RED SOX V REDS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017, 7 PM AT GREAT AMERICAN BALL PARK
TV: NESN, FS-O
BOSTON, (88-64)..............................................................................CINCINNATI, (66-87)
BOSTON:
RICK PORCELLO, RHP, 10-17, 4.46 ERA, 170 K
The righty is coming off a strong outing last time out, when he held the Rays to
five hits and one run (unearned) over 7 1/3 innings. Though he's given up 35 homers
this season, Porcello hasn't allowed any in his last two starts.
CINCINNATI:
SAL ROMANO, RHP, 5-6, 4.07 ERA, 63 K
Romano has all but locked up a spot in the Red's 2018 rotation. The 23-year-old
rookie shout out Pittsburgh for eight innings Saturday and has a 2.10 ERA over his last
six starts.
Benintendi excited to play at 'home' vs. Reds
Ian Browne
As the Red Sox head to their final road series of the regular season in hopes of getting closer to an American League East title, rookie left fielder Andrew Benintendi gets to experience the thrill of playing at home for the first time on Friday night.
Benintendi, who grew up a Reds fan while living 12 miles from Great American Ball Park, will enjoy all the comforts of home this weekend.
"It's going to be fun to sleep in my own bed, to see my dog," said Benintendi. "There will probably be too many people to count that are going to be there [at the games]."
The house Benintendi will sleep in is the same one his family has lived in since 2001.
When the series opens on Friday, there will be a cheering section of close to 1,000 people from Benintendi's hometown of Madeira, Ohio.
Two of Benintendi's uncles on his paternal side -- Bobby and Brian -- orchestrated the legion of supporters by buying a large block of tickets for the game.
"Everybody lives close to the stadium -- pretty much -- in my family, so it will be convenient for all of them to get there," Benintendi said. "I watched games growing up there as a kid and so did everybody else in my family, so it will be kind of cool to play on that field."
Andrew's dad, Chris, and his mother, Jill, will be in a smaller cheering section with both sets of grandparents.
"Everybody is pretty excited," said Chris Benintendi. "We're probably more excited than Andrew is, but he'll be glad to be home and you can imagine the whole family is pretty much coming in and a ton of friends. All the siblings, really, and the whole town of Madeira, where he went to school."
Aside from the Benintendi reunion, there is another feel-good subplot. Red Sox manager John Farrell's son Luke is a September callup for the Reds. It will be the first time the manager has competed against his son. Farrell attended Luke's Major League debut in Kansas City as a spectator on July 1. Luke Farrell has made four relief appearances for Cincinnati since being called up.
"There might be a little trash talk, why not?" Luke Farrell joked on Thursday.
Reds manager Bryan Price hoped he would get Luke into a game, which would be the first time a Major League player has played against a team managed by his father since 2004. The Cubs' Moises Alou played a Giants club managed by Felipe Alou.
"We may not have the luxury to do that if you're in first place by a game," Price said. "When you're not, it does provide you with some opportunities to hopefully have some special moments for their families."
The Red Sox hold a three-game lead in the AL East and clinched a postseason berth by virtue of the Angels' 6-5 loss to the Indians. At a minimum, Boston will play in the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Right-hander Rick Porcello gets the nod in Game 1 for the Red Sox. He will be opposed by righty Sal Romano. This is the first matchup between Boston and Cincinnati since 2014.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME
• Rookie Rafael Devers got Wednesday's game off, and the Red Sox hope the rest will help him emerge from his recent defensive slump. Devers has made errors in five straight games.
• Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton could play in games this weekend after he took batting practice the last couple of days. Hamilton was activated from the disabled list Wednesday after coming back from a fractured left thumb he sustained on Sept. 6.
• This is just the third time the Red Sox have played in Cincinnati since the epic 1975 World Series that the Reds won in seven games.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170920255287200/benintendi-excited-to-play-at-home-vs-reds/?game_pk=492389
RESERVED
9
Red Sox v. Romano:
Bogaerts SS,
Pedroia 2B,
Benintendi LF,
Betts RF,
Moreland 1B,
Vázquez C,
Devers 3B,
Bradley Jr. CF,
Porcello RHP.
OK, holiday is ovaaa, lets get back at it !! thumb_u rofl
Boston Red Sox vs. Cincinnati Reds: NESN TV schedule
Friday, Sept. 22, 7:10 p.m.
Pitching matchup: RHP Rick Porcello (10-17, 4.46) vs. RHP Sal Romano (5-6, 4.07)
TV: NESN
Saturday, Sept. 23, 4:10 p.m.
Pitching matchup: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-6, 4.15) vs. RHP Robert Stephenson (5-5, 5.01)
TV: NESN, MLB Network
Sunday, Sept. 24, 1:10 p.m.
Pitching matchup: RHP Doug Fister (5-8, 4.86) vs. RHP Jackson Stephens (2-0, 4.80)
TV: NESN
http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2017/09/boston_red_sox_vs_cincinnati_r_1.html#incart_river_index
Article truncated
Quote from: Bill-806 on September 22, 2017, 07:12:53 AM
OK, holiday is ovaaa, lets get back at it !! thumb_u rofl
Please guys, don't take the Reds lightly because there is no pressure on them and they will play relaxed while we are battling for a division title in a close race in the AL East. I think in this series we are going to have to hit better than we have because we don't know what really to expect from Rick, Eduardo and Doug as all three have been wildly inconsistent this season, and we shouldn't count on the Blue Jays helping us even though they have a better chance of taking a game from the Yankees than pathetic Minnesota ever could. We have to keep moving the train along and just keep winning because that would take care of things without worrying what the Yankees or their opponents are doing.
Red Sox at Reds Series Preview
A look ahead to the weekend’s series in Cincinnati
by Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Sep 22, 2017, 10:30am EDT
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
The opponent in one sentence
The Reds are reaching the end of a long season that is smack in the middle of a long rebuild that this season has been defined as one of baseball’s worst pitching staffs.
Record
66-87
Trend
Up, relatively speaking. The Reds are coming off a series in which they were swept by the Cardinals, so they certainly aren’t on a crazy hot streak or anything like that. However, they did sweep the Pirates before that and had won five of their previous seven games. That makes them .500 over their last ten games, and for them that is playing over their heads.
Pitching Matchups
9/22: Rick Porcello vs. Sal Romano, 7:10 PM ET
Porcello controls his own destiny as to whether or not he will get a postseason start and, if he makes it, where he’ll slot into a playoff rotation. The good news is that he’s been a bit better of late, and he’s coming off arguably his best outing of the year. The lineup he’ll be facing on Friday isn’t the most intimidating he’ll ever see, but it will be a nice test for whether or not he can piece together two consecutive strong starts and get on a legitimate hot streak.
Romano is a 23-year-old rookie who made his major-league debut back in April. That debut was a one-game stint, but he came back up in early July and has been up ever since. Though he hasn’t gotten many headlines, the rookie has been impressive in his first run through the majors. The righty has been particularly strong of late, posting a 2.09 ERA over his last eight starts with 29 strikeouts and 11 walks over 38 2⁄3 innings of work. Romano is largely a two-pitch pitcher with a mid-to-high-90s fastball and a slider.
9/23: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Robert Stephenson, 4:10 PM ET
Much like Porcello, Rodriguez has a couple starts left to try and solidify himself as the third best starter in the Red Sox rotation. He’s been a little more consistent of late than Porcello and he’s also had higher highs in 2017, so one would imagine he has the inside track in the battle between the two. However, a couple of bad starts can change that. He’ll have to stay consistent, and efficient, in this start against the Reds.
Stephenson is a former top prospect who made his major-league debut last year and has been up in the majors for much of this season. He’s in the rotation right now, but he’s spent the year bouncing between the starter role and the bullpen. He’s an interesting young arm, and at 24 years old he has plenty of room for growth. On the one hand, he has a solid base on which to build considering he has legitimate swing and miss stuff and is striking out ten batter per nine innings. On the other hand, his command has some serious lapses and it results in a ton of walks and fairly significant home run problems. He’s kept the ball in the yard of late, though, with only one home run allowed in August and a 2.52 ERA in that time despite the control issues still being there. Stephenson throws a mid-90s fastball to go with a changeup, a slider and a curveball.
9/24: Doug Fister vs. Jackson Stephens, 1:10 PM ET
Fister has had a pretty significant fall from grace of late, and if we’re being honest we probably should have seen this coming. Many of you did, though I will admit to having some rose-colored glasses on. I didn’t expect him to continue to be an ace, but the implosions in each of his last two starts have been discouraging to say the least. At this point I’d have to think he’s on the outside of the playoff roster looking in, though there is still a little time to change that. If he dominates in Cincinnati, things could change. Maybe.
The Red Sox will face yet another young pitcher on Sunday, their third of the series. Stephens is the least experienced of the bunch as the 23-year-old rookie has just five career appearances under his belt with just two of them being starts. His first start came back in July for a spot start and he looked impressive striking out eight over five innings. His last start was his last outing earlier this week, and he allowed five runs and only lasted 3 2⁄3 innings. The righty doesn’t really have any standout qualities and was never really much of a prospect. Stephens features a mid-90s four-seamer, a mid-90s two-seamer, a slider and a curveball.
Old Friends
Bronson Arroyo is the lone old friend on the Reds roster, but he’s a fairly significant one. The pitcher hasn’t made much of an impact on the league in recent years, but he is, of course, the last member of the 2004 Red Sox that is still hanging around. He’s spent much of this season on the disabled list and, based on how he’s spoken of late this will likely be his last year in the league. This will be our last chance to relive that 2004 World Series with an active player, so let’s cherish that opportunity.
Notable Hitters
Joey Votto just might be the best hitter in baseball, and if he’s not he’s certainly in the conversation. The dude is just a robot at the plate as he does everything well and in the most consistent way possible. He has absurd plate discipline, legitimately plus power and possibly the best bat-to-ball skills in the league. He’s going to give Red Sox pitchers some trouble, is what I’m saying.
Zack Cozart might sound familiar to you as a potential third base trade target from July. That never came to fruition, largely because he got hurt right before the deadline. He’s back and healthy now, and he’s experienced a breakout year in which he’s improved across the board at the plate. Oh, and he’s a plus shortstop, too.
Billy Hamilton is not a very good hitter, but he’s still one of the funnest players in the league. When he gets on base no one is even close to him as a threat on the bases and he’s also in the conversation for best defensive center fielder in baseball. He hasn’t been playing lately, but he could be back for this series.
Jesse Winker is an exciting rookie outfielder with great contact skills, good patience and surprising power in his major-league debut season.
Scooter Gennett has been one of the faces of the power outburst around the league this year and is enjoying a breakout season that’s included a four-homer game.
Eugenio Suarez doesn’t get enough love but is a solid power hitter who plays a good third base and has added some needed patience to his game at the plate.
Adam Duvall doesn’t walk much and strikes out a whole bunch, but he also has significant power.
Tucker Barnhart is a solid hitting catcher who relies on his approach at the plate to create his production.
Scott Schebler is a lot like Duvall except with slightly better plate discipline and worse defense in the outfield
Bullpen Snapshot
Raisel Iglesias might be the best closer in baseball that nobody talks about. After trying him out as a starter for a couple years to start his career he’s been in the bullpen all year in 2017. He’s been fantastic in this role racking up a ton of strikeouts, keeping the ball in the yard and limiting walks enough to get by. He probably won’t try starting again any time soon.
Michael Lorenzen is another converted starter who doesn’t have the high ceiling that Igleisas possesses but has a big groundball tendency that helps limit major damage.
Kevin Shackelford has some command issues in his first year in the majors but he has some strikeout stuff that could bode well for his future.
Wandy Peralta is the top lefty in the Reds bullpen and he relies more on weak contact than strikeout stuff.
Injuries
Devin Mesoraco has never been able to stay healthy in his career and his most recent injury was a foot injury that could keep him out for the rest of the year.
Anthony Desclafani has been out all year with an elbow injury and isn’t expected to return in 2017.
Brandon Finnegan has only been able to make four starts this year in what was supposed to be an important developmental season and he’s not likely to make another.
Scott Feldman went down with a knee injury last month and it resulted in season-ending surgery.
Drew Storen went down with an elbow injury just a couple weeks ago and will have to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Nick Travieso never got a chance to pitch this year after an elbow injury shut him down for the season.
Austin Brice has been up and down as a reliever all year before going down with a lat injury in August.
Arroyo is also hurt, as discussed above.
Weather Forecast
It’s looking like it should be a really nice weekend in Ohio, with temperatures getting into the 90s and the skies staying clear.
p
https://www.overthemonster.com/2017/9/22/16347696/red-sox-reds-series-preview
Unlike our Sox, this Red team has a bunch of thumpers that can put runs on the board in a hurry. While the Sox need 4-5 hits a few BBs and the other team mistakesthat give away runs to help them out.
Quote from: SeaBeachFred on September 22, 2017, 10:46:50 AM
Quote from: Bill-806 on September 22, 2017, 07:12:53 AM
OK, holiday is ovaaa, lets get back at it !! thumb_u rofl
Please guys, don't take the Reds lightly because there is no pressure on them and they will play relaxed while we are battling for a division title in a close race in the AL East. I think in this series we are going to have to hit better than we have because we don't know what really to expect from Rick, Eduardo and Doug as all three have been wildly inconsistent this season, and we shouldn't count on the Blue Jays helping us even though they have a better chance of taking a game from the Yankees than pathetic Minnesota ever could. We have to keep moving the show along and just keep winning because that would take care of things without worrying what the Yankees or their opponents are doing.
Hear, hear! Absolutely. No rest for the weary. The Reds are still in the MLB last time I checked. And they've managed 60 or so wins. Enough to take them seriously enough.
Just found out that Charlotte, NC is part of Cincinnati's home territory! This is a new one. We are usually stuck on Orioles games and even though Baltimore is actually slightly further away (both are about 340 miles from here), at least people used to cheer Washington teams before we had teams in Charlotte and before that Atlanta. But there is no connection here to Cincinnati other than being a place people moved away from.
So far being patient and working this guy.
Nice job, Betts. Not.
At least they got one run out of a bases-loaded/no-outs situation.
Geez. Way to go, Porcello. Nothing like a big early hole.
Dumb, dumb, dumb, Mr. Devers.
Devers with the 3 run hr to make up for his base running gaffe.
Raffy cant field but he sure can damn hit.
Let's see how Price looks. I'm surprised JF didn't give Porcello a shot at the win.
Excellent Price.
Raffy with the real, big shot.
Porcello is one of the reasons I can't take this team seriously in the postseason. His WHIP is high. When he's off, fuggedabout it.....
There's that warning track power again.
Jays are up 4-1 on the NYY. If only the current W/L situations can hold for both games :-X
JAY BIRDS UP 8-1.
Couple decent innings from Price.
Hope a couple decent innings isn't it for him.
Quote from: markj on September 22, 2017, 08:17:03 PM
Hope a couple decent innings isn't it for him.
I guess it was, but he got a hit. He's tied with Pedroia for the past week.
Sweet. Out of it with 2 pitches. Well done.
I'll feel better if they can put another run or two up, but the Yankees are down 7 in the bottom of the 8th. A game pickup tonight would be very nice.
This is now a big potential W. 4 games is a much, much better cushion than 3 at this juncture.
Good job by Reed. Let's get a run for a cushion please. On to the 9th.
Some nice work by the bullpen tonight. Could use a run or two here.
Alrighty, Reed done good. Yes, more runs would be nice.
Again with the warning track power. sigh slap
Quote from: markj on September 22, 2017, 08:50:27 PM
Again with the warning track power. sigh slap
Need to put the track on the other side of the wall.
Sweet win. Aside from Porcello's 1st inning excavation work, it wasn't a bad game. Sox up by 4 now. Very, very cool.
Game ball goes to Price .Very good outing outing for our new RP.
Good job overall. Cincy with no runs after the 1st inning. Sox get enough runs to carry the day. Price with the win. Kimbrel in for the save. Reed with an excellent job too.
A good win for the Sox. I didn't think a one-run lead would take it, but it did.
It's not a game I enjoyed. We got to play better than this.
On the other hand, the yankees lost....best news of the night. slap rofl thumb_u
Rafael Devers belts 3-run homer, David Price earns win for Boston Red Sox who increase lead over Yankees to 4
Christopher Smith
CINCINNATI -- The Red Sox squandered a golden opportunity during the first inning. They loaded the bases with no outs but scored only one run.
The Reds, on the other hand, didn't squander their bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom half of the first with no outs. Scooter Gennett crushed a grand slam.
But a 4-1 deficit was no obstacle for the Red Sox who posted their 41st come-from-behind victory. Boston won 5-4 here at Great American Ball Park.
The Yankees lost 8-1 to the Yankees. And so Boston's AL East lead increased to 4 games with nine games left to play for each club.
The Red Sox certainly didn't squander their fourth-inning chance. Christian Vazquez's RBI double and Rafael Devers' three-run homer put the Red Sox back in the lead.
More home runs (242) have been hit at Great American Ball Park than any other NL park this season. So it was the perfect place for Devers' homer drought -- which dated back to Aug. 19 -- to end.
Devers went 2-for-4 with a double and homer. He has nine homers, 11 doubles and 24 RBIs in 49 games.
David Price earns win
Rick Porcello struggled, lasting only 4 innings and giving up four runs, four hits and three walks while striking out three. He surrendered the grand slam to Gennett.
David Price took over for Porcello in the fifth and he earned the win.
The lefty -- making his second relief appearance since returning from the DL -- hurled 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and one walk and struck out four.
In the sixth, he struck out Adam Duvall swinging on a 95.1 mph four-seam fastball, retired Tucker Barnhart looking on a 94.9 mph heater and then struck out Patrick Kivlehan swinging on a 90.9 mph cutter.
He struck out Scooter Gennett, the final hitter he faced, on a 95.2 mph fastball.
He also stroked his third career hit:
http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2017/09/rafael_devers_boston_red_sox_v.html#incart_river_index
Quote from: ipot on September 22, 2017, 07:55:33 PM
Jays are up 4-1 on the NYY. If only the current W/L situations can hold for both games :-X
It seemed like the Blue Jays-Yankee game was easy to call after the fifth or sixth inning while we went down to the bitter end, but our bullpen stood tall again. Six hits though IPOT. We need to hit better than that when Porcello and Fister pitch, but I'll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight is an evening to cheer.
Quote from: Rob from Mass on September 22, 2017, 08:59:49 PM
Game ball goes to Price .Very good outing outing for our new RP.
What I would like to keep seeing is our team persevere and be able to come back from a deficit as they have so many times this season, and would like it better if we could get the jump earlier and set the pace and help calm our nerves. What I don't want to see if for us to give that extra game lead back tomorrow, but you have to give credit where credit it due. We seem to be able to do what's needed to get the job done and that is what we have to keep doing to move this engine along.
Fred it's not how many hits that are important it's when you get them that counts more important than the amount.
Quote from: SeaBeachFred on September 22, 2017, 09:36:28 PM
Quote from: ipot on September 22, 2017, 07:55:33 PM
Jays are up 4-1 on the NYY. If only the current W/L situations can hold for both games :-X
It seemed like the Blue Jays-Yankee game was easy to call after the fifth or sixth inning while we went down to the bitter end, but our bullpen stood tall again. Six hits though IPOT. We need to hit better than that when Porcello and Fister pitch, but I'll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight is an evening to cheer.
Ugh, those dreaded "6 hit" games. It seems like we produce these every 3rd game. At least we got the 5 runs out of it. The concern with Porcello and Fister is, well, they're "Porcello and Fister." Looking at the playoffs we have Sale, Pomeranz, an improving E-Rod...and then we fall off a cliff. Porcello will get drilled by the likes of Cleveland, the NYY or Houston....
As DAD would say, "SON, all's well that ends well, and make no mistake, the PLAYOFFS are all about PITCHING" !!! BTW, nice job David Price !!! thumb_u rofl
Quote from: SeaBeachFred on September 22, 2017, 09:36:28 PM
Quote from: ipot on September 22, 2017, 07:55:33 PM
Jays are up 4-1 on the NYY. If only the current W/L situations can hold for both games :-X
It seemed like the Blue Jays-Yankee game was easy to call after the fifth or sixth inning while we went down to the bitter end, but our bullpen stood tall again. Six hits though IPOT. We need to hit better than that when Porcello and Fister pitch, but I'll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight is an evening to cheer.
Actually we need to keep guys like Porcello and Fister from having the bad inning. Seems like they can both do it and do it early, then settle down for the game. Porcello looked bad early and looked okay after, but I really like the idea of when a guy is struggling we can go to Price for 2 or 3 innings. It will be interesting to see how often he can do that since it was 5 days I think since he last pitched. But right now they certainly have the pitching pretty much set - count on Sale and Pom to go at least 6 or 7 (more for Sale,less for Pom) and go the pen, count on Fister/E-Rod/Porcello to get at least 5 and keep them in it and hand it to Price, or to the guy that is left out of the rotation of the bunch. They each get one more chance to make theircase.
Sure would be great to get another game today, I really want to put this thing away!
Quote from: longgame on September 23, 2017, 01:10:29 PM
Quote from: SeaBeachFred on September 22, 2017, 09:36:28 PM
Quote from: ipot on September 22, 2017, 07:55:33 PM
Jays are up 4-1 on the NYY. If only the current W/L situations can hold for both games :-X
It seemed like the Blue Jays-Yankee game was easy to call after the fifth or sixth inning while we went down to the bitter end, but our bullpen stood tall again. Six hits though IPOT. We need to hit better than that when Porcello and Fister pitch, but I'll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight is an evening to cheer.
Actually we need to keep guys like Porcello and Fister from having the bad inning. Seems like they can both do it and do it early, then settle down for the game. Porcello looked bad early and looked okay after, but I really like the idea of when a guy is struggling we can go to Price for 2 or 3 innings. It will be interesting to see how often he can do that since it was 5 days I think since he last pitched. But right now they certainly have the pitching pretty much set - count on Sale and Pom to go at least 6 or 7 (more for Sale,less for Pom) and go the pen, count on Fister/E-Rod/Porcello to get at least 5 and keep them in it and hand it to Price, or to the guy that is left out of the rotation of the bunch. They each get one more chance to make theircase.
Sure would be great to get another game today, I really want to put this thing away!
Can't get greedy Ted, though the temptation is great to do so. I did say the Blue Jays could take a game from the Yankees unlike Minnesota but they would have to play real good ball to take two of three from New York even though we'd like that very much. The Red Sox, however, can make that moot by continuing to win our games. Still what you said rings very true. It would be great.