Red Sox @ Blue Jays Game Thread/ 25th-28th April 2022

Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 1: Michael Wac(e)ha

Get it, like an ace? You get it.
By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Apr 27, 2022, 10:16pm EDT 8 Comments



The Red Sox are back in the win column! After a just totally demoralizing loss on Tuesday, they got their manager back in the dugout, and Michael Wacha on the mound, which has been a very good thing in 2022. His fourth start was another very good one for the righty, who allowed just one run over six innings of work. That was plenty for an offense that still had some frustrating moments, but put five runs on the board behind yet another big day from Xander Bogaerts, this time with a four-hit game. Relatively stress-free wins. What a concept!

More robust game notes below.

The Red Sox offense has certainly been in a bad way for a little bit now, and it hasn’t just been the first two games of this series. But it has continued into Toronto, and aside from an inning here or an inning there they are just getting nothing going. To be fair, though, they’ve faced some really good pitchers in José Berríos and Kevin Gausman, the latter perhaps being the best pitcher in the game early on in this season. With Ross Stripling getting the ball for Toronto in this game, they wouldn’t have that excuse. They had to build off their late-game rally Tuesday night and get something going here on Wednesday.

In the first inning, they were successful on that front and were in fact able to take an early lead. The rally came with two outs, too, starting with Xander Bogaerts reaching on an infield single. Rafael Devers, back in the lineup after three quarters of a game off on Tuesday, followed that up with a double into center field. George Springer was shaded over to left field, which gave Bogaerts just enough time to get on his horse and make it around from first base to give Boston the 1-0 lead. They couldn’t add on with Devers in scoring position, but they’d take the lead.

They had another big chance in the third, too, starting with back-to-back singles from Kevin Plawecki and Trevor Story. Bogaerts joined the singles party a couple batters later, and the Red Sox had Stripling on the ropes with the bases loaded, just one out, and the heart of the order coming up in Devers and J.D. Martinez. But as has happened so often this year, as soon as they had a chance to put a pitcher away, they went into hibernation for a long stretch. Both Devers and Martinez would strike out to end that inning, and they were the first of eight straight Stripling retired to get through five with still just the one run on the board. Six of those eight batters struck out, with the other two popping out behind the plate and grounding out.

The good news for the Red Sox is they had one of their positive surprises of this young season, Michael Wacha, on the mound. And he looked every bit as good as he has in his other starts. The changeup has really been the standout offering from the righty this season, and he once again relied on that pitch to get him through this outing.

After getting through the first two innings with one baserunner but no runs, Wacha got into his first bit of trouble in the third, though his defense did not do him any favors. The inning started with back-to-back singles, but it looked like Wacha got the big double play ball he needed in the next at bat. Story, though, could not get a handle on the ball transferring from the glove to his hand, and the Red Sox had to settle for just cutting down the middle man at second base. With runners now on the corners, Wacha got another potential double play ball, this time to Bogaerts. He made the play, but Story again bobbled it while trying to turn the double play, again only recording one out and this time with a run coming home on top of it.

Wacha did get out of that inning after that, and he continued to pitch well to keep the game tied heading into the sixth. Toronto went to their bullpen at this point, and the Red Sox could not have been happier. They started the inning with two straight singles, and then Martinez got one off the end of his bat to fall in, bringing home Bogaerts and putting Boston back up by one. Enrique Hernández followed that up with a sacrifice fly, and it was a 3-1 edge for the good guys.


That lead would hold through the bottom of the inning as well, with Wacha having one more perfect inning in him before his night ended. It was another really impressive showing from the Red Sox righty, getting through six with just one run allowed, bringing his season ERA down to 1.77.

It was still a 3-1 game into the bottom of the seventh after the Red Sox offense stranded a pair, and Jake Diekman was back out on the mound a night after blowing a three-run lead in the ninth. The lefty did strike out two, but also issued a walk before Springer, who hit the game-tying homer on Tuesday, came up. Alex Cora, back in the dugout for this game, was not going to let that matchup happen twice, instead calling upon Hirokazu Sawamura. He didn’t get Springer, giving up a base hit to put runners on the corners, but he came back to strike out Bo Bichette, stranding two and keeping the two-run lead in hand.

The offense got back to work in the eighth, adding two more runs on back-to-back doubles, and then a little small ball with a sacrifice bunt followed by a sacrifice fly, and it was a 5-1 lead with John Schreiber coming in for his first appearance in the majors this season, having been called up as one of the pitchers to replace Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford. He had no issues in a perfect inning of work.

Two more runs were put on the board in the ninth, leaving a six-run lead to be protected for the final three outs, which Tyler Danish was tasked to record. He had no issues either, retiring the side in order to snap the four-game losing streak and finish off the 7-1 victory.

The Red Sox now have a chance to steal a split in this series on Thursday, with Garrett Whitlock back on the mound. He’ll be taking on Alek Manoah, with first pitch at 3:07 PM ET.

Red Sox bats cash in late, end four-game losing streak with needed win at Toronto
By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 27, 2022, 10:13 p.m.

TORONTO — Outside of Trevor Story, Chaim Bloom’s offseason acquisitions for the Red Sox were largely a cast of low-cost veterans with upside. The results to date have been mixed.

But he got it right with Michael Wacha.

The righthander was sharp again on Wednesday night, allowing one run over six innings as the Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-1, before a crowd of 20,468 at Rogers Centre. With manager Alex Cora back on the bench after a bout with COVID-19, the Sox snapped a four-game losing streak.

“Michael was outstanding,” Cora said.

Wacha (2-0) allowed four hits and struck out five, holding down a potent Jays lineup until the Sox got their offense going. The 30-year-old righthander retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, the last seven in a row, to drop his earned run average to 1.77.

“Definitely got off to a pretty good start but there’s definitely some stuff that still needs to tighten up and get sharpened up,” Wacha said. “Definitely a good start to continue to build off of.”

Wacha and four relievers held the Jays to five hits.

Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. The shortstop is hitting .397 with a .955 OPS.

“Little by little we gained the momentum. Everyone was swinging at good pitches,” Bogaerts said. “It was just everyone, man.”

After playing six games in a row on artificial turf, Cora said Bogaerts would be out of the lineup on Thursday.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 and J.D. Martinez was 2 for 4, each with a double and an RBI. Martinez didn’t take his at-bat in the ninth inning because of soreness on his left side and is questionable for Thursday.

The Sox, who had been slumping offensively all season, had 13 hits and have scored 12 runs in the last two games.

“We know we’re going to hit,” Cora said. “We know that. It was good to add on. That’s what it’s all about … the offense, little by little, has been coming back to life.”

The Sox have a chance to split the four-game series with Garrett Whitlock on the mound Thursday afternoon.

They had a chance to knock Toronto starter Ross Stripling out of the game early and missed it.

They took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Bogaerts singled with two outs and raced around on a double by Devers. Kevin Plawecki and Story opened the third inning with singles. Bogaerts then lined a single to left field to load the bases with one out.

Stripling struck our Devers on a foul-tipped fastball that catcher Tyler Heineman held on to. Martinez had a chance, but he struck out swinging, through a fastball down the pipe. That left the Sox 0 for 6 in at-bats with the bases loaded this season.

Stripling retired the final eight batters he faced, striking out six. Once the Jays went to their bullpen, the Sox struck.

Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez started the sixth inning with singles off Trent Thornton to give the Sox the lead. Kiké Hernández’s line drive to center was deep enough to score Devers and make it 3-1.

Wacha had one challenging inning, facing six hitters in the third.

Heineman and George Springer led off with singles. Bo Bichette grounded into a force at second, moving Heineman to third. A ground ball to Bogaerts could have been a double play but the Sox settled for the out at second as Heineman scored. Zack Collins drew a walk to extend the inning, but Wacha came back to strike out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on three pitches.

Cora’s presence helped.

“Seeing him here, the boys were a little upbeat; we had a little extra going into the game,” Wacha said. “It’s great having our jefe back in here in the clubhouse.”

This 2-4 road trip has been a rocky one for the Sox. But their starting pitchers have a 2.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. It hasn’t been their fault.

Jake Diekman, who blew a save Tuesday by allowing three runs in the ninth inning, started the seventh inning. He walked pinch hitter Santiago Espinal, then struck out Heineman for the second out.

Cora went to Hirokazu Sawamura, who is usually a low-leverage option. Springer singled to push Espinal to third base, but Sawamura came back to strike out Bichette swinging at a fastball he hopped up to 96.5 miles per hour.

The Sox added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth. The Jays needed six relievers to get through the game.

Xander Bogaerts now leading AL with .397 average after 4-hit game in Boston Red Sox’s win: ‘Go for the batting title,’ Alex Cora jokes
Updated: Apr. 28, 2022, 12:29 a.m. | Published: Apr. 28, 2022, 12:26 a.m.

By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com

Remember Xander Bogaerts’ slow start to the regular season? A couple weeks later, that seems like ancient history.

Since going 2-for-20 (.100) in a five-game stretch from April 9-15, Bogaerts has been unconscious at the plate. In his last 12 games, the Red Sox shortstop is 24-for-50 (.480) with a homer, six doubles and six games of three or more hits.
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Bogaerts had arguably his best game of the year in Wednesday’s 7-1 win over the Blue Jays. He was 4-for-4 with an RBI, two runs and a walk as he raised his average to .397 on the season. That’s first among American League hitters and second only to Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer (.410) in the majors.

“We know the track record. We know the player,” manager Alex Cora told reporters in Toronto. “He’s doing an amazing job taking what they give him. I was joking with him, ‘Well, if they’re going to keep shifting you, go for the batting title.’ He’s like, ‘No, I’m going to hit homers, too.’

“He’s just such a good player, such an offensive threat,” Cora added. “He can pull it for power, he can go the other way for singles. I’m glad that he’s playing for us.”

Bogaerts made Red Sox history Wednesday night, as his seven games with three or more hits are the most ever for a Boston hitter in the team’s first 20 games. He was 3-for-5 in Tuesday’s loss before his four-hit outburst Wednesday.

Bogaerts struggled a bit in limited action during spring training, then had three hits on Opening Day before tweaking his hamstring late in Boston’s loss to the Yankees. He didn’t look quite right for a week after the injury and questions began to swirl about if Bogaerts’ contract situation -- and Boston’s reported lowball offer to him -- were weighing on him while he was playing. Cora insisted that wasn’t the case.

“The first few games, he didn’t look right,” Cora said. “Somebody asked a question about contracts and all that stuff. Man, these guys are pros. They know what it’s all about. He’s a guy that, his track record speaks for itself.”

Since April 16, Bogaerts has been one of the toughest outs in the majors. He has been held hitless only twice in the last 12 games and been a consistent producer even while Boston’s offense has struggled as a whole.

Bogaerts’ next chance to stay hot will come Friday in Baltimore. Cora said he’ll be out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against Toronto because the Red Sox are trying to get some of their top players off their feet after seven straight games on turf.

Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox look to earn split with Jays
FLM

Boston right-hander Garrett Whitlock will start the finale of a four-game series Thursday afternoon as the visiting Red Sox pursue a split with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Whitlock (1-0, 0.66 ERA) will face Toronto right-hander Alek Manoah (3-0, 2.00), who has won his past seven starts dating to last season.

Whitlock needing to make the start is part of the problem for the struggling Red Sox. He is taking the rotation spot of right-hander Tanner Houck, who is unvaccinated for COVID-19 and as a result could not enter Canada.

Moving Whitlock to a starting role was an easy decision, but the problem for Boston was replacing Whitlock's quality work in relief.

It was evident in the first two games of the series, which Boston lost mostly because of an ineffective bullpen late in the late innings.

Boston bounced back on Wednesday to win the third game of the series 7-1, ending a four-game losing streak behind six strong innings from starter Michael Wacha. Manager Aled Cora rejoined the Red Sox for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

The Blue Jays lead the season series between the teams 4-2.

Both starting pitchers for the Thursday game have had success against the opposing team.

Manoah started against Boston twice last season as a rookie, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. The Red Sox hit .221 against him.

Whitlock is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in six career relief outings against Toronto. He earned a save against the Blue Jays on April 19, pitching a perfect ninth inning in a 2-1 home victory.

He made his first major league start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., allowing no runs on one hit and no walks while striking out seven in four innings.

He needed only 48 pitches to get 12 outs.

"I try to stay in a rhythm," Whitlock said. "Obviously, as a pitcher. you try and dictate that and everything. I'm just always trying to attack the zone, and that has kind of been my key."

There is a question about his eventual role.

"I always say they make those decisions," Whitlock said. "They get paid for those decisions. That's not my job to do. I'll go out there and throw until they come and take the ball away from me."

Manoah has tossed exactly six innings in each of his three starts this season. He allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts Saturday in a 3-2 road win over the Houston Astros. He overcame a shaky first inning and retired 16 of his final 20 batters.

"The biggest thing was just being able to go out there and control the game, control the pace and control as much as I can," Manoah said. "When you're facing a lineup like that, you've got to give and take where you can. So just being able to sit there and control the game after that (first inning) was the biggest thing."

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said, "The one thing about that kid is he throws harder when you're about to take him out. It's fun to watch. It was almost weird when he gave up the two runs. Like, 'OK, what just happened?' But that's a good lineup, and he's going to give up runs every once in a while. But he's been so good and he's one of the main reasons we won."

--Field Level Media