Rafael Devers’ 2-homer night goes for naught as Red Sox come up short in 6-5 loss to Yankees

The Red Sox’ struggles against the American League East continued on Thursday night as they suffered a series-opening loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park.

Boston fell to New York by a final score of 6-5 to drop to 9-19 against divisional opponents and 45-38 on the season overall.

Josh Winckowski, making his sixth start of the year for the Sox, immersed himself into the rivalry by allowing six earned runs on six hits, five walks, and two strikeouts over five innings of work.

The rookie right-hander retired six of the first eight batters he faced in the first two innings of Thursday’s contest. He then issued a leadoff walk to No. 9 hitter Joey Gallo to begin things in the third. After Gleyber Torres singled and Giancarlo Stanton drew a two-out walk to load the bases, Winckowski received a visit from pitching coach Dave Bush.

On the other side of that mound visit, Winckowski proceeded to serve up a 429-foot grand slam to Josh Donaldson. Moments after Donaldson crossed home plate, Winckowski gave up a first-pitch solo home run to Aaron Hicks, this giving the Yankees a commanding 5-0 lead.

The Sox were able to get two of those runs back in their half of the third. Matched up against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, Kevin Plawecki reached base via a one-out single. After Jarren Duran struck out, Rafael Devers got his productive night at the plate started by crushing a 434-foot, two-run blast to right field to make it a 5-2 game.

Winckowski, meanwhile, managed to work his way around two walks in the fourth before running into some more trouble in the fifth. A two-out double from Hicks put a runner at third for Jose Trevino, who hit a 53-foot pop fly to the right side of the infield. First baseman Franchy Cordero put himself in position to catch the ball to retire the side, but he instead misplayed it, which allowed Hicks to easily score his side’s sixth run. Winckowski then got the final out of the inning and ended his night there.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 98 (52 strikes), the 24-year-old induced just three swings-and-misses while relying heavily upon his sinker and slider. He was ultimately charged with his third loss of the season while his ERA rose to 4.35.

Shortly after Winckowski ended the top of the fifth, Devers got to Cole again in the bottom half. Following a leadoff double from Cordero and one-out walk from Plawecki, runners were at the corners with two outs for the soon-to-be two-time All-Star.

Having already seen him give up a homer to Devers, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake paid Cole a visit on the mound to discuss how they would attack the dangerous left-handed hitter this time around. Whatever strategy they came up with did not work, though, as Devers promptly cranked a 425-foot three-run shot to dead center field.

Devers’ second big fly of the night — and 19th of the season — left his bat at 107. 4 mph. It also cut the Yankees’ lead down to one run at 6-5. Cole, however, did not buckle, as he got through the rest of the fifth before sitting down the final three batters he faced in order in the sixth.

The rest of the night belonged to New York’s vaunted bullpen. While Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, Ryan Brasier (with some defensive help from Trevor Story), and Austin Davis combined for four scoreless frames in relief of Winckowski, the three relievers the Yankees used were just as effective.

Wandy Peralta made quick work of the Sox in the seventh while Michael King stranded one runner in an otherwise quiet eighth inning. When they were down to their final three outs in the ninth, Story, Cordero, and Rob Refsnyder were all retired by Clay Holmes, who needed just 10 pitches to hand the Red Sox their seventh loss in their last 10 games.

Despite the loss, Devers went 2-for-5 with all five of Boston’s RBIs on Wednesday after sitting out the last two games with a sore back and right hamstring. He has now taken Cole deep on six different occasions in the 25 times he has faced off against him.

Next up: Seabold vs. Cortes

The Red Sox will call up right-hander Connor Seabold to start against the Yankees on Friday as Michael Wacha is expected to be placed on the 15-day injured list due to arm discomfort.

Seabold will become the third straight rookie to start a game for Boston. New York will counter with left-hander Nestor Cortes.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7: 10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Michael Wacha will not start for Red Sox on Friday, could be headed for injured list as arm issues linger

The Red Sox were hoping that Michael Wacha would be able to start against the Yankees on Friday after he was scratched on July 4 due to a “heavy arm.” That will not happen, as the veteran right-hander is still dealing with arm issues.

“He hasn’t been able to bounce back from bullpens or playing catch,” manager Alex Cora said of Wacha on Thursday. “Nothing structural. We actually tested him. He had an MRI and all that, and everything looks clean. Right now, just hasn’t been able to bounce back.”

Wacha made his 13th start of the season for Boston in Toronto on June 28, allowing four earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over five innings. Last Sunday, the 31-year-old first began complaining about “a heavy, tired feeling” in his throwing arm. As previously mentioned, he was slated to make his 14th start on Independence Day but was instead scratched in favor of Austin Davis.

While Wacha continues to be plagued by arm fatigue, the Red Sox remain optimistic that he will not require a trip to the injured list. Wacha has proven to be one of Boston’s best starters this season, posting a 2.69 ERA and 3.96 FIP with 50 strikeouts to 22 walks across 70 1/3 innings of work.

With that being said, however, the Sox still need a starter to go up against Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. on Friday night. Connor Seabold, who last pitched in Chicago on July 3, would be in line to start on regular rest.

But the Red Sox optioned Seabold to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, meaning the only way they could call him back up on Friday would be if they placed another player on the injured list.

So, it seems likely that Boston will place Wacha on the 15-day injured list and recall Seabold from Worcester to start on Friday. If not, they could lean in the direction of a bullpen game.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Tyler Danish on 15-day injured list, select Michael Feliz from Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have placed right-handed reliever Tyler Danish on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain. In a corresponding move, fellow righty Michael Feliz was selected from Triple-A Worcester, the club announced prior to Thursday’s game against the Yankees.

Danish had made a pair of two-inning relief appearances in the Sox’ last two games against the Rays at Fenway Park, allowing one run on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts on 64 total pitches. On the 2022 season as a whole, the 27-year-old has posted a 4.02 ERA and 4.74 FIP to go along with 25 strikeouts to eight walks over 26 outings spanning 31 1/3 innings of work.

Feliz, meanwhile, joins the Red Sox for the first time this season after making four appearances for the club in 2021. The 29-year-old signed a minor-league deal with Boston in December and broke camp with Worcester this spring.

In 18 appearances (three starts) for the WooSox this season, Feliz has produced a 3.28 ERA and 2.85 FIP with 28 strikeouts to nine walks across 24 2/3 innings pitched. He works with a four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup.

The Sox were able to add Feliz to their 40-man roster without making a corresponding move since they designated Hansel Robles for assignment on Wednesday.

On that note, Feliz is out of minor-league options, so Boston would need to designate him for assignment if they intended on removing him from the major-league roster anytime soon. And since he has more than three years of big-league service time, Feliz has the ability to reject an outright assignment to the minor-leagues in favor of free agency if he were to clear waivers.

(Picture of Tyler Danish: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Brayan Bello joins Ceddanne Rafaela in representing Red Sox at All-Star Futures Game

Fresh off making his major-league debut, Brayan Bello will represent the Red Sox in the All-Star Futures Game for the second consecutive year, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Bello, 23, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system and the 44th-ranked prospect in all of baseball. The right-hander made his first career start against the Rays at Fenway Park on Wednesday night and allowed four runs on six hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over four innings in a 7-1 loss.

Of the 79 pitches Bello threw, 45 went for strikes. He averaged 97.1 mph and topped out at 97.7 mph with his four-seam fastball while also mixing in a high-80s changeup, a high-90s sinker, and a mid-80s slider, per Baseball Savant.

Prior to getting called up for the first time on Wednesday, Bello had posted a 2.81 ERA and 2.68 FIP to go along with 72 strikeouts to 21 walks over his last nine appearances (eight starts) and 51 1/3 innings pitched since earning a promotion from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester in May.

At last year’s Futures Game at Coors Field, Bello yielded one run on one hit in two-thirds of the inning. This time around at Dodger Stadium, the Dominican-born hurler will be joined by other top pitching prospects around the American League such as the Rays’ Taj Bradley, the Mariners’ Emerson Hancock, the Rangers’ Jack Leiter, and the Yankees’ Ken Waldichuk.

In the scenario that Bello remains with the Sox through the All-Star break, he would then be replaced on the American League’s roster by another player.

Along with Bello, versatile prospect Ceddanne Rafaela will also be representing the Red Sox in Los Angeles on July 16. This will be Rafaela’s first trip to the Futures Game. The 21-year-old has burst onto the scene this season and is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Both Bello and Rafaela signed with the Red Sox as international free-agents coming out of the Dominican Republic and Curacao on July 2, 2017, respectively. They have never played for the same affiliate at the same time before.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Chris Sale walks 5 in latest rehab start for Triple-A Worcester

In the fourth and possibly final start of his rehab assignment, Red Sox left-hander produced mixed results for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday night.

Pitching in front of a crowd of 8,891 at Polar Park, Sale allowed one run on three hits and five walks to go along with five strikeouts over just 3 2/3 innings of work in the WooSox’ 4-2 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

After tossing four innings in Portland last Thursday, the plan was for Sale to get stretched out to 65 pitches on Wednesday. A wrench was instead thrown into those plans due to a high pitch count.

Sale walked two of the first five batters he faced in the first inning and issued one more while striking out two of the four batters he faced in the top of the second. A leadoff walk of Tim Locastro to begin things in the third was negated when Jake Bauers grounded into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

In the fourth, Sale gave up back-to-back softy-hit singles to Phillip Evans and Greg Bird to lead off the inning. He then got the first out of the inning before giving up another weak single to Chris Owings that filled the bases.

A five-pitch punchout of Armando Alvarez increased Sale’s pitch count to 66. Rather than get pulled from the game, he got a visit from WooSox pitching coach Paul Abbott, who told him he had a hard limit of 70 pitches.

Sale followed that exchange by issuing a six-pitch walk to No. 9 hitter David Freitas, who proved to be the final RailRider he would face as Evans scored from third to make it a 1-1 game at the time.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 72 (42 strikes), Sale induced 14 swings-and-misses. The 33-year-old southpaw also averaged 94 mph and topped out at 97 mph with his fastball while mixing in a mid-80s changeup and high-70s slider, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

When speaking with reporters (including Speier) Wednesday night, Sale indicated that the lack of command he displayed can be attributed to an issue with his delivery, which he believes can be fixed easily.

“It’s nothing that can’t be cleaned up in this next week [with] a couple bullpen sessions,” Sale said. “This doesn’t really set me back.”

Sale began the season on the 60-day injured list due to a right rib cage stress fracture that he sustained in February. His return was then slowed for a period of time in May because of a non-baseball health concern related to his family’s medical history.

If this was indeed Sale’s final rehab outing, he would be on track to return to the Red Sox’ starting rotation during their series against the Rays in Tampa Bay next week. If not, he could make another start for one of Boston’s minor-league affiliates in order to refine his command before re-joining the big-league club.

Either way, Sale says he is feeling good physically and is in a different place than he was at this time last year while working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

“Coming back from a major arm surgery last year, there were a lot of question marks still,” said Sale. “This year’s more of just sharpening the sword, not rebuilding it.”

(Picture of Chris Sale: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Brayan Bello struggles in major-league debut as Red Sox drop series to Rays with 7-1 loss

A day that began with so much promise at Fenway Park ended in disappointment. Top pitching prospect Brayan Bello made his highly-anticipated major-league debut on Wednesday night, but the Red Sox still fell to the Rays by a final score of 7-1.

In his first career big-league start, Bello got tagged for four runs on six hits and three walks to go along with two strikeouts over four innings of work. The rookie right-hander got the first out of the first inning on two pitches, then gave up a scorching double to Yandy Diaz that was immediately followed by a run-scoring single off the bat of Wander Franco.

After navigating his way through the first with the help of an inning-ending double play that he started, Bello recorded his first punchout in a scoreless top of the second before running into more trouble in the third. With two outs and runners on the corners, Bello surrendered a two-run double double to Randy Arozarena, who later scored on an RBI double from Kevin Kiermaier.

That made it a 4-0 game in favor of Tampa Bay heading into the fourth, where Bello ended his night by retiring three of the final four batters he faced. Finishing with a final pitch count of 79 (45 strikes), the 23-year-old hurler was only able to induce six swings-and-misses as he was ultimately charged with the losing decision.

In relief of Bello, Jake Diekman received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander walked one and struck out two in a scoreless fifth inning before making way for Hirokazu Sawamura, who walked four of the eight Rays he faced while giving up an RBI double to Vidal Brujan and issuing a bases-loaded walk to Ji-Man Choi to give Tampa Bay a 6-0 advantage.

Austin Davis fanned a pair in the seventh while Tyler Danish worked a scoreless top of the eighth. To that point in the contest, a Rafael Devers-less Red Sox lineup had been completely held in check by the opposing pitching staff.

Rays tarter Corey Kluber allowed just three hits and struck out five over six scoreless frames. The Sox had a golden chance to get to the veteran hurler in their half of the second, when a Franchy Cordero ground-rule double put runners at second and third with two outs. But Christian Arroyo popped out to Francisco Mejia in foul territory to extinguish the threat.

In the third, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Vazquez hit a pair of singles to put runners at first and second with only one out. J.D. Martinez then grounded into a force out while Xander Bogaerts fanned on five pitches to end the inning.

It was not until the seventh inning when the Red Sox recorded their fourth hit of the night on a one-out double from Trevor Story. Rays reliever Calvin Faucher prevented Story from advancing past second base, however, as he sat down Cordero and Arroyo to send things to the eighth.

Martinez accounted for Boston’s lone run in the eighth inning, as he drove in Jarren Duran on an RBI single to left field. Tampa Bay got that run back, though, as Arozarena crushed a solo shot off Danish in the ninth to make it a six-run game again.

Down to their final three outs in the bottom half of the ninth, Alex Verdugo, Story, and Cordero went down in order to drop the Red Sox to 45-37 on the season. They went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday and left six runners on base as a team.

Boston has now lost three consecutive series and is a measly 9-18 against divisional opponents this year.

Next up: Winckowski vs. Cole

The Red Sox will now welcome the first-place Yankees into town for the first time this season for a four-game weekend series that begins on Thursday night. In the opener, it will be rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski getting the ball for Boston and fellow righty Gerrit Cole doing the same for New York.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Rafael Devers out of Red Sox lineup for second straight night, but available to pinch-hit in Wednesday’s series finale against Rays

Rafael Devers is out of the Red Sox lineup for a second straight day due to lower back soreness and a sore right hamstring, manager Alex Cora said prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Rays at Fenway Park.

Per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, Devers first went into Cora’s office following Monday’s win over Tampa Bay and asked to have Tuesday’s game off. While the 25-year-old third baseman will start Wednesday’s contest on the bench, he will be available to pinch-hit if needed, Cora said.

Devers has appeared in 78 of Boston’s first 81 games this season. The left-handed-hitting slugger comes into play Wednesday sporting a .327/.387/.579 slash line to go along with 17 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 57 runs scored across 78 games (347 plate appearances) so far this year.

In Devers’ place, Christian Arroyo will be making his second straight start at third base while batting eighth. Since returning from the COVID-19 related injured list on June 24, Arroyo has gone 8-for-18 (.444) with one double, one home run, three RBIs, and four runs scored over his last six games.

Jarren Duran will get the start in center field and lead off, Christian Vazquez will bat second and start at catcher, designated hitter J.D. Martinez is batting out of the three-hole, Xander Bogaerts, Alex Verdugo, and Trevor Story make up the middle third of the lineup, Franchy Cordero starts at first base, and Jackie Bradley Jr. rounds it out in right field.

Making his highly-anticipated major-league debut on Wednesday will be Brayan Bello, who is widely regarded as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 23-year-old rookie will be opposed by fellow right-hander Corey Kluber for Tampa Bay.

The Red Sox have a chance to earn their first series win of the season over an American League East opponent on Wednesday night. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Tyler Uberstine to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Tyler Uberstine from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Uberstine, 23, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 38 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking 16th among pitchers in the organization. The Red Sox originally selected the right-hander in the 19th round of last year’s draft out of Northwestern University and signed him for $97,500.

After pitching in the MLB Draft League and rookie-level Florida Complex League last summer, Uberstine began his first full season in pro ball with Salem. In 14 starts (eight appearances) for the Red Sox, the California native posted a 4.63 ERA — but much more respectable 3.87 FIP — to go along with 66 strikeouts to 21 walks over 58 1/3 innings of work.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings to this point in the season, Ubserstine ranks 18th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.18), 14th in walks per nine innings (3.24), 15th in walk rate (8.4%), 18th in swinging strike rate (14%), 12th in groundball rate (49.1%), 16th in FIP, and eighth in xFIP (3.53), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Uberstine throws from a three-quarters arm slot and works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, a changeup, and a slider, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Uberstine becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2021 draft class to get called up to Greenville, joining the likes of Wyatt Olds, Jacob Webb, Nathan Hickey, Niko Kavadas, Tyler McDonough, and Phillip Sikes.

In order to make room on the roster for Uberstine, the Drive transferred fellow righty Chih-Jung Liu to the development list.

(Picture of Tyler Uberstine: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox officially call up Brayan Bello ahead of top prospect’s MLB debut, designate Hansel Robles for assignment

The Red Sox have officially called up top pitching prospect Brayan Bello from Triple-A Worcester. In order to make room for Bello on the 26-man roster, veteran reliever Hansel Robles was designated for assignment, the club announced Wednesday.

Bello will make his major-league debut in Wednesday night’s series finale against the Rays at Fenway Park. He will become the second Red Sox pitching prospect to make his first career start this season, joining fellow right-hander Josh Winckowski in doing so.

Regarded by Baseball America as the No. 1 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 44 prospect in all of baseball, Bello has posted a 2.33 ERA and 2.88 FIP to go along with 114 strikeouts to 33 walks over 15 appearances (14 starts) and 85 innings between Double-A Portland and Worcester this season.

The 23-year-old out of the Dominican Republic works with a four- and two-seam fastball, a devastating changeup, and a slider. He will wear the No. 66 and become the first Red Sox player to do so since Brandon Brennan last year.

To put it simply, there is plenty of hype surrounding Bello’s debut. That being said, it seems likely that his first stint in the majors will be a short one, as he could be optioned back down to the WooSox immediately following Wednesday’s contest with the Rays.

As for Robles, his designation was first reported by the Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam on Tuesday night. The 31-year-old righty lost his spot on Boston’s roster after pitching to a 5.84 ERA (5.75 FIP) with 21 strikeouts to 14 walks across 26 appearances (24 2/3 innings) in his first full season with the club.

The Sox now have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive Robles, who has the right to refuse an outright assignment to the minor-leagues in favor of free agency if he clears waivers. In that scenario, the Red Sox would then be on the hook for the rest of Robles’ 2022 salary.

By designating Robles for assignment, not only did the Red Sox open a spot on their 26-man roster for Bello, but they also cleared a spot on their 40-man roster — which now sits at 39 players — as well.

That open spot will eventually be needed when Chris Sale is activated from the 60-day injured list, though Boston could do something else with it in the meantime.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Ceddanne Rafaela to represent Red Sox in All-Star Futures Game

Ceddanne Rafaela will represent the Red Sox in the All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium later this month, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Full rosters for the American and National League squads will be revealed on Thursday, but eight participants — including Rafaela — were unveiled earlier Wednesday morning on MLB Network Radio.

Rafaela, 21, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the 22nd-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally signed the versatile infielder/outfielder for just $10,000 as an international free-agent coming out of Curacao in July 2017.

After earning Minor League Defensive Player of the Year honors within the organization in 2021, Rafaela began the 2022 campaign at High-A Greenville. In 45 games with the Drive, the speedy right-handed hitter batted a stout .330/.368/.594 (155 wRC+) with 17 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 36 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 10 walks, and 51 strikeouts over 209 plate appearances. He even hit for the cycle on May 17.

That level of production at High-A earned Rafaela a promotion to Double-A Portland on June 7. Since then, the Willemstad native has slashed .278/.333/.578 (143 wRC+) with five doubles, two triples, six homers, 18 RBIs, 14 runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 20 strikeouts in his first 23 games (100 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs.

Listed at 5-foot-8 and 152 pounds, Rafaela has experience at all three outfield positions and every infield position besides first base. This season alone between Greenville and Portland, he has seen playing time at second base, third base, and (primarily) center field.

Rafaela, who turns 22 in September, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the second time in his career this winter. And, unlike last year, he now appears to be a slam dunk to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster in order to receive Rule 5 protection.

While Rafaela may not be alone in representing the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game, he will definitely be heading to Los Angeles on July 16 to participate in the seven-inning showcase.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)