Latest news with #LucasGiolito
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox reactions: Baserunning blunder, early hole ends 10-game win streak
CHICAGO — Instant reactions from the Red Sox' 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday. 1) Boston's 10-game winning streak ended. The Red Sox dropped to 53-46 while the Cubs improved to 58-39. 2) Abraham Toro made an inexcusable baserunning mistake in the fifth inning. He singled to lead off the frame and moved to second base on Jarren Duran's walk. But he got doubled off second base for the first and second outs of the inning on Alex Bregman's 324-foot lineout to center field. Toro's error proved costly as Roman Anthony, the next hitter, walked. Had Toro remained on base, the Red Sox would have had the bases loaded down 3-1 with just one out. 3) Starter Lucas Giolito's 30-pitch first inning began with him walking the first two batters, then giving up a 389-foot three-run homer to Seiya Suzuki. It was 3-0 Cubs before Giolito recorded an out. The 31-year-old settled in and pitched four straight scoreless innings before giving up another run in the sixth. Giolito went 5 ⅓ innings, allowing four runs, five hits and two walks while striking out six. He recorded 14 swings and misses. 4) Roman Anthony's RBI two-out double (106.8 mph off the bat) in the third inning. Jarren Duran walked with two outs, then Alex Bregman singled ahead of Anthony. 5) Jarren Duran made a nice running catch on the foul line in left field and slammed into the unpadded wall for the final out of the fourth inning. See it here. 6) Former Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz came on to face Anthony with runners at the corners and two outs in the seventh. He got the rookie phenom to line out to right field to end the inning. 7) The Red Sox and Cubs will play the second game of their three-game series Saturday at 7:15 p.m. eastern. Righty Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14 ERA) will start for Boston opposite Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga (6-3, 2.65 ERA). It will air on FOX. More Red Sox coverage Red Sox' Brayan Bello explains what would be 'very disappointing' — and what matters to him What Boston Red Sox' Lucas Giolito 'hates' is backed up by statistics Boston Red Sox first baseman: 'I've got to put the blame on me' Red Sox' Alex Cora outlines plan for when Alex Bregman will play on road trip Red Sox' Alex Cora was at Coldplay show for viral incident during 'good' break Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox' Lucas Giolito closes out first half of season on upswing
BOSTON — When Red Sox starter Lucas Gioito was asked how he would evaluate his first half of the season, he thought for a minute and then gave in to a little recency bias. 'The first month back didn't go the way we wanted it to, obviously,' said Giolito, referring to a seven-start stretch that saw him compile a gaudy 6.42 ERA. 'A few really bad starts and then a handful of good ones. But we made the adjustments, got my mechanics locked in, so happy with how I've thrown the ball here recently.' Giolito has every right to feel some satisfaction. After tossing six shutout innings in a 10-2 win over the Colorado Rockies, he has now strung together six consecutive outings of six or more innings with two earned runs or fewer each time. In that span, he's 5-0 with a 0.70 ERA and an 0.88 WHIP. To put that into context: the only other Red Sox pitchers in recent history to throw 35 or more innings and record an ERA of 0.70 or lower in a six-game span are arguably the four best starters the franchise has known over the last 50 years: Luis Tiant (1972); Roger Clemens (1990-91), Pedro Martinez (2002) and Chris Sale (2018). Giolito cruised through his outing, facing just two batters over the minimum while allowing only four hits. But despite retiring eight of the first nine hitters he faced over the first three innings, he didn't feel locked into his delivery. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey pointed out some flaws and Giolito was able to get some dry reps and threw a few balls into the net behind the dugout. The adjustments proved critical for him to finish strong over the final three frames. 'My ability to make the adjustment,' he said, 'pitch to pitch, inning to inning, is probably the best it's ever been.' 'He's been doing that,' confirmed catcher Carlos Narvaez. 'There were a couple of innings where he misfired on a couple of pitches. He went into the cage and said, 'I did this; let's continue to do this' or 'Let's change something.' When you have a guy like that, it's pretty easy to work with. All the credit goes to him. It's very easy for me to press the buttons (on PitchCom).' Giolito typically pushes to stay in the game as long as he can, but at 92 pitches after six, he was candid in his dugout conversation with Alex Cora. 'He was very honest which is awesome,' said Cora. 'Most of the time, these guys want to keep going and going and going. But he was like, 'That's it.' And that's where the relationship really (flourishes), because he was honest today and he had a shutout. So now, I know who he is and I know how he feels and I can let him go when he says he's good.' 'That's not normal for me,' Giolito acknowledged. 'Usually, I just want to keep going until they take the ball and rip it from my hands. But today was the first time pitching in that really heavy humidity in the Northeast and some of those long at-bats were kind of getting to me. So I let him know that I might be done for the day there.' More Red Sox coverage MLB insider floats Red Sox trade to build 'elite setup-closer combination' Red Sox' playtime is over as schedule gets far more challenging | Sean McAdam Boston Red Sox hurler shouts out teammates for 'huge' play Boston Red Sox' Masataka Yoshida told Alex Cora he needed 'two days' Red Sox reactions: Starter dominates again, offense crushes 4 homers in win Read the original article on MassLive.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Red Sox Selling? Why Latest $38.5 Million Trade Buzz Makes No Sense
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Boston Red Sox are on the borderline of contending and rebuilding this season. Before the All-Star break, the Red Sox were one of the hottest teams in baseball, which indicates they'll be buyers. But if they stumble out of the break, there's a chance the front office decides to impulsively sell. It's seemingly a coin flip at this point. Brian Burrows of Bo Sox Injection recently suggested the Red Sox should trade starting pitcher Lucas Giolito in the coming weeks. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 18: Lucas Giolito #54 of the Boston Red Sox reacts as he is removed from the game by manager Alex Cora #13 during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at... CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 18: Lucas Giolito #54 of the Boston Red Sox reacts as he is removed from the game by manager Alex Cora #13 during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. More"After a 13-month delay to his Red Sox tenure, Giolito had a rocky return to the mound. After four rough starts where he had an ERA over 7.00, he has settled into the rotation, and in the seven starts following, he has a 2.35 ERA," Burrows wrote. "He's looking more like the Giolito from 2019, where he finished sixth in the AL Cy Young voting. "He's making $19 million in 2025, but his team option at $14 million for 2026 could make him a hot commodity. A contender would gladly take on his contract this season if they could have this version of him for $5 million cheaper next season." Trading Giolito doesn't make much sense at all for the Red Sox. Not counting Friday's rough start against the Chicago Cubs, the righty has been tremendous for the Red Sox as of late. He's been a crucial piece that's keeping them in the postseason race. The Red Sox will likely be in the market for an additional starting pitcher or two ahead of the trade deadline. Their rotation has struggled as a whole, but Giolito has been a bright spot. It's very unlikely the Red Sox will sell at all, let alone at a position of need. It's more likely the Red Sox will land a starter in a trade than it is they'll trade Giolito away. More MLB: Luis Robert Jr. Trade? Why Latest Reds Trade Rumors Make Perfect Sense
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Red Sox snap 10-game win streak as ‘bad decision' on bases squashes rally
CHICAGO — The All-Star break can offer a needed respite for some teams and an unavoidable obstacle for others. It proved to be the latter for the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Riding a 10-game winning streak entering the break, the Red Sox fell flat in Chicago, and the second half began with a 4-1 loss to the Cubs. A costly base-running mistake from Abraham Toro in the fifth squashed a potential Red Sox rally. With two on and no outs, Alex Bregman lined out to center, and Toro, caught off the second-base bag, was doubled off. Advertisement 'I have to put the blame on me,' Toro said. 'Being thrown out on a double play, that kills rallies. It was a bad decision.' During the club's longest winning streak since 2018, the Red Sox still made mistakes in the field and on the bases, but they weren't as costly with a relentless offensive approach and a stretch of solid starts from the rotation. On Friday, the Red Sox benefited from neither of those. Starter Lucas Giolito entered the break with a 0.70 ERA in his previous six starts, but he walked the first two batters he faced, then gave up a first-pitch homer to Seiya Suzuki to put the Red Sox in a quick 3-0 hole. Giolito settled down to silence the Cubs' bats through the sixth inning, putting together a decent line, but the early deficit set them back. 'That's a bad way to start the series and the second half,' he said. 'I've got to be a tone-setter, and I didn't do that.' As Giolito settled down, Boston's offense couldn't capitalize despite putting runners on base in the second through fifth innings. Toro's mistake in the fifth crushed their best chance at mounting a rally. Toro took full blame. 'I should have just froze there, and I took a couple steps, and next thing you know, it was too late to come back,' he said. Rookie Roman Anthony drove in the team's lone run on the day with a double in the third. It extended his hitting streak to 10 games, making him the youngest Red Sox hitter since Tony Conigliaro in 1965 with a hitting streak as long as 10 games. 10 game hitting streak.10th 2B on the season. — Red Sox (@RedSox) July 18, 2025 'He's a good at-bat,' Cora said. 'He's going to walk. He's going to hit the ball hard. We know that. And we're going to push him to face lefties and righties, and he's going to hit in the middle lineup.' In an attempt to keep their pre-break momentum flowing, the Red Sox held an impromptu optional workout Thursday night at an empty Wrigley Field. Nearly every hitter showed up, along with several pitchers needing to get work in. Advertisement Bregman, still working his way back to full speed after missing 43 games with a right quad injury, spurred the idea when he asked Red Sox coaches if he could hit Thursday and several other players asked to join. 'I think it says a lot,' Trevor Story said. 'The boys are ready to just be together again. I think we missed each other, believe it or not. We're with each other every single day, but when you go through four days without it, it's like, 'Man, where are the boys at?'' Bench coach Ramón Vázquez scrambled to make sure the Red Sox could use Wrigley on Thursday night, and after he got the all-clear, he set up a bus for players after the team plane landed in Chicago. They took batting practice and ran through defensive drills for about two hours. 'It was good to get the guys together,' Rob Refsnyder said. 'I think the more I'm around, the more you can recognize really good groups of guys, guys that get along really well. And I think this group gets along really well. And it was good to kind of just hang out, get back to baseball.' Though the workout didn't have the immediate impact they'd hoped, that kind of chemistry Refsnyder and Story described is what sustains teams through good and bad stretches and can help them flip the page after a disappointing loss coming out of the break. One loss won't ruin the work it took the Red Sox to back into a more comfortable position in the wild-card race — they're currently holding the second American League wild-card spot — but it's a reminder of the tough schedule ahead. The Red Sox beat bad teams, like the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies, during their win streak, but they also took four straight against a strong Tampa Bay Rays team to close out the first half. Still, the next 10 days see them facing even steeper competition, with three consecutive division-leading teams — the Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers — over the next nine games. Advertisement 'I don't get caught up in all that,' Cora said of the tough schedule. 'That's just for (the media) to decide. We're just here to play baseball.' Cora also thwarted the idea that his teams have faltered after the break the past two seasons. Boston surged into the break last year, only to go 4-8 heading into the trade deadline. 'It's a different team; we're in a different spot,' Cora said. 'Like I said, we just got to show up and play.' With Brayan Bello on the mound Saturday, the Red Sox will look to do just that. (Photo of Lucas Giolito: Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sean McAdam: Red Sox' playtime is over as schedule gets far more challenging
BOSTON — Playtime is over. Now comes the hard part. The Red Sox took care of business over the last week, stomping on the Washington Nationals and the Colorado Rockies. The former are merely bad; the latter are truly wretched. The Sox went a perfect 6-0 through that stretch and as hapless as the opposition was, that shouldn't be taken lightly. Even really good teams stumble against poor ones; it happens all the time - the Nationals took two of three from Detroit before being steamrolled by the Red Sox — so credit where it's due. 'I think it's important to keep the foot on the gas against teams that aren't performing well,' said Lucas Giolito, Wednesday's starter and winning pitcher. 'We weren't performing well (heading into Washington series). But we've known collectively the entire year how talented this group is and we just weren't firing on all cylinders. 'But right now, we've kind of found ourselves in a spot where we're kind of firing on all cylinders and that's when you need to take advantage of series against teams that aren't playing well. We did that with the Nationals and Rockies.' The Sox did their best to capitalize. They outscored the 'competition' by a lopsided margin of 56-16. In four of the games, they reached double figures in runs; in another, they scored nine. That's a convincing display of dominance and has brought the Red Sox to within 5.5 games of first place in the AL East and tied with Seattle for the third wild-card spot. Last week, the Red Sox' playoff hopes were deemed to be in the low teens percentage-wise by Fangraphs. Following their six-game run, it's been elevated to 36.5 percent. That's far from an October lock, but it is a lot of pythagorean ground to make up in the course of a week. 'At the end of the day,' said Giolito, 'you're facing big league lineups, you're facing big league teams. Regardless of how they're doing. sweeping series is difficult. It means that you have to be really on it for three or four games in a row. The goal is, you want to win series. But getting on a hot streak like we've been on, you just want to keep going and I'm glad that we did over the last six.' Let's hope that the Red Sox enjoyed the creampuff portion of their schedule, because it's about to get a lot to get much more difficult. Starting Thursday night, the Red Sox will next play four straight teams with a winning record. If the season were to end today, the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers would all qualify for the playoffs. Whether the Red Sox will or won't qualify may not be decided over the next two weeks as they run the gauntlet. But we'll know a lot more about them after that string of games is complete. While it was incumbent upon the Red Sox to beat up the lesser-lights, it's now necessary for them to finish with a winning record over these next 13 games. Anything less than that would likely see them lose ground in both the wild card and division races. Any significant slippage, meanwhile, could mean a change of direction by the front office in regard to the trade deadline. It's a lot easier to invest further in the roster when there's positive momentum associated with the club as July 31 draws closer. There were occasions, as might be expected, that the Red Sox played down to the level of their competition in the last week. Last Sunday in Washington, the Nationals stranded 15 baserunners, and a big hit here or there might have allowed the home team to avoid a sweep. Alas, the Sox triumphed anyway. It's doubtful the likes of the Cubs, Phils or Dodgers will be that accommodating. 'It's important that we keep the same energy, the same tempo going into our next series against a team in the division,' said Giolito. Look at this way: think of the Red Sox as a college basketball team that just ran the table during its non-conference portion of their schedule. Now comes the far tougher in-conference games. The wins from the last week will count the same at the end of the year. But they'll be a lot harder to come by over the next two weeks. More Red Sox coverage MLB insider floats Red Sox trade to build 'elite setup-closer combination' Boston Red Sox hurler shouts out teammates for 'huge' play Boston Red Sox' Masataka Yoshida told Alex Cora he needed 'two days' Red Sox' Lucas Giolito closes out first half of season on upswing Red Sox reactions: Starter dominates again, offense crushes 4 homers in win Read the original article on MassLive.
