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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 14:27:41 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2m 1 strikeout by Sox pitchers over 7 innings.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 14:48:27 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 34m 2nd-7th innings GO GO LO K LO K LO K K GO 2B GO K 1B FO FO K FO GO GO
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 14:49:16 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 10m Having Whitlock start and only be available to pitch the first few innings of one game in this series has really made everything else feel much more complicated.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 14:51:52 GMT -5
Off to Toronto Houck gets a 4 day vacation.
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 4m #Rays 5, #RedSox 2
WP—McClanahan (1-1). LP—Valdez (0-1). Sv—Thompson (1). HRs—Diaz (1). A—20,993. T—2:38.
Sox have lost 4 of 5. They had four hits in the first inning, six total.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 14:53:44 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2m Five series played, one series win for the Red Sox (DET). Split with MIN. Series losses to NYY, TOR, and TB.
Pending the outcomes of the Jays and O’s games today, the Sox could be in T-last, 4 games back.
Red Sox offense ranks 22nd in power, 25th in OBP, last in pitches per PA.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 24, 2022 18:03:05 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 10m Having Whitlock start and only be available to pitch the first few innings of one game in this series has really made everything else feel much more complicated. That's because of how good he's been. I've said it before, and kidding, but he needs to be our closer, our multi-inning guy, and a starter. Maybe this is the way baseball is trending, but his most valuable role might be as a shutdown 2-3 inning guy. You might only see the guy once every 4-5 days, but you have a pretty good chance to win once he's in. But we still have to win other games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 19:19:04 GMT -5
Red Sox 2, Rays 5: Lifeless offense still seeking resuscitation
After a big first, there was nothing the rest of the way. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Apr 24, 2022, 3:49pm EDT 17 Comments
The good news is the Red Sox immediately made sure they were not going to be no-hit through nine innings on Sunday, with Trevor Story jumping on the first pitch for a double. In fact, Boston’s offense looked great against Rays start Shane McClanahan for the entire first inning, taking a 2-0 lead. But they totally fell asleep after that, pretty much not even threatening a rally the rest of the way. Rich Hill did manage to walk a tightrope for four innings to keep his team ahead, but Will Venable for some reason abandoned the plan to piggyback with Tanner Houck, the other relievers coughed up the lead, and that was that. It’s another series loss for the Red Sox.
More robust game notes below.
It’s hard to imagine the Red Sox offense was feeling all that great heading into Sunday’s series finale in Tampa Bay, not only coming off a game in which they were no-hit through nine innings before losing in heart-breaking fashion in the 10th, but also because they were facing Shane McClanahan. The young Rays southpaw has some of the nastiest pure stuff you’ll see from any AL East starter, and with the way Boston’s lineup has been performing it wasn’t too difficult to see this being a long day for them.
However, the one thing that McClanahan does do sometimes is leave too many pitches over the plate, especially early in counts. The Red Sox took advantage of that and immediately showed a different level compared to yesterday, jumping right on McClanahan in the first. Trevor Story jumped on the first pitch he saw, smacking a leadoff double. Enrique Hernández then swung at his first pitch, smoking one right up through the middle to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead just two pitches into the game. A couple batters later, Xander Bogaerts added a single of his own before Alex Verdugo made it four hits in the inning with Boston’s third single, bringing in Hernández and giving his team a 2-0 lead. Neither Bobby Dalbec nor Christian Arroyo could add any more, but after Saturday night a 2-0 lead was nothing to sneeze at.
Now, they just had to turn to Rich Hill, who was reinstated off the bereavement list prior to Sunday’s game, to hold the lead. It was kind of a weird day for the veteran lefty, who never really looked great but was able to wriggle himself out of jams time and time again. Case in point, in the first inning Hill got two quick outs but then gave up a double, issued a walk, and gave up a single to load the bases. From there he was able to get a pop up from Manny Margot, and the lead stood despite the issues. He’d then get some help in the second when Rob Refsnyder, in right field for this game, made a quick, strong, and accurate throw from the corner to cut down Randy Arozarena trying to stretch a single into a double.
Control issues plagued him a bit for his final two innings, hitting a batter and walking another in the third and then walking the leadoff man in the fourth, but he got through his four innings of work without allowing any runs to the Rays. He only struck out one in the game while giving up four hits along with walking three, but he successfully walked the tightrope, and we’ll take that from him.
After that first inning, the Red Sox offense largely went into hibernation mode, going down in order in each of the second, third, and fourth innings before wasting a one-out double in the fifth. That brought Phillips Valdez, not Tanner Houck as had been expected, in for the fifth trying to protect the 2-0 lead. He had absolutely no control in this game, hitting the first batter he saw, then issuing a four-pitch walk, and hitting another batter with one out to load the bases. Will Venable had seen enough at that point, calling on Ryan Brasier.
The first batter he’d see was the left-handed Ji-Man Choi, and right after a missed call that would have been strike three, Brasier left one over the plate and Choi put it off the left field wall for a two-run double, tying to game up still with a pair in scoring position and just one out. The Rays added one more on a ground out, and heading into the sixth the Red Sox were playing from behind for the first time on the day, trailing 3-2.
Following a scoreless top half of the sixth from the Red Sox offense that featured a leadoff single along with a 403-foot fly out, Matt Barnes — notably still not Tanner Houck — got the call for Boston. The righty did record two outs, but also gave up back-to-back one-out singles, before handing the ball off to Jake Diekman, who had to navigate a two-out situation with a pair in scoring position. The first pitch he threw squeaked by Christian Vázquez, and Kevin Kiermaier came in from third to score. Arozarena tried to catch the Red Sox sleeping and came around as well, but Diekman woke up just in time to make the tag and finish off the inning, but not before the Rays took a 4-2 lead.
Diekman came back out for the seventh with the same score, but that score did not last long. The second batter of the inning, Yandy Díaz, put a 3-1 fastball just up and over the wall in right field to extend Tampa’s lead to three. After Diekman followed that up by allowing a base hit, Houck finally entered the inning, but with a runner on and one out, not the clean inning to which he’s accustomed. The unfamiliarity didn’t faze the righty, who needed three pitches to get the next two outs.
Houck gave Boston another scoreless inning in the eighth, and now the offense had just three more outs to get at least three runs and continue this game. They did not do that, instead going down in order to finish off the 5-2 loss.
The Red Sox now head north of the border for a four-game set against the Blue Jays. That series kicks off Monday night, with Nathan Eovaldi taking on José Berríos. First pitch is at 7:07 PM ET
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 19:20:55 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h Rich Hill and Christian Vazquez used Pitch Com today. Both voiced their approval of it.
Sox have been slow adopters of the technology. Today may speed that up.
JD Martinez on his way to Toronto by the way.
Also, Tyler Danish is on his way to Toronto. He was optioned today but will return tomorrow to replace a pitcher on the restricted list.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 19:22:44 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h
Boston had a realistic chance to sweep this series. Brutal loss Saturday, curious pitching usage Sunday. That leads to losses in two out of three.
And that hurts in this version of the AL East. Figures to be much too good to give away wins.
This afternoon won't be entered into Will Venable's managerial interview file.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 19:24:46 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 4h Red Sox’ first 5 PAs of the game: 4-for-5 Red Sox’ next 29 PAs: 2-for-28, BB
The Red Sox are averaging 3.5 runs per game, their second-lowest scoring average through 16 games this century. League context is that offense is down everywhere for multiple reasons, but … their offense is absent for huge swaths of most games.
All things considered, their 7-9 record to this point represents a pretty solid achievement by the pitching staff, which has had little margin for error.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 19:25:59 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 4h Red Sox lose again, but Kyrie "I'll do anything to help the team" Houck gave them good mopup work in 5-2 loss.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2022 19:31:56 GMT -5
Why didn’t Boston Red Sox use Tanner Houck earlier with lead? Will Venable explains ‘game-plan’ Updated: Apr. 24, 2022, 4:56 p.m. | Published: Apr. 24, 2022, 4:53 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tanner Houck entered the game with one out in the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox down three runs to the Rays on Sunday.
Why didn’t the Red Sox use him when they were leading 2-0 in the fifth inning after Rich Hill threw 4 scoreless innings?
Bench coach Will Venable, who is managing in place of Alex Cora (out with COVID), instead went with Phillips Valdez to pitch the fifth inning. Valdez hit two batters and walked another. All three runs scored and the Red Sox lost 5-2 here at Tropicana Field.
Houck is unvaccinated and unable to travel to Canada. Tuesday in Toronto would have been his day to start.
Houck was on two days rest here Sunday after throwing 71 pitches Thursday.
“The game plan coming in was to use him at the end of the game,” Venable said. “That’s what we had talked about coming in. We were hoping that was going to be with a lead and it wasn’t. But that was kind of the game-plan going in.”
Houck went 1 ⅔ scoreless and hitless innings. He struck out two. He likely would not have gone beyond 2 innings had he pitched earlier in the game.
Ryan Brasier replaced Valdez, entering with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth. He gave up a two-run double to Ji-Man Choi and an RBI groundout to Manuel Margot as the Rays jumped ahead 3-2.
Tampa increased the lead to 4-2 in the sixth. Matt Barnes gave up singles to Kevin Kiermaier and Randy Arozarena. Wander Franco’s groundout moved both runners into scoring position.
Southpaw Jake Diekman entered to pitch against the lefty, Brandon Lowe. His first pitch was wild and scored Kiermaier.
Yandy Díaz homered off Diekman in the seventh to make it 5-2, then Houck finally entered.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 25, 2022 2:24:21 GMT -5
Red Sox still trying to find their offense April 24th, 2022 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
ST. PETERSBURG -- The general thinking going into the season was that the Red Sox would have to figure out a few things pitching-wise, but they would have enough offense to stay afloat.
Surprisingly, a lack of thump through most of the lineup is at the forefront of why the Sox are off to a 7-9 start as they head to Toronto for a four-game series against the ever-dangerous Blue Jays, starting Monday.
In the rubber match of a three-game series against the Rays on Sunday afternoon, the Red Sox again couldn’t generate much offense, falling, 5-2, at Tropicana Field.
Just when it looked like the bats might be coming alive with a two-run first inning against Rays ace lefty Shane McClanahan, the Red Sox were stifled for the rest of the game.
How is this for a breakdown?
The Red Sox had four hits in their first five plate appearances. The rest of the game? They were 2-for-28 with one walk.
Much of that can be chalked up to McClanhan, who is one of the most underrated young starting pitchers in the game.
However, Sunday was the completion of a futile week offensively for the Red Sox. Playing for seven straight days, Boston scored 16 runs.
The Red Sox scored three runs or fewer in six of the seven games. The week-high performance was four runs in Friday’s 4-3 win over the Rays. Unsurprisingly, the team’s record was 2-5 during the week-long rut at the plate.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the slump isn't limited to the week that just passed. Over 16 games, Boston has scored 58 runs, 3.6 per game. That is the club’s second-lowest total through 16 games in the 21st century.
The only time they scored fewer at the start of the season since 2000 was in the forgettable ’14 season, when they accumulated 56 runs through 16 games and also started 7-9.
“It’s still early,” said Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse. “We have guys still grinding, they’re working really hard. It’s just at this moment, it’s about putting good at-bats together and putting things together as a group, passing the baton to the next guy and hoping to string more runs across.”
So how is it that a team with so many established hitters is continually getting contained? The best answer to that question is that they are trying to figure it out.
“It’s a good question,” said Red Sox center fielder Kiké Hernández. “I think if we knew the answer to that by now, we would have figured it out.”
Sure, offensive slumps are always most glaring when they happen at the start of the season.
But the Red Sox realize that time is of the essence to get it going.
“Yeah, it’s a matter of time,” Hernández said. “But at the same time, we’ve been saying that for quite some days right now. We’ve got to figure out a way to get it done.”
Hernández (.180/.275/.328) is one of several hitters who hasn’t found a groove.
Trevor Story, who had a shortened Spring Training and early-season food poisoning, is also still trying to find it. The free-agent acquisition has a line of .234/.294/.298 and is still looking for his first home run with his new team.
Story did hit the ball hard several times over the weekend at Tropicana Field, but he has just one multihit game on the season.
“Yeah, he’s real close,” said Fatse. “Expecting things from him going forward.”
The two players off to solid starts are Xander Bogaerts (.350/.371/.500) and Alex Verdugo (.291/.349/.491, three homers, 11 RBIs).
For the second straight season, Bobby Dalbec (.154/.214/.269) is off to a tepid start. Dalbec showed a glimpse by belting a triple that broke up a combined no-hitter by the Rays in the 10th inning Saturday night, but he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Sunday.
While the Red Sox aren’t going to use an injury as an excuse, the timing of J.D. Martinez missing the past four games with a left adductor strain hasn’t been ideal. It’s unclear how soon Martinez will return. The fact that he hasn’t gone on the injured list yet is a good sign.
The tendency for slumping hitters is to press, which makes it only harder to get out of a slump. The key, Fatse emphasized several times, is for his hitters to stay in the strike zone.
Veteran starter Rich Hill, who fired four shutout innings after returning from the bereavement list, thinks this is just part of the process sometimes.
“It’s making things small and not trying to hit a three-run homer when nobody's on,” said Hill. “I’ve seen it before in other places I've been that have excellent lineups, where you go through a little bit of a funk.
“It’s just like pitching. If I started thinking about the outing as a whole, I’m not going to be able to see what's right in front of me. It's the same way with hitting, I believe, taking that one-pitch-at-a-time mentality, that one-swing-at-a-time approach, that gets us back to where we need to be.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 25, 2022 2:44:53 GMT -5
Back-to-back painful losses to Rays show Red Sox in serious need of a kick-start By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 24, 2022, 7:13 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Red Sox lost a uniquely brutal game on Saturday night. They were no-hit through nine innings, scored twice in the 10th, then were beaten on a two-out walkoff homer by Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier in the bottom of the inning.
A friend texted afterward that he feared this was a loss that would reverberate for a while.
My response was that baseball players learn to turn the page quickly and the Sox could still win the series and head for Toronto on an updraft.
Score one for my buddy.
The Sox found another painful way to lose on Sunday, scoring twice in the first inning, then getting clowned by the Rays the rest of the way. The final was 5-2 and it wasn’t that close.
That’s four losses in the last five games for the 7-9 Sox, who start a four-game series against the Blue Jays on Monday in Toronto. It’s early — keep repeating that — but they’re far closer to last place in the American League East than first.
With Alex Cora missing his fourth consecutive game after testing positive for COVID-19, four of the first five hitters had base hits off Rays starter Shane McClanahan.
The lineup was 2 for 28 with eight strikeouts after that as McClanahan worked seven innings. The Sox have scored 16 runs in their last seven games, hitting .217 with two home runs. That they’re only two games under .500 is a surprise.
Hitting coach Pete Fatse was summoned to offer an explanation. McClanahan, he said, used his breaking ball and changeup effectively. That’s a change from the fastball/slider combination he featured in 2021. The absence of J.D. Martinez the last four games because of adductor tightness is a big factor, too.
“We’ve got to keep grinding. That’s where we’re at,” Fatse said.
It goes beyond that. The bottom third of the order has hit .143 with a .401 OPS. The Sox don’t need Bobby Dalbec, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Christian Vázquez to carry them. But they need something.
Dalbec spent much of the weekend watching swings on his iPad, trying to get back to the hitter he was at the end of last season. The alternative at first base is Travis Shaw, who is hitless in 17 at-bats.
Christian Arroyo, who is on the roster because of his bat, has yet to hit. The Sox resorted to trying Rob Refsynder as their designated hitter on Saturday. At least he drew a walk.
It’s clear the Sox needed more competition in spring training for their bench spots.
But the offense will improve. Trevor Story’s swings are clearly better in recent days as he gets more repetitions after signing late, then taking a few days to go home for the birth of his son. He’s catching up.
Martinez did some running before the game and could return to the lineup in a day or two. Kiké Hernández (.180/.275/.328) will get there, too.
Rich Hill did his part. He rejoined the team on Saturday following his father’s funeral on Thursday and pitched four scoreless innings. The lefthander exited the game with a 2-0 lead his teammates couldn’t hold.
Because he’s not vaccinated and can’t play in Toronto, Tanner Houck was available out of the bullpen. Interim manager Will Venable said the plan was to use him as a closer.
So when Hill came out, Phillips Valdez faced the top of the Tampa Bay order. He faced four hitters, hitting two and walking another. All three scored.
That would have been a good spot for Houck.
The Rays added another run in the sixth when Kiermaier scored on a wild pitch. Randy Arozarena tried to score from second on the play, but Jake Diekman turned around just in time to tag him out.
That’s not showing much respect for the Sox.
The Sox were down by three runs by the time Houck came in. The Rays had no immunity from his pitches as he retired five in a row. It was meaningless.
“Obviously we have work to do,” Hill said. “Going up to Toronto, it’s not going to be an easy series at all, either. But again, with that said, we are fully capable of going on a nice run here.”
They need one soon.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 25, 2022 6:36:42 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: How the Red Sox’ wildly aggressive offense couldn’t adjust against the Rays Sox scoring 2.3 runs per game over last seven
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald April 25, 2022 at 5:32 a.m.
Each of the first six Red Sox players to hit at Tropicana Field on Sunday afternoon swung at the very first pitch of the at-bat.
Three of them connected on base hits right away. Another singled on the second pitch. And the remaining two generated outs later in the at-bats.
Aggression has been the Red Sox’ calling card this year, for better or worse, as Sox hitters see fewer pitches per plate appearance than any other team in the big leagues.
It worked for one inning on Sunday, but the Rays made an adjustment and the Sox were held to just two hits in the final eight innings as they lost, 5-2. They lost two out of three in the series and scored just eight runs.
They’re now 7-9 on the season. They’ve lost all three series against American League East teams so far, going 1-2 each against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays.
“Largely we talk about getting in the strike zone, swinging at strikes, a willingness to use the whole field… that’s going to be the story with our group,” acting manager Will Venable told reporters in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I know these guys will figure it out.”
It was particularly concerning given the Rays seem to make an adjustment quicker than the Red Sox in this one.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan started the first two batters with first-pitch fastballs and Trevor Story and Kiké Hernandez smoked them into the outfield for a pair of hits. McClanahan then went to first-pitch breaking balls to the next three batters. And on his sixth batter, he started throwing a changeup.
Four of the first six batters reached safely with base hits, but from the sixth batter on, McClanahan starting throwing his changeup more than ever before.
A pitch that he threw just 8% of the time last year and just 13% of the time entering Sunday’s game, McClanahan’s changeup was used 27% of the time against the Red Sox. Of the 23 changeups he threw, 15 of them were swung at and nine of them were whiffed at. In total, McClanahan generated a remarkable 21 swings-and-misses against this ultra-aggressive Red Sox team.
“We were aggressive in the zone… but then McClanahan was relentless with his off-speed stuff, used it to get back into counts and we just weren’t able to adjust,” Venable said. “The consistent full game we expect from these guys just didn’t happen this series.”
It’s no different than usual for them. The Sox rank 30th out of 30 while seeing just 3.7 pitches per plate appearance this year. They chase bad pitches outside the zone 32% of the time, the worst rate in the big leagues.
Hitting coach Peter Fatse called it a “double-edged sword” when discussing their approach this week. He likes that his hitters are being aggressive, but it hasn’t been working thus far.
“It can work in our favor and it can hurt us at times,” Fatse said. “I think it’s selectively aggressive, is what it is. It’s aggressive with what you’re looking for. The goal is to start in the middle of the plate and work out. It’s to our benefit to continue to be aggressive, it’s just aggressive in the right area.”
But the Red Sox have been held to four runs or fewer in each of their last seven games. They’ve gone 2-5 while scoring 2.3 runs per game in that stretch.
“For me, you have to be ready to take advantage of strikes when they present themselves, whether that’s the first pitch or the fourth, fifth, sixth pitch of the at-bat,” Fatse said. “You have to be prepared to take advantage.”
A big issue has been finding a leadoff hitter.
Hernandez and Story have shared that spot and have posted a combined .254 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot, which ranks 24th in MLB. Story is 4-for-17 since being moved to the top of the order.
Story is starting to hit the ball hard, but his .234 average and .592 OPS isn’t getting it done thus far. Hernandez is hitting .180 with a .603 OPS, Bobby Dalbec is struggling at .154 with a .483 OPS and Christian Vazquez is stalling at .189 with a .470 OPS.
Xander Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo have been the most locked-in of the offensive players, but there’s no question Sox hitters are still figuring out how to be successful while swinging the bat as often as they do.
It doesn’t help that the Sox have been without J.D. Martinez, who is out with left adductor tightness.
“Obviously we have work to do,” starting pitcher Rich Hill said. “Going up to Toronto is not going to be an easy series at all, either. With that said, we are fully capable of going on a nice run here. We just have to make things small. Get back into that one pitch at a time mentality, one swing at a time, and ultimately build up those small successes into Ws.”
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