Author Archives: @bosox_4150

Red Sox Finish Road Trip with a Huge Win

Leave a reply

The Road Back to Boston

The Red Sox first road trip of the year is over, and boy did it end well. Chris Sale took the ball and clearly wasn’t at his best. He had some control issues and worked up a high pitch count early. But nonetheless, Sale threw five innings of one run ball. Not your usual Chris Sale start, but he did enough.

The relievers began coming in by the 6th, starting with Bobby Poyner, who went 1.2 scoreless innings. Carson Smith followed him to get one out, and left the game tied at one apiece. Joe Kelly  pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th and send the game to extras. After that, Kimbrel threw a shutout in the 10th to keep the game going.

Things Get Crazy

With one out in the top of the 11th, Eduardo Nunez was at second base with Andrew Benintendi at the plate. Benintendi, who’s been struggling thus far, came through and singled to right field to break the tie and give the Sox the lead. The only problem was, Kimbrel had already pitched. So who were they going to put in to try and get the save? Matt Barnes. Buckle up.

Barnes got the first two hitters out quickly, and everything was going smooth until he decided to walk two Marlins hitters. Not a good idea. But what was about to transpire is what I will applaud the most about this game. With two outs and runners on first and second, Cameron Maybin hit a rocket over Andrew Benintendi’s head to tie the game. Justin Bour racing around would be sent home, the Marlins were about to win the game. But nobody panicked.

Benintendi picked the ball up and made a perfect throw to the cutoff. Bogaerts, The X Man, threw a perfect one hopper to Vasquez to nail Bour at the plate, and continue the ballgame. They didn’t panic, executed the play perfectly, and got the job done.

Hanley Game Winner

Fast forward to the 13th, Hanley came on with two outs and Mookie Betts standing at second, Benintendi over at first. Hanley, who has been seeing the ball well all Miami series, took a breaking ball from Tayron Guerrero and drove it into left field, over Derek Dietrich’s head to drive in two runs. Clutch.

Heath Hembree, who pitched a scoreless 12th, came back out for the 13th to try and close the game. He worked around a one out base hit and closed the game out to give the Sox the 4-2 win and their fifth straight win.

What we saw in this game was heart. Every time time the Marlins did something well, Boston came back with something even better. You have to tip your cap to the bullpen (except Matt Barnes, of course) for doing what they did. Hanley coming through in a big moment like that was huge. Everything about the win was huge.

The Red Sox will end their road trip successful taking three from Tampa, and two from Miami, finishing with a record of 5-1. Up next is to Fenway for the home opener on Thursday at 2 PM.

 

Cover image courtesy of NBC Sports.

Shohei Ohtani, Meet Chris Sale

Leave a reply

Sale for Home Run Derby

The 2018 season is underway, and so many things have happened so far. Xander Bogearts is off to a hot start, the starting pitching has been good, Chris Sale is hitting bombs… Wait, what? Yeah, you read that right.

The Red Sox, who will be going to Miami after Sunday’s game, will have starting pitchers in the batting order for the two games against the Marlins. You might as well start getting ready as early as you can. Red Sox beat writers posted a video of Boston’s ace pitcher taking BP. You can see him pimping one and having an epic bat flip.

Shohei Ohtani? Who’s that? Not only is Sale hitting balls to the moon, but he’s also doing bat flips that will make José Bautista jealous. Cora apparently has yet another bat he will have to figure out to get into the lineup. I’m going for the over on 40 homers for Sale this year. Watch out, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

 

Cover image courtesy of the WCVB.

It’s Opening Day and We Have Ourselves a Lineup

Leave a reply

Opening Day Is Here

It’s been a long last few months. A lot has happened from losing to Houston in the ALDS last year to now. Alex Cora was hired to be the new manager, J.D. Martinez signed with Boston, and the Red Sox had the best record in all of Spring Training.

The day has finally come. Today is Christmas for baseball fans. Opening Day. A day that should be a national holiday. A day where baseball finally makes its return after a long winter and a long spring of exhibition games. Everybody is in it, no team is eliminated just yet. It’s definitely one of if not the most exciting days of the year.

Alex Cora, who will be in his first year of managing, made a decision right away after he was signed that Mookie and Benintendi were going to lead off the lineup. Mookie hitting first, and Benintendi in the two hole.

The day has finally come, it is Opening Day. We already have a lineup. It will look like this:

1. Betts
2. Benintendi
3. Ramirez
4. Martinez
5. Bogaerts
6. Nunez/Devers
7. Nunez/Devers
8. Bradley
9. Vazquez

Cora said Devers is good to go, but he’s just not definite where Nunez and Devers are hitting.

I love this lineup. Obviously I will miss Pedey, but he’ll be back soon. Will this be the best lineup in baseball? Probably not. But they will know how to get on base and have some extra pop with a guy like J.D. Martinez getting thrown into the middle of the order.

Let the games begin.

 

Cover image courtesy of Boston Sports Desk.

Christian Vazquez Will Be Here for a While

Leave a reply

Christian Vazquez has been the lock for the starting catcher ever since Spring Training began. He split the time last year with Sandy Leon, but that won’t be happening going forward. Cora has already stated that Vazquez will be the starting catcher, and Leon won’t be Sale’s personal catcher for 2018.

Vazquez recently got some more good news as the Red Sox re-signed him to a three-year extension with a club option for the 2022 season.

Last year, Vazquez played in 99 games and hit .290 with a .735 OPS. For a guy who doesn’t necessarily have the biggest slugging percentage in the world, it’s hilarious whenever he hits a home run because it’s always a bomb. He doesn’t hit many, but when he gets ahold of one, watch out.

One great thing about Christian is his personality. If you don’t follow him on Instagram or Snapchat (if you’re into those sorts of things), you should definitely rethink that decision and hit that follow button. He’s always smiling, playing around, and most importantly just having fun. That’s the kind of player you want on your team. Someone who always has a smile on their face and is having a good time.

Now if I haven’t mentioned it yet, he’s a pretty darn good player. He has a gun for an arm and is great at pitch framing. Vazquez was always looked at as a weak hitter, but from what he’s shown from last year, he can hit. He can make a lineup better, unlike Sandy Leon the past couple years.

So, Christian Vazquez is now locked up and will be staying here for a while. I, and all of Red Sox Nation, should have no problem with that.

Vazquez has been a part of this team for longer than you think. He’s been here since 2014. Crazy, right? But Christian Vazquez’s legacy didn’t truly start until his seventh inning bomb off Dellin Betances back from 2016 that still hasn’t landed yet. He also added to his legacy with last year’s game winning homer against Cleveland. Christian Vazquez is going to be staying here for a while, and it is will be exciting to see whats to come and what special moments are to come throughout the next several years.

This 2018 Red Sox Bullpen Has Potential

Leave a reply

The Red Sox bullpen may not be as attractive as some of the others in baseball. However, it certainly can be a good one. As of right now the bullpen looks like Kimbrel, Thornburg, Smith, Kelly, Barnes, and maybe Maddox. The first four names on that list are definite. Everyone else is a question mark.

The Lefty Situation

Cora has already stated that if a lefty pitcher does not make the team out of spring training, then they won’t need one. At least for right now. Robby Scott was the favorite to make the team before Spring Training started, but he hasn’t shown he deserves a spot so far. Cora’s talked highly of Bobby Poyner, a lefty who has pretty good numbers so far this spring, but it isn’t the biggest sample size. So, if there is no lefty that Cora can trust in the pen to start the year, it wouldn’t be detrimental. I totally agree with Alex Cora. It doesn’t matter if you’re a righty pitcher. If you can get lefties out you deserve a spot over an undeserving lefty in the bullpen.

The Bullpen’s up and Coming

Besides Craig Kimbrel, the reliever I’m most excited to watch is Carson Smith. He showed us tidbits of what he can do last year for the abbreviated time he was available. However, we haven’t really seen much of Smith yet. He has a nasty slider along with a good sinker and a fastball that sits around 92-94. Smith is someone you bring in when you need a double play late in the game. He would be great at giving up soft contact on the ground, or just watching guys freeze on his nasty hook.

Tyler Thornburg, who had thoracic outlet surgery in the offseason, will have to start the year on the DL. The exact time that he will return is up in the air. But it shouldn’t be too long before he makes his long awaited return. He is certainly another key piece and a great weapon to have in this bullpen.

Joe Kelly, aka Jim Buchanan, is a great guy to have not only in this pen, but on this team. I’ve mentioned before his goofy personality is exactly what this team needs. Something a winning team will need. Joe and his personality, along with his 100 mph fastball, nasty slider, and curve will be a big part of this team in 2018.

Last and certainly not least, is Craig Kimbrel, who pitched to a 1.43 ERA, a 1.41 FIP, and struck out about half the hitters he faced last year. So yeah, this dude is not bad. And let me just mention someone else who is awesome. Kimbrel was out of Fort Myers for three weeks because his daughter Lydia, who was born with a heart defect and only a few months old, had to get her second heart procedure done in Boston. Kimbrel returned to Spring Training because his daughter had the surgery and is doing great.

So Kimbrel, who has been working out at Fenway for a while now is back with the team at camp and will be ready for Opening Day, which is great news. But more importantly, his daughter is alright. Let’s just say that’s one tough girl, and she definitely got part of that from Craig, no doubt. Lydia Strong.

All in all, this Red Sox bullpen may not necessarily jump out as the best. But it is certainly not a bullpen anyone should take lightly. With these scary arms to go along with Cora’s managing and the non-closer philosophy, this bullpen can definitely be a strength for this 2018 Red Sox team.

 

Cover image courtesy of USA Today.

David Price Is Ready for 2018

Leave a reply

David Price was scheduled to make his first start of the spring last Saturday, but got scratched due to the wet weather. He finally pitched his first Grapefruit League game on Thursday against the Blue Jays. The results? Let’s just say he did pretty well. He threw four shutout innings, he gave up one hit, one walk, and punched out five.

Now I know it is only Spring Training, but regardless of how Price did today, I as well as many Red Sox fans are excited. And for the ones that aren’t, you might want to jump off that train as soon as you can.

All Aboard the David Price Hype Train

Price has obviously not been what we paid for the last couple years, pitching to a 3.99 ERA in the first year of his contract in 2016, and only making 11 starts last year due to an elbow injury. What he did out of the bullpen in last year’s postseason was a glimpse of what’s to come. But this time he will be pitching from the start.

In 2016, Price’s ERA was a little higher than expected, and he got a lot of hate. But if you look back on that year, he only had one bad month, and that was April. He had an ERA over six. The rest of the season? He had an ERA around 3.30. You also can’t forget the fact that he threw 230 innings that year, which is huge. Also, over his last 263 and a third innings, Price has a 3.38 ERA. That’s right. And that’s through his struggles over the past couple years as well.

Price was so upset last year when he had that elbow injury. He wanted to prove himself and everyone else that he is worth that contract. Now he is all healthy and ready to show everyone why we signed him.

Will 2015 Price Make a Comeback?

Recently, I looked up Price’s 2015 highlights, the year he got traded from Detroit to Toronto. The whole video was him just mowing everyone down. As I watched that I couldn’t help but think that this man is on our team. Just because maybe the media and some of the fans might tell you otherwise, this dude is a stud. Someone who can be just as good as Chris Sale. David is motivated, and he’s ready to show the world that he’s one of the best pitchers in the game of baseball.

2018 is going to be a huge year for Price, and whether you like it or not. Whether you can admit it or not, your baseball team is better when he is on it.

Joe Kelly Is What the Red Sox Need

Leave a reply

I’d say Jim Buchanan is one of my favorite reporters out there! Joe Kelly has been doing a great job of trolling everybody at the Red Sox spring training camp. He recently started dressing up as some goofy reporter named Jim Buchanan. He’s been messing around with the media and security guards, which is awesome and hilarious.

https://youtu.be/lhKOPfz1e7A

Joe Kelly, who came over to Boston in the John Lackey trade back in 2014, has had a great past couple years as a reliever. He used to be a starter, but couldn’t usually pitch deep into games. He is just a better overall pitcher when used in the bullpen.

His velocity as a reliever is different too, as his fastball can top out at 101 mph. He also developed a very effective curveball and slider. He will be a huge part of this bullpen in 2018 and hopefully someone we can all rely on and feel comfortable with late in a game.

Joe Kelly in particular being good is a great thing for this Red Sox team. As you can see with the Joe Buchanan thing, he is a very goofy person. He’s a great clubhouse guy and someone who can keep the guys in a good mood and laughing at all times. You can never have enough of those guys on your team.

Joe Kelly has done some awesome things in his career, but nothing has topped his stand-off in the National Anthem against Scott Van Slyke of the Dodgers. It wasn’t before some spring training game. Not during a regular season game either. It was before Game 6 of the flipping NLCS. Joe Kelly forever.

 

Cover image courtesy of The Boston Herald.

J.D. Martinez Is Making Plays with Mookie Betts

Leave a reply

Looking Forward to J.D. Martinez in 2018

When J.D. Martinez signed with the Red Sox, it felt awesome no doubt. But it didn’t feel fully real. At least not then. I wouldn’t even say it feels 100% real now, as he has yet to play a regular season game for it to really sink in. But it’s definitely getting to the point where I don’t feel like I’m in a dream anymore.

It was the same way when David Price signed a couple of years back, and Chris Sale last year. They both had to start a few games before it really sunk in that they were here.

J.D. has finally gotten into his first few Spring Training games. I never really thought about it but hearing “J.D. driving in Mookie” is definitely a term we will be hearing all season. And I am here for it.

USA Today

Martinez + Mookie

Mookie Betts was in a 0-16 hole so far in Spring Training going into today’s game against the Rays. He finally got his first hit on a ground ball to third. He pointed to the sky and celebrated with the new first base coach Tom Gooden. But something would happen a few AB’s later that really got me excited.

J.D. Martinez came to the plate with two outs and Mookie on first base. J.D. had played his first game the day before and went 0-2 on two fly outs. On his first at bat in his second game hitting cleanup, he hit a fly ball to right field that got down. It went deep enough for Mookie to come around third and score.

That run didn’t matter much, as it was only a Spring Training run that got the game to a 3-1 deficit. None of that was what I was excited about. But it was the fact that J.D. Martinez had just driven in Mookie Betts. That is for sure a delightful thing to hear and something Sox fans will be hearing all season long. It will be a phrase that I will have no problem getting used to.

 

Cover image courtesy of NESN.

Rafael Devers- Boston’s Future at Third Base

Leave a reply

The Third Base Conundrum

Last year in the summertime, the Red Sox were in a very tough place. They had just released Pablo Sandoval, a third baseman they had expected to be their guy over the next five years. He was signed to a $95 million contract in the winter of 2014. He did not produce in the way he did in San Francisco, where he helped lead them to three championships in five seasons.

They had started the year off with Pablo over Travis Shaw, because they were hopeful the Sandoval situation would work out. Obviously it didn’t. So they could’ve just went back to Travis Shaw at third, right? The problem was Shaw was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Tyler Thornburg, a right handed reliever who was injured for the whole year. So Shaw is out mashing on the Brew Crew, meanwhile the Red Sox were forced to release their joke of a third baseman.

One of the biggest talks of last year was who the Red Sox could trade for to play third base. Everyone mentioned Mike Moustakes, from Kansas City, who could be a good rental. Nobody wanted the best prospect in the organization, Rafael Devers, to get called up since many thought he would be too rushed. But Dave Dombrowski didn’t listen as he would call up Devers in July.

Devers is the Future

At first many were skeptical, but that went away quick. In his second game he slammed a 427 foot home run. He would later single later in that game and never look back. He stayed hot for the rest of the year, hitting home runs left and right, including the famous one off of Aroldis Chapman to tie the game in the top of the ninth in Yankee Stadium. I mean, he’s already getting clutch hits against the Yankees at age 20. Just crazy.

He’s had a great spring so far, hitting .400 with two homers in several games. He went back to back with Andrew Beninendi last Sunday, and did the same with Xander Bogaerts against the Rays.

The lineup is still being figured out, as Cora will put guys in the right places for protection. But Devers definitely has the capability of being in the top or middle of that lineup.

What to Look Forward To

As far as the defense goes, he’s struggled. But that’s okay. You have to remember he’s not even 21 yet. Defense will come around. One of the players Devers looked up to growing up was Adrian Beltre. Beltre came up with the Dodgers at a very young age and struggled defensively at third. But now? He’s a five time gold glove winner and someone you see making great plays every single night. So as far as defense goes for Devers, it will come around.

I am super excited to see what the future holds for this young kid who isn’t even near his prime yet and already hits like a veteran. He is perfect for Fenway as he has learned to use the monster very well. The future looks bright for the young Devers, but as of right now, he’s looking like a big part of this 2018 Red Sox team.

 

Cover image courtesy of NESN.

Red Sox Petition to Change Yawkey Way Back to Jersey Street

Leave a reply

From Yawkey Way Back to Jersey Street

John Henry and the Red Sox over the past year have been thinking of changing the street name “Yawkey Way”. They recently filed a petition to name it back to what it was before, Jersey Street. This may really be breaking news, as we all know why the ownership is pushing for this to happen.

Tom Yawkey, the old owner for the Red Sox for over 40 years, wasn’t the greatest guy ever. Although he did some great things to help out the community throughout his tenure, he was also a racist.

When Jackie Robinson was first coming to be, Yawkey wasn’t interested in signing him because of his race. His prejudice heavily swayed who could and could not play for his team. Because of this, the Red Sox were the last team to have a nonwhite player on their team.

One reason why it’s so important for this change to be made is because it’s 2018. There is no place for racism under any circumstance. The Red Sox have always been looked at as a racist organization, and they need to find a way to get past that.

Time to Take Action

If the name isn’t going to be Jersey Street, I would love for it to be something incorporating Ted Williams. Someone who is possibly the greatest hitter to ever live, and who took time off to fight in two wars. Plus, he was very supportive of African-American players. But if it’s going to go back to being Jersey Street, it’s certainly a better name than what it is now. I would be okay with it.

The reason the Red Sox have to file a petition for this is because the team doesn’t have control of the street name. But what do they have control of? The fact that Tom and his wife Jean Yawkey’s initials are written on the Green Monster in Morse code. So if they can’t get rid of the street name right now, they can at least get rid of those initials on the monster.

The Red Sox aren’t a racist organization now, of course. No team in the MLB is discriminatory whatsoever. But as far as the Red Sox go, they need to move forward from their controversial past.

 

Cover image courtesy of cbssports.com