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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 11:22:47 GMT -5
Red Sox at Orioles Series Preview
A look at this weekend’s trip to Camden Yards By Bob Osgood Apr 29, 2022, 12:04pm EDT
SB Nation Blog
Camden Chat The opponent in one sentence
The Orioles find themselves in the same place they could be found for the majority of the previous five seasons, in last place in the AL East, and last in all of baseball with a .301 slugging percentage. Record
6-13 Trend
Down. After taking two out of three from the Angels last weekend, the Orioles were swept by the Yankees in the Bronx this week. Pitching Matchups
4/29: Rich Hill (0-1, 4.85) vs. Kyle Bradish (MLB Debut), 7:05 PM ET
The Red Sox turn to Hill to get things back on track in the opener on Friday. Hill threw four shutout innings in his most recent outing in Tampa Bay, not factoring into the decision. Hill will need to focus on throwing strikes, as his 7:8 BB:K ratio in his first three starts is a step back from last year where he walked 2.7 per nine innings and struck out 8.4 batters per nine. With Tanner Houck not getting a start in Toronto, and also not a probable starter in Baltimore, it seems likely that he would follow Hill out of the bullpen in this start. Playing their 15th game in 15 days, the Sox bullpen could use some rest if Hill and Houck can get them through the majority of Friday’s game.
While many Orioles fans (and baseball fans) are awaiting the debut of top prospect Grayson Rodriguez, it will be Kyle Bradish who makes his first career start on Friday. The 25-year-old Bradish has been excellent in all three of his starts at Triple-A this season, allowing only two earned runs and striking out 17 in 15 innings, while walking three. Bradish throws in the mid-90s, touching 97 with his fastball, with a decent curveball and slider, and an average changeup. Facing an inexperienced pitcher with high walk totals throughout the minor leagues would be a good time for the Red Sox offense to break out.
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4/30: Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.32) vs. Spenser Watkins (0-0, 2.87), 7:05 PM ET
Four starts into the season, the surface numbers for Eovaldi aren’t bad but he has given up a good amount of hard contact, sitting in the bottom 20 percentile in Hard Hit Rate, Barrel %, Average Exit Velocity, and xSLG%. To no surprise, he’s given up seven home runs, albeit with an unreasonable 30.4 HR/FB%. With Camden Yards increasing the height of the wall and moving the fence back in left field, as well as facing a team that sits last in all of baseball in slugging percentage, Eovaldi can hopefully stabilize that home run rate a bit on Saturday.
Watkins is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three career appearances, spanning seven innings against Boston. The right-handed Watkins is a reverse splits pitcher, who incredibly is allowing a .000 average to left-handed hitters this season and a .360 average to right-handers. He has a 7.05 career ERA in 67 2⁄3 innings, and the Red Sox should be a significant favorite in Vegas on Saturday evening despite entering this series only 1 1⁄2 games ahead of the Orioles.
5/1: Nick Pivetta (0-3, 8.27) vs. Jordan Lyles (1-2, 5.40), 1:05 PM ET
Pivetta looked better in his fourth start on Tuesday after three mild disasters to start the season. His curveball was sharp and when pitching out of the windup, he threw with confidence. Things slowed down and he struggled to get on the same page as Christian Vazquez with runners on. Pivetta’s baseball savant page is rather unsightly at the moment but he does rank in the 62nd percentile in Whiff%. With the Orioles striking out 26.1% of the time (28th in MLB), Pivetta could see a solid strikeout number and hopes to get through five innings for the first time since his opening start of the season.
Lyles was coming off two straight great starts before the Yankees tagged him for six runs and three home runs in 4 2⁄3 on Tuesday. Lyles led all of baseball with 38 home runs allowed last season, and with the Red Sox entering this series going an entire week since their last long ball, Lyles would be a nice target to tee off on. Notable Position Players
Cedric Mullins: Mullins was an “exactly 30/30” guy last season, a breakout that very few saw coming. Through 19 games, Mullins is hitting just .205 with two home runs and eight RBI. Something makes me think that he’s due to get hot.
Trey Mancini: A cancer survivor, Mancini was one of the great stories of 2021, returning to hit 21 home runs and play 147 games in his return. He is off to a bit of a slow start, with a .236/.288/.333 slash line thus far, and an 83 wRC+. His hard-hit rate is in the top 10 percentile, however, and Savant has his xBA at .318. Another misleading slow start.
Anthony Santander: Leading the team with three home runs, Santander has a 17.3% walk rate leading to a .395 OBP thus far. He has plenty of pop, hitting 52 HRs in 258 games since the start of 2019.
Ryan Mountcastle: Mountcastle blasted 33 HRs during a breakout 2021 but will likely be affected by the fences moving back at Camden as much as any hitter in the organization. His .232/.264/.290 slash line is not the follow-up that the Orioles were hoping for. He missed the previous two games with neck pain but is expected to return on Friday.
Austin Hays: The 26-year-old Hays has been a “sleeper” for years now and his 20 HR, 71 RBI, 73 run season last year showed some potential. He has hit clean up the last two games in Mountcastle’s absence, including a four-hit game on Thursday, and his 10.4% walk rate so far this year has kept him on base at a good clip (.364 OBP).
Jorge Mateo: It’s unlikely we’ll ever see much power out of Mateo’s bat, but man can this guy run. Since coming over from San Diego last year, Mateo has stolen 12 bases in 49 games, including seven already this season. While he’s mixed in some outfield historically, Mateo is the everyday shortstop in Baltimore this season.
Bullpen Snapshot
The bullpen has been the strength of the Orioles squad thus far. Jorge Lopez has been a reliable closer, with four saves and striking out 13 batters in nine innings. Dillon Tate has a 2.61 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in 10 1⁄3 innings. Joey Khrebiel has allowed just one earned run in eight outings. Keegan Akin is more of a long man but has a 1.54 ERA and 0.60 WHIP over 11 2⁄3 innings. Felix Bautista (3.38 ERA) and Bryan Baker (6.14 ERA) round out the middle relievers for the O’s. Injuries
SP John Means (Tommy John surgery)
SP Chris Ellis (Shoulder inflammation)
SP Dean Kremer (Oblique strain) Weather Forecast
After seven road games played in domes, the Red Sox will finally play outdoors at Camden Yards, beginning Friday. The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-to-high 60’s all three days, dropping down into the 50’s during the Friday and Saturday evening games. There is little to no risk of rain during any of the three games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 11:24:13 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox cut Travis Shaw, expected to call up Franchy Cordero in first base shakeup Updated: Apr. 29, 2022, 11:45 a.m. | Published: Apr. 29, 2022, 11:32 a.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
The Red Sox have designated first baseman Travis Shaw for assignment and are calling up Franchy Cordero to take his roster spot, multiple sources said Friday. Boston is expected to make a series of roster moves before Friday’s game in Baltimore, including activating pitchers Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford from the restricted list.
Shaw, who signed a minor-league deal during spring training, was off to a dismal start in 2022, going hitless (0-for-19) in seven games while striking out seven times. The 32-year-old had some nice moments for Boston down the stretch last year but looked to have a lost a step at the plate this year and will now find himself looking for a new job.
Red Sox first basemen (Shaw and Bobby Dalbec) have combined for a league-worst .382 OPS this season, necessitating a shakeup at the position. Cordero, a natural outfielder, began learning first base at Triple-A Worcester last year and played there this week in preparation for a potential big league promotion.
The 27-year-old has hit .296 with three homers and a .913 OPS in 19 games at Worcester this season but has struck out 23 times in 82 plate appearances. In the majors last year, he hit just .189 with 51 strikeouts in 48 games.
Cordero was not on Boston’s 40-man roster but will take Shaw’s spot when the move becomes official. The Red Sox now have seven days to trade, waive or release Shaw.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 11:27:12 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 42m Source: It will be Franchy Cordero joining the Red Sox in Baltimore today. He will be selected from Worcester.
Red Sox will make a series of moves pregame. Cordero for Shaw is one. Also expected to activate Houck and Crawford. Not sure who’s going down yet.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 11:40:19 GMT -5
Game 21: Red Sox at Orioles lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated April 29, 2022, 2 hours ago Hey, remember when the Red Sox belted out 13 hits Wednesday night? So good! So good! Well, as Ernie and the Automatics reminded us, the good times never last. The Sox were held to four hits Thursday and dropped the series finale at Toronto, 1-0. They lost three of four against the Blue Jays, and have dropped seven of their last nine. They are 2-5 against the Blue Jays and 4-9 in the American League East. Next up is a three-game series against the Orioles at Camden Yards. Baltimore has lost four straight and is in last place in the division, 1½ games behind the Red Sox. Rich Hill gets the start for the Sox in Friday night’s opener. Righthander Tanner Houck will rejoin the team in Baltimore and will give the bullpen a shot in the arm. Here is a preview. Lineups RED SOX (8-12): 1. Trevor Story (R) 2B 2. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 6. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B 7. Christian Arroyo (R) DH 8. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF 9. Christian Vazquez (R) C Pitching: LHP Rich Hill (0-1, 4.85 ERA) ORIOLES (6-13): 1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF 2. Trey Mancini (R) RF 3. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B 4. Austin Hays (R) DH 5. Ramon Urias (R) 2B 6. Tyler Nevin (R) 3B 7. Robinson Chirinos (R) C 8. Jorge Mateo (R) SS 9. Ryan McKenna (R) LF Pitching: RHP Kyle Bradish (MLB debut) Time: 7:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Bradish: Has not faced any Boston batters Orioles vs. Hill: Kelvin Gutiérrez 0-3, Austin Hays 0-5, Trey Mancini 1-3, Ryan McKenna 1-1, Ryan Mountcastle 0-3, Cedric Mullins 2-5, Rougned Odor 0-4, Chris Owings 4-14, Anthony Santander 0-2 Stat of the day: The Red Sox have five one-run losses this season, including four in the past eight days. Notes: Hill allowed four hits over four scoreless innings against the Rays on Sunday. He owns a 3-0 record and 2.25 ERA in 15 career games (five starts) against the Orioles. … Second baseman Trevor Story went 0-for-3 on Thursday and is hitting .224. … The Sox have scored two or fewer runs in seven of their past 10 games and could be without J.D. Martinez. The DH sat out Thursday after aggravating a left adductor ailment, but manager Alex Cora said he could return at some point this weekend. … Bradish, acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in the Dylan Bundy trade in December 2019, is making his major league debut. In his first three starts with Triple-A Norfolk this season, he allowed four runs (two earned) and struck out 17 batters in 15 innings. Song of the Day: Bo Diddley - Who Do You Lovewww.youtube.com/watch?v=fer0y-cmObI
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 14:58:06 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 1m Quick scan: don’t see Danish, Schreiber or Refsnyder.
Houck, Crawford, Franchy and Jaylin Davis are here.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 16:38:52 GMT -5
tara sullivan @globe_Tara · 48m Covering the @redsox this weekend and here are todays roster moves - IN: Houck, Crawford, Jaylin Davis and Franchy Cordero. OUT: Tyler Danish, Schreiber, Refsnyder and Travis Shaw
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 16:39:36 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 28m Franchy Cordero is 27, he's not a prospect.
451 career MLB plate appearances: .663 OPS.
933 career AAA plate appearances: .927 OPS.
Maybe this time it clicks, who knows? But he's been a classic AAAA guy in his career.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 16:52:17 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 33m Alex Cora on Franchy Cordero:
"We'll get him at-bats against lefties. I mean -- sorry -- righties. If it was against lefties, I might get fired. Sorry. Too much coffee."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 29, 2022 16:54:59 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 1h Red Sox notes:
* JD Martinez out again tonight. Expected to play tomorrow. * Houck will follow Hill in pure piggyback role tonight. Vax status a “non-topic” in clubhouse per Cora. * Franchy is at 1B tonight. * Sox intrigued by Jaylin Davis’ bat. He’ll get chances
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 3:29:38 GMT -5
Red Sox 3, Orioles 1: A step in the right direction
Boston got great pitching, and one inning of offense was enough in Baltimore. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Apr 29, 2022, 10:07pm EDT 6 Comments
The Red Sox, clearly, still have work to do, and specifically with their offense. They tried to shake things up a bit on Friday, designating Travis Shaw for assignment for Franchy Cordero, and swapping out Rob Refsnyder for Jaylin Davis. But in this series opener in Baltimore, they still had their issues, putting up three runs in the second in part thanks to a Christian Arroyo homer, but really doing nothing else the rest of the night. Fortunately, Rich Hill and Tanner Houck led the way in a scoreless performance from the pitching and the three runs of offense was enough. There are still strides to be made, but we’ll take a win in the meantime.
More robust game notes to follow.
For all of the talk of the offense’s struggles, it’s gotten a bit lost that they’ve actually gotten some good performances from their rotation, though obviously with some issues mixed in as well. One of the pitchers whose had his share of struggles has been Rich Hill, but he was on his game on Friday night in Baltimore. The southpaw had both his fastball and curveball working well, and kept the Orioles offense off-balance for the duration of his start.
And in fact, he was perfect for the vast majority of it. Striking out Cedric Mullins to start the game, Hill was in cruise control right from the get-go. He retired each of the first 12 batters he faced, with three of them going down with strikeouts. It was always unlikely, of course, that he’d even be allowed to finish a perfect game if he was able to keep it going long enough given his typical pitch limits, but it wouldn’t be an issue here. Austin Hays led off the fifth for Baltimore and hit a little infield single that was enough to not just finish off the perfect game chance, but end the game altogether for Hill, with Tanner Houck coming on after the starter.
But before we get to the bullpen portion of the night, we get to that offense which had a bit of a new look today. Adding both Franchy Cordero and Jaylin Davis to the roster, and the former getting the start at first base for this game, Boston was looking to break out against a pitcher in Kyle Bradish making his major-league debut. The righty struck out the first batter he faced, but Trevor Story still reached with the ball getting by the catcher. In typical 2022 fashion, that was immediately followed by a double play and ultimately ended with a scoreless inning.
But in the second, there actually was something of a breakout. Enrique Hernández got things started with a leadoff single, and a couple batters later Christian Arroyo — playing for J.D. Martinez at DH — had a much-needed big swing. Coming into this game, the Red Sox hadn’t homered in six games, their longest streak in 21 years. It ended here, with Arroyo punishing a fastball out and over the plate for a two-run homer to give Boston the 2-0 lead. They’d catch a break in that inning as well, with Jackie Bradley Jr. getting on with a single before Christian Vázquez poked a base hit into right field. It should have just been a single, but Trey Mancini misplayed it and allowed it to get by, giving Bradley a chance to come all the way around and add a run onto that lead.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox have had a trend this season of getting hot for an inning and then going quiet from there, and that’s exactly what happened after the second inning. Aside from a Rafael Devers two-out double in the third, Boston’s offense didn’t get another baserunner through the seventh.
So that meant it was still a 3-0 game for Houck in the fifth, and when he gave up a single to the first batter he faced the Orioles had two men on with nobody out. It was a big spot in the game, and Houck got the ground ball he needed, with a 4-6-3 double play paving the way for a scoreless inning.
The righty then cruised through the sixth, but there was more trouble in the seventh. This time he followed a leadoff single with a walk to again have two men on with nobody out. Houck came back from there with two big walks on a ground out and strikeout, but a second walk of the inning loaded the bases for pinch hitter Rougned Odor. That wasn’t a great matchup for Baltimore with Odor’s lack of discipline, but it worked out for the Red Sox when he went down swinging to leave them loaded and keep the score at 3-0.
That was still the score heading into the eighth, with Jake Diekman getting the ball for the Red Sox in the bottom half. He had no issues whatsoever, retiring the side in order. Alex Cora then turned to Hansel Robles for the final three outs. He didn’t quite get the start he was looking for, with Ryan Mountcastle unleashing on a middle-in fastball and putting it out to the newly pushed back left field for a no doubt solo shot to make it a 3-1 game.
That was followed with a base hit, and suddenly the tying run was stepping to the plate and there was still nobody out. In the midst of that at bat, Robles balked — the second time he’s done that in the last week or two — to move the runner to second. Fortunately, Robles got the next two batters before Cora went out and brought on Matt Strahm for the final out. The southpaw walked the first batter he faced before finally ending what was a slog of a ninth with a strikeout, giving the Red Sox the 3-1 win.
The Red Sox now look to clinch a much-needed series win on Saturday. They’ll have Nathan Eovaldi on the mound for that one, with Spenser Watkins going for Baltimore.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 3:39:12 GMT -5
Arroyo gets redemption with clutch homer 12:55 AM ADT
Byron Kerr
BALTIMORE -- Home runs are back for the slugging Red Sox. Well, it was just one. But it was a big one for a club used to smacking homers, and the blast helped to end a seven-day power drought.
More importantly, it led to Boston’s ninth win of the season. Christian Arroyo’s no doubt two-run shot early Friday night was the difference as the Red Sox held off the Orioles, 3-1.
Arroyo, making his second career start as the designated hitter, got a hold of Orioles rookie starter Kyle Bradish’s four-seam fastball in the top of the second and drove the ball well over the left-center-field wall. The big fly was part of a three-run rally the Red Sox used to win the series opener.
Arroyo’s first blast of the season traveled 408 feet at a launch angle of 29 degrees, with an exit velocity of 103.1 mph, was the Red Sox's first round-tripper since April 22, and his first dinger since July 16, 2021 at the Yankees, a span of 50 at-bats.
"I think we can all agree that we thought [we] were going to go out in Toronto,” Arroyo said. “ fortunate enough to put a good swing on a pitch up in the zone that helped us win the game. I wasn't trying to think big thoughts or anything, just trying to find a barrel."
Exactly one week ago, Rafael Devers' solo shot helped Boston top the Rays in St. Petersburg. Arroyo doubled his RBI total for the season with his second-inning blast and insisted he wasn't thinking homer when he stepped to the plate.
"Homers are part of the game that are always fun, right?” Arroyo said. “It’s funny, every time you think about hitting homers, most of the time you don't. Maybe if you're Rafael Devers, because Raffy's Raffy. For me, I know that I can't go out there and think of trying to hit homers. Sometimes I can think maybe getting on a ball and trying to hit a ball hard, but I'm not necessarily going out there trying to hit home runs."
It was the Red Sox's 12th homer of the season. The opposition has hit 23 homers off Boston pitching. Entering Friday, only the Tigers (8) and the Orioles (9) had hit fewer home runs.
Manager Alex Cora was happy for Arroyo’s redemption shot coming a day after his costly fielding error that helped Toronto score its only run in a 1-0 win over the Red Sox.
“I know he didn't feel too great about what happened,” Cora said of Arroyo’s miscue Thursday. “He makes an error. We lose 1-0. That's the beauty of baseball, right? You get a chance to redeem yourself and I'm happy that Christian put a good swing and helped us win the game."
Arroyo was glad his manager stood up for him tonight, putting him back in the lineup as the designated hitter when J.D. Martinez (adductor strain) was held out for an additional game.
"It means a lot,” Arroyo said. “Wear my heart on my sleeve and I don't like when I do stuff like that, especially when our team is grinding. It was crappy. It's part of it. It's baseball. It's going to happen.
“But to come back out here today and just kind of flush it, start a new series, start a new day. Same thing is going to happen tomorrow. Today [has] already happened. Can’t think about that. Just got to go in tomorrow, new game, new game plan, come out, try to get another win."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 3:41:22 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 6h Probably not a great thing that a Friday game against the Orioles on April 29 that included a three-run lead in the ninth feels like its a Game 7 for the pennant. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 3:42:30 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h
Asking this Red Sox bullpen to get 12-15 outs minus Garrett Whitlock is quite an exercise.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 3:53:19 GMT -5
Red Sox break homer drought, hold off Orioles to begin weekend series By Tara Sullivan Globe Columnist,Updated April 29, 2022, 10:04 p.m.
BALTIMORE — Red Sox pitchers were excellent again Friday night — near perfect, in the case of starter Rich Hill — and got just enough help from a slowly awakening lineup to hold off the Orioles, 3-1, at Camden Yards.
There was the big home run from Christian Arroyo, a two-run shot in the second inning that broke a team-wide six-game home run drought and eased the pain of his costly error in Thursday’s 1-0 loss in Toronto.
There was the excellent relief outing from Tanner Houck (2-1), three scoreless innings and a crucial two-out, bases-loaded strikeout in the seventh inning to earn himself the win.
There was the ninth-inning closer tandem of Hansel Robles and Matt Strahm — the former giving up a home run before getting two outs, the latter notching No. 27 with a strikeout of Chris Owings.
But most of all, there was the four-plus innings from the veteran Hill, who retired the first 12 batters he faced with four strikeouts. That work did everything necessary to settle down a team that came into Baltimore having lost five of their last six and seven of their last nine games. A team that was 2-5 across the first two stops on this long, three-city road trip, and that was a homerless game from matching a seven-game run without a long ball that last happened in 1999.
Hill’s performance changed the narrative, even after he gave up a leadoff single to open the fifth and was promptly (after a long discussion with Cora and plenty of emotion on his walk to the dugout) replaced by Houck. As Cora had made clear from the outset, and as both Hill and Houck knew, the two pitchers were set to ‘piggyback’ each other on the journey toward a team victory, not a personal milestone.
“I wasn’t going to take him out of the perfect game. Nah, just kidding,” Cora said. “We had Tanner. We were ready for that. We need to get 27 outs. This is not about individual wins, it’s about team wins. Pitching-wise today was a good example of that.
“It was fun. I haven’t seen somebody look at me that way in a while, but he understands. That’s the good thing about them. Rich, Garrett [Whitlock], Tanner, their ability to do different things for the pitching staff. I’m glad we got 27 and we won the game.
“His look was intense. He knew where we were coming into the game with Tanner, but at the same time you get so locked into the game, you sometimes forget. I understand. That’s why I waited to go to the mound. Now, we’ve got a chance to win the series [Saturday].”
While Arroyo was the offensive hero, he pushed all the credit back to the mound.
“The tandem was huge for us,” Arroyo said. “Our pitching has been pitching great. We want to keep that trend going and I think the bats are going to come around for sure.”
His home run was a good start, the big hit in a three-run inning that also included a Jackie Bradley Jr. single and race around the bases when Christian Vázquez snuck his own single past right fielder Trey Mancini. Given the way the road trip that began in Florida against the Rays, made its way through Toronto, and headed back down to Baltimore has gone, the Sox needed a pick-me-up in the worst way.
“We could all agree there were some balls we thought would go out in Toronto. That’s baseball,” Arroyo said. “I was fortunate enough to put a good swing on a pitch in the zone and help us win the game. I wasn’t thinking big [home run] thoughts or anything.”
As for himself, the production — done from the designated hitter spot while J.D. Martinez took one more day to rest an ailing groin muscle — was the perfect salve for that defensive miscue.
“It means a lot, obviously,” he said. “I wear my heart on my sleeve and I don’t like it when I do stuff like that, especially with our team grinding. It’s crappy. It’s part of it. It’s baseball, it’s going to happen. To come back out here today and kind of flush it . . . it’s a new game.”
Against the Orioles, baseball’s best cure for what ails, a new team meant a new result. Now, the Sox just want to keep it going.
“Our guys have been swinging the bats well, it’s just getting the balls to fall in. Tonight, it was good to see the bats come around,” Hill said. “Confidence is building and we are continuing to move in the right direction.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 3:56:00 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK No acrimony in clubhouse as unvaccinated Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford return to Red Sox By Tara Sullivan Globe Columnist,Updated April 29, 2022, 7:53 p.m.
BALTIMORE — Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford were back on the Red Sox roster Friday, reinstated from the restricted list after they were unable to travel with the team to Toronto. But while their roster status changed in time for the final leg of a three-city road trip that began against Tampa Bay, Houck made it clear mum was the word on whether his COVID-19 vaccination status might change, too.
“I’m just not going to talk about it,” he said, which was a variation on the same theme in which he also said, “I kept up watching the games, and that’s all I’m really going to say on it,” and “I’m just not going to comment on it.”
After missing a start in Toronto, Houck got right back in the mix, piggybacking starter Rich Hill with three scoreless innings of relief in a 3-1 victory. In speaking with a small group of reporters before the game, after he had chatted with team public relations personnel, Houck declined to discuss any details about his vaccination decision or how it felt to miss that trip.
The Sox are scheduled to return to Toronto at the end of June. Manager Alex Cora conceded the topic will come up again, then.
“We’ll see where we’re at and we’ll make adjustments if we have to make adjustments,” he said.
Cora also insisted it was not brought up by anyone in the clubhouse when the two entered the locker room Friday.
“It’s something that’s a non-topic,” he said. “We had a meeting this morning, they showed up, and it was business as usual. Nothing is going to change.” A nervous ninth
The Red Sox remain insistent they don’t have a closer, and that the only goal is to get to 27 outs no matter who does it. They proved it again Friday night.
Cora went to Hansel Robles to protect a 3-0 lead in the ninth, and watched him give up a leadoff home run to Ryan Mountcastle. After an Austin Hays single and a balk to put Hays on second, Robles got two outs on hard hit balls to right field. That was enough for Cora, who went to Matt Strahm; after a walk, Strahm got the game-ending strikeout, becoming the fifth Sox pitcher with a save across nine victories.
“Hansel has been great for us, just happened today he had to grind,” Cora said. “There’s not a closer. We’re trying to get 27 outs as fast as possible without giving up the lead.” Making moves
The returns of Houck and Crawford were part of a busy transaction day. Four players are gone, starting with infielder Travis Shaw, the 32-year-old who’d been hitless in 19 at-bats across seven games including seven strikeouts.
Shaw was designated for assignment, while righthanded pitchers Tyler Danish and John Schreiber as well as outfielder Rob Refsnyder were returned to Triple A Worcester.
In their place, the Sox summoned outfielder Jaylin Davis from the WooSox (having claimed him off waivers Thursday from the Giants) and also selected Franchy Cordero. Cordero, who appeared in 48 games for the Sox last year, promptly started at first base. He was 0-for-4 in his 2022 debut, but made no mistakes on defense before being replaced by Bobby Dalbec in the ninth.
“It’s a great challenge to have, and I’ve been working really hard with my infield coach in Triple A and the work I did in spring training so I feel comfortable and I feel ready to go,” the usual outfielder said.
Cora called Davis “a righthanded bat that we are really intrigued with. He is a good athlete. It just gives us another guy that we can mix and match with.” One more day
J.D. Martinez was out of the lineup again with a sore left groin muscle, but Cora termed the absence as just “one more day. He went out there and ran and he felt it a little bit, so like always, we’re thinking here 162-plus, and one day that he takes today probably we are going to see him close to 100 percent. We got the day off on Monday, so hopefully he can play Saturday, Sunday, get the day off and be able to play Tuesday” . . . Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has not played for Single A Salem since last Saturday. A team official said that his downtime was a product of “workload management” rather than an injury, with the organization having become increasingly inclined to give minor leaguers multiple days off in an effort to prevent fatigue-driven injuries. Mayer continues to engage in a full range of non-game baseball activities . . . Boston is yet to win a series against a division foe, dropping all four. Their lone series win so far came taking two of three in Detroit, with the Sox splitting their four home games with Minnesota . . . Thursday’s 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays snapped the Sox’ 59-game streak without being shut out, going back to a 2-0 loss to the Yankees last Aug. 17.
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