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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:07:14 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Kiké Hernández gives thumbs up to his miked up moment on Sunday By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 11, 2022, 7:06 p.m.
DETROIT — Kiké Hernández was miked up during the fourth inning of Sunday night’s Yankees-Red Sox broadcast. Just ahead of the 3-1 loss to the Tigers, Hernández reflected on that experience, saying he was hesitant about it at first.
“I thought it was going to be really weird, really distracting, but it actually wasn’t at all,” he said. “I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to. I told [ESPN broadcaster Eduardo Pérez] the conversations I was having with you guys are the conversations I’m having with myself out there in the outfield because it’s pretty boring out there. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Hernández admitted he had to filter out some things he actually wanted to say, and flip it into the television version.
“There’s a lot of [expletive] that went through my mind that I had to bite my tongue,” Hernández said. “Because people are gonna think I’m just absolutely [expletive] up in the head. So yeah, I had to be self conscious about not being myself too much.”
Originally, ESPN said they were just going to ask Hernández about his pre-pitch routine. But that changed when he had a lot of action come his way, including Anthony Rizzo’s two-RBI, game-tying single where Hernández hurled himself plateward in an attempt to throw the trail runner out at home.
“Even though that tied the game, and I had just struck out, it went better than I thought,” said Hernández, whose 0-for-4 on Monday kept him hitless (0-for-17) through four games. Matt Strahm impressive
Lefthander Matt Strahm can flash some electric stuff. It caught the eye of manager Alex Cora and his coaching staff during spring training, who used him twice during the Yankees series and for two-thirds of an inning on Monday, in which Strahm fanned Robbie Grossman and Austin Meadows.
Strahm can run his four-seam fastball and two-seamer up to 95 miles per hour. His arm slot and hyper-active motion toward the plate makes it difficult for hitters to pick up the ball.
“He’s interesting,” Cora said. “You guys saw the fastball. He’s just a guy we have to keep healthy. His stuff plays against both lefties and righties. [We like] his velocity, his cutter. He likes to pitch in.”
Righties have just a .227 batting average against Strahm. Lefties hit .251.
Strahm had right knee surgery at the start of 2021, forcing him to miss much of the season. When the Sox acquired him, they felt he could be a huge piece of the bullpen puzzle. But, as Cora noted, health is the key.
“The fact that he can keep the ball in the ballpark against righties, and the fact that he can go multiple innings is huge for us,” Cora said. Barnes in, Story out
Matt Barnes made his season debut, pitching a scoreless sixth that included a strikeout. Barnes was unavailable for the first three games of the season due to a tight back . . . Trevor Story missed a second straight game after not playing Sunday due to flu-like symptoms. He’s in Detroit, but is feeling weak and unlikely to play Tuesday. The team hopes he will be available Wednesday . . . Bobby Dalbec had an offday Monday. He will be in the lineup again Tuesday . . . WooSox infielder Ryan Fitzgerald has entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols, joining outfielder Jarren Duran. Fitzgerald was 7 for 11 (.636) with three homers in his first three games, after a successful big-league camp in which he batted .313 with four homers in 20 plate appearances . . . Miguel Cabrera has 2,991 regular-season hits after his 2 for 3, including a double. With nine more, he will become the seventh member of MLB’s 3,000-hit, 500-home run club, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:17:38 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Where’s Trevor Story? Red Sox need their $140 million man Sox rank 29th in batting average through four games
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: April 11, 2022 at 9:03 p.m. | UPDATED: April 11, 2022 at 9:13 p.m.
Four games into the season isn’t the time for making excuses, and the Red Sox aren’t going to do that.
But we sure can.
The sleepy Sox mustered just four hits in a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday, when they moved to 1-3 on the season and have scored just 12 runs in four games.
Through four games they rank 29th in MLB with a .173 average and 27th with a .551 OPS. These are embarrassing numbers. The at-bats haven’t been terrible, but there’s little question the offense doesn’t look ready. Pitching usually wins out this time of year, but it’s winning big against Red Sox hitters right now.
Which leaves us with this question: where’s Trevor Story? They sure need him.
The Tigers and Red Sox signed a pair of middle infielders to matching six-year, $140-million contracts this offseason. The Sox signed Story, who has missed the last two games due to a non-COVID illness and is unlikely to play on Tuesday, too.
“Trevor is in Detroit, he feels weak,” manager Alex Cora told reporters after Monday’s game. “Hopefully he can come here tomorrow, get him moving around. Not sure if he’s going to play tomorrow. We’re trying to shoot for the last game of the series.”
The Tigers signed Javier Baez, who handled a Ryan Brasier fastball about shoulder-height and turned his hands around so fast that the ball exploded out of the park for the decisive two-run homer.
Baez is in the Tigers’ lineup, crushing the ball and winning them games.
Story is out, and even when he’s been in, he hasn’t looked sharp (albeit in a very limited sample size).
This isn’t anybody’s fault; it’s just a reality.
Story signed late in spring training. He had just 11 at-bats and struck out in five of them. By the time he got to New York, he had barely played. He’s also learning a brand new position. That he went 1-for-8 in his first two games of the regular season wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Without Story in the lineup, the Sox have used Jonathan Arauz in back-to-back games at second base. He’s 0-for-5.
Without Story in the six-hole, they’ve used Christian Arroyo and Christian Vazquez in that spot; they’re 1-for-6.
The Red Sox need a player like Story in the middle of their lineup. This is why they spent the money to sign him less than two weeks before the season started. But waiting that long has its challenges, as we saw over the weekend.
Now he’s sick, and the Sox have a big hole in their lineup.
Their bottom-three on Monday was Travis Shaw, Arauz and Jackie Bradley Jr., who combined to go 0-for-9.
Here’s the thing: the Sox have been in every game they’ve played. They haven’t lost by more than two runs; and they haven’t ended a single inning further than two runs away from their opponent.
Just 2.5% of the season is over; there’s a lot of baseball left.
And while the Sox look more lost than most teams at the plate, they aren’t alone.
With spring training getting cut in half due to the lockout, offense across baseball has been down.
Through the first four days of the 2022 season, offense is down 13% compared to the first four days of the 2021 season. Across MLB, offensive players are batting .229 (down from .237) with a .682 OPS (down from .714) and averaging 8.4 total runs per game (down from 9.6).
“I don’t want to make any excuses or anything, but it’s one of those things, we’re still three weeks behind with a normal buildup,” J.D. Martinez told reporters in Detroit. “That’s part of it. You start off good or start off bad. Could go either way.”
Cora had a chance to blame the schedule that delayed his team from arriving to Detroit until 4 a.m. on Monday morning after playing in the league’s first Sunday Night Baseball game of 2022 the night before. It is weird to see them playing a 5 p.m. game after a getaway night game, but that’s baseball; there are 162 games and sometimes the schedule is tough.
“This is not about traveling,” Cora said. “We didn’t hit too many balls hard, didn’t do too much offensively.”
Leadoff hitter Kiké Hernandez is off to an 0-for-17 start, which doesn’t help either.
“I believe he’s still amped up; just breathe a little bit and you’re going to be OK,” Hall of Famer Jim Rice said on NESN’s postgame show.
Story will make his way back soon enough. And surely, he’ll make an impact.
The Red Sox need him.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:19:06 GMT -5
Ryan Brasier gives up game-winning homer to Javier Baez as Red Sox offense continues cold start in loss to Tigers Sox collect just four hits, fall to 1-3
By Steve Hewitt | stephen.hewitt@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: April 11, 2022 at 8:13 p.m. | UPDATED: April 11, 2022 at 8:48 p.m.
Eventually, the Red Sox’ star-studded offense should come alive and make them contenders in the American League. But right now, they’re off to a sleepy to start the season.
Their pitching, for the most part, has gotten the job done through the first four games of the season. But the Red Sox’ bats have been putting them in stressful situations with little room for error. And again on Monday, the bottom came out from under them.
Javier Baez hit a go-ahead two-run home run off Ryan Brasier in the eighth – breaking a 1-1 deadlock – and the Red Sox dropped their third game in four to start the season with a 3-1 loss to the Tigers in the opener of their three-game series in Detroit.
Rafael Devers hit a one-out double in the ninth, and J.D. Martinez threatened to tie the game with a deep drive to right, but it came short. The Red Sox scratched together just four hits on the day.
Without Trevor Story, their prized free agent addition who missed his second consecutive game, the Red Sox couldn’t do much against Tigers starter Matt Manning and his healthy diet of fastballs. The Red Sox didn’t generate any baserunners through the first four innings before Martinez finally broke the shutout with his first homer of the season to lead off the fifth.
But the Red Sox barely threatened the rest of the game, a theme that has followed them to start the season. Leadoff hitter Kiké Hernández has still yet to collect a hit, the bottom of the order hasn’t produced much and they’re certainly missing Story. They’ve plated just 12 runs in four games.
“I mean, I’m surprised, but if this is what we’re talking about right now, we should be fine,” manager Alex Cora told reporters in Detroit, via NESN. “We pitched well, they scored three. I believe we’re going to score runs.”
That added more stress on the bullpen, which has barely been able to breathe in the late innings. Brasier attacked Baez with four consecutive fastballs – and the Tigers star caught up to one.
“That one, although it was above the strike zone, it feels like Javy was just trying to beat him to the spot and he did,” Cora told reporters.
More takeaways from Monday’s loss:
Wacha starts strong
The line on Michael Wacha’s first Red Sox start – 4 1/3 innings, two hits, one run, three walks, four strikeouts – won’t jump off the page, but it was a great starting point for the No. 4 starter.
Wacha immediately put himself in danger in the first inning, when he issued two walks to load the bases with one out. But he managed to battle out of it with just one run allowed after Miguel Cabrera’s sacrifice fly gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. It could have been much worse.
After allowing a leadoff single in the second, Wacha settled into a groove. The righty retired nine in a row before surrendering a leadoff walk in the fifth to Tucker Barnhart, and after responding with a strikeout of Akil Baddoo on a full count, Alex Cora finished his day at 72 pitches.
The 30-year-old Wacha is looking to rediscover himself this season after bursting on to the scene early in his career, but the Red Sox will take what he gave them Monday every time, especially if his changeup is working like it did. The pitch generated seven misses in 16 swings. He gave the Red Sox a chance, and that’s what they’re looking for from him.
Barnes looks promising
Matt Barnes missed the season-opening series against the Yankees due to back tightness, but was healthy enough to make his season debut Monday against the Tigers. As he works his way back – and Cora begins to build trust back in him with the hope he eventually becomes the closer again – Barnes took the sixth inning of a 1-1 game and threw an encouraging shutout inning.
The veteran’s fastball velocity had dipped in the 92-93 mph range during spring, which was a concern. On Monday, four of his 10 pitches were heaters that averaged 94 mph and topped out at 95.3 mph, which was a promising sign, while he threw five curveballs and got two whiffs. Barnes certainly isn’t where he wants to be just yet, but it was a good spot to build from.
“There was a fastball there at 95, which was good,” Cora told reporters. “The breaking ball played. I was joking, he hasn’t seen the sixth inning since the All-Star Game, right? For him to go out there and pitch, it was a good sign.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:20:25 GMT -5
Trevor Story rejoins Boston Red Sox but likely won’t play until Wednesday due to illness: ‘He feels weak,’ Alex Cora says Published: Apr. 11, 2022, 10:05 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
DETROIT -- Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday for Boston’s series finale against the Tigers, manager Alex Cora said Monday night. Story has been sidelined with a non-COVID illness for the last two games.
Story played Boston’s first two games of the season in New York but has missed the last two and is expected to be on the bench Tuesday afternoon against the Tigers. He flew separately from the team to Detroit and arrived in town at some point Monday. Story was not at Comerica Park for the team’s 3-1 series-opening loss.
“He feels weak,” Cora said. “Hopefully, he can come here tomorrow, get him moving around. Not sure he’s going to play tomorrow. We’re trying to shoot for the last day of the series.”
Story’s Red Sox tenure has gotten off to a unique start. Two days after officially signing his six-year, $140 million contract on March 23, he left spring training to fly home to Texas to be with his wife for the birth of the couple’s first child. He returned three days later and only saw action in five exhibition games before Opening Day. So far, he’s 1-for-8 with a walk and two strikeouts (including going 0-for-5 on Opening Day).
Cora has repeatedly said he wants to give Story a few days off early in the season in order to measure his workload. It sounds as though Story’s illness-caused absence will cause the Red Sox to be even more careful in the coming days and weeks.
“That was the plan anyways and now we’ve got the setback,” Cora said. “We’ll get him ready. We’ll get him going. He’s going to be a big factor for this offense.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:21:25 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox hitting .173 as a team through 4 games (29th in baseball) but Alex Cora isn’t worried: ‘We’re going to score runs’ Updated: Apr. 12, 2022, 1:23 a.m. | Published: Apr. 11, 2022, 11:04 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
DETROIT -- Entering the season, the Red Sox were expected to mash offensively while piecing together their pitching staff on a nightly basis. So far, they have gotten the opposite.
Through four games, Boston’s staff has significantly outperformed its lineup. As of late Monday night, Boston’s pitchers ranked 12th in staff ERA (3.60) and were tied for sixth in the majors in strikeouts (39) while its hitters ranked 29th in average (.173), 28th in OPS (.551) and 21st in runs (11). For a team built on offensive firepower, the early returns have been shocking.
“(I’m) surprised but if this is what we’re talking about right now, we should be fine,” manager Alex Cora said after the Red Sox had just four hits in a 3-1 loss to the Tigers. “We pitched well, they scored three. I believe we’re going to score runs. It’s just a matter of, to be honest with you, just slow the game down now and don’t try to do too much. Just put good at-bats.”
While a couple of Boston’s top hitters (Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo and J.D. Martinez) have hit well to start the season, a few of the club’s best offensive players have been no-shows early. Kiké Hernández is 0-for-17 with five strikeouts. Trevor Story, who has missed the last two games due to a non-COVID illness, is 1-for-8. Jackie Bradley Jr. is 0-for-9. And both Christian Vázquez and Bobby Dalbec are 2-for-10. Eighteen of Boston’s 23 hits have come from a group of four hitters -- Devers, Verdugo, Xander Bogaerts and Martinez -- while nine others are a combined 5-for-71 (.070).
The Sox handled tough Yankees starters Gerrit Cole and Luis Severino relatively well at the end of last week but had significant trouble against young Tigers righty Matt Manning on Monday night. Manning retired the first 12 batters he faced before giving up a homer to Martinez to lead off the fifth; in total, Manning needed just 68 pitches to get through six innings of one-run, one-hit ball.
“I think his fastball played better than expected,” Cora said. “It was getting on you. He has plus extension, then velocity started picking up. When you see us hitting fly balls, then fouling up fastballs up in the zone, the fastball is getting on you.”
The Red Sox didn’t play under the easiest of circumstances Monday, as they had to quickly turn around and play a 5:10 p.m. game after arriving from New York after 3 a.m. But Cora was quick to credit Manning rather than cite lack of sleep, the cold temperatures or the sleepy atmosphere in front of 11,840 (a generous number) at Comerica Park.
“He pitched well,” Cora said. “He did an amazing job getting ahead with the fastball, expanding with the breaking ball and finishing off with fastballs away to lefties.”
The Red Sox had just four hits in the defeat and hit only two balls harder than 104 mph: Martinez’s home run and Vázquez’s single in the eighth. Tigers relievers Alex Lange, Michael Fulmer and Gregory Soto each got through relief innings with little trouble. In total, Tigers pitchers struck out seven Red Sox without issuing a walk.
“We didn’t hit too many balls hard,” Cora added. “We didn’t do too much offensively.”
Undoubtedly, the offense will get back on track at some point in the coming weeks or days. Story’s anticipated return Wednesday will get the lineup back to full strength. Hernández, the leadoff man, won’t stay hitless forever. And balls will fly farther once the weather warms up as the season goes on.
For now, though, the Red Sox are as cold as the northern cities they’re playing in. The effects of a shortened spring training are beginning to show.
“I don’t want to say any excuses or anything, but it’s one of those things where we’re still three weeks behind from a normal buildup,” Martinez said. “I think it’s part of it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:22:46 GMT -5
Boston Sports Info @bostonsportsinf · 8h Red Sox
Batting 8th, 9th and lead off this year
(1-44, .023)
Is that even possible?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:25:13 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 9h Wacha signed here with a nasty changeup and questions about his other pitches. His change was on display today, 16 swings, 7 whiffs. Tigers 0-4, 2 K when finishing at-bats against it.
Barnes' fastballs: 95.3, 94.1, 93.0, 93.7
Had a good breaking ball.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:25:55 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 8h Sox hitters are 29th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, 24th in slugging percentage, 28th in BABIP, coming out hot!
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:27:28 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 8h I'm sorry but when your fastball doesn't have life you can't throw the guy with the fastest bat in baseball 3 straight fastballs in the same spot
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 3:31:56 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Tigers Tuesday, 12th April 2022 1pm @ Comerica
Hill vs Alexander
Rich Hill faces Tigers to open third stint with Red Sox FLM
The Boston Red Sox, who are off to a 1-3 start to the season, will turn to an old familiar face to get them pointed in the right direction.
Journeyman left-hander Rich Hill will get the starting assignment on the road against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday afternoon. Hill is in his third stint with the franchise -- he pitched for Boston from 2010-12 as a reliever and in a four-game stint as a starter in 2015.
Hill made a combined 32 appearances (31 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets last season and finished with a 7-8 record and 3.86 ERA. He rejoined the Red Sox on a one-year, $5 million contract.
The 42-year-old veteran is grateful to still be in the majors.
"The goal is a championship at the end of the year and that's it," Hill said during spring training. "However anybody can contribute, however big or however small the role is, it's important. To have that mindset, first of all, put the team before yourself, is what it's all about.
"Whatever role it is they decide to put me in, I'm here to pitch, that's it, and help the younger guys."
Hill has made 17 career appearances against the Tigers, including four starts, posting a 3-0 record and a 3.74 ERA.
He will be opposed by another left-hander, Tyler Alexander. Entering his fourth season, Alexander appeared in 41 games last season, including 15 starts, going 2-4 with a 3.81 ERA.
Alexander is filling in for Michael Pineda, who was signed as a free agent late in spring training. Pineda is building up his arm strength at Triple-A Toledo. Alexander has made two career relief appearances against Boston, allowing four runs (three earned) in four innings.
Alexander, 27, knew when Pineda was added he would be ticketed for the bullpen.
"I've been in that spot before: long relief, spot start here and there," he said. "I'm sure there will be spots throughout the year where I'll get opportunities to start."
Alexander prefers being a starter but will accept whatever role he's given.
"I kind of enjoy the (diversity) of it," Alexander said. "It's kind of been my role the past two years, just throw when we need you. I don't really care. I like to be in the big leagues, no matter where I'm at. I want to be a starter. I'll get my opportunities to start, and I've just got to take advantage of it when I get it."
Detroit won the series opener 3-1 on Monday as shortstop Javier Baez hit his first homer since joining the Tigers as a free agent during the offseason. He ripped a high fastball from reliever Ryan Brasier over the left field wall to snap a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning.
"So many pitchers have tried to go higher than high (in the strike zone) and there's some swing and miss in the past. There's also a ton of damage as well," manager A.J. Hinch said of Baez. "So, risk-reward when you go up there with Javy and you try to exploit something multiple times in a row. Javy got 'em today."
The Red Sox hope to have second baseman Trevor Story back in action. He missed the past two games due to an illness and rejoined the team from New York after the Monday game.
"We'll know more obviously when he gets here but hopefully, he can be ready to go (Tuesday)," Boston manager Alex Cora said.
--Field Level Media
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 12, 2022 6:23:21 GMT -5
sleepy bats and an appearance by gas can gang member ryan brasier
I have said that this team reminds me of last year's team as far as the offense being strong enough to win most games in which the pitching staff keeps the team in the game. I don't know how many times I said it last year (a lot), but these losses so far are not on the pitching staff, neither the starters or the relievers. These losses so far, IMO, have been on the offense. The pitchers have pitched well enough.
Also, all 4 games have been decided by 1 or 2 runs, including an extra inning game. Randomness has been a big factor. Any of the games could have gone either way. We could just as easily be 4-0 or 0-4.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 12, 2022 6:31:57 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Kiké Hernández gives thumbs up to his miked up moment on SundayBy Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 11, 2022, 7:06 p.m. DETROIT — Kiké Hernández was miked up during the fourth inning of Sunday night’s Yankees-Red Sox broadcast. Just ahead of the 3-1 loss to the Tigers, Hernández reflected on that experience, saying he was hesitant about it at first. “I thought it was going to be really weird, really distracting, but it actually wasn’t at all,” he said. “I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to. I told [ESPN broadcaster Eduardo Pérez] the conversations I was having with you guys are the conversations I’m having with myself out there in the outfield because it’s pretty boring out there. I enjoyed it a lot.” I both like and dislike players wearing microphones while playing the field. I like hearing what the players have to say, but it seems like it would be a big distraction from concentrating on the game, which I don't like.
They had Joey Votto mic'd up in one of his games this year. He was playing 1B with a runner on first. He's talking to the announcers and answering questions, while at the same time holding the runner on, anticipating throws over to first, and trying to be defensively alert with each pitch thrown. It was strange, yet interesting and entertaining.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 12, 2022 6:35:33 GMT -5
Boston Sports Info @bostonsportsinf · 8h Red Sox
Batting 8th, 9th and lead off this year
(1-44, .023)
Is that even possible? Kike' needs to get it going. We would expect weaker production from the #8 and #9 guys, but not from the leadoff hitter. Very small sample, I know.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 12, 2022 6:38:40 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 8h Sox hitters are 29th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, 24th in slugging percentage, 28th in BABIP, coming out hot! And therein lies the problem.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 12, 2022 9:08:32 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 1m Trevor Story is here in the Red Sox clubhouse. He said had some sort of food poisoning that has kept him out.
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