Category: Baseball

Rafael Devers Left Tonight’s Game After a Scary Collision at Home Plate.

In the second inning of an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs, Red Sox fans had to hold their breaths yet again as another key player appeared to injure himself. Chris Sale took a line drive off his left hip on Saturday, and now Rafael Devers suffered a right knee contusion on this play at the plate tonight.

Everything about this play is pretty awkward. From Victor Caratini’s throw that went over the head of Yu Darvish, to how bad Addison Russell’s throw back to home plate was. As bad as it looked, it was agood sign to see Devers get back on his feet quickly and walk off the field under his own power. You hate to see this stuff happen, especially when the games hold no meaning. Evan Drellich is reporting that Devers is ‘day to day’, so hopefully with some rest he will be ready to go by Thursday.

The #RedSox Wrapped up Grapefruit League Play Today by Defeating the Twins 6-1.

Although they are not done playing exhibition games, the Red Sox did move one step closer to playing meaningful baseball today, as they defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-1 in their last Grapefruit League game of the spring. They finish Grapefruit League play at 20-8-1.

Like Chris Sale did yesterday, David Price made his final start before the regular season begins today. The lefty tossed three innings of one run ball while facing 12 batters and fanning four of them. The only run he gave up came on a solo shot off the bat of Twins slugger Brian Dozier in the second inning. He’ll be on the mound again next Friday, facing off against the team he began his career with in the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bobby Poyner, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes, and Dedgar Jiminez also got some work in today, and they all combined to throw six shutout innings while only allowing three total runners to reach base.

Offensively, the Red Sox were carried by the top half of the lineup. Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Hanley Ramirez, and Andrew Benintendi were responsible for all six runs scored. The three home runs the team hit today belong to just Betts (2) and Benintendi. To put it simply, all three were hit far.

As for what’s next, the Red Sox will be hosting the Chicago Cubs over the next two days at Fenway South. After that, it’s an off day, then we finally arrive at Opening Day in St. Pete on Thursday. It took a while, but we are just FOUR days away from meaningful baseball being back in our lives for the next seven months. I’ll make sure to have a season preview out soon.

The #RedSox Have Traded Infielder Deven Marrero to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Red Sox made an unsurprising move today. Out of Brock Holt, Blake Swihart, and Deven Marrero, there was a very small chance all three would make the Opening Day roster. After this trade, we now know that Holt and Swihart are essentially locks to make it. While Marrero goes to Arizona, the Red Sox receive either a PTBNL or cash considerations in return.

Since he was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2012 amateur draft, Marrero never put it all together. His defense is at a borderline elite level, but offensively, he brought almost nothing to the table. In 109 big league games, Marrero owns a career batting average of only .208 and a measly .259 On Base Percentage. Despite that, I have to give him credit for what he did for the Red Sox in 2017. The team went through Pablo Sandoval, Brock Holt, and Josh Rutledge at third, and it was a circus. Before Rafael Devers got called up, Marrero stepped up and provided some stability defensively at that position.

Maybe he’ll figure things out in Arizona, a place he is familiar with since he played college baseball for the Sun Devils of Arizona State University. There is also more familiarity with Diamondbacks leadership. The man who traded for him, Mike Hazen, was a part of the Red Sox front office when the team drafted him. And the manager of the Diamondbacks, Torey Lovullo, served as the Red Sox bench coach when Marrero was with the big league club for parts of the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

It’s nor clear what his role with the DBacks will be, but I would expect him to get the majority of his at bats against left-handed pitchers. That’s where he has found the most success at the plate in his big league career. I mean, his OPS increases by over 200 points when facing LHPs compared to facing RHPs. So best of luck in AZ, Deven. Maybe the Red Sox will see you again in October.

Also, this is my favorite Deven Marrero game.

 

 

Chris Sale Had to Leave His Start Early Today Because of a Line Drive He Took off His Left Hip.

Making his last start of the spring, Red Sox ace Chris Sale did not have the most ideal day. After facing only four batters, the lefty had to exit the game because of a line drive he took off his left hip.

It was a scary moment, but it appears that Sale is fine and will start on Opening Day as scheduled. While talking to reporters, Sale said, “It looked a lot worse than it actually is” and that he is “Not at all” concerned that he’ll miss his next start. He has a standard five days to prepare for it and he will toss a bullpen sometime in the next two days as well. The bottom line is that Sale and the Red Sox got lucky. That JD Davis line drive could have done some damage, but thankfully, it did not. The San Francisco Giants just lost their ace Madison Bumgarner to a broken hand yesterday, and even though he has only been here for one season, losing Sale would be as detrimental to the Red Sox as it was for the Giants losing MadBum. Opening Day cannot get here soon enough.

Christian Vazquez and #RedSox Agree to Three-Year Contract Extension.

Entering his age 27 season and the last year on his previous contract, Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez is here to stay for a while. The two sides came to terms on a three-year deal worth approximately $13.35 million over that span. He’ll still make $1.425 million in 2018, then the extension will kick in next season. The new contract also includes a club option worth $7 million in 2022, where Vazquez will be 31 years old.

The Puerto Rico native has been with the Red Sox since 2008, when he was drafted by the Red Sox in the ninth round in the amateur draft that year. In 211 career big league games, Vazquez owns a slash line of .261/.311/.355. He has always been known for his abilities behind the plate, but he really came through with the bat in his hands in 2017, putting up career high numbers in multiple offensive categories while also appearing in a career high 99 games. One of the more memorable moments of last season is because of Vazquez, when he walked it off for the Red Sox on August 1st against the Cleveland Indians.

With his new contract, Vazquez has committed to making annual donations to the Red Sox foundation. Great move on his part. Should be an exciting season for the number one catcher.

christian vazquez dancing GIF by MLB

Steven Wright Suspended 15 Games for December Arrest.

Well, this stinks. After getting arrested for domestic assault at his home in Tennessee back in December, Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright has at last received his punishment. If he starts the season on the active roster, he’ll have to sit out the first 15 games of the regular season. If he starts the season on the disabled list, he’ll have to wait until he is activated to serve the suspension. With that in mind, the end of the Red Sox rotation remains a bit of a mystery.

Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello. That’s what the front end of the Red Sox rotation right now. The last two, well, that could consist of any of these two pitchers, Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brian Johnson, and Hector Velazquez. It looks like Pomeranz will actually start the season on the DL, thanks to the left forearm he strained at the beginning of the month seem more optimistic with him. Say he is ready, slot him in as the fourth starter. If he’s not, you are essentially down to Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez as the best starting options. Speaking of options, Brian Johnson is out of them, so he should make the 25-man roster regardless. As for Velazquez, he is not having the best of spring trainings at this moment, but there really is no one better than him who is major league ready. So, if this is the rotation the Red Sox roll out for the first ten or so days of the season, how confident are you the bottom half can get the job done? Here it is one more time:

Chris Sale
David Price
Rick Porcello
Brian Johnson
Hector Velazquez

MLB.com Ranks #RedSox Lineup as Fourth Best in Baseball to Start the Season.

So I stumbled across this article while browsing MLB’s website today and I have to say, it caught my interest. Anthony Castrovince is good at what he does. While ranking the top ten lineups in baseball to start the 2018 season, he listed the Red Sox as fourth best. Ahead of them were the Astros, Yankees, and Nationals, and right behind them were the Indians, Cubs, and Dodgers. Out of the ten teams that make the postseason this season, I’m going to go ahead and say seven of those spots will be occupied by the teams I just listed. For the Red Sox, that’s good, but expected company to be in. As a team that usually flourishes in scoring runs, last season was a bit of an oddity. They still finished tenth in runs scored, but the offensive production seemed to have disappeared at times throughout various times over the season.

In the article I referenced, this is the projected lineup Castrovince uses:

1. Mookie Betts, RF
2. Andrew Benintendi, LF
3. Hanley Ramirez, 1B
4. J.D. Martinez, DH
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Rafael Devers, 3B
7. Eduardo Nunez, 2B
8. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
9. Christian Vazquez, C

Not a bad lineup, not better than the Astros or Yankees, but still a solid lineup that should produce more than the 2017 version did. The addition of JD Martinez, to go along with a full season of Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nunez, should help as well. Moving up from 27th in home runs should be a goal for this team. A reasonable expectation, for me, would be to get into the top half of the league in total home runs.

Last point, it makes sense that the Red Sox are listed third among American League teams on this list. Behind the Astros and Indians, I feel confident saying the Red Sox are the third best team in the AL. The Yankees are close to them, but after winning the past two division titles, I have to give that spot to the Red Sox.

Chris Sale Has Been Named the Opening Day Starter for the #RedSox.

Not much of a surprise here. For the first time in his Red Sox career, Chris Sale will be starting on Opening Day at the Trop against the Rays. With nine days to go until the season starts, I would expect the lefty to make one more exhibition start before preparing for the regular season. He pitched yesterday, so I am going to guess he will pitch again this Saturday against the Houston Astros for the last time this spring.

Sale surpassed 300 strikeouts for the first time in his career in 2017 while finishing second in American League Cy Young voting behind Corey Kluber. With new leadership, it is possible that Sale is a little more reserved with his arsenal to start this new season, compared to how he came out guns blazing last year. If he can extend himself later into the season and the postseason, this change could be very beneficial for both Sale and the team. The Red Sox open the season at 4 PM on Thursday, March 29th, on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Xander Bogaerts Drove in Two Runs for the #RedSox Today.

On a day where Chris Sale was pitching, I am surprisingly not writing about him. Instead, I am writing about today’s starting short stop, Xander Bogaerts. Before the lineup scored four runs in the bottom half of the ninth, Bogaerts had been the only source of offensive production for the Red Sox. In his three at bats, the 25-year-old Aruba native reached base twice while driving in two runs. The first RBI came on a solo shot in the fourth inning, the second on an RBI single in the sixth. Here they both are in this convenient video:

Today’s performance at the plate now puts Bogaerts’ batting average at .353 for the spring, to go along with an impressive OPS of 1.025.

With less than ten days until Opening Day, the Red Sox have now won seven Grapefruit League games in a row. Craig Kimbrel came back from his family emergency today as well, so things are looking up right now. A healthy Xander Bogaerts could be a big addition to this Red Sox lineup, even more so if he can get his power numbers up. In three full big league seasons, the most home runs the short stop has hit is only 21, which took place in 2016. He has already hit two in 37 plate appearances this spring, so we could be looking at Xander hitting home runs at a much higher clip in 2018. Expecting X to bounce back in a big way this year.

Thinking about those 2️⃣3️⃣ more days. - Boston Red Sox (@redsox)

Andrew Benintendi Hit a Ball out of Bradenton for the #RedSox Today.

Going into today winning their last five games, Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi did his part in ensuring the winning streak continues. The bats were quiet up until the top half of the fifth inning. After Christian Vazquez led off the inning by flying out to center, the next three Red Sox hitters reached base. A single by Rusney Castillo was followed up by a Mookie Betts RBI double, giving the Red Sox their first and only lead of the game. With the very next at bat, Andrew Benintendi launched a pitch from Brett McKinney of the Pittsburgh Pirates over the right field wall in Bradenton, and hit it over everything.

Benintendi ended the game 1 for 2 with that solo shot, and he is now slashing .433/.486/.900 this spring. That’s an OPS of 1.386. I know they’re just spring training numbers, but it’s hard not to be impressed with what Benintendi has done with the 30 at bats he has gotten this month. I expect a borderline great season from our everyday left fielder in 2018.