Tag: 2022 season

Franchy Cordero’s late-game heroics go for naught as Red Sox fall to Orioles, 5-3, in Little League Classic

After splitting the first two games of this weekend series in Baltimore, the Red Sox and Orioles traveled to Williamsport, Pa. for the fifth annual Little League Classic. With both teams playing at Historic Bowman Field for the first time, Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 5-3 to drop to 60-62 on the season.

Nick Pivetta, who started the game for the Phillies in 2018, did so again for the Sox on Sunday. In what was his 25th start of the season, the right-hander allowed two earned runs on six hits, one walk, and one hit batsman to go along with nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 strong innings of work.

Both of those Baltimore runs came right away in the first inning, as Pivetta gave up singles to each of the three batters he faced. Anthony Santander drove in Cedric Mullins with his base hit before Ramon Urias pushed across Adley Rutschman on an RBI single back up the middle.

Despite that rocky start, Pivetta settled in nicely. The Red Sox also got one of those two runs back in their half of the second. Rafael Devers led off with a single against O’s starter Dean Kremer, eventually advanced to third base with two outs, and scored from third on a 100.6 mph single off the bat of Enrique Hernandez.

Pivetta, meanwhile, struck out the side in order in the second while in the process of retiring 12 of 15 hitters through the end of the fifth. In the sixth, the righty recorded his eighth and ninth punchouts of the night before issuing a two-out walk to Austin Hays, who would prove to be the final batter he faced.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 103 (67 strikes), Pivetta induced a game-high 17 swings-and-misses, nine of which came on his four-seam fastball. The 29-year-old hurler did not factor into Sunday’s decision, though he did lower his ERA on the season to 4.24.

Matt Strahm, who received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora, officially closed the book on Pivetta’s outing by getting through the rest of the sixth unscathed. The lefty also got the first out of the seventh before making way for Matt Barnes, who recorded the final two.

Still trailing 2-1 after being held in check by Kremer, the Sox received a boost from their bench to begin things in the eighth. With right-handed reliever Dillon Tate on the mound for Baltimore, Cora opted to have the left-handed hitting Franchy Cordero pinch-hit for Bobby Dalbec.

Cordero, serving as Boston’s 27th man for this contest, promptly made the most of his opportunity by clubbing a game-tying, 358 foot home run to left field. It left his bat at a blistering 104.9 mph to knot things up at two runs apiece. All five of Cordero’s homers this season have come on a Sunday.

While it felt as though the tides may have been turning in the Red Sox’ favor, that quickly changed in the latter half of the eighth. After issuing a one-out walk to Urias, Barnes was given the hook in favor of John Schreiber.

Schreiber, in turn, hit and walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases with still only one out in the inning. Schreiber then received a visit from pitching coach Dave Bush, but that ultimately did not pan out as Jorge Mateo proceeded to lace a bases-clearing, three-run double down the left field line.

Ryan McKenna, Hays, and Rougned Odor all scored on Mateo’s clutch hit, thus giving the Orioles a commanding 5-2 lead. Schreiber was charged with two of those three runs, meaning he has now given up at least one run in back-to-back relief appearances for the first time this year. Austin Davis registered the final two outs of the eighth.

Xander Bogaerts made things interesting in the ninth by crushing a leadoff home run off Orioles closer Felix Bautista. But Bautista held on by sitting down J.D. Martinez, Christian Arroyo, and Devers in order to secure a series-clinching win for Baltimore.

With the loss, the Red Sox snapped their streak for consecutive series wins at three. At 60-62, they now trail the Mariners by six games for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.

Next up: Back to Boston

The Red Sox will have Monday off as they travel back to Boston for a six-game homestand against the Blue Jays and Rays that begins on Tuesday.

Nathan Eovaldi was originally slated to start Tuesday’s series opener against Toronto but has since been scratched due to prolonged trap muscle soreness. It seems likely that rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski could start in his place, but that would require Eovaldi (or another player) to be placed on the injured list since Winckowski was just optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Friday.

Regardless of that, first pitch from Fenway Park on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Franchy Cordero to serve as 27th man for Red Sox in Sunday’s MLB Little League Classic

Franchy Cordero will serve as the Red Sox’ 27th man for Sunday’s Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., manager Alex Cora announced following Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Orioles in Baltimore.

Cordero was removed from Triple-A Worcester’s game against the Rochester Red Wings in the sixth inning at Polar Park on Saturday afternoon. Prior to being pulled, he had gone 0-for-2 with an RBI in the form of a sacrifice fly.

The Red Sox most-recently optioned Cordero to Worcester on August 2. Since then, the left-handed hitting 27-year-old has batted .370 (17-for-46) with two doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 19 strikeouts in his last 12 games with the WooSox.

At the big-league level this season, Cordero has slashed .219/.298/.363 (85 wRC+) to go along with 17 doubles, one triple, four homers, 24 runs driven in, 31 runs scored, four stolen bases, 24 walks, and 78 strikeouts over 72 games (244 plate appearances).

Capable of playing first base and the outfield, Cordero could be needed for Sunday’s series finale against the Orioles since Eric Hosmer left Saturday’s game early due to back spasms.

Considering that he will be serving as the Sox’ 27th man, it seems likely that Cordero will be returned to Worcester once Sunday’s contest concludes.

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Billie Weiss/Red Sox/Getty Images)

Kiké Hernández homers, Michael Wacha tosses 5 2/3 scoreless innings as Red Sox hold on for 4-3 win over Orioles

The Red Sox held on for a one-run over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Saturday afternoon. Boston defeated Baltimore by a final score of 4-3 to improve to 60-61 on the season.

Michael Wacha, making his 15th start of the season for the Sox, kept the O’s off the scoreboard while scattering four hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 strong innings of work.

There were not too many dramatic moments to be had for Wacha, who retired 11 of the first 14 batters he faced leading into the top half of the fifth inning. To that point in the contest, the Boston bats had been held in check by Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish.

Kevin Plawecki reached base via a one-out single. Christian Arroyo followed with a base hit of his own to put runners on the corners for Alex Verdugo, who promptly roped another single to right field to drive in Plawecki.

An inning later, J.D. Martinez led off against Bradish with a sharply-hit single. After Bobby Dalbec struck out for the first out of the sixth, Enrique Hernandez came through by depositing a 373-foot two-run home run down the left field line.

Hernandez’s fifth home run of the season was the first from any Red Sox hitter since last Sunday. It also gave Boston a 3-0 lead. Wacha, meanwhile, continued to impress before giving up a one-out single to Austin Hays and issuing a two-out walk to Anthony Santander in the bottom of the sixth.

At that point, Red Sox manager Alex Cora opted to turn to his bullpen. John Schreiber came on in relief of Wacha and officially closed the book on the righty’s outing by stranding both of the runners he inherited with a three-pitch strikeout of Ryan Mountcastle.

Wacha finished with a final pitch count of 79 (52 strikes), inducing seven total swings-and-misses while mixing a four-seam fastball, changeup, cutter, sinker, and curveball. The 31-year-old hurler improved to 8-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.28. He has yet to allow a run since returning from the injured list on August 14.

Schreiber came back out for the seventh and immediately surrendered a leadoff single to Ramon Urias. Jorge Mateo followed with another single to right field, but Jarren Duran made a poor throw back to the infield and missed the cutoff man, which allowed both runners to advance an additional 90 feet.

With runners at second and third for the Orioles now, the pinch-hitting Kyle Stowers plated Urias on a groundout to second base. Mateo then scored on a two-out wild pitch to trim Boston’s advantage down to one run at 3-2.

After Garrett Whitlock worked his way around a one-out single in a scoreless eighth inning, Duran was able to redeem himself in the ninth by reaching on a one-out bunt single off Bryan Baker. With the hit-and-run on, Duran went from first to third on a Plawecki single. He then scored from third on Arroyo’s third hit of the day — an 86.7 mph double to left field.

Arroyo’s RBI double would prove to be an important moment in this game. That being the case because Whitlock yielded a one-out triple to Mateo in the bottom of the ninth. Mateo scored on another Stowers groundout, but Whitlock held it down by getting Rougned Odor to line out to center field to end it.

Whitlock picked up his fifth save of the season while the Red Sox secured a 4-3 victory. Arroyo led the way offensively with three hits while Verdugo, Martinez, and Plawecki all enjoyed two-hit games.

Next up: 2022 Little League Classic on deck

The Red Sox and Orioles will wrap up this three-game weekend series in Williamsport, Pa. on Sunday night. In the fifth annual MLB Little League Classic, right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the start for Boston while fellow righty Dean Kremer will do the same for Baltimore.

First pitch from Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on ESPN.

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Greg Flume/Getty Images)

Red Sox release Danny Santana

The Red Sox have released veteran utility man Danny Santana from his minor-league contract, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Santana, 31, signed a minors pact with Boston last month after serving an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test. Given that it was his first action of the season, the versatile switch-hitter reported to the Sox’ Florida Complex League affiliate in Fort Myers and batted .286/.400/.381 with two doubles, five RBIs, and three runs scored over seven games.

As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, the Red Sox brought in Santana at a time when their depth in the upper minors was depleted due to a combination of injuries and promotions. They have since bolstered that depth in the wake of the trade deadline, making Santana obsolete in a sense.

A veteran of eight major-league seasons, Santana appeared in 38 games for Boston over the course of the 2021 campaign. The native Dominican slashed just .181/.252/.345 with five home runs, 14 RBIs, 15 runs scored, and two stolen bases, but was still included in the Sox’ ALDS and ALCS rosters on account of his speed.

Shortly before Major League Baseball owners locked out the players in early December, Santana — who had already elected free agency — tested positive for Boldenone, which resulted in an 80-game suspension being handed down to him in April.

(Picture of Danny Santana: Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Jeter Downs day-to-day after spraining left ankle in Worcester

Red Sox infield prospect Jeter Downs sprained his left ankle in Triple-A Worcester’s 9-8 win over the Rochester Red Wings at Polar Park on Thursday night.

With two outs in the fifth inning, Downs roped a single to left field and attempted to turn it into a double. He instead tripped halfway between first and second base and immediately grabbed at his left ankle.

After being tagged out, Downs remained on the ground in visible pain. He was escorted off the field by WooSox outfielder Abraham Almonte and bench coach Jose Flores, though he was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was helped to the Worcester dugout.

On Friday afternoon, Downs was seen limping around the WooSox’ clubhouse. He was not in the starting lineup for Friday’s contest against Rochester and is considered day-to-day, per manager Chad Tracy.

“We all think a sprained ankle is like going to the outside. It’s more of an inward sprain,” Tracy said, via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. “So hopefully, not too long. “It’s hard to say. Day-to-day right now. Let him do treatment like crazy and see where we’re at when we get through the weekend.”

Downs, 24, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. In 81 games with the WooSox this season, the right-handed hitter has batted .197/.316/.412 (95 wRC+) to go along with 11 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 33 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 38 walks, and 99 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances.

One of three players acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade in February 2020, Downs made his major-league debut for the Red Sox in June. In two stints (June 20-23, July 9-30) with the big-league club thus far, the native Colombian has slashed .154/.171/.256 (8 wRC+) with one double, one homer, four RBIs, four runs scored, one walk, and 21 strikeouts across 14 games spanning 41 trips to the plate.

Traditionally a middle infielder throughout his minor-league career, Downs debuted for Boston at third base and has since been worth one out above average over 32 innings at the position in the majors.

(Picture of Jeter Downs: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Red Sox first-round pick Mikey Romero hits first professional home run in seventh Florida Complex League game

Red Sox infield prospect Mikey Romero hit the first home run of his professional career in the Florida Complex League on Friday afternoon.

Batting leadoff and starting at shortstop for the FCL Red Sox in their contest against the FCL Twins at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Romero’s milestone homer came with one out in the bottom half of the ninth inning.

Trailing 4-0 at that point, Freddy Valdez drew a one-out walk off Twins reliever Cole Bellair while Luis Ravelo followed with a groundball single to put runners at the corners for Romero.

Romero, in turn, promptly cranked a three-run home run to right field to trim the deficit to 4-3. That would go on to be Friday’s final score as the FCL Red Sox dropped to 33-19 on the season.

Following Friday’s 1-for-5 performance, the left-handed hitter is now batting .200 (5-for-25)/.310/.400 with two doubles, one homer, four RBIs, three runs scored, four walks, and two strikeouts over seven games (29 plate appearances) to begin his professional career.

The Red Sox selected Romero with the 24th overall pick in last month’s amateur draft out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. Originally committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University, the 18-year-old signed with Boston on July 25 for an under-slot $2.3 million. He made his pro debut on August 9 and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the organization.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Matt Strahm from injured list, option Josh Winckowski to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have activated left-handed reliever Matt Strahm from the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Orioles in Baltimore.

In order to clear a spot for Strahm on the 26-man roster, rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski was optioned to Triple-A Worcester following Thursday’s 8-2 loss to the Pirates, as was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Strahm, who joined the team in Pittsburgh on Thursday, had been on the injured list with a left wrist contusion since July 13. The previous night, the 30-year-old southpaw was hit in the wrist by a 98 mph line drive off the bat of Rays shortstop Taylor Walls.

Although X-rays came back negative, Strahm was unable to resume throwing again until earlier this month. He was then sent out on a brief rehab assignment this past Tuesday and needed just 14 pitches (9 strikes) to toss a scoreless sixth inning for the WooSox at Polar Park.

In 33 relief appearances for Boston this season, Strahm has posted a 3.58 ERA and 2.61 FIP to go along with 32 strikeouts to seven walks over 27 2/3 innings of work. The Red Sox signed the 6-foot-2, 190-pound hurler to a one-year, $3 million deal back in March.

Winckowski, meanwhile, made his 12th start of the season on Thursday night after Nathan Eovaldi was scratched due to trap soreness. The 24-year-old righty allowed six earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and two strikeouts over five innings. He served up a pair of two-run home runs to Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds in the process of getting charged with his sixth losing decision of the year.

Thursday’s poor outing continues a recent trend for Winckowski, who now owns a 6.46 ERA across his last five starts (23 2/3 innings) since returning from a bout with COVID-19 on July 26.

Called up for the first time in late May, Winckowski produced a 4.38 ERA and 4.26 FIP with 26 strikeouts to 14 walks over seven starts and 37 innings pitched to begin his big-league career. He was one of five players the Red Sox acquired from the Mets and Royals in the trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City last February.

Currently regarded by Baseball America as as the fifth-ranked pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system, Winckowski has pitched to a 3.37 ERA (2.71 FIP) in nine starts with the WooSox this season.

As noted by Cotillo, Winckowski is a leading candidate to re-join the Red Sox when rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on September 1. In the meantime, he will serve as top-level rotation depth in Worcester and could be called upon again soon if Eovaldi (who is now scheduled to start on Tuesday) winds up going on the injured list.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Josh Winckowski allows 6 runs as Red Sox manage just 5 hits, fail to finish off sweep of Pirates in 8-2 loss

The Red Sox were unable to complete a three-game sweep over the Pirates on Thursday night. Boston fell to Pittsburgh by a final score of 4-2 at PNC Park, thus marking the end of its three-game winning streak.

Josh Winckowski made his 12th start of the season for the Sox after Nathan Eovaldi was scratched due to trap soreness. The rookie right-hander allowed six earned runs on seven hits and one walk to go along with just two strikeouts over five innings of work.

The Pirates got to Winckowski right away in the first inning. After Kevin Newman reached base on a one-out single, Bryan Renolds crushed a two-run home run to give his side an early 2-0 lead for the second night in a row.

Winckowski managed to retire the side in order in the second, but ran into more trouble in the third by giving up back-to-back two-out singles to Newman and Reynolds. Ben Gamel followed by lacing a two-run double over Tommy Pham’s glove in deep left field, scoring both Newman and Reynolds to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

The Newman-Reynolds combination got to Winckowski again in the fifth, as the former ripped a one-out single to center field before the latter clubbed another two-run home run. Reynolds’ 20th homer of the season gave Pittsburgh a commanding 6-0 lead. Winckowski’s night came to an end after he recorded the final out of the fifth.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 83 (53 strikes), Winckowski managed to induce just six swings-and-misses while averaging 94.1 mph with his four-seam fastball. The 24-year-old hurler was ultimately charged with the loss and saw his ERA on the season rise to 5.19.

In relief of Winckowski, Austin Davis received the first and only call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander surrendered two runs, both of which came in the bottom of the sixth inning.

After issuing a one-out walk to Greg Allen, Davis gave up an RBI double to the pinch-hitting Michael Chavis (who he was traded for last July). Chavis proceeded to score from second on an RBI single off the bat of Tyler Heineman, which made it a 8-0 contest in favor of the Pirates.

It took until the seventh inning for the Sox to put a runner in scoring position. After being completely held in check by Pirates starter J.T. Brubaker, Alex Verdugo advanced to second base with one out in the seventh on a throwing error by shortstop Oneil Cruz.

Verdugo was stranded at second in the seventh, but the Boston bats finally got on the board in the eighth. Reese McGuire and Bobby Dalbec greeted new reliever Zach Thompson with back-to-back one-out singles. Jarren Duran then drew an eight-pitch walk to fill the bases for Pham, who plated McGuire on a chopper to third base.

Rafael Devers promptly drove in Dalbec on a sacrifice fly to center field before Xander Bogaerts re-loaded the bases by drawing another walk off Manny Banuelos. But Verdugo struck out on six pitches to extinguish the threat.

Down to their final three outs in the ninth, J.D. Martinez, Christian Arroyo, and McGuire went down quietly against Colin Holderman to wrap up another lifeless defeat in which the Red Sox tallied just five hits. None of those hits went for extra-bases.

With the loss, Boston drops to 58-59 on the season and 8-10 in interleague play.

Next up: Baltimore awaits

The Red Sox will next travel to Balitmore to take on the Orioles in a three-game weekend series that concludes in Williamsport, Pa. with the annual Little League Classic on Sunday night. Kutter Crawford is slated to get the ball for Boston in Friday’s opener while fellow right-hander Jordan Lyles is expected to do the same for Baltimore.

First pitch from Camden Yards is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Red Sox lose Yolmer Sánchez on waivers to Mets

Two days after designating him for assignment, the Red Sox have lost veteran infielder Yolmer Sanchez on waivers to the Mets, the club announced earlier Thursday afternoon.

Sanchez, who is out of minor-league options, lost his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster when utility man Enrique Hernandez (right hip flexor strain) was activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

Signed to a minor-league deal back in March, Sanchez appeared in 14 games for the Red Sox, batting just .108 (4-for-37) with two doubles, one run scored, five walks, and 13 strikeouts while exclusively playing second base.

Boston first used Sanchez as a COVID-related substitute in late June. The switch-hitting Venezuelan was then called up again on July 22, shortly after fellow second baseman Trevor Story was placed on the injured list with a right hand contusion.

In similar fashion, Sanchez will likely serve as infield depth for a banged up Mets team who are currently without Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme due to injury. New York opened up a spot on its roster for Sanchez by designating catcher (and Springfield, Mass. native) Patrick Mazeika for assignment.

Sanchez, won the Gold Glove Award for American League second basemen in 2019 while with the White Sox. Since then, however, the 30-year-old has been limited to 25 big-league contests over the last three season with Chicago and Boston.

(Picture of Yolmer Sanchez: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Selected by Boston in the 11th round of last year’s draft out of the University of Notre Dame, Kavadas began his first full professional season with Low-A Salem. The left-handed hitting first baseman proceeded to slash .286/.453/.609 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 59 games with the Red Sox, prompting a promotion to Greenville in late June.

From there, Kavadas turned things up a notch by batting .308/.472/.592 to go along with four doubles, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 32 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 37 games (161 plate appearances) with the Drive leading up to Thursday’s promotion.

Among South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 160 trips to the plate this season, Kavadas ranks second in walk rate (19.9%), 10th in batting average, first in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, second in OPS (1.064), third in isolated power (.283), and first in wRC+ (184), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Kavadas has seen all his playing time this year come at first base. The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder has logged 612 total innings at the position between Salem and Greenville and has committed seven errors. It is safe to say he has a bat-first profile.

A native of Indiana, Kavadas is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 23-year-old was previously unranked but has certainly put himself on the map this season.

Kavadas, who turns 24 in October, becomes the latest notable Red Sox prospect to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this year, joining the likes of Shane Drohan, Brian Van Belle, Alex Binelas, Nick Northcut, and Ceddanne Rafaela.

(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)