just two weeks ago are playing like a legitimate championship contender.
Usually, when a team says nobody believed in them, it’s a trumped-up attempt to manufacture motivation. But for this Boston squad, that belief was rooted in truth.
There was little cause for faith in April. The Red Sox were awful in the abbreviated 2020 season and it didn’t seem like they’d made high-impact acquisitions. It’s easy to forget now that this team was expecting Franchy Cordero and Marwin Gonzalez to play significant roles.
Starting pitching was Nathan Eovaldi and a bunch of questions marks. Chris Sale (Tommy John surgery) and Eduardo Rodriguez (myocarditis) were both coming back from health issues that made them hard to count on.
FanDuel’s over-under for Red Sox wins coming into the year was 79.5. The predictive analytics site FiveThirtyEIght.com gave them a 28 percent chance of making the playoffs and nearly every baseball journalist in America would have bet their Marriott Points against Boston playing meaningful games in October.
But oddsmakers, computers and sportswriters be damned, here they are.
Nobody could have foreseen how good or impactful Hunter Renfroe or Kiké Hernandez turned out to be. Nobody even knew who Garrett Whitlock was.
Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said everyone overlooked something less quantifiable too.
“This whole year anyone who has underestimated the fight in this team has sold them short,” Bloom said. “They showed that time and again.”
Bloom credited a lot of that to Alex Cora, who was rehired after his year-long suspension. From top to bottom, the franchise missed the tone the manager set.
“(Alex) leads and motivates this group on a daily basis. They know he’s in their corner,” Bloom said. “He builds trust through authentic relationships and because they trust him, they play as hard as they can for him. That’s not something to be taken for granted.”
They’re not just playing hard now. This team is playing well again at the right time. After back-to-back walk-off wins to knock off the favored Rays in four games in the ALDS, their pitching is versatile, their offense is deep and their confidence is high.
Coming into the ALDS, the Red Sox had momentum from beating the Yankees, but the Rays had been the best team in the American League. Tampa won the season series against Boston and was 7-3 against them in the second half of the season. On top of that, since the Red Sox had to play in the Wild Card game, the Rays came in with their pitching set while Boston couldn’t use Eovaldi until Game 3.
Sale had struggled down the stretch, Rodriguez hadn’t pitched well historically in the postseason and Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck and Whitlock had no playoff experience among them.
“We always said we had a good baseball team that had some holes, and we still have some holes, but at the end, for how bad it looked sometimes, we’re still here,” Cora said. “We’re still in the dance. We’re still in the tournament, and we’re moving on to the ALCS. It’s a great accomplishment. Those men in that clubhouse and everybody that has to do with the operation on a daily basis should be proud because everybody was part of this.”
Now it’s the Red Sox who are well-positioned as they head to Houston for Game 1 Friday. While Lance McCullers, the Astros’ No. 1 pitcher, started Tuesday’s clinching game and likely won’t pitch til Game 3 of the ALCS, Boston can set its rotation any way it chooses beginning with Eovaldi in Game 1. They won’t be favored, but they’ll be confident.
“It’s just special to be with this group of guys. We grind it out every day. We just go out there and play ball. I feel like nobody expected us to be here right now, and look at where we are at,” Rodriguez said. “After everything we went through this year, it’s just special to be here .”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 8:40:35 GMT -5
Four things to take away from previous Houston matchups this season
Reading far too much into small samples. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Oct 13, 2021, 9:01am EDT
The Red Sox punched their ticket to the ALCS on Monday thanks to a big win at Fenway to knock off the Rays, and on Tuesday they found out they’d be playing. After a convincing 10-1 win in their own Game Four in Chicago, the Astros punched yet another ticket to the ALCS, their fifth straight appearance in the game. We know you can’t learn too much over small samples in baseball, and especially from the first half when we’re in the postseason, but we’re going to try anyway. Boston and Houston faced off seven times this year, with the Astros taking five of those games. Here are four things the Red Sox could take away from those games. Why four and not five? Because I don’t listen to The Man, that’s why. Rafael Devers and fastballs
This is the obvious one because it was so blatant the first time these two teams played. Most of the time, teams are subtle about the way they are attacking opposing hitters. Houston left nothing to the imagination against Devers early in the summer, consistently peppering him with high fastballs. The Astros totally exposed him in that series, throwing him literally nothing but fastballs and keeping him in check for basically the entire series. To his credit, Devers worked on the issue they were exposing and quickly made himself good enough that he was at least keeping teams honest.
That said, I’m still expecting to see a whole lot of fastballs. For one thing, the Astros pitchers had success with that strategy, and when you beat someone like Devers on a consistent basis you stick with that strategy until it becomes untenable. But perhaps more importantly, his injury is making that high velocity difficult for Devers right now. I would be very surprised if we don’t see them test Devers with a whole lot of heat in this series. Eduardo Rodriguez needs his fastball
On the other side of things, Rodriguez needs to make sure he has his fastball on point for this series whenever he gets his start, assuming he gets one. This, to be fair, is something of a base state for the lefty. We see it all the time with him, when he has confidence in the fastball everything else follows from there. When he doesn’t, he either nibbles and shows no efficiency to go with lackluster results, or he hits too much of the plate and gets hit all around. Houston got the fastball in both of the lefty’s starts against them this year. Normally in that case the instinct might to focus more on the other pitches, but we know Rodriguez can beat anyone when he has it. I’d like to see him come out with confidence and feeling good about that fastball right off the bat. He allowed six runs over 4 2⁄3 in each of his two meetings with Houston this year. Kyle Tucker is a problem
The Astros has been around in these spots for years now, so most of their lineup is familiar at this point. We know about José Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, et al. If you’re not already, get familiar with Kyle Tucker. He should be someone to fear no matter what, as he was one of the best hitters in baseball over the second half, number three to be exact by wRC+. He was a top prospect, and he’s making good on the potential. But he can get hidden among the other names, and it helped make his performance against Red Sox pitching somewhat surprising. Boston’s staff is different now than it was in early and mid June, but Tucker put up a 1.220 OPS against them this year. Again, small samples, but just remember the name. Framber Valdez’s curveball is to be feared
While Houston’s offense is intimidating, it was actually their young pitching that led the way in the five wins over Boston this season. And among the pitchers, Valdez was the only one to make two strong starts, and it all started and ended with his curveball. He threw the pitch about 30 percent of the time in both matchups, inducing whiffs on more than half the swings against the offering in both starts and extremely little in the way of threatening contact. This is Valdez’s best secondary so it’s not exactly something unique about Boston to struggle against the pitch, but if they can find some way to neutralize it to some extent they can find more success against the young lefty. Over two starts he allowed a total of two runs over 14 1⁄3 innings, striking out 18 and walking two.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Oct 13, 2021 13:06:01 GMT -5
Stumbles — both literal and figurative — are no match for J.D. Martinez
Martinez didn’t let a late summer slump or a fluke tripping incident stop him from carrying a late season hot streak into the playoffs. By Phil Neuffer@philneuffer Oct 13, 2021, 10:30am EDT
J.D. Martinez has appeared in more than 800 games in the outfield during his 11-year career in Major League Baseball. That means he has had to run, jog, walk or whatever other form of inducing forward momentum to the outfield from the dugout thousands of times, and that’s just considering his MLB career. Across all of those jaunts to the grass, Martinez probably tripped, stumbled or slipped a few times, but perhaps no accidentally erroneous footwork seemed as dire as when he tweaked his ankle on the second base bag while running out to right field during the Red Sox’s regular season finale against the Washington Nationals earlier this month. Martinez would eventually be pulled from the game, but when the Sox escaped with a 7-5 win to lay claim to a playoff spot, Martinez’s injury was far from the top headline.
However, the injury continued to linger and Martinez not only missed the Wildcard Game against the New York Yankees, but he also missed game one of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox managed to survive without him against the Yankees, but in that series opener against the Rays, the Sox didn’t score a single run in a 5-0 loss. That’s not to say Martinez would have solved that problem all by himself, but not having one of their best bats in the lineup certainly hurt the Red Sox and it could have been devastating if it lasted any longer.
Luckily, Martinez made it back to the lineup for the rest of the ALDS and his presence made more than a nominal impact. Across 15 plate appearances in the series, Martinez slashed .467/.467/.733 with a 226 wRC+. Of course, Martinez made the biggest splash in his return to the field in game two. Martinez singled in his first at-bat of the game and then flied out in his second, but he produced the Red Sox’s most important hit of the game when he came up in the top of the fifth inning with two runners on base and smashed a three-run home run to center field to help the Red Sox push ahead 8-5 after they fell behind 5-2 in the first inning. The home run caused a roughly 24 percent swing in win probability, according to Baseball-Reference, lifting the Red Sox’s win expectancy to 84%.
Martinez and the Red Sox kept trucking from there, with Martinez finishing with a 4-for-5 batting line and the Red Sox securing a 14-6 victory, sparking their run to the series win. Martinez’s win probability added (WPA) for that game was .305, which was higher than any other player on either team. Through the next two games, although Martinez actually had negative marks in WPA, he still managed to keep hitting, as he went 3-for-10 and also knocked in a run during the five-run third inning in game four of the ALDS.
Now that Martinez’s small stumble against Washington is a forgotten memory and the Red Sox are looking forward to the American League Championship Series, let’s take a moment to look back just a little bit. After all, another reason a potential lengthy injury to Martinez was so frightening was because after a mostly rough second half, he had finally started to get back to hitting like the All-Star he was earlier in the season.
From Sept. 3 to Oct. 3, Martinez slashed .289/.362/.518 with a 129 wRC+. He turned it up even more during the Red Sox’s final sprint to the playoffs, slashing .300/.364/.550 with a 144 wRC+ over the final seven days of the regular season. Such production was in stark contrast to the month-long slide Martinez fell into at the plate in August when he was essentially a league average hitter (104 wRC+) while his walk rate plummeted to a horrid 4.8 percent and his strikeout rate rose to 26.9 percent. Both of those marks were the worst Martinez recorded in any month this season in case you were wondering.
As Martinez slumped, so too did the Red Sox. In August, they went 12-16, marking the only month of the season in which they had a losing record. They then bounced back to go 14-11 in September (and 3-0 in October) as Martinez rediscovered himself in the batter’s box. Obviously, one player can’t be responsible for turning things around for an entire team (otherwise Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout would have figured out how to do that for the Angels), but it’s certainly not a coincidence that the Red Sox played better when Martinez played better.
Even if the bulk of Martinez’s return-to-form production during that last week of the regular season was in the disappointing Baltimore series, the hope was that if the Red Sox got into the postseason, he would keep up the momentum of September and continue shedding the slump of August. It may have just been from three games, but it looks like those hopes are coming to fruition and helping fuel a lengthier playoff run than many may have predicted for the Red Sox.
Martinez is no stranger to spearheading an advance through the postseason for Boston, as he slashed .300/.403/.520 with a 139 wRC+ in 62 plate appearances during the Red Sox’s quest for the 2018 World Series title. If the Red Sox are going to replicate that result, the offense will need to keep up the offensive surge behind their playoff success, especially what they showed against the Rays, and although there are plenty of hitters on the roster capable of carrying the day, having Martinez mashing again is a critical component.
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