The Friday, May 4, 2018

* The Boston Globe

Can the Red Sox fix ’s problems?

Nick Cafardo

ARLINGTON, Texas — The big project for pitching Dana Levangie, and assistant pitching coach the next five days will be this: fix David Price.

Cora seems to think he knows what the problem is — velocity separation on his offspeed stuff. Everything seems to look the same to the hitters. And it was looking mighty good Thursday night in the Rangers’ 11-5 win over the Red Sox.

Price was able to go just 3⅔ innings and allowed nine runs (seven earned) in a terrible outing.

Price, the highest-paid player on the Red Sox at $30 million per year, must be fixed. He is part of the Red Sox’ important 1-2 combo with . When both are pitching well, the Red Sox look unbeatable. Right now that’s just not happening.

“Fastball command,” he said when asked what went wrong after Thursday’s loss. “That was one of the better changeups I had. I didn’t have command of my cutter. I haven’t seen the [velocity] on it. But that [separation] could be the case. Guys were still out front but some were off the end of the bat. I have to keep working and be ready to go the next time.

“The last two starts I haven’t commanded the baseball and that’s something I take a lot of pride in. I have definitely not had that like I did in four of my five starts at the beginning of the year.’’

Price indicated all is well physically.

But he just doesn’t look like the Price of old.

For the second time this season, Price walked a batter with the bases loaded. That’s not David Price.

His previous four outings prior to Thursday night — 1-3, 6.52 ERA — left a lot to be desired.

He’s now 1-4 with an 8.22 ERA over his last five starts. That’s after throwing 14 scoreless innings in his first two starts.

Statistician Bill Chuck researched some of the downward trends with Price.

In 2016, for instance, he allowed a .238 batting average against his fastball. In 2017 (granted, he was injured) it was .292. This year it’s .300.

He’s using his cutter more this season (opponents are hitting .196 off it, down from .302 in 2016 and .226 last year). If that’s an attempt to preserve his arm and not have to throw with max effort, then it’s a good strategy. He’s 32 years old and has had forearm issues.

His swing-and-miss rate has also decreased to 20 percent over the last four seasons. His balls-in-play rate is 44.7 percent this year, compared with 33.1 percent last season.

He doesn’t appear to be fooling anyone, which his chase rate bears out. His chase rate last season was 32.1 percent; this year it’s 25.3 percent.

Price has struck out 20.3 percent of batters he has faced this season. That’s the second-lowest rate of his career, his lowest since his first full season in 2009.

What hasn’t changed much is his average velocity, which is just under 90 miles per hour with his fastball around 93.

Price lamented that he’s had trouble with two-out damage and he’s absolutely correct. With no outs, opponents are hitting .227 against him. With one out it’s .238. And with two outs it’s .263.

He’s also throwing more changeups as an inning progresses, which could be an issue. With two outs he’s thrown 29 changeups. When there’s one or no outs, he’s thrown 19 changeups.

The two- that Price allowed to Nomar Mazara in the third inning came with two outs and gave Texas a 4-0 lead.

Enough with the numbers. All evolve as they get older. Look at Justin Verlander, who is still excelling at age 35. He has learned to take something off his fastball but also rear back when he needs a strikeout and amp up his velocity 2-4 m.p.h.

Price has found the cutter and changeup, but now he needs to refine them and also pay attention to his two- out approach. Should he rear back like Verlander and amp up the fastball, or simply throw more of them to get the final out?

Red Sox coaches and manager Alex Cora don’t seem too concerned as long as Price is healthy. They understand they have one of the best pitchers in the game, but one who is going through some changes in his repertoire and how he approaches each outing.

Price always has been a first and thrower second. He’s never been a flamethrowing lefty, but he’s certainly capable of overpowering hitters with his fastball, which he has always located so well.

Price now has a 4-6 record and 5.63 ERA in 15 career regular-season starts against Texas (he’s also 1-4, 5.52 in five postseason appearances vs. the Rangers). But those numbers were mostly amassed against good Texas teams. This 2018 version hardly qualifies as such.

While Cora said there wasn’t much emphasis on Price changing his pitch selection between his last few starts, that may change now.

“It’s more about putting people away,” Cora said. “The one in Oakland [three-run homer by Khris Davis in the eighth] was a cutter that didn’t cut and stayed in the heart of the plate. The one that got my attention was that 0-2 breaking ball to Wilson [Ramos] in the last [start]. I did my research and he’s seen 7,000 hitters in the big leagues. He’s had righthanded hitters 0-2 with runners at first and second and two outs. He’s only thrown 15 curveballs in that situation in his career. I was surprised he threw that pitch.”

Whether he threw a curveball, fastball, or cutter Thursday night, nothing Price sent to the plate Thursday night made much of a difference.

An ugly loss leaves Red Sox just one game up on Yankees

Peter Abraham

ARLINGTON, Texas — For the team with the best record in baseball, the Red Sox are stumbling around a bit the last two weeks.

The pitching has been erratic, the infield defense worrisome and even the offense is increasingly carried by only a handful of players.

Thursday night’s 11-5 loss against the was particularly ugly.

David Price couldn’t get through four innings, there were three more errors that led to three unearned runs and the Sox were 2 of 13 with runners in scoring position in the first game of a 10-game road trip.

The Sox are 22-9 but have lost four of their last seven games. They are 6-7 after a 16-2 start and now lead the Yankees by one game in the East.

“We were very sloppy today,” manager Alex Cora said. “It gets tough sometimes . . . You want to make the plays and it doesn’t happen.”

The bright light continues to be and his evolving Most Valuable Player candidacy. He was 2 for 4 with a , a double, a sacrifice fly and four RBIs.

Betts is hitting .370 with a 1.299 OPS. He has 33 runs, 25 RBIs and 24 extra-base hits in 27 games.

“I guess we talk about that,” Cora said, happy to change the subject. “It seems like even his misses are fun to watch.”

But even another big game from Betts didn’t matter on a night the Sox trailed 10-3 after four innings.

Price was ostensibly catching the Rangers at a good time, too. With Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre and Rougned Odor on the disabled list, Texas was missing three players who were 42 of 104 (.404) against Price with 11 extra-base hits and nine walks.

But Price lasted only 3⅔ innings. He gave up nine runs, seven earned, on six hits, two walks and a hit batter.

Cora sees Price as being too easy to hit in recent starts. His cutter, sinker and fastball are bunched together.

“It seems like there’s no separation in his pitches right now,” the manager said. “If you’re a hitter you look for something in the range of 90-91 [miles-per-hour] and pick a side of the plate and go from there.

“He has to make adjustments obviously.”

Price threw 14 scoreless innings in his first two starts of the season. In the five starts since, he has allowed 21 earned runs on 29 hits and 13 walks over 23 innings. Price is 2-4 with a 5.11 overall.

But it’s not a straight line. Price allowed one run over five innings in a rout of the Angels on April 1. He also pitched well against Oakland five days later but was left in the game too long and allowed a three-run homer in the eighth inning.

The only complete bust before Thursday was the one-inning start against the Yankees on April 11 when Price allowed four runs and left the game with a numb hand.

“Four out of my first five, with the exception of the Yankee game, I felt like I commanded the baseball really well to both sides of the plate,” Price said. “Fastball, cutter, changeup. That was what I did really well.

“In my last two starts I have not commanded the baseball the way that I did four out of those first five. That’s something I take a lot of pride in doing and I haven’t done that in my last couple.”

Unless the Sox make some adjustment with the off day Monday, Price will face the Yankees in New York next week.

Price hit Joey Gallo with a full-count pitch in the second inning. Jurickson Profar followed with a line-drive to right center. Renato Nunez’s then hammered a fastball to left center that J.D. Martinez tracked down at the wall with a terrific running catch. It went for a sacrifice fly.

With a runner on first and one out in the third inning, Shin-Soo Choo grounded slowly to third base. overran the ball for his seventh error.

Price got the second out then got ahead of Nomar Mazara 0 for 2. The next pitch was an inside fastball that Mazara lined to left field. The ball got past Martinez for a two-run double.

The Rangers scored six runs in the fourth inning, sending nine batters to the plate.

Profar drew a leadoff walk. Singles by Robinson Chirinos and Ryan Rua scored a run. Delino DeShields singled to load the bases before Price struck out Choo for the second out.

When rookie Isiah Kiner-Falefa drew a walk to force in a run, Price was done after 86 pitches.

“He wasn’t good. That’s the bottom line,” Cora said.

Hector Velazquez threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score then gave up a three-run homer by Mazara.

Price has a 7.42 ERA in nine career starts at Globe Life and that includes six shutout innings last July 4.

“This has always been a tough place for me to pitch,” Price said. “Tonight was the same.”

Lefthander Mike Minor (3-1) allowed three runs over six innings in his first start against the Sox since 2014.

Betts hit his fourth home run in five at-bats in the third inning, a blast to left field. He has 12 on the season and 10 in the last 13 games.

The Sox turned three singles, an error, a walk and sacrifice fly by Betts into only two runs in the fourth inning. Betts added a two-run double in the eighth inning.

Rick Porcello starts Friday night against Bartolo Colon.

Red Sox know not to take Bartolo Colon lightly

Peter Abraham

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Red Sox will bring plenty of experience to bear when they face Texas righthander Bartolo Colon on Friday night.

And that’s just the coaching staff.

Manager Alex Cora, third base coach , first base coach , and major league coach Ramon Vazquez faced the 44-year-old Colon 57 times. That’s 23 more times than the players on the Sox’ active roster.

Colon, who is listed at 285 pounds, is no novelty act. He has a 2.87 earned run average in six games and on Saturday allowed three runs over six innings at Toronto in a game the Rangers won, 7-4.

He also held Houston to one run over 7⅔ innings on April 15. Cora, who is 42 and retired after the 2011 season, watched that game on television and came away impressed.

“I hope he doesn’t have that stuff [Friday], honestly. That was unreal,” Cora said on Thursday. “The way he was using that backdoor sinker to righties. It starts in the other dugout and comes back for strikes.

“I love the fact that he enjoys it. He knows how good he is. He’s not fooling me. He’s good. He still enjoys the game and he’s lucky to be around.”

Cora and Colon were both on the 2008 Red Sox. Colon appeared in only seven games but was 4-2 with a 3.92 ERA. He disappeared in September, returning to the Dominican Republic to attend to what were described as “personal matters” and was placed on the restricted list for the rest of the season.

Cora said Colon would watch a Spanish-language soap opera while on the StairMaster in the Fenway Park weight room. Yes, Colon did cardio work.

Colon signed his first professional contract on June 26, 1993. That’s before , Rafael Devers, and Tzu-Wei Lin were born.

Devers was 7 months old when Colon made his major league debut in 1997.

Colon has not faced the Sox since 2015. His last start against them was in 2013.

Rodriguez still scheduled Eduardo Rodriguez, who was placed on the family medical leave list on Wednesday, remains scheduled to start on Saturday night. He has not yet rejoined the team.

“Hopefully he can do it,” Cora said. “I don’t want to get into details, but it seems like most likely he’ll pitch here Saturday.”

What could have been Cora interviewed to be Rangers manager after the 2014 season. The position went to Jeff Banister, but Cora appreciated being given a chance by president of baseball operations Jon Daniels.

“He was the first guy who gave me a chance to interview for a big league job,” Cora said. “I still remember coming here and having no idea what the whole process was going to be.”

Cora said he was more ’s little brother back then and hadn’t developed his own style.

“All the help he gave me was awesome. But I didn’t feel it was me,” Cora said.

Cora had far more confidence by the time he interviewed with the Red Sox last fall.

“Night and day,” he said. “I came in [to Texas] and I was so nervous. I knew [Daniels], but still . . . it was tough. It was an honor to come here and go through the process and learn from it.”

Cora subsequently interviewed with the Padres and Diamondbacks for their managerial openings before landing with the Sox.

“Last year it was me,” he said. “The first few I was still learning.”

Holt progressing , who went in the disabled list April 27 with a strained left hamstring, ran some sprints on the field before the game and is scheduled to run the bases and hit on Friday.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Holt, who had a .920 OPS before he was hurt. “I’ve been able to do some agility drills and hit on the field.”

Holt is eligible to return on Tuesday in New York but the Sox will probably have him play in at least one minor league game first.

“If he’s good, in a good place, we’ll probably send him somewhere to get a few at-bats and hopefully he can be ready for next week,” Cora said.

Rangers make moves Texas added Carlos Perez to their roster before the game. He was claimed off waivers from Atlanta on Wednesday. Catcher Juan Centeno was designated for assignment. The Rangers also recalled lefthander Yohander Mendez from Triple A Round Rock and optioned righthander Nick Gardewine . . . Pawtucket will donate $2,004 to The Children’s Miracle Network and the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation to support the charitable efforts of rival Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Scranton plays at McCoy Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. The PawSox announced last month that they would ban all fans named Tyler or Austin after Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin charged the mound on April 11 after hit him with a pitch. Fans named Joe or Kelly will get in free as part of Evil Empire Weekend.

Hector Velazquez represents Red Sox’ commitment to scouting in Mexico

Alex Speier

On September 8, 1933, outfielder Mel Almada made his big league debut with the Red Sox. In so doing he became the first Mexican-born player in the big leagues.

Yet Almada — who was raised in Los Angeles and played in the Pacific Coast League for two years before the Sox signed him – didn’t have a career that proceeded directly from Mexico to the Red Sox organization. Nor, for that matter, did any other player over the next 73 years.

Surprisingly enough, according to Baseball-Reference.com’s database, current Red Sox swingman Hector Velazquez represents the first Mexican-born player ever to reach the big leagues in Boston after being acquired directly out of Mexico. The other natives of Mexico to play for the Sox, from Almada in 1933 to Alfredo Aceves in 2013, all landed in Boston only after they’d spent time with other professional leagues or organizations in the States.

Velazquez, of course, has emerged as an important part of the Red Sox’ depth equation. He’s proven valuable both as a spot starter and as a multi-inning reliever. In the latter role he’s forged the lowest relief ERA (0.83) of any Red Sox pitcher who’s thrown at least 20 bullpen innings since the introduction of earned runs.

To date, he’s given the Red Sox excellent bang for the buck, a pitcher whose rights were acquired from the Campeche Pirates for $30,000 (with escalators based on service time that boosted the Sox’ payment to the Mexican League team) and who is making just a tick above the major league minimum.

To Velazquez, there is significance in his national representation.

“I’m very happy I’m able to be that example for other Mexicans and show them that they can make it here,” he said through translator Daveson Perez.

The presence of both Velazquez in the big leagues and infielder Esteban Quiroz in Double A Portland (where he jumped out to a .302/.413/.604 start with four homers in 15 games before a core injury landed him on the disabled list for what is expected to remain a relatively short period) attests to a determination by the Sox to expand their efforts to find talent in Mexico.

After the 2016 season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski encouraged the expansion of the organization’s international professional scouting efforts, which are overseen by senior VP of player personnel Allard Baird, VP of player personnel Jared Banner, player personnel assistant Marcus Cuellar, and international pro crosschecker Edgar Perez. Both Dombrowski and Baird have decades of experience in Mexico, and they felt that the Red Sox had an opportunity to use a different avenue to add depth to their organization.

The Sox aren’t alone in scouting Mexico. Nonetheless, it’s rare enough for big league teams to acquire the rights to players from the Mexican League that Velazquez was caught off guard when Campeche approached him about Boston’s interest — as well as that of a certain rival — during the Caribbean Series in early 2017.

“I knew there were scouts from the US but also Japan. I thought I was going to go to Japan. When they told me the Red Sox were an option, I was very happy,” said Velazquez. “Two teams wanted me, the Yankees and Red Sox. The Red Sox reached out first. The Yankees reached out the day after. The team was looking for more money, which is why they were waiting for the Yankees. But I told them, ‘I just want the opportunity. I don’t want more money. I just want to go with the first team that showed interest.’ That’s why I went with the Red Sox.”

His willingness to do so has already paid dividends for the Sox, both down the stretch last year and in the team’s American League-best start this year. The Sox are likewise hopeful that Quiroz — whose .413 OBP with Portland is nearly identical to the .412 marks he posted in both 2016 and 2017 in Mexico — can factor into their near-term infield depth.

“This guy came to us with a career already well underway in the Mexican League. He’s obviously a much different profile of player than a guy who moves their way up through our system as an international amateur who signs at 16 or gets drafted out of high school and college,” said Portland manager Darren Fenster. “He finds a way to get the barrel to the ball and get clutch hit after clutch hit.”

Perhaps Quiroz will help the Sox win a game down the road, much as Velazquez has done. Such signings typically come with little fanfare, but in an era where there are greater limits than ever on how amateur talent is acquired, and when depth is more important than ever, the Sox believe the fruits of a global search for professional talent will be on display with increasing frequency.

“[Velazquez and Quiroz] are two guys that caught our eye. We thought they deserved an opportunity and we were fortunate enough to get deals done in both cases,” said Banner. “Signing these guys out of Mexico is a byproduct of always trying to find an avenue for talent. The talent landscape is always evolving. You never know where the next guy might come from.”

THREE UP

Portland outfielder Cole Sturgeon is off to an eye-opening start, hitting .390/.467/.636 with five homers (one shy of matching his career high). The 26-year-old, who’s been in Portland since 2015, has made some mechanical adjustments that have improved his timing and allowed him to be more aggressive. His results from a changed approach are somewhat reminiscent of Tzu-Wei Lin’s breakthrough in Double A last season.

In High A Salem, catcher Roldani Baldwin has impressed in his return from the broken thumb he suffered in . In five games, the Red Sox’ top catching prospect has gone 8 for 20 with a homer and two doubles, good for a .400/.455/.650 line for the 22-year-old.

Righthander Kutter Crawford threw five shutout innings for Single A Greenville on Sunday, leaving him with a 2.25 ERA, 36 , and six walks through 24 innings. The Red Sox have a crowded-with- prospects rotation in Salem, but the team may need to find a way to promote the 22-year-old to a level that will present a greater challenge.

THREE DOWN

Pawtucket infielder Chad De La Guerra looked like he could provide the Sox with a righthanded utility depth option entering the year, but he’s off to a tough start in Triple A, hitting .129/.154/.210 with five errors in 18 games.

Salem second baseman Brett Netzer, a player whose contact skills and doubles power drew the Red Sox to him in the third round of the 2017 draft, has struck out multiple times in five straight games, dropping his line to .258/.298/.309.

Righthanded reliever Joan Martinez, who features potentially overpowering stuff, has given up as many earned runs (10) in 11 innings with Salem this year as he had in 61 professional innings preceding it. After walking just 2.5 batters per nine innings before 2018, he’s issued 15 free passes this year.

THE INFIRMARY

First baseman/left fielder Sam Travis was placed on Pawtucket’s disabled list on Tuesday due to an intercostal strain.

* The Boston Herald

David Price, Red Sox rocked in Texas

Stephen Hewitt

ARLINGTON, Texas — Through his first two starts this season, David Price resembled the type of pitcher the Red Sox paid for, and he seemed poised for a breakout season.

Even after a loss to the Yankees in which he lasted one inning, he bounced back. He pitched well in Oakland despite giving up a late, game-winning homer.

But somewhere along the line these last few weeks, the Red Sox lefty has lost what he had, and he's left searching for answers.

A game after getting shelled by Tampa Bay last week, Price continued a downward spiral in a trip down south last night. He didn't make it out of the fourth inning in another lopsided loss, 11-5 to the Rangers at Globe Life Park in the series opener.

Price went 3 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs, seven of which were earned, in his third straight loss. He couldn't make timely pitches when needed, and more concerning, he said couldn't find his command.

"I felt in four of my first five, with the exception being the Yankees game, I feel like I commanded the baseball really well on both sides of the plate," Price said. "Fastball, cutter, changeup, that was what I did really well. And in my last two starts, I have not commanded the baseball the way I did in four of those first five, and that’s something I take a lot of pride in doing and I haven’t done that in my last couple. I expect it to be there in my next start."

A year after elbow issues plagued him, Price said he feels fine physically. Red Sox manager Alex Cora also said his lefty is suffering from command issues, and he thinks there's not much separation in the velocity between his fastballs and his secondary pitches.

According to Brooks Baseball, Price's two-seam fastball averaged 92.8 mph, his four-seam fastball averaged 92.7 mph, his cutter averaged 88.6 mph and his changeup averaged 85.3 mph.

"Guys are still out front," Price said. "A couple of them are off the end of the bat. It just could be a couple miles per hour here or there, and that could turn into that swing and miss, so I’ll keep working and be ready to go my next start."

Price said he'd need to look at the velocity numbers, but whatever the case, the Red Sox know he needs to make some adjustments.

"It’s all about pitch mix right now," Cora said. "We saw it with Rick (Porcello), he made adjustments and it’s paying off, we’ll talk about it. He works at his craft. He knows who he is, and that’s a good thing. We’ll work on it the next few days and he’ll get the ball his next one and we expect him to go out and compete in the game."

It was the third consecutive start Price has given up at least four earned runs, and fourth time in his last five outings. His ERA at Globe Life Park also ballooned to 7.42 in now nine career starts here.

And this wasn't even the dangerous Rangers lineup he's used to seeing.

With some of their top hitters, including Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre, out on the disabled list, the last- place Rangers didn't seem to have a problem solving Price.

Instead of hitters like Andrus, Beltre or even Rougned Odor, who also is on the DL, it was Delino DeShields and Nomar Mazara, who drove in five runs to lead a Rangers team that entered in last place in the AL West.

"My last couple times here, I felt like I’ve thrown the ball a lot better, gotten some wins," Price said. "It’s always been a tough place for me to pitch. Texas has always just been a tough team for me to pitch against as well, and again tonight was the same."

Price actually cruised through a perfect first, but it was all downhill from there. He plunked Joey Gallo in the second, which brought up Jurickson Profar, who took a 1-0 fastball from Price and belted a deep line drive to center. Jackie Bradley Jr. looked like he had an angle as he tracked it to his left, but the ball bounced off his glove and behind him for the first run.

One batter later, Renato Nunez hit a deep sac fly to left — which J.D. Martinez snared for a nice catch — to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

After Mookie Betts hit another home run, his fourth in two games, Price ran into some bad luck in the bottom of the frame. DeShields rocketed a sharp grounder up the middle that Bogaerts grabbed but couldn't get to first in time, then Rafael Devers couldn't come up with a grounder from Shin-Soo Choo.

Price was one pitch away from getting out of the inning, but Mazara rocked his fastball for a two-run double to left. Martinez tried to cut it off, but he couldn't get there in time and the Rangers went up 4-1.

After the Red Sox got two back, Price couldn't carry the momentum. He loaded the bases before offering a 2-2 cutter to DeShields that he singled to right. Two batters later, after striking out Choo, Price needed just one strike to end the threat and keep it a two-run game, but he walked Isiah Kiner-Falefa to make it 6-3.

That ended Price's night at 86 pitches, only 54 of which were for strikes, and he handed it over to Hector Velazquez, who put the nail in the coffin. On his first pitch, he threw a wild pitch that scored another run. Then, his 3-1 sinker to Mazara was crushed to right field for a three-run homer, and that was about it.

Marcus Walden came in to provide four scoreless relief innings, but the damage had been done.

It was an ugly night all round for the Red Sox, who were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. They also committed three errors, two of which were made by Bogaerts, and three of the runs they gave up were unearned.

"Defense, we still need to work on it," Cora said. "That’s why we take grounders before, so they know that’s a premium for us. We’ve been sloppy the last few days but I do feel in spots we have to make the plays. We haven’t made them."

Mookie Betts turns J.D. Martinez’ suggestions into success at plate

Stephen Hewitt

ARLINGTON, Texas — Mookie Betts has been on fire over the first month of the season, but his new teammate J.D. Martinez doesn’t seem to be too surprised.

In fact, Martinez could be credited as a contributor to Betts’ scorching start.

Despite arriving a little late to spring training after signing as a free agent with the Red Sox, Martinez has hit it off from the beginning with Betts. And it should come as no surprise that two of the best offensive players in baseball have bonded over their love for hitting.

“I feel like I’m probably closest with him than anyone else on the team right now,” Martinez said. “He’s always asking me questions about hitting and game plans and swing thoughts and stuff like that, and I’m all about that, so we’ve kind of really got close in that aspect, I’d say.”

Betts took a step back offensively after his blistering 2016 season. In 2017, his batting average dropped from .318 to .264, and he sought out options on how to get back to producing at his optimal level.

When the Red Sox signed Martinez, who belted a career-high 45 homers and hit .303 last season, it presented another sounding board for Betts. And whatever the two have discussed over the last two months certainly isn’t hurting.

Going into last night’s series opener against the Rangers, Betts, fresh off his three-homer game in Wednesday’s win over the Royals, was leading the majors with 11 home runs and a .365 average, and the star outfielder certainly seems to be back to true form.

“I know that he was confused with why last year didn’t go as well as he wanted, that he didn’t hit what he wanted to hit and stuff like that,” Martinez said. “He wants to know, he’s like why is this, why is that, why is this and kind of just talking to him. I mean, I think he kind of liked a lot of the stuff I was saying, so (our relationship) just kind of opened from there.”

Their conversations are very details-based, comprised of everything from swing paths to suggestions on different drills.

Some of it seems to be power-based, too. After hitting 31 homers in 2016, Betts dropped to 24 last season, but he has rediscovered his power through the early portion of 2018. He’s on pace to hit more than 50, and a suggestion from Martinez seems to have helped.

“Just his directions and path, just not rolling everything over like he was last year,” Martinez said. “Just staying through (the swing) more and thinking more about getting the ball in the air instead of the ball on the ground, and that’s what I feel like, he’s loving it right now. He’s hitting all these homers and he’s like, ‘What the heck?’”

Martinez doesn’t want to take credit, but he’s happy to be a contributor to his new teammate’s success.

“For him, he learns really quickly, and he obsesses,” Martinez said. “If I tell him to do one drill, I’ll walk by the cage and he’ll be doing the drill for 30 minutes. It’s like, ‘All right, bro,’ but that’s his personality. He just wants to be good.”

Red Sox notebook: Another Mookie Betts homer bright spot in lost night

Stephen Hewitt

ARLINGTON, Texas — Mookie Betts is hitting the cover off the ball, and he doesn't seem intent on stopping any time soon.

A day after belting three home runs in the Red Sox' win over the Royals at Fenway Park, the beginning of a road trip didn't slow him down too much. The right fielder hit yet another home run, and he drove in another four runs as the Red Sox lost 11-5 in their series opener against the Rangers last night.

In a game plagued by bad pitching and some poor defense, it was a lone bright spot for the Red Sox. Betts now leads the majors alone with 12 home runs and a .370 batting average.

In a lopsided game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora seemed most impressed by Betts' never-give-up attitude. The Red Sox were trailing 11-3 last night when Betts hit a sharp two-run double to right. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't end up mattering much to the game at hand, but it certainly pleased his manager.

"Out of all the things he’s done the last few days in a game like that, he doesn’t give that at-bat away," Cora said. "And you can hear him in the dugout pulling for his teammates, 'Hey don’t give it away, don’t give it away,' that’s cool to see. I’m glad he got that double, got two steaks there, and he’s fun to watch."

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads A year after his numbers dipped offensively, Betts seems clearly rejuvenated this season. He's solidified into the leadoff spot in the order, a position Cora said he'll be the rest of the season, and he's reaping the benefits of taking a more aggressive approach at the plate.

Betts admitted last night that it wasn't easy at first to adopt that new mindset, but it's coming naturally now. He's trying not to fall behind, and he's putting pressure on pitchers from pitch one. On his home run last night, he got ahead in the count before unleashing on a cutter.

"It’s something new for me," Betts said. "I’ve never really been that aggressive of a hitter, but they haven’t led me wrong, so I think I have full trust in them and they say I’m going to do something, I’m pretty confident that they have my best interests at heart."

It's clearly working, especially over his last two games.

"I just stay positive," Betts said. "I think I just have a new mindset of turning the page and starting each day fresh, so I think in doing that, I’ve had a little success, but we have a long time to go."

Sox-Yanks in London

The Red Sox and Yankees are likely bringing their rivalry overseas.

A report from The Associated Press yesterday said it’s all but official that the teams will play a two-game series next June 29-30 in London. The series would take place at the Olympic Stadium with the Red Sox being the home team.

The report said a press conference will be held by London mayor Sadiq Khan and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, but the subject of the presser was left unannounced.

These would be the first MLB games to ever be played in London.

In March, after Bloomberg News released a similar report, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy told the Herald, “The Red Sox would certainly be willing participants in a London series, but this decision will be made MLB and the MLBPA.”

Cora wasn’t sure if it was official yet, but he was excited about another opportunity for baseball to grow the sport.

“For me, playing in other places, it’s great,” Cora said. “Expanding the game, that’s awesome. I know sometimes the players, not that they complain, but it’s not easy. We (Red Sox) did it in ’08. We went to Japan, and it took us a while to get going because it was a long one. We went to Japan, then LA for two days and then we went to Oakland, then we went to Toronto, and we survived April. (Then manager ) had a meeting talking about it, and we were 15-15, I think it was.

“But it’s great, just like the (World Baseball Classic). I enjoy the WBC because the whole world gets into it. If it happens, it would be fun.”

Colon still chucking

Cora is well aware of Bartolo Colon’s abilities, even as the Rangers pitcher defies the odds as a 44-year-old this season.

Cora remembers facing Colon as a big leaguer when he was with the Dodgers in 2003, and Colon was on the White Sox. And he certainly remembers being teammates with him on the Red Sox in 2008.

So as his Sox face the big right-hander tonight in Texas, Cora knows it’s no fluke that Colon is still kicking around after all these years.

“He’s not fooling me,” Cora said. “He’s good.”

Even at 44, and in his 21st season in the majors, Colon isn’t merely just trying to keep his career alive. He’s been effective for the Rangers, who entered last night in last place in the AL West.

In six starts, Colon is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just three walks over 311⁄3 innings. And Cora was certainly watching on April 15 when Colon carried a perfect game into the eighth inning of a Texas victory over the defending champion Astros, where Cora was a bench coach last season.

“It’s impressive, yeah,” Cora said. “I watched that Sunday night game and I hope he doesn’t have that stuff (tonight), honestly. That was unreal, the way he’s using that backdoor sinker to righties. It starts in the other dugout and comes back for strikes. I love the fact that he enjoys it. He knows how good he is. He’s enjoying the game. He’s lucky to still be around. He’s pitching a lot different than the norm right now. Usually it’s north-south. He’s still going east to west and he’s still getting people out and he enjoys the game, which is great. He’s a great athlete.”

It might be hard to believe, but Colon is older than Cora. Colon will turn 45 this month, so he has about 21⁄2 years on the 42-year-old Cora.

Cora looked back at his 2008 season as teammates with Colon fondly, and told a funny story about what he remembered.

“Bartolo used to do his cardio work during the game. They had the stairmaster and there were two TVs,” Cora recounted. “One with the game and one with the Spanish soap opera. He’ll watch both at the same time but he knew what was going on with the game.”

Rangers wanted in

Before he was manager of the Red Sox, Cora was once a candidate to be the Rangers manager. It was 2014, and Cora had begun his post-playing career as an analyst at ESPN. The Rangers and general manager Jon Daniels had an opening and gave Cora a call.

He had next to no interview experience then, and the meeting went just about as expected.

“It was night and day,” Cora said. “I still remember I came in and I was so nervous and knowing (Daniels), I knew him, but still it was like I wish they could have taped it so I could see myself, ‘Yuck, no wonder.’ ”

Holt nears return

Cora said Brock Holt, nursing a left hamstring injury, could soon return from the disabled list.

“Brock, he ran (yesterday). He felt better,” Cora said. “I think (today), we’re going to come here early and hit and see how he reacts. If he’s good, and in a good place, we’ll probably send him somewhere, get a few at-bats and hopefully he can be ready for next week.”

Red Sox-Yankees London series announcement on deck

Michael Silverman

Another report, this one from Associated Press Thursday, has emerged about the all but official series that will take place June 2019 in London between the Red Sox and Yankees.

Major League Baseball owners are expected to approve the international series, to take place in London's Olympic Stadium on June 29-30, with the Red Sox to be the home team, according to the report.

Associated Press said that London mayor Sadiq Khan and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will hold a press conference next Tuesday on a subject that was left unannounced.

These would be the first MLB games to be played in Europe.

In March, after Bloomberg News had a similar report, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy told the Herald “The Red Sox would certainly be willing participants in a London series, but this decision will be made MLB and the MLBPA.”

* The Providence Journal

Rangers 11, Red Sox 5: Price, Boston pounded by Texas

Bill Koch

ARLINGTON, Texas --- Globe Life Park continues to be a house of horrors for David Price and the Red Sox.

The left-hander was roughed up yet again and Boston started its 10-game road trip in less than ideal fashion deep in the heart of the Lone Star State.

The Rangers administered the knockout blow early, as Nomar Mazara drove a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to punctuate an 11-5 drubbing of the Red Sox on a warm Thursday night.

Mazara’s blast to the home bullpen in right center came off reliever Hector Velazquez, who allowed a pair of inherited runners to score. That closed the book on Price, as his earned-run average ballooned to 7.42 in nine career starts here. Boston dropped to an even 40 games under .500 in road games against Texas, who relocated from Washington prior to the 1972 season.

“We’ve been sloppy the last few days,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I do feel we’ve been in spots where we have to make plays. We haven’t made them.”

Boston hopes weren’t so dim in the early going. Mookie Betts cranked yet another home run in the top of the third, making it four in his last five at-bats on a drive to the bleachers in left field. Christian Vazquez dumped an RBI single into short left and Betts lifted a sacrifice fly to right as the Red Sox rallied again in the fourth, making it a 4-3 game.

That’s when the house fell in on Price and the Boston bullpen. A leadoff walk drawn by Jurickson Profar in the fourth had ominous undertones, and Texas proceeded to bat around the order. Ryan Rua’s RBI single to center made it a two-run lead and helped load the bases, setting up Price to walk in a run for the second straight game.

“That was one of the better changeups I’ve had so far this year,” Price said. “Command of my cutter to my glove side wasn’t really there. I didn’t command the baseball very well.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa drew the free pass to make it 6-3, and Price’s night was done after 86 pitches. He allowed three runs with two outs, the same issue that bedeviled him in each of his last two starts. Velazquez promptly threw a wild pitch that allowed Robinson Chirinos to score from third and set up Mazara to jump all over a fastball out over the plate.

Price worked a 1-2-3 first inning and never seemed comfortable again. Profar smashed an RBI triple to right center in the second and only a great running catch by J.D. Martinez in left center saved more damage, with Renato Nunez settling for a sacrifice fly and the Rangers holding a 2-0 lead. Mazara started what turned into a big night with two outs in the third, slashing a two-run double to the corner in left.

Price didn’t throw a curveball in his start after delivering just two in a 12-6 loss to Tampa Bay last time out. One of those was a hanger belted for a home run to left field by Rays’ catcher Wilson Ramos.

“If you’re a hitter, you sit on that range,” Cora said. “You look for speed. If you see everything is close – cutter, sinker, fastball – you look for something one side of the plate, whatever you want, at that velocity.”

Only Betts was able to claim any individual glory from this night, adding a two-run double to deep left in the eighth. His 12 home runs lead the big leagues and his 24 extra-base hits top the Red Sox. Not even four RBI out of the leadoff spot was enough to save Boston on this familiarly miserable night.

“I’m just hitting the ball hard and it’s going over,” Betts said. “Just trying to put together some good at- bats.”

Red Sox Journal: Holt might return from DL next week

Bill Koch

ARLINGTON, Texas — Brock Holt was on the run Thursday at Globe Life Park, a good sign for the Red Sox in their immediate infield future.

Holt ended the last road trip by straining his left hamstring against the Blue Jays and being placed on the disabled list. He enters this one attempting to work his way back, traveling with Boston and taking part in normal baseball activities ahead of Thursday’s meeting with the Rangers.

“He ran today,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He felt better. I think tomorrow we’re going to come here early and hit and see how he reacts. If he’s good and in a good place, we’ll probably send him somewhere, get a few at-bats and hopefully he can be ready for next week.”

Holt was in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak when he pulled up rounding first base against Toronto. The utility man eventually reached second base, completing a double, but was removed in favor of a pinch runner.

Cora was Texas candidate

Cora went on several managerial interviews before being hired by Boston last offseason, with Texas representing the first.

The Rangers were in search of a permanent replacement for prior to the 2015 season, with interim manager Tim Bogar ultimately not retained. Cora met with Texas general manager Jon Daniels, a longtime friend, before the Rangers opted to hire current manager Jeff Bannister.

“I wish they could have taped it so I could see myself,” Cora said. “Yuck. No wonder. It was tough, but it was an honor to come here and go through the process and learn from it.”

Cora went on subsequent interviews for openings with the Padres and Diamondbacks before impressing Red Sox brass in November. He was hired away from the champion Astros soon after the final out was recorded in Game 7.

“You can put it this way: In my first interview here, it was Joey’s little brother doing the interview,” Cora said. “He was the one who walked me through the whole process and prepared me for the process. Honestly, with all the help he gave me, it was awesome. But I didn’t feel it was me and it takes a while.”

Colon hangs in

The oldest active player in the big leagues will toe the rubber against Boston on Friday night.

Bartolo Colon takes the ball for the second game of the weekend, with the 44-year-old named the Rangers’ Player of the Month for March/April. Colon took a perfect game into the eighth inning against Houston on April 15, retiring the first 21 men he faced, and has compiled an 0.86 WHIP through six games.

“I hope he doesn’t have that stuff tomorrow, honestly,” Cora said. “That was unreal, the way he’s using that backdoor sinker to righties. It starts in the other dugout and comes back for strikes.”

Rick Porcello is set to face Colon in an 8:05 p.m. first pitch. Cora expects Eduardo Rodriguez to come off the family medical leave list and make his start as scheduled on Saturday.

Injuries in the infield

The Rangers have been decimated in the early going by injuries, losing the majority of their starting infield before the second full month of the season.

Third baseman Adrián Beltré and second baseman Rougned Odor both remain on the 10-day disabled list due to left hamstring strains. Shortstop Elvis Andrus has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list after suffering a fractured right elbow, drilled by hard-throwing Angels reliever Keynan Middleton in the ninth inning of a 7-2 loss on April 11.

Beltre totaled a .915 OPS through 94 games last season while Odor finished second on the club with 30 home runs. Andrus scored a team-high 100 runs and closed second with 25 stolen bases.

Sox-Yanks in London

Major League Baseball intends to announce next week the and Boston Red Sox will play two games at London’s Olympic Stadium on June 29-30 next year.

Boston will be the home team for both of MLB’s first regular-season games in Europe.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan scheduled a news conference for Tuesday with baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred but did not announce the subject matter.

Baseball officials have long hoped for games on London and settled last year on Olympic Stadium, which is in its second season as home of soccer’s West Ham of the Premier League. Because it originally was built for a 400-meter track, Olympic Stadium is wider than other large stadiums in the London area and can best accommodate the dimensions of a baseball field.

Each player on the trip will get an extra $60,000 for participating in the games, according to baseball’s collective bargaining agreement.

* The Springfield Republican

Mitch Moreland meets cancer survivor who Boston Red Sox first baseman made video for when he played for Texas Rangers

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas -- has a photo of a handwritten letter on his cell phone.

It's a note from 7-year-old cancer survivor PJ Trojanowski who the Red Sox first baseman began communicating with a couple years ago.

Moreland hung with Trojanowski before yesterday's Red Sox and Rangers game here at Globe Life Park.

"That was the first time I got to meet her face-to-face," Moreland told MassLive.com. "I sent her a couple videos. She's doing as good as ever now. Just a sweet little girl and obviously a great family. She's obviously super strong for what she's been able to overcome."

Moreland played for the Texas Rangers from 2010-16. He was Trojanowski's favorite player (and he still is despite switching teams).

"She was going through a tough stretch a couple years ago," Moreland said. "And her parents reached out to the Rangers when I was here about maybe trying to get a video to her to try to pick up her spirits a little bit. I think it had been a real tough day (for her) the day that we did it. And I guess she got the video and it picked her spirits up and all of a sudden everything else started coming around."

Trojanowski is in remission. She had Bilateral Wilms Tumors, malignant tumors in both kidneys, according to her gofundme.com page.

She underwent chemotherapy and showed Moreland a scar across her stomach from surgery. She made him a duck that said, "Thank you for helping me beat cancer."

She wore a Moreland Red Sox shirt here last night.

"She's obviously decked out in Red Sox stuff now," Moreland said. "We got her converted."

Trojanowski has stayed in touch with Moreland through email.

"They had a long, hard road, her and her family," Moreland said. "And I was thankful that they let me be a part of it, that kind of miracle. She ended up not only coming through that day in a better spot but she beat it. Obviously she's 7 now. So it's been a neat story to kind of watch her overcome it and how strong she's been through the whole deal."

David Price, Boston Red Sox might already know what's wrong, must fix it before start vs. hard- hitting Yankees

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas -- David Price's next start is lined up for Wednesday at Yankee Stadium against New York which leads the majors in runs (178) and ranks second to only the Red Sox in extra-base hits (117).

Price has had trouble throughout his career against the Yankees with a 4.67 ERA in 39 outings (38 starts).

This won't be an easy one at all.

Considering Price has a 8.22 ERA in his past five starts, he and the Red Sox better figure out what's wrong quickly. Gary Sanchez alone has five homers in 12 career at-bats vs. the southpaw.

The Red Sox already might have pinpointed issue.

Price lasted only 3 2/3 innings last night. He allowed nine runs (seven earned), six hits and two walks while striking out four in Boston's 11-5 loss to the Rangers here at Globe Life Park.

"There seems like there's no separation with his pitches right now," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "If you're a hitter, you look for something in the range of 90-91 and pick a side of the plate and go from there. He has to make adjustments obviously."

There is little separation in velocity between his pitches. The following are his average velocities from Thursday, per Baseball Savant:

Two-seam fastball: 27 pithes, 92.2 mph average velocity. Cutter: 18 pitches: 88 mph average velocity. Four-seam fastball: 18 pitches, 92.1 mph average velocity. Changeup: 23 pitches, 84.7 mph average velocity.

"If you're a hitter, you look for speed," Cora explained. "If you see everything's close, cutter, sinker, fastball, you look for something one side of the plate, whatever you want that velocity. And if it's off, even just a little bit, you're still going to be on time."

Price also didn't throw his curveball at all last night.

"That's a pitch he barely uses. He used to steal strikes with it. Strike one. Maybe that's something we should add to his outings," Cora said. "At least change of pace. Something that throws them off. Just like (Rick) Porcello, he doesn't throw his a lot, but whenever he does, it's to get a free strike."

Price added, "I felt four out of my first five with the exception of the Yankee game, I felt like I commanded the baseball really well: fastball, cutter, changeup. That is what I did really well. And the last two starts I haven't commanded the baseball the way I did in four out of those first five."

Price has allowed 21 earned runs in his past five starts (23 innings). But the past two starts have the been the real issue. He pitched well in Oakland three starts ago despite giving up four earned runs. He gave up just one run through the first seven innings. He surrendered a three-run homer to Khris Davis with two outs in the eighth.

He also didn't pitch poorly in Anaheim, allowing one run in five innings.

New York will be an enormous challenge for him.

David Price's ERA jumps to 5.11, Boston Red Sox lefty gives up 9 runs in loss to Texas Rangers

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas -- David Price has pitched poorly at Globe Life Park with a 7.42 ERA (43 2/3 innings, 36 earned runs) in nine career starts here.

But this is a much different Rangers lineup that roughed him up here Thursday.

Price lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs (seven earned), six hits and two walks while striking out four. The Red Sox lost 11-5 to the Rangers.

Texas entered ranked 10th in the AL in runs (126), 12th in batting average (.237), 13th in on-base percentage (.307), 12th in (.398) and seventh in extra-base hits (97).

Price's ERA jumped to 5.11 and his WHIP moved to 1.41.

The lefty began the season 1-0 with 14 scoreless innings in his first two starts, both vs. the Rays. But he's 1- 4 with a 8.22 ERA (23 innings, 24 runs, 21 earned runs, 29 hits) over his past five starts.

Price's velocity and no curveballs

Price threw 27 two-seam fastballs at an average velocity of 92.2 mph and with a max of 93.8 mph, per Baseball Savant.

He threw 18 four-seam fastballs with an average velocity of 92.1 mph and a max of 91.3 mph.

He threw no curveballs.

Mookie Betts ties Dom DiMaggio

Mookie Betts belted his major league-leading 12th homer in the third inning. He tied Dom DiMaggio for the Red Sox franchise record for home runs by a leadoff hitter (69).

He crushed a 92.9 mph four-seamer from Rangers starter Mike Minor into the left-center field bleachers.

Betts delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning.

J.D. Martinez's running catch

Statcast had J.D. Martinez's running grab in the second inning as his first ever five-star catch and at a 21- percent catch probability, per MLB.com's Ian Browne.

Brock Holt injury: Boston Red Sox infielder does running drills, might return for Yankees series

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Brock Holt (hamstring) did some running drills here at Globe Life Park today. He'll do more early work tomorrow, including taking batting practice, and then the Red Sox might send him out on a minor league rehab assignment Saturday.

If all goes well, he could return to the Red Sox next week when Boston plays against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium (Tuesday-Thursday).

The infielder went 16-for-34 (.471 batting average) with six doubles, one homer and six RBIs in his past nine games before being placed on the DL.

"I think tomorrow we're going to come here early and hit and see how he reacts," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "If he's good, in a good place, send him somewhere, get a few at-bats and hopefully he can be ready for next week."

Holt could take some playing time from Eduardo Nunez at second base. Nunez has struggled defensively.

*Redsox.com

Mookie reclaims MLB homer lead from Trout

Ian Browne

ARLINGTON -- Hardly travel weary, Red Sox star right fielder Mookie Betts continued his power surge on Thursday night at Globe Life Park by reclaiming the Major League lead in homers with No. 12 -- a solo shot with two outs in the top of the third inning in an 11-5 loss to the Rangers.

For good measure, Betts added a sacrifice fly and a two-run double for a four-RBI night.

View Full Game Coverage This, coming one day after Betts thrilled the fans at Fenway Park in a 5-4 win over the Royals with his second three-homer game of the season.

Thanks to Betts, the Red Sox had something to smile about on an otherwise tough night.

"At least we can talk about that, that's good for me," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "It seems like even his misses are fun to watch."

Betts entered the day tied with Angels superstar Mike Trout for the lead in homers. Trout was the player Betts finished second to in the race for the American League's Most Valuable Player Award in 2016.

"I'm just hitting the ball hard and it's going over, and I'm trying to put together some good at-bats," Betts said.

The numbers are staggering so far aside from just the homers. Betts is slashing .370/.449/.850 and has 33 runs, 37 hits, 85 total bases, and 12 doubles.

Not only that, but Betts is leading by his actions. Cora noticed the outfielder's competitive fire in the dugout and in the batter's box in the late stages of a one-sided game.

"The last at-bat, he doesn't give it away," Cora said. "Out of all the things he's done the last few days, in a game like that, he doesn't give that at-bat away. And you can hear him in the dugout pulling for his teammates, 'Hey don't give it away, don't give it away', and that's cool to see. I'm glad he got that double, and got two steaks there. He's fun to watch."

With the Red Sox trailing, 2-0, in the opener of a four-game series and 10-game road trip, Betts got a 2-0 fastball from Mike Minor on the lower, outside portion of the zone and hammered it to left for his solo shot in the third.

According to Statcast™, the drive had an exit velocity of 108.5 mph and traveled a projected distance of 413 feet. The homer was the fourth for Betts in five plate appearances.

"That's essentially how you do well," said Betts. "You just can't ever give at-bats away. You never know what can happen and you can come back and win a game. It's just not giving away any at-bats and putting together some good ones, so I think it's just my mindset of not trying to give any away." Price's struggles continue in blowout loss

Ian Browne

ARLINGTON -- David Price's dominant first two starts to the season felt like a distant memory by the time the lefty was removed in the middle of another tough performance on Thursday night with the fourth inning still in progress.

Price threw 86 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings as the Red Sox took an 11-5 loss to the Rangers in the opener of a four-game series, and a 10-game road trip.

Not even another homer by Mookie Betts -- who has four in the last two games and leads the Majors with 12 -- could give Boston the lift it needed in this one. The star right fielder added a two-run double and had a four-RBI night.

After opening 2018 with two dazzling performances (two Red Sox wins, zero earned runs in 14 innings), Price is 1-4 with an 8.22 ERA in his past five starts.

What is the biggest issue?

"Command," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "It seems like there's no separation in his pitches right now. If you're a hitter, you look for something in the range of 90, 91 and pick a side of the plate and go from there. He has to make adjustments, obviously. The stuff, you see the radar gun, it was there, but I do feel we need to make an adjustment."

There is data to support Cora's theory. The average radar readings for Price's pitches in Thursday's start were as follows: Two seamer, 92.2 mph; Cutter, 88 mph; Four seamer, 92.1 mph; Changeup, 86.4 mph.

"I haven't seen the velos on it, that could be," Price said. "That could be the case. Guys are still out front. It could be a couple miles per hour here or there that could turn into that swing and miss. Keep working and be ready to go my next start."

Price didn't throw any curves on Thursday.

"That's a pitch that he rarely uses. He uses it to steal strikes with it," said Cora. "Maybe that's something we should add to his outings, at least change of pace, something that throws them off. Just like [Rick] Porcello, he doesn't throw his a lot, but when he does, it's to get a free strike.

"We'll work on it and check in the percentages and where we're at and make adjustments just like we did with Drew [Pomeranz], just like we do with everybody else. Take a look at it and make adjustments."

Though Thursday's outing, in which Price allowed nine runs (seven earned), was clearly his low point, it was part of a concerning trend in which he's given up four runs or more in four of his last five starts.

"Four out of my first five, with the exception of the Yankees game, I felt like I commanded the baseball really well on both sides of the plate with the fastball, cutter and changeup -- that was what I did really well," Price said. "And in my last two starts, I have not commanded the baseball the way that I did in my four out of those first five. That's something I take a lot of pride in doing and I haven't done that in my last couple and I expect it to be there my next start."

With the loss, the 22-9 Red Sox saw their lead in the over the 21-10 Yankees slimmed to one game.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS In the bottom of the second, when Renato Nunez crushed one to deep left, it looked like trouble for the Red Sox. But J.D. Martinez was off at the crack of the bat and made a tremendous, lunging catch as he banged into the wall. According to Statcast™, it's the first five-star catch of Martinez's career. There was 21 percent catch probability on the play, and Martinez needed to cover 94 feet in 5.1 seconds.

HE SAID IT "Just playing catch. Aim small, miss small. Just lock it in every time you have that baseball in your hand. This is always a game of adjustments, and I've got to make a couple of adjustments." -- Price, on how to incorporate the adjustments he needs

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY After Rafael Devers led off the fourth with a single to right, Eduardo Nunez grounded a hit up the middle. DeShields charged the ball hard in center, but he misplayed it, letting the ball get behind him. Devers went to third easily while Nunez was thrown out trying for second. But Cora challenged the call and it was overturned as the replay official determined second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa missed the tag. Nunez ended up scoring in the two-run inning.

UP NEXT Rick Porcello will try to continue his red-hot start to the season when he pitches Friday night's 8:05 ET game against the Rangers. The righty has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all six of his starts and has gone fewer than six innings just once. Veteran Bartolo Colon will get the ball for the Rangers.

*WEEI.com

Rangers 11, Red Sox 5: They aren't beating the Yankees without a better David Price

Rob Bradford

ARLINGTON, Texas -- In case you haven't noticed, the Yankees are one game in back of the Red Sox.

Alex Cora's team is now just 5-7 since their 17-2 start, allowing for an entirely different perception of what we're dealing with the American League East. No longer are these Red Sox the team that had built up so much good will that any sort of adversity was just a mild bump in the road. As uncomfortable as an early May defeat can make a first-place club, the 11-5 loss to the Rangers was right up there. (For a complete recap, click here.)

You could point to the sloppy defense (3 errors), or a bottom of the order that is really devaluing Mookie Betts' presence at the top of the lineup. But the chief discomfort in this one stemmed from one player -- David Price.

Price continued his trend of not turning in the kind of start the Red Sox really need him to turn in. This time he allowed a season-high nine runs, the second-highest total of his career. But unlike the last time he managed that feat it came in 6 2/3 innings back in 2013. This one took just 3 2/3 frames.

It was not what the Red Sox needed.

Price now has an 8.22 ERA over his last five starts after cruising through his first two 2018 appearances. One could point to the lefty's issues at Globe Life Park, where he now has a 7.42 ERA in nine career starts. But that shouldn't be the focus here.

This is a player who said he relished the classification as one of the Red Sox' most important players. Well, for better or worse, that designation isn't going anywhere.

"I felt like my first … four out of my first five, with the exception of the Yankee game, I felt like I commanded the baseball really well on both sides of the plate, fastball, cutter, changeup," Price said. "That was what I did really well. And in my last two starts, I have not commanded the baseball the way that I did in my four out of those first five. That’s something I take a lot of pride in doing and I haven't done that in my last couple and I expect it to be there my next start."

Price's fastball velocity only averaged 92.8 mph, but more importantly he wasn't able to put it where he wanted, when he needed to. And the swings and misses weren't there, totaling just two on the hard stuff the entire night.

If the pitcher is truly healthy, there can be a turnaround. But the reality of the division isn't going anywhere. The Red Sox need Price to be a difference-maker. The likes of which CC Sabathia has become for New York. I guess we'll find out which difference he will make Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

With Betts' solo homer in the third inning, he now has a major league-leading 12 on the season. At the time of the homer, he had homered in four of his previous five plate appearances. He is now 9-for-15 with four home runs and eight RBI in his last five games.

Bradford: How Mookie Betts became one of MLB's most feared home run hitters

Rob Bradford

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mookie Betts sat at his locker with the look of man who didn't realize baseball doesn't count in early March.

Sure, he had failed to get a hit in his first 16 Grapefruit League games, but there was more to it this time. Betts had pushed his chips to the middle of the table when it came to taking his game to another level, and he was not getting the cards he had hoped for.

"I was in full panic mode because I was trying something new and I got zero results," Betts recalled. "[Red Sox hitting coach] Timmy [Hyers], [assistant hitting coach] Andy [Barkett], and J.D. [Martinez] too, told me to stick with it. This is what is right, you just have to stick with it. This will make you better."

It wasn't as if Betts was bad. You don't finish sixth in the American League MVP voting if that was the case. But he, and others, felt like there was more there. Something needed to be tapped into that wasn't there before. The outfielder and his braintrust had some ideas.

As it turned out, they were onto something.

With another home run Thursday night in the Red Sox' 11-5 loss tot he Rangers, Betts leads all of baseball with 12 homers. He is, as we sit here, the most feared long ball hitter in the game. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound former second baseman has become something few some coming: a phenomenon that even the player has to acknowledge can't just be classified as an early-season aberration.

"Yeah, it’s definitely exciting because I have never done it before," admitted Betts, who is now hitting .377 with a 1.299 OPS. "Yeah, I knew I could hit a home run, but I hit one to center [Wednesday] and I felt like if I didn't have to worry about trying to pull it to drive it. It is just wherever the ball meets the bat. I feel like I can drive it to any part of the field. If the pitch is away, I feel like I can hit it over there, or to center. That just let me to know trust the path and wherever the ball goes, the ball goes."

This takes us back to spring training.

Much has been made about Betts hunting pitches earlier in the count, and that's true. On 1-0 counts, he entered the series opener with six hits in 12 at-bats. With the count 0-1 he was 5-for-7. And 2-0? That would be 4-for-5, with his most recent homer coming via that scenario.

But the newfound aggression isn't the main impetus for these home runs. That, according to Betts, was a change in his swing that still wasn't ready for primetime by the time Opening Day came rolling around.

Mention that first pitch of the season -- the one he hit to the wall against Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer -- and Betts is quick to point out that was the old him.

"That was a different swing than the last month or so, really," he said. "I worked every day working in the cage and trying to get consistent with it. I think if I hit that same ball now, I think it’s out."

"Literally, I am in the cage working and learning every day. If you do something for so long, you start to understand it. God blessed me with an athletic ability and I am able to understand stuff and implement it over a period of time."

That time for Betts would have to wait for the second series of the season, when he hit his first home run of the season. That's when the belief in his new swing finally paid off.

"There were a couple of balls ... The home run and then there was the one I hit to dead-center and was robbed," he remembered. "That was when I knew that maybe, ‘OK I am onto something.’ If I can do that, I am going in the right direction."

It was.

When you listen to Betts try and explain the exact metamorphosis he was undertaking, it's somewhat understandable why this wasn't an overnight fix.

"I think I am starting to use my body more so that is why I am able to drive it a little more. I think that is the main difference. I am able to use the muscles I work out with," he said. "I thought it was hands that generated my power. It’s not just that. I thought it was pretty much swing harder and you’ll hit it further and that is not necessarily the case."

"Use everything to swing. It’s not just your hands. It’s not just your legs. Your legs have a lot to do with it, which I’ve learned. It’s also your path to the ball and all that has something to do with it too, so it’s not just my hands."

The hands were always the easy part. They were the best in the game. Nobody had a pair quite as quick as Betts possessed. And that's why you had the player who came pretty darn close to winning that AL MVP two seasons ago. It wasn't until the other parts of the body were brought into the equation that this home run hitter emerged.

"I feel like it," said Betts when asked if he feels like he's driving the ball significantly better this season. "I don’t know what the numbers say."

Well, here you go ...

He's hitting the ball higher (totaling a 21.5 percent launch angle, compared to 14.1 a year ago). He's hitting the ball harder (carrying an average exit velocity of 93.6 mph, well above any other previous season). And he's hitting the ball better (barrelling up 23.8 percent of his hits this time around compared to just 4.5 percent a year ago).

"If you do something for so long, you start to understand it," he said. "God blessed me with an athletic ability and I am able to understand stuff and implement it over a period of time."

And, after 31 games, he's done exactly that.

*NBC Sports Boston

How is 'working his ass off,' and why he hasn't asked for a trade

Evan Drellich

BOSTON — Blake Swihart has been praised for his athleticism his whole career, yet he hasn’t started anywhere but designated hitter this season. The Red Sox’ catching corps of Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon had the worst OPS in the majors (.417) entering Thursday, but Swihart had not seen a single frame behind the plate until the Red Sox trailed the Rangers 11-5 in the eighth inning Thursday. He wasn’t even asked to pinch run this week, when, after catching 13 innings and playing poorly on defense, the slower Christian Vazquez singled and represented the potential tying run.

Swihart, 26, is older than Mookie Betts. Swihart is not a journeyman lucky to have a job. He’s a first-round pick with a ceiling unknown, someone who's been agreeable to position changes, perhaps to the detriment of his career arc. He's a prospect who would be getting playing time on other big league teams.

"Some days are easier than others. Some days it’s tough," Swihart told NBC Sports Boston. "But you know, I just got to keep my head up and keep doing what I’m doing to stay ready."

Even though he is on a winning team, Swihart would have reasonable grounds to walk into manager Alex Cora's office and ask for a trade. He hasn't.

“I don’t think that you do that,” Swihart said. “That’s my agent’s job to call and do that, you know? Me personally, the player, this is all I know, is the Red Sox. I know there’s other teams that probably tried to call and there’s stuff moving. But I’m not the type of person that’s just going to walk in and say, ‘Hey, I’m not playing, so get rid of me.’ I mean, I want this team to win, and when I’m here, I want to be able to help contribute any way I can.”

Swihart’s agency declined to comment.

The situation is bizarre. Major league depth options are rarely stashed on a major league roster, outside of the occasional Rule 5 draft pick. Swihart cannot grow if he does not play, and the Sox’ refusal to catch him until Thursday with Marcus Walden on the mound sent a message elsewhere: they feel his receiving ability is so far from ready that he's not worth even a sniff as Vazquez and Sandy Leon perform horribly at the plate. (Vazquez has had some woes defensively, as well.)

“I think they do want to move him, just not for 75 cents on the dollar,” one scout said. “And right now, if you can’t get him on the field, you can’t expect full value."

To some around the game watching Swihart’s progress, the fact he was the starting DH and then got behind the dish Thursday in Arlington was, at best, a fine coincidence.

It's showcase time. The Rangers would be a fit for Swihart after showing interest in him this offseason, if not more recently. More eyes from any team on Swihart at this point could be useful, assuming the Sox are not going to budge from the Vazquez-Leon tandem. Because the clock is ticking. ’s expected return within a month time might force the Sox’ hand sooner rather than later.

"I hope Swihart only signed a lease through May," another scout said.

The question boils down to this: Where does Swihart stand defensively? Everyone knows he’s working on his receiving, after converting to catcher when he was drafted in the first round in 2011. He lost time to a move to left field and then injury in 2016, followed by continued health troubles in 2017.

“I feel like if I get thrown back there I’m going to be ready,” Swihart said, speaking before the trip to Texas. “I think I’ll be just fine if I do. You know, I have confidence in myself to do it.”

He’s doing a ton to prove that readiness in the ways he can.

One of Chad Epperson, the Sox' catching coordinator, or is always around Fenway, for the benefit of Swihart and all the major league backstops. As Epperson put it, Swihart is working his ass off.

“I think you get best when you’re playing the game,” Swihart said. “Me not playing, I’m still tired every day when I go home, because I do so much extra work. I’m not just catching. Like, I’ll catch for an hour and a half and then I’ll go and do infield for 30 minutes. And then outfield drills. And then I’ll go hit extra, and hit off a machine. Like, I’m tired by the end of the day. I think I’m getting a lot of work in, good work. But I think you get better playing the game."

The daily work catching in lieu of game action might add up to a half hour. That may sound like a small amount, but it's not. There are 8-10 minutes doing the throwing program with a pitcher, and then 20 minutes, perhaps, with a focus on a skill. They won’t work on blocking and footwork on the same day, typically. Epperson and Varitek know the season is long, and there's a lot to process mentally and physically. Swihart goes to the same meetings the other do. He watches the game calling unfold from the bench as well.

“Just the receiving part is probably the biggest thing for me,” Swihart said. “It’s probably receiving and learning to anticipate the ball in the dirt. So we’ll do a bunch of stuff: we’ll have 10 balls, and [Epperson or Varitek] might throw some in the air, and he might throw some in the dirt. I react to it. Because you’re anticipating a ball in the dirt. Then, if it’s in the air, you got to catch it the right way so you get a called strike and get a good presentation to the umpire.

“If you’re in a good position to receive the baseball, you put yourself in the best position to get down and block too, you know what I mean? Every catcher has a trigger with their glove. If their trigger’s off or late, then they’re going to be late to the ball too."

Not every franchise keeps a catching instructor around the big league team with the frequency the Red Sox do. Former minor league catcher Dana LeVangie, now the pitching coach, carried double duty when he was the bullpen coach, handling the catchers as well. LeVangie still works with them, but the pitchers are his priority. Varitek and Epperson have daily conversations about their work with the catchers, to keep the messaging unified between two different voices that alternate visits.

In the past, Swihart’s mechanics could get long.

“Leaving spring training, we had a plan to continue to work on some direction with his footwork when throwing,” Epperson said. “Making sure that we stay in tune with the throwing program. Obviously, with [Swihart playing] multiple positions the arm speed’s different, making sure we’re on top of that. But fundamentally, you know we’re really getting him in a good base, and he feels comfortable."

Epperson said Swihart has really good hands. Swihart catches some side sessions thrown by starters, and he’ll occasionally catch pitchers warming up in the 'pen, as well.

“It’s about getting the relationship with these guys and understanding what each and every one of these pitchers’ ball does,” Epperson said. “Some sliders are a little sharper than others, some velos better. So that’s where he’s taken the time and working on it, and taking the initiative to go out and catch the sides."

Nonetheless, side sessions are just side sessions. When LeVangie was asked what one or two areas behind the plate Swihart could use the most improvement, he pointed to the elephant in the room.

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to say that,” LeVangie said. “Because realistically, he needs to play. If somebody wants him as a catcher, he needs to play. He needs to play through failure, he needs to play through success, he needs to get comfortable. And the only way to do it is to play. And for him to figure it out behind the plate, the only way to get more comfortable is more reps. He can get better in every facet.

"So can Sandy, so can Vazqy. Every day it’s a new learning process for them. Just because, as soon as you take things for granted, something will slap you in the ass. That’s how their job is."

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

McAdam: With Yankees on deck, time for David Price to make adjustments … quickly

Sean McAdam

ARLINGTON, Texas — Rick Porcello went from winning the Cy Young Award in 2016 to a highly disappointing 2017 season that saw him lead the league in hits and homers allowed.

So, Porcello worked all spring on the command and action on his two-seam fastball, while making sure his four-seamer was regularly located at the top of the strike zone. In an era when launch angle is king, Porcello knew it was vital for him to stay out of the middle of the plate.

It’s an adjustment that, a little over a month into the season, has paid off handsomely for Porcello and the Red Sox. He’s 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA.

Now, it’s David Price’s turn.

Whatever he’s doing isn’t working. That much was obvious Thursday night when he was kicked around for nine runs on six hits in just 3.2 innings in a lopsided 11-5 loss to the lowly Texas Rangers. But it wasn’t just his most recent start. Over his last five outings, Price has pitched to an 8.22 ERA, leaving questions about whether the 14 shutout innings he threw at the start of the season were some sort of aberration.

For the most part, the Red Sox rotation has been consistent enough to keep the Red Sox in most games. The 3.22 ERA before Thursday’s debacle is evidence of that.

But Price isn’t holding up his end of the bargain of late. In his last two starts, he’s been shellacked for 15 runs and he’s given up four or more runs in four of his last five starts. Only once in that span has he pitched as many as six innings. His control has been suspect — after issuing four walks in two of his last three starts, he walked ”just” two, but also hit a batter and, frankly, the Rangers were having too much success swinging away to wait patiently for walks.

“Tonight, he wasn’t good,” concluded Alex Cora. “We have to make an adjustment.”

In Cora’s view, Price is making it easy for the hitters. Whether it’s his cutter, his curveball or his sinker, every pitch is being thrown at relatively the same speed. That enables hitters to lock in on a portion of the strike zone and be ready to successfully catch up to whatever pitch Price is determined to throw.

The Texas lineup is missing at least three regulars and came into Thursday night hitting a collective .237. But it didn’t matter as the Rangers regularly teed off on Price, often when behind in the count.

Both Price and Cora said that the pitcher was fully healthy, so this isn’t physical. That’s good in one sense, since Price missed two long stretches of last season with elb0w/forearm issues, and another would raise the specter of major season-ending surgery.

But at least an injury would explain what’s going on with Price.

The pitcher himself chose a more basic explanation than his manager in explaining his woes: fastball command. If Price can’t establish his primary pitch and locate it with precision, it affects everything else in his repertoire.

Here’s a daunting thought: Price’s next outing is scheduled to come in New York against a Yankee lineup that is just now starting to flex its muscles. If Price isn’t more precise with his command, doesn’t offer a better mix of his pitches, and doesn’t achieve some separation with his pitches, that could be a mismatch of epic proportions.

“This is always a game of adjustments,” he conceded, “and I’ve got to make a couple of adjustments.”

“We’ll work on it,” vowed Cora. “We’ll check on the percentages (in terms of pitch mix) and where we’re at. Just like we did with Drew (Pomeranz), just like do with everybody else and make adjustments.”

Porcello made his. Pomeranz began to make his Wednesday. Now it’s up to Price to do the same — and the sooner the better.

BSJ Game Report: Rangers 11, Red Sox 5 – Price’s struggles continue

Sean McAdam

ARLINGTON, Texas — All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox’ 11-5 loss to the Texas Rangers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.

HEADLINES

Price lit up: David Price typically doesn’t pitch well in this ballpark, and in that regard, nothing changed Thursday night, with the Red Sox lefty shelled for nine runs (seven earned) in just 3.2 IP. “Fastball command,” sighed Price. “I didn’t command the baseball very well.” Manager Alex Cora saw it differently. “It seems like there’s no separation with his pitches right now,” said Cora. “If you’re a hitter, you look for something on one side of the plate at 90-91 mph and go from there. He has to make adjustments, obviously. The stuff is there, but we need to make an adjustment.” There’s no overstating how important Price is to the rotation and to the team as a whole. If he’s pitching well, he joins Chris Sale and Rick Porcello to give the Red Sox a Big Three who can match up with any team in baseball. But until Price figures some things out, there’s a hole in the rotation.

Mookie stays hot: Fresh off his four-hit, three-homer game in the homestand finale Wednesday, Mookie Betts kept rolling as the road trip got underway. He homered — his fourth in the span of five at-bats — delivered a sacrifice fly and added a two-run double. He was the lone positive in an otherwise dispiriting defeat. “I’m just hitting the ball hard,” shrugged Betts, “and trying to put together some good at-bats.” What stood out to Cora was the final AB for Betts in the eighth inning, with the Sox trailing by eight. “He doesn’t give it away,” marveled Cora. “Out of all the things he’s done the last two days, in a game like that, he doesn’t give it away. And you can hear him in the dugout, pulling for his teammates: ‘Don’t give it away, don’t give it away.’ That’s cool to see. I’m glad he got that double and two (RBI) there and he just keeps rolling. He’s fun to watch.”

Sloppiness in the field continues: After their 13-inning loss to Kansas City Tuesday night, Cora let it be known he found the team’s play to be unacceptable. There were mental miscues and physical errors and Cora was publicly critical of his club for perhaps the first time. Things weren’t much better Thursday night, with the Sox committing three errors — one by Rafael Devers and two by shortstop . But Cora wasn’t quite as agitated this time. “As a defender, you spend a lot of time (on the field),” said Cora in reference to some long innings as the Rangers ran around the bases. “It gets tough sometimes, standing around. You want to make the plays and it doesn’t happen. There’s no excuse for them. Defense, we still need to work on it. We’ve been sloppy the last few days. We’ve been in spots to make the plays; we just haven’t made them.”

SECOND GUESS

It seemed obvious after the third inning that this would not be Price’s night. He had already been knocked around for four runs and thrown 52 pitches. Yet Cora sent Price out to start the fourth with disastrous results. Price allowed four more runs before being lifted after getting two outs, leaving reliever Hector Velazquez to inherit a bases-loaded mess. It only got worse from there.

TWO UP

J.D. Martinez: Like some sort of baseball metronome, Martinez just keeps hitting with incredible consistency. He had yet another multi-hit night — that’s six in the last eight games — with two singles to lift his average to .345.

Marcus Walden: It says everything about the kind of night it was for the Red Sox that their mop-up reliever was one of the game’s bright spots, but credit where it’s due: Walden ate up 3.2 innings and allowed only an unearned run.

TWO DOWN

Hanley Ramirez: Ramirez has cooled off in a big way of late, going hitless in four at-bats Thursday. Since the start of the homestand last week, he’s just 6-for-28 with only two extra-base hits in that span.

Jackie Bradley Jr: Bradley keeps going downhill. He had another 0-for-4 night with two strikeouts and is hitting just .180. Granted, Mike Minor is tough on lefties, but if Bradley wants to get playing time, he’s got to offer something offensively.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“This has always been a tough place for me to pitch and Texas has always been a tough team to pitch against as well. And, again, tonight was the same.” — David Price.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Price has an 8.22 ERA over his last five starts. The six runs scored by the Rangers in the fourth inning matched a season-high for Red Sox opponents. Tampa also scored six in the eighth inning on Opening Day Mookie Betts matched a season high with four RBI. In 16 career games at Globe Life Park, J.D. Martinez has seven multi-hit games. UP NEXT

In the second game of the four-game series, the Red Sox will throw Rick Porcello (4-0, 2.23) vs the ageless wonder that is RHP Bartolo Colon (1-0, 2.87) at 8:05 p.m.

Final: Rangers 11, Red Sox 5 – Familiar result

Sean McAdam

ARLINGTON, Texas — Before Thursday night, David Price’s career ERA here stood at 6.53. Then it went up.

Does that tell you how the night went?

Price was shelled for nine runs — seven of them earned — in 3.2 innings as the Red Sox began a 10-game road trip on the wrong foot, drubbed by the Texas Rangers, 11-5.

The Rangers occupy last place in the A.L. West and are missing a number of regulars with injury, but that didn’t stop them from beating up Price, who allowed two runs in the second, two more in the third and five in the fourth before being lifted.

About the only positive for the Red Sox was Mookie Betts, who smacked yet another homer — his fourth in the span of five at-bats dating back to Wednesday — and added a sacrifice fly and two-run double for a four-RBI night. An RBI-single from Christian Vazquez delivered the only other run for the Sox.

WHO: Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers WHEN: 8:05 p.m. WHERE: Global Life Park WHAT’S UP: This is the start of a three-city, 10-game road trip for the Red Sox, who finished up a 3-3 homestand Wednesday, winning the finale thanks to three homers by Mookie Betts. The Sox are 5-3 over their last eight games and are in first place in the A.L. East with a 22-8 mark. The Rangers, by contrast, have lost three-of-four and have a 12-20 record that has them in the A.L. West basement. STARTING PITCHERS: LHP David Price (2-3, 3.78) vs. LHP Mike Minor (2-1, 4.33). TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS

9:12: Having gotten strike one against Nomar Mazara. Price tried to go to the same spot, but this time, Mazara used his hands to shoot the ball the other way, lining an opposite-field double to left that eluded Martinez in left and scored two.

9:07 Yet another sloppy play by Rafael Devers, who charges a slow roller a little too aggressively and lets the ball get under his glove, resulting in his seventh error. As we’ve noted, Devers is capable of making some spectacular plays and has the quick reaction and instincts necessary to play the position. But he can also be careless, and seven errors is a lot through 31 games.

8:50 Alex Cora has spoken about Christian Vazquez chasing hits by swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and Vazquez was guilty there, going after a two-strike pitch that was well outside.

8:42 While J.D. Martinez can display limited range at times as an outfielder, he’s also capable of surprise. Last week in Toronto, he made a fine running catch on the warning track in right, saving extra bases, and tonight, he went a long way to track down a ball on the warning track hit by Renato Nunez.

8:35 Joey Gallo should have to earn his way on base. He struck out 196 times last year and is notorious for swinging and missing. But David Price did himself no favors when he got deep into an eight-pitch at-bat, and with the count full, plunked Gallo on the arm, putting him on base. That proved especially costly when Jurickson Profar followed by launching a ball to right center that eluded Jackie Bradley Jr., resulting in Gallo scoring from first on a triple.

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Betts RF Ramirez 1B Martinez LF Bogaerts SS Devers 3B Nunez 2B Swihart DH Vazquez C Bradley CF

RANGERS

Deshields CF Choo DH Kiner-Falefa 2B Mazara RF Gallo 1B Profar SS Nunez 3B Chirinos C Rua LF

NEWS AND NOTES:

For just the third time this season, Blake Swihart is in the starting lineup for the Red Sox, serving as the team’s DH. Alex Cora sat Andrew Benintendi, citing the success that Texas starter Mike Minor has had against lefty hitters. Cora said LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, who was placed on the family medical leave list Wednesday, will “most likely” start Saturday, his next scheduled turn. Cora recalled interviewing for the Rangers’ managerial vacancy after the 2014 season and said the experience helped him prepare for last fall, when he interviewed with a number of teams before being hired by the Sox. “I had no idea what the whole process was going to be,” said Cora. “In my first interview, I was Joey (Cora’s) little brother. He helped me through the whole process. But honestly, I didn’t feel it was me. It takes a while. But it was an honor (to go through it).” Cora remembered that the interview was a day- long process, lasting nine hours with GM Jon Daniels. “I respect the guy,” said Cora of Daniels. “He’s been amazing to me. We’ve stayed in touch. He’s one of my good friends in baseball and I wish him well.” Tyler Thornburg made his second rehab appearance for Pawtucket, and while his velocity was impressive, his command wasn’t. His next outing will come Saturday. “It’s going to be a process,” said Cora. “It’s going to take a while.” INF Brock Holt (hamstring) ran Thursday and felt better. He plans to hit Friday, and as long as there are no issues, he could be sent out on a rehab assignment over the weekend and be ready to be activated Tuesday when the Sox begin a series in New York.

*The Athletic

McCaffrey: What’s wrong with David Price?

Jen McCaffrey

ARLINGTON, Texas – David Price has not been very good lately.

Since leaving the mound after one inning against the Yankees at home on April 11 when he felt numbness in his pitching hand, the left-hander has struggled with command. The trend continued on Thursday in Arlington when he lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed nine runs, seven earned, on six hits in an 11-5 Red Sox loss to the Rangers.

In his first two starts, Price tossed 14 scoreless innings, allowing seven hits while striking out 10. In four starts since that strange sensation in hand, he’s allowed 20 runs, 17 earned, on 26 hits in 22 innings for an ugly 6.95 ERA.

It’s boiled down to one thing.

“Command,” manager Alex Cora said. “It seems like there’s no separation in his pitches right now. If you’re a hitter, you look for something in the range of 90, 91 and pick a side of the plate and go from there. He has to make adjustments, obviously.”

After a 1-2-3 first inning, Price hit the second batter of the the second inning and then allowed a triple on a ball that got past a diving Jackie Bradley Jr. A sacrifice fly made it 2-0. The following inning, he surrendered a one-out infield single and an error from Rafael Devers didn’t help. Nomar Mazara doubled, scoring both runners and making it 4-1.

Boston crept back into the game, pulling within 4-3, before Price unraveled in the fourth. A walk, followed by three one-out singles, pushed another run across the board. Price struck out Shin Soo Choo, but then walked a batter to force in a run. It was the second straight start he’d walked in a run.

Cora lifted Price with two outs in the fourth, but Hector Velazquez didn’t offer much relief. He threw a wild pitch, scoring another run and then allowed a three-run homer.

Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie point to Price’s last two starts as most concerning in regards to his command. It was against Tampa Bay last week that LeVangie noticed Price’s changeup got away from him, leading to six runs, five earned, over 5 2/3 innings.

On Thursday, Price started off with a better changeup against the Rangers, inducing five swings-and- misses, the most he’d had with the pitch all season, but then started to lose command. He relied more on his fastball, leaving little room for deception.

“If you’re a hitter, you sit on that range, you look for speed and if you see everything is close, cutter, sinker, fastball, one side of the plate, whatever you want and that velocity, if it’s off, just a little bit, you’re still going to be on time,” Cora said. ”I think it’s us making adjustments now.”

An off day on Monday before a key three-game series in New York will provide an extra day for Price to work on refining his pitches. He’s scheduled to start the second game of the series against the Yankees.

LeVangie is convinced there are no residual side effects from Price’s one-inning start against the Yankees on April 11 when he felt numbness in his hand.

“The next day he came out, he wanted to challenge it and he did, he felt good,” LeVangie said. “It’s just one of those things. I’ve seen him throw, I’ve seen the ball come out really well. We saw really good velocity last start, I don’t think that had anything to do, he’s not complaining about any elbow (ailment). The good thing is he’s feeling good and healthy and we have to fix a few things.”

LeVangie and Price will sit down on Friday and begin mapping out a plan to pinpoint why he’s missed so frequently, particularly in his last two starts.

They’ll have five days to find an answer before Price’s next start in New York.

Jennings: Hanley Ramirez has become an unusual locker room force for Red Sox

Chad Jennings

On Wednesday morning, the Red Sox clubhouse was still and quiet. Day games after night games have that effect, especially when the night game was an extra-inning loss. So a few reporters milled about longing for coffee, and a few players sat at their lockers making small talk amongst themselves.

Then Hanley Ramirez walked into the room.

He stopped briefly to tease a NESN reporter, swaggered to his corner locker and plugged his phone into the sound system. He scrolled for a few seconds, cranked up the volume and let Kenny Loggins take it from there.

Been working so hard

I’m punching my card

Eight hours for what?

Oh, tell me what I got

It was the theme song from Footloose, and Ramirez danced some version of the Twist. Booty shaking. Hair flying. He walked 10 feet to his left, grabbed Rafael Devers and kissed his cheek. He let the song play out, then scrolled to another. This time, it was Prince with the full sermon intro to Let’s Go Crazy.

Oh no, let’s go!

“Last night was a tough loss, you know,” Ramirez said. “So, today – let me see how to explain to you – it’s not a day to come to the clubhouse and feel down. It’s a new day. We want to go out there and win the series. So, I just try to motivate everybody and see everybody smiling and get ready for the game to compete on the field.”

The Red Sox did win the series. Their 5-4 nail-biter over Kansas City was their third win in four days, a return to form after losing five of their previous seven. Mookie Betts homered three times. Joe Kelly returned from suspension for a scoreless seventh inning, settled in to get through six, and got his 299th save.

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a double. He’s hitting .311, back to the productive middle-of-the- order hitter his shoulders wouldn’t let him be last season. But that’s only part of his impact.

“Honestly, he brings energy every day,” manager Alex Cora said. “The way he acts in the clubhouse, the way he interacts with the players. He has this saying when he comes in every day in the clubhouse. He’s like, ‘Now we have a chance.’ That’s cool because he keeps everybody loose.”

There are familiar elements in his playbook. It’s a little bit , a little bit — the quirks, the bravado, the easy smile and booming laugh – but the style is all Hanley, his own brand of leadership that teammates have embraced as one of a kind.

“We call him, in Puerto Rico, a clown,” Christian Vazquez said. “He’s a good clown, you know. My favorite clown.”

Pick any game on the schedule and there will be examples of Hanley being Hanley. In fact, go back exactly one week to last Wednesday in Toronto.

In the second inning, Vazquez fired a snap throw to first base where Ramirez applied a tag a moment too late. The umpire ruled safe, and Ramirez began to celebrate.

He looked up toward the Rogers Centre roof and pumped both arms in the air. Vazquez smiled, clapped his hands and nodded his head. Ramirez and Vazquez were still smiling – laughing, really – as they got themselves into position for the next pitch.

“Because I never throw to first,” Vazquez said. “He was excited because I threw.”

Never mind that it hadn’t worked. In that moment, Ramirez was celebrating the effort, and making sure Vazquez knew it.

Five innings later, starter Eduardo Rodriguez was pulled with two outs in the seventh. It was his longest start of the year, and he wanted to finish that inning, but the Red Sox were leading and Rodriguez would soon have his third win.

As Cora walked onto the field and motioned to the bullpen, Ramirez joined the Red Sox infielders on the mound and wrapped Rodriguez in a hug. When Rodriguez gave up the ball, Ramirez reached toward his beard and physically lifted his chin.

“He knows that I had a good game, and he just comes to me and hugs me,” Rodriguez said. “I was a little mad, but when he does that, eh, it’s just something he does all the time. If it was somebody else, I would probably get mad at it. (Ramirez can do it) because he does it all the time. The way he is, you go, ‘OK.’ But it’s kind of like, in the right moments, because coming out of the game, nobody is going to be happy.”

When the game was over – a come-from-behind win to snap a three-game losing streak – much of the focus was on Betts, who’d hit two home runs. But Ramirez had initiated a team outing to a Bruins first-round playoff game two nights earlier, and in that moment, he wanted to celebrate the Bruins winning Game 7.

“Let’s talk about the Bruins,” Ramirez shouted as Betts was being interviewed. “They won, let’s do it. We don’t care about Mookie. We care about the Bruins right now. They won. Everybody knows Mookie’s good.”

Betts just laughed and kept talking. Ramirez’s style is familiar now, comfortable even, but Betts later admitted it took some getting used to.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Betts said. “But now we just know who he is, and you just kind of embrace it now.”

None of this is calculated, Ramirez insisted. Cranking the music pregame, making teammates laugh in- game, making a spectacle of himself postgame. In small doses, it seems like an act — Ramirez can appear aloof, hostile, even indifferent — but see enough subtle gestures and they start to make sense as something all together different.

Ramirez sees a team in need of a distraction, a teammate in need of a boost, or a clubhouse in need of a clown.

“In that moment, you know,” Ramirez said. “In that moment. In the game and in baseball, it’s hard to predict ahead of time all those little things. When things happen like that, you have to react right away. It’s not me. I think it’s God, you know, telling me what to do with those young guys and keep this team together.”

Ramirez was 21 when he made his big league debut with the Red Sox in 2005. He was traded that winter for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. He became a superstar in Florida, a big market acquisition in Los Angeles, and he came back to Boston in November 2014.

It had been nine years, almost to the day, since he left.

He’s now 34, the oldest player in the room until Dustin Pedroia comes back, and it’s clear Ramirez feels a mentor’s responsibility, especially with Devers, the youngest player on the team. Ramirez has been in those shoes. He sometimes acts like he’s still wearing them.

“I always liked the kid,” Cora said, of his former teammate and current No. 3 hitter. “I don’t want to say it’s Manny-like because you guys know how Manny went about his business, but he’s pretty close. It’s a process, starting in the mornings, and he goes through all this stuff to get ready at 7:05. That’s impressive, and I think people don’t realize that. They just see him out there and playing mean and playing mad. There’s a lot of players in the big leagues that they play that way, they have an attitude on the field and that’s their edge, but he takes pride every day to be ready at 7:05.”

Ramirez can be goofy. He can be intimidating. He can be disruptive. But every scowl is followed by a smile, every joke is eased with a hug, and every boast is satisfied with a trip to the cage or a session in the weight room.

“He’s a great person, you know,” Vazquez said. “Very humble. He likes to help everybody.”

“It’s pretty good to watch him doing like that all the time,” Rodriguez said. “I understand him. I know where he’s coming from.”

“He makes everybody kind of relaxed and what not,” Betts said. “He makes everybody comfortable. When we go play the game, he’s ready and kind of gets you ready. Just makes you relaxed and go have fun.”

With Ramirez, the volume is always turned up.

I’ve got this feeling that time’s just holding me down

I’ll hit the ceiling or else I’ll tear up this town

Now I gotta cut loose, footloose

*Associated Press

Yawkey Way signs come down outside Fenway Park

BOSTON -- New street signs have gone up on the road outside Fenway Park, formally dropping the name of a former Boston Red Sox owner over allegations that he was a racist who resisted signing black players.

The street had been known as Yawkey Way since 1977, honoring former owner Tom Yawkey. Under his ownership, the Red Sox were the last team in Major League Baseball to field a black player.

Boston city officials voted last week to have the street revert to its original name, Jersey Street. Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh told the Boston Globe the signage was changed early morning Thursday to minimize traffic disruptions.

A charity named for Yawkey has requested the signs and plaques honoring him. The group opposed the name change, saying it was based on a "false narrative."