GAME #43, BOSTON RED SOX AT OAKLAND ATHLETICS

[Bear]

RED SOX V A'S

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017, 4 PM AT OAKLAND COLISEUM

TV:  NESN, NBCSCA

BOSTON, (21-21).................................................................................OAKLAND, (20-23)

BOSTON:

EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ, LHP, 2-1, 3.05 ERA, 47K

The lefty is on the most consistent run of his career, producing five straight
quality starts.  Rodriguez fired eight shutout innings in his only previous start
against Oakland, but got a no-decision on that one.

OAKLAND:

ANDREW TRIGGS, RHP, 5-2, 2.12 ERA, 35K

Triggs has held opponents to one run over six innings in each of his
last two starts, first against the Angels, then Seattle.  He hasn't allowed
more than three earned runs in seven of his eight outings.

Young hurlers E-Rod, Triggs meet in finale

Alex Espinoza

The last time Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez pitched at the Coliseum, he nearly tossed a no-hitter. But with two outs in the eighth inning of that Sept. 4 contest, Marcus Semien beat out a ground ball that Rodriguez stopped with his foot at the mound.

Admittedly, Rodriguez thought about the near no-no once Boston arrived in the Bay Area for the four-game set, which wraps up with a Sunday matinee. Right-hander Andrew Triggs, who has been a surprise success story for the A's rotation, will toe the rubber for Oakland, which seeks a four-game sweep.

Rodriguez enters Sunday's contest riding a five-game streak of quality starts. His 3.05 ERA through eight starts is second-lowest on the team, behind Chris Sale's 2.19. The 24-year-old lefty said he's feeling more confident in his pitches, a result of work he's been putting in between starts.

"You're seeing a guy pitching with a lot more confidence in terms of the use of his fastball, the swing and miss that's there," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "It's allowed that changeup to come along as a true put away type of pitch. I think he and [catcher Christian Vazquez] have really formed a good chemistry and rapport with executing a game plan."
Since earning the No. 4 spot out of Spring Training, Triggs has been Oakland's most reliable starter. He keeps hitters off balance with a funky delivery and a lot of movement. Triggs' 2.12 ERA ranks fourth in the American League. In each of his past two starts, he's tossed six innings of one-run ball and struck out four.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Triggs has allowed just three of the 138 balls put in play against him to be barreled up, for a 2.2 percent rate that ties the Royals' Jason Vargas for the second-lowest among 124 qualified MLB starters (min. 100 batted balls). Triggs isn't just avoiding the hardest-hit balls, he's avoiding nearly any kind of solid wood. Entering the weekend, the side-arming righty has posted the sixth-highest rate of "poor contact" hits (balls hit under, topped into the ground or otherwise weakly hit) among that same group of qualified starters.

• Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland is expected to play after sitting out Saturday's contest to rest. Moreland homered in each of the first two games of the series, and he has 11 home runs in 29 contests in Oakland since 2013.

• A's first baseman Yonder Alonso (left knee soreness) remains day to day, but will likely be held out of the starting lineup with Monday's off-day.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170520231390780/young-hurlers-e-rod-triggs-meet-in-finale/?game_pk=490749

[Bear]

RED SOX (21-21)

Mookie Betts, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Christian Vazquez, C
Deven Marrero, 3B

Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP

(2-1, 3.05 ERA) ATHLETICS (20-23)

Rajai Davis, CF
Mark Canha, RF
Jed Lowrie, DH
Khris Davis, LF
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Ryon Healy, 1B
Chad Pinder, 2B
Josh Phegley, C
Adam Rosales, SS

Andrew Triggs, RHP (5-2, 2.12 ERA)

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2017/05/red-sox-vs-athletics-lineup-eduardo-rodriguez-gets-ball-for-series-finale/

[Bill-806]

  & a NEW DAY dawns on Marblehead !!!!    Go Sox, make us proud !!! sigh

[ipot]

Odds of a quality start by E-Rod going for naught: 85 percent. 

[SeaBeachFred]

Odds of a quality start by E-Rod going for naught: 85 percent.

I'm be going to see my college Alma Mater play today in an hour and a half.  I wouldn't waste my time watching this despicable and gutless outfit called the 2017 Red Sox ruin my Sunday.

[Bill-806]

AS we used to say in the NAVY, " nevaaaa  give up the ship"!! rofl

[ipot]

Just checked the score.  We're up 7-3? ???  We broke the 3 run rule? 

Is Farrell going to give these guys a tongue lashing for pounding out 11 hits thru 8 innings?

[elktonnick]

Just checked the score.  We're up 7-3? ???  We broke the 3 run rule? 

Is Farrell going to give these guys a tongue lashing for pounding out 11 hits thru 8 innings?

E Rod is pitching very well. Oakland helped out with 3 errors.

[ipot]

Just checked the score.  We're up 7-3? ???  We broke the 3 run rule? 

Is Farrell going to give these guys a tongue lashing for pounding out 11 hits thru 8 innings?

E Rod is pitching very well. Oakland helped out with 3 errors.

Just saw that.  I take it back  ;)   12 runs now.....looks like they've run out of allotted runs for the month.  So no runs for the next 10 days.

[markj]

Lots of offense they could have used in the previous games. At least they split the road trip.

[SeaBeachFred]

Lots of offense they could have used in the previous games. At least they split the road trip.

That's what I said when I saw the score.  We could have used many of those runs in a couple of those games we lost, but as always the Sox did things assways.   And this game doesn't prove a thing or mean anything.  This is still a shitty team until they can run off six or seven wins in a row and win a bunch of series in succession and I know we can't do that----and what's more, Bogaerts still can't drive in runs to save his ass so why is he batting third?

[Bill-806]

  12 runs,  "the miracle cometh"  !!!  CELTICS win too !!!   That is a B I N G O !! rofl

[MongoLikeSox]

........ what's more, Bogaerts still can't drive in runs to save his ass so why is he batting third?

This is a tough team to line up in a traditional AL East big bashing tradition. I do agree with you, though. XB proved it last year. He's not a mid-order hitter.

If XB was given a tear-ass on the bases directive and given only a slightly reduced green-light, could he wreak havoc like Betts at the top spot?

That's all pointless really. The batting order ain't the problem.   

[longgame]

I saw a comment Farrell made the other day about how they have the pieces but they aren't playing as well as they "should" be.  I thought the total lack of self-awareness of what a manager's job would be (how to get the most of every guy on the roster and the team as a whole) was quite telling for this team.

[Bill-806]

I saw a comment Farrell made the other day about how they have the pieces but they aren't playing as well as they "should" be.  I thought the total lack of self-awareness of what a manager's job would be (how to get the most of every guy on the roster and the team as a whole) was quite telling for this team.

  Yesterdays game was WON by playing SMALL BALL and getting the defense back on their heels.....  That said,  PRESSURE in sports works WONDERS !!! thumb_u