Latest news with #AlexBregman
Boston Globe
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
The Red Sox may or may not make the playoffs, but their resilience makes them likable, and other thoughts
'I don't get caught up in that,' he said quickly. 'That's for you guys to decide. We're just here to play baseball.' For a manager leading his team through a 162-game season, the reaction made perfect, logical sense. Baseball requires patience incomparable to other pro leagues, the sporting embodiment of the cliché about the season being a marathon, not a sprint. Looking too far ahead only invites trouble. But with the trade deadline looming on Thursday, at the end of their fourth post-break series against the Twins, there was no denying the gauntlet facing the Sox in that moment, a litmus test for their viability as a playoff contender. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The verdict is still out, but after watching the Red Sox lose the opening two games against the Cubs and then rally to win four of the next seven, including thrillers Saturday and Sunday against the Dodgers, one word to describe this team keeps coming to mind: resilient. Advertisement It's a brand of resilience that makes them eminently likable, evident in their locker-room vibe, in their cohesiveness as a unit, in their ability to rally from a few bad games, or a few bat at-bats, to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. All the more reason it falls to the front office to deliver on its promise of Advertisement The team's likability factor was evident from that first stop at Wrigley, when they couldn't even wait until the Friday night series opener to get the band back together. With clubhouse favorite Alex Bregman on the way back from his quadriceps injury and looking to get some practice in, his Thursday night plan quickly blossomed into a voluntary team workout amid Wrigley's ivy-covered walls. 'I think we miss each other,' veteran shortstop Trevor Story said by way of explanation for the high attendance. 'Believe it or not, we're with each other every single day, but when you go three or four days without it, it's like, 'Man, where the boys at?' You know? I think it's just a sign that the boys love being together. We love the vibe that we have, and obviously shows the focus that we want to start the second half.' So far, they're hanging in, despite the Rafael Devers trade, the Kristian Campbell demotion, the early Story struggles or similar scuffling from Walker Buehler, the fielding miscues, including two costly catcher interference calls against the Phillies. They're hanging in with Garrett Crochet brilliance, Roman Anthony emergence, ⋅ Women's golf has another new star shooting up the ranks in 21-year-old English star Lottie Woad. With a Advertisement ⋅ Congrats to ⋅ ⋅ Loved Terry Francona's response to President Trump's latest silly tangent that the Cleveland Guardians ( To USA Today, Francona said: 'I guess my retort would be, 'There's probably a lot of people in this country who don't want it like it used to be.' And if you're white, [you're] probably just fine. That's not how it's supposed to work. Like, I didn't even care what they made the name in Cleveland. I really didn't. I just know how I was in on those conversations, and we were trying to be respectful. And for that, I gave those guys a lot of credit.' Advertisement Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox's Alex Cora brings up wild Alex Bregman theory after winning Dodgers series
The post Red Sox's Alex Cora brings up wild Alex Bregman theory after winning Dodgers series appeared first on ClutchPoints. Alex Cora brought up a unique theory about Alex Bregman after the Boston Red Sox's 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night. Going into the game, the Red Sox and Dodgers were even at one game apiece in the three-game series. Boston hosted the contests, making the series finale a crucial one to win. Bregman was more than willing to oblige. In the bottom of the fifth inning, he launched a two-run rocket to left-center field, securing Boston the lead they needed to win. Cora reflected on Bregman's heroics after the game, per Masslive. He recounted an interaction he had with him when the third baseman used to represent the Houston Astros. 'I was joking with him…I was like, 'Man, every Sunday here since 2017, you've been good,'' Cora said. 'I don't know what the numbers are. Probably made that stuff up. But it feels like day game, Sunday, Alex has crushed us in the past (when he was with Houston). And this year, he's doing a good job.' How Alex Cora, Red Sox played against Dodgers Alex Cora and the Red Sox got the win they needed against the Dodgers, winning the series 2-1. Boston took the lead with a sac fly from Trevor Story until Los Angeles scored three runs in the third and fourth frames. The hosts responded with three in the fifth inning, getting an RBI triple from Roman Anthony and the game-winning homer from Bregman. The Red Sox's bullpen came through with key plays down the stretch. After giving up three runs after four innings, the Dodgers went scoreless for the remainder of the contest. Walker Buehler started as he lasted 4.2 innings, striking out four batters while conceding four hits and three runs. Brennan Bernardino earned the win while Jordan Hicks received the save. Boston improved to a 57-50 record on the season, holding the third spot of the AL East Division standings. They are one game behind the New York Yankees and 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox will prepare for their next series, being on the road. They face the Minnesota Twins as Game 1 will take place on July 28 at 7:40 p.m. ET. Related: MLB rumors: Red Sox urged to trade for 'absolutely perfect fit' from Rays Related: Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman pulled from Dodgers clash with back injury
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Dustin May's uneven season continues for Dodgers in critical start just ahead of deadline
BOSTON — On contact, Dustin May arched his head and back toward the sky in disgust. He knew he'd been had. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander's critical Sunday afternoon had come apart in a span of just three pitches in the fifth inning, silenced with an emphatic statement on a ball that Alex Bregman sent over the Green Monster. What looked to be a strong outing instead was just another frustrating one. Advertisement This is how it's gone for May this season. His body has finally cooperated after years in the injury wilderness, as his first inning Sunday against the Boston Red Sox marked the first time in his career he's cleared 100 innings in a major-league season. The effectiveness has been there in tantalizing spurts. Sunday, it was a stretch of five strikeouts in a span of six batters almost immediately before it all fell apart in the fifth. He left a cutter over the plate when he wanted to get it in on Abraham Toro, who singled. Dalton Rushing set up low and away for a first-pitch fastball to Roman Anthony. May left that over the plate, so the Red Sox rookie lofted a fly ball high off the 37-foot wall. Michael Conforto made a mess of it, getting too close to the wall, so the ball bounced over his head and Anthony wound up on third with a triple. Rushing set up away to start Bregman with a breaking ball. May's first pitch broke right onto Bregman's barrel instead. Bregman sent it an estimated 400 feet onto Lansdowne Street. 'It just sort of kind of opened up a little bit on him,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. The Red Sox wouldn't surrender the lead, knocking off the Dodgers 4-3. Los Angeles wasn't without chances to score — the Dodgers left the bases loaded in the third inning, two on in the fourth and stranded a season-high 13 hitters on base. They spoiled the best offensive day of Conforto's season. But May had a lead when the fifth began and a chance to rewrite the story of his season. Instead, it was more of the same. 'Just left too much stuff over the middle,' May said. 'Just not quality strikes. I felt good. Mechanics were in a good spot. Just didn't execute in the fifth.' 'He threw the baseball well,' Roberts said of May, who allowed four runs in five innings. 'The line score doesn't show that.' Dustin May strikes out the side! — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 27, 2025 He needed this one to be better. Through 19 appearances this season, he has a 4.85 ERA. Among pitchers with at least 100 innings this season, that's 13th-worst in baseball. There's no good time to have a figure that high, but that is especially the case now for May. He's a free agent at year's end. The Dodgers' rotation is getting healthy, with Blake Snell expected to rejoin the group next week in Tampa. Roberts has been candid that May is battling Emmet Sheehan for what is essentially one spot in the starting rotation. May shot down the question when asked if that entered his thinking. Advertisement 'It's up to them to go out there and pitch well and force our hand as far as decisions,' Roberts said Friday night. 'Ultimately, players make the decisions for themselves, right? And that's performance.' Los Angeles has also been open to discussing May in trade discussions before Thursday's trade deadline, league sources said. May's stuff is still intriguing enough, and he could move to a starting pitching-starved contender in exchange for position player depth if a team talks itself into him. Or, he could move into the bullpen in hopes he can find something and bolster a group the team is looking to upgrade. Either way, Sunday could have been an inflection point. The Dodgers still don't quite know what is next. 'I don't know yet,' Roberts said Sunday morning of what's next for May. The Dodgers have until Thursday to decide. 'We'll kind of push it down the line a little bit,' Roberts said. 'But in all honesty, things seem to change a lot in each week. So I think that right now I don't want to put anyone into a corner right now. We'll just kind of read and react after this start.' Sunday did not mark a compelling argument in May's favor. His command wasn't sharp enough, with all three hits in the fifth inning coming on misses on pitches he was aiming to throw to his glove side. Even when he was effective in the middle innings, May's day came with warning signs: It took him 43 pitches to get his swing-and-miss when Jarren Duran half-swung at a sweeper for a strikeout. The spurt of dominance that followed was erased quickly. 'I feel like it's been like that for a lot of my outings,' May said. 'I feel like I get to a good spot, then I can't get through one inning. One inning blowup. It's not a fun feeling, but I know the good stuff is in there. It's just a matter of eliminating the one bad inning.' Perhaps a day like Sunday could have shifted that narrative and some of his responsibilities along the way. Instead, May left Fenway Park with even more uncertainty.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alex Bregman hits 2-run HR, Red Sox take series vs. Dodgers with 4-3 win
BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning and the Boston Red Sox hung on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 Sunday for a series win. Rookie Roman Anthony added an RBI triple for the Red Sox, who captured their first series since the All-Star break. Boston had a 10-game winning streak entering the break. Boston closer Aroldis Chapman walked off the mound with an apparent injury in the eighth inning. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to the mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Michael Conforto hit a solo homer and had two doubles for the Dodgers. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. Brennan Bernardino (4-2) got an out in relief for the victory. Facing his former team for the first time since getting the final out of the World Series for them last fall, Boston right-hander Walker Buehler gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Dodgers had opened a 3-1 lead in the fourth against Buehler when Conforto homered and Mookie Betts added an RBI single. Dodgers starter Dustin May (6-7) allowed four runs in five innings. Key moment Bregman hit a first-pitch sweeper from May over the Green Monster that caromed off a billboard onto the field. May dropped his head back in disbelief after the ball left Bregman's bat. Key stat Boston improved to 11-2 in its past 13 games at Fenway Park. Up next Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-7, 2.55 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday in Cincinnati. Red Sox: RHP Richard Fitts (1-4, 4.86) is set to start Monday at Minnesota. ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Alex Bregman hits 2-run HR, Red Sox take series vs. Dodgers with 4-3 win
By KEN POWTAK , Associated Press Alex Bregman hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning and the Boston Red Sox hung on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 Sunday for a series win. Rookie Roman Anthony added an RBI triple for the Red Sox, who captured their first series since the All-Star break. Boston had a 10-game winning streak entering the break. Boston closer Aroldis Chapman walked off the mound with an apparent injury in the eighth inning. In to face the top of the Dodgers' order, his velocity was noticeably down to the mid-90 mph on his fastball instead of the high 90s to low 100s. Michael Conforto hit a solo homer and had two doubles for the Dodgers. Jordan Hicks entered and got out of a two-on, one-out mess when Teoscar Hernández lined to second and Ceddanne Rafaela dove to the bag, beating Hyeseong Kim for double play. Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save. Brennan Bernardino (4-2) got an out in relief for the victory. Facing his former team for the first time since getting the final out of the World Series for them last fall , Boston right-hander Walker Buehler gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Dodgers had opened a 3-1 lead in the fourth against Buehler when Conforto homered and Mookie Betts added an RBI single. Dodgers starter Dustin May (6-7) allowed four runs in five innings. Key moment Bregman hit a first-pitch sweeper from May over the Green Monster that caromed off a billboard onto the field. May dropped his head back in disbelief after the ball left Bregman's bat. Key stat Boston improved to 11-2 in its past 13 games at Fenway Park. Up next Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-7, 2.55 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday in Cincinnati. Red Sox: RHP Richard Fitts (1-4, 4.86) is set to start Monday at Minnesota.
