Latest news with #post-All-Star-break
Boston Globe
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Now past an anticlimactic deadline, the Red Sox look ahead
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I think we got better,' said Sox manager Alex Cora, who'd suggested past post-All-Star-break struggles reflected the team's deadline caution. 'I think the team is a lot different than the last three. We're more complete, we pitched better, our bullpen is in a great place.' Advertisement Red Sox manager Alex Cora feels the additions made by the front office recently have made his ballclub "more complete." Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Shortstop Trevor Story added: 'You're always looking for the big, exciting blockbuster. But I think the sentiment with us is we're more happy that we kind of stuck our core together. We still have all the main pieces here still, and we just added to that group. So more about us feeling like the guys in the room got us here, and we know that we're capable.' Advertisement That said, there's also no sugar-coating the reality of what transpired leading up to the deadline. The Sox aimed higher. They wanted Ryan but couldn't get him. They wanted an offensive upgrade, but didn't land one. (Orioles first baseman Ryan O'Hearn had been on their wishlist, but was part of the Padres' push to acquire what seemed like every player.) Meanwhile, the Sox made fewer and arguably smaller moves than any of the seven top AL contenders — division leaders Toronto, Detroit, and Houston; followed by the tightly clustered group of the Yankees, Boston, Seattle, and Texas. The Yankees (loading up on bullpen arms) and Tigers (adding rotation and bullpen depth) each added seven big league players in the week leading up to the deadline. The Mariners (who turbocharged their offense with Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor), Astros (Carlos Correa), and Rangers (Merrill Kelly — the top starter to move) each added three. The Blue Jays (Shane Bieber —a a bit of a wild card as he builds back up from Tommy John surgery, but with the potential to pitch in the middle of a postseason rotation) and Sox had two. Based on the trades that were and weren't made, it seems evident that the Sox are more conservative about deadline deals than their competitors — particularly deals for rentals. The Rangers' acquisition of Kelly for three well-regarded prospects was illustrative. Texas thus landed a pitcher who seems all but certain to be a postseason starter if the Rangers get to the playoffs; there are no such guarantees with May. The biggest impact move the Red Sox made Thursday was adding righthanded starter Dustin May from the Dodgers. Winslow Townson/Getty Even so, it's possible to exaggerate the impact of the deadline. As much attention as July 31 comings and goings get, postseason chases are more meaningfully defined by mainstays. Still, it's fascinating to note the movement of postseason odds before and after the deadline movement. Advertisement The Mariners broke the seal by landing Naylor on July 24. According to Fangraphs, their playoff odds went from 71 percent on the morning of July 23 to 76 percent on August 1, the morning after the deadline. Their World Series odds went up from 5 to 7 percent. Between their strong play and deadline moves, the Rangers' postseason odds went from 32 percent to 40 percent. As for the Sox? They jumped from 43 percent odds of reaching the postseason on the morning of July 23 to 62 percent on August 1 — a 19 percent increase that is the largest in the AL in that time, and a reflection of how a stretch of five wins in seven games had impacted their chances of playing in October. 'I guess [this year's deadline is similar to last year's] in a way,' said Story, 'but I think just the way we've been playing and how we've been doing it is different, so we're not sad that we should have added more or harping on what could have been. The guys that are going to get it done are going to be the guys that we have now. 'We've been doubted kind of all year, and so [skepticism about the team's deadline] is going to be one of those things that we continue to call on for motivation. We really do believe that we can get it done. And we added two more guys to help us with that.' Now, everything related to the machinations of the deadline becomes irrelevant. It's up to the players to prove whether or not the roster as currently constituted is enough to get the team into the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Advertisement 'It's Aug. 1. Everything [with the deadline] is in the past,' said Cora. 'We've got a shot to make something special here this year in the Wild Card, in the division. You look at the Green Monster, we're in third place, five games back, so we feel like we can compete with anybody, and we've got a real shot to win the division.' Time, and the performance of the roster holdovers, will tell. Alex Speier can be reached at
Boston Globe
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Not always pretty, but Red Sox bounce back for a much-needed victory
On Monday, neither Chapman nor Whitlock was available in what became a walkoff loss. Whitlock was recovering from flight turbulence-induced sickness, and Chapman was dealing with back spasms, leaving a wild and overworked Jordan Hicks the last man standing in the ninth. Advertisement Jarren Duran continued his hot streak with a 2-for-4 night. He had a double in the first inning and a no-doubt home run — off the face of the second deck in center field — in the fifth. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Roman Anthony had another full night, with a walk, a single, a run scored, and an RBI. His is batting .275 with a .821 OPS, The Sox jumped ahead 4-0 in the third inning. Minnesota never cut the deficit to less than three. Lucas Giolito rebounded from a couple of post-All-Star-break hiccups to contribute a quality start: six innings, one run. It was hairy early, with the Twins going 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position in the first two innings, and laborious late, with Giolito needing 53 pitches to get through his last two innings. But the bottom-line results were much more in line with his June-into-July hot streak that aligned with the team's. Advertisement His biggest pitch may have been his last: a curveball — which registered at 79 miles per hour — to Harrison Bader, who swung and missed to end a threat in the sixth. Giolito, sweating profusely and top button undone on a humid night, walked off the mound with a big smile. Without scheduled starter Chris Paddack, whom they traded to the Tigers on Monday at the start of what may well become a pre-trade deadline selloff, the Twins turned to Pierson Ohl, a 25-year-old righthander making his major league debut. Ohl fooled the Red Sox briefly, with an assist from Bader, who in the second inning robbed Wilyer Abreu of an extra-base hit, maybe a home run, with a leaping catch at the wall in center field. But the Sox broke through for four runs in the third, Ohl's final frame. After Ceddanne Rafaela tripled with one out — his first extra-base hit since the All-Star break — Anthony brought him in with a single. Anthony's at-bat was a case study in quick adjustments. Already, Ohl had thrown him three changeups on the night. Anthony had swung and missed on each. On a fourth, though, well off the plate, Anthony reached over and got it, stroking a line drive to center. Anthony scored from first when left fielder Willi Castro bobbled Alex Bregman's double. Then Trevor Story came through with a two-run home run. Twins shortstop Carlos Correa exited after the second inning because of an illness. Advertisement Tim Healey can be reached at
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Stick to the plan': Guardians rattle off 10-2 stretch to follow 10-game losing streak
CLEVELAND — It was two weeks ago that the Guardians walked off the field against the Detroit Tigers, losers of their 10th consecutive game, the last of which was delivered in the most back-breaking fashion of them all. They were backsliding out of the playoff picture altogether, unable to gain any offensive traction — 10 losses in a row, five of them via shutout, and the sun was beginning to set on any postseason hopes. Manager Stephen Vogt maintained a level of calmness through the turbulent waters of a double-digit losing streak, insisting that the lineup was putting together quality at-bats and, with the pitching staff delivering quality outings, the tide would soon turn. On July 6, the Tigers rallied in the ninth and then put together an onslaught in the 10th to deliver a desperate Cleveland club consecutive loss No. 10. Since that day? The Guardians are an American League-best 10-2. They've averaged 7.5 runs over those 12 games. The pitching staff, which was mostly terrific even during the losing streak, is now being supported. Guardians schedule among MLB's easiest to finish 2025 With a 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on July 22, which brought their post-All-Star-break record to 4-1, the Guardians were back to a .500 record at 50-50 through 100 games. The route back to an even-.500 record was rocky but, as of the end of the July 22 slate of games, the Guardians were 2.5 games out of a wild card spot despite being less than 2.5 weeks removed from that double-digit losing streak. "Obviously you want to be higher up, you want to have more wins, but given the way that these first three and a half, almost four months have gone, we have 62 games left — let's go, let's not stop," Vogt said. "Our guys have been playing great baseball for the last two weeks and, like we said, even during that 10-game stretch, we weren't playing horrible. "We got to keep it rolling." Vogt's message, while from the outside it seemed as though the ship was sinking, was essentially to stick to the plan. It bled into the clubhouse, then the dugout, then the batter's box. After a few weeks of the lineup seemingly viewing runs like pulling teeth at the dentist's office, the dam has been apparently broken and, with it, the Guardians are back in the thick of the wild card race. "Our guys are buying into the plan and they're sticking to it," Vogt said. "I think it was [Steven Kwan] telling [Nolan Jones], 'Hey, stick to the plan.' They're talking about it, they're living it. It's just been good to see." Manager Stephen Vogt guides Guardians through 10-game losing streak, followed by 10-2 stretch Lengthy losing streaks are almost inevitable for every club in every season. It's the nature of the game that features 162-game seasons. But while players know better than to panic too early, there's also a human element to it all. By the end of that 10-game skid, Cleveland was eight games below .500 and looking up at half a dozen teams in the wild card race, with the AL Central division all but wrapped up by the Tigers. Now? They have not only have as much momentum as any team in the American League but also one of the easiest remaining schedules over the final 62 games. That momentum could flip tomorrow, and the offense could again backslide into some shutouts. But after a brutal losing streak, the Guardians have climbed back into the race, and they again have their collective heads above water, which might also alter how they attack the trade deadline. For the time being, their season is about perseverance more than anything else. "Yeah, I mean, I feel like it had to roll our way after those 10 games at some point," starter Tanner Bibee said. "I feel like that was one of the toughest stretches of baseball we're been a part of. But I feel like we all knew it was going to swing back our way eventually, and we just had to be ready for it and ride it as long as we can." This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians climb back into AL wild card race with hot streak
Boston Globe
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Red Sox return home and fall short against Dodgers
The Red Sox hung in most of the night against the defending World Series champions. But ultimately it was another loss to another club considered one of baseball's best. Hernández's blast turned a one-run deficit — doable against an injury-ravaged Los Angeles bullpen — into a three-run hole that proved insurmountable. And it drew audible cheers, Dodgers fans making up a significant portion of the sellout crowd of 36,369. Advertisement With two games to go in this post-All-Star-break 'gauntlet,' as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow described it, against high-end National League clubs, the Red Sox are 2-5. They have held a lead at the end of just 10 innings out of 66 played. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Sox managed to hold Shohei Ohtani, whom manager Alex Cora before the game dubbed 'the best athlete in the universe,' to an unremarkable 1-for-4 line with a single, a walk, and two strikeouts. With two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Rob Refsnyder represented the would-be tying run. But he grounded out against Ben Casparius, a Connecticut native and UConn alumnus who recorded his first career save. Advertisement Red Sox righthander Brayan Bello (5⅓ innings, three runs) and Dodgers righthander Emmet Sheehan (five innings, two runs) took turns pitching OK. Related : Bello's outing was the first time since May 28 that he failed to complete six innings in a start. He had gone eight in a row meeting that minimum. On the season, he owns a 3.32 ERA. 'It feels like the bad one is six innings, three runs,' Cora said before the game. 'That's the mark of a good pitcher.' Also present throughout his strong run: Wong. Friday marked Bello's 10th consecutive start with the backup as his batterymate. 'I just like it,' Cora said, noting that they work well together and cracking a smile to add: 'One day Carlos [Narváez] was very emotional with Bello. I was like, we need to split up the Latino guys.' Related : For Sheehan, it was a homecoming of sorts. The Darien, Conn., native played at Boston College. The Dodgers drafted him in the eighth round in 2021, and this was his first time pitching at Fenway Park as a major leaguer. Los Angeles struck first, scoring a run in the second frame when Andy Pages (double) came in on Tommy Edman's two-out single looped to left field. Bello grinded through a 40-pitch third inning but managed to limit the damage to two more runs. A couple of soft singles — plus a hard one from Will Smith — loaded the bases with one out. Bello walked Hernández to force in a run. Pages' sacrifice fly brought in another. Related : The Dodgers bailed out Bello with a double steal attempt. Hernández reached second, but shortstop Trevor Story threw out Freddie Freeman at the plate. Advertisement The Sox battled back with two runs in the bottom of the third, but it could have been more. Connor Wong opened the rally with a double off the Green Monster — his first extra-base hit of the season. Duran singled, then scored on Alex Bregman's Monster-scraping double. Sheehan rebounded to retire the next nine Sox to finish his outing. Tim Healey can be reached at
Canada News.Net
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Giants, winless Justin Verlander chase series victory vs. Braves
(Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images) Justin Verlander will continue to search for his first elusive win with the Giants when San Francisco wraps up its six-game road trip with a series finale against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Atlanta won the opener of the three-game series 9-5 on Monday before San Francisco prevailed 9-0 on Tuesday. The latest result ended the Giants' six-game losing streak and gave San Francisco a 4-1 advantage over the Braves in the season series. Verlander (0-8, 4.99 ERA) will be matched up against Atlanta's Spencer Strider (4-7, 3.59) on Wednesday. Verlander is coming off an abbreviated start on Friday. The 42-year-old veteran pitched 2 2/3 innings -- only the ninth time in his career he failed to pitch at least three innings -- and allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks against the host Toronto Blue Jays. He failed to record a strikeout for the first time this season. Verlander was ejected from the dugout on Sunday after complaining about perceived missed pitches by plate umpire Chad Whitson, who was caught on a live television microphone saying, 'How about you worry about getting out of the third inning, huh?' The right-hander did not face the Braves when the teams met in San Francisco in June. Verlander has made four career starts against Atlanta, going 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA. 'Stuff-wise, I'm still fairly optimistic,' Verlander said. 'I had a tough one (against Toronto). They found a way to put a lot of balls in play and found a lot of holes. The ones they did hit hard found corners. I think about how the mechanical adjustments have helped my stuff. The velo is better. I think the breaking balls are sharper, all in all.' Strider was outstanding in his first post-All-Star-break start on Friday against the New York Yankees, leading the Braves to a 7-3 win. He threw six scoreless innings, allowed three hits and three walks and struck out eight to log a seventh quality start in his past eight appearances. He is 4-3 with a 2.77 ERA in that span. 'We've got to show up every day and our job the rest of the season is to try to win the game we're playing today,' Strider said. 'Once the game starts, that can be the only focus, and I think that's going to give us the best chance.' Strider faced the Giants on June 8 and took the loss, pitching six innings and allowing four runs, three earned. In five career starts against San Francisco, the 26-year-old right-hander is 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA. The Giants made a couple of moves to bolster their bullpen on Tuesday. Right-handers Hayden Birdsong and Tristan Beck were both optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, with right-handers Carson Seymour and Sean Hjelle recalled as replacements. Both new faces got into the Tuesday night game and delivered solid outings. Hjelle pitched a scoreless inning but was hit on the right hamstring by a 107 mph liner off the bat of Michael Harris II. Hjelle remained in the game after a visit from the trainer. Seymour closed the contest with two strong innings, striking out four.
