RED SOX V RAYS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017, 7 PM AT TROPICANA FIELD
TV: NESN, FOX SPORTS SUN
BOSTON, (83-63)........................................................................................TAMPA, (72-75)
BOSTON:
CHRIS SALE, LHP, 16-7, 2.76 ERA, 278K
The lefty will face the Rays for the sixth time this season. He has fared well
so far, going 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA. In his career at Tropicana Field, Sale is 3-3
with a 1.75 ERA. Sale is 9-5 with a 2.72 ERA in 17 starts this season.
TAMPA:
MATT ANDRIESE, RHP, 5-3, 4.46 ERA, 63K
Andriese will be making his third start in his return from the disabled list. His
previous start, which also came against the Red Sox, didn't go so well, as he allowed
eight runs (six earned) on seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings.
Welcome home: Rays face Sox in St. Pete
Chris Bumbaca
The Rays will return to Tropicana Field in the wake of Hurricane Irma on Friday, when they open a three-game series against the Red Sox.
Though relieved to be playing at their home park instead of at Citi Field, where they were the "home" team for their three-game series against the Yankees earlier in the week, the Rays will have to string together wins if they want to stay in contention for the American League's second Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Red Sox will seek to maintain their lead over the Yankees in the AL East. The Red Sox lead the Yankees by three games in the AL East, and the Rays are five back in the hunt for the second AL Wild Card spot.
"It'll be good," manager Kevin Cash said after Wednesday's game. "I think everybody, to a man, was ready to go home."
Ace Chris Sale draws the nod in Friday's opener for the Red Sox, and the Rays will start Matt Andriese in a rematch of last Saturday's matchup in Boston.
The Red Sox prevailed that night, 9-0, as Sale tossed six scoreless innings and Andriese recorded only five outs before allowing eight runs (six earned) on seven hits.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME
• Sale has been successful against the Rays this season, posting a 4-1 record and 2.06 ERA over five starts. In 35 innings against Tampa Bay, he has struck out 57.
• Dustin Pedroia hit a home run in the first inning off Andriese in that Sept. 9 game. He is 2-for-3 with two walks vs. Andriese in his career.
• Per Statcast, Andriese's .186 batting average allowed on pitches in the lower third of the strike zone ranks eighth among starters who have ended at least 50 at-bats in that area. However, opponents are batting .348 against Andriese on all other pitches within the zone.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170913254035864/welcome-home-rays-face-sox-in-st-pete/?game_pk=492298
Sox lineup:
1. Xander Bogaerts SS
2. Dustin Pedroia DH
3. Andrew Benintendi LF
4. Mookie Betts RF
5. Mitch Moreland 1B
6. Rafael Devers 3B
7. Brock Holt 2B
8. Sandy Leon C
9. Jackie Bradley Jr. CF
Pitching matchup: LHP Chris Sale (16-7, 2.76) vs. RHP Matt Andriese (5-3, 4.46), NESN, 7:10 p.m.
Lets go get them ..... "VICTORY goes to those who want it the most, want it the longest"..... thumb_u
Quote from: Bear on September 15, 2017, 02:15:53 AM
Sox lineup:
1. Xander Bogaerts SS
2. Dustin Pedroia DH
3. Andrew Benintendi LF
4. Mookie Betts RF
5. Mitch Moreland 1B
6. Rafael Devers 3B
7. Brock Holt 2B
8. Sandy Leon C
9. Jackie Bradley Jr. CF
Pitching matchup: LHP Chris Sale (16-7, 2.76) vs. RHP Matt Andriese (5-3, 4.46), NESN, 7:10 p.m.
Hope that Sandy Leon brings his bat.... Lets get Sale some runs early & often !!! thumb_u rofl
It's September 15 and we're still in must win territory. So, Sale has to do his thing and the bats must deliver.
Cubbies are 3 games up, too, on STL and MIL but it just doesn't feel like they're in danger of losing their division...
Quote from: Bill-806 on September 15, 2017, 03:36:57 PM
Quote from: Bear on September 15, 2017, 02:15:53 AM
Sox lineup:
1. Xander Bogaerts SS
2. Dustin Pedroia DH
3. Andrew Benintendi LF
4. Mookie Betts RF
5. Mitch Moreland 1B
6. Rafael Devers 3B
7. Brock Holt 2B
8. Sandy Leon C
9. Jackie Bradley Jr. CF
Pitching matchup: LHP Chris Sale (16-7, 2.76) vs. RHP Matt Andriese (5-3, 4.46), NESN, 7:10 p.m.
Hope that Sandy Leon brings his bat.... Lets get Sale some runs early & often !!! thumb_u rofl
Thanks Bill for none of your usual over optimistic predictions. Our team doesn't deserve them and rarely lives up to them. Just hope for the best. At least Hanley is not in the lineup tonight again, but Leon is and that is not so good......AND EXPECT NO HELP FROM THE ORIOLES.
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 04:13:25 PM
It's September 15 and we're still in must win territory. So, Sale has to do his thing and the bats must deliver.
Cubbies are 3 games up, too, on STL and MIL but it just doesn't feel like they're in danger of losing their division...
They're not in any danger but unfortunately we sure as hell are......think Hanley, Young, Bogaerts and Farrell and try not to have any nightmares over it.
Sox will be in the playoffs either as the division winner or as a wild card team. They are 6 games up for the 1st wild card spot and 9 games up for the 2nd. It will be what it will be.
Sale not the same guy from the 1st half.
Quote from: Rob from Mass on September 15, 2017, 06:39:53 PM
Sale not the same guy from the 1st half.
Looks like the other teams know that they need to be aggressive right out of the shoot against SALE....... Laboring for sure !! iono
Don't blink or you'll miss the Red Sox at bats. Sheesh.
On the other hand, Sale is sitting them down quickly as well.
Attaboy, Mitch. Sox up 2-0.
MLB punishment for stealing signs, fined.
Punishment for the yankees, fined.
Money to be donated to Florida cleanup due to flood waters.
Sale having another bad night.
3-2 Tampa.
Yankees are beating Baltimore again, of course, so things will be very tight if the Sox don't wake up and start playing baseball.
Sox mailing it in. Meanwhile Cash putting on a demonstration of what is wrong with calling up 22 pitchers in September. Here's a thought - if you bring up a batter and the other team changes pitchers, you get the right to switch the other guy back in.
Also, Farrell apparently can't put up a lineup that survives the starter? I wonder if Farrell realized that in the past week or so at least they've beein running through at least 5 or 6 pitchers every game. Once Lin was up that inning was over. Also, had to love when the bring in the lefty to face Moreland. Clearly the book has to be he throws a slider away to lefties. So Moreland swings at the first pitch, a slider away to lefties. Not content to swing at balls over the plate, he chases another one. Devers at least had a good at bat and the luck of a couple of calls because he wasn't jumping to swing before the pitch leaves the pitcher's hand.
Now it's up to the hot or cold pen and maybe some hope that someone will get a hit or two.
Just so discouraging to watch - no pop and then what do they do? Give up a single to the #9 hitter to lead off an inning. It's amazing how they lose all these little fundamental matchups that help you win games. Get a lead? Give it up the next inning? Get ahead? Walk a guy and give up a HR.
Meanwhile other teams know that at this time of year you go out and beat teams that aren't as good as you. Like the Indians and Yankees do, you go out, establish a lead and coast to the finish, padding on a few runs here and there. This team just can't get themselves up to game ready or something.
1. NYY are now 2 GB ( in the 7th) This division will slip away because the easiest thing to do is to gain 3 games on the Sox with about 18 to go. Easier than losing 18 straight.
2. There's Kluber and......everyone else. Sale is crap since August. What we traded for is "An Ace Thru July." And that's what we WILL have going forward with this guy.
3. The Deadbats are just that. Wake ups are too few and far between
4. "The team that is last in HRs in MLB is a playoff pretender" is a new saying.
Paging John Farrell, your reliever is failing and you left him in to face Longoria.
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 08:36:01 PM
1. NYY are now 2 GB ( in the 7th) This division will slip away because the easiest thing to do is to gain 3 games on the Sox with about 18 to go. Easier than losing 18 straight.
2. There's Kluber and......everyone else. Sale is crap since August. What we traded for is "An Ace Thru July." And that's what we WILL have going forward with this guy.
3. The Deadbats are just that. Wake ups are too few and far between
4. "The team that is last in HRs in MLB is a playoff pretender" is a new saying.
The Sox will leave Baltimore in second place. Then it's just down to who they lose the play-in game to.
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 08:36:01 PM
1. NYY are now 2 GB ( in the 7th) This division will slip away because the easiest thing to do is to gain 3 games on the Sox with about 18 to go. Easier than losing 18 straight.
2. There's Kluber and......everyone else. Sale is crap since August. What we traded for is "An Ace Thru July." And that's what we WILL have going forward with this guy.
3. The Deadbats are just that. Wake ups are too few and far between
4. "The team that is last in HRs in MLB is a playoff pretender" is a new saying.
Sox lose tonight and it will be 4 losses in Sales last 6 starts. Hard to win all the time with such a weak lineup top to bottom. Sox have actually been playing well lately winning 6/8. Probably 6/9 after tonight.
Quote from: longgame on September 15, 2017, 08:37:06 PM
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 08:36:01 PM
1. NYY are now 2 GB ( in the 7th) This division will slip away because the easiest thing to do is to gain 3 games on the Sox with about 18 to go. Easier than losing 18 straight.
2. There's Kluber and......everyone else. Sale is crap since August. What we traded for is "An Ace Thru July." And that's what we WILL have going forward with this guy.
3. The Deadbats are just that. Wake ups are too few and far between
4. "The team that is last in HRs in MLB is a playoff pretender" is a new saying.
The Sox will leave Baltimore in second place. Then it's just down to who they lose the play-in game to.
The play-in game is a 50/50, flip a coin proposition. It's likely the Twins. Santana vs Sale is a washout. Even if Sale - by some miracle - pitches lights out, the Sox bats won't get to Santana. Nope. One can only hope for 0-0 through 7 or 8 and maybe a Deadbat gets lucky with a HR.
In a way I hope they choke it away to get DD to deal half this roster and Farrell with it.
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 08:44:24 PM
Quote from: longgame on September 15, 2017, 08:37:06 PM
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 08:36:01 PM
1. NYY are now 2 GB ( in the 7th) This division will slip away because the easiest thing to do is to gain 3 games on the Sox with about 18 to go. Easier than losing 18 straight.
2. There's Kluber and......everyone else. Sale is crap since August. What we traded for is "An Ace Thru July." And that's what we WILL have going forward with this guy.
3. The Deadbats are just that. Wake ups are too few and far between
4. "The team that is last in HRs in MLB is a playoff pretender" is a new saying.
The Sox will leave Baltimore in second place. Then it's just down to who they lose the play-in game to.
The play-in game is a 50/50, flip a coin proposition. It's likely the Twins. Santana vs Sale is a washout. Even if Sale - by some miracle - pitches lights out, the Sox bats won't get to Santana. Nope. One can only hope for 0-0 through 7 or 8 and maybe a Deadbat gets lucky with a HR.
In a way I hope they choke it away to get DD to deal half this roster and Farrell with it.
They need some power in the lineup and to do that the Sox would need to move some pieces a lot of people won't want to see moved. They need to make a decision on Hanley & Moreland. Time to eat some money and spend some too.
Meatball Matt does it again. Not that the Sox were going to come back in this one anyway. 3 up, 3 down for the top of the 9th.
Way to go, Mitch. Make a liar out of me.
Once again the Sox get a gift from the other team.
Leon almost got it fair......i'd still PH for him though.
Are the baseball gods intervening? 5-4, 2 on, 0 out. Don't blow this gift.
Wow, Rays are trying their best to give this one away.
Crap. Catch of the year saves a run. 1 out.
What a catch. That may have just saved this game for the Rays. Now XB will GIDP to end it.
Like I said, XB will bring in the tying run. I knew it all along.
XB defies logic by getting a high RISP and tying the game ;)
Quote from: markj on September 15, 2017, 09:22:37 PM
Like I said, XB will bring in the tying run. I knew it all along.
:)
Oy, Pedey. You needed a backhoe to get to that pitch. What were you thinking?
Identical RHEL lines.
Go through all that and the 2nd and 3rd place hitters make outs.
Pedey's K was atrocious. At least he didn't GIDP. Now Kimbrel drama....
Damn, another great catch. This guy is killing us.
Mookie's hitting tear lasted 1 game.
More strange things. Marrero gets a lead off double. Get him home
Perfect bunt by Swihart.
Even more unlikely stuff. Nice bunt by Swihart
If this stands, it's a really bad play by TB. Doesn't look like it'll stand, though.
So now get Swihart home.
They IBB XB because they *know* the Sox love to GIDP.
Here is the game. Gotta score
Damn, just bad luck there.
Pedroia's new job is to force Benintendi to end the inning
C'mon, walk in the go ahead run.
Argh!! Right over the plate!!!
Ugh, so many blown chances.
2nd & 3rd hitters don't come through again.
Phew for a minute there I thought we'd win this one. NYY popping open the beers at how many pathetic this lineup is:
Nice quick inning by Kelly. 8 pitches. Sweet.
Marrero K's on two swings at his shoulders. WTF?
More blown chances. More LOBsters. sigh slap
12 freakin' LOBsters in this game. Pathetic.
Sad to say, but these are 2 evenly matched teams. The question is how they ended up in 1st and last place in the ALE.
Odds of Bogaerts scoring = 0
I was gonna make Sale the goat of the gam but Pedroia gets the prize
Benintendi is very adept at fouling off pitches. It'd be nice if he could put a few of those into the outfield.
Ump just called the game for TB based game on "opponent cannot score with runners on base" rule. A
We got a great one here folks. A mediocre TB team fighting off the worst 1st place team in MLB history.
Kelly into his 3rd inning and only 27 pitches. Can't ask for more. The one BP pitcher who failed in this game was Meatball Matt. I wish they'd dump him. I've never thought he was a decent RP and here again he's cost them.
3 good innings for Kelly.
Great throw to get Moreland at 3rd.
I thought he looked safe. Was surprised they called him out.
Please hold this lead and end this.
Marrero called out on a pitch well outside. Swihart looks like he's never had a bat in his hands. Dragging it through the zone and late. Sox up 6-5. Let's hold this lead.
C'mon, Workman. Shut them down.
GDI. Tied at 6. Hr's killing the Sox this game.
Crap!!!! This guy has single-handedly kept the Rays in this game.
Did you hear the one about Workman? It has to do with HRs. Something the Sox can't do/
Quote from: ipot on September 15, 2017, 11:35:36 PM
Did you hear the one about Workman? It has to do with HRs. Something the Sox can't do/
Sox have given up enough of them tonight.
How many games this season have the Sox struggled in extra innings games against mediocre teams? They just can't get a clutch hit when they need it.
Pedey as DH experiment = FAIL.
Yet another gift. Can the bullpen *PLEASE* hold the lead this time?
Quote from: markj on September 15, 2017, 11:46:32 PM
Pedey as DH experiment = FAIL.
Seems like everyone we put at DH fails. Pedroia's average took a hit tonight going 0-8.
Quote from: markj on September 15, 2017, 11:48:48 PM
Yet another gift. Can the bullpen *PLEASE* hold the lead this time?
Let's give them a cushion this time please.
Wow, a *2* run lead. Maybe they can actually hold it this time.
Betts < Useless
Moreland at least is contributing to the offense this game. That *should* be enough. Now end this thing.
If they blow a 4-run lead, I'm giving up on them.
What few fans were there for the Rays are now leaving in droves. This game should be in the books now.
Amazing comeback! This was worth staying up for as depressing as it was to watch for the first 14 innings. I think the pen can hold this lead. Now save some for tonight' s game.
Pedroia 0-9 as the DH. Wouldn't seem so bad except for the fact it was in 1 game. A win though will make him feel better.
Workman looking for the win after giving up the tieing HR.
After going 0 for 8 Pedroia delivers a clutch hit that unleashes the forces of mercy for suffering Sox fans. Doesn't happen. 0 for 9.
Pedroia was 0-9 and left 11 men on base. Talk about a crappy night for him.
Deserved or not they can't take that win away. Good job I guess.
The score doesn't reflect the pathetic offense the Sox produced this game.
Quote from: Schloicka on September 15, 2017, 05:32:38 PM
Sox will be in the playoffs either as the division winner or as a wild card team. They are 6 games up for the 1st wild card spot and 9 games up for the 2nd. It will be what it will be.
Wild Card is not acceptable. WE NEED TO WIN SOMETHING THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!! Besides, unless there is a complete reversal of the way the team plays vs some of the other teams in the league we are not going to go very far in the playoffs so an AL East Title gives us something that we accomplished this season. Anyway, that's my take on it.
Seven runs in the 15th!
What were they waiting for?
Not important, they won.
We're still three ahead of NY.
It's been a while to have to sweat this much to hold onto a 3 game lead....ugh ::)
Thank you Rays, for spotting us 6 unearned runs.
Quote from: Bill-806 on September 15, 2017, 06:29:34 AM
Lets go get them ..... "VICTORY goes to those who want it the most, want it the longest"..... thumb_u
GEEEEZZZZZ, I didn't mean 15 INNINGS !!! Heck, I fell asleep in the 7th, just saw the results as I tuned in !! WOW !! thumb_u rofl
Happy the Sox won. BUT, It seems the Sox only score when the other team makes repeated errors or other defensive lapses.
Quote from: elktonnick on September 16, 2017, 08:44:30 AM
Happy the Sox won. BUT, It seems the Sox only score when the other team makes repeated errors or other defensive lapses.
As DAD would say, "SON, put pressure on the defense & pitcher, and good things will happen" !!! thumb_u rofl
Quote from: elktonnick on September 16, 2017, 08:44:30 AM
Happy the Sox won. BUT, It seems the Sox only score when the other team makes repeated errors or other defensive lapses.
Well we seem to take advantage of those opponents mistakes and that is one good thing to say about this team of ours, but it would be swell if the team could start hitting earlier and put some balls in the seats. Hear me Mookie, Jackie, Benny, Mitch and the rest of you?
2 - 17 out of the 2,3.
Looks to me that Sale is burnt out after 195 IP.Last 7 starts a 4.2 ERA.Good start fair start terrible start seems like what he is for the next 2 weeks.
Quote from: Rob from Mass on September 16, 2017, 12:07:37 PM
Looks to me that Sale is burnt out after 195 IP.Last 7 starts a 4.2 ERA.Good start fair start terrible start seems like what he is for the next 2 weeks.
AGREE, also, looks like teams are going/aggressive in the first inning knowing that Sale is always around the plate and it's better to get the bat on the ball than get boxed in on the count....
Quote from: Bill-806 on September 16, 2017, 12:38:10 PM
Quote from: Rob from Mass on September 16, 2017, 12:07:37 PM
Looks to me that Sale is burnt out after 195 IP.Last 7 starts a 4.2 ERA.Good start fair start terrible start seems like what he is for the next 2 weeks.
AGREE, also, looks like teams are going/aggressive in the first inning knowing that Sale is always around the plate and it's better to get the bat on the ball than get boxed in on the count....
As DAD would say, "SON, you know your baseball, I taught you well" !! thumb_u rofl