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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 3:24:25 GMT -5
Astros @ Red Sox Monday 16th 2022 7pm @ Fenway
Odorizzi 3-2/3.88
Whitlock 1-1/219
Astros, Red Sox meet in rematch of last year's ALCS FLM
Come Monday, a rematch of last year's American League Championship Series awaits as the Houston Astros visit the Boston Red Sox for the first of three games.
"If we need motivation, they're right there, right in front of us," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "They did what they did to us in October, and we've just got to be ready. They are playing good baseball."
The Red Sox were unable to complete a three-game sweep in Texas after Sunday afternoon's 7-1 loss to former teammate Martin Perez and the Rangers.
Boston was shut out after Rafael Devers hit a fifth-inning RBI single. Devers (3-for-4) had three of the team's seven hits.
Boston had scored 30 runs in its previous four games.
The Red Sox are set to give Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 2.19 ERA) another turn in the rotation. He has allowed three runs or fewer over each of his first four career starts.
Whitlock, who allowed just two earned runs over his first 12 innings as a starter, is coming off his worst start of the season last Wednesday at Atlanta. On 82 total pitches, he had five strikeouts while allowing three runs on four hits and four walks.
The Sox aim to continue extending Whitlock, who dominated four relief outings before starting April 23 at Tampa Bay.
"Obviously he's not going to jump into seven innings. We know that," Cora said before Whitlock's last start. "The pitch count is something we'll take a look at, and stressful innings. He hasn't done that in a while."
Whitlock has allowed one earned run in just 2 2/3 career innings (two appearances) against Houston.
The Astros had an 11-game win streak snapped Saturday in Washington, but they bounced back for an 8-0 Sunday win as Justin Verlander threw five shutout innings.
"We had our horse on the mound," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "He wasn't real sharp early and rarely do you see 30 pitches in that first inning. We were just hoping we didn't have to go through our whole bullpen. He did a great job and battled and battled."
Houston hit four home runs over the final five innings in support of the 39-year-old Verlander, who threw 28 pitches to escape a first-inning jam. Yuli Gurriel had the second of those to highlight a 3-for-4 day.
After starting second baseman Jose Altuve (leg) and shortstop Jeremy Pena (knee) missed time during the last series with nagging injuries, Mauricio Dubon was acquired in a Saturday trade from San Francisco. He made his first appearance Sunday.
"I think I can bring a lot -- defensive versatility, and I can hit," Dubon said. "It's just a matter of what they need from me. I'll be ready to go."
Altuve homered during his Sunday return.
Pena's return is imminent, as he was also expected to play Sunday before waking up sore.
"Just a little discomfort, and I feel like we just took cautionary steps to see what's up," the Rhode Island native told MLB.com.
Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.38 ERA) looks to continue a dominant run during the series-opening start in Boston. The righty has won his last three starts, allowing just one run on six combined hits over 17 2/3 innings in that stretch.
Odorizzi shut out Detroit for five innings last Sunday, allowing one hit.
Odorizzi pitched at Fenway last June, earning the victory in his 20th career start against Boston. He is 5-7 with a 4.87 ERA all-time against the Sox, who have beaten him in three of his five most recent starts dating back to 2017.
--Field Level Media
Astros at Red Sox Monday, at 7:10 PM EST Possibility Of A Delay Or Rainout According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 67° F with a 21% chance of rain and 12 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 3:26:09 GMT -5
SP Probables Tuesday- Urquidy 2-1/ 4.40 vs Eovaldi 1-1/3.15 Wednesday- Garcia 3-1/2.94 vs Pivetta 1-4/5.08
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 3:38:30 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK J.D. Martinez off to a hot start, and will have plenty of options as he approaches free agency By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 15, 2022, 6:38 p.m.
ARLINGTON, Texas — J.D. Martinez wants to remain with the Red Sox beyond this year. The designated hitter, who is a pending free agent, made that clear Sunday morning ahead of his team’s series finale with the Rangers.
“Yeah,” Martinez responded when asked if he would be open to an extension with the Sox. “I was really open to it after 2019 and nothing happened. And I feel like nothing has really happened since I’ve been here, so, I have to take care of me and look to the future.”
When the Red Sox acquired Kyle Schwarber at the trade deadline last year, it was easy to presume he would be the replacement once Martinez hit the free agent market following the 2022 season. Schwarber’s age, 29, and his power-hitting lefty bat certainly made him an intriguing case over Martinez, who will be 35 in August. But when the Sox couldn’t come to an agreement with Schwarber, who ultimately chose the Phillies, that left the door cracked for Martinez.
Now, though, Martinez will have a variety of options with the implementation of the universal DH this season, only boosting his market value.
“I’m excited to have double the teams to choose from,” Martinez said.
Martinez is off to a hot start. He extended his hitting streak to 16 games Sunday, going 1 for 4 in the Sox’ 7-1 loss to the Rangers. He has a 32-game on-base streak dating back to last September. He ended the day hitting .314/.365/.533 with four homers. Martinez is obsessed with the process of hitting, and is a presence both in the clubhouse and in the lineup for the Sox.
“He’s been so consistent since 2018,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s really good and even when he’s feeling bad [at the plate], he puts together competitive at-bats. Now that he’s taking his walks, he’s becoming more dangerous. He’s a guy that since Day 1 when we got him, it just changed the whole complexion of the lineup. I still remember his first batting practice. When he signed. We were like, ‘Wow, this is a guy.’ This is the guy we needed.”
Martinez is friends with Nelson Cruz, and during one offseason asked how he remains so consistent despite being one of the elder statesmen in the game (Cruz is 41). Now, to some degree, Martinez is included in that group. How does he do it?
“I consume myself with the process and not the results,” Martinez said. “That’s how I stay sane. I’m just worried about who’s pitching next and what’s going on next. That’s just the way my brain processes it all.”
The Sox will have some decisions to make. And if both Xander Bogaerts, who has an opt-out at the end of this year, and Martinez land elsewhere, there will be a serious hole in the meat of the order. One that likely couldn’t be replaced.
“Would I love to stay here? Yeah. I’ve expressed that to ownership,” Martinez said. “We’ll see. Everybody’s got their own stuff that they’re doing now. Doing what they believe in, so it is what it is.” Wacha gets in some work
Michael Wacha (left intercostal irritation) threw a bullpen session Saturday. He’s scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday. Related: Abraham: With his future with Red Sox uncertain, Xander Bogaerts is just trying to live in the moment
The team still has no update on Chris Sale (right rib cage fracture) or James Paxton (Tommy John surgery), who still aren’t throwing. Both had setbacks, but Sale’s wasn’t related to his injury, and the team described it as a non-baseball medical issue.
Verdugo back in lineup
Alex Verdugo returned and batted seventh after missing Saturday’s game with a right foot contusion. Verdugo went 0 for 4 . . . Connor Seabold pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 11 for Triple A Worcester in a 7-4 loss to Rochester at Polar Park . . . Marcelo Mayer, the Sox’ top draft pick in 2021, was 3 for 6 with three doubles for Single-A Salem (8-7 loss at Delmarva in 11 innings) after being sidelined with wrist soreness . . . The Sox welcome the Astros to town for a three-game set beginning Monday at Fenway Park. Garrett Whitlock will take the mound against Jake Odorizzi. Tuesday’s matchup will be Nate Eovaldi vs. Jose Urquidy. and Wednesday will be Nick Pivetta vs. Luis Garcia.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 6:19:29 GMT -5
Mastrodonato: Red Sox offense starting to turn a corner, and other takeaways from a 3-2 road trip Offense is looking better, but questions remain in the bullpen
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald May 16, 2022 at 5:33 a.m.
At least there was some improvement.
The Red Sox wrapped up a five-game road trip with a 3-2 record, despite losing the series finale to the Texas Rangers, 7-1, on Sunday afternoon.
There was a lot to like, and still some things to dislike, as the Sox return home on Monday for a three-game series with the Houston Astros.
The takeaways from the road trip: 1. The offense is looking a lot better.
It would’ve been difficult to look any worse. They scored just 14 runs on their last homestand and looked like they were swinging with the ferocity of Bryson DeChambeau but without making much contact.
All that changed in Atlanta on Tuesday, when the Sox put up a six-spot in the second inning.
In total, they scored 31 runs in five games and showed a much-improved plate approach that had manager Alex Cora smiling on Saturday, when he told reporters in Texas, “The quality at-bats early on in the season were awful, and they can tell you that,” but that changed on this trip, Cora said.
“As far as swinging at pitches in the zone, we’re going to keep doing that,” he said. “We will start hitting balls out of the ballpark. We’re still hitting the ball hard. But talking to them and all the work they’re doing, it’s paying off. That’s a good sign.”
The Sox went 49-for-179 (.274) on the trip, far better than their season average of .236. And the offense had a very strong 2.3 strikeout-to-walk rate that’s a huge upgrade from their 3.3 K-to-BB rate on the year.
They’ve looked happy to take their walks and their singles rather than being intent on trying to hit home runs each time up.
“It’s more fun than before,” Christian Vazquez told reporters in Texas. “We need to keep going like this, playing like this.” 2. Ryan Brasier took both losses on the trip
Cora has been searching for arms he can trust out of the bullpen and Brasier had started to look like one.
Despite allowing the biggest hard-hit percentage in baseball this year, Brasier took a 2.45 ERA into the second game in Atlanta on Wednesday. But he got charged with the loss when he entered in the ninth and allowed a walkoff home run to Orlando Arcia. And it was just as ugly on Sunday as Brasier again entered in a tie game, this time in the sixth, allowed Marcus Semien to snap an 0-for-27 skid with a double and later served up a pair of no-doubt long balls to Adolis Garcia and Kole Calhoun.
Cora expressed frustration that Brasier didn’t do a better job understanding the game situation, knowing the Sox had a lefty warm in the bullpen and the Rangers had a lefty on deck before Brasier served up the second home run.
Brasier took both losses on the road trip and now has a 6.57 ERA on the year. 3. We still don’t understand Tanner Houck’s usage
Lefty reliever Austin Davis started Sunday’s game and tossed two scoreless innings before Cora turned it over to Houck, who looked good over three innings of one-run ball but was confusingly removed after just 37 pitches.
The Sox have begun trying to use Houck in a similar way they were using Garrett Whitlock earlier in the year, bringing him in the middle innings of close games. It’s possible Cora was trying to keep Houck’s pitch count low enough where he could pitch again in the Astros series in the next few days, but it backfired on Sunday.
It’s been a mystery to see how they’ve used Houck since they had to take him out of the rotation when he missed his start in Toronto due to his vaccination status.
Since then, he’s been used in various roles out of relief and it’s not working. The Sox are 1-3 in his four appearances while he has a 9.00 ERA while having thrown just 12 innings since his last start on April 24. 4. Rafael Devers is hotter than the Texas sun
He lifted a bloop double to right, poked a single through the left side of the infield and destroyed a double to right-center for a three-hit Sunday that brought his average to .324.
With teams sometimes using four outfielders to shift against Devers, he’s begun finding other ways to get on base. He’s been slicing singles to left field a lot more often of late and it’s paid off: he’s 16-for-37 (.433) during a nine-game hitting streak.
The middle of the order bats continue to be impressive for the Sox, who have Devers hitting .324, J.D. Martinez hitting .314 and Xander Bogaerts hitting .344. But every other starter in the lineup on Sunday was hitting .212 or below. 5. The starting rotation is holding up well
Despite being without Chris Sale and Michael Wacha, the rotation is doing a fine job giving the Sox a chance on most days.
Nick Pivetta thinks he’s found his “flow state” on the mound, and it’s showed with two straight powerful starts, including a gem on Friday night in Texas. Whitlock is in a rough stretch, but he’s getting picked up by others on the staff, including a steady Nathan Eovaldi and an emerging Rich Hill.
The 42-year-old Hill went more than 20 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run until the seventh inning of Saturday’s gem. He’s settled into a good rhythm of strike-throwing with his high-80s heaters and masterful curveball.
Overall, the Sox rotation has a 3.33 ERA, seventh-best in MLB.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 11:42:54 GMT -5
The Red Sox had a reasonably good weekend, just in time for a big test As the Houston Astros come to town, are the Sox finally starting to establish themselves?
By Jon Couture May 16, 2022 | 12:26 PM
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COMMENTARY
We’ve been waiting for this from the Red Sox for six weeks, and you didn’t watch a second of it, did you?
You’re forgiven, of course. Just as you’d be forgiven if, say, on Jan. 22 — as the Celtics foundered at 23-24 after another failed fourth-quarter closeout and the Bruins won their 10th in 12 games, Tuukka Rask appearing to be finding it again — you made some grand pronouncement that looks silly today.
Seasons are long things, especially in baseball, where it’s today easier to get into the playoffs than it is Arizona State. With the second-worst record in the American League, the Red Sox are just 4.5 games out of the third wild card. They’d have to leapfrop seven teams to do it, but it’s the hope that counts in the middle of May.
Just like that Globe revelation over the weekend that actually, Xander Bogaerts would listen to a Red Sox contract offer during the season if it meant he could make something close to market rate in the only organization he’s ever known. Seems eager to deal, gang. Maybe work on that?
But that’s a story for another day.
Back to that weekend you missed, the capper to a 3-2 road trip that was, well, progress. Eighteen runs in two days at last-place Texas isn’t world changing, especially after Martín Pérez picked them apart Sunday, but it’ll do pending what’s next: A three-game visit from torrid Houston.
The Astros have won 12 of 13, with a half-dozen shutouts in there. The starters are third in the majors in innings per game, and a lockdown bullpen has Houston with seven one-run victories and just three losses in games that were tied or Astros leads going into the seventh inning. (The Red Sox have lost eight such games.)
It feels like the last team a group trying to string together a little momentum wants to see, at Fenway or not. And yet, what a boost a series win would be as the schedule offers the Red Sox a golden road — Seattle, at the White Sox, Baltimore, Cincinnati, at Oakland — immediately after.
The gold, and the chaff, is starting to establish itself. Austin Davis is definitely starting to feel like this season’s Josh Taylor, the reliable reliever appearing out of relative thin air. Though he was also pretty good in low-leverage roles last year after being acquired at the trade deadline.
Remember when Ryan Brasier was that guy in 2018? After Sunday’s one-inning, four-run, two-homer mess, his fastball has a .435 batting average against it and he’s got a case to be the worst bullpen arm in the majors. Another guy who it felt like the Red Sox needed to get something from who isn’t providing much.
Offense can paper some of that over, and it did on Friday and Saturday. Kiké Hernández working a couple walks around his superb diving catch in right center. Alex Verdugo getting rewarded for continuing to drive the ball, immediately after driving the ball off his foot.
Christian Vázquez straining at a two-strike pitch away and plopping it into right center for an RBI on Friday. Bobby Dalbec bounding an RBI single through the left side on Saturday. Franchy Cordero ripping a couple balls to right to add on.
Rafael Devers, Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez too, of course, but they’ve not been the issue. Nor, still, has the starting pitching. Watching 42-year-old Rich Hill fan $325-million man Corey Seager with a 68 mile-per-hour frisbee slider? What’s better than that.
(This weekend, like 10 other things just at TD Garden, but that’s beside the point.)
A rotation built around Hill and Michael Wacha, who could be back by the end of the week, is never going to feel like bedrock. But there are more arms ready in Worcester, be they Connor Seabold — who struck out 11 on Sunday and has a 2.45 ERA — or someone else.
The starters haven’t collectively taken enough weight off the bullpen’s shoulders, I suppose, but they’ve certainly done their part to keep games winnable into the late innings. In the modern game, that’s all a mediocre team like these Red Sox can expect.
Should we be satisfied that $200-ish million has bought a mediocre roster? Absolutely not, but that’s where we are and it’s good enough to snake October baseball. And if the expanded playoffs make anything clear, it’s that the sport is perfectly fine with devaluing excellence across 162 games because it can make more money from the ones that come after.
It doesn’t excuse Chaim Bloom’s roster construction this year, nor will it excuse when he and his budgetary constraints tear it unrecognizable this winter and make you wonder just what exactly we’re doing here. Again, though, angst for another day.
We’re on to Houston, still maddeningly good and conveniently playing at Fenway on two nights where you won’t only see them during Celtics commercial breaks. Two out of three against the Rangers isn’t much of a bar to clear, but the Red Sox cleared it, and they’ve got Garrett Whitlock and Nate Eovaldi lined up to follow.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 13:18:51 GMT -5
Red Sox vs.Astros Series Preview
The Sox are back at home to face the Astros in a three-game set By Stephen-Thompson May 16, 2022, 1:36pm EDT
The Crawfish Boxes Game times and Broadcast info
Monday: 7:10pm on NESN and MLB Network for out-of-market. Tuesday: 7:10pm on NESN and TBS for out-of-market. Wednesday: 6:10pm on NESN.
The opponent in one sentence
Coming into Fenway this week, the Astros are in a familiar position atop their division, and nearly baseball in general, thanks to a tremendous defense and pitching staff that has allowed the third-fewest runs in the sport. Record
23-12 Trend
Up. Way, way up. The Astros are one of the hottest teams in the entire league, having won nine of their last 10. They were a .500 team on May 1 and have since raced out in front of the AL West — baseball’s best division, at least in my opinion. They’ve played the Mariners, Tigers, Twins and Nationals during this recent hot streak but winning nine of ten is winning nine of ten. It’s nothing to scoff at regardless of the competition.
Pitching matchups
Given the strength of their opponent, the rotation schedule lines up pretty well for the Red Sox, who will need all they can get from their starters to hang with Houston.
Game one will feature Garrett Whitlock taking on Jake Odorizzi. Whitlock is in the middle of a transition, being asked to make more starts after dominating since the start of last season in the bullpen. His last four appearances have been starts and his splits in the two roles are starkly different in a small sample size. His numbers aren’t bad, per se — an ERA of 3.00 even over 15 innings, and six walks to 23 strikeouts — but they are drastically worse than what he did as a reliever, ERA of 0.93, 11 strikeouts to just two walks and just one extra-base hit in 9 2⁄3 innings pitched.
On the other side of things, veteran right-hander Jake Odorizzi will seek to keep his personal three-game win streak alive. His third start on April 26 was disastrous, giving up six runs (although only three of them were earned) on four walks and two hits, but that was the last time he allowed a run.
In game two, Nathan Eovaldi will face José Urquidy. It’s been a weird season for Eovaldi, whose numbers don’t look bad but just aren’t “ace level” like you might have expected them to be. He doesn’t seem to be pitching with the same kind of power he’s built a reputation for and as a result, hitters have burned him for nine home runs, the most allowed by any pitcher in the majors. To make matters worse, the game is at Fenway, where he’s struggled mightily this year. His strikeouts go down, walks go up and opponents hit .333 against him at home.
Urquidy was in kind of the same boat as Eovaldi for the first month of the season. He gave up a home run in every start and that was indicative of his 48.5% hard hit rate, which would be a career-high if sustained through a full season. He’s been better of late, though, having surrendered just one run, nine hits and one walk over nine innings pitched in two May starts.
The series finale will pit Nick Pivetta against Luis Garcia. The Sox are just 1-6 in games that Pivetta has pitched, but that’s not totally his fault. He followed up what had been his best start of the season by besting it on Friday against the Rangers. Over those two starts against Chicago and Texas, he has thrown 11 innings and surrendered just one run on eight hits and a walk while striking out 12.
For the Astros, Garcia has been as steady as can be. He’s racked up a 3-1 record while his team has won five of his six starts. The young right-hander’s pitched twice during Houston’s recent hot streak and won both starts against the Tigers and Twins. He’s a hard thrower that misses a lot of bats and racks up a ton of strikeouts. The Sox offense, which showed some signs of life during the three games in Texas, will have its hands full.
Old Friends
Not really any old friends to speak of in this one. Notable Position Players
This doesn’t look like the Astros of the recent past, when Carlos Correa, José Altuve, George Springer and Alex Bregman were dominating the American League, but Altuve and Bregman are still there doing what they’ve always done: Raking. Although Bregman has struggled to hit for average so far this year, he has an OBP of .352 along with five home runs and leads his club in RBI. Altuve has seven homers, an OPS+ of 152 and holds down second base with an outstanding glove. Houston Astros v Washington Nationals Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
The rest of the Astros lineup is a mishmash of essentially a bunch of .250-.270 hitters. Very few of them are posting particularly gaudy numbers but they are deep — 10 hitters have scored more than 10 times and seven have more than 10 RBI.
Correa’s replacement and team leader in WAR, Jeremy Peña seems to be a game-time decision for Monday’s opener but the Sox would rather he and his .853 OPS sit.
Veteran outfielder Michael Brantley and first basemen Yuli Gurriel are steady forces in the order. 24 of their 70 hits have gone for extra bases.
Yordan Alvarez has been a monster so far, mashing 11 home runs and driving in 21 runs. Jose Siri is just a .227 hitter but still owns an OPS+ of 103.
Martín Maldonado is really the only weak point in the Astros lineup but when I say weak, I mean really weak. His OPS+ is 30 and he’s striking out almost 38% of the time.
Chas McCormick gets some action off of the bench but is mostly a platoon guy in the outfield. He’s got just 22 hits this year but three of them were home runs. McCormick has also driven in 10 runs to date. Bullpen Snapshot
Houston’s bullpen has been pretty average so far. They convert on 73 percent of their save opportunities and allow 29 percent of inherited runners to score.
Héctor Neris and Rafael Montero anchor the group with ERAs of 0.56 and 0.61, respectively. Cristian Javier is a long reliever who has earned Dusty Baker’s trust with his versatility, making starts and relief appearances in close games. He has only pitched in seven games but still leads the bullpen in innings pitched. Ryan Pressley has made seven appearances and leads the team in saves with four.
As a group, they barely give up any home runs, just 10 in more than 130 combined innings. Injuries
Jeremy Peña was expected to play on Sunday against the Nats but left knee soreness that’s been bothering him for a couple of days persisted. He’s considered day-to-day.
Jake Myers has a torn labrum in his left shoulder and won’t be back until June. Lance McCullers injured his right flexor tendon and was put on the 60-day IL on April 18. He’s begun to throw again, but there’s no precise timetable for his return yet.
Same goes for Taylor Jones, who was shut down towards the end of spring training because of lower back soreness. Jones recently said he’s starting to work out and get his baseball timing back, but he won’t play this week. Weather Forecast
Grant Williams made it rain in Boston on Sunday, but with that storm moving south to Miami, the skies above Fenway will be clear with temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 13:20:36 GMT -5
Jon Morosi @jonmorosi 36m One storyline to watch in tonight's @mlbnetwork Showcase from Fenway: The #RedSox bullpen has recorded one save in the last 17 days -- May 10 in Atlanta, in a game ultimately decided by 5 run
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 13:29:22 GMT -5
Game 35: Astros at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 16, 2022, 9:05 a.m. After taking two of three from the Rangers over the weekend and going 3-2 on a five-game road trip, the Red Sox return home to Fenway Park, where they will play 13 of their next 16 games. That stretch begins tonight when they open a three-game series with the Houston Astros, followed by a visit from the Mariners at the end of the week for four games. Garrett Whitlock will be on the mound for the Sox against Jake Odorizzi. Tuesday’s matchup will be Nate Eovaldi vs. Jose Urquidy, and Wednesday will be Nick Pivetta vs. Luis Garcia.. Here is a preview. Lineups ASTROS (23-12): 1. Jose Altuve (R) 2B 2. Michael Brantley (L) LF 3. Alex Bregman (R) 3B 4. Yordan Alvarez (L) DH 5. Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B 6. Kyle Tucker (L) RF 7. Chas McCormick (R) CF 8. Jason Castro (L) C 9. Mauricio Dubon (R) SS Pitching: RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.38 ERA) RED SOX (13-21): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 6. Trevor Story (R) 2B 7. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B 8. Christian Vazquez (R) C 9. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF Pitching: RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 2.19 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Astros vs. Whitlock: Jose Altuve 0-0, Yordan Alvarez 1-1, Michael Brantley 1-1, Alex Bregman 0-1, Yuli Gurriel 0-2, Martín Maldonado 0-1, Chas McCormick 0-1, Kyle Tucker 2-2 Red Sox vs. Odorizzi: Christian Arroyo 1-4, Xander Bogaerts 11-35, Jackie Bradley Jr. 5-23, Bobby Dalbec 0-1, Rafael Devers 4-8, Kiké Hernández 0-2, J.D. Martinez 5-16, Kevin Plawecki 0-1, Trevor Story 0-2, Alex Verdugo 1-2, Christian Vázquez 1-10 Stat of the day: Martinez has a 16-game hitting streak, as well as a 32-game on-base streak dating back to last September. Notes: Whitlock has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his first four career starts. He struggled a bit his last time out, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks. He has allowed one earned run in just 2 ⅔ career innings (two appearances) against Houston. … Odorizzi has won his last three starts, allowing just one run on six combined hits over 17 ⅔ innings in that stretch. is 5-7 with a 4.87 ERA all-time against the Sox, who have beaten him in three of his five most recent starts dating back to 2017. … The Astros are tied for first place in the AL West with the Los Angeles Angels and have won 12 of their last 13. Song of the Day: The Clash - Rock the Casbahwww.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 15:05:16 GMT -5
Dalbec nailed to the bench and the Analytic computer doing the line ups must have a glitch, if Cordero keeps up coming for 1B
and Obrien and however the clown doing color tonight will carry on how Franchy is gonna start knocking baseballs to Virginia.
this season is something else.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 16:39:10 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 1h Chris Sale has resumed playing catch, Cora said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 16:41:05 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 5m Alex Cora will not be a Bobby Cox, Joe Torre or Terry Francona. He could be like Brad Stevens and be a GM at some point.
"I'm not here to manage 25 years, This is a very demanding job and obviously the sacrifices that family makes, it’s a lot."
Cora has twin 4-year-olds.
On possibility of being a GM at some point. "It’s something that obviously intrigues me. Just thinking as a GM and building teams, and all that stuff, but I think the family part of it is going to decide if I do this for a long, long time or I do something different in future.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 16:41:57 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 1h Cora said Sale has started throwing again and is in a lot better place than a few weeks ago
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2022 16:44:12 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 1h Alex Cora said he’s taking inspiration from the Celtics in terms of having a longer view with the Red Sox - how a team can start in disappointing fashion and then take shape and improve midyear. Noted the Astros have already followed that trajectory this year.
Cora also had some thoughts about whether, like Brad Stevens, he’d like to move from coaching/managing to the front office. He said (as he had in the past) he won’t be a managerial lifer, and front office intrigues him down the road, but family concerns will guide careers choices
Other updates: Chris Sale is playing catch again and Josh Taylor has started throwing. Paxton is still getting treatment and not throwing.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 16, 2022 19:28:39 GMT -5
Dalbec nailed to the bench and the Analytic computer doing the line ups must have a glitch, if Cordero keeps up coming for 1B
and Obrien and however the clown doing color tonight will carry on how Franchy is gonna start knocking baseballs to Virginia.
this season is something else. I'm hoping we see the Dalbec from last Aug/Sept, but the computer has nothing to do with Dalbec being benched. I'm not a Cordero fan, but the 7/7 K/W is exactly what we asked for, and deserves a shot.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 17, 2022 2:38:53 GMT -5
Red Sox 6, Astros 3: Outlasting Houston in the rain
Trevor Story hits his first Fenway homer in the win. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins May 17, 2022, 12:00am EDT 4 Comments
The Red Sox are... playing good baseball? Boston is coming off taking two of three from the Rangers over the weekend, and now they’ve taken the first of three against the Astros by outlasting Houston through a long rain delay to win a close one. Boston’s offense was shut down early, but they put some runs on the board in the middle innings while Houston was staying right with them run for run. But Boston had the last laugh, with Matt Strahm coming through in the bullpen and giving the offense some time to open up a three-run lead that would be held in the ninth for the win.
More robust game notes below.
After the Red Sox offense finally broke out in a big way for the first two games of their series down in Arlington against the Rangers, they were quieted back down in the finale on Sunday. Facing old friend Martín Pérez, they got some chances with runners on base, but pushing runs across the plate proved to be a challenge. On Monday, they were back at home and looking to get back on track and not make that Sunday performance into a habit. Jake Odorizzi had other ideas, at least early on.
In fact, the Astros righty would be perfect the first time through the lineup, and in frustrating fashion from a Red Sox fan perspective. It wasn’t just that they weren’t getting anybody on base, but they also were making life easy for Odorizzi with a whole lot of quick at bats. None of his first three innings required more than 11 pitches as he only had 32 tallied by the time those innings were up.
On the other side, Garrett Whitlock was back for another start despite the argument that the team would be better served as a reliever. He’s coming off the shakiest outing of the season, and possibly his career, last time out, and it looked like he may fall into the same trap on Monday early on with some command issues. What was worse was getting ahead only to beat himself like he did with José Altuve in the leadoff spot, hitting him in the wrist on a 1-2 count. Whitlock actually allowed the first two runners to reach base, but was able to come back with two huge strikeouts after that and ultimately get out of the inning without any runs coming across.
Fortunately, he was able to get back under control after that first inning, getting some help from his defense as well. The second included a walk (after getting ahead 0-2, no less), but ended on a phenomenal diving play by Trevor Story in the hole. And then in the third, he got some help from both Franchy Cordero on a stung ground ball as well as Rafael Devers, who covered some ground to get a potential bloop in shallow left field. All of it worked together to keep this game scoreless despite Houston getting the much better pitching to that point.
In the fourth, the Red Sox quickly ended the perfect game bid with a solid base hit from Enrique Hernández, who moved up to second on a J.D. Martinez single and then third when Xander Bogaerts loaded the bases with a walk. It seemed like a big chance to put up a crooked number, but Boston would settle for just one, and on a weird play at that. Alex Verdugo blooped one into center field that fell in just in front of a diving Chas McCormick. Hernández came in to score, but Martinez didn’t move very far off of third base — it sure looked to me like he could have gotten farther down the line — and was cut down on third base, officially making it a fielder’s choice.
The 1-0 lead wouldn’t last long, unfortunately. McCormick led off the top half of the fifth, and Whitlock made his biggest mistake of the game, leaving a hanging slider up in the zone and right over the plate. McCormick jumped all over it, sending it 408 feet out to center field for a solo homer and tying the game just two pitches into the inning. The good news is Whitlock didn’t let that snowball and retired the next three batters he faced.
The better news is the Red Sox then got that run right back, in large part thanks to Franchy Cordero. He showed off his hard contact skills to start the inning, putting a bullet off the Monster for a leadoff double. A couple batters later, he’d make an impressive read on a ground ball to move up to third before coming in when a pitch from Odorizzi got to the backstop, putting Boston back out in front by a run. The inning then ended on a pretty routine ground ball, but as Odorizzi went to potentially cover first base he just collapsed and had to be taken out on a stretcher due to what looked like some kind of leg injury. As of this writing it’s not entirely clear what happened, but it didn’t look great.
Also not looking great was the Red Sox pitching in the sixth with rain starting to come down at Fenway. Whitlock started the inning and allowed the first two batters to reach before Alex Cora called upon Jake Diekman to try and keep the lead. It wasn’t a great start for the southpaw, who walked the first batter he saw to load the bases. He did follow it up with the first out of the inning, but it came on a fly ball plenty deep enough to get a run across and tie the game. That was all Houston got, though, as Diekman got another fly ball for the second out before John Schreiber came on for a big strikeout to end the inning with the score tied at two apiece.
That rain picked up as the inning went along, and we went into a rain delay that’d last more than 90 minutes before picking things back up in the bottom of the sixth with Rafael Devers ripping a single into left field. Unfortunately, Martinez followed that up with another hard-hit ball, but one hit right at Alex Bregman at third. Not only was Martinez out, but Devers was doubled up at first base to quickly wipe out his single.
With Matt Barnes coming on for the seventh, things didn’t go well. That inning started with a double on a relatively weak fly ball to left field that got by a sliding Verdugo, and then the runner was moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt. That brought José Altuve to the plate, who quickly shot one back up the middle for a base hit, giving Houston the 3-2 lead. Altuve was the last batter Barnes faced, with Matt Strahm coming on and hitting the first batter he faced. Fortunately, that was the only trouble he found with two big strikeouts after that to end the inning.
And as this game had been going before the rain, the two sides continued to exchange blows. This time it was the long ball for Boston, with Story hitting his first Fenway homer of his Red Sox career. He got a slider that caught too much of the plate and he sent it over everything in left field for a solo shot, and we were again all tied up.
Strahm then came back out to work around a two-out double for a scoreless eighth before Hernández set the Red Sox up in the bottom half with a leadoff double ahead of the meat of the order. Devers couldn’t get the run home, but Martinez picked him up by smacking a double into the left-center field gap to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. Bogaerts then added some much-needed insurance considering how this bullpen has performed late in one-run games this year, smashing a two-run shot to extend the lead to three.
Now it was just up to Hansel Robles to not implode. He managed to avoid that, getting through the ninth without allowing a run to close out the 6-3 win.
The Red Sox now look to make it two series wins in a row on Wednesday with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound to take on José Urquidy. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET.
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