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The Boston Red Sox Friday, May 7, 2021 * The Boston Globe Red Sox’ high-scoring win over Tigers shows how much work they need to do Julian McWilliams A four-run eighth inning saved the Red Sox from what would have been their worst series loss of the season Thursday, as they pulled out a 12-9 win over the Tigers at Fenway Park. The Tigers, the worst team in baseball, had the Red Sox on the ropes, leading, 9-8, in the bottom of the eighth. With Rafael Devers at first after reaching on an error, Detroit reliever Alex Lange fanned both Marwin Gonzalez and Hunter Renfroe. But after Kevin Plawecki negotiated a two-out walk, manager Alex Cora called on Christian Vázquez to pinch hit. Vázquez worked the count full, then he stung a 97-mile-per-hour heater down the third base line for a single that tied the game. The next batter, Franchy Cordero, hit a slow tapper that Tigers third baseman Jemeir Candelario couldn’t handle, allowing pinch runner Christian Arroyo to come home with the go-ahead run. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and Alex Verdugo’s single up the middle scored them both. “It’s a big league win,” Cora said. “And you’ve got to take them. We have to address a lot of stuff. We know that we’ve been saying that over the course of the first month. And for us to get to where we want to go, we have to be a lot better. Today was a reminder.” Despite the Red Sox’ 19-13 record, which leads the American League East, this series highlighted some of their deficiences. The pitching staff allowed 22 runs over the three games. That’s against a Tigers offense that ranked 28th in runs entering Thursday’s game. The bullpen allowed 10 runs in the series. Nate Eovaldi allowed six runs (all earned) in his start on Thursday. Garrett Whitlock has proven to be human, surrendering four runs (three earned) in his last two appearances. That included a three-run homer in the 10th inning Wednesday, the deciding runs in the Tigers’ 6-5 win. Matt Andriese, who allowed just two earned runs in his first 12⅔ innings, has yielded four in his last three appearances. Franchy Cordero did break an 0-for-25 skid on Thursday, going 3 for 5 with a double, a positive sign in what has been a horrific start to his Red Sox career. “It was tough,” Cordero said through interpreter Bryan Almonte. “This is a hard game. If it was easy, then everyone would be able to do it. But I just kept working hard with the coaches. I spoke to a lot of my teammates.” Thursday’s game might represent a turning point for Cordero, whose teammates said he looked more confident at the plate. Nonetheless, the Red Sox lineup remains imbalanced, specifically the 6 through 9 spots in the batting order. In 476 plate appearances entering Thursday, that part of the order had just a .550 OPS (third-worst in the majors). Renfroe, Gonzalez, and Bobby Dalbec were a combined 1 for 13 Thursday with six strikeouts (each with two). Dalbec continues to sputter, but Cora said he’s going to stick with the rookie. “We just have to keep working with him,” Cora said. “At this level, it’s not that easy. And I know he was very successful last year. But we know that there’s still work to do. We’re going to keep working with him to get out of this.” The Sox on Friday night begin a four-game set against an Orioles team that swept them in three games at Fenway to start the season. Though the Red Sox returned the favor a week later at Camden Yards, the Orioles have proven to be a gritty bunch, playing roughly .500 baseball. Looking toward that series, Cora knows the Sox have to be more locked in, understanding what could happen if they aren’t. “The same way we were hot in April,” Cora said, “you can go the other way around, if we don’t keep working and keep getting better.” Will Kiké Hernández’s hamstring injury force the Red Sox to make a move? Julian McWilliams Kiké Hernández was removed from Thursday afternoon’s 12-9 win over the Tigers in the first inning because of right hamstring tightness. Hernández was hobbled after sliding into second base for a double. That left Christian Vázquez as what appeared to be the only position player on the bench, with Christian Arroyo sidelined because of a left hand contusion. Arroyo did, however, pinch run in the eighth inning, and he played second base in the ninth. In Hernández’s case, it could mean a stint on the injured list, though manager Alex Cora hoped to know more soon. later on Thursday evening or Friday. “[Kiké] thought it was probably a cramp in the beginning,” Cora said. “But then he felt it was more than a cramp. I don’t know how serious it is. We’ll talk about it. And obviously we’ll stay away from him tomorrow.” Michael Chavis, who started the season in Triple A Worcester, was added to the taxi squad, and could be a power threat for a Red Sox lineup that has struggled at the bottom of the order. Chavis wasn’t in the WooSox lineup for Thursday’s game against Trenton. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said recently that the team will still carry a taxi squad for road games, even with the minor league season under way. When the Red Sox traveled to Baltimore last month, Chavis was part of the taxi squad. “I can play third, second, first, left field, anywhere,” Chavis said during a Zoom call Thursday. “If it gets me in the lineup, I’m going to be happy. That’s what my goal is at the end of day, is just to be in the lineup playing baseball. So, if my versatility gives me a better opportunity then 100 percent that’s something I’m going to embrace and look forward to doing. I’ll be ready, whenever my opportunity shows up.” Catcher Jett Bandy likely will be a part of the taxi squad. Running wild Opponents have been utilizing the run game against the Red Sox, and catchers Vázquez and Kevin Plawecki haven’t been successful at taming it. Vázquez has allowed 13 stolen bases. Meanwhile, teams have swiped 11 bags out of 12 against Plawecki, including two on Thursday. In the three games against the Tigers,Red Sox yielded seven stolen bases. Vázquez and Plawecki have incorporated the one-knee-down stance behind the plate. It is supposed to help catchers frame pitches (especially those near the bottom of the zone). Yet Cora doesn’t believe that is the reason why teams have had so much success against Sox catchers on the basepaths. “I know a lot of people think that they’re running because of that. But [Plawecki] threw 1.9 [pop time] vs. Seattle,” Cora said. “It’s one of the best throws the last two years. So, we like it.” Pop time represents the time elapsed from the pitch hitting the catcher’s mitt to the moment the fielder is projected to receive the catcher’s throw. The Red Sox believe the one-knee-down catcher’s stance helps in all aspects and are adamant about keeping it as a part of their game plan. As it pertains to throwing out runners, Cora said the Sox are working to improve. “With the running game, they’ve been very aggressive,” Cora said of the Tigers. “Something they haven’t done the whole season. But we’ll be prepared. We’ll keep working on it.” Pujols fan Xander Bogaerts, who played his 1,000th major league game on Thursday, said he came up through the Red Sox system idolizing Albert Pujols, who was released by the Angels. “I remember when I was in Greenville, I used to hit like Pujols, his batting stance,” Bogaerts said. “Obviously, at that time he was definitely in his prime. He’s had such an amazing career and my batting stance was like him for a period of time.” From 2001-11 with the Cardinals, Pujols hit .328 with a .420 on-base percentage, 445 home runs, a .617 slugging percentage, and a whopping 1.037 OPS. His run in St. Louis included two World Series titles, three National League MVPs, and two Gold Gloves. While he reached many milestones as a member of the Angels from 2012-21, including 3,000 hits, Pujols never came close to duplicating his previous level of production, making just one All-Star team. In 92 plate appearances this season, Pujols hit .198 with five homers. “He’s had a tremendous career,” Bogaerts said. “It’s just sad what happened over there. I don’t know all the details, but it’s definitely really sad.” Workman signed The Red Sox announced that they have signed Brandon Workman to a minor league deal. Workman was drafted by the Sox in the second round in 2010. The righthanded reliever made his major league debut in 2013 and was a part of the big league roster for parts of six seasons. In 2019, Workman had a breakout season, posting a 1.88 ERA to go along with 104 strikeouts in 71⅔ innings. The Sox traded Workman in August 2020 along with Heath Hembree to the Phillies for pitchers Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold, each of whom have made a significant impression within the organization.

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