GAME #52, BOSTON RED SOX AT CHICAGO WHITE SOX

[Bear]

RED SOX V WHITE SOX

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017, 8PM AT GUARANTEED RATE FIELD

TV:  NESN, CSNC

BOSTON, (28-23).........................................................................CHICAGO, (24-27)

BOSTON:

DREW POMERANZ, LHP, 4-3, 4.70 ERA, 56K

The lefty had a strong performance last time out, allowing two runs
in six frames to beat Texas.  Pomeranz hopes to be more consistent
going forward.  This is his first career start at Guaranteed Rate Field,
although he did pitch here once in relief.

CHICAGO:

MIKE PELFREY, RHP, 2-4, 4.41 ERA, 18K

Pelfrey has posted two straight start victories posting four losses and
a no-decision in is first five Sox starts.  He has allowed two earned runs on
eight hits over his past eleven innings, striking out ten and walking one
over that two-start stretch.

Pomeranz, Pelfrey set to start series finale

Fabian Ardaya

CHICAGO -- When Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz (4-3, 4.70 ERA) and White Sox starter Mike Pelfrey (2-4, 4.41 ERA) take the mound in Wednesday's series finale between the two clubs at Guaranteed Rate Field, both pitchers will seek to do something they've struggled with in 2017: pitch deep into games.

The lefty Pomeranz had one of his best outings of the season at Fenway Park in his last start, giving up two runs on four hits over six innings Thursday against the Rangers, while matching a career high with 11 strikeouts. However, the start marked just the third time this season and eighth time since Boston acquired him last July that he'd pitched at least six innings.

Pelfrey has pitched effectively since signing a Minor League deal with the White Sox on April 8 and making his 2017 debut on April 22, giving up three or fewer runs in all but one of his seven starts. However, he has made it through six innings just once in seven starts. He picked up a win in his last start, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits in five innings (86 pitches) against Detroit. He also won his previous start at Seattle.

The 28-year-old Pomeranz doesn't have much of a track record against the White Sox in his career, but he hasn't allowed a run in seven career innings (two appearances, one start) against Chicago. Pelfrey, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Jose Abreu is swinging quite a hot bat for the White Sox, earning American League Player of the Week honors while continuing a 10-game hitting streak that was snapped Monday. He hit .458 with a pair of homers and five RBIs in a seven-game stretch. This was his fourth Player of the Week accolade; the last time he achieved the honor was in September 2015.

• The Red Sox's infield will have a bit of a different look Wednesday after the club placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with a sprained left wrist. Pedroia sustained the injury during a collision with Abreu in the first inning of Monday's 5-4 White Sox win. While an MRI came back negative, the club elected to place Pedroia on the DL and activate third baseman Pablo Sandoval.

• If Pomeranz must turn the ball over early, it'll be to a well-rested Red Sox bullpen. The unit entered play Tuesday having thrown only 150 2/3 innings, the second-fewest in the AL and third-fewest in the Majors. The bullpen ranks fifth in the Majors with a 3.17 ERA.

• After entering his last start with a swinging-strike rate of 10.2 percent in 2017, Pomeranz upped that to 18.8 percent against the Rangers, generating 18 swings and misses. That was tied for the second-best single-game rate of his career.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170530233358232/pomeranz-pelfrey-set-to-start-series-finale/?game_pk=490891

[Bear]

RED SOX LINEUP:

Betts RF,
Benintendi LF,
Bogaerts SS,
Moreland 1B,
Rutledge 2B,
Bradley CF,
Sandoval DH, (already?)
Vázquez C,
Marrero 3B,

Pomeranz SP.

[Bill-806]

  Go SOX, keep that roster working !!

[elktonnick]

I hope the Sox continue the trend of swinging earlier in the count.   I noticed that last night.  When they swung early they were making contact.  In Hanley's first at bat he didn't swing at a single pitch, I believe and he struck out.  They were aggressive at the plate last night and it produced good results.

[longgame]

I hope the Sox continue the trend of swinging earlier in the count.   I noticed that last night.  When they swung early they were making contact.  In Hanley's first at bat he didn't swing at a single pitch, I believe and he struck out.  They were aggressive at the plate last night and it produced good results.

It seems some guys are better than others.  Hanley can be patient, Bogey can be patient.  JBJ tends to make an out on a first pitch swing without fail. 

[elktonnick]

I hope the Sox continue the trend of swinging earlier in the count.   I noticed that last night.  When they swung early they were making contact.  In Hanley's first at bat he didn't swing at a single pitch, I believe and he struck out.  They were aggressive at the plate last night and it produced good results.

It seems some guys are better than others.  Hanley can be patient, Bogey can be patient.  JBJ tends to make an out on a first pitch swing without fail.

If their patience resulted in them driving the ball then I'd agree with you.  But neither Hanley nor Bogey are consistently driving the ball.  Yes Bogey is hitting for a very high average but Jed Lowrie has a better slugging percentage.  Bogey is a warm weather player so I suspect he'll heat up with the temperature.  Hanley Ramirez is another matter.  He isn't the 300 plus hitter of even a few years ago.  And he needs to be more aggressive and learn to take what is being given which means swinging earlier in the count.

[longgame]

Like I said, depends on the hitter.  Some guys can swing earlier if they know they have a good pitch.  Some guys, like JBJ in particular, at times seem to have no idea what they're swinging at.  Bogey does seem to be almost waiting to get to two strikes and poke it the other way too, as you mention. 

[SeaBeachFred]

I hope the Sox continue the trend of swinging earlier in the count.   I noticed that last night.  When they swung early they were making contact.  In Hanley's first at bat he didn't swing at a single pitch, I believe and he struck out.  They were aggressive at the plate last night and it produced good results.

It seems some guys are better than others.  Hanley can be patient, Bogey can be patient.  JBJ tends to make an out on a first pitch swing without fail.

If their patience resulted in them driving the ball then I'd agree with you.  But neither Hanley nor Bogey are consistently driving the ball.  Yes Bogey is hitting for a very high average but Jed Lowrie has a better slugging percentage.  Bogey is a warm weather player so I suspect he'll heat up with the temperature.  Hanley Ramirez is another matter.  He isn't the 300 plus hitter of even a few years ago.  And he needs to be more aggressive and learn to take what is being given which means swinging earlier in the count.

Elk--on the Red Sox Message Board, there is a poster who goes by the handle jnug, and this guy has been point on with this same mantra we've been talking about since early in the season.  Too many players are trying to work the count while the opposing pitcher is pounding the strike zone, something that we went through in 2014 and 2015, two seasons we'd be better off not being reminded of.  When the team is aggressive they seem to get better results, and as a former coach yourself you know that a batter often only gets one good pitch to hit per at-bat----and he's better be ready for it if it's the first one.  This to me has been the big problem with Hanley.  Once a hacker up there swinging for all he was worth, now he seems to be trying to work the count and looks often to be flumoxed at the plate.  He and the rest must take a lesson from last night and go up there hacking and ready to do violence to pitched balls.  Of course, knowing this team we might just see hot and cold for the remaining first half unless they have decided to make last night a habit.

[longgame]

BTW, it apparently is all up to me.  I always joke to myself about certain Sox items in my house, among them a particular Sox t-shirt and a Red Sox mug.  At times I've been "convinced" that this shirt or another seems to work for or against the Sox.  This year it's the coffee mug!  It's the mug I use most often, if it's clean, I use it.  I noticed that it seemed like they were losing when I used it so when they won back a week or so ago and I hadn't used it, I didn't use it for rest of the week.  Until after the day game on Saturday when I used it Saturday night, obviously before the game they lost on Sunday.  Defying the Gods of Baseball, I brazenly used the cup again on Sunday night and they lost on Monday.  I did not use the mug yesterday so I'm also not using it today.

If they win tonight, give me all the credit.  If they lose, I'll be using my Sox mug tomorrow morning!

[elktonnick]

I hope the Sox continue the trend of swinging earlier in the count.   I noticed that last night.  When they swung early they were making contact.  In Hanley's first at bat he didn't swing at a single pitch, I believe and he struck out.  They were aggressive at the plate last night and it produced good results.

It seems some guys are better than others.  Hanley can be patient, Bogey can be patient.  JBJ tends to make an out on a first pitch swing without fail.

If their patience resulted in them driving the ball then I'd agree with you.  But neither Hanley nor Bogey are consistently driving the ball.  Yes Bogey is hitting for a very high average but Jed Lowrie has a better slugging percentage.  Bogey is a warm weather player so I suspect he'll heat up with the temperature.  Hanley Ramirez is another matter.  He isn't the 300 plus hitter of even a few years ago.  And he needs to be more aggressive and learn to take what is being given which means swinging earlier in the count.

Elk--on the Red Sox Message Board, there is a poster who goes by the handle jnug, and this guy has been point on with this same mantra we've been talking about since early in the season.  Too many players are trying to work the count while the opposing pitcher is pounding the strike zone, something that we went through in 2014 and 2015, two seasons we'd be better off not being reminded of.  When the team is aggressive they seem to get better results, and as a former coach yourself you know that a batter often only gets one good pitch to hit per at-bat----and he's better be ready for it if it's the first one.  This to me has been the big problem with Hanley.  Once a hacker up there swinging for all he was worth, now he seems to be trying to work the count and looks often to be flumoxed at the plate.  He and the rest must take a lesson from last night and go up there hacking and ready to do violence to pitched balls.  Of course, knowing this team we might just see hot and cold for the remaining first half unless they have decided to make last night a habit.

Flummoxed is the perfect word to describe Ramirez.  Remember "the perfect is the enemy of the good"  Hanley seems to be waiting for the perfect pitch.  He especially is letting too many good pitches go by waiting for the perfect only to look bad striking out on pitch out of the strike zone. Let's watch tonight and see if he repeats the same pattern.
BTW I am watch the Astros bombard the Twins. They aren't waiting around looking for the walk.

[Bear]

Hanley is not playing tonite.
We have a new DH, Panda Sandoval!!!!!

[SeaBeachFred]

I hope the Sox continue the trend of swinging earlier in the count.   I noticed that last night.  When they swung early they were making contact.  In Hanley's first at bat he didn't swing at a single pitch, I believe and he struck out.  They were aggressive at the plate last night and it produced good results.

Elk--I used to hate Hanley and never wanted him back on our team, but he won we over last season when he came through time and again.  I still have the recording on his walk off homer against the Yankees last September.  However, the way he has not been hitting up to his ability I worry that he may be more injured than we think.  I wonder if his shoulder woes are interfering in his swing.  He looks very tentative up there and his swing looks awkward to me.  Perhaps he misses Papi deeply and is reluctant to take over the role of senior statesman.  Whatever the reasons, we need him to start hitting big time for us and the sooner the better.

[ipot]

Replace Hanley with Panda = same result.

[ipot]

Sox used up their alloted runs for the series last night

[markj]

Marrero with a dumb throw. Pom-pom doing ok so far.