Tag: alex cora

Red Sox’ Adam Duvall breaks left wrist after trying to make sliding catch on Sunday

Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall has been diagnosed with a distal radius fracture in his left wrist, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) prior to Monday’s series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Duvall injured his left wrist in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in Detroit. To lead off the bottom half of the frame, Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen got Spencer Torkelson to lift a 244-foot flyball to shallow center field. Duvall ran in and attempted to make a sliding catch to rob Torkelson of a base hit, but he instead landed awkwardly on his left wrist and was immediately taken out of the game as a result.

After having X-rays taken at Comerica Park, Duvall did not travel with the rest of the team to St. Petersburg and instead headed back to Boston to undergo further testing. The Red Sox will now place Duvall on the injured list and recall infielder Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester to take his place on the roster.

Duvall, 34, signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Red Sox in January to serve as the club’s everyday center fielder. The right-handed hitting slugger quickly made his impact felt by slashing a stout .455/.514/1.030 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts in his first eight games (37 plate appearances) with Boston. He was named American League Player of the Week last Monday.

Though his wrist is broken, it is not yet clear if Duvall will require surgery. The Red Sox, as noted by Browne, will continue to gather more information before coming to a decision on that front. Regardless of that outcome, though, Duvall is still expected to be sidelined for the next several weeks, if not months.

This is the second time within the last year that Duvall has seriously injured his left wrist. While with the Braves last July, he jammed it against the outfield wall at Truist Park and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath. According to Cora, this most-recent injury happened on the opposite side of Duvall’s left wrist and is unrelated to last year’s tear.

With Duvall out of commission for the foreseeable future, Cora said Enrique Hernandez, Raimel Tapia, and Rob Refsnyder will get more time in center field in his absence. Refsnyder is batting fifth and starting in center for Boston on Monday night.

Since Hernandez is slated to play more center field, Dalbec, Christian Arroyo, and Yu Chang will see more playing time at shortstop moving forward. Dalbec will also get some reps in the outfield alongside Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo in the corners.

Duvall, meanwhile, becomes the eighth member of the Red Sox’ 40-man roster to be placed on the injured list so far this season, joining the likes of starters Brayan Bello, James Paxton, and Garrett Whitlock, relievers Wyatt Mills and Joely Rodriguez, and infielders Adalberto Mondesi and Trevor Story.

“At one point, we hope, he comes back, just like all of the guys who are on the IL,” Cora said, via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. “Hopefully, they can contribute throughout the season and help us accomplish what we set out to accomplish.”

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Bobby Dalbec set to meet Red Sox in Tampa Bay in wake of Adam Duvall’s wrist injury

Bobby Dalbec will meet the Red Sox in St. Petersburg on Monday ahead of a four-game series against the undefeated Rays at Tropicana Field, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

Though no roster move has been announced yet, Dalbec could be activated if outfielder Adam Duvall is placed on the injured list. Duvall was forced to exit Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in the ninth inning after injuring his left wrist while trying to make a sliding catch in center field. The 34-year-old had X-rays taken after the game but the Red Sox could not provide any further updates and are unlikely to do so until Monday.

“He’s getting X-rays right now, so we don’t know,” Cora told reporters at Comerica Park earlier Sunday afternoon. “We’ll know more during the day and obviously tomorrow.”

Duvall, who signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Red Sox in January, injured that same left wrist while with the Braves last July and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath. It appears as if a stint on the injured list is likely.

Dalbec, meanwhile, began the season with Triple-A Worcester after failing to make Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 27-year-old has gone 6-for-23 (.261) with one double, one triple, one home run, five RBIs, six runs scored, four walks, and 10 strikeouts in his first seven games with the WooSox while seeing playing time at first base, third base, and shortstop.

As noted by Smith, the Red Sox will be facing a plethora of left-handed starters in their next two series against the Rays and Angels. That is why calling up Dalbec, a right-handed hitter, would make more sense than calling up the left-handed hitting Jarren Duran even if Duran would fill a need in the outfield.

(Picture of Bobby Dalbec: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Adam Duvall injures left wrist while trying to make sliding catch, undergoes X-rays

Red Sox center fielder Adam Duvall was forced to exit Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in the ninth inning due to an unspecified left wrist injury.

To lead off the bottom half of the frame, closer Kenley Jansen got Spencer Torkelson to lift a 244-foot flyball to shallow center field. Duvall ran in and attempted to make a sliding catch to rob Torkelson of a base hit, but he instead landed awkwardly on his left wrist.

More specifically, it appears as though Duvall jammed his wrist as his glove made contact with the outfield grass. Though he immediately got back on his feet, the 34-year-old could be seen grabbing at his left wrist in pain. He was then taken out of the game and was accompanied by head athletic trainer Brandon Henry as he made his way back towards the visitor’s clubhouse at Comerica Park.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) after the fact, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated that Duvall was undergoing imaging but could not provide any updates beyond that.

“He’s getting X-rays right now, so we don’t know,” Cora said. “We’ll know more during the day and obviously tomorrow.”

While with the Braves last year, Duvall injured that same left wrist in July and subsequently underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath, which ultimately ended his season.

The Red Sox signed Duvall to a one-year, $7 million deal back in January to serve as their everyday center fielder. The right-handed hitter has quickly made his impact felt by batting .455/.514/1.030 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts in his first eight games (37 plate appearances) with Boston.

“That’s a big guy out there,” said left fielder Rob Refsnyder. “I don’t think people realize how big he is and how fast he moves. “Looks like he was fully extended. I think he’s going to test right now so fingers crossed and hopefully it’s just kind of precautionary. He almost made a spectacular play. He’s all around a really, really good ballplayer. So we’re all hoping for the best.”

Though more information regarding Duvall’s status will be made available on Monday, the Red Sox are already making preparations in the event that he is placed on the injured list. According to Smith, infielder Bobby Dalbec will join the club in St. Petersburg ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field and is a candidate to get called up from Triple-A Worcester.

As far as immediate, 40-man outfield depth is concerned, Refsnyder and Raimel Tapia are already on the big-league roster while Jarren Duran is in Worcester. Depending on how long Duvall is sidelined for, the Red Sox could also consider moving Enrique Hernandez back to center field given his defensive struggles at shortstop so far this year.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Triston Casas, Kutter Crawford lead the way as Red Sox finish off sweep of Tigers with 4-1 win

The Red Sox finished off a three-game sweep of the Tigers on Easter Sunday. Boston defeated Detroit by a final score of 4-1 to remain unbeaten on the road and improve to 5-4 on the season.

Kutter Crawford, making his second start of the year for the Sox, pitched well after getting roughed up in his 2023 debut last Monday. This time around, the right-hander allowed just one earned run on five hits and zero walks to go along with six strikeouts over five strong innings of work.

The one run Crawford allowed came right away in the bottom of the first. With two outs and runners on first and second base, Crawford gave up an RBI single to Spencer Torkelson to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. The Red Sox, however, wasted no time in responding.

Matched up against Detroit starter Matthew Boyd, Enrique Hernandez drew a one-out walk in the top of the second and promptly scored all the way from first on a line-drive RBI double off the bat of Triston Casas that had an exit velocity of 105.8 mph. Casas’ productive day at the plate was only just beginning.

Crawford, meanwhile, settled in by retiring the side in order in the latter half of the second, stranding one runner in the third, and striking out two in a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth. Boston took its first lead of the afternoon in the following half-inning, as Connor Wong led off with a 106.9 mph double off Boyd and then came into score on a softly-hit single from Rob Refsnyder.

Taking a newfound 2-1 edge into the bottom of the fifth, Crawford ended his day by putting up another zero. The 27-year-old hurler finished with an economical final pitch count of 65 (44 strikes). He induced nine swings-and-misses en route to picking up his first winning decision of the year.

In relief of Crawford, John Schreiber received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Schreiber, who grew up just outside of Detroit, made quick work of the Tigers in the sixth. Justin Turner then tacked on another run to Boston’s lead by plating Refsnyder on a sacrifice fly off Alex Lange in the top of the seventh.

Following two more scoreless frames of relief from Josh Winckowski and Chris Martin, Casas led things off in the top of the ninth by taking new Tigers reliever Chasen Shreve 401 feet deep to right-center field for his second home run of the season and his first-ever off a left-handed pitcher. The ball left Casas’ bat at 107.4 mph and put the Red Sox up 4-1, heading into the bottom of the ninth.

There, Kenley Jansen made things interesting by loading the bases with one out. But the veteran closer did not falter and got out of the jam to record his second save in as many tries.

Duvall injures left wrist

With no outs in the ninth inning, center fielder Adam Duvall attempted to make a sliding catch on a fly ball off the bat of Spencer Torkelson. He instead landed awkwardly on his left wrist and was immediately taken out of the game.

Duvall was undergoing x-rays when Alex Cora was speaking with reporters afterwards, but no other updates were provided. It is a notable injury since Duvall underwent season-ending surgery on that same left wrist last July.

Next up: Looking to hand the Rays their first loss

The Red Sox will head south to St. Petersburg to take on the unbeaten (9-0) Rays for the first time this season. In the opener of this four-game series, right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the ball for Boston while left-hander (and old friend) Jalen Beeks will take the mound for Tampa Bay.

First pitch from Tropicana Field on Monday night is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Rafael Devers and Triston Casas: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Wyatt Mills (right elbow inflammation) behind in throwing program, Alex Cora says

Injured Red Sox reliever Wyatt Mills is behind in his throwing program, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) prior to Saturday’s 14-5 win over the Tigers in Detroit.

Mills began the season on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. The right-hander was initially shut down from throwing shortly after allowing four runs on four hits, one walk, and two hit batsman in one inning against the Blue Jays in his final outing of the spring on March 13.

Prior to that, though, Mills had pitched well in Grapefruit League play, yielding just one run on three hits, four walks, and 10 strikeouts over four appearances spanning five innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .158 batting average against.

As MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported last month, Mills was officially diagnosed with elbow inflammation in his right flexor muscle. And while the 28-year-old was able to start playing catch earlier this week, his progress has been slower than anticipated.

“Right now, he’s a little bit behind,” Cora said of Mills at Comerica Park. “He hasn’t started his throwing program yet. Not responding the way we thought in the beginning.”

The Red Sox acquired Mills from the Royals in exchange for relief prospect Jacob Wallace back in December. The Gonzaga product is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he forged a 4.60 ERA — but much more respectable 3.62 FIP — with 26 strikeouts to 13 walks over 27 appearances (29 1/3 innings) between stops in Seattle and Kansas City.

Equipped with a unique sidearm delivery, Boston brought in Mills hoping that he could replicate the same sort of success fellow reliever John Schreiber enjoyed during his breakout season last year. Like Schreiber, the 6-foot-4, 214-pound Mills  throws from a similar angle and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a sinker.

Given Saturday’s development, when Mills will be cleared to start pitching in games again is an unknown at this point. Looking ahead, Mills — who does not turn 29 until January — has just one minor-league option remaining but is not eligible for salary arbitration until 2026.

(Picture of Wyatt Mills: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Rafael Devers crushes grand slam, solo homer as Red Sox rout Tigers, 14-5

The Red Sox got back to .500 with a series-clinching win over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon. Boston blew out Detroit by a final score of 14-5 at Comerica Park to improve to 4-4 on the season.

Matched up against Tigers starter Joey Wentz out of the gate, the Sox broke out for six runs in their half of the second inning. After loading the bases with two outs, Wentz issued back-to-back bases-loaded walks to the final two batters he would face in Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder. Wentz was then given the hook in favor of right-hander Garrett Hill.

With a 2-0 lead already in hand, Rafael Devers greeted the new Tigers reliever by crushing a 356-foot opposite-field grand slam. The ball barely cleared the left-field fence as it left Devers’ bat at 102 mph and extended Boston’s lead to 6-0.

An inning later, the Red Sox again took advantage of ball four when Masataka Yoshida drew a leadoff walk off Hill. A red-hot Adam Duvall followed by unloading on a hanging sinker and depositing it 423 feet into the left field seats for his fourth home run of the season already. The two-run blast had an exit velocity of 109.8 mph and put Boston up, 8-0.

That is where the score would remain through 3 1/2 innings. Up until that point in the contest, Red Sox starter Tanner Houck had retired 8 of the first 10 batters he had faced. But the right-hander began to run into some trouble in the latter half of the fourth.

There, Houck yielded a leadoff walk to Riley Greene and a one-out single to Kerry Greene to put runners on the corners. Nick Maton then put the Tigers on the board with an RBI double to right field that plated Greene. Spencer Torkelson followed by driving in Carpenter on a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to six runs at 8-2.

Houck, for his part, got through the rest of the fourth unscathed and then sat down the side in order in the fifth to end his afternoon on a strong note. The 26-year-old hurler wound up allowing just the two earned runs on three hits and two walks to go along with four strikeouts over five full innings of work. He threw 74 pitches (45 strikes), induced eight swings-and-misses, and was ultimately credited with the winning decision — his second in as many tries.

With Houck’s day done, Zack Kelly got the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Kelly, in turn, stranded two base runners in the sixth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. In between Kelly’s first and second frame of relief, Devers went deep for a second time off Tyler Alexander to make it a 9-2 game in the top of the seventh. Devers’ second big fly of the day and fourth of the season had an exit velocity of 110.3 mph and travelled 395 feet over the right field wall.

In the eighth, Alex Verdugo, Wong, and Refsnyder, tacked on three more runs to the Sox’ advantage with a trio of RBI singles. Following another scoreless inning of relief from Michigan native Kaleb Ort, Raimel Tapia hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run off Tigers second baseman Zack McKinstry in the top of the ninth.

Tapia’s first homer in a Red Sox uniform gave his side a commanding 14-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Ryan Brasier surrendered three runs (two earned) on two hits, one walk, and an Enrique Hernandez throwing error before recording the third and final out to secure a 14-5 victory.

Duvall’s dominance continues

With two more RBIs on Saturday, Adam Duvall now has 14 through his first seven games of the season. Those 14 RBIs are the most ever by a player in their first seven games as a member of the Red Sox.

Duvall’s 10 extra-base hits are the most through seven game with Boston, surpassing Jose Offerman’s mark of nine in 1999.

Devers records first multi-homer game of season

By hitting two home runs on Saturday, Rafael Devers registered the 13th multi-homer game of his career. He now moves into a two-way tie with Vern Stephens for the 12th most multi-homer games in Red Sox history.

Next up: Crawford starts as Sox go for sweep

The Red Sox will go for a three-game sweep over the Tigers in Sunday’s series finale. Right-hander Kutter Crawford will take the mound for Boston while veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd will get the ball for Detroit.

First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Garrett Whitlock strikes out 8 in rehab start for Double-A Portland; righty is likely to be activated from injured list next Tuesday

Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock had his rehab assignment transferred from Triple-A Worcester to Double-A Portland on Thursday night.

After starting for the WooSox on Opening Day at Polar Park last week, Whitlock did the same for the Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field. Facing off against another Mets affiliate in the Binghamton Rumble Ponies this time around, the right-hander allowed just one run on one hit and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts over six strong innings of work.

Whitlock took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning before giving up a leadoff home run to Rumble Ponies third baseman Luke Ritter. From there, he retired the last six batters he faced in order to get through six full frames. The 26-year-old hurler finished with 81 pitches (56 strikes) and was consistently in the low-90s with his fastball. He also induced 13 swings-and-misses as Portland went on to defeat Binghamton by a final score of 7-5.

“It was pretty good. Obviously, I would like to take one pitch back. Other than that, though, a decent outing,” Whitlock told Travis Lazarczyk of the Portland Press Herald. “I’m feeling healthy. That’s the biggest thing, and ready to go.”

Between his stops in Worcester and Portland, Whitlock yielded two earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and 14 strikeouts across 10 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average against.

With two rehab starts under his belt, Whitlock now appears ready to rejoin the Red Sox’ rotation. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, the righty will more than likely make his season debut against the Rays at Tropicana Field next Tuesday, according to manager Alex Cora.

Before then, Whitlock said he plans on driving back to Boston on Thursday night before flying out to Detroit and joining the Red Sox for the remainder of their series against the Tigers this weekend.

Whitlock has been in the process of building back up after undergoing right hip surgery in September, which resulted in him getting a late start in spring training and beginning the season on the 15-day injured list. Because his stint on the injured list was backdated to March 27, April 11 (next Tuesday) is the earliest he can be activated.

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

Red Sox get swept by Pirates after losing, 4-1, in series finale

The Red Sox were unable to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. In sloppy fashion, Boston dropped its third straight to Pittsburgh at Fenway Park to fall to 2-4 on the season.

Corey Kluber, making his second start of the year for the Sox, was able to bounce back from a poor 2023 debut on Opening Day. Despite dealing with chilly conditions yet again, the veteran right-hander held the Pirates to just one run on three hits and one walk to go along with two strikeouts over five solid innings of work.

After working his way around a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, Kluber settled in nicely by retiring the side in order in both the second and third innings. The lone run he surrendered came in the fourth, when Carlos Santana led off by clubbing a 340-foot solo shot down the right field line to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

Again, though, Kluber did not falter. He sat down the next six batters he faced after giving up that homer to Santana to get through five one-run frames. Despite the fact that Kluber had only thrown 67 pitches (44 strikes) to that point, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made the somewhat surprising decision to pull the 36-year-old hurler in favor of John Schreiber in the sixth. That is where things began to unravel for Boston.

Schreiber yielded two quick hits to Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen to put runners at second and third with no outs. Ke’Bryan Hayes then played Reynolds from third on a bunt single to double Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-0. An inning later, Kaleb Ort entered the game and gave up a leadoff double to Jason Delay. Delay then advanced to third when first baseman Triston Casas attempted to make a heads-up play by unsuccessfully throwing him out on a grounder off the bat of Oneil Cruz.

With one out and runners on the corners, Reynolds drove in Delay with a sacrifice fly to left field. Masataka Yoshida attempted to gun down Delay at home plate, but made an errant throw that allowed Cruz to move up to third as well. Two batters later, Santana plated Cruz with an RBI double down the right field line to make it a 4-0 contest in favor of the Pirates.

Trailing by four runs going into the latter half of the seventh, the Red Sox were finally able to get to Pirates starter Mitch Keller. After being held to just one hit through the first six innings, Casas ripped a two-out double to bring Christian Arroyo at the plate. Arroyo then pushed across Casas on an RBI single through the middle of the infield to cut the deficit to three.

Arroyo stole second base and advanced to third on a Raimel Tapia single. Cora then dipped into his bench by having Reese McGuire pinch-hit for Connor Wong. McGuire, representing the potential tying run, very nearly flipped the game on its head by lofting a deep fly ball towards the Pesky Pole in right field. The moonshot was initially called a three-run home run, but was later ruled foul following a video review. McGuire then went down looking at a 96 mph fastball from Keller, who extinguished the threat with his 107th and final pitch.

Richard Bleier and Zack Kelly combined for two scoreless innings of relief heading into the bottom of the ninth. Justin Turner led off with a single, but that was immediately snuffed out when Yoshida grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Casas then popped out on the first pitch he saw from Duane Underwood Jr. to end it.

All told, the Red Sox were held to just five hits in Wednesday’s loss, which took all of two hours and 32 minutes to complete. They also allowed two more stolen bases by way of a double steal in the ninth inning, meaning teams are now 14-for-14 on steal attempts against them through six games.

Next up: Sale starts first road game in Detroit

On the heels of a 2-4 homestand to begin the season, the Red Sox will now embark on a two-city, seven-game road trip that includes stops in Detroit and Tampa Bay.

The Red Sox will open a three-game series against the Tigers on Thursday afternoon. Left-hander Chris Sale will get the ball for Boston opposite right-hander Spencer Turnbull in Detroit’s home opener.

First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network. The two sides are then off on Friday and will resume the series on Saturday.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

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’ 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)