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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 3:40:49 GMT -5
Why and how Matt Barnes closed out Red Sox latest win Current Time 0:02 / Duration 1:14
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 8 hours ago
Matt Barnes hasn't lived the life of a closer for some time.
By the time May 22 hit last season, he was certainly entrenched in such an existence, already notching 11 saves while striking out 40, walking just five and limiting opponents to a .120 batting average.
Coming into Saturday, however, Barnes had only faced six batters in save situations all season. His struggles had pushed him down the bullpen depth chart. ADVERTISING
But with the Red Sox having completed their comeback from a five-run deficit with a go-ahead RBI single from Christian Vazquez in the eighth inning, the Red Sox needed a closer. This time Alex Cora turned to Barnes.
The result was a 1-2-3 ninth inning which included a leadoff strikeout and two straight line-outs, the final one coming off the bat of Ty France at a rate of 105.3 mph. But Kiké Hernandez would track down the 388-foot blast, offering a huge sigh of relief for the Red Sox and the last of five relievers.
For the Red Sox, it capped their 6-5 win over the Mariners, clinching their third consecutive series victory.
For Barnes, the opportunity was great, but actual outing - which saw his fastball sit consistently at 95-96 mph - was the true positive.
"Like I’ve told you guys the last few weeks, I think we’ve made some really good strides and we’ve put in a ton of work behind the scenes to get back to what is normal, and really felt like I was making a lot of good strides," Barnes said. "So to be able to go out there, the offense really stepped up today, coming up big in the bottom of the eighth, Vazky with the base knock to drive in the run, then to have the opportunity to be put in that position. And then obviously to be able to get it done and win a series against a good ball club over there, so that one felt really good."
So, why did Cora give Barnes the opportunity? According to the manager, it was out of a lot of necessity and some trust.
Tyler Danish (2 IP), Jake Diekman (1 IP), Hansel Robles (1 IP), and John Schreiber (1 IP) had already pitched, with Tanner Houck and Matt Strahm unavailable. (Austin Davis was warming at the end up just in case despite getting four outs the day before.)
Barnes was next up.
"A lot of people down," Cora said asked about the decision to go to Barnes for his second save of the season. "He has to get people out at one point. Schreiber, his third day, so we decided to go with him in that pocket facing the bottom of the lineup. We had a righty, a lefty and a righty. You got to trust him. At one point, he’s got to get people out at this level and help us win games. He grinded there and he got us three outs."
Cora added, "He threw strikes which is very important and we made some good pitches, he threw a few good breaking balls. He got the save and we won the game. It was a total team effort today. Garrett (Whitlock) wasn’t … he got hit hard today. Just trying to figure out how we get 27. Offensively, it felt like we were putting good at-bats early on in the game and it was going to be one of those games where we had a shot. We’re getting that feeling back. Even in the game that Nate (Eovaldi) pitched the other day, when they scored all those runs, we were one swing away from getting back in the game. It’s getting to that point now and like I said, that’s the fun part of this team.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 3:51:47 GMT -5
Red Sox’ Nathan Eovaldi ready to rebound after ‘worst start of my career’ Gave up 5 HR in second inning of Tuesday’s loss
By Steve Hewitt | stephen.hewitt@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald May 21, 2022 at 4:41 p.m.
Nathan Eovaldi moved on right away.
After serving up an MLB record-tying five home runs in one inning in Tuesday’s loss to the Astros, the Red Sox right-hander was frustrated but didn’t let it linger. He’s confident he made the right adjustments in between starts to bounce back Sunday against the Mariners.
“I’ve already flushed it,” Eovaldi said. “I feel good with where I’m at. Obviously it’s frustrating having to deal with it. Obviously it’s the worst start of my career, things like that. I try to focus on my health and my mechanics and I feel good on both sides of those, so turn the page, go out there and attack these guys.”
Eovaldi chalked up the flurry of homers to poor pitch location against a talented Astros lineup that was sitting on certain pitches, which has become a theme when he faces them.
“I felt like I left a lot of pitches out over the plate where they could really handle it,” Eovaldi said. “I just feel like every time the Astros face me, they do a really good job of eliminating certain pitches and I have a hard time adjusting to that.”
Eovaldi has now given up 14 homers in eight starts this season, which is a dramatic increase from last season, when he served up just 15 homers in 32 starts. The right-hander described that change as frustrating, but he keeps coming back to his slider as a root issue. It’s a pitch he refined over the offseason to enhance his deep repertoire, but he feels like the focus put into that pitch has affected the sharpness of his others.
“I started working on a lot of my other pitches in between series in my bullpen and I feel a lot better,” Eovaldi said. “I’m a lot happier with where they’re at. I’ve been working on the slider I think a little too much and it’s almost taken away from the action of my curveball and my cutter, so I didn’t have that sharpness to it. But other than that, everything felt really good. …
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Eovaldi added of the number of homers he’s allowed this season. “I just have to do a better job getting guys off of certain pitches. I have to do a better job of speeding them up and slowing them down. I think a lot of it is the slider to me personally. I think I’ve been trying to throw it too much and too often.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 3:53:11 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook: Matt Barnes encouraged by save, Garrett Whitlock struggles; Alex Verdugo (illness) leaves game Published: May. 21, 2022, 10:06 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- With the Red Sox leading, 6-5, heading into the ninth inning Saturday, manager Alex Cora didn’t have many options in his bullpen. With Matt Strahm and Tanner Houck unavailable and Hansel Robles, John Schreiber and Jake Diekman already out of the game, Cora called upon Matt Barnes to protect a one-run lead.
A year ago, when Barnes was an All-Star closer, that decision would have been a no-brainer. But Barnes entered Saturday with a 7.11 ERA and is no longer among Boston’s trusted relievers. Cora had to gamble that Barnes could get him three outs. Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
“You’ve got to trust him,” Cora said. “At one point, he has to get people out at this level and help us win games.”
The risk paid off. Though the Mariners hit two balls hard, he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and recorded his second save of the season. Cora was pleased with how Barnes was able to attack the strike zone (10 of his 15 pitches were for strikes).
Barnes, who has been visibly down on himself after many poor outings this year, thought he took a significant step forward Saturday.
“I think we’ve made some really good strides,” he said. “We’ve put in a ton of work behind the scenes to get back to what’s normal.
“I had the opportunity to be put in that position,” he added. “Obviously, to be able to get it done and win a series against a good ballclub over there, that one felt really good.”
Whitlock struggles
Uncharacteristically, Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock struggled in his start. The righty allowed five runs (including four in the first) and 10 hits in just three innings. Seattle’s hitters had no problems attacking Whitlock’s repertoire.
Whitlock has had a couple of bumpy starts since joining the rotation but the Red Sox aren’t worried. There’s a natural adjustment period that takes place when a pitcher transitions roles.
“They attacked some pitches in certain areas,” Cora said. “It’s gameplanning. It seemed that way. Obviously, we pitched them pretty well the last two nights. I think he went there and they were ready for it. They put the ball in play. They did an amazing job. Stuff was OK. I think the secondary pitches, the slider wasn’t good. But we’ll keep it working. It’s a good learning experience for him. It’s not going to be as easy as it started. You’ve got to grind sometimes and he will.”
After the game, Whitlock was very hoarse when he spoke to the media and said he had been dealing with some sort of illness for a couple of days. He refused to use it as an excuse for his performance.
“I felt alright but the thing is they put some good swings on pitches and found holes,” Whitlock said.
Cordero delivers
Franchy Cordero was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to start the game before coming to the plate against Drew Steckenrider in the eighth. With one out, Cordero hit a hard line drive off the Green Monster and raced to third base for a triple. The next batter, Christian Vázquez, then gave the Sox a 6-5 lead with an RBI single.
For Cordero, who has embraced his second chance with the Red Sox and produced since being called up in late April, the hit was arguably his biggest in a Red Sox uniform. Rafael Devers praised him after the game.
“That was huge for us,” Devers said through translator Carlos Villoría Benitez. “We know the type of hitter Franchy is. He’s always good in clutch situations.”
Cordero thought he had a home run off the bat but still ran hard enough to easily reach third for a triple. He believes his offensive approach is better this season than it was when he struggled in the big leagues a year ago.
“I think my big thing is to get to know my strike zone,” he said. “Swing at good pitches and try to get on base. That’s my main focus during my at-bats, trying to have good plate discipline and reach base.”
Verdugo (illness) leaves game
Red Sox left fielder Alex Verdugo left the game in the second inning due to illness, according to the team. He walked in the first but was replaced on defense in the top of the second.
The team is hopeful Verdugo’s illness is not COVID.
“Flu-like symptoms,” Cora said. “We’re going through protocols right now. Hopefully, it’s not COVID-related. We’ll know more later on today.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 3:57:25 GMT -5
Mariners @ Red Sox Sunday, 22nd May 2022 1:30pm @ Fenway
Gilbert 4-2/2.40
Eovaldi 1-2/4.32
Surging Red Sox look to finish sweep of Mariners FLM
The Boston Red Sox have waited for this kind of week all season long.
They will look to make it five straight wins and complete a four-game sweep of the visiting Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon.
Boston showed resilience to extend the streak with Saturday's 6-5 win, overcoming a 5-0 deficit to take its first and only lead on Christian Vazquez's game-winning RBI single in the eighth.
"It was a total team effort today. Garrett (Whitlock) got hit hard, but we just tried to figure out a way to get all 27 (outs)," said Sox manager Alex Cora, whose team has come from behind in three of its last four wins. "Offensively, it felt like we had good at-bats early. ... It's getting there. We're feeling good about ourselves."
Whitlock lasted just three innings on Saturday, but five relievers allowed just two hits combined and kept Boston in the game to make its largest comeback of the season.
Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 4.32 ERA) will be looking to shake off a rare bad start when he takes the mound Sunday, as he allowed nine runs (six earned) on eight hits in just 1 2/3 innings last Tuesday.
The Astros tagged Eovaldi for five home runs in a single inning during his last outing. It was his shortest start since 2016 and the only one this season in which he has given up more than three runs.
"In the past, I feel every time I've faced the Astros, they came out swinging, and tried to jump on the fastball," Eovaldi said. "I was able to locate it in the first and had a quick inning. I tried to do the same thing the second inning, and they didn't miss. ... I have to do a better job of mixing my pitches and attacking them differently."
Eovaldi made two starts against the Mariners last season, going 0-1 while allowing six earned runs over 10 innings.
It has been a struggle of a road trip for the Mariners as they are 3-6 in the last nine games, but Logan Gilbert (4-2, 2.40 ERA) will look to continue his recent success in his second career start against Boston.
April's American League Pitcher of the Month, Gilbert struck out nine in his two most recent starts, tying the career-high mark that he set on Sept. 13, 2021, at Fenway Park.
In his second consecutive loss last Tuesday at Toronto, Gilbert worked seven innings of three-run ball. The second-year Mariner enjoyed great success with his fastball as it averaged 96.7 miles per hour and topped out at a career-high 99, according to MLB.com.
"I think it sets everything up," Gilbert said. "I tried to use everything how I could, but I felt like I had a good fastball (on Tuesday) and I tried to play off that. Then the curve and slider, good enough."
Prior to a May 6 no-decision against Toronto, Gilbert had gone 4-0 while surrendering just one total earned run over his previous four consecutive starts.
Julio Rodriguez enjoyed a 3-for-4 Saturday with a double, RBI and run scored, upping his May average to .342 in 20 games. But the Mariners were scoreless after Whitlock left the game.
"Unfortunately for (Saturday starter Chris Flexen), it was about the only time we've scored any runs for him this year and wasn't able to get a bit deeper in the ballgame," manager Scott Servais said. "He wasn't fooling anybody. It turned into a bullpen game after that. And their bullpen was a little bit better."
--Field Level Media
Mariners at Red Sox Sunday, at 1:35 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 85° F with a 1% chance of rain and 11 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 1:35 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by Kimmi on May 22, 2022 8:07:55 GMT -5
There are always so many small things that will corrupt a sample size this early. The NYY have played 13 games against teams > .500, and 25 v teams < .500. For the RS, it is pretty much the opposite, with 26 > .500 and 13 < .500. The NYY have already played 10 games against Baltimore. That isn't a shot; they've played well and we haven't, but it affects the records. We're 0-6 in extra innings. I think we should be scoring ~ 4.5 RPG, or better. Had we scored just exactly 4.5 rpg, our record would be 24-15. And I agree on the BP. I think we need a real, established closer, but the BP isn't that bad. Strahm, Davis, Robles, Diekman, and Schreider all have ERAs of =/less than 2.70, Sawamura is at 3.65m and Houck is high, but most of that was the meltdown against LAA. But you can't come in every game with a 2-2 score. Same with the hitting. You can't hit when every AB is crucial. And welcome back. Good stuff all around JoeyB.
I think one of the guys that are currently in the pen could be our regular closer. I understand Cora's use of matchups in determining who pitches what inning, but I think there are also benefits with the relievers knowing what their established role is, particularly for the guy who is going to be closing out most games. The closer by committee strategy hasn't worked very well so far.
We must give a shoutout to the pen for yesterday's performance though. Six innings allowing 0 runs and allowing the offense to come back and win.
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Post by Kimmi on May 22, 2022 8:11:38 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 1h Barnes pitches a clean ninth in a one-run game, and let's not dig any deeper into it because that's no good for anybody. #RedSox Haha. I was going to dig a little deeper into Barnes' 9th inning, but I'll heed Couture's advice.
Good job to Barnes and the entire Sox bullpen.
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Post by Kimmi on May 22, 2022 8:14:10 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 1h Well, the Red Sox are back in it. There will be a baseball season in Boston this summer The Sox still have a lot of work to do, but what a difference a week makes. They look so much better than they did in April.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 9:01:57 GMT -5
After his worst outing, Garrett Whitlock made sure to talk even though he couldn't talk Current Time 0:04 / Duration 0:15 By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 an hour ago
It was unfamiliar territory for Garrett Whitlock.
For the first time in his young career, Whitlock had to address the media following a really bad outing. In this case, it the product of an uneasy three-inning outing that resulted in five runs on 10 hits.
And making the postgame dynamic even more out-of-the-ordinary was the condition of Whitlock's voice. He could barely talk. ADVERTISING
The session only lasted just under two minutes, with Whitlock finishing things off by addressing his voice situation. "I’ve had this for a couple of days. I’m alright," he said.
The accountability was another example of Whitlock's highly-thought-of persona. That came as no surprise.
What was somewhat shocking were the on-the-field results.
Prior to what ended up as a 6-5 Red Sox win over the Mariners, the righty had never allowed more than four hits or three runs.
This was clearly viewed by most as an aberration. But the fact that such a performance came in his new role of a starter led to questions for Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
Before the game Cora spoke of the difference in approach teams would take against Whitlock the starter compared to Whitlock the reliever. After the game, the analysis held up.
"They attacked some pitches in certain areas that it’s game-planning," the manager said. "It seems that way. Obviously, we pitched them pretty well the last two nights. I think we went there and they were ready for it and they put the ball in play and did an amazing job. Stuff was OK. I think the secondary pitches, the slider wasn’t good. We’ll keep working. It’s a good learning experience for him. It’s not going to be as easy as a starter. You have to grind sometimes and he will."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 9:05:58 GMT -5
1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Trevor Story (R) 2B 6. Franchy Cordero (L) LF 7. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 8. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF 9. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 22, 2022 9:25:07 GMT -5
There are always so many small things that will corrupt a sample size this early. The NYY have played 13 games against teams > .500, and 25 v teams < .500. For the RS, it is pretty much the opposite, with 26 > .500 and 13 < .500. The NYY have already played 10 games against Baltimore. That isn't a shot; they've played well and we haven't, but it affects the records. We're 0-6 in extra innings. I think we should be scoring ~ 4.5 RPG, or better. Had we scored just exactly 4.5 rpg, our record would be 24-15. And I agree on the BP. I think we need a real, established closer, but the BP isn't that bad. Strahm, Davis, Robles, Diekman, and Schreider all have ERAs of =/less than 2.70, Sawamura is at 3.65m and Houck is high, but most of that was the meltdown against LAA. But you can't come in every game with a 2-2 score. Same with the hitting. You can't hit when every AB is crucial. And welcome back. Good stuff all around JoeyB.
I think one of the guys that are currently in the pen could be our regular closer. I understand Cora's use of matchups in determining who pitches what inning, but I think there are also benefits with the relievers knowing what their established role is, particularly for the guy who is going to be closing out most games. The closer by committee strategy hasn't worked very well so far.
We must give a shoutout to the pen for yesterday's performance though. Six innings allowing 0 runs and allowing the offense to come back and win.I'm wondering whether Cora is working thru an alignment to see what works. I think the pieces are mostly 'okay', but I can't really tell which pitcher is sustainable. We have the 5 guys I mentioned, but their success might be predicated on matchups. Once you nominate one of them as your closer, you lose the ability to matchup.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 22, 2022 9:30:12 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 1h Barnes pitches a clean ninth in a one-run game, and let's not dig any deeper into it because that's no good for anybody. #RedSox Haha. I was going to dig a little deeper into Barnes' 9th inning, but I'll heed Couture's advice.
Good job to Barnes and the entire Sox bullpen.You and every other RS fan. Life's lesson is, if you like blood pudding, don't bother to ask how they make it.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 22, 2022 9:37:24 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 1h Well, the Red Sox are back in it. There will be a baseball season in Boston this summer The Sox still have a lot of work to do, but what a difference a week makes. They look so much better than they did in April. I was out last night with some BB-junkie fans. One of them said that, two weeks ago, if the RS were down 2-0, you could turn the game off. Recently, we've gotten a couple of 2-run blasts when we were down 4 runs. The 4-run deficit becomes a 2-run deficit, and in the 4th inning, it feels like you still have a pretty decent shot. But like you said, the hole we dug was dark and deep, and we have miles to go before we keep, the series appointment that we seek.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 11:10:34 GMT -5
Game 41: Mariners at Red Sox lineups and notes By Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated May 22, 2022, 12 minutes ago
The suddenly scorching Red Sox have a chance to win their fifth game in a row — and lock up a sweep over the Mariners — on a sweltering Sunday afternoon at Fenway.
With temperatures in Boston reaching the 90s, Nate Eovaldi can help wrap up Boston’s best week of the season as he takes the ball looking to bounce back from a disastrous outing against the Astros. Home run suppression has been a real issue for the righthander, who has allowed one fewer homer in the first two months of 2022 as he did in all of 2021.
Logan Gilbert has the task of keeping the brooms away for the Mariners. The second-year starter has been Seattle’s best arm, his 2.40 earned run average sitting in the top 10 in the American League.
Lineups
MARINERS (17-24):
1. Adam Frazier (L) 2B 2. Ty France (R) 1B 3. J.P. Crawford (L) SS 4. Julio Rodriguez (R) CF 5. Jesse Winker (L) LF 6. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B 7. Mike Ford (L) DH 8. Cal Raleigh (S) C 9. Taylor Trammell (L) RF
Pitching: RHP Logan Gilbert (4-2, 2.40 ERA)
RED SOX (18-22):
1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Trevor Story (R) 2B 6. Franchy Cordero (L) LF 7. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 8. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF 9. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
Pitching: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 4.32 ERA)
Time: 1:35 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Mariners vs. Eovaldi: Crawford 1-5, Ford 0-3, France 3-6, Raleigh 1-2, Souza Jr. 2-8, Toro 0-2, Torrens 0-3
Red Sox vs. Gilbert: Bogaerts 1-3,Devers 0-3, Hernández 0-3, Martinez 0-2, Verdugo 1-3, Vázquez 1-2
Stat of the day: Nathan Eovaldi’s 3.0 home run per nine innings mark is the worst of any starter with at least 40 innings pitched in Red Sox history.
Notes: After Garrett Whitlock lasted just three innings on Saturday, five relievers allowed just two hits combined and kept Boston in the game to make its largest comeback of the season, rallying from 5-0 down for a 6-5 win ... Eovaldi allowed nine runs (six earned) in 1 ⅔ innings, his shortest start since 2016 and the only one this season in which he has given up more than three runs ... Eovaldi made two starts against the Mariners last season, going 0-1 while allowing six earned runs over 10 innings ... April’s American League Pitcher of the Month, Gilbert struck out nine in his two most recent starts, tying the career-high mark that he set on Sept. 13, 2021, at Fenway Park. Prior to a May 6 no-decision against Toronto, Gilbert had gone 4-0 while surrendering just one total earned run over his previous four consecutive starts.
Song of the Day: The Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 11:21:00 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 1h Verdugo tested negative for Covid, Cora said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 22, 2022 12:43:48 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 11m Red Sox scratched JD Martinez right before first pitch.
Back spasms for J.D. Martinez.
Hernández CF, Devers 3B, Bogaerts SS, Story 2B, Cordero LF, Arroyo DH, Bradley RF, Dalbec 1B, Plawecki C, Eovaldi P
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