Latest news with #Narváez
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bregman, Narváez home runs power Red Sox to 14-1 win over Astros
HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman homered against his former team for a second straight game and Carlos Narváez added a three-run shot to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 14-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. Dustin May (7-8) scattered five singles across six scoreless and struck out eight in his second start since a trade from the Dodgers. The loss drops the Astros into a tie with Seattle for the AL West lead after the Mariners beat the Orioles 1-0 for their eighth consecutive win Tuesday. Bregman, who is playing in Houston as a visitor for the first time this week, hit another two-run home run Tuesday night after hitting one in his first at-bat in Monday night's 7-6 loss. He spent his first nine seasons with the Astros before signing with the Red Sox this offseason. His homer came after Narváez slugged a three-run shot as Boston scored five runs with two outs in the sixth to push the lead to 7-0. Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-3) struggled with command in his second start since missing four months with a broken right thumb. He allowed just one hit and two runs, but walked a career-high five in five innings. The bases were loaded with one out in the third when Arrighetti plunked Trevor Story on the hand to make it 1-0. The Red Sox made it 2-0 when Roman Anthony, who hit a solo homer in the eighth, scored on a sacrifice fly by Masataka Yoshida. Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI double in the seventh and a two-run double in Boston's four-run eighth that made it 12-0. The Red Sox added two runs in the ninth with outfielder Chas McCormick on the mound. Key moment The home run by Narváez that padded the lead in the sixth inning. Key stat Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Bregman's home run Tuesday was his 96th in the regular season at Daikin Park. Up next Houston RHP Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.51 ERA) opposes RHP Walker Buehler (7-6, 5.40) in the series finale Wednesday night. ___ AP MLB:
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Bregman, Narváez home runs power Red Sox to 14-1 win over Astros
HOUSTON — Alex Bregman homered against his former team for a second straight game and Carlos Narváez added a three-run shot to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 14-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. Bregman, Narváez home runs power Red Sox to 14-1 win over Astros Dustin May scattered five singles across six scoreless and struck out eight in his second start since a trade from the Dodgers. The loss drops the Astros into a tie with Seattle for the AL West lead after the Mariners beat the Orioles 1-0 for their eighth consecutive win Tuesday. Bregman, who is playing in Houston as a visitor for the first time this week, hit another two-run home run Tuesday night after hitting one in his first at-bat in Monday night's 7-6 loss. He spent his first nine seasons with the Astros before signing with the Red Sox this offseason. His homer came after Narváez slugged a three-run shot as Boston scored five runs with two outs in the sixth to push the lead to 7-0. Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti struggled with command in his second start since missing four months with a broken right thumb. He allowed just one hit and two runs, but walked a career-high five in five innings. The bases were loaded with one out in the third when Arrighetti plunked Trevor Story on the hand to make it 1-0. The Red Sox made it 2-0 when Roman Anthony, who hit a solo homer in the eighth, scored on a sacrifice fly by Masataka Yoshida. Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI double in the seventh and a two-run double in Boston's four-run eighth that made it 12-0. The Red Sox added two runs in the ninth with outfielder Chas McCormick on the mound. The home run by Narváez that padded the lead in the sixth inning. Bregman's home run Tuesday was his 96th in the regular season at Daikin Park. Houston RHP Hunter Brown opposes RHP Walker Buehler in the series finale Wednesday night. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Boston Globe
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Connor Wong has a role with Red Sox because having a second catcher who can produce can be important
Next thing you know Bobby Valentine was manager and Theo Epstein had taken off to run the Cubs. History aside, it's hard not to watch games these days without thinking a little bit ahead. A good example came in the eighth inning on Friday night when Padres reliever Sean Reynolds walked three batters in a row. Advertisement Connor Wong, who has struggled at the plate all season, expected the rookie to throw him a first-pitch fastball to get ahead in the count. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He did and Wong lined it down the left-field line for a three-run double. Believe it or not, that gave him four RBIs this season in 111 at-bats. The Sox cruised to a 10-2 victory. 'There's a guy that we trust. He calls a good game [and] defensively he's a lot better than last year,' Sox manager Alex Cora said. With rookie Carlos Narváez piling up innings, the Sox have made it a point to give Wong more starts. 'The more he plays, you can see the results,' Cora said. 'We need everybody. You can see the quality of the at-bats are much better. . . . Happy to see him perform because he's a big part of what we're trying to accomplish.' Advertisement Narváez has been terrific, catching far more games than expected and boosting the offense early in the season. Acquiring him from the Yankees in December was a coup for Craig Breslow. But Narváez has hit .111 with a .393 OPS since the All-Star break and is dealing with a sore right knee. Wong is 6 for 24 with three doubles since the break and struck out twice. His uptick offensively has come at the right time. 'You don't want anybody to get hurt but it has been nice to get some better swings lately,' Wong said. 'You work so hard and try and put good at-bats together and sometimes you don't get the results. 'It feels like you went fishing and didn't catch anything. You thought you did everything right. But you have to keep trusting it and keep working hard.' Think back to the 2013 playoffs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the primary catcher all season, starting 111 games. But he went cold at the plate in the postseason and manager John Farrell turned to David Ross to start the final three games of the World Series. Ross had two hits in Game 5 in St. Louis including a go-ahead double in the seventh inning off Adam Wainright. Having a second catcher who can step in and produce can be important. The Red Sox also have some questions about first base. Abraham Toro, who platoons with Romy Gonzalez, has a .570 OPS since the All-Star break. Gonzalez has an .807 OPS since the break but the Sox are still looking at options. Advertisement Triple A outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia has started working at first base before games with Triple A Worcester. The 22-year-old has no experience at first base but is a righthanded hitter who has a .961 OPS over 58 games with Worcester. Xander Bogaerts made his major league debut on Aug. 20, 2013, and played in 12 postseason games, shifting from shortstop to third base. He was 8 for 27 in those games and scored nine runs. It seems unlikely Garcia could become the regular first baseman but he could show enough to merit a spot on the roster. A No. 5 starter isn't needed in the postseason. But the Sox will be looking at candidates who would pitch multiple innings when needed. Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Steven Matz, and Dustin May are among the candidates. The Sox have work to do before these questions have to be answered. But every swing and every pitch is a bit more meaningful with the postseason a growing possibility. Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Well-respected Royals catcher Salvador Perez can draw a crowd, even among opponents
He was 8 of 22 in that series with two doubles and struck out once in 23 plate appearances. 'He's a leader, a part of a championship team, and a great person,' Cora said. 'He can play first [base], but what he does behind the plate is pretty amazing and what he does in the clubhouse, from everything I hear, is the same. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'He's a guy that I respect.' Advertisement Like Perez, Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez is from Venezuela. He had just signed with the Yankees as a 16-year-old when Perez led the Royals to their first championship since 1985. 'As a kid, that's who I wanted to be,' Narváez said. 'His being from Venezuela and doing what he did, it was an inspiration. And he's still one of the best catchers in the game. 'Everybody talks about wanting to have a long career, but he's somebody who had done it. It was exciting for me to play against him.' Advertisement Perez smiled when that comment was read back to him. 'That makes me feel good, like I did my job the right way,' Perez told the Globe. 'When I was young player, I looked up to Yadi Molina . I'm glad to hear [Narváez] say that. I've watched him. He's going to be a good player. He's a big part of the group Boston has.' Perez also is proud of the 'C' on the front of his uniform. He and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge are the only team captains left in baseball. 'That's why I like seeing Varitek when we play the Red Sox,' Perez said. 'He was their captain and he was a guy I learned a lot from. To be associated with somebody like that means a lot. 'The way he ran the game, the way he played, I tried to follow that when I got to this level. I told him that when I saw him on the field, that I appreciated what he did and thanked him for everything he has done in this game.' The Royals went eight years without making the playoffs — or even having a winning season — after winning the '15 World Series. They broke that slump last season when they beat the Orioles in the Wild Card round then fell to the Yankees in the Division Series. The Yankees won in four games but outscored the Royals by only two runs. 'That was a good experience for our young guys,' Perez said. The Royals obtained Mike Yastrzemski and pitchers Ryan Bergert , Bailey Falter , and Stephen Kolek at the trade deadline this season hoping to make another run at the postseason. Advertisement Perez believes it's possible given the solid base of talent led by All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr . 'I want to get back to the World Series again,' Perez said. 'That's my goal. You look at this team with the young talent, and I think we can do it as we get better.' Perez readily acknowledges that he wants to stay in the game to burnish his Hall of Fame credentials. That's another goal. 'Of course,' he said. 'I would love to do that. That would be the greatest thing for any baseball player.' Perez's 293 home runs are the third-most for a catcher with a single franchise. Only Johnny Bench (389) and Yogi Berra (358) had more. Related : Among catchers, his five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers are topped by only by Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez , who combined for 20. Perez compares statistically to Posada, Brian McCann, and Javy López , who all lasted one year on the BBWAA ballot. But reaching 300 home runs and adding to his postseason résumé could make a difference. Perez believes he can play another four or five years because of the offseason work he has done with Aroldis Chapman . Chapman played for the Royals in 2023 and became close with Perez. The pitcher, a workout fanatic, counseled Perez on improving his nutrition and how to use weight training to stay more flexible. 'We live near each other [in Florida] and he's helped me a lot,' Perez said. 'We're super close. I thank God I met him. The way he prepares himself and how hard he works, he's still hungry to do more in the game and I feel the same way.' Related : Advertisement Perez singled off Chapman at Kauffman Stadium in May, something both players laughed about. 'Maybe I showed him too much,' Chapman said. 'But Salvy is a great player and getting to know him and be his friend means a lot. I hope he plays as long as he want to play. It's good for baseball.' Salvador Perez slides safely into home, beating a tag by Connor Wong at Fenway Park. Brian Fluharty/Getty On the run Red Sox employing speed as a weapon Through 116 games, the Red Sox were sixth in the majors with 97 stolen bases and fourth in extra bases taken at 46 percent. That statistic accounts for how many times a runner took more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double. 'We're kind of creating some havoc on the bases,' Jarren Duran said. 'We have so many guys that have the ability to stretch singles into doubles [and] doubles into triples. We even put the pressure on the routine ground ball.' To be sure, personnel plays a big role in stealing bases. Duran, David Hamilton , Ceddanne Rafaela , and Trevor Story have 69 of those 97 steals. But Wilyer Abreu , Romy Gonzalez , and Rob Refsnyder have run the bases well without necessarily having blazing speed. Credit the Detroit Tigers, oddly enough. The Tigers lead the majors with 54 percent of extra bases taken. Alex Cora saw an article about their efficiency and asked third base coach Kyle Hudson and the research staff to dig into it. 'There are certain plays that they maximize base-running wise that we noticed,' Cora said. 'We recognized them. We showed our players, and we're doing a better job with it. I think we've been more aggressive [going] first to third.' The decisions are based on how the outfielders are positioned. There are shift rules for infielders but not for outfielders and teams often have their center fielder deep into a gap against certain hitters. Advertisement If a single or double goes to the opposite gap, it creates an opportunity to get an extra base. 'That's something we learned from [Detroit],' Cora said. 'And when you start going first to third, putting pressure on the opposition, it opens the door to steal second, because most of the teams don't like throwing to second when men are at third. 'So it's been fun. It actually started when I noticed it [the article] and I was jealous, to be honest with you.' Cora's brother, Joey , is Detroit's third base coach. But while the brothers talk about baseball all the time, they don't share trade secrets. The Sox players have embraced the idea. 'I think it's just kind of something we've kind of put our best effort towards is that we know we're athletic and we know we're fast,' Duran said. 'We're just playing aggressive and causing pressure. It's a fun way to play.' Jarren Duran beats a throw to Luis Rengifo on a steal after a wild pitch. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press A few other observations on the Red Sox : ▪ The starting pitcher market was almost non-existent at the trade deadline outside of rentals such as Merrill Kelly , Dustin May , Charlie Morton , and Chris Paddack . Toronto took a shot with Shane Bieber, but he has thrown only 12 major-league innings since 2023. That the Sox settled for May was more a reflection of the market, not a lack of ambition. Related : Where Craig Breslow really missed was not adding a righthanded reliever. Consider that when the Sox DFA'd Jorge Alcala on Wednesday, their best choice to replace him was 27-year-old Isaiah Campbell , who had merited only nine major league appearances over two seasons and allowed 15 earned runs over 10⅔ innings in those games. Advertisement Jordan Hicks put 21 runners on base and threw two wild pitches in his first 10⅓ innings with the Sox after he was obtained from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade. The Sox are going to rely heavily on Greg Weissert and Garrett Whitlock down the stretch unless Justin Slaten is able to return and pitches well. They needed another righthander. David Bednar , Seranthony Dominguez , Ryan Helsley , Shelby Miller , Phil Maton , and Louis Varland all would have fit the Sox and improved their set-up corps. Instead the only reliever obtained was multi-inning lefty Steven Matz . His only postseason experience was in 2015. One option could be righthander David Sandlin , who is now pitching out of the bullpen for Triple A Worcester after making what amounted to 18 starts counting when he pitched after an opener. Sandlin, 24, has averaged 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings for the WooSox. The Sox obtained him in the 2024 trade that sent John Schreiber to the Royals during spring training. ▪ Pointed out by loyal reader Eddie from Fairhaven: The Sox retired Carl Yastrzemski's No. 8 on Aug. 6, 1989. Thirty six years later to the day, on Wednesday, his grandson was 2 for 3 with a double and made a terrific catch in right field for the Giants at Fenway. Mike Yaz is 10 for 28 (.357) in nine career games in Boston with four doubles and two home runs. He was on the concourse outside the visitors' clubhouse in full uniform after the game on Wednesday spending time with his family. Related : ▪ Wilyer Abreu said he is open to playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic next year but he has yet to speak to general manager Jose Yepez . ▪ Mitch Moreland , one of the 2018 champions, is the new coach at Helena (Ala.) High School. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if Moreland returned to the majors as a coach someday. But his sons are 13 and 7 and coaching at the amateur level is a good fit for now. Etc. What might have been Quinn Priester is scheduled to start for the Brewers on Sunday against the Mets and will be looking to set a franchise record with his 11th consecutive win. The 24-year-old righthander was acquired from the Red Sox on April 7. He is 11-2 with a 3.15 ERA and hasn't taken a loss since May 13. He is 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his last five starts. Priester is the seventh pitcher in Brewers history to win at least 11 games in his first 21 appearances. The previous two were Zack Greinke (2011) and new Hall of Famer CC Sabathia (2008). The Sox acquired Priester from the Pirates in 2024 for Nick Yorke then shipped him to Milwaukee for two prospects, outfielder Yophery Rodriguez and righthander John Holobetz . The Sox also obtained Milwaukee's Competitive Balance Round A selection in the draft. They used that to select righthander Marcus Phillips from Tennessee. Holobetz had a 3.43 ERA in 12 games for High A Greenville and earned a promotion to Portland last week. He made his first start for the Sea Dogs on Thursday and allowed four runs over six innings. Rodriguez, 19, showed promise in the Brewers system but has hit .226 with a .682 OPS for Greenville. If Holobetz and Phillips develop, the trade will look better. But at a time the Sox are trying to get by with Walker Buehler and Dustin May in their rotation, it's hard not to wonder what impact Priester could be having. Milwaukee went into the weekend with the best record in baseball. After president of baseball operations Dave Stearns went to the Mets as a free agent and manager Craig Counsell jumped to the Cubs, Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy have pushed the Brewers to a higher level. Former Red Sox Quinn Priester is 11-2 with a 3.15 ERA and hasn't taken a loss since May 13. He is 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his last five starts. Mike Stewart/Associated Press Extra bases At 35, Nathan Eovaldi is on the best run of his career. He is 6-0 with an 0.47 ERA in his last six starts. The righthander has allowed two runs on 22 hits and struck out 36 over 38⅔ innings. He one-hit the Yankees for eight innings on Tuesday, retiring 24 of the 25 batters he faced. Eovaldi has started 19 games this season and allowed more than two earned runs twice. 'I've run out of superlatives. This is one of the best runs I've seen from a pitcher,' Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. 'Believe me, I've enjoyed watching it.' … It took 46 starts before Pirates ace Paul Skenes allowed a three-run homer. It came from Jordan Beck of the Rockies at Coors Field, so give Skenes a pass on that one. Skenes then allowed a career-worst seven hits against the Reds in his next start. But he also threw six shutout innings and struck out eight without a walk. He has a 1.95 ERA and an 0.93 WHIP in 47 career starts … Terry Francona moved past Leo Durocher when he won his 2,009th game last week. He's now 12th all time and closing in on Walter Alston , who finished with 2,040 wins. All 13 managers with at least 2,000 wins are in the Hall of Fame except for Francona, Bochy, and Dusty Baker … Chris Sale had a 30-pitch simulated game Thursday and his next step should be a minor league rehab game. The lefthander has been on the injured list since June 19 when he fractured some ribs diving to make a defensive play. Sale was 5-4 with a 2.52 ERA for the Braves at the time of his injury … Bo Bichette drove in 10 runs in Toronto's three-game sweep of the Rockies in Colorado this past week. The Blue Jays scored 45 runs on 63 hits and hit 13 home runs. Their team OPS climbed from .747 to .768. The Rockies have allowed an average of 7.5 runs at home and opponents have scored 10 or more runs 15 times … Happy birthday to Brandon Lyon , who is 46. The righthanded reliever appeared in 49 games for the 2003 Red Sox, posting a 4.12 ERA and picking up nine saves. Lyon was then traded to the Diamondbacks as part of a four-player package for Curt Schilling . Lyon spent 12 seasons in the majors. He returned to the Red Sox as a free agent during the 2013 season and appeared in four games for Triple A Pawtucket before being released. Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Carlos Narváez, Red Sox trying to shake off Monday's catcher's interference ending
'It was a [expletive] way to end a great baseball game,' said Sox manager Alex Cora. '[But] that's the rule.' Advertisement It marked just the second known instance in baseball history that a catcher's interference call delivered a walkoff, with the other coming when Hall of Famer Johnny Bench was flagged for the infraction in a Reds-Dodgers game on August 1, 1971. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The only good thing about it is, I've got something in common with Johnny Bench,' said Narváez. 'But you don't want to lose a game that way.' In the 10th inning Monday night, the Phillies' Edmundo Sosa (right) checked his swing and grazed the glove of Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez for a game-ending catcher's interference call. Matt Slocum/Associated Press Still, while it had been more than a half-century since a game-ending catcher's interference call, Monday's game highlighted the growing frequency of bat-mitt interactions. From 2000-09, there were an average of less than 20 catcher's interference calls per season in baseball. In the 2002 season, there were just nine such calls all year. But the numbers started to rise in the 2010s, averaging 42 per season from 2016-18 (more than double the first decade of the 21st century), then exploding in recent years. MLB set records in both 2023 (96) and 2024 (100) for catcher's interference calls. Through Monday, there had been 55 such calls this year — on pace for more than 90 for a third straight year. Advertisement Narváez leads MLB with four catcher's interference calls this year. The Sox lead the big leagues with seven (including one on which Connor Wong suffered a broken pinkie). Why is this happening? It's not random. 'There's obviously an inherent risk with [a catcher] being closer to the hitter, but depending on who you ask, there might be a tradeoff that we think is worth it,' Red Sox catching coach Parker Guinn said cryptically. The primary benefit of both setting up and receiving the ball closer to the hitter — even at greater risk of a catcher's interference call — is pitch framing. It wasn't lost on the Red Sox that the Yankees regularly were and are close to or at the top of the big leagues in catcher interference — or that their backstops regularly have elite framing numbers. Jose Trevino won a Gold Glove for the Yankees in 2022. The Sox realized that he was setting up about six to eight inches closer to hitters than their catchers. Their catchers started moving closer to the batter in recent years. Narváez — who, like Guinn, came to the Sox this year from the Yankees — was comfortable doing so. 'The main goal on [receiving the ball closer to the plate] is trying to be closer to a hitter to rip everything in the bottom of the zone, trying to keep strikes strikes, and gain some pitches at the bottom of the zone,' said Narváez. 'I just want to gain every pitch possible for my pitcher.' Advertisement Red Sox game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek — who was called for catcher's interference just five times in a 15-year big league career — added that proximity to the plate also benefits catchers' efforts to claim strikes on the outer edges of the plate. 'The closer you are to the hitter, the less the ball sprays. The closer the umpire is to the plate, the ball has less room to move east and west,' said Varitek. Catcher positioning has changed in recent years because of technological advances. The increased precision offered by an array of video camera positions from Trackman and then Hawk-Eye systems employed by Statcast as well as biomechanical tracking technologies that have emerged in the last decade demonstrated more precisely where players are positioned — and both the risks and payoffs of that positioning. Catchers have always paid attention to a hitter's position in the box to figure out where they should set up, but the exactness with which they study the matter has changed. In recent years, Varitek and Mike Brenly (formerly a bullpen catcher, and now charge of replay review) had broken down video of batter position and swings to determine whether Sox catchers should set up in a standard position, or move either closer to or further from the hitter to limit catcher's interference while reducing the distance to the plate. More recently, the process has become automated based on biomechanical data. The Sox know exactly where hitters stand in the box and how long their swings are – both early in at-bats and in two-strike counts. Where a catcher should set up for each hitter is discussed in pre-game meetings, and information about setup depth is also included inside catcher's wristbands. Advertisement 'We have enough measurements and things to allow us to know who's where, when and how,' said Varitek. That said, there are known risks with receiving the ball closer to the batter. The most significant is the possibility of injury — as when Wong was struck by George Springer (known for the length of his swing — and thus a player for whom catchers set up deeper than others) this year or when Willson Contreras suffered a broken forearm in 2024. Red Sox catcher Connor Wong missed about four weeks early in the season after breaking his left pinkie finger on a play that called catcher's interference. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff 'You can't just say closer is better,' said Varitek. 'We can't tell somebody to do something without giving them boundaries and/or precautions and/or parameters to work with.' The other, of course, is catcher's interference. The Sox are on pace to surpass the big league record of nine such calls in a single season. Is that a price worth paying for the work Narváez does with the pitchers? 'We think so. He's arguably the best catcher in baseball defensively,' Guinn said of Narváez, who ranks third among catchers with 11 Outs Above Average (as assessed by Statcast). Still, as much as Narváez loves to get strikes for his batterymates, he felt chastened by the game-ending catcher's interference call — even if it did put him in company with Bench. 'I don't want to be remembered for that,' he said. 'It's a valuable learning moment for me.' Alex Speier can be reached at
