GAME #71 - FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 - BOSTON RED SOX @ CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

[longgame]

7:10PM Eastern

Red Sox

Nick Pivetta (R)

1. Jarren Duran (L) CF
2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B
3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH
4. Alex Verdugo (L) LF
5. Trevor Story (R) 2B
6. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B
7. Christian Vazquez (R) C
8. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF
9. Christian Arroyo (R) SS

Guardians

Cal Quantrill (R)

1. Steven Kwan (L) LF
2. Amed Rosario (R) SS
3. Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
4. Josh Naylor (L) 1B
5. Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF
6. Franmil Reyes (R) DH
7. Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
8. Austin Hedges (R) C
9. Myles Straw (R) CF

Gametime Temp: 79°F
Chance of Precip: 0%

[MongoLikeSox]

I was perusing the Baseball Reference ERA league leaders (qualifiers) today. Cleveland is well represented including Quantrill. Yankees got 4 in the top 13.
(I don't know why I included that last bit about the Yankees.)

I know tonight starts the challenging stretch for us, but I'm reminded that we were in most of the games during that 11-20 start, no matter the opponent. Our run scoring is going to drop some, sure, but so should others. Hopefully some great baseball for the next 5-6 weeks and a little more than our fair share of good wins.

We get to see Jose Ramirez this weekend. I know some are not fond of him here, but I think he's a very legitimate star. Good for him, too, for playing where he wants despite being primed for a bigger payday on the market. I hope Cleveland doesn't screw him over 2 seasons in to it with a trade.

[SeaBeachFred]

I was perusing the Baseball Reference ERA league leaders (qualifiers) today. Cleveland is well represented including Quantrill. Yankees got 4 in the top 13.
(I don't know why I included that last bit about the Yankees.)

I know tonight starts the challenging stretch for us, but I'm reminded that we were in most of the games during that 11-20 start, no matter the opponent. Our run scoring is going to drop some, sure, but so should others. Hopefully some great baseball for the next 5-6 weeks and a little more than our fair share of good wins.

We get to see Jose Ramirez this weekend. I know some are not fond of him here, but I think he's a very legitimate star. Good for him, too, for playing where he wants despite being primed for a bigger payday on the market. I hope Cleveland doesn't screw him over 2 seasons in to it with a trade.

Cleveland is not Seattle, Oakland, or Detroit; they are a very good team even though they have a whole host of young players now in their lineup. Those youngsters are doing quite well having beaten the Dodgers two of three over the past weekend and the almost sweeping the talented but choke-up Minnesota Twins in  the just completed series.  They have a good manager and pitching coach and can play small or long ball.  We have got to be ready to go into Cleveland and start playing our best because it will get tougher and tougher over the next month.  I just wonder if we are tough enough and determined enough to meet this challenge.  I sure hope so because if we can it augers well for us over what could be a very competitive summer.

[longgame]

I agree, can't sleep on these guys even though there aren't a ton of big names in that lineup.  Then Toronto but it gets really fun in July with 2 weeks of TB and NY - 7 games with each leading up to the ASG. 

[markj]

Pivetta needs to settle down here.

[markj]

Out of the inning unscathed. Very good.

[markj]

Bases loaded, one out. Usually a set up for a GIDP to end the inning. Maybe they can do better this time.

[markj]

No DP. JBJ K's, but Arroyo gets HBP, so one run in. Good thing they're giving away runs.

[markj]

Attaboy, Arroyo. 2-run dinger to put the Sox up 4-2.

[markj]

Houck better not blow this.

[markj]

That was way closer than it needed to be. But Houck finally gets out of the jam. Sox win 6-3.

[Sea Dog 23]

Goodness, lots of base runners for both teams to have only scored 9 runs.   Vaz must think he's faster than Duran the way he runs into outs!  The pitching  depth is  thin for going to toronto,  Houck and Kutter missing as was said.  Whitlock won't make the trip (hip).  Word is they held back Connor Seabold last night so he could be promoted to start in Toronto on Tuesday. 

There was a good article Friday about pitching coaches at Wooster doing a great job  preparing AAA guys for MLB with the building psyche approach.

[longgame]

That game was very entertaining, largely thanks to the Sox blowing opportunities!  But some great defensive plays, nice to see Arroyo coming back strong.  The bullpen bent but didn't break.  It's really hard to believe this is the same team they had at the beginning of the year but the emergence of Franchy and possibly even the injury of Hernandez have been small but important reasons for this turnaround.  The Sox were getting nothing out of 1B with Dalbec.  Franchy has surprised me in how well he's picked up 1B so far (expectations of course are very low) and also his approach at the plate and his speed on the bases.  Kike being out isn't a knock on him as much as it is for having him at the top of the lineup where he just isn't a good fit and I like the idea of having Duran in there because he's a spark. 

So the Sox have a chance to improve this team pending the upcoming stretch leading up to the ASG.  1B and OF are the obvious options.  Would a RH guy that could play both be a nice complement to Francy? 

Then there's the bullpen.  I'm worried that Bloom has some plan that depends on Sale and Paxton rather than sees anything out of either of them as bonus.  They need help at the back end, even though guys are rounding into their roles.

[MongoLikeSox]

That was much hairier than it needed to be. Houck left everything up for the longest time. His first good slider was thrown to the next to the last batter he faced. I think he finally got on top and threw good pitches in the end. I hope he learns how to translate that feeling to what he needs to feel like in the bull pen.   

And who the heck knows what went on with that mysterious HPB. I've not seen a batter commiserate with a pitcher on a pass to first base with the game on the line. That was strange.

We had enough traffic to score enough runs to have made this a game where we didn't need Schrieber and Houck. Wasted opportunities, but I'll definitely take a win. :)

[SeaBeachFred]

Some observations about last night's game.  First of all we went into Cleveland, huffed and puffed and pulled out an opening series victory on the road against a good team that has been hot.  I see that Arroyo's return to the lineup was a real shot in the arm and his presence could have been the difference in the game, though it makes me wonder with that solid offensive showing last night why he is on the bench tonight and replaced the now slumping (again) Bradley who by now should be consigned to 4th outfielder status.  We have Arroyo, we have Reifsnyder and we have Duren.  JBJ in the starting lineup is a total complete waste of a hitter we could use in that lineup.  Cora once again is jerking our players around, Arroyo tonight, Duren and Reifsnyder before that. 

The key here is to WIN this series.  We simply cannot go back to our old ways of winning the first game of a series and then blowing the next two as we did in the miserable month of May.  We are now playing better and must stay consistent which so far  this month we have shown we can to.  Please, no backtracking now.  We can continue to win if the players do their job, someone tell Vazquez that he cannot run worth shit and have him concentrate on catching and getting clutch hits.  Another good game today could go a long way to our recent ability to win a series---now, I think, six in a row if I'm correct.