Tag: alex cora

Red Sox go 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, drop second straight to Yankees in 4-2 loss

For the second straight day, the Red Sox found themselves with an early lead over the Yankees but were unable to hold onto it in the end.

Boston fell to New York by a final score of 4-2 at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon, marking their second consecutive loss to open the 2022 campaign.

The Sox lineup did all of their damage off Yankees starter Luis Severino in their half of the second inning. After going down in order in the first, J.D. Martinez led off the following frame with a single and was driven in when Alex Verdugo took Severino deep to right field for his first home run of the season.

Verdugo’s two-run blast came on a 2-1, 98 mph fastball from Severino and left his bat with an exit velocity of 104.1 mph. It also traveled 382 feet into the right field seats to give Boston the early 2-0 lead.

Nick Pivetta, on the other hand, was in the midst of his first start of the season when Verdugo went yard. The right-hander faced first the minimum nine batters through his first three innings on the mound.

Jackie Bradley Jr. helped him out by gunning down Joey Gallo, who was attempting to stretch a two-out single into a double, at second base for the final out of the second and recorded his first outfield assist of the year in doing so.

Josh Donaldson, the hero of Opening Day, led off the fourth with a line-drive single. Aaron Judge then lifted a 411-foot flyout to the deepest part of the park in straightaway center field that Enrique Hernandez was able to come up with.

Anthony Rizzo, who homered off Nathan Eovaldi on Friday, proceeded to mash his second two-run home run in as many days by depositing a 93 mph Pivetta fastball 389 feet to right field to pull the Yankees back even at two runs apiece.

After standing two more base runners in the fourth on a pair of walks, Pivetta bounced back by retiring the side in the fifth. He was unable to carry that momentum into the sixth, though, as he issued a leadoff walk to Judge and a booming, 437-foot two-run blast to Giancarlo Stanton that had an exit velocity of 112 mph.

Stanton would be the second-to-last batter Pivetta would face, as he was pulled by Red Sox manager Alex Cora after recording the second out of the inning. The 29-year-old finished his day having allowed four runs (all earned) on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work. 50 of the 81 pitches he threw went for strikes.

In relief of Pivetta, left-hander Austin Davis came on to finish things in the sixth and did just that by getting Gallo to fly out to left. From there, Hirokazau Sawamura twirled a 1-2-3 seventh inning and Phillips Valdez did the same in the eighth. It was a combined perfect showing for the trio of relievers making their 2022 debuts.

While the likes of Davis, Sawamura, and Valdez did their job by holding the Yankees to four runs, the Yankees bullpen did their job by holding the Red Sox to just two.

Severino may have lasted just three-plus innings in his first start since 2019, but six different New York relievers held their own from there. The Boston bats stranded Rafael Devers at second in the third, and Bradley Jr. and Verdugo at first and third in the fourth.

Fast forward all the way to the ninth, Christian Arroyo came on to pinch-hit for Bradley Jr. and reached base off Aroldis Chapman via a throwing error committed by Isiah Kiner-Filefa.

Arroyo was able to advance to second on the error and brought the potential tying run to the plate with just one out in the frame. Chapman, however, did not lose his composure. The Yankees closer got Christian Vazquez to fly out and Hernandez to ground out to secure his first save and send the Red Sox to 0-2 on the young season.

Some notes from this loss:

The Red Sox went a whopping 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and left eight runners on base as a team. They did that while still outhitting the Yankees, 5-4.

Saturday’s contest took less than three hours to complete and was played in front of 46,882 spectators in the Bronx.

Next up: Houck vs. Montgomery

Looking to avoid a three-game sweep to start the year, the Red Sox will turn to right-hander Tanner Houck in Sunday night’s series finale against the Yankees, who will roll with left-hander Jordan Montgomery.

First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. eastern time on ESPN.

(Picture of Nick Pivetta: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Red Sox blow early lead, fall to Yankees, 6-5, in 11 innings on Opening Day

For the fourth time under manager Alex Cora, the Red Sox have lost on Opening Day. The Sox kicked off the 2022 season by falling to the Yankees, 6-5, in 11 innings at Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Right out of the gate, Boston jumped all over New York ace Gerrit Cole, who began his day by issuing a four-pitch, leadoff walk to Enrique Hernandez in the first inning.

Rafael Devers immediately made Cole pay for that by taking the right-hander deep to right field on a two-run blast that left his bat at 101.4 mph and travelled 382 feet. Devers’ first home run of the season gave the Red Sox an early 2-0 lead.

Xander Bogaerts followed Devers by lacing a 111.8 mph base hit to left field and scored his side’s third run on an RBI double off the bat of J.D. Martinez. And just like that, Boston had plated three runs before recording a single out.

A three-run first inning seemingly put Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi in a good spot heading into the bottom half of the frame. Making his third consecutive Opening Day start for Boston, Eovaldi instead ran into some trouble when he issued a one-out single to Aaron Judge and two-run home run to Anthony Rizzo shortly thereafter.

So the Red Sox’ early three-run cushion had been trimmed down to one run after just one inning of play. Eovaldi and Cole both settled in for a bit, but it was the former who fell victim to the long ball once more in the fourth.

There, the dangerous Giancarlo Stanton ripped a vintage Yankee Stadium home run to right field that had a launch angle of only 15 degrees. Still, Stanton’s 358-foot solo shot knotted things up at three runs apiece.

Eovaldi got through the rest of the fourth, then put two runners on via a single and hit batsman while recording the first two outs of the fifth. The veteran right-hander nearly saw the 3-3 tie come apart when he yielded a screaming fly ball to D.J. LeMahieu, but Alex Verdugo bailed him out by making an impressive diving catch in left field.

That is how Eovaldi’s first outing of the year came to a close. All told, the 32-year-old hurler allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits, one walk, one hit batsman, and seven strikeouts over five innings of work. He threw 76 pitches (56 strikes) and averaged 98.2 mph with his vaunted four-seam fastball.

Shortly after Eovaldi’s day ended, the Red Sox lineup picked things back up in their half of the sixth. With Yankees reliever Clay Holmes now in the game, Bogaerts led off with a double and immediately advanced to third base on a Martinez groundout.

Following a brief mound visit, Verdugo came through on the other side of the ball by easily plating Bogaerts on a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield.

After Holmes and fellow reliever Miguel Castro proceeded to load the bases with two outs, the Sox failed to add on to their newfound 4-3 lead as Christian Vazquez fanned on four pitches to extinguish the threat.

Former Yankees prospect Garrett Whitlock got the call from Cora to take over for Eovaldi beginning in the latter of the sixth. The hard-throwing righty breezed through the sixth and seventh by retiring six of the first seven batters he faced.

The eighth inning, however, was a different story. After giving up all of six home runs last season, Whitlock served up a game-tying solo blast to LeMahieu that pulled New York back even with Boston at 4-4.

Whitlock then made way for newcomer Matt Strahm, who worked his way around a walk to get through the rest of the eighth. A half-inning later, Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman made relatively quick work of Bobby Dalbec, Christian Arroyo (pinch-hitting for Jackie Bradley Jr.), and Vazquez to keep the stalemate intact.

In the bottom of the ninth, Hansel Robles — two days after making the team — was dispatched in a critical spot. The veteran reliever made just two appearances this spring after signing with Boston late and managed to strand the potential winning run at second base by fanning Stanton for the final out of the inning.

With Robles sending this one into extras, Jonathan Arauz became the automatic runner at second base to begin things in the 10th as he replaced Vazquez. Hernandez failed to advance Arauz, but Bogaerts did not.

After the Yankees elected to intentionally walk Devers with one out, Bogaerts delivered by lifting an RBI single to shallow left field. The ball only travelled 187 feet off Bogaerts’ bat, but it was deep enough to score Arauz from second base to give the Sox a 5-4 advantage.

Jake Diekman was tasked with protecting that lead in the latter half of the 10th. The left-hander plunked the first man he faced in LeMahieu then got Joey Gallo to ground out to second, though runners advanced to second and third for New York.

That sequence prompted the Red Sox to intentionally walk Aaron Hicks, thus loading the bases as Cora dipped back into the bullpen and handed things over to Ryan Brasier.

Brasier, inheriting a mess, gave up the tying run on a sacrifice fly from Gleyber Torres, but escaped any further damage by punching out Isiah Kiner-Filefa on 10 pitches.

After the Red Sox went down quietly in the top of the 11th, Kutter Crawford came on for Brasier in the bottom half. With Kiner-Filefa representing the go-ahead run at second base, Crawford surrendered the game-winning hit to Josh Donaldson.

Donaldson snuck a single through the middle of the infield, giving Kiner-Filefa more than enough time to score from second to walk it off for the Yankees. Crawford, despite throwing just three pitches, was charged with the loss.

Some notes from this 6-5 defeat:

On the injury front, Xander Bogaerts exited the game in the middle of the 10th inning after appearing to injure himself on his run-scoring single. He was replaced by Jonathan Arauz at shortstop.

Trevor Story, making his Red Sox debut on Friday, went 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

The Red Sox went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base as a team.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Severino

The Red Sox will turn to Nick Pivetta on Saturday as they look for their first win of the young season. The Yankees will roll with fellow right-hander Luis Severino, who will be making his first start since 2019.

First pitch from Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will be televised on NESN and FS1.

(Picture of Josh Donaldson: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Red Sox designate Eduard Bazardo for assignment: ‘It was a tough decision toward the end,’ Alex Cora says

The Red Sox made a surprising decision on Thursday when they elected to designate right-hander Eduard Bazardo for assignment. Boston needed to clear two 40-man roster spots in order to add Hansel Robles and Travis Shaw to the major-league roster. They did so by designating Bazardo and fellow righty Ralph Garza Jr.

While Garza Jr. has already been claimed off waivers by the Rays, Bazardo remains in limbo for the time being.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for just $8,000 in 2014, Bazardo rose to relevance in 2020 when he showed improved velocity on his fastball during fall instructs. The Sox added Bazardo to their 40-man roster that November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Last season, Bazardo made his major-league debut in April but missed significant time on the 60-day injured list because of a right lat strain suffered with Triple-A Worcester in May.

The 26-year-old spent more time with Worcester than he did in Boston in 2021, but there was no reason to believe he could not compete for a spot in the Red Sox’ Opening Day bullpen this spring.

Instead, Bazardo appeared in just one Grapefruit League game before being optioned to Worcester on April 2. He did not appear in either of the WooSox’ first two games and wound up losing his spot on the 40-man roster five days after getting sent down.

When speaking with reporters at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked why Bazardo was designated for assignment. His response?

“That decision goes above me,” Cora said. “He was healthy and he pitched on the backfields. He only pitched in one game but everything went fine. Our roster is becoming harder and harder, especially the last two years. That’s a good problem to have, right? Because you have good pitchers, good players. It was a tough decision toward the end. There were a few guys that we talk about it.”

Now that he has been designated, the Sox have the next seven days to either trade, release, or place Bazardo on outright waivers. Given the fact he does not turn 27 until September and still has two minor-league option years remaining, it seems likely the 6-foot, 187 pound hurler could land elsewhere via a waiver claim.

With that being said, though, Cora is understandably hopeful that Bazardo will clear waivers and remain with the Red Sox organization as a non-40-man roster player.

“In a selfish way, hopefully he’s with us whenever the process ends,” said Cora. “If not, I know he’s a good one. He grew up a lot two years ago and he’s still developing. Let’s see how the process goes.”

(Picture of Eduard Bazardo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

New Podding the Red Sox episode: MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo joins the show to preview the 2022 season

On this week’s installment of Podding the Red Sox: A BloggingtheRedSox.com Podcast, I am joined by MassLive.com’s Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo to preview the 2022 season.

Chris and I discuss the key moves Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox made this off-season, including the acquisitions of Trevor Story, Jake Diekman, and Matt Strahm via free agency. We also delve into how the Sox’ starting rotation is stacked up to begin the season with Chris Sale on the 60-day injured list due to a broken rib.

Other topics covered include Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts contract extension talks, the makeup of the bullpen with Matt Barnes as the likely closer, the state of Boston’s 40-man roster, injured players (like Sale, James Paxton, and Josh Taylor) who could make an impact when healthy, prospects and other players who could make their Red Sox debuts this year, the importance of Alex Cora, the toughness of the American League East, and much more!

The episode is available to listen to on iTunes and Spotify, among other platforms.

My thanks to Chris for once again taking some time out of his busy schedule to have a fun conversation with yours truly. You can follow Chris on Twitter (@ChrisCotillo) by clicking here and read his work for MassLive.com by clicking here.

Thank you for listening and we will see you next time! Please make sure to subscribe and leave a five-star review if you can!

(Picture of Trevor Story: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Darwinzon Hernandez strikes out 3 over 2 2/3 innings in first start of season for Triple-A Worcester

Darwinzon Hernandez made his first start of the season for Triple-A Worcester in their Opening Day bout against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins affiliate) at 121 Financial Ballpark on Tuesday night.

The left-hander allowed two runs — both of which were earned — on zero hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings of work.

Both runs Hernandez gave up were scored after the 25-year-old had already left the contest. After retiring the side in order in the first and plunking J.J. Bleday in an otherwise clean second, Hernandez ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom half of the third.

Under the assumption that he was growing tired on the mound, Hernandez punched out the first two batters he faced before issuing a seven-pitch walk to Brian Miller and a five-pitch walk to Peyton Burdick to put runners at first and second base.

That sequence prompted new WooSox manager to turn to his bullpen and pull Hernandez in favor of fellow lefty Kyle Hart, who allowed both of the runners he inherited to score on a two-run double off the bat of Lewin Diaz that gave the Jumbo Shrimp an early 2-1 lead.

All told, Hernandez ended his outing having thrown 43 pitches (24 strikes) and retiring eight (4 via groundout, 3 via strikeout, and 1 via groundout) of the 11 hitters he faced. He will not factor into Tuesday’s decision.

The Red Sox surprisingly optioned Hernandez to Worcester this past Saturday, citing that they want to see more consistency and an improved delivery from the Venezuelan-born southpaw.

When speaking with reporters from JetBlue Park on Sunday, Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that Hernandez clearly has the stuff to be a big-leaguer, but the club needs more out of him when it comes to his mechanics and approach on the mound.

“To be the big leaguer we envision, we need to find consistency and that’s what he is missing right now,” Cora said. “We can’t go with the up and down. He dominates in Texas and he struggles for a few weeks. We don’t want that. When he’s ready, he’ll be ready. We know he’s going to contribute.”

Although Hernandez will presumably not start again until Sunday if he is on a normal schedule, the Red Sox still want the 6-foot-2, 225 pound hurler to get plenty of side work in. They believe a starter’s routine will help facilitate this.

“The goal is for him to work in between starts or in between outings,” said Cora. “He hasn’t been able to do that in years. It wasn’t a comfortable conversation because we know what he can do. But the goal is for him to work with (Worcester pitching Paul Abbott) in between starts and try to be consistent.”

Cora emphasized the importance of a repeatable delivery for Hernandez and also indicated that the Sox would like him to throw fastballs up and breaking balls down on a consistent basis. By employing these strategies with Worcester, Hernandez could be back in Boston sooner rather than later.

“it’s just a matter of him being consistent, repeat his delivery over and over and over again,” Cora said. “And we do believe he’s going to contribute at one point this season. He’s going to be a big part of this team.”

(Picture of Darwinzon Hernandez: Billie Weis/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox close out spring training with 10-6 win over Twins to take home 2022 Chairman’s Cup

The Red Sox wrapped up Grapefruit League play on Tuesday by coming from behind to defeat the Twins by a final score of 10-6 at JetBlue Park. Boston finishes the spring with a record of 11-8 and also take home the 2022 Chairman’s Cup.

J.D. Martinez got the Sox on the board first in their half of the first, ripping an RBI single off Twins starter Josh Winder to score Enrique Hernandez from third base.

Michael Wacha, making his fourth and final start of the spring for Boston, retired five of the first seven batters he faced before serving up a two-run shot to Gio Urshela with one out in the top of the second.

The home run came back to bite Wacha an inning later, as the right-hander gave up a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton and a two-run bomb to Carlos Correa moments later.

Wacha failed to record an out in the third and was ultimately pulled for Ryan Brasier, who allowed one of the runners he inherited to score on a sacrifice fly that gave the Twins a commanding 6-1 lead.

After Brasier ended things in the third, though, Wacha took the mound once more in the fourth and actually turned his day around for the better. The 30-year-old struck out the side in the fourth and maneuvered his way around a two-out walk to put up another zero in the fifth.

All told, Wacha surrendered six earned runs on on six hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts over four total innings of work spanning 93 pitches.

In relief of Wacha, Hansel Robles made his second appearance out of the Boston bullpen in as many days and, after giving up a leadoff double to Alex Kirilloff, stranded Kirilloff at second base in an otherwise clean sixth inning.

The middle of the sixth is where momentum began to shift in the Sox’ favor. With Griffin Jax on the mound for the Twins, Alex Cora emptied the bench and the minor-leaguers who are still in Fort Myers took over.

Juan Chacon led off with a groundball single and advanced to third on a hard-hit double off the bat of Johanfrank Salazar. Jonathan Arauz getting plunked by a pitch to load the bases for Bryan Gonzalez, who drove in Chacon on a sacrifice fly to left field.

Ahbram Liendo then plated Salazar on an RBI single, and Jax proceeded to fill the bases again by issuing two straight walks to Darel Belen and Miguel Bleis. Following a pitching change that saw Ricardo Velez take over for Jax, Ronald Rosario greeted the new Twins reliever with a game-tying, two-run single to center field.

With things now knotted up at six runs apiece, the Red Sox re-loaded the bases and scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Salazar. The pinch-hitting Luis Ravelo pushed across another run by driving in Rosario to make it an 8-6 game.

After Kutter Crawford tossed a scoreless frame in the top of the seventh, the Sox tacked on two more runs in their half of the seventh on an RBI groundout from Liendo and RBI double from Belen.

From there, Austin Davis worked his way around a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, and Tyler Danish closed things out with a perfect ninth inning to secure a 10-6 victory to cap off the spring.

Next up: The real thing

With another spring training in the books, the Red Sox will now board a flight to New York ahead of Opening Day against the Yankees on Thursday, weather permitting.

Nathan Eovaldi is slated to make his third consecutive Opening Day start for Boston. He will be opposed by fellow right-hander and New York ace Gerrit Cole.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The 2022 season opener will be televised on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Rich Hill to begin 2022 season in Red Sox’ starting rotation; Garrett Whitlock will remain in bullpen

Rich Hill will open the 2022 season as the Red Sox’ No. 5 starter, manager Alex Cora announced earlier Monday morning. The veteran left-hander will make his first start of the year against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park next Tuesday.

Hill, 42, signed a one-year, $5 million deal to return to the Sox last December. The Milton, Mass. native has posted a 9.35 ERA in three appearances (two starts) spanning 8 2/3 innings of work this spring and is expected to throw a six-inning, 90-pitch simulated game at JetBlue Park on Wednesday.

With Hill being named Boston’s fifth starter, Garrett Whitlock will move to the bullpen to start the season. The two hurlers had been competing for a spot in the Sox’ rotation throughout the spring. And while Hill may have prevailed, the Red Sox will keep Whitlock stretched out in the event they need another starter.

“We’re going to stretch him out. He’ll be ready for Thursday,” Cora said of Whitlock. “We’ll try to stretch him out and go from there. We have to do this. We have to keep six guys stretched out because of the nature of the schedule. I think we can be creative in a sense. Both of them are going to be a big part of what we try to accomplish.”

In terms of being creative, Cora alluded to the fact that the club has entertained the idea of having Whitlock piggyback Hill on days the latter starts.

“That’s something we’ve been talking about since we signed Rich,” said Cora. “We can pair them together.”

Having a hard-throwing righty such as Whitlock come in for a finesse lefty such as Hill could make for an intriguing strategy to win ballgames. Opposing teams who stack their lineup with right-handed bats to face Hill would then be put in a tough spot when Whitlock, who held right-handed hitters to a .522 OPS against last year, makes his way out of the Boston bullpen.

“People are going to mix and match with them,” Cora said. “They’re the total opposite numbers-wise. … It makes sense. Put them together and use them the right way.”

(Picture of Rich Hill: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Kutter Crawford makes Red Sox’ Opening Day roster

Kutter Crawford has made the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster, manager Alex Cora announced earlier Monday morning. The right-hander will be one of 15 pitchers Boston carries on its 28-man roster to begin the 2022 season and will be available out of the bullpen for Thursday’s opener against the Yankees in the Bronx.

Crawford, who turned 26 last week, was originally selected by the Sox in the 16th round of the 2017 amateur draft out of Florida Gulf Coast University. The Florida native came into the year regarded by Baseball America as the No. 15 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking eighth among pitchers in the organization.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2019 and missing all of 2020 as a result, Crawford put himself on the map last season by throwing harder and limiting his walks.

While the Red Sox were navigating their way through a COVID-19 outbreak in September, Crawford was called up from Triple-A Worcester to start in place of Nick Pivetta on Sept. 5. His big-league debut did not go as planned (5 earned runs in 2 innings pitched), but the righty continued to make strides upon being returned to Worcester and was ultimately added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

On the heels of an off-season in which he posted a 0.42 ERA over five starts (21 1/3 innings pitched) for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League, Crawford received his first invite to major-league camp and has impressed the Red Sox this spring.

In three Grapefruit League appearances out of the Sox’ bullpen, Crawford has pitched to the tune of a 2.25 ERA to go along with eight strikeouts to just one walk across four innings of work. In his most recent outing against the Pirates on March 29, Crawford struck out five over two scoreless frames while sitting between 95-97 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Cora has previously acknowledged that in terms of stuff, Crawford is one of the best pitchers the Red Sox have. To complement his high-octane fastball, the 6-foot-1, 209 pound hurler also works with a cutter, a curveball, a sinker, and a changeup.

Throughout his minor-league career, Crawford has primarily been used as a starter. The plan now, per Cora, is to use Crawford as a multi-inning reliever out of the bullpen beginning on Thursday.

(Picture of Kutter Crawford: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox plan to have Darwinzon Hernandez make 2-3 inning starts for Triple-A Worcester to begin season, Alex Cora says

The Red Sox made a surprising decision on Saturday when they elected to option left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez to Triple-A Worcester.

Hernandez, 25, has been a key figure in Boston’s bullpen since debuting for the Sox in 2019. Over the last three seasons, his 83 relief appearances rank sixth on the team behind only Matt Barnes (154), Josh Taylor (120), Ryan Brasier (99), Brandon Workman (99), and Marcus Walden (85).

While Hernandez has primarily been used as a reliever throughout his big-league career, the Red Sox sent the Venezuelan-born southpaw down to Triple-A with a plan in place to start games for the WooSox.

When speaking with reporters at JetBlue Park on Sunday, Sox manager Alex Cora revealed that Hernandez will likely start for the WooSox this coming Tuesday in their Opening Day bout against the Jumbo Shrimp in Jacksonville. Though labeled as a starter, Hernandez is only expected to work two to three innings per start and will use the days in between his starts to work on the side.

“I think the plan for him is actually he’s going to start probably Opening Day in Jacksonville, but he’ll go two or three innings,” explained Cora. “The goal is for him to work in between starts or in between outings. He hasn’t been able to do that in years. It wasn’t a comfortable conversation because we know what he can do. But the goal is for him to work with (Worcester pitching Paul Abbott) in between starts and try to be consistent.”

After making his first career Opening Day roster last year, Hernandez appeared in 48 games for the Red Sox and posted a 3.38 ERA (4.80 FIP) to go along with 54 strikeouts to 31 walks over 40 innings of work.

Among the 54 left-handed relievers who accrued at least 40 innings in 2021, Hernandez ranked seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (12.2) and 11th in strikeout rate (29.7%). But he also ranked 53rd in walks per nine innings (7.0) and 53rd in walk rate (17%), per FanGraphs.

That Hernandez was erratic at times last year is nothing new. He has proven more than capable of getting hitters out at the big-league level, but he has done so on an inconsistent basis.

“Yeah, you’re a big leaguer, we know that,” Cora said of Hernandez. “But to be the big leaguer we envision, we need to find consistency and that’s what he is missing right now. We can’t go with the up and down. He dominates in Texas and he struggles for a few weeks. We don’t want that. When he’s ready, he’ll be ready. We know he’s going to contribute. There’s a few decisions based on that. There’s a few decisions as far as who we are facing this month. Do we need more righties? All of a sudden, we’ve got a lot of lefties on our staff. And they’re really, really good. But we’re still getting there.”

While Hernandez will start the season in Worcester instead of in Boston, Cora emphasized that the results or numbers Hernandez puts up with the WooSox are not as important as the work he will put in between his outings.

“We want him to pitch and then we want him to work,” the manager said. “The last one here, three innings and everyone was ecstatic. He did the job. But it’s not about that. He can even struggle for three innings and all of a sudden you will see him here. It’s about the work he will be putting in between outings, which is the most important thing for us.”

One thing in particular Cora would like to see Hernandez work on in Worcester is his delivery. When discussing Hernandez’s approach on the mound, Cora noted that the lefty can be overpowering when he works up in the zone with his fastball. The same can be said about Brewers closer Josh Hader. When Hernandez misses with his fastball, though, that is when he becomes susceptible to walks and other forms of damage.

“But at the end, we want him to throw fastballs up and breaking balls down and be consistent with it,” Cora said. “When he throws the fastball up, there is no damage. You guys can look at it. Fastballs up and breaking balls down.  I hate to compare guys but like (Josh) Hader. It’s very simple. Fastballs up and breaking balls down. And he can do that.

“The characteristics of his fastballs, he gets swings and misses,” added Cora. “He gets foul balls. There’s no loud contact. But when he gets a fastball down, we see the results, too. So it’s just a matter of him being consistent, repeat his delivery over and over and over again. And we do believe he’s going to contribute at one point this season. He’s going to be a big part of this team.”

(Picture of Darwinzon Hernandez: Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Derek Holland elects not to opt out of contract with Red Sox, accepts assignment to Triple-A Worcester

After being informed on Saturday that he would not be making the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster, Derek Holland has opted to remain with the organization and report to Triple-A Worcester. Holland’s decision was first reported by NESN’s Will Middlebrooks and was confirmed by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Holland, 35, originally signed a minor-league contract with the Sox that included an invite to major-league spring training on March 21. The veteran left-hander appeared in just one Grapefruit League game for Boston but impressed in that outing, striking out a pair over two scoreless innings of relief against the Twins this past Thursday.

The Red Sox had until Saturday to let Holland know if he would be making their Opening Day roster or not since the southpaw had the ability to opt out of his contract and become a free agent if he were not to make the team.

Following a 7-2 loss to the Pirates at JetBlue Park, Sox manager Alex Cora revealed that Holland would not be making the team, though he was hopeful the Ohio native would accept an assignment with the WooSox.

“We talked with Derek,” Cora said. “We were honest with him. He’s not going to make the team. So we’ll see where he’s at during the weekend. Obviously a lefty. Lefties with a heartbeat, they always have a chance. But no, no. Great impression. Good stuff yesterday. It’s just a matter of where we’re at roster-wise. Being selfish, hopefully he’s there Tuesday in Jacksonville, pitching for Worcester.”

As it turns out, Holland did what Cora hoped he would do and took to Twitter to explain why.

“Took the assignment because I’ve only been able to showcase two innings. All my other games [have] been [on the] backfield and it’s a great organization to be apart of,” Holland tweeted. “So I want to stay and see where this road takes me. Going to be a lot of fun with these guys.”

A former 25th-round draft pick taken out Wallace State Community College by the Rangers in 2006, Holland broke in with Texas in 2009 and spent the first eight years of his big-league career there.

Since his tenure with the Rangers ended in 2016, Holland has bounced around a bit, spending the 2017 season with the White Sox, the 2018 season with the Giants, the 2019 season between the Giants and Cubs, and the 2020 season with the Pirates.

In 2021, Holland appeared in 39 games — one of which was a start — for the Tigers. The 6-foot-2, 223 pound hurler posted a 5.07 ERA and 3.96 FIP to go along with 51 strikeouts to 20 walks over 49 2/3 innings of work with Detroit.

Although he will not be joining the Red Sox in the Bronx for the start of their season on Thursday, Holland should still provide the club with some experienced bullpen depth at the Triple-A level. It would not be surprising to see him up in Boston at some point in 2022, though he would need to be added to the 40-man roster in order for that to happen.

(Picture of Derek Holland: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)