Tag: 2023 season

Adam Duvall powers Red Sox to 9-8 win over Orioles with dramatic walk-off home run

Thanks to some late-game heroics from Adam Duvall, the Red Sox pulled off a come-from-behind, walk-off win over the Orioles on Saturday. Boston defeated Baltimore by a final score of 9-8 at Fenway Park to improve to 1-1 on the young season.

As was the case on Opening Day, the Red Sox did not get much out of their starter. Chris Sale, making his first home start since the 2021 ALCS, got shelled for seven earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with six strikeouts over just three innings of work.

The Orioles got to Sale right out of the gate. After striking out Ramon Urias for the first out of the game, the left-hander gave up a one-out single to Adley Rutschman and then served up a two-run home run to Ryan Mountcastle to open the scoring. Two batters later, Austin Hays extended Baltimore’s lead to three runs with a solo shot to center field.

Sale got through a scoreless second inning despite allowing the first two batters he faced to reach base. With two outs and runners at second and third, Sale got Rutschman to hit a soft groundball to the left side of the infield. Rafael Devers charged at the ball and prevented the runner at third from crossing the plate by making a bare-handed grab and a low throw that was picked by Triston Casas at first base.

Devers’ fine defensive play kept the Orioles at three runs. Duvall then got his productive day at the plate started by lacing a leadoff triple to begin things in the latter half of the second. With Casas at the plate, Duvall scored Boston’s first run on a wild pitch from Baltimore starter Dean Kremer.

Though the deficit was reduced to two, Sale’s struggles continued into the third. The lefty retired Mountcastle for the first out and then allowed the next three batters he faced to reach on two singles and a walk. With one out and the bases full, that runner at third (Anthony Santander) scored when Jorge Mateo grounded into a force out at second base. Mateo then stole second base to put runners at second and third for Cedric Mullins, who promptly crushed a three-run shot over the center field fence.

Sale got through the rest of the third unscathed, but his outing ended there. Finishing with a final pitch count of 74 (43 strikes), the 34-year-old hurler topped out at 97.2 mph with his four-seam fastball and induced 13 swings-and-misses altogether. Six of the seven hits he gave up had exit velocities that exceeded 103 mph.

With Sale’s day done and the Orioles now leading 7-1, the Red Sox responded by putting up a four-spot of their own in the bottom of the third. After Enrique Hernandez drew a leadoff walk, Alex Verdugo drilled a 419-foot two-run home run into the right field bleachers. Justin Turner then reached via a one-out double before Duvall came through with a two-run blast of his own to make it a 7-5 contest going into the fourth.

Zack Kelly received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora in the fifth and surrendered another run on an RBI double off the bat of Santander. Josh Winckowski and John Schreiber then combined for three scoreless frames of relief before the Boston bats struck again in the seventh.

There, Hernandez led off by taking Austin Voth 393 feet deep over the Green Monster for his first home run of the season. Devers then greeted new Orioles reliever Cionel Perez with a hard-hit double before coming into score on a ground-rule double from Duvall to cut the deficit to one at 8-7.

Following two more scoreless innings from Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen, the Red Sox were down to their final three outs and up against O’s closer Felix Bautista. It appeared as though they were going to go down quietly, as Devers struck out and Turner grounded out. Masataka Yoshida then lifted a lazily-hit fly ball to Ryan McKenna to left field for what should have been the third and final out. Bautista thought as much, but McKenna could not make a clean catch as the ball deflected off the heel of his glove.

That gave the Red Sox extra life, and Duvall made the most of the additional opportunity. After taking a 100 mph fastball for ball one, Duvall tore into another 99.7 mph heater from Bautista and barely cleared the Green Monster for his fifth career walk-off hit.

Duvall finished the day going 4-for-5 with a triple, a double, and his first two home runs of the season. The 34-year-old fell a single short of the cycle while driving in five runs and scoring three times out of the five-hole.

Other worthwhile observations:

Kenley Jansen made his Red Sox debut on Saturday. The veteran closer worked his way around a single and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two of the five batters he faced and picked up the winning decision.

The Red Sox allowed five more stolen bases on Saturday and have now allowed 10 through two games this year. The Orioles are the first team in major-league history to open a season by swiping five bags in each of its first two games, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

According to OptaStats on Twitter, Adam Duvall is the first player in big-league history to come to the plate needing a single to complete the cycle and hit a walk-off home run instead.

Next up: Houck’s season debut

The Red Sox will go for their second straight win in the rubber match of this three-game series against the Orioles on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Tanner Houck will get the start for Boston while left-hander Cole Irvin will do the same for Baltimore.

Houck is coming off a miserable spring in which he posted a 9.74 ERA with 25 strikeouts to 12 walks over six starts (20 1/3 innings). Irvin, meanwhile, was acquired by the O’s in a January trade with the Athletics.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Maddlie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Garrett Whitlock strikes out 6 in first rehab start for Triple-A Worcester

Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Friday afternoon.

Getting the Opening Day start for the WooSox as they went up against the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park, Whitlock allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over four innings of work in an 11-2 win.

Whitlock’s bid for a no-hitter was short-lived, as he gave up a one-out double to Brett Baty in the top of the first inning. The right-hander then stranded Baty at second base by punching out the next two batters he faced in Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos.

After retiring the side in order in the second, Whitlock gave up back-to-back singles to Carlos Cortes and Danny Mendick to lead off the third. Cortes advanced to third when Baty grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and scored Syracuse’s first run on an RBI double off the bat of Alvarez.

Whitlock left Alvarez at second by fanning Vientos for a second time. He then worked his way around a one-out Jonathan Arauz single and Khalil Lee walk in the fourth by striking out the last two Mets he faced in Lorenzo Cedrola and Cortes. Worces

Though he was scheduled to pitch into the fifth inning on Friday, Whitlock reached his pitch limit (75) in four, thus ending his outing earlier than anticipated. He threw 50 strikes and induced 12-swings-and-misses while mixing in his sinker, slider, and changeup.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the 26-year-old sat at 94 mph and topped out at 95 mph with his sinker out of the gate but saw his velocity tick down as the game progressed. By the top of the fourth, he was hovering around 91-92 mph, indicating that he is still working on building up stamina.

“It’s still just building the pitches up, continuing to work on everything and continue to sharpen the tools to be ready to go,” Whitlock told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Matt Vautour). “The backdoor slider was working really well. It’s just a matter of trying to get it glove side to righties or if I’m trying to back-foot it.”

Whitlock is building back up after undergoing right hip surgery in September, which resulted in him getting a late start in spring training and starting the season on the 15-day injured list. Because his stint on the injured list was backdated to March 27, the righty is not eligible to be activated until April 11 at the earliest.

As such, Whitlock is expected to make one more minor-league rehab start before re-joining Boston’s starting rotation. He will meet with the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday to determine where he will be pitching next. Worcester will be in Buffalo all of next week while Double-A Portland opens its season at home against Binghamton on Thursday night.

“Only time will tell on that,” Whitlock said of where his next assignment will be. “But stuff felt good today. I’m building volume, trying to sharpen the tools. My spring training just started a little bit later than everyone else’s. Just treating this as another spring training outing and keep going.

“I’ve been rebounding really well,” he added. “It’s just a matter of the medical staff telling me where to go next.”

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox minor-leaguer Jake MacKenzie signs with Rockies

Former Red Sox minor-leaguer Jake MacKenzie is back in affiliated baseball. More specifically, the New York Boulders of the independent Frontier League sold MacKenzie’s contract to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, per the league’s transactions log.

MacKenzie, 23, began his professional career with the Red Sox after signing with the club as an undrafted free agent coming out of Fordham in June 2020. Known for his speed, the right-handed hitter split the 2021 season between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville, batting .245/.360/.340 with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, seven RBIs, 26 runs scored, four stolen bases, 20 walks, and 36 strikeouts over 54 total games.

The Red Sox released MacKenzie from his contract last March, making him a free agent yet again. The Connecticut native then latched on with the Boulders in May and put forth a productive year in the Frontier League by slashing .302/.399/.492 with 25 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 65 runs driven in, 92 runs scored, 35 stolen bases, 46 walks, and 64 strikeouts in 92 games (434 plate appearances). Among league leaders, he ranked second in both runs scored and stolen bases.

The Boulders named MacKenzie the recipient of their 2022 Johnny Thompson Unsung Hero Award in September and exercised his contract option for the 2023 season in December. At that time, MacKenzie was abroad, playing for the Canberra Cavalry of the Australian Baseball League. He slashed .248/.398/.357 with a league-leading 16 stolen bases in 37 games and earned ABL All-Star honors as a result.

On the heels of an eventful winter, MacKenzie — who turns 24 in May — will now look to make a solid first impression as a member of the Rockies organization. In addition to his plus speed and strong baserunning instincts, the versatile 5-foot-10, 195-pounder is capable of playing second base, third base, shortstop, and a little bit of outfield as well.

At this point in time, it is not yet known which of Colorado’s minor-league affiliates MacKenzie will be assigned to. That said, it would not be surprising if he winds up spending some time at the Rockies’ complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. for extended spring training before receiving that assignment.

(Picture of Jake MacKenzie: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Alex Cora on decision to place Adalberto Mondesí on 60-day injured list: ‘We want this guy to be the explosive guy that he was a few years ago’

The Red Sox accomplished two things by placing infielder Adalberto Mondesi on the 60-day injured list prior to Thursday’s Opening Day date with the Orioles at Fenway Park.

First, they created the opening they needed in order to add outfielder Raimel Tapia to the 40-man roster. Secondly, they ensured that Mondesi, who is rehabbing from a left ACL tear he suffered 11 months ago, will not be eligible to return to the Red Sox until May 29 at the earliest.

Boston acquired Mondesi from the Royals in exchange for left-handed reliever Josh Taylor back in January. At that time, the club was aware that the speedy 27-year-old may not be ready in time for Opening Day. What they did not expect, however, is that he would miss the first two months of the 2023 season.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) earlier Thursday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that while Mondesi has not suffered any setbacks in his rehab, he is progressing more slowly than anticipated.

“No setbacks but he didn’t take a leap forward in our last testing,” Cora said. “He’s still off but it feels like this is the right move just to make sure everything goes well.”

Mondesi tore his left ACL on April 26 last year and underwent season-ending surgery in May. When he was traded from the Royals to the Red Sox, he immediately flew from the Dominican Republic to Fort Myers, Fla. to get acquainted with Boston’s training staff.

Now, while the Red Sox are in Boston, Mondesi will remain in Fort Myers to continue working with team trainers at the Fenway South complex. As noted by Cotillo, Mondesi began hitting and taking grounders outside in early March but never progressed to the point where he could get into games before camp came to a close. The current plan is for him to take part in extended spring training before ultimately heading out on a rehab assignment at a later date.

“With us gone from Fort Myers, maybe that’s going to help him,” suggested Cora. “More attention to him, though there was a lot of attention to him. The focus will be on [him] and not seeing everything that’s going on.”

Mondesi, who turns 28 in July, is under contract through the end of the season and will then be eligible for free agency for the first time in his career. When healthy, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has proven to be one of the more dynamic players in the game thanks to his standout speed.

For his big-league career, Mondesi is 133-for-159 on stolen base attempts. He stole 32 bases in 2018, 43 in 2019, and an American League-leading 24 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. From 2016-2022, he registered a nearly-elite average sprint speed of 29.8 feet per second, per Baseball Savant.

That speed, according to the Cora, is why Mondesi is not being rushed back. The Red Sox instead want Mondesi at his best when he does return so he can bring a new element to the club’s middle infield mix.

“We feel good about where he’s at,” Cora said. “We want this guy to be the explosive guy that he was a few years ago. If he’s 80 or 85 percent, he’s still a good player, but not the one that’s explosive playing defense, running the bases. We want the closest version of Mondesi.”

(Picture of Adalberto Mondesi: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox rally late, but come up short in 10-9 loss to Orioles on Opening Day

The Red Sox mounted a late rally, but it was not enough to get past the Orioles on Thursday afternoon. Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 10-9 on Opening Day at Fenway Park.

Corey Kluber’s first start of the season did not go as planned. Making his Red Sox debut, the veteran right-hander surrendered five earned runs on six hits and four walks to go along with four strikeouts over just 3 1/3 innings of work.

The Orioles got to Kluber right away in their half of the first. After striking out leadoff man Cedric Mullins, Kluber served up a 402-foot solo shot to Adley Rutschman to give Baltimore an early 1-0 lead. He walked two batters in the inning as well, but escaped without giving anything else up.

Despite falling behind right out of the gate, the Red Sox regrouped rather quickly in the latter half of the first. With Kyle Gibson starting for the Orioles, Alex Verdugo led things off by lacing a 369-foot triple off the Green Monster. He scored the then-tying run moments later on an RBI groundout off the bat of Rafael Devers.

It then appeared as though Kluber was about to settle in, as he retired the side in order in the second and worked his way around two hits in the third. But the righty ran into more trouble in the fourth by first issuing a leadoff walk to Gunnar Henderson. Two pitches later, Kluber gave up a towering two-run home run to Ramon Urias that put Baltimore up, 3-1.

Kluber allowed three of the next four batters he faced to reach base. At that point, he was given the hook in favor of rookie Zack Kelly. Kelly, inheriting a bases-loaded jam, allowed two of the three runners he inherited to score on a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk of Ryan Mountcastle, thus closing the book on Kluber’s outing.

The 36-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 80 (48 strikes). He averaged 87.7 mph with his sinker — his most frequently-used pitch — and induced six swings-and-misses in total. The four walks are the most he has given up in a single start since last Opening Day, when he was a member of the Rays.

After watching the Orioles put up a four-spot in the top half of the fourth, Devers led off the bottom half with a hard-hit ground-rule double to right field. He moved up to third on a Justin Turner groundout and remained there after Masataka Yoshida was hit by a pitch. With one out and runners on the corners, Adam Duvall laced a blistering 108.6 mph single off Gibson that allowed Devers to score from third, making it a 5-2 game. Triston Casas followed by drawing a four-pitch walk to load the bases for Christian Arroyo. Arroyo, however, grounded into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play to extinguish the threat.

Ryan Brasier took over for Kelly in the fifth and recorded the first two outs of the frame by inducing a twin killing of his own. He then issued a seven-pitch walk to Adam Frazier, who promptly stole second base and scored from there on a Jorge Mateo single. Mateo swiped second and took third while Mullins was in the process of drawing a walk. After Mullins stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position, Rutschman came through with a two-run single to left field that gave the Orioles a commanding 8-2 lead.

The Red Sox managed to cut into that deficit in the sixth. Devers and Turner hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning and knock Gibson out of the game. Yoshida then greeted new O’s reliever Keegan Akin by driving in Devers on a single through the right side of the infield for both his first hit and RBI as a major-leaguer. Turner, who went from first to third on the play, scored the second run of the inning on an RBI groundout from Casas.

Kaleb Ort, who put up a zero in the top of the sixth, came back out for the seventh. This time around, however, Ort gave up a leadoff double to Frazier, who quickly moved up to third on a successful sacrifice bunt laid down by Mateo. Mullins then plated Frazier with an RBI single before Rutschman followed suit with a run-scoring hit of his own.

Rutschman’s single was hit to Yoshida in left field. Yoshida made a quick throw towards home in an attempt to gun down Mullins at the plate. But Devers, the third baseman, elected to cut the throw off in order to snuff out Rutschman — who was trying to extend his single into a double — at second. Although Devers did get Rutschman out, the Orioles still increased their lead to six runs at 10-4.

Josh Winckowski kept the deficit at six runs in the top of the eighth by maneuvering his way around a leadoff double and Enrique Hernandez throwing error, paving the way for the Boston lineup to have its most productive inning of the afternoon.

With Bryan Baker on the mound for Baltimore, three straight hitters (Turner, Yoshida, and Duvall) all reached base after Devers struck out on a pitch clock violation for the first out. Casas then drove in Turner with a sacrifice fly before Arroyo ripped a two-run double over the head of left fielder Anthony Santander.

That sequence of events cut the Orioles’ lead down to three runs at 10-7. And it remained that way after Chris Martin tossed a scoreless ninth inning. Down to their final three outs now, the pinch-hitting Raimel Tapia drew a leadoff walk off Baltimore closer Felix Bautista. A hard-hit single from Verdugo that was accompanied by a fielding error put runners at second and third with no outs.

Devers struck out for the second time, but Turner delivered with an infield single that scored Tapia from third. It then appeared as though Yoshida was about to ground into a game-ending double play, but a poor throw to first allowed Yoshida to reach base safely while Verdugo crossed the plate for Boston’s ninth run.

Yoshida was able to advance to second as well, which put the tying run in scoring position for Duvall. Duvall, however, went down swinging on three straight strikes to end it there.

With Thursday’s loss, Red Sox manager Alex Cora falls to 0-5 all-time on Opening Day. The nine walks issued by Boston pitchers tied an Opening Day franchise record. It also happened in 1926 against the Orioles and in 1966 against the Yankees.

Yoshida’s MLB debut

After signing a five-year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox in December, Masataka Yoshida made his highly-anticipated big-league debut on Thursday. The 29-year-old out of Japan went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored out of the cleanup spot. He was also credited with an outfield assist when Adley Rutschman was thrown out at second base in the seventh inning.

Casas’ first Opening Day start

Triston Casas became the youngest first baseman to start on Opening Day for the Red Sox since George Scott in 1967. The left-handed hitting 23-year-old went 0-for-2 with a walk, a strikeout, and two RBIs.

Next up: First Sale Day of the season

At 0-1, the Red Sox will have Friday off before returning to action against the Orioles on Saturday. In the middle game of this three-game series, left-hander Chris Sale is slated to take the mound for Boston while right-hander Dean Kremer is expected to do the same for Baltimore.

First pitch from Fenway Park on Saturday is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Corey Kluber: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox finalize 2023 Opening Day roster

Ahead of Thursday’s season opener against the Orioles at Fenway Park, the Red Sox finalized their 26-man Opening Day roster.

Boston will carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players to kick off the 2023 campaign. Outfielder Raimel Tapia and right-handed reliever Kaleb Ort received the final two roster spots.

Tapia, who signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in January, enjoyed a strong spring (.988 OPS in 17 Grapefruit League games) and beat out Jarren Duran for the fifth outfield spot off the bench. The left-handed hitting 29-year-old figures to see playing time at all three outfield spots as a complement to the right-handed hitting Rob Refsnyder.

“Tapia, kind of a veteran guy, been there, done that,” manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) on Thursday. We can use him in the three outfield positions. We can pinch-hit with him. He can run.”

The Red Sox created an opening for Tapia on the big-league roster by optioning Duran to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. They cleared a 40-man roster spot for him on Thursday by placing infielder Adalberto Mondesi on the 60-day injured list.

Mondesi, who was acquired from the Royals for left-handed reliever Josh Taylor in January, is still working his way back from a torn left ACL that required him to undergo season-ending surgery last May. The speedy 27-year-old will not be eligible to be activated from the injured list until May 29 at the earliest.

In addition to Mondesi, fellow infielder Trevor Story will also begin the season on the 60-day injured list after undergoing internal brace surgery on is right elbow in January. Those two will not count against the 40-man roster while they are sidelined.

Left-handers James Paxton and Joely Rodriguez and right-handers Garrett Whitlock, Wyatt Mills, and Brayan Bello will all start the season on the 15-day injured list. With Rodriguez on the shelf, Richard Bleier is the only lefty reliever the Red Sox will have available out of the bullpen to begin the year.

With that, here is the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster in its entirety:

Pitchers (13): LHP Richard Bleier, RHP Ryan Brasier, RHP Kutter Crawford, RHP Tanner Houck, RHP Kenley Jansen, RHP Zack Kelly, RHP Corey Kluber, RHP Chris Martin, RHP Kaleb Ort, RHP Nick Pivetta, LHP Chris Sale, RHP John Schreiber, RHP Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Reese McGuire, Connor Wong

Infielders (6): Christian Arroyo, Triston Casas, Yu Chang, Rafael Devers, Enrique Hernandez, Justin Turner

Outfielders (5): Adam Duvall, Rob Refsnyder, Raimel Tapia, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida

—

First pitch between the Red Sox and Orioles from Fenway Park is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN. Kluber gets the Opening Day start for Boston opposite fellow righty Kyle Gibson for Baltimore.

(Picture of Fenway Park: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox option Jarren Duran to Triple-A Worcester, clearing way for Raimel Tapia to make team

The Red Sox have optioned outfielder Jarren Duran to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced following Tuesday’s Grapefruit League finale against the Braves at JetBlue Park.

By optioning Duran, the Red Sox have effectively cleared the way for non-roster invitee Raimel Tapia to make the team as a fifth outfielder. Tapia, however, is not yet on Boston’s 40-man roster, which is currently at full capacity. And so the club still needs to clear a spot in order to officially add the 29-year-old outfielder to the mix.

Duran and Tapia were essentially competing for a reserve outfield spot behind the likes of Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall, Alex Verdugo, and Rob Refsnyder on Boston’s Opening Day roster. Whoever came out on top would be in line to serve as a left-handed hitting complement to the right-handed hitting Refsnyder off the bench.

In just nine games with the Red Sox this spring, Duran went 6-for-18 (.333) at the plate with three doubles, one home run, one RBI, five runs scored, one stolen base, four walks, and three strikeouts. The 26-year-old was away from the team for a little more than two weeks earlier this month to play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. But he was used sparingly in that time and only accrued five plate appearances.

Tapia, meanwhile, signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in January and proved to be one of the club’s top offensive performers this spring. In Grapefruit League games, he batted .326/.383/.605 with six doubles, two homers, five RBIs, seven runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and six strikeouts across 47 trips to the plate.

According to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, Tapia had the ability to opt out of his deal on Monday, but he elected to remain with the Red Sox through their final game of the spring and went 1-for-2 with a double and run scored in Tuesday’s 7-5 loss to the Braves.

With Duran optioned and Tapia set to make the team, the Red Sox are now tasked with creating an opening for the latter. As noted by The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams, it appears as though the club will accomplish this by placing infielder Adalberto Mondesi (ACL rehab) on the 60-day injured list to begin the season.

The Red Sox have just one roster-related decision remaining, and it pertains to the final spot in the bullpen. It will either go to Kaleb Ort, who is already on the 40-man roster but has struggled mightily this spring, Oddanier Mosqueda, Ryan Sherriff or an external option is not yet with the club.

If one of Mosqueda or Sherriff — who were in camp as non-roster invitees — or an outside addition gets the job, another 40-man roster spot would need to be cleared. In that scenario, Ort could very well wind up getting designated for assignment.

All things considered, the Red Sox must finalize their initial 26-man roster to start the season before their Opening Day matchup against the Orioles at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon.

(Picture of Jarren Duran: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Masataka Yoshida, Triston Casas, and Connor Wong all homer as Red Sox fall to Braves, 7-5, in spring finale

In their final game of the spring, the Red Sox came up short against the Braves on Tuesday afternoon. Boston fell to Atlanta by a final score of 7-5 at JetBlue Park.

Kutter Crawford, making his fourth start and fifth overall appearance of the spring, allowed five earned runs on seven hits and two walks to go along with five strikeouts over four innings of work.

The Braves got to Crawford right away in the top of the first, as the right-hander allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach base on two singles and a walk. With one out and the bases loaded, Michael Harris II drove in Atlanta’s first run by grounding into a force out at second base. Crawford managed to escape any further damage by getting Ozzie Albies to ground out to short.

Despite falling behind early, the Red Sox wasted no time in getting on the board themselves in the latter half of the first. Matched up against veteran starter Charlie Morton to begin things on Tuesday, Rafael Devers ripped a one-out double to center field. Two batters later, Masataka Yoshida torched a two-run shot over the center field wall for his first home run of the spring and his first in a Red Sox uniform.

Triston Casas followed Yoshida’s lead the next inning, as he led off the bottom of the second by taking Morton deep to dead-center for his fourth homer of the spring. The solo blast put Boston up, 3-1, going into the third.

Crawford, who retired the side in order in the second, ran into more trouble by giving up back-to-back hits to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson to lead off the inning. He then recorded the first two outs of the frame on a pair of strikeouts, but was unable to get out of the jam as he yielded a game-tying, two-run single to Harris II. Albies followed by plating Harris II on an RBI double to give Atlanta a 4-3 lead.

In the fourth, Crawford served up a one-out solo homer to Orlando Arcia before walking Arcia and retiring both Olson and Austin Riley to end his day on a more positive note. The 26-year-old hurler finished with 73 pitches and a 4.15 ERA in 17 1/3 innings pitched this spring. His first start of the regular season will come against the Pirates at Fenway Park next Monday.

Richard Bleier received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen in the fifth inning. The left-hander got two quick outs before walking Ehire Adrianza and giving up a single to Sean Murphy. He then gave up an RBI single to the pinch-hitting Ethan Workinger that scored Adrianza, but left fielder Jarren Duran managed to gun down Workinger, who tried to stretch his single into a double, at second base to end the inning.

The Red Sox got that run back in the bottom of the fifth to keep the deficit at two. Raimel Tapia led off with a hard-hit double off Braves reliever Jared Shuster and advanced to third on a balk. Yu Chang then drove Tapia in from third with an RBI single to left field.

John Schreiber put together his most impressive outing of the spring by striking out the side in the sixth inning. But Kaleb Ort’s struggles continued in the seventh, as the righty allowed the first two hitters he faced to reach on a double and walk before surrendering a one-out RBI double to Adrianza, which gave Atlanta a 7-4 lead.

After Luis De La Rosa induced a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the top of the eighth unscathed, Connor Wong led off the bottom half by crushing a long home run to deep right-center field off new reliever Jake McSteen. Wong’s first big fly of the spring trimmed Boston’s deficit down from three runs to two at 7-5.

That is where the score would remain, though, as Theo Denlinger put up a zero in the top half of the ninth and the Red Sox went down quietly in the bottom half to put the finishing touches on a 7-5 loss.

With the loss, the Red Sox finish the spring with a 14-14-4 record in Grapefruit League play and a 16-14-4 record in all competitions. Spring training is officially over in Fort Myers.

Next up: Opening Day at Fenway

The Red Sox will head north and enjoy an off day on Wednesday before taking on the Orioles in the first of a three-game series on Opening Day. Corey Kluber is slated to get the ball for Boston while fellow right-hander Kyle Gibson will do the same for Baltimore.

First pitch from Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Masataka Yoshida: Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

Orioles return Rule 5 Draft pick Andrew Politi to Red Sox

The Orioles have returned right-hander Andrew Politi to the Red Sox, the club announced earlier Tuesday afternoon. Politi has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

Politi was selected by Baltimore with the 17th pick in last December’s Rule 5 Draft but failed to make the club’s Opening Day roster. The 26-year-old was subsequently designated for assignment on Monday after the Orioles acquired left-hander Danny Coulombe from the Twins.

In nine appearances for the O’s this spring, Politi struggled to a 6.23 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with eight strikeouts to three walks over 8 2/3 innings of relief. Opposing hitters batted .265/.342/.588 off the righty as well.

Because he did not their Opening Day roster, the Orioles had no choice but to designate Politi for assignment given his status as a Rule 5 Draft pick. Since he cleared waivers, the Red Sox paid the O’s $50,000 to retain Politi’s rights. Baltimore initially paid Boston $100,000 in order to draft him.

Now that he is back in the organization, the Red Sox do not need to commit a 40-man roster spot to Politi. After beginning the 2022 season with Double-A Portland, Politi was promoted to Worcester in late May and posted a 2.57 ERA with 63 strikeouts to 19 walks in 38 outings (two starts) spanning 56 innings of work for the WooSox.

The Red Sox originally selected Politi in the 15th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Seton Hall. At the time he was scooped up by the Orioles, the New Jersey native was ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 42 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Politi, who turns 27 in June, operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a high-80s cutter, a mid-80s slider, and a low-80s curveball, per Baseball Savant. The 6-foot, 195-pound hurler figures to provide the Red Sox with some experienced bullpen depth in the upper-minors.

In addition to Politi, the Red Sox also lost fellow righties Thad Ward (Nationals) and Noah Song (Phillies) in the Rule 5 Draft over the winter. Ward appears to be a lock to make Washington’s Opening Day roster as a long reliever. Song, on the other hand, has been sidelined by lower back tightness this spring and is expected to begin the season on Philadelphia’s injured list.

(Picture of Andrew Politi: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Jordan DiValerio on pitching in relief of Chris Sale in Grapefruit League debut: ‘It’s definitely a big deal’

In the ninth inning of Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the Twins at JetBlue Park, Red Sox minor-league pitcher Jordan DiValerio appeared in a Grapefruit League game for the first time in his professional career.

DiValerio struck out the first batter he faced in Kala’i Rosario and then issued a walk to Dalton Kelly. But the right-hander escaped any further damage and held the Twins scoreless by getting Ernie Yake to ground into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

“I didn’t know I was going in until the phone rang and they said, ‘DiValerio, you got it.’ I was like, ‘Alright, here we go,'” DiValerio told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “In the locker room, after, was when it hit me. It was a big moment, but you have to play it off as it is just another game.”

Beyond the fact that he got to pitch in a major-league spring training game for the first time, DiValerio also worked in relief of Red Sox starter Chris Sale, who helped recruit him to the organization a little less than three years ago.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 college baseball season to come to a screeching halt that March, DiValerio was in the midst of his senior season at St. Joseph’s University. The Philadelphia-area native had posted a 2.38 ERA in his first four starts (22 2/3 innings) for the Hawks that spring, but his chances of getting drafted became slim once the 2020 amateur draft was reduced to just five rounds.

As such, DiValerio became an undrafted free agent that June. Because the signing bonus for these players was capped at $20,000, there was not much teams could do to separate themselves in the recruiting process. DiValerio experienced that firsthand, but the Red Sox found a way to stand out by getting Sale involved.

“It was honestly incredible,” DiValerio said in regards to his over-the-phone conversation with Sale. “Just knowing they would have their ace, their No. 1 guy, give me a call, it just meant so much. It showed me they cared and wanted me here.

“I was in my apartment, got a call and they were like, ‘Hey, just letting you know, Chris Sale is going to call you soon,'” DiValerio recalled. “I was like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I thought they were joking around. Then I get this random phone call, pick up and he was like, ‘Hey, Jordan, it’s Chris.’ I was like, ‘Alright.’

“I just talked to him a little bit and he told me how much of a family the Red Sox were,” he continued. “Everybody fits in. It doesn’t matter if you’re a minor-leaguer or a big-leaguer. That’s exactly how I felt going into the dugout [on Sunday]. Everybody was saying, ‘Good job’ and giving me high-fives. Guys I have never talked to before said, ‘Good job!'”

By the time DiValerio got into Sunday’s game, Sale had already pitched five innings, fulfilled his media obligations, and headed home. Still, to share the same box score with Sale was “definitely a big deal” for DiValerio, who has yet to bring up the aforementioned phone call in the few instances he has bumped into the lefty at the Fenway South complex.

“We met a couple of times, but I haven’t brought up the phone call,” DiValerio said with a laugh. “I feel like it’s weird.”

DiValerio, 25, spent the majority of the 2022 season with High-A Greenville, posting a 5.32 ERA — but much more respectable 4.38 xFIP — with 67 strikeouts to 15 walks over 29 relief appearances (67 2/3 innings) for the Drive. Of the 74 pitchers in the South Atlantic League who accrued 60 or more innings last year, DiValerio ranked fifth in walks per nine innings (2.00), fifth in walk rate (5.0 percent), and 11th in swinging-strike rate (15.6 percent), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, DiValerio throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 89-91 mph that tops out at 94 mph, a 77-79 mph curveball, a 78-80 mph changeup/splitter, and an 82-84 mph slider, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

DiValerio, who does not turn 26 until October, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Greenville for the start of the 2023 minor-league season. With that being said, it is certainly possible DiValerio earns a promotion to Double-A Portland at some point this year if he continues to make strides with the Drive.

(Picture of Jordan DiValerio: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)