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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 4:03:23 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Rich Hill dominates for 4 perfect innings, then pulled after first hit: ‘I haven’t seen somebody look at me that way in a while,’ Alex Cora says Published: Apr. 29, 2022, 11:52 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BALTIMORE -- Red Sox starter Rich Hill needed just 46 pitches to retire the first 12 batters he faced Friday night in Baltimore. But four pitches into his fifth inning, after he gave up a leadoff single to Austin Hays, manager Alex Cora pulled him out of the game and turned to righty Tanner Houck.
It didn’t matter how well Hill was pitching or how few pitches he had thrown. Cora had a gameplan heading into Boston’s series opener at Camden Yards and was going to stick to it. So with Boston leading, 3-0, in the fifth, he made the slow walk out to the mound to pull Hill, who had been utterly dominant all night. The veteran left-hander, at least at first, did not look pleased about the decision.
“I haven’t seen somebody look at me that way in a while,” Cora said. “But he understands.” Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
After a few seconds of conversation on the mound, Cora signaled for Houck and Hill began walking toward the visitor’s dugout. Just four pitches earlier, he was beginning to mount a perfect game bid. Now, he was headed for the showers.
Cora knew that Hill, an intense competitor on the field and one of baseball’s great gentlemen away from it, might plead his case to stay in the game.
“It was intense,” Cora said. “I bet he knew where we were heading into the game knowing Tanner was here, but at the same time, you get so locked into what you’re doing that you actually forget. He’s so intense and he’s in the moment, I understand. That’s why I waited to go to the mound. He looked, he kept looking. I was like, ‘Yeah, here we go.’ It is what it is. We got 27 outs.”
Hill, who owns a 3.71 ERA through four starts this season, said he wasn’t angry with Cora and instead was beating himself up over the pitch Hays singled on. Even after four spotless innings, Hill’s perfectionism took over.
“I was just disappointed in the pitch,” Hill said. “As a pitcher, you second guess. You think, ‘Oh, should I have thrown that drop-down.’ It was a good pitch. It got in on him and I believe it was off the handle of the bat but just enough to get the base hit. Obviously, as a competitor, you want to stay in and keep going but I just told him it wasn’t anything towards him. It was frustration about the pitch I decided to go with.”
Hill, 42, is in a bit of a unique role for a major league starter. On most days he pitches, the Red Sox have a young, hard-throwing righty -- either Houck or Garrett Whitlock -- ready to piggyback him in a multi-inning role. Cora likes how the distinction between the soft-tossing Hill and the fire-throwing righties throws off lineups and makes it hard for opponents to gameplan. That’s why at the first sign of trouble, Cora used the quick hook and inserted Houck, who was ready to go after being away from the team for four days while on the restricted list.
“We had Tanner. We were ready for that,” Cora said. “We need to get 27 outs. This is not about individual wins and all that stuff. It’s about team wins, and pitching-wise today, was a good example of that.”
Houck struggled a bit with control, walking three batters, but struck out four others in three scoreless innings in an eventual 3-1 win. He wasn’t as efficient as Hill but did his job as the bridge to Boston’s high-leverage relievers.
Hill set the tone for one of Boston’s best-pitched games of 2022. He threw 35 of his 50 pitches for strikes and struck out four. He thought his fastball -- which only averaged 88.5 mph -- was effective and that his curveball had good depth to it. Cora agreed.
“He can pitch,” Cora said. “His pitchability is off the charts... He can maneuver a lineup. He’s going to face a lot of righties. It just happened that today we were set up this way.”
Hill’s job is to keep the Red Sox in ballgames every five days, no matter if the club needs him to go four innings or, say, eight. On Friday night, he did just that -- and more.
“That’s classic Rich Hill right there,” said Christian Arroyo. “I got the opportunity to talk with Rich a lot and he’s just a competitor. It’s easy to see why he’s still pitching at the age he is and why he’s still succeeding. For him to come out, that start was huge.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 4:10:13 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Saturday, 30th April 2022 7pm @ OPaCY
Nasty Nate 0-0/3.22
Watkins 0-0/2.77
Red Sox look to keep Orioles reeling FLM
Boston's offense has been uncharacteristically quiet early this season, but the Red Sox could receive a boost with the return of designated hitter J.D. Martinez.
Martinez is hoping to be in the lineup when the Red Sox continue a three-game series against the host Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
The veteran slugger has missed six of Boston's last nine games with left adductor tightness, but manager Alex Cora said Martinez could play Saturday and Sunday.
"Just one more day," Cora said before Friday's game. "He went out there and ran and felt it a little bit. Like always, we're thinking here, 162-plus (games). One day that he takes today, probably, we're going to see him close to 100 percent."
Boston won for just the second time in its last seven games on Friday, when Christian Arroyo hit a two-run homer in a 3-1 victory.
Arroyo's 408-foot blast snapped Boston's six-game homerless streak, which marked the team's longest stretch since April 2001.
The Red Sox recalled Franchy Cordero from Triple-A Worcester on Friday to replace Travis Shaw, who was designated for assignment. Cordero started at first base and went 0-for-4 while batting sixth.
Baltimore was limited to three hits before Ryan Mountcastle homered off Hansel Robles to lead off the ninth inning.
The Orioles have lost five straight but received a strong outing Friday from starter Kyle Bradish, 25, who allowed three runs (two earned) over six innings in his major league debut.
"He's got quiet confidence," Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. "He just seemed like the moment wasn't too big for him today. He seemed like it was another start. I'm sure it wasn't, but he didn't seem rattled by anything."
Orioles third baseman Tyler Nevin was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk prior to Friday's game and went 0-for-3 in his season debut.
Nevin could be in the lineup again Saturday versus Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.32 ERA). The right-hander received a no-decision after allowing two runs over a season-high seven innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
Eovaldi, 32, has yielded two earned runs or fewer in each of his first four starts, but he's had problems keeping the ball in the park.
The Texas native has given up seven home runs in 21 2/3 innings after allowing just 15 in 182 1/3 innings last season.
"I'm trying to attack the zone," Eovaldi said. "I'm going after the hitters and trying to get the batters out three pitches or less. The home runs are going to happen, but as long as I can keep them to solo shots, I'm OK with it."
Austin Hays has six hits in 16 at-bats against Eovaldi, who is 7-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 15 career starts against Baltimore.
Orioles starter Spenser Watkins (0-0, 2.77) is seeking his first win of the season after giving up four runs (two earned) in his first three starts covering 13 innings.
The right-hander yielded two runs on three hits over five frames against the Los Angeles Angels this past Saturday. Both runs came on solo homers by Angels star Mike Trout.
Watkins, 29, is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three career games (one start) against Boston.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 6:51:06 GMT -5
It was step in the right direction for the Red Sox Current Time 0:03 / Duration 0:15 By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 42 minutes ago
Baby steps.
Nobody is going to confuse the Red Sox' 3-1 win over the Orioles Friday night as a hallmark moment for Alex Cora's club. You beat a bad team in large part to continued good pitching and a much-welcomed glimmer of life courtesy Christian Arroyo's two-run homer.
Unfortunately for the now 9-12 Red Sox, the awkwardness of these first few weeks weren't entirely pushed aside, even with Matt Strahm finally sealing the final out with the tying run at first base in the ninth inning.
But it was sure better than what they left behind in Canada.
For starters, there was that home run, the first hit by a Red Sox player since exactly a week before when Rafael Devers went deep at Tropicana Field. (By the way, during that homer-less stretch, the Yankees were hitting 12 long balls while building what is now a seven-game win streak.)
The image of Arroyo hitting a ball out of the ballpark should have brought back memories as to how the Red Sox functioned early on last season.
While jumping out to their 12-8 start in 2021, Arroyo was a key part of an offense that hit 24 home runs through those first 20 games, scoring 106 runs while managing an .806 OPS. Heading into Friday night in Baltimore, the Sox' bats had accounted for just 11 homers, 72 runs and a .619 OPS.
And a year ago, Arroyo was also one of eight Red Sox hitters with an OPS of .709 better, clocking in at a gaudy .927. Entering the series opener, there only three Sox who claimed OPS' north of .700.
Get the picture?
This time, however, the Red Sox did just enough to not waste another solid batch of pitching. Yes, the top of the order - Trevor Story, Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts - went a combined 0-for-11, and there were only two runners in scoring position the whole night. But, as a reminder, they actually hit a home run.
And, once again, the flotation device keeping their heads above water came in the form of some solid pitching, this time courtesy starter Rich Hill (4 IP, H), Tanner Houck (3 IP, H), and Jake Diekman (a scoreless eighth).
It wasn't overly inspiring, but it was something. And, while they try to figure things out heading into the season's second month, something is sure better than the nothings they had been rolling out.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 6:53:04 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Red Sox hoping Rich Hill could be versatile weapon like Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock Hill dominant over four scoreless innings vs. O’s
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald April 30, 2022 at 5:37 a.m.
Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Rich Hill.
Those are the three pitchers Red Sox manager Alex Cora named on Friday night when mentioning those on his pitching staff who can be used as versatile weapons.
We finally saw why Hill might be the most unique.
The 42-year-old lefty flashed premier stuff while taking a perfect game into the fifth inning of the Red Sox’ 3-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
It doesn’t matter that the outing was against a last-place Orioles team that has one of the worst offenses in the big leagues. Hill’s fastball was back up to 89 mph from 87 mph his last time out. His curveball dazzled and he was throwing it for strikes. When he does that, not only is he a weapon during the innings he throws, but he creates uncomfortable at-bats against whoever comes in to pitch after him.
After Hill threw four perfect innings and then allowed a leadoff single to Austin Hays to start the fifth, Cora replaced him with Houck, who was entering in relief for the second time in a week. Houck threw three dominant innings behind him to take a shutout into the eighth.
“We talked about it before the game: Rich, Garrett, Tanner and their ability to do different things for the pitching staff,” Cora said. “Today we were set up this way.”
It seemed crazy to remove Hill after just 50 pitches given how in-control he was. But this is one of the reasons the Red Sox brought him on a $5-million deal.
Even if he’s not at his best, it can create a weird second half of the game for hitters. First they have to face a funky, two-pitch lefty with a loopy curveball and high-80s fastball for four innings, then have to switch eye levels and go after Houck and his 95-mph sinkers with a tight slider from the right-hand side.
Going from Hill to Houck was what the Red Sox said they were going to do last weekend in Tampa Bay, but acting manager Will Venable used a handful of relievers before turning to Houck when the game was already out of reach.
Used properly, the Hill-Houck or Hill-Whitlock combination could be nasty, and it’s what Cora eyed coming into the season.
“Good fastball, good breaking ball, he can pitch,” Cora said. “His pitchability is off the charts. Even in his previous starts — there were homers against Minnesota — but he can maneuver a lineup.
“It just so happens today we were set up this way (with Houck behind him). I was going to take him out even in a perfect game. Nah just kidding.”
In truth, Cora probably wasn’t kidding. In today’s game, starters are removed with no-hitters on a weekly basis. Pitch counts and efficiency takes priority over individual accomplishments, even one as unique as a perfect game, which sadly feels like something that could become extinct.
Perfect games or not, the Sox can make this work.
Hill has thrown 70, 80, 62 and now 50 pitches in each of his four outings, respectively. Houck has thrown 78, 89, 71, 15 and 44 pitches in his outings. And Whitlock has thrown 38, 39, 30, 12, 48 and 61 pitches in his outings.
None of them individually are handling a real starter’s workload. But together, they have the potential to create a seven- or eight-inning monster every five nights.
It seems more advantageous to keep Whitlock in a versatile relief role in which the Sox can use him to close out games in the ninth or pitch important innings in high-leverage situations. They could also keep Hill with Houck on most days, or turn Houck into a similar versatile multi-inning guy.
The problem, of course, is what happens when the Red Sox run them into the ground, a la Matt Barnes when he was being used in exclusively high-leverage situations during Cora’s first run as Red Sox manager. Cora later issued something like a public apology and said it was too much to ask of Barnes to face the other team’s heart of the order in the biggest spot of the game on most nights.
Barnes burned out, and Cora risks doing the same thing with Whitlock, who has handled his uncertain role with almost flawless execution in his first year-plus of big league action.
Bottom line is that the Red Sox need more weapons in any role.
Hill can be one of them. Paired with Houck, the combination can be dominant.
They showed that on Friday, even if Hill threw just 50 pitches before he was removed.
“It was intense,” Cora said of the moment he took Hill out of the game. “But I bet he knew where we were; coming into the game, knowing that Tanner was here. But at the same time you get so locked in with what you’re doing, you actually forget. He’s so intense and he’s in the moment. I understand.”
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 30, 2022 8:38:19 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 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. 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. The pitching, both starting and relieving, has had its share of blips, but overall, they've done their job. Hill looked really good last night. I know that Cora planned on a piggy back with Houck, but I'm surprised Cora pulled Hill as early as he did.
This offense remains extremely frustrating. As Collins mentioned, they have a trend of scoring in one inning then not being able to tack on any more runs. Three runs was enough last night, but this offense should be doing a lot more. The 9th inning was a lot more tense than it needed to be.
A win is a win, though, so I'll take it. Keep the wins coming.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 30, 2022 8:41:12 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h
Asking this Red Sox bullpen to get 12-15 outs minus Garrett Whitlock is quite an exercise. It is. But a lot of that is still on the offense. We've seen all the stats where our offense ranks near the bottom is just about every category.
The good news is that they are hitting the ball hard and things should turn around for them soon.
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Post by Kimmi on Apr 30, 2022 8:46:31 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK No acrimony in clubhouse as unvaccinated Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford return to Red SoxBy Tara Sullivan Globe Columnist,Updated April 29, 2022, 7:53 p.m. It's a tricky situation. I can see both sides of the story. Ultimately, I think the decision to be vaccinated or not is each individual's personal decision.
The main thing here is that Cora does not let it become a clubhouse issue in the slightest way.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 30, 2022 12:17:57 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h
Asking this Red Sox bullpen to get 12-15 outs minus Garrett Whitlock is quite an exercise. Again, even without Whitlock, the BP ERA is still 3.47. That would still rank #7 in the AL. And even without Whitlock, the BP still has a BP with 9 guys with an ERA of 3.86 or lower. We don't have a lock-down closer, but the BP has performed okay.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 30, 2022 12:21:44 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 It's an okay thing. We are getting by with almost no hitting. Unless on buys into the concept that our hitting won't return to normal, then we are doing okay.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 30, 2022 12:31:26 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h
Asking this Red Sox bullpen to get 12-15 outs minus Garrett Whitlock is quite an exercise. It is. But a lot of that is still on the offense. We've seen all the stats where our offense ranks near the bottom is just about every category.
The good news is that they are hitting the ball hard and things should turn around for them soon.OBP=OPS=RPG. We are 14th in OBP and therefore 11th in scoring. We've had 6 ABs with bases loaded. That said, I believe that hitting is fairly consistent from year to year, and expect that to come back to normal.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 30, 2022 12:34:12 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK No acrimony in clubhouse as unvaccinated Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford return to Red SoxBy Tara Sullivan Globe Columnist,Updated April 29, 2022, 7:53 p.m. It's a tricky situation. I can see both sides of the story. Ultimately, I think the decision to be vaccinated or not is each individual's personal decision.
The main thing here is that Cora does not let it become a clubhouse issue in the slightest way.Being a RW libertarian, I reluctantly agree. I just don't see much rationale behind not getting the shot.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 13:08:37 GMT -5
wish there were more games today in the afternoon snakes and cards starting then astros and blue jays and a alot of 4pm's but was not else going on sports wise today and I know I harp about it every year
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 13:11:18 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h
Asking this Red Sox bullpen to get 12-15 outs minus Garrett Whitlock is quite an exercise. Again, even without Whitlock, the BP ERA is still 3.47. That would still rank #7 in the AL. And even without Whitlock, the BP still has a BP with 9 guys with an ERA of 3.86 or lower. We don't have a lock-down closer, but the BP has performed okay. and how sustainable will it be and there are guys down in that pen that Cora does not want to march out in tight situations period and the so called depth down in AAA is not coming to save the day again this team was 2 games away from going to the WS last year the front office did very little to improve it
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 13:18:33 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h Obviously still waiting for Story's bat to click, but it's clearly getting close. The average exit velo on his first 10 batted balls this year was 83 mph, the last 10 have been 94 mph. First 8 games 21% hard hit%, last 8, 39%. First 8 games 58% contact%, last 8, 79%. Soon.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 30, 2022 13:35:52 GMT -5
Game 22: Red Sox at Orioles lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated April 30, 2022, 22 minutes ago With a six-game homer drought behind them and a series-opening win on the board, the Red Sox can clinch the series in Baltimore with a win on Saturday. Nate Eovaldi will look to keep the Orioles bats quiet after the Sox held Baltimore to one run on five hits on Friday; Eovaldi has plenty of experience against the Orioles, with a 3.74 ERA in 15 starts against them. Righthander Spenser Watkins will make his second career start against Boston — he was shelled at Fenway in his first, allowing six earned runs in just four innings of work last August, before a pair of more respectable appearances against the Sox out of the bullpen in September. Lineups RED SOX (9-12): 1. Trevor Story (R) 2B 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 5. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 6. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 7. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C 9. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF Pitching: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.32 ERA) ORIOLES (6-14):
1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF 2. Anthony Santander (S) RF 3. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B 4. Austin Hays (R) LF 5. Rougned Odor (L) 2B 6. Ramon Urias (R) 3B 7. Tyler Nevin (R) DH 8. Robinson Chirinos (R) C 9. Chris Owings (R) SS Pitching: RHP Spenser Watkins (0-0, 2.77 ERA) Time: 7:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Watkins: Bogaerts 2-4, Dalbec 1-2, Devers 0-5, Hernández 1-4,Martinez 1-1, Kevin Plawecki 1-1, Verdugo 0-4, Vázquez 0-1 Get 108 Stitches Orioles vs. Eovaldi: Gutiérrez 1-5, Hays 6-16, Mancini 2-14, McKenna 0-2, Mountcastle 4-9, Mullins 6-20, Odor 2-14, Owings 0-2, Santander 3-12, Urías 0-2 Stat of the day: The Sox’ recent six-game stretch without a homer was their joint-longest drought since 1999. Notes: J.D. Martinez has missed six of Boston’s last nine games with left adductor tightness, but manager Alex Cora said Martinez could play Saturday and Sunday ... Eovaldi has yielded two earned runs or fewer in each of his first four starts, but he’s had problems keeping the ball in the park. The righthander has given up seven home runs in 21 2/3 innings after allowing just 15 in 182 1/3 innings last season ... Watkins is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three career games against Boston ... The Red Sox won for just the second time in its last seven games on Friday as they try to climb back toward .500. Song of the Day: When The Levee Breaks feat. John Paul Jones | Playing For Change | Song Around The Worldwww.youtube.com/watch?v=LH0-WXUFY2k
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