Tag: 2022 season

Red Sox blow late lead, fall to Angels, 10-5, in 10 innings as bullpen melts down

The Red Sox were one out away from securing a series win over the Angels at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. They instead suffered one of their worst losses of the season to date. Boston fell to Los Angeles by a final score of 10-5 in 10 innings to drop to 10-15 on the year.

Matched up against Angels rookie starter Reid Detmers to begin things on Wednesday, the Sox got on the board first in their half of the third inning. Bobby Dalbec and Christian Arroyo led off by drawing back-to-back walks and, as the lineup turned over, Trevor Story drove both of them in on a two-run double down the left field line.

On the other side of things, Garrett Whitlock was once again impressive in his third start and sixth overall appearance of the season for the Sox. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs on two hits and no walks to go along with nine strikeouts over five solid innings of work.

Both runs Whitlock surrendered came in the top half of the fifth. After giving up a one-out double to Jared Walsh, which broke up the bid for a perfect game, and fanning the next batter he faced, the righty served up a game-tying, two-run home run to Max Stassi before recording the final out of the inning.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 78 (50 strikes), Whitlock turned to his sinker 50% of the time he was on the mound Wednesday and induced 11 swings-and-misses with the pitch. The 25-year-old hurler also saw his ERA on the season rise to 1.25.

Shortly after Whitlock’s night came to a close, the Red Sox quickly responded in their half of the fifth. Arroyo took first base after getting plunked by a Detmers curveball and scored all the way from first when Story lifted another RBI double off the Green Monster to put his side up by a run at 3-2.

In relief of Whitlock, Austin Davis got the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora beginning in the top of the sixth. The left-hander punched out each of the first three batters he faced in relatively easy fashion, but surrendered a booming solo shot to Anthony Rendon in the seventh that knotted things back up at three runs apiece.

After Matt Strahm retired the side in order on three groundouts in the eighth, Xander Bogaerts came through with what appeared to be the hit of the night a half-inning later. With veteran reliever Aaron Loup pitching for Los Angeles, Bogaerts crushed a 397-foot home run of his own that cleared the Green Monster. Bogaerts’ second big fly of 2022 left the shortstop’s bat at a scalding 109.3 mph and put the Red Sox ahead 4-3 heading into the ninth.

Needing just three more outs, Hansel Robles was sent in to go for the save. Robles got the first two outs of the inning, but did so while walking the Halos’ boppers in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Cora then went to Jake Diekman to face the left-handed hitting Walsh.

Walsh, in turn, delivered in the clutch for his side by scoring Trout on an RBI single past a diving Story into right field. Diekman proceeded to walk Kurt Suzuki, which put the potential go-ahead run (Ohtani) just 90 feet away from scoring. He escaped any further damage by getting Stassi to fly out to deep center field.

With the chance to walk if off against Angels reliever Ryan Tepera, Christian Vazquez reached base by drawing a one-out walk but was then thrown out at second as part of an inning-ending strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play that occured on a questionable strike three call with Dalbec at the plate.

Regardless, with this contest now headed into extra innings, it was Matt Barnes who was dispatched for the top of the 10th. Barnes, making his first appearance since Saturday, got the first two outs on eight pitches, but — with the automatic runner already at second — then yielded a back-breaking, two-run home run to Walsh that gave the Angels a 6-4 lead.

The Angels only added on from there, as Barnes allowed two more runners to reach base before getting the hook in favor of Hirokazu Sawamura, who gave up a run-scoring single to Rendon as well as three-run homer to Taylor Ward.

That sequence gave Los Angeles a commanding 10-4 advantage. Boston countered with one run of their own on a Jackie Bradley Jr. single in the bottom of the inning, but it was too little, too late as 10-5 would go on to be Wednesday’s final score.

Some notes from this loss:

The Red Sox went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base as a team on Wednesday. They are now 0-3 in games started by Garrett Whitlock and 0-5 in extra-inning games this season. They have also blown a league-leading four saves in the ninth inning of games or later.

Six Red Sox relievers (Davis, Strahm, Robles, Diekman, Barnes, and Sawamura) combined to allow eight runs (seven earned) on six hits (three home runs), four walks, and four strikeouts over five innings pitched.

Next up: Ohtani vs. Hill in finale

The Red Sox will send veteran left-hander Rich Hill to the mound as they still have a chance to salvage a series victory on Thursday afternoon. The Angels will counter with right-hander Shohei Ohtani, who will be making his first-ever start as a pitcher at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Taylor Ward: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Brandon Walter takes home Eastern League Pitcher of the Month honors after stellar April

Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Walter has unsurprisingly been named the Eastern League’s Pitcher of the Month for the month of April.

In four starts for Double-A Portland, Walter posted a miniscule 1.17 ERA and 1.20 FIP to go along with 29 strikeouts to zero walks over 23 innings of work. The left-hander did not walk any of the 85 batters he faced last month, though he did plunk two of them.

Among qualified Eastern League pitchers, Walter ranks second in ERA, ninth in strikeouts, 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.35), first in walks per nine innings and walk rate, seventh in strikeout rate (34.1%), sixth in batting average against (.169), first in WHIP (0.61), first in FIP, third in xFIP (2.45), and eighth in swinging strike rate (16.6%), per FanGraphs.

Walter, 25, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 26th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. The New Castle native burst onto the scene in 2021 after producing a 2.92 ERA in 25 appearances (14 starts) and 89 1/3 innings between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.

Coming into the 2022 campaign ranked by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system, Walter was looking forward to the challenges that the jump from High-A to Double-A Portland would present.

“Obviously, Double-A is a big jump up from High-A. It’s one of the biggest jumps you’re going to make in professional baseball,” he told The Portland Press Herald’s Travis Lazarczyk last month. “The hitters are just smarter. They’re older. They’re not going to chase as much stuff outside the zone as younger guys in the lower levels. They’ll do more damage when you make mistakes in the middle. Everybody says Double-A is the separator. I’m kind of excited to see how I match up, how I’m going to attack these hitters.”

Given the results thus far, Walter has clearly held his own and then some with the Sea Dogs to this point in the year. The 6-foot-2, 200 pound southpaw has been able to dominate opposing hitters thanks in part to his three-quarter delivery and three-pitch arsenal that is made up of a 92-94 mph sinking fastball that reaches 95 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, and an 80-83 mph slider.

Walter, who turns 26 in September, was in line to make his fifth start of the season and first start of May for the Sea Dogs against the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field on Wednesday night. That game his since been postponed due to inclement weather, however, and will be made up as part of a single-admission, seven-inning doubleheader on Thursday.

For what it is worth, Walter can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. With that, it certainly seems as though the lefty is pitching his way onto the Red Sox’ 40-man roster.

(Picture of Brandon Walter: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox first base prospect Niko Kavadas boasting top walk rate (27.5%) and fourth-best on-base percentage (.475) in Carolina League

You could say that Red Sox first base prospect Niko Kavadas is in the midst of a slump. Over his last six games with Low-A Salem dating back to April 27, Kavadas is batting just .133 (2-for-15) with one extra-base hit.

While a .133 batting average is certainly not an eye-opener, Kavadas has still managed to get on base as of late despite the lack of hits. In his last 24 trips to the plate, the left-handed hitter has drawn nine walks, which translates to a 37.5% walk rate as well as a .458 on-base percentage.

Through the first month of the 2022 minor-league season, which is also his first full professional season, Kavadas is slashing .263/.475/.474 with six doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, 10 runs scored, one stolen base, 22 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 18 games spanning 80 plate appearances with Salem.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters, the 23-year-old currently ranks second in walks, first in walk rate (27.5%), 29th in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, 17th in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.949), 10th in isolated power (.211), and seventh in wRC+ (174), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Kavadas has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this year come at first base. The 6-foot-1, 235 pounder has logged 111 innings at the position thus far and has registered four assists while turning seven double plays.

The Red Sox originally selected Kavadas in the 11th round of last summer’s amateur draft out of the University of Notre Dame. The Indiana native officially signed with the club for $250,000 on the first day of August. Around that same time, Kavadas was identified by Baseball America as an underrated draft selection on account of his power and ability to draw walks.

While he has only hit four home runs in 33 professional games, Kavadas has already shown that he can be productive in other ways via ball four. Since being promoted from the Florida Complex League to Salem on August 25 of last year, Kavadas has drawn 30 walks while only striking out 32 times.

Kavadas, who does not turn 24 until late October, is currently regarded by FanGraphs as the No. 28 prospect and by SoxProspects.com as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Under the assumption that he can break out of his quote-unquote slump and continue to get on base at a high rate, it seems likely that Kavadas could make his way to High-A Greenville before season’s end.

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

Red Sox’ Brayan Bello enters Baseball America’s top 100 prospects rankings

Red Sox pitching prospect Brayan Bello has entered Baseball America’s latest top 100 prospect rankings. The right-hander now comes in as the 97th-ranked prospect in all of baseball, joining the likes of fellow Red Sox minor-leaguers Marcelo Mayer (No. 14), Triston Casas (No. 18), Nick Yorke (No. 33), and Jarren Duran (No. 84).

Previously, Bello was identified by Baseball America as a prospect who fell just outside the publication’s top 100 list. That came back in January, when Bello was a few months removed from a 2021 season in which he was named the Sox’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year and was subsequently added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November.

Bello, who turns 23 later this month, returned to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2022 campaign and has thus far posted a 2.61 ERA and 2.34 xFIP with 32 strikeouts to eight walks over four starts spanning 20 2/3 innings of work.

Among qualified Eastern League pitchers this season, the 22-year-old ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (13.94), fourth in strikeout rate (38.6%), ninth in batting average against (.173), 11th in WHIP (1.02), 12th in ERA, second in xFIP, and first in swinging strike rate (23.6%), per FanGraphs.

Since earning a promotion from High-A Greenville to Portland last June, Bello has pitched to the tune of a 4.16 ERA and 3.19 FIP to go along with 119 strikeouts and 32 walks across 19 starts (84 1/3 innings pitched) with the Sea Dogs.

Originally signed by the Red Sox for just $28,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2017, Bello is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks first among pitchers in the organization.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Bello operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball that tops out at 99-100 mph, an 85-89 mph changeup, and an 84-88 mph slider.

Considering the amount of success he is enjoying and the amount of attention he is receiving while pitching at the Double-A level, it seems likely that Bello could be on his way to Triple-A Worcester at some point before the 2022 season ends.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Dominic LoBrutto becomes latest Red Sox pitching prospect to undergo Tommy John surgery

Dominic LoBrutto has become the latest Red Sox pitching prospect to undergo Tommy John surgery. Per his Twitter account, the procedure was recently performed by Dr. James Andrews at the Andrews Institute in Pensacola, Fla.

A native of Florida himself, LoBrutto was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2017 amateur draft out of Florida International University. The left-hander signed with Boston for $100,000 and made his professional debut for the Lowell Spinners that summer.

Fast forward to the 2021 season, and LoBrutto spent the entirety of the year with Double-A Portland. In 33 relief appearances for the Sea Dogs, the 25-year-old posted a 5.35 ERA — but much more respectable 3.88 FIP — with 38 strikeouts to 14 walks over 38 2/3 innings of work.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, LoBrutto operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 88-90 mph fastball that tops out at 91 mph, an 86-88 mph cutter, and a 79-82 mph slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report. He was slated to return to Portland for the start of the 2022 campaign, but was instead placed on the 7-day injured list on April 8 and transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 26.

LoBrutto, who turns 26 later this month, will now be sidelined for the next 12-15 months before returning to the mound at some point in 2023. He becomes the latest Red Sox pitching prospect to undergo Tommy John this year, joining the likes of Bradley Blalock and fellow lefty Jeremy Wu-Yelland.

(Picture of Dominic LoBrutto: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Josh Taylor suffers setback while rehabbing from back strain

Red Sox reliever Josh Taylor suffered a setback while rehabbing his back injury and has been temporarily shut down from throwing, manager Alex Cora announced before Tuesday’s game against the Angels at Fenway Park.

Taylor, who had been out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester, is back with the Red Sox to receive treatment and undergo tests in Boston.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Cotillo) on Tuesday, Cora revealed that Taylor’s back locked up on him recently, leaving the team with no choice but to return him from his rehab assignment.

“He had a setback a few days ago,” Cora said. “Feels better today, but of course, we had to take him off his rehab assignment. We’re going through testing and all that stuff. We’ll know more during the week.”

Taylor began the season on the 10-day injured list due to a low back strain that first began bothering him last September and was first sent out on a rehab assignment with Worcester on April 17. The left-hander got the start for the WooSox against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park that afternoon and allowed one run (on a solo home run) in his lone inning of work. He was then shut down for the next six days after being identified as a close contact to someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

On April 24, Taylor returned to the mound — this time for Double-A Portland — and once again served as an opener. The 29-year-old surrendered two runs on three hits and one strikeout while recording the first two outs of the Sea Dogs’ 13-5 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field. Three days later, he was back in action for the WooSox and tossed a scoreless fifth inning in the second game of a doubleheader against the Buffalo Bisons.

Since then, Taylor has not appeared in a game and is not close to doing so anytime soon. As noted by Cotillo, Cora previously said the hope was for Taylor to make five or six rehab outings before being activated, so the southpaw will presumably need to start from scratch once he is cleared to resume throwing.

“Let’s see how it goes in the upcoming days and how it goes with testing and all that stuff,” said Cora. “Then we’ll decide what we do with him.”

(Picture of Josh Taylor: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Who is Joey Stock? Red Sox pitching prospect has posted 2.20 ERA in first 7 appearances with Low-A Salem this season

Not including Juan Daniel Encarnacion, Red Sox pitching prospect Joey Stock currently leads Low-A Salem in innings pitched a little less than four weeks into the minor-league season.

In seven appearances (one start) for Salem so far this year, the right-hander has posted a 2.20 ERA and 3.80 xFIP to go along with 19 strikeouts to seven walks over 16 1/3 innings of work.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 10 innings on the mound to this point in 2022, Stock ranks 23rd in batting average against (.161), 22nd in WHIP (0.98), 29th in ERA, and 40th in xFIP, per FanGraphs.

Stock, 24, originally signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent coming out of Division III Saint John’s University (Collegeville, Minn.) in August 2020. The Cold Spring native was slated to attend Division I University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to pursue his master’s degree beginning in the fall, but instead opted to go pro then and there.

After being used as a two-way player in college, Stock transitioned strictly to the mound with Boston. He made his organizational debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last summer before being promoted to Salem in mid-August.

Since that time, Stock has produced a 2.15 ERA and 4.01 FIP with 34 punchouts and 13 walks across 16 outings (29 1/3 innings) at the Low-A level. The 6-foot-5, 210 pound hurler has yielded such results while working with a 91-93 mph fastball that can reportedly reach 96 mph, a 79-81 mph curveball, and an 80-81 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Stock, who turns 25 in September, is older for his level and seems to be taking advantage of that by pitching well for Salem. Because of this, one has to wonder if the righty could be on the verge of a new challenge in the form of a promotion to High-A Greenville sooner rather than later.

(Picture of Joey Stock: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Travis Shaw elects free agency after Red Sox outright him off 40-man roster

Three days after designating him for assignment, the Red Sox outrighted veteran infielder Travis Shaw for assignment on Sunday. Shaw, however, rejected the assignment and elected free agency instead.

After being claimed off waivers by the Red Sox from the Brewers last August, Shaw enjoyed a resurgence in his second stint with Boston in 2021. The left-handed hitter batted .238/.319/.524 with three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs, and six runs scored over 28 games while also making the team’s Wild Card Game, Division Series, and Championship Series rosters in October.

On the other side of the lockout, Shaw inked a minor-league deal to remain with the Red Sox in March. While the 32-year-old did not perform particularly well in spring training, he still made Boston’s Opening Day roster as a left-handed bench bat who could platoon with Bobby Dalbec at first base.

That said, Shaw’s spring struggled carried over into the early stages of the regular season as he started out 0-for-19 at the plate with seven strikeouts. With Dalbec experiencing his fair share of offensive struggles as well, the Sox opted to remove Shaw from the 40-man roster so that they could call up Franchy Cordero in his place.

Now that he has cleared waivers and has become a free agent, Shaw is free to sign wherever he may choose. The Ohio native was originally selected by Boston in the ninth round of the 2011 amateur draft out of Kent State University and has 114 career home runs across 733 games between the Red Sox (2015-2016, 2021-2022), Brewers (2017-2019, 2021) and Blue Jays (2020). It will certainly be interesting to see if he can land with another team.

(Picture of Travis Shaw: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Derek Holland opts out of minor-league deal with Red Sox to become free agent

Derek Holland has opted out of his minor-league contract with the Red Sox and is now a free agent, as was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo earlier Sunday morning.

Holland, 35, originally signed a minor-league deal with Boston back in March with the hopes of earning a bullpen spot with the team out of spring training. When he was informed that he would not be making the Sox’ Opening Day roster, the veteran left-hander elected to remain in the organization and begin the season with Triple-A Worcester.

In 10 relief appearances for the WooSox, Holland posted a 6.35 ERA to go along with 13 strikeouts to seven walks over 11 1/3 innings of work. Given that the Red Sox already have lefties like Austin Davis, Jake Diekman, and Matt Strahm in their bullpen with another southpaw rehabbing from injury in Josh Taylor, adding Holland to the major-league mix was clearly not a priority for the club.

Instead, Holland — who had multiple opt-out clauses in his contract since he was an article XX(B) free agent — will once again hit the open market and look to latch on elsewhere.

A former 25th-round draft pick with 13 seasons of big-league experience under his belt, Holland his pitched for the Rangers (2009-2016), White Sox (2017), Giants (2018-2019), Cubs (2019), Pirates (2020), and Tigers (2021). With Detroit last year, he produced a 5.07 ERA and 3.96 FIP across 39 appearances (one start) spanning 49 2/3 innings.

(Picture of Derek Holland: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox option Jaylin Davis and Phillips Valdez to Triple-A Worcester

Following Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox optioned outfielder Jaylin Davis and right-hander Phillips Valdez to Triple-A Worcester, the team announced.

The decision to option both Davis and Valdez comes one day before all Major League Baseball teams are required to trim their active rosters from 28 to 26 players.

As a result of the lockout and the compressed spring training that followed, MLB allowed its clubs to carry 28 players on their rosters from the start of the season up until May 2. Teams must remove two players from their active roster in order to get down to 26 by Monday. They are now permitted to carry up to 14 pitchers through May 30.

By sending Davis and Valdez to Worcester, Boston now has 14 pitchers and 12 position players on its major-league roster. According to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Sox are expected to keep it that way for the time being.

Davis, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Giants on Thursday and joined the team in Baltimore the following day. He was used as a pinch-runner in his Red Sox debut and went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in his first start for the club on Sunday.

Since he has one minor-league option remaining, Davis can provide the Red Sox with experienced outfield depth from Worcester throughout the season. Before being claimed, the right-handed hitter appeared in 10 games for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento and batted .295/.340/.500 with two home runs and seven RBIs over 47 plate appearances. He turns 28 in July.

Valdez, on the other hand, entered Sunday with a 3.24 ERA through his first seven relief appearances (8 1/3 innings pitched) of the season. On Sunday, however, the 30-year-old righty got rocked for four earned runs on four hits, two walks, and one hit batsman in two innings of work against the Orioles. That performance raised his ERA on the season up to 6.10.

As was the case last season, Valdez will join the WooSox’ bullpen for now but should contribute at the big-league level for Boston once more later in the year.

(Picture of Jaylin Davis: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)