sign in sign up
<<
Home , 1953 Worcester tornado, Andy Freed, Ben Mondor, Bill Salkeld, Bob Socci, Brandon Workman

The Red Sox Friday, May 7, 2021

*

Red Sox’ high-scoring win over Tigers shows how much work they need to do

Julian McWilliams

A four- eighth 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 .

The Tigers, the worst team in , had the Red Sox on the ropes, leading, 9-8, in the bottom of the eighth.

With at first after reaching on an , Detroit reliever Alex Lange fanned both Marwin Gonzalez and . But after negotiated a two-out walk, called on Christian Vázquez to pinch .

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, , hit a slow tapper that Tigers Jemeir Candelario couldn’t handle, allowing pinch runner to come home with the go-ahead run.

A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and ’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 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. , who allowed just two earned runs in his first 12⅔ , 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 , 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 were a combined 1 for 13 Thursday with six (each with two). Dalbec continues to sputter, but Cora said he’s going to stick with .

“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 , 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 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 likely will be a part of the taxi squad.

Running wild

Opponents have been utilizing the run game against the Red Sox, and 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 ’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 titles, three 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 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 to the Phillies for and , each of whom have made a significant impression within the organization.

The Red Sox have assigned Workman to Triple A.

Xander Bogaerts, 1,000 games into his Red Sox career, is more valuable than ever

Alex Speier

Two moments in the 1,000th game of Xander Bogaerts’s career illuminated the ’s enormous significance to the Red Sox.

In the bottom of the fourth inning of a 12-9 win over the Tigers on Thursday, Bogaerts fell behind in the count, 0 and 2, against lefthanded reliever Tyler Alexander. Alexander opted for a cutter, which Bogaerts crushed off his left shin, crumpling to the ground.

“I hit it square on the barrel,” said Bogaerts. “[But] I knew I wasn’t going to come out.”

He never does. Bogaerts, after all, played 148 games in 2017 despite the fact that he couldn’t hold the bat with two hands for roughly five out of six months that season.

“He doesn’t take days off,” said Christian Vázquez.

Bogaerts plays every day and he plays hurt. He ranks 11th in the majors in games since his big league debut, and most of the players ahead of him are first basemen. Only one other player (Brandon Crawford) has been as durable as Bogaerts in the middle infield.

Bogaerts is driven to play hurt because he believes he can contribute. Such was the case on Alexander’s next pitch, when Bogaerts showcased another of his distinguishing abilities, staying on a changeup just off the ground and flicking a run-scoring single to shallow center.

Those incredible hands offered Bogaerts a chance of survival at the start of his career, when he was overmatched by big league pitchers and uncertain of his future. He spent half of the 2014 season overwhelmed, hitting .143 with a .395 OPS in a 60-game stretch while hearing mounting calls for his demotion.

“I definitely had a bumpy road,” he recalled. “I remember getting booed in 2014 and I was so young. I was like, ‘What the hell are these people booing me for? I’m just 21.’ ”

Bogaerts silenced the boos by adapting, learning to use elite hand-eye coordination to throw the bat on the ball and use the entire field. In 2015, those skills translated to a .320 average and his first Silver Slugger Award.

Yet while he hit for average from 2015-17, Bogaerts was largely overshadowed — whether by peers at shortstop (Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor) or more prominent teammates (Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and , among others). Yet he had not plateaued.

Bogaerts, with encouragement from new manager Alex Cora, emerged as a power-hitting force in 2018, a middle-of-the-order presence whose .539 slugging percentage ranks second among over the last four years. He has steadily ranked among the most valuable players in the game, including a 2021 campaign in which he’s hitting .356/.402/.593.

Baseball insiders understand his value. Yet his national reputation has not equaled his production.

“He’s just a steady force,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. “He’s grown to be one of the more underappreciated shortstops certainly in the American League … Maybe it’s because he’s hitting behind a J.D. Martinez type. He’s just kind of in the shadows. He can sneak up on you as a very, very good player in the league.

“It’s substance over style … He’s just very comfortable with who he is. He doesn’t try to really do too much, doesn’t try to sit in the spotlight. He just shows up and does his job, gets a couple hits, makes all the plays, does it with a smile on his face. He’s a really remarkable player.”

Within the Red Sox, there is no question about Bogaerts’s stature. He is beloved, and the respect he’s earned has cultivated a commanding presence that was also on display on Thursday.

In the sixth inning, with the Red Sox trailing, 7-6, Bogaerts coaxed a walk to load the bases. As Bogaerts headed to first, he turned to on-deck hitter Rafael Devers.

“Come on!” Bogaerts appeared to shout, exhorting his teammate. Devers hit a first-pitch, two-run single to put the Red Sox back on top.

That moment, too, spoke to his evolution. When Bogaerts arrived in the big leagues as a 20-year-old in 2013, four years after signing with the team out of Aruba, he was cautious and quiet on a veteran-laden team that won the World Series. Now, he is the veteran possessor of two rings, and the message delivered to Devers offered a small window into the leadership role Bogaerts has assumed at age 28.

“He learned right away what it’s all about to play in this market, this city, this stadium, for this franchise. He doesn’t take a day for granted,” said Cora. “He’s not as vocal or loud as Dustin [Pedroia] … but he’s always ready. He’s always prepared. He has helped me also off the field.”

To illustrate, Cora jokingly cited an example from Wednesday, when his 3-year-old twin sons — Xander and Isander — refused to eat breakfast.

“They love Xander Bogaerts,” said Cora. “So I called Xander and said, ‘Tell them what they have to do.’ He said, ‘Hey, you guys have to eat.’ They crushed breakfast. It was amazing.”

Yet the joke was meant to reinforce the broader point: Bogaerts has been a franchise cornerstone for 1,000 games across nine seasons. He’s in a select club — one of 30 Red Sox to play 1,000 games with the franchise, and one of nine to do so before turning 29 — whose exclusivity signals the shortstop’s importance.

“I’ve really learned to appreciate him,” said Cora. “We’ve got a lot of kids out there that we love — Carlos and Francisco, Javy [Báez]. But I’m happy that my shortstop is Xander Bogaerts. Hopefully he can play here for a long, long time.”

He already has played in Boston for a long, long time — with Thursday’s milestone allowing Bogaerts a chance to step back and appreciate all that has happened and all that he has become within the only organization he’s ever known.

“To play 1,000 games in an organization you have to be productive and be a guy that pretty much they can rely on,” said Bogaerts. “I’m happy to be the player that I’ve become.”

NESN’s team is happily back at Fenway — but what about going on the road again?

Dan Shaughnessy

You watch the Red Sox on TV and hear the commentators, and it warms you knowing that Dave O’Brien, , and are ensconced in the broadcast booth at Fenway Park, describing what is unfolding on the great green lawn below. In the tradition of , , , , Sean McDonough, and , they are your eyes and ears. They are your boots on the ground at Fenway.

Except during the COVID-19 era, when the Sox broadcasters have been bunkered in Watertown, watching monitors, trying to describe the action unfolding at Fenway or in Fort Myers, Baltimore, and Arlington, Texas.

Red Sox broadcasters have been faking it since July of 2020. They have described the action while they sat in a studio 6 miles from Jersey Street. Out of the dreaded (and necessary) Abundance of Caution, the announcers were not at Fenway when they told you Christian Vázquez just made a great snap throw to first base. It’s been largely the same with most games you’ve watched in most sports over the last year.

But it’s changing. For the first time since September of 2019, O’Brien, Remy, and Eckersley returned to Fenway for the Sox-Tigers series this week.

“It was kind of strange,” Remy said after his initial return to the park Tuesday. “I hadn’t been there in over a year. And it was like a ghost town. Very strange to see just a few fans in the ballpark. That’s what it was like when I was a kid and you could walk in and go down and sit in a box seat. That’s what it was like all those years Yaz played here before 1967.”

“The park was so stiff and quiet,” added Eckersley. “There was nobody really around. It reminded me of when I played in Cleveland in 1975. That’s what the park was like back then.

“But in this case, we were all so glad just to be back. Once the game starts, it’s like you never left. I get fired up no matter what. That’s just how I am.”

“And being in the ballpark gives you energy, just like having fans there gives the players energy. It gets me going. It’ll be better when there’s 35,000 fans, but this is still better than being in the studio looking at the wall.”

“It’s surreal being back at the ballpark,” said O’Brien. “Now we’re not just watching TV. We’re seeing a live pitch. It’s right there beneath you instead of on a monitor. It’s been wonderful.”

O’Brien has the toughest job when the broadcasters work from Watertown. Watching on TV, it’s not easy telling viewers whether the ball off the bat is bound for the Monster Seats … or the left fielder.

“Home runs are the toughest thing, particularly at Fenway,” said O’Brien. “The outfielder usually tells you, but when you are in the studio, you don’t usually see him right away. And then we’ve got the Pesky Pole, and you need to be at the park to see if balls hit down there are going to stay fair. I have no fighting chance if I am doing it on the monitor. At least when I’m at the park, I have a 50-50 chance.

“When we did our first game here Tuesday, I knew every homer was gone as soon as it left the bat. It was a shock, like, ‘Wow, I can identify that without having to wait.’ ”

Fans have hardly noticed the difference — a detail that has gotten the attention of broadcast outlets mindful of cutting costs. ESPN has taken notice. Naturally, NESN is no different. If fans can’t tell whether the broadcasters are on-site, why spend bundles to send them on the road all season?

O’Brien knows many of his viewers can’t tell the difference.

“I have smart friends who are baseball fans,” he said, “and after the Sox played that series in Texas, they’d ask me, ‘What was Texas like? Were people wearing masks?’ So many of the fans think we are actually there.”

“I totally get that,” said Remy. “I really couldn’t tell when I was watching games. I think most of the fans know what we have been doing and you really can’t tell unless someone says something to tip it off.”

“That happened earlier this year,” said O’Brien “The Sox were, I think, in Minnesota and we were doing the game and somebody said, ‘ dropped by with doughnuts for everybody today,’ and folks who thought we were in Minnesota must have been thinking, ‘Wait — Rice went all the way to Minnesota to bring them doughnuts? What a great guy.’ ”

O’Brien, Remy, and Eckersley were back at Fenway for Thursday’s matinee finale with the Tigers, but they will return to the Watertown studio when the Sox play in Baltimore this weekend. Returning to the road probably isn’t going to happen this year.

Maybe never?

“I wouldn’t mind,” said Remy. “Doing it this way is beautiful. I don’t know if we’ll ever travel again and I don’t see any need for it. We’ve got everything we need. I’m loving this. Sleeping in my own bed. Doing it this way is beautiful. I hate the road. I’m done with the road.”

“This has worked out great for Jerry, who wasn’t going to go out anyway,” said Eckersley. “I have no problem if we don’t go back.

“Not traveling would have saved me a lot of headaches a few years ago. [ verbally accosted Eckersley on a team charter in 2017.] I wasn’t even supposed to be on that [expletive] trip in the first place.

“Now that we’ve been able to do it the way we’ve been doing it, you can argue that we’re not missing anything anyway. For the most part, the fans don’t know the difference whether we’re there or not.”

“We’ve proven we can do it remotely,” said O’Brien. “But I want to be there. We can serve the fans better if we are there. It’s been hard to do the same way, and that’s why it’s such a joy to be back.

“I still miss the little things like not being able to go in the clubhouse and talk to players and the manager and all that stuff. But just driving back to Fenway and seeing how beautiful it is and how green the grass is, I missed all that. It’s been great to be back at Fenway this week.”

* The

Red Sox survive wild and ugly 12-9 win over Tigers

Steve Hewitt

The Red Sox never made it easy on themselves this week against the worst team in baseball, but they’ll take the series victory and run with it to their plane to Baltimore.

Even if on Thursday, they didn’t totally deserve it.

In a game that neither team seemed to want to win, a four-hour, 13-minute slog rich with errors, wackiness and overall bad baseball, the Red Sox simply committed fewer mistakes and finally executed when it mattered most. They practically begged the Tigers to take the game, but the visitors refused as the Red Sox — battered, bruised and limping as they are — escaped with a wild and ugly 12-9 victory at Fenway Park to take two out of three.

In all combined, 21 runs were scored — only 13 of which were earned — with 30 hits, six errors, three wild pitches and even a balk. It was an act of survival for the Red Sox, who avoided further embarrassment against a struggling Tigers team that owns the worst record in the majors.

“It’s a big league win,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You’ve got to take it. …

“That wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it. We won two out of three. And now we move on.”

It certainly wasn’t pretty, and the Red Sox got lucky, too. After jumping out to an early lead, they lost it and ultimately needed to retake the lead three more times to win it.

Rafael Devers had two errors, and the second one ended up costing them a game-tying run in the seventh. Then the normally reliable Matt Andriese came on in the eighth and committed a balk that led to the Tigers scoring a go-ahead run to make it 9-8. But somehow, the Tigers were even more incompetent and allowed the Red Sox to take it from them.

Needing to rally again, Devers opened the eighth by reaching on an error. Hunter Renfroe and Marwin Gonzalez followed with strikeouts, but the Tigers couldn’t get out of their own way. And Christian Vazquez, the only remaining player on the bench, was called on to pinch hit with runners on first and second and somehow got a piece of an inside fastball, poking it through for a game-tying single.

“I was trying to put it in play,” Vazquez said.

That helped finally ignite the Red Sox, who have failed to put teams away lately. Franchy Cordero, who finally broke out of his slump with three hits, reached on another Tigers error that scored the go-ahead run. An ensuing wild pitch then moved runners up to second and third before Alex Verdugo put the game away with a two-run single to center.

“Like I said before, I think this is a group that is very special because we never quit,” Vazquez said. “I think we stay in the game no matter what happens, we’re down or close games. I think we’re in the game all the time. It’s fun to watch.”

Adam Ottavino closed out the ninth to mercifully complete the victory, an important one as they avoided what would have been a rough blow to lose back-to-back series to the sub-.500 Rangers and then the lowly Tigers.

“We know we’re all about winning series and yesterday it slipped away from us,” Xander Bogaerts said. “I know today coming in, the mindset was definitely get that win and end the series on a good note, especially playing at home. We know we haven’t been playing as well at home so coming out the last game of the homestand before we go out on a quick turnaround, it was definitely nice to win this one.

“It wasn’t a pretty one. It wasn’t our prettiest win of the year but we showed fight, we showed grit.”

The Red Sox could breathe a sigh of relief after Thursday’s win, but they know they’ve been walking a tightrope over the last week.

After staying mostly healthy throughout the season, some guys are getting banged up. Their bullpen has been a mess. Timely hitting has been an issue. Though they’ve maintained their lead in the , the Red Sox can only hang on to their dominant April for so long until necessary improvements are made.

“We have to address a lot of stuff, we know that, we’ve been saying that,” Cora said. “Over the course of the first month, for us to get to where we want to go, we have to be a lot better and today was a reminder that, yeah, we have a good team. We know where we’re at, we know how many wins we’ve got but at the same time, we must keep working because the same way when we were hot in April it can go the other way around if we don’t keep working and getting better.”

Franchy Cordero finally ends slump with three-hit day in Red Sox win: ‘Good to see him smile’

Steve Hewitt

Franchy Cordero started Thursday on the bench and mired in a frustrating slump that had lasted nearly three weeks. But by the end of the day, the left fielder finally had a reason to celebrate.

After going hitless in 25 consecutive at-bats, Cordero was called upon as an injury substitute and helped lift the Red Sox in their wild 12-9 victory over the Tigers. He went 3-for-5, his first hits since April 19, contributed to the Red Sox’ game-winning run in the eighth as he reached on an error and even came up with some big plays defensively.

“Good to see him smile, contribute,” manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not easy, hitting at this level is not easy. People think that he’s not putting work, but he’s been putting work and he was aggressive right away. I think that gave him confidence. He got the hits and he made contact when it matters at the end. He hustles all the time, which is great. He put pressure on their defense and we were able to score.”

It was hard to justify keeping Cordero in the lineup and even keeping him on the big-league roster as his skid continued. But when Kiké Hernandez suddenly had to leave the game in the first inning on Thursday due to hamstring tightness, Cordero was ready.

Maybe it was because he didn’t have much time to think. But either way, Cordero made an instant impact, ripping an RBI double down the right-field line in his first at-bat that had his teammates and coaches excited in the dugout. He recorded two more hits, both singles, to match his career high with three, and also made a shoestring catch in left to end a Tigers threat in the sixth.

Cordero’s contributions were a long time coming, and it wasn’t without some major help from his coaches. He even credited on helping him find his swing again.

“it was tough. This is a hard game. If it was easy then everybody would be able to do it. I just kept working. I was working hard with the coaches, spoke to a lot of the guys, a lot of my teammates came up to me and would try to give me some advice as well. Coaches such as Varitek, he came up to me and spoke to me about hitting. Just everyone. It was a team effort in trying to get me right and I’m just happy that I was able to have a good game today.” …

Cora was unsure about the severity of Hernandez’s injury, but knew he would be out for Friday’s opener in Baltimore.

Hernandez pulled his hamstring as he led the bottom of the first with a double. At first, he thought it was just a cramp but after advancing to third base on a ground out, it was clear to Cora that he couldn’t continue.

“I don’t know how serious it is,” Cora said. “I haven’t had too much time to talk to (trainer) Brad (Pearson). But we’ll talk about it and obviously we’ll stay away from him tomorrow. We’ll have more later on or (Friday).”

Xander Bogaerts becomes 30th Red Sox player with 1,000 career games

Jason Mastrodonato

Not every player is still improving when he hits the 1,000-game milestone, but Xander Bogaerts is an exception.

Bogaerts appeared in his 1,000th big league game on Thursday afternoon, when the Red Sox beat the Tigers, 12-8.

“It definitely means a lot,” he said. “I know for sure I came a long way since the day I signed and growing up as a kid just trying to learn to play the game and be successful and get to the big leagues. Now I have quite some time and quite an amount of games which is pretty impressive for a little kid who was just trying to get to the big leagues from Aruba. I’m extremely proud of myself and I’m thankful everyone who helped me.”

He’s the 30th player in Red Sox history to appear in 1,000 games with the club, and just the 10th to reach 1,000 games before his 29th birthday.

“I do believe he’s the most consistent person in this organization,” manager Alex Cora said. “I mean, off the field, on the field, physically, what he does in the offseason, the way he takes care of himself during the season. The way he goes about his business. Everything is about winning for him. I know when he came here in 2013, he got a taste, he got a ring, but that was a special group.

“He learned right away what it’s all about play in this market, this city, this stadium, for this franchise. He doesn’t take a day for granted. He’s not as vocal or loud as Dustin (Pedroia) as far as, like, getting dressed at 5:30 p.m. in case they move the starting time a half hour, but he’s always ready. He’s always prepared.”

Bogaerts made his debut as a scrawny 20-year-old in August, 2013, and was supposed to be a backup in the postseason. But after struggled in the against the Rays, Bogaerts ended up taking over at third base and hit .296 with a .412 on-base percentage and .893 OPS through the Sox’ title run.

“I started off pretty good, winning the World Series my first year,” he said. “I know the next year after that I kind of went through a rough stretch. So you really appreciate … I remember getting booed in 2014 and I was so young. I was like, ‘What the hell these people booing me for? I’m just 21.’ I’ve learned a lot throughout the years. I definitely have to give a lot of thanks to my family. It’s been so special to accomplish all of these things with everyone in my family that were a huge part of my life and part of my baseball trajectory, being able to see it. I’m very thankful for them, to start with.”

He enters his 1,000th game with a career .291 average, .810 OPS and 124 home runs.

Bogaerts is under a team-friendly contract for at least two more years, but can opt out after the 2022 season.

Red Sox sign former closer Brandon Workman, assign him to Triple-A Worcester

Jason Mastrodonato

Brandon Workman, who won two World Series titles with the Red Sox, is coming back.

The Red Sox announced Thursday that they signed Workman to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Worcester.

Workman shined as a closer under Alex Cora in 2019, when he saved 16 games with a 1.88 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 71-2/3 innings. But he struggled last year and was eventually traded to the Phillies with Heath Hembree in the deal that brought Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold to Boston.

Workman signed with the Cubs this winter but was released last week after posting a 6.75 ERA in eight innings.

Red Sox have tough decision to make with struggling Bobby Dalbec

Jason Mastrodonato

The baseball gods must’ve been crying on Thursday afternoon, as the Red Sox and Tigers wrapped up a three-game series that was one of the ugliest displays of the sport we’ve seen this year.

There were six errors in the game, 12 in the series, and the Sox won the finale, 12-8, thanks to a routine dribbler to third base.

A slow, bouncing ball that could’ve been fielded cleanly by anyone with a few weeks of baseball experience was bobbled by Jeimer Candelario for his second error of the game as the go-ahead run crossed home plate.

But that wasn’t even the weirdest thing about this game.

How about pulling your hulking, 6-foot-4, 227-pound slugging first baseman with two men on, two outs and your team behind one run so that your catcher could step up to the plate instead?

This isn’t how baseball was intended to be played.

Obviously, Sox manager Alex Cora made the right decision to remove Bobby Dalbec and replace him with Christian Vazquez with the game on the line. Dalbec looks about as lost as a freshman on the first day of high school, while Vazquez is one of the best contact hitters the Red Sox have.

Sure enough, Vazquez delivered a single up the middle to tie the game, then the Sox went ahead on Candelario’s unforgivable mistake.

It ended in a series win for the Red Sox, who narrowly avoided losing two straight series to a pair of last- place teams in the Rangers and Tigers.

There are questions to be asked about why the Red Sox keep lowering themselves to their competition. How can a team that looked impressive against supposed contenders like the Rays, Twins, White Sox and Mets also find themselves playing Little League games against the Rangers and Tigers?

Cora put it simply: “We have to address a lot of stuff. We know that. We’ve been saying that.”

Is there anywhere else to start but first base?

We keep waiting for that one at-bat to save Dalbec from his miserable season and get him on the right path. This is the same guy who hit eight homers in 23 games last year and led the Grapefruit League with seven homers this spring.

He went 0-for-4 on Thursday, left seven men on base and his final moment of the game was walking back toward the dugout with his bat in one hand because the manager had replaced him in favor of the catcher.

If there ever was a time to instill confidence in a struggling rookie, letting him hit for himself in that situation might’ve been it. But what was Cora to do, sacrifice his best chance at winning a baseball game just for Dalbec’s confidence?

“Right now, he’s in one of those stretches where he’s really struggling,” the skipper said.

Cora implied that the decision to pinch-hit for him was so obvious he didn’t need to talk to Dalbec about it after the game.

“We don’t have to talk to him about that,” he said. “It’s just the game dictating what we do. … They all understand how it works. We use everybody.”

Dalbec’s average is now .174 and his OPS is at .507.

Entering the game, the Red Sox ranked 26th in production from first base with a .570 OPS.

This is coming from a position that’s supposed to be one of the premier offensive positions in baseball. Offensive numbers are down this year, but over the last 10 years, first basemen typically have an OPS somewhere between .745 and .815, about 300 points higher than what the Sox are getting from Dalbec.

“Actually, the last swing he took wasn’t that bad,” Cora said, trying to find the silver lining. “You’ve just got to keep working with him. At this level, it’s not that easy. I know that he was very successful last year, but we know that there’s still work to do.”

Marwin Gonzalez has played outstanding defense at every position, but he isn’t the answer at first base either. is a question mark, but surely couldn’t be this bad. And hey, why not? Let’s take a second to remember that one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Albert Pujols, is suddenly a free agent and available to play for the league minimum salary after the Angels released him on Thursday.

The Red Sox have options. They don’t need to stick with Dalbec. They simply need to decide whether they’re helping or hurting Dalbec’s confidence and long-term development by letting him continue to look out-matched in the big leagues.

“Honestly, those conversations, we always talk about our players and what’s best for them,” Cora said. “Right now, he’s been playing a lot of first base. He’s been playing a lot. We’re going to keep helping him out to get out of this.

“Obviously people see the slump and they start thinking about the minor leagues, but right now, just keep giving him confidence and giving him at-bats and see where it takes us.”

* The Providence Journal

A WIN IS A WIN: Red Sox survive back-and-forth game, 12-9

Steve Cumming

Just when you think baseball has run out of ways to surprise us, along comes Thursday’s series finale between the Red Sox and Tigers at Fenway Park.

Boston had the lead, lost it and eventually took it back. Franchy Cordero, mired in an 0-for-25 slump, came off the bench to pound out his first three hits since April 14.

Matt Andriese was the winning despite allowing three hits and balking in the top of the eighth inning.

Delete the recording of this one and look away. Consult the standings in the American League East — they'll show the Red Sox still at the top after a 12-9 triumph.

Cordero’s booted bouncer to the left side plated the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Detroit pitcher Gregory Soto cut in front of third baseman Jeimer Candelario to cause one of the game’s six errors. It’s the type of play made by a team that’s now lost 18 of its last 21.

“For all the ugly stuff that happened today, at the end, we got a big-league win,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Those are hard to come by.”

Boston made things infinitely more difficult by challenging itself throughout the afternoon. couldn’t escape the top of the fifth, throwing just 79 pitches and allowing a 4-1 cushion to vanish. The Red Sox left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth with an 8-7 advantage and more than enough opportunity to tack on.

“It wasn’t a pretty one,” Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. “It wasn’t our prettiest game this year. We showed fight. We showed grit.

“We have some really good players on this team. We don’t have those big names but we have some good ballplayers on this team.”

Christian Vazquez’s tying single to left in the eighth and Alex Verdugo’s two-run single up the middle in the eighth were expected. Two hits apiece from Bogaerts, Devers and J.D. Martinez surprises nobody. Boston ultimately taking two out of three from the Tigers causes a minor raise of the eyebrows because it could have been — and likely should have been — a sweep.

Cordero’s sudden star turn was a stunner. Kiké Hernandez reported right hamstring tightness and could require further examination ahead of the weekend trip to Baltimore. The Red Sox already had Christian Arroyo ailing (left hand) and turned to Cordero as what felt like a last resort.

His afternoon couldn’t have gone better after so many previous that have gone wrong. Cordero ripped an RBI double down the line in right and lined a pair of singles to center. His lone in five at-bats was minimal compared to the 17 he totaled through his previous 36.

“Obviously, it was tough,” Cordero said through translator Bryan Almonte. “This is a hard game. If it was easy, everybody would be able to do it. I just kept working.

“I was working hard with the coaches. I spoke to a lot of guys. A lot of my teammates came up to me and would try to give me some advice as well.”

Cordero’s offseason trade from City was for a fan favorite in Andrew Benintendi. Playing with the Royals and San Diego didn’t expose him to the sort of market where intense everyday scrutiny would be common. Homegrown players like Bogaerts and Vazquez know nothing different after joining Boston’s organization as teenagers.

“Everyone here wants to win and wants you to be successful and productive to help the team,” Bogaerts said. “If you don’t do that, they’ll get on you about it. It was definitely a great day for him.”

“He’s a great kid,” Vazquez said. “He’s still learning. He’s young. I think he’s going to be good for us.

“He needs to continue to work and be confident like today. He looked confident and relaxed and swung at good pitches.”

The Red Sox departed for Camden Yards on a winning note thanks to an unlikely source. There is recognition of how much better they need to be. There’s also appreciation for where they currently stand.

“For us to get to where we want to go, we have to be a lot better,” Cora said. “Today was a reminder.

“We have a good team. We know where we’re at.”

Red Sox Journal: Hernandez joins list of hobbled players

Bill Koch

Kiké Hernandez is the latest Red Sox player to deal with a nagging injury.

The utility man left for a pinch runner in the bottom of the first inning against the Angels on Thursday. NESN reported Hernandez was suffering from right hamstring tightness.

Christian Arroyo (left hand contusion) was already out of the lineup and Alex Verdugo (lower back tightness) returned after missing Wednesday’s extra-inning loss against the Tigers. Franchy Cordero came on as a pinch runner for Hernandez and scored on a J.D. Martinez single.

“Everybody is available,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Obviously, we’ve got to be careful with Christian. We’ll see how he feels throughout the day, see what he can and cannot do, and we’ll go from there.”

Boston continues to carry a three-man bench and nine pitchers in the bullpen. The Red Sox could be forced to reevaluate their 26-man roster ahead of a four-game weekend trip to Baltimore beginning on Friday.

Hernandez doubled off the to start the afternoon matchup with Detroit at Fenway Park. He took third on an infield out and called for the Boston bench in the midst of Martinez’s at-bat. Cordero was installed at the top of the lineup and ended his 0-for-25 slump with an RBI double to right field in the bottom of the second.

Arroyo has been hit by pitches twice on the back of his left hand over the last two weeks. His most recent X-rays were negative, but it’s made hitting difficult. Arroyo left late in Wednesday’s defeat and Christian Vazquez saw some rare infield time as his replacement.

“It looked bad from the get-go when he left yesterday,” Cora said. “It’s pretty similar to last week. Hopefully he doesn’t miss too much.”

It was Varitek's idea

Kevin Plawecki is willing to share the credit with Jason Varitek.

The dugout laundry cart celebration employed by the Red Sox was hatched by a pair of catchers. Plawecki was new to the club in 2020 while Varitek was progressing toward an expanded role on the coaching staff as game planning coordinator. Boston staggered through more than two months of losing and COVID-19 protocols — moments of genuine joy were few.

Vazquez’s in a game at Tampa Bay changed the equation a bit. Varitek has suggested Plawecki find a way to keep his teammates loose on his off days. Inspiration came in the form of a cart in the third- base dugout at .

“[Varitek] was like, ‘Push him down the tunnel in this laundry cart,' " Plawecki said. “Here we are today still doing it.”

The Red Sox debuted their own custom model for recent home games. Home clubhouse manager Tom McLaughlin was contacted by an outside company looking to provide a cart that was more easily escapable for sluggers like Martinez.

“We put something together,” Plawecki said. “Here we are.”

Whitlock roughed up

Garrett Whitlock absorbed his first loss in the big leagues on Wednesday.

The right-hander allowed a three-run homer in the top of the 10th to Jeimer Candelario. Whitlock has allowed a round-tripper in back-to-back appearances after going untouched through his first 13⅓ innings.

“I was thinking getting ahead with a fastball, try to attack, maybe induce a ground ball,” Whitlock said. “He put a good swing on it.”

Whitlock was working on just two full days of rest, his shortest down period since debuting against the Orioles on April 4. He was pressed into action after Boston’s high-leverage options worked in Tuesday night’s victory and earlier in Wednesday’s game. Ideally, Cora would use Whitlock and Matt Andriese for multiple innings on something resembling regular rest.

“In a perfect world, whenever Garrett pitches, he goes multiple innings,” Cora said. “Whenever Matt pitches, he goes multiple innings. We would spread them out.

“But, as you know, it’s not a perfect world.”

Red Sox Journal: Hitting coach turns attention to Cordero, Dalbec

Steve Cumming

Tim Hyers rarely addresses his star pupils with the media.

The majority of the questions put to the Red Sox hitting coach in a given Zoom session focus on his strugglers. In this case, that’s Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec.

Cordero was back in the Red Sox lineup for Wednesday’s game against Detroit at Fenway Park. Dalbec was given the night off in the midst of an 0-for-20 skid.

“I think one is pitch selection,” Hyers said. “It’s what they’re swinging at.

“The thing we preach around here is swinging at your strengths and trying to be good at that. I think that first and foremost is what they’re trying to do.”

Cordero opened with a seven-game hitting streak, but he’s recorded just one hit since April 14. The outfielder entered 1-for-34 with 17 strikeouts in his last 38 plate appearances. Cordero’s only two extra- base hits were achieved in back-to-back games against the Rays on April 5 and 6.

“He’s got to lay off that high pitch and be able to flatten his swing out,” Hyers said. “Stay above it.”

Dalbec bashed eight home runs in just 92 plate appearances after debuting in 2020. He went deep in a 2-1 win at the Mets on April 27 — it's Dalbec’s lone home run of the season and his only hit in his last 28 plate appearances. The first baseman was on a good run prior to that, racking up a 1.022 OPS through 10 games.

“It’s kind of a shock to me,” Hyers said. “Coming out of , I felt the swing was going to allow him to put more balls in play.”

Hunter Renfroe has shown signs of life over his last three games, going 6-for-12 with two home runs and falling just a triple shy of the cycle on Tuesday. Boston’s offense on the whole leads the big leagues in average, slugging, OPS, doubles and extra-base hits. Criticism of individual hitters reads like nitpicking while the Red Sox top the American League East, but it is no less valid concerning trends that need correcting going forward.

“For me, it was a grind for 13 years offensively,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “I know it’s not that easy. You’ve just got to be patient.”

Valdez ready to go Phillips Valdez hasn’t pitched for the Red Sox since April 24.

Cora confirmed prior to Wednesday’s game there is no injury concern with the right-hander. Valdez is likely to have have mopped up late had Tuesday’s 11-7 victory over the Tigers remained a bit more lopsided.

“The game hasn’t called his name,” Cora said. “It’s nothing about him. He’s healthy.

“Yesterday, the way the game was going, he was going to finish the game. He was pitching two innings. It didn’t happen.”

Boston held a 9-3 lead in the top of the sixth when Austin Brice allowed a three-run homer to JaCoby Jones. That forced the Red Sox to activate their high-leverage options for the final nine outs. , Darwinzon Hernandez and — who fired 1⅔ innings for his seventh save — finished up.

“In the end, we won the game, which is the most important thing,” Cora said. “At the same time, it would have been perfect to go through that lineup three more times with no runs and give the guys a rest.”

Renfroe hits 100th

There was some negotiating ongoing in the grandstands late Tuesday night.

Renfroe’s home run above the Green Monster in the bottom of the fifth was the 100th of his career. The ball caromed back onto the playing field and Detroit’s Robbie Grossman threw it toward the patrons for a souvenir.

Red Sox staff members jumped into action quickly. Renfroe received what he believed to be the special ball prior to his postgame media briefing.

“I don’t know if it’s the right one or not but I got a ball,” Renfroe said. “They wrote 100 career homers. I don’t know if it’s the right one or not but we’ll see.”

Renfroe singled to right and cracked a ground-rule double to right prior to going deep. His first career hit occurred in a September 2016 game with the Padres, a single through the left side against the Giants at . Renfroe’s first career home run was hit two days later, a solo shot against former San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner.

“People who come in the league and stay in the league are the only guys who get to do that,” Renfroe said. “The guys who come in and go out — it's tough to get 100 home runs or 500 RBI or whatever.

“Any kind of milestone needs to be celebrated in baseball. I think it’s awesome.”

Bogaerts plays his 1,000th game with Sox

Bill Koch

Alex Cora had an important assignment for Xander Bogaerts early Wednesday morning.

The Red Sox manager’s twin sons wouldn’t eat their breakfast. Xander and Isander, precocious toddlers and baseball fans like their dad, required a little extra convincing from the Boston shortstop.

Cora placed a quick phone call to his de facto captain. Bogaerts delivered a message that was well- received. His ability to make a difference for Cora apparently isn’t limited to the diamond.

“I called Xander and said, ‘Hey, tell them what they have to do,’ " Cora said. “He was like, ‘Hey, you guys have to eat.’ And they crushed breakfast. It was amazing.

“I’ve really learned to appreciate him.”

Red Sox fans would almost certainly agree, and they helped Bogaerts celebrate a milestone on Thursday. The series finale with the Tigers at Fenway Park doubled as his 1,000th career game. Bogaerts is the 30th player to reach the mark with Boston and just the 10th to do so prior to his 29th birthday.

Club legends like , Jim Rice, and already belong to that second exclusive group. Bogaerts isn’t all that out of place early in the ninth different year he’s played in the big leagues. Hall of Fame enshrinement remains a lofty goal somewhere in the distance, but two World Series titles and several Red Sox records at his position have been secured.

“I do believe he’s the most consistent person in this organization,” Cora said. “Off the field, on the field, physically, what he does in the offseason, the way he takes care of himself during the season, the way he goes about his business — everything is about winning for him.”

Bogaerts was a top prospect who debuted in August 2013 as a 20-year-old. His first season ended with a championship, as Bogaerts collected five hits over six games against the Cardinals in October. The .320 batting average and 35 doubles he posted in 2015 established Bogaerts as a cornerstone piece for Boston moving forward.

“He learned right away what it’s all about to play in this market, in this city, in this stadium, for this franchise,” Cora said. “He doesn’t take a day for granted.”

The last Red Sox championship drive in 2018 saw Bogaerts morph into a power threat. His 45 doubles bettered his previous career high by 10, and Bogaerts slugged .522 — he finished at just .403 the previous season. The 23 homers he bashed jumped to 33 in 2019.

“I know a lot of guys around here look up to him and go to him for certain things,” Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki said. “He’s been a real treat to watch over the last year and a half or so.

“Every night, he seems to continue to impress. He’s a really fun player to watch and a fun guy to be around.”

Christian Vazquez is the lone current Boston player who has been on the 40-man roster longer than Bogaerts. That brings with it a certain status, as does the contract extension Bogaerts signed early in the 2019 season. His six-year, $120-million deal made it clear the Red Sox valued him as a major part of their club going forward.

Bogaerts seemed to take his new contract as an invitation to outwardly show more leadership. He’s become one of the go-to voices for media members seeking an explanation for a playoff drought now going on three years. Bogaerts also hasn’t been shy about offering a word of wisdom or two to Rafael Devers and Garrett Whitlock as they begin their respective careers in the big leagues.

“I’m happy my shortstop is Xander Bogaerts,” Cora said. “Hopefully, he can play here for a long, long time.”

Brandon Workman, Red Sox reunite on minor-league deal

Bill Koch

Brandon Workman is back with the organization who drafted him.

The Red Sox signed the right-handed reliever to a minor-league deal Thursday afternoon. Workman was assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

It’s the second stint with the organization for the 32-year-old, who was released by the Cubs last week. Workman was traded prior to the August 2020 deadline along with fellow right-hander Heath Hembree to the Phillies for right-handed starters Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold.

Workman was peppered in 10 appearances with Chicago, pitching to a 6.75 ERA. He allowed 12 hits and a pair of home runs in just eight innings. Opponents hit .333 against Workman, who walked seven and struck out 11.

Workman scuffled in seven appearances with Boston last season prior to the move to Philadelphia. He was hit hard with the Phillies, posting a 6.92 ERA in 14 games. Workman allowed 23 hits and walked nine in just 13 innings as Philadelphia missed out on a National League playoff berth.

Workman’s dominant 2019 season was his best as a professional to date. He eventually secured a role as the Red Sox closer thanks to a 1.88 ERA in 73 games. Workman went 10-1 with 15 holds, 16 saves and 104 strikeouts in just 71 2/3 innings. He allowed a lone home run and held opponents to a miniscule .123 average.

Workman was drafted 57th overall by Boston out of Texas in 2010. He won a pair of World Series rings with the club in 2013 and 2018. Workman was developed as a starter prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery and not appearing in the big leagues in 2015 or 2016.

Pivetta has claimed a place in the Red Sox rotation and enters his weekend start at Baltimore 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA. His 19 walks in 30 2/3 innings are a bit bothersome, but Pivetta has allowed just 21 hits and struck out 33. His 6.2 hits allowed per nine innings are a career best.

Seabold is on the minor league injured list with right elbow inflammation, but he’s expected to be in the rotation with the WooSox. The 25-year-old is the No. 7 player in the organization per SoxProspects.com and worked to a 2.24 ERA across three levels in 2019. Seabold spent the final month of last summer at the alternate site in Pawtucket.

Hembree went non-tendered by the Phillies after posting a 12.54 ERA in 11 games. He signed with the Reds and was recalled by Cincinnati in late April. Hembree has held opponents scoreless and hitless through five appearan5 2/3 innings, striking out seven.

Wednesday's loss was a Red Sox cry for help

Bill Koch

The Red Sox roster needs assistance.

Not next month. Not at the trade deadline in July.

Now.

Alex Verdugo (lower back tightness) and Christian Arroyo (left hand contusion) are both at less than full health. Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec are mired in slumps that add up to a combined 0-for-48. Austin Brice can’t be trusted to protect a six-run lead and Phillips Valdez hasn’t pitched in a game since April 24.

That’s the current state of affairs in Boston following Wednesday’s 10-inning loss to the lowly Tigers. Jeimer Candelario’s three-run homer to deep right gave Detroit a 6-5 victory, just its third in its last 20 games.

Garrett Whitlock absorbed his first defeat as a big leaguer in an unfamiliar spot. This was his first time working on just two full days of rest, and he did so in a true high-leverage situation. Jonathan Schoop won a 10-pitch battle with a bloop single to right and Candelario crushed a fastball to snap a 3-3 tie.

“It’s baseball,” Whitlock said. “That’s the best thing about it – you always get tomorrow.”

The Red Sox have developed a habit of fighting like a collection of junkyard dogs. Their collective culture seems to be healing after a corrosive 2020. But Boston isn’t dealing with a full-strength pack of Dobermans at the moment.

“We’re going to have to talk about it after tomorrow and see where we’re at physically,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll make decisions based on that.”

The Yankees have suddenly – and expectedly – roared to life in the American League East race. The Red Sox obviously weren’t anybody’s pick to run away and hide with the division crown. But their quick start didn’t portend all sorts of trouble with the likes of the Rangers and Tigers, either.

“We have a good team,” Wednesday starting pitcher Martin Perez said. “I know people say we’re not going to be good this year. I’m sorry for what I’m going to say, but we’re (bleeping) good.”

Perez is right. Parts of Boston’s club have been very good. The rotation has performed well, certain members of the lineup have been smoking the ball and Matt Barnes has been superb at the back end of the bullpen.

It’s the ancillary parts the Red Sox must address in short order. Cordero was lifted for a pinch hitter after just two plate appearances and remains stuck on one hit since April 14. Dalbec is in an 0-for-23 hole after lining to third base in the bottom of the 10th with the potential winning run aboard.

Boston turned to Whitlock thanks to some collateral damage from Tuesday’s 11-7 victory over the Tigers. Darwinzon Hernandez, Adam Ottavino and Barnes were all forced to work after Brice allowed a three-run homer with a 9-3 lead. His WHIP over the last four years now stands at 1.39, and it’s 1.63 through 30 appearances with the Red Sox – neither of those is a small sample.

Was this Boston team built to contend immediately? It’s open to debate. The Red Sox made several personnel moves designed to ensure extended control over members of their roster. Several of their contracts this offseason were one-year deals with club options for 2022, and that aligns with potential walk dates for the likes of Nathan Eovaldi and Xander Bogaerts.

The trade for Cordero from the Royals was another move made to build future depth. His additional year of arbitration control and $3 million in salary cut from the 2021 total being paid to Andrew Benintendi made financial sense for Boston. Mets right-hander Josh Winckowski and three players to be named later will help the Red Sox bolster their system, but it’s hard to see how anyone other than Cordero involved in that transaction was supposed to help Boston on the field over these next few months.

Christian Vazquez finished at second base and Marwin Gonzalez manned left field over the final three innings on Wednesday, a product of Arroyo’s forced removal and a bench that was shorter than expected. Bogaerts lined to left with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, a potential walkoff hit that died in the glove of a lunging Robbie Grossman. The Red Sox, for all their sore spots, nearly clinched a series victory ahead of Thursday’s afternoon finale.

It just felt harder than it could have been.

* MassLive.com

Franchy Cordero has 3 hits as battle back, beat Tigers, 12-9, in wild marathon; teams combine for 30 hits, 6 errors

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- The Red Sox only won Thursday’s matinee at Fenway Park because somebody had to.

Boston beat Detroit, 12-9, in a come-from-behind victory that featured 30 hits, six errors, three wild pitches and a balk in the span of four hours and 16 minutes. The Red Sox took two of three from the league-worst Tigers and improved to 19-13 on the year.

Franchy Cordero, who entered the day hitless in his last 25 at-bats, was on the bench to start the game. He entered in place of the injured Kiké Hernández (right hamstring tightness) in the first inning and proceeded to reach base four times -- three times on hits and again on a Jeimer Candelario error in the eighth inning that would allow the go-ahead run to score and put Boston up, 10-9.

In a game that featured four ties and six lead changes, the Red Sox battled back from deficits of 6-5 and 9- 8, with Christian Vázquez hitting a pinch-hit, two-out, game-tying RBI single off Alex Lange in the eighth. After Candelario’s error on a slow-roller allowed Christian Arroyo to score the go-ahead run, Alex Verdugo contributed two insurance runs to put the Red Sox up, 12-9.

With Nathan Eovaldi cruising early, the Red Sox took an early 2-0 lead on RBI hits by J.D. Martinez (RBI single) and Cordero (RBI double) before Akil Baddoo cut the lead in half with an RBI lineout in the third. Boston then stretched its lead to 4-1 on RBI singled from Rafael Devers and Kevin Plawecki in the third; Detroit tagged Eovaldi for three runs on four hits to tie it back up in the top of the fourth.

After a Xander Bogaerts RBI single briefly put the Red Sox ahead briefly at 5-4, the Tigers chased Eovaldi in the fifth and scored twice to make it 6-5. Eovaldi turned in one of his worst outings of the year, allowing six earned runs on seven hits in 4 ⅓ innings.

Detroit went up 7-5 on a Candelario RBI single in the sixth, but Boston battled back a half-inning later, taking the lead on a two-run single by Rafael Devers. The Tigers plated a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to go up 9-8 before Boston’s two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth. Adam Ottavino worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to record the save.

In total, six Red Sox hitters had multiple hits, with Devers driving in three runs and Verdugo and Martinez each driving in two apiece.

Hernández hurt

Hernández doubled to lead off the game then was replaced by a pinch-runner (Cordero) later in the inning. The Red Sox said Hernández was pulled with right hamstring tightness and manager Alex Cora said after the game that the club believes the injury might be more than a cramp. The Red Sox will have more information either Thursday night or Friday.

Devers has up-and-down-day

Devers was 2-for-5 with three RBIs -- including a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning -- but also made two errors in the win. In the fourth, he made a fielding error on a JaCoby Jones grounder. In the seventh, he made a costly throwing error that put two runners in scoring position for Victor Reyes, who then tied the game, 8-8, on an RBI groundout.

Orioles await at Camden Yards

The Red Sox will hit the road again starting Friday, when they’ll start their third series of the year against the Orioles. Baltimore swept Boston at Fenway Park on opening weekend but the Red Sox returned the favor a week later at Camden Yards. Here are the pitching probables:

Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET -- LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. RHP Matt Harvey

Saturday, 7:05 p.m. ET -- RHP vs. TBA

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET -- RHP Nick Pivetta vs. RHP Dean Kremer

Monday, 7:05 p.m. ET -- LHP Martín Pérez vs. RHP Jorge López

Boston Red Sox notebook: Bobby Dalbec’s slump (0-for-27) continues, Xander Bogaerts pays tribute to Albert Pujols; homers during rehab assignment

Chris Cotillo

Franchy Cordero’s slump has gotten the bulk of the attention in recent weeks, but Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec is also in an all-time rut. Dalbec, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Thursday’s win, is now hitless in his last 27 at-bats.

As of April 23, Dalbec was hitting .269 with a .718 OPS, but he’s now hitting just .174 with a .507 OPS. Despite his slide, manager Alex Cora doesn’t seem ready to vouch for a demotion to the minors.

“We know there’s still work to do,” Cora said. “Honestly, those conversations… we always talk about our players and what’s best for them. And right now, he has been playing a lot of first base, he has been playing a lot and we’re going to keep helping him out to get out of this. Obviously, people see the slump and they start thinking about the minor leagues but right now, it’s just keep giving him confidence, give him at-bats and see where it takes us.”

On Wednesday, hitting coach said Dalbec’s struggles stemmed from a combination of pitch selection and his mechanics. The slugger’s rough start to 2021 was unexpected after a torrid spring training in which he hit seven homers in 19 games and posted a 1.165 OPS.

“There have been periods where he has had big swing-and-miss numbers,” Hyers said. “I didn’t see it like this, getting off to the start he’s off to. It’s kind of a shock to me. Coming out of spring training, I felt the swing was going to allow him to put more balls in play. I know he’s working hard to work out a few of the kinks that are causing him to lose some posture and lose some lower-half stability.”

Hyers believes Dalbec’s slump will help him down the road.

“I think he’s got to grow and learn from it,” Hyers said. “I told him last night, when you get out of this, you’re going to look back in your career and you’re going to be able to learn so much through these times going through this storm, going through this time where you are struggling.

“‘You’re going to be able to help some other young players who are going through similar phases in their game and be able to help them and be that (leader),’” Hyers said.

Bogaerts reflects on 1,000th game

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts played in his 1,000th career game Thursday and took a moment to reflect on the milestone afterwards.

“It definitely means a lot,” Bogaerts said. “I know I came a long way form the day I signed. Growing up as a kid just trying to learn how to play the game, be successful and get to the big leagues. Now I have quite some time now and quite some amount of games which is pretty impressive from a little kid just trying to get to the big leagues from Aruba. I’m extremely proud of myself and I’m thankful for everyone who helped me, especially my family, for always being there for support throughout the good and the bad.”

Bogaerts became just the 30th player in Red Sox history to reach 1,000 games with the club but only the 10th to do so before turning 29 years old. He joined Bobby Doerr, , , , Jim Rice, George Scott, , Tris Speaker and Carl Yastrzemski with that feat.

“If you asked me if I would have imagined playing 1,000 games, I would have been like, ‘That’s a lot.’ I definitely will take it. For you to be able to play 1,000 games in an organization, you have to be productive and be a guy who, pretty much, they can rely on. I’m happy with the player I’ve become.”

Bogaerts honors Pujols

Bogaerts also took a moment to acknowledge Albert Pujols, who was designated for assignment by the Angels on Thursday. Bogaerts pointed to Pujols as an inspiration during his minor-league days.

“I remember when I was in (Single-A) Greenville, I used to hit like Pujols,” Bogaerts said. “His batting stance. Obviously, at that time, he was in his prime. He has had such an amazing career. My batting stance was like his for a period of time when I got up to Greenville.

“It’s definitely someone that you look up to,” he continued. “You just want to be the same good as him. It’s just a dream that you have, being as good as him. He has had a tremendous career. It’s sad, what happened over there. I don’t know all the details but that’s definitely real sad.”

Whitlock’s usage may vary

Rule 5 righty Garrett Whitlock pitched on two days rest Wednesday night, the first time he had pitched with fewer than four days rest so far this season. In the first 29 games of the year, Whitlock only threw seven times (14 ⅓ innings).

His role is still evolving, Cora said, but the preference is to have him toss multiple innings at a time.

“The beauty of our season, it seems like every game, we have a chance to win the game,” Cora said. “It gets to the point during the season where it’s a close game and you go to those guys. We feel really good about his stuff and how it plays with certain teams. In a perfect world, whenever Matt pitches, he goes multiple innings. Whenever Garrett pitches, he goes multiple innings and we spread them out. As you know, it’s not a perfect world.”

Whitlock gave up the game-winning, three-run homer to Jeimer Candelario on Wednesday night and was pretty dejected after the game. After starting his big-league career with 13 ⅓ scoreless innings, Whitlock has had two straight bumpy outings, allowing homers in each.

“It’s part of this. It’s part of being a big leaguer. You’re going to have good day and bad days,” Cora said. “He should be okay.”

“It’s baseball,” Whitlock said. “That’s the best thing about it is you always get tomorrow and like I said, I’m just thankful to be here so each time (Cora) gives me the ball, I’m going to go out and give it the best I can and try and help the team win.”

Santana homers for Greenville

Utility man Danny Santana, who is rehabbing his way back form a foot infection at High-A Greenville, was 3-for-4 with a home run Wednesday afternoon as the Drive beat Bowling Green, 7-5, in the first game of a doubleheader. Santana’s third-inning shot came off righty Jacob Lopez.

Orioles up next

The Red Sox will hit the road again starting Friday, when they’ll start their third series of the year against the Orioles. Baltimore swept Boston at Fenway Park on opening weekend but the Red Sox returned the favor a week later at Camden Yards. Here are the pitching probables:

Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET -- LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. RHP Matt Harvey

Saturday, 7:05 p.m. ET -- RHP Garrett Richards vs. TBA

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET -- RHP Nick Pivetta vs. RHP Dean Kremer

Monday, 7:05 p.m. ET -- LHP Martín Pérez vs. RHP Jorge López

Kiké Hernández injury: Boston Red Sox utility man leaves game with ‘more than a cramp’ in hamstring, IL stint possible

Chris Cotillo

Red Sox utility man Kiké Hernández might require a stint on the injured list after leaving Thursday’s game with right hamstring tightness, manager Alex Cora said following the game. Cora said the team hoped to know more about the severity of Hernández’s injury later Thursday or before Friday’s game in Baltimore but did not rule out an IL trip.

Hernández doubled off Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull to lead off the first inning in Boston’s 12-9 win but was lifted for pinch-runner Franchy Cordero while running the bases.

“He thought it was probably a cramp in the beginning, but then he felt it was more than a cramp,” Cora said. “I don’t know how serious it is. I haven’t had too much time to talk to (head athletic trainer) Brad (Pearson). But we’ll talk about it, and obviously we’ll stay away from him tomorrow. We’ll have more probably later on or tomorrow.”

If Hernández needs to go to the injured list, the Red Sox could call up Michael Chavis -- who was not listed on the lineup card for the WooSox on Thursday -- or turn to a non-40-man roster player like Yairo Muñoz. Hernández has primarily been playing center field for Boston, so Cordero and Hunter Renfroe would likely see increased playing time alongside Alex Verdugo if Hernández were to miss time. Christian Arroyo, who pinch-ran and played defense Thursday after being held out of the lineup with a left hand contusion, would likely see more time at second base.

The Red Sox have largely avoided injuries all season but have gotten a bit banged up in the last 24 hours, with Verdugo (scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with back tightness), Arroyo (removed Wednesday after being hit by a pitch) and Hernández all dealing with ailments. It’s currently unclear if the Red Sox will make any roster moves before opening a four-game series at Camden Yards on Friday.

“We should be okay… this is a grind of 162 (games),” Cora said. “It’s not a 60-game season. Teams go through this. You’ve got to be smart about how you maneuver your roster.

“That’s the beauty of 162,” he said. “We do believe our roster is deep enough to survive these stretches.”

Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero receives advice from Jason Varitek, teammates, breaks out of 0- for-25 slump with 3 hits

Christopher Smith

Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero wasn’t in the starting lineup Thursday, but manager Alex Cora called upon him during the first inning to run for Kiké Hernández who left because of right hamstring tightness after doubling.

Cordero entered in the midst of an 0-for-25 slump. He had gone hitless since April 19 (Patriots’ Day against White Sox starter Lucas Giolito).

But he delivered off the bench. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI double and three runs to lead the Red Sox 12- 9 over the at Fenway Park.

“Obviously it was tough. This is a hard game. If it was easy, then everybody would be able to do it,” Cordero said about his slump though translator Bryan Almonte. “But I just kept working. I was working hard with the coaches. I spoke to a lot of the guys. A lot of my teammates came up to me and would always try to give me advice as well. And coaches such as (Jason) Varitek, he came up to me about hitting. Just everyone. It was a team effort in trying to get me right. And I’m just happy I was able to have a good game today.”

Varitek serves as Boston’s game planning coordinator. He was a switch-hitter who slashed .248/.334/.423/.757 from the left side.

“Obviously since he was also a left-handed hitter, he’s someone that gave me some advice on my approach and what I should be looking at,” Cordero said. “And just helped me with the minor details here and there. But just trying to be there for me, really.”

Cordero has had difficulty making contact this year. He has struck out 40.6% of the time. But he made contact when needed in the eighth inning Thursday, hitting the ball to the left side of the mound. Third baseman Jeimer Candelario rushed to make the play and bobbled the ball. Christian Arroyo scored the go- ahead run from third.

“Good to see him smile and contribute,” Cora said. “He made a nice play in left field, too. It’s not easy. Hitting at this level is not easy. People think he’s not putting (in) work. But he’s been putting work in. He was aggressive right away and that gave him confidence. He got the hits and then he made contact when it matters at the end. He hustles all the time, which is great. And he put pressure on their defense and we were able to score.”

Cordero added, “All of us that aren’t in the lineup to start the game, we always try to stay ready and we’re always working in the cages or just doing any type of work. Obviously I’m really happy that I was able to contribute to today’s win. But I was ready whenever I had to be.”

The Red Sox acquired Cordero in the three-team Andrew Benintendi trade. Boston received Cordero and two players to be named later from the Royals. It also acquired pitching prospect Josh Winckowski and a player to be named later from the Mets.

“We all know the potential that he has,” Xander Bogaerts said. “Sometimes it’s tough for someone coming to a new organization and especially playing in this type of market compared to the other ones he was a part of. It’s just him trying to get comfortable, trying to get used to the new environment and the expectations that are here. Everyone that is here wants to win and wants you to be successful and productive to help the team. If you don’t do that, they’ll get on you about that. Was definitely a great day for him. Hopefully, tomorrow he’s back in the lineup and he does the same thing.”

Xander Bogaerts’ 1,000th game: Boston Red Sox star does it all, including helping Alex Cora’s twins ‘crush’ breakfast after they refused to eat

Christopher Smith

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is playing in his 1,000th career regular season game Thursday. He celebrated with a single to the opposite field in his first at-bat.

Bogaerts entered Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers batting .348 with a .385 on-base percentage, .591 slugging percentage, .977 OPS, six homers, 10 doubles, 17 RBIs and 18 runs. He leads the majors in hits (41) and he’s tied for the American League lead in doubles.

He leads all major league shortstops in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.

The 28-year-old does it all, including convincing manager Alex Cora’s twin sons, Xander Gabriel and Isander Manuel, to eat. The two boys will be 4 in July.

“He has helped me also off the field,” Cora said before Wednesday’s game. “Like yesterday, the boys, they didn’t want to have breakfast. And they love Xander Bogaerts. They know (his) number (2). Obviously one of the kids, his first name is Xander. So I called Xander and I said, ‘Hey, tell them what they have to do.’ He was like, ‘Hey, you guys have to eat.’ And they crushed breakfast. It was amazing. I’ve really learned to appreciate him. We have a great relationship.”

Cora called him “the most consistent person in the organization.”

“Off the field. On the field. Physically, what he does in the offseason, the way he takes care of himself during the season,” Cora said. “The way he goes about his business. Everything’s about winning for him. He came here in 2013, had a taste, got a ring. That was a special group — a group of grinders: (Mike) Napoli, (Stephen) Drew, (Jonny) Gomes, David (Ortiz), (Dustin) Pedroia. A bunch of grinders. (Shane) Victorino. And he learned right away what it’s all about to play in this market, in this city, in this stadium, for this franchise. He doesn’t take a day for granted. He’s not as vocal or as loud as Dustin. ... But he’s always ready. He’s always prepared.”

Cora said there are a multiple shortstops, including Astros’ Carlos Correa, Cubs’ Javier Báez and Mets’ Francisco Lindor, who he loves.

“But I’m happy that my shortstop is Xander Bogaerts,” Cora said. “And hopefully, he can play here for a long, long time.”

Bogaerts is signed through 2025 with a vesting option in 2026. But he has the ability to opt out of his contract after the 2022 season.

Boston Red Sox lineup: Alex Verdugo (back) returns; Bobby Dalbec at first base, Franchy Cordero not playing

Christopher Smith

Alex Verdugo is back in the Boston Red Sox’s lineup against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Verdugo (back) sat out Wednesday.

“He came into the office. He didn’t feel right,” Cora said Wednesday about Verdugo. “I decided to stay away from him today.”

Verdugo will be in left field. Kiké Hernández will be in center field.

Christian Arroyo (hand) is not in the lineup but he is available off the bench.

Arroyo was hit in the left hand by a pitch during the sixth inning Wednesday. He was later removed from the game with a left hand contusion. X-rays were negative.

Struggling Franchy Cordero will not play despite the Red Sox facing a right-hander.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said everyone is available off the bench.

Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.63 ERA) will start for the Red Sox. He has not allowed a home run in his past 47 ⅔ innings, the longest active such streak in the majors, per the team notes. He is the only qualified pitcher to not allow a home run in 2021.

Boston Red Sox lineup:

1. Kiké Hernández CF

2. Alex Verdugo LF

3. J.D. Martinez DH

4. Xander Bogaerts SS

5. Rafael Devers 3B

6. Hunter Renfroe RF

7. Marwin Gonzalez 2B

8. Kevin Plawecki C

9. Bobby Dalbec 1B

Pitching probables: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.63) vs. RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-2, 4.50)

Boston Red Sox bring back Brandon Workman on minor-league deal; ex-closer will report to Worcester

Chris Cotillo

Brandon Workman is back with the Red Sox.

The Red Sox have signed Workman to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Worcester, the team announced Thursday evening. Workman was designated for assignment by the Cubs last week.

Workman, 32, spent the first 11 years of his professional career with the Red Sox before being traded to the Phillies in a four-player deal in August. A former second-round pick, the tall righty made 195 appearances for Boston in parts of six big-league seasons and became a dominant closer in 2019, posting a 1.88 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 71 ⅔ inning while recording 16 saves. After getting off to uneven start in 2020, Workman was dealt to the Phillies along with Heath Hembree for starters Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold but struggled in his new home (6.92 ERA, nine walks in 13 innings) and signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Cubs as a free agent in mid-February.

Workman made 10 appearances for Chicago, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits in his first 6 ⅓ innings. But he struggled in his last two outings, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits in three walks and ended his Cubs’ tenure with a 6.75 ERA and 2.375 WHIP in eight innings before being cut a week ago.

Workman will join the WooSox in the near future and provide the Red Sox with a familiar bullpen option who -- with a couple tweaks -- could make a significant impact at some point this season. Boston also had conversations with Workman’s representatives about signing him over the winter before he agreed to sign with the Cubs.

In Workman, the Red Sox get a reclamation project who -- as recently as 19 months ago -- was one of the very best relievers in all of baseball. Considering the struggles of relievers and Austin Brice and the streakiness of Darwinzon Hernandez and Adam Ottavino to start the season, it makes sense for the Red Sox to add some depth to the mix at Worcester.

Kevin Plawecki, Boston Red Sox’s ‘Laundry Cart Guy,’ was urged by Jason Varitek to create fun celebration for homers

Christopher Smith

Kevin Plawecki, the man known for beginning the Boston Red Sox’s laundry cart celebration, has an appropriate nickname.

“The laundry cart guy,” Plawecki said. “It’s just something fun. It keeps the guys loose. Something that’s obviously taken off and here we are. An added responsibility for me every day.”

After a player hits a homer and runs the bases, his teammates push him through the dugout in a laundry cart. The Red Sox do it both on the road and at Fenway Park. Plawecki, the backup catcher, typically is one of the players pushing the cart.

Plawecki won’t take all the credit for the laundry cart celebration, which began last season. He said Jason Varitek had a lot to do with it.

“It started last year when Varitek was trying to get me to think of something fun for the guys to do after home runs,” Plawecki said. “I couldn’t really think of anything. And last year, being as tough a year as it was for all of us in general, just try to find a way to spruce things up. And I found this laundry cart in Tampa and I think (Christian) Vázquez was up to bat at the time. Tek was like, ‘Push him down the tunnel in this laundry cart.’ And here we are today still doing it.”

The Red Sox have brand new laundry cart they are using this homestand.

“We had a company reach out to us,” Plawecki explained. “They wanted to make our own custom cart. They reached out to Tommy (McLaughlin), our clubhouse manager. We put something together and here we are.”

Boston Red Sox catchers have caught just 4 of 26 base-stealers this season; is the new one-knee stance to blame?

Chris Cotillo

Entering Thursday’s game against the Tigers, Red Sox catchers had caught just four of the 26 runners who had attempted stolen bases against them this season. In 31 games, that 15.38% caught-stealing percentage is the sixth-worst rate in baseball; Boston threw out 13 of 46 (28.2%) would-be base stealers last season.

Starting catcher Christian Vázquez has thrown out three of 16 (18.75%) runners while backup Kevin Plawecki has thrown out just one of 10 (10%). Though Red Sox catchers transitioned to the non-traditional one-knee stance this season, manager Alex Cora doesn’t think the new setup is the causing the issue.

“The steals are a combination of the pitcher, the catcher and the tag,” Cora said. “I think we have do a better job containing or controlling 90 (feet). That’s something we talked about in spring training. We’ve been okay. I think this team (the Tigers) has taken advantage of us with the running game. They’ve been very aggressive. It’s something they haven’t done the whole season. We’ll be prepared. We’ll keep working on it.”

In the first two games of this week’s series, the last-place Tigers have stolen five bases in six attempts against Boston, with Robbie Grossman and Niko Goodrum each nabbing two. Vázquez made two throwing errors in Tuesday’s win.

Plawecki, who has a 23% caught stealing percentage for his career (markedly worse than Vázquez’s 38% mark) believes he has made progress this season. On an attempt against the Mariners, he registered a 1.9 second pop time, Cora said, which was one of his best throws since joining the Red Sox before last season.

“Most importantly, it’s putting a good throw on it,” Plawecki said. “My time will be what it is. Whether I have a chance at him or not, I can’t control that. I can control putting a good throw on it and I think that’s something that (game planning coordinator Jason) Varitek and I have been trying to focus on. Not rushing. If I see them get a good jump, not to rush it.”

Cora believes the one-knee stance -- a point of emphasis throughout spring training -- has paid off in other ways despite some growing pains associated with the adjustments. Part of the reasoning for the change is rooted in the diminishing value of pitch-framing in recent years.

“We like it,” Cora said. “You see Christian doing it too, now, the whole time. Talking to ‘Tek, it’s something we want to do. It just helps in a lot of aspects of the catching side. They’re working hard as far as the throwing part of it. Obviously, sometimes it doesn’t look good because of the wild pitches and all of that. Overall, both of them have done a good job not only containing their blocks but also throwing to the bases.”

Plawecki believes the new stance is helpful for catchers to preserve their stamina throughout the season.

“It has been definitely an adjustment for me, not really having done it my whole career. ‘Tek and I worked on it a lot last year and last year, the last couple games, I was on a knee full time. Now, I’m on a knee all the time. It’s a lot less wear and tear on my body and allows me to receive pitches in a way I wasn’t able to receive them not being on a knee. We’re just continuing to work on it.”

Michael Chavis has gained perspective since Boston Red Sox sent him to Worcester, but says he’s better than he was in 2019 when he hit 18 homers

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- The last month has provided Michael Chavis with some perspective. The 25-year-old slugger, who hit 18 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and appeared in 137 games over nearly two full seasons in the majors with the Red Sox, is back in the minors with the WooSox.

After not making the big-league team after a solid spring training, Chavis was sent to the alternate training site in Worcester and -- save for a one-night cameo in Baltimore on April 10 -- has been at Triple-A for a full five weeks. He had the first extra-base hit in WooSox history Tuesday night but has started out slowly, going 1-for-7 with two strikeouts through two games.

Being back in the minors for the first time since April 2019 has allowed Chavis to take a step back and reassess where his career stands. In a recent conversation with WooSox first baseman (one of Chavis’ best friends on the team), Chavis realized just how much had changed for him since he was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft.

“When I first signed, when I was 18, I had this idea that when I got to the big leagues, I would eventually just reach this point where I was ‘major league Michael Chavis’ where I never got out and never had a bad at-bat,” he said. “I’d be just this perfect baseball player that I had envisioned all players as when I was a child.

“It’s just interesting being in this position now as a Major League Baseball player and having experienced that, just being more realistic that guys aren’t perfect,” Chavis said. “It’s still baseball, it’s still a game and crazy things happen.”

Chavis burst on to the scene at the beginning of 2019, posting a .967 OPS and hitting 10 homers in his first 28 games. Since then, he has struggled to find consistency at the plate or establish himself at a defensive position, bouncing around from first base to second base to left field.

In 2020, with what resembled a full-time opportunity, Chavis struggled mightily, hitting .212 with five homers and a .636 OPS in 42 games. Once the Red Sox added second basemen Christian Arroyo in August and utility men Kiké Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez over the winter, Chavis fell down the depth chart a bit. Though he hit six homers with an .892 OPS in 60 spring training at-bats, Chavis was sent to Triple-A as the Sox gave the final bench spot to Arroyo.

Still, Chavis feels as though the progress he has made in recent months has him in position to contribute when his name has called. He lost weight over the winter and feels more flexible and mobile than before.

“I feel better than I was in 2019. I feel better than I have ever in , honestly,” he said. “I feel like the way I performed in spring training kind of relayed that. Honestly, I feel incredible.”

Chavis’ next chance in the majors may come sooner rather than later, as the Red Sox are getting a little short on position players. Arroyo (left hand) and Kiké Hernández (hamstring) are banged up, so Boston might look to add a fresh body to its three-man bench before starting a four-game series in Baltimore on Friday night.

After a half-decade spent trying to get to the majors, Chavis spent two years trying to stay there. Now, he’s trying to get back.

“Early on in my career, I was just trying to figure out what it was like to be in the Red Sox’ organization, what it was like to be a professional baseball player,” he said. “Now, I’m 25, I’ve had some big-league experience. I’ve had ups and downs and I’ve experienced a lot of things. I’d like to think I’m a professional. There’s always going to be things that I can grow and continue to work on.

“Whenever my opportunity comes, I’m really looking forward to it,” Chavis said.

Boston Red Sox vs. preview: TV schedule, pitching probables, key stories (May 7- 10)

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles swept a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park to open the 2021 season. They outscored Boston 18-5.

But then the Red Sox swept a three-game series at Baltimore the next week, outscoring the Orioles 27-16.

The Sox and O’s will meet for four more games at Camden Yards beginning Friday.

Boston Red Sox (19-13) vs, Baltimore Orioles (15-16) · Camden Yards · Baltimore, Maryland SERIES SCHEDULE (and TV information):

Friday, May 7, 7:05 p.m. ET — NESN

Saturday, May 8, 7:05 p.m. ET — NESN

Sunday, May 9, 1:05 p.m. ET — NESN / MLB Network (out of market)

Monday, May 10, 7:05 p.m. ET — NESN

HOW TO WATCH:

Friday, May 7, 7:05 p.m. ET — NESN (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)

Saturday, May 8, 7:05 p.m. ET — NESN (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)

Sunday. May 9, 1:05 p.m. ET — NESN / MLB Network (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)

Monday, May 10, 7:05 p.m. ET — NESN / MLB Network (Channel finder: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, AT&T U verse, fuboTV and Sling) · Live stream: fuboTV, MLB.tv (out of market)

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT:

Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA preseason standings projected Baltimore to post 68.6 wins in 2021. But the team is on a 78.5 win pace.

The Orioles offense ranks 27th in OPS (.659), 26th in runs (120), sixth in doubles (50) and 22nd in homers (32).

Baltimore ranks 19th in starter ERA (4.44) and seventh in reliever ERA (3.35).

PITCHING PROBABLES:

Friday, 7:05 p.m. — LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 4.18) vs. RHP Matt Harvey (3-1, 4.06)

Saturday, 7:05 p.m. — RHP Garrett Richards (1-2, 4.40) vs. TBA

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. — RHP Nick Pivetta (4-0, 3.23) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (0-2, 6.43)

Monday, 7:05 p.m. — LHP Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.40) vs. RHP Jorge López (1-3, 6.49)

THREE SOX TO WATCH:

Franchy Cordero

Cordero snapped a 0-for-25 slump with three hits, including an RBI double, Thursday. “Hopefully, tomorrow he’s back in the lineup and he does the same thing,” Xander Bogaerts said. The Red Sox are facing a righty Friday and so Cordero likely will be in the lineup.

Eduardo Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s velocity has been down this year. He has averaged 91.9 mph with his four-seam fastball compared to 93.0 mph in 2019 (Baseball Savant). His two-seam fastball is at about the same average velocity (92.7 mph in 2021, 92.9 mph in 2019).

Bobby Dalbec

- Dalbec is in the midst of a 0-for-27 slump. He is 11-for-32 (.344) with a homer, triple and two doubles against left-handed hitters. But the right-handed hitter is only 4-for-54 (.074) with two doubles against right-handed pitchers. He had a .245/.375/.528/.903 line against righties last year.

SERIES NOTES:

The Red Sox are not expected to face Baltimore ace John Means, who threw a no-hitter Wednesday.

Cedric Mullins has been Baltimore’s top hitter. He’s batting .320 with a .378 on-base percentage, .525 slugging percentage, .902 OPS, five homers, 10 doubles, 11 RBIs and 16 runs in 31 games.

Rafael Devers is 33-for-108 (.306 batting average) with a .375 on-base percentage, .565 slugging percentage, .940 OPS, eight homers, two doubles, one triple, 20 RBIs and 17 runs in 26 games at Camden Yards.

The Red Sox lead the major leagues with 13 come-from-behind victories.

Xander Bogaerts is batting .387 (41-for-106) with a 1.086 OPS, six homers, 10 doubles and 18 RBIs in his past 27 games.

Alex Verdugo has reached base safely in 24 straight games, the longest streak in the big leagues this season. It’s also the longest on-base streak of Verdugo’s career.

J.D. Martinez went 6-for-11 with three homers, one double and five RBIs in two games at Baltimore in April.

UP NEXT:

The Red Sox will return home to an increased capacity (25%) at Fenway Park and welcome the Athletics and Angels for three games apiece.

Tue. 5/11 - Thu. 5/13: vs. Athletics (3)

Fri. 5/14 - Sun. 5/16: vs. Angels (3)

* The Worcester Telegram

Veteran backstop Chris Herrmann, now with WooSox, hopes to catch on again in big leagues

Joe McDonald

TRENTON, N.J. — Wrestling with a personal time clock is a major challenge for older pro players, especially when they reach their 30s and find themselves in the minors.

Many can’t handle career mortality. Those types of players normally have a negative effect on the rest of the team, especially the younger players. It’s also not unusual to see former big leaguers retire midseason at the Triple-A level. No doubt it’s a difficult situation to handle.

There are exceptions and Chris Herrmann is proving to be one of them.

The 33-year-old veteran catcher has nearly six years of big league service and is in the midst of his 13th professional season.

The Red Sox signed Herrmann as a minor league free agent in February to add depth to the position, while also serving as a mentor to the catching prospects in the organization.

Herrmann has accepted his role with enthusiasm and grace in the early going.

“He’s been to places our guys want to go,” WooSox hitting coach and former Red Sox catcher, , said. “And, he wants to get back there.”

While with the WooSox, Herrmann’s plan is to keep it simple, and just play the game right, which isn’t always easy.

Playing at the Triple-A level, especially this season with all the COVID-19 guidelines in place by Major League Baseball, minor league players are a step away from realizing the goal.

Herrmann is no different

“This is going to be something that works out well for both of us,” Gedman said. “To start with, he has to get his feet on the ground. He hasn’t played in almost two years, so he needs to spend a little bit of time focusing on himself and getting himself right.”

Once Herrmann does find his game on a consistent basis, the natural progression will be to help the younger players. He’s the type of player who can show his younger teammates that it’s important to handle the negative moments better than the positive ones.

It’s also about how a successful veteran handles his daily work. It’s about being diligent, focused and even- keeled. The WooSox are a young team and Herrmann is the oldest. These players can learn a lot from someone who has 370 games of big league time with the , Arizona Diamondbacks, and .

“There’s leadership in there, but it’s got to be allowed to blossom,” Gedman said. “It’s going to take a little time to find his own way.”

Herrmann admitted he felt a bit strange once he arrived in the Red Sox organization. Prior to this season, the last time he played in a real game was Sept. 9, 2019. He hasn’t been an everyday player, so he needs to build his reps and find that consistency.

“He’s one of our leaders on the team as one of the older guys,” WooSox outfielder Marcus Wilson said.

Worcester’s young pitching staff is thankful for Herrmann’s presence on and off the field.

“He’s great,” Red Sox pitching prospect Connor Seabold said. “Definitely cool to have an older, more experienced catcher around to help us young guys.”

The WooSox dugout erupted in thunderous when Herrmann launched the first home run in franchise history Wednesday, and deposited a 3-2 offering into the behind the right-field wall at Ballpark.

Even though Worcester lost the game, Herrmann’s heroics could be an early-season turning point for himself and his teammates.

“That sweet moment in time showed up and we went, ‘Oh, he got that one, boys.’ To have one go out and all of a sudden it changes the game. It changes momentum of the game,” he said. “It changes the thinking of the people in the game. ‘We’re all right. We’re ok. He stood up for us.’ This is a confidence game and you’ve got to be resilient.”

Herrmann signed with the Red Sox for a chance to play in Boston.

“I would love to be part of that team,” he said. “What’s most important for me is just getting my feet wet here and feel comfortable playing the game again. So, I’m happy being here. I’m happy the Red Sox gave me a chance. I just want to play, man. It’s my dream to be a professional baseball player.

“I have almost six years of Major League Baseball service time, but I’m ok because I just want to play the game and have fun. That’s the most important thing for me right now.”

Baseball is a tough game. It’s a humbling game, especially as an older player at this level. Herrmann has handled it well and he’s showing no signs of changing that mentality. He’s motivated to return to the majors sooner than later.

“Baseball players are really insecure at times, and regardless of where they’ve been, or what they’ve done, they still need that affirmation and some positive things happening for them. When you don’t there can be some self-doubt creep in,” Gedman said in general terms.

That’s what Herrmann and the WooSox are trying to avoid this season. Herrmann is following the blue print he’s learned during his career and the younger players should take notice.

“If I do well and I get the call, that’ll be great. I’ll be super excited and try my best to help the team. For right now, I’m focused on helping this team win,” Herrmann said.

Spoken like a true pro.

* RedSox.com

Franchy breaks out: 'Good to see him smile'

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- A day off for Franchy Cordero? That was the original plan. Instead, it turned into a breakout day for the slumping left fielder.

The Red Sox were nearly at the end of the line with position players when Kiké Hernández came up limping with right hamstring tightness after an RBI single to lead off the bottom of the first.

Enter Cordero, who sprung off the bench and contributed heavily to the Red Sox's 12-9 win over the Tigers on Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park.

With three hits -- including an RBI double -- and a key shoestring catch in left, Cordero's imprint was all over this game. He also scored three times.

"Good to see him smile, contribute," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "He made a nice play in left field, too. It's not easy. Hitting at this level is not easy. People think that he's not putting [in the] work, but he's been putting [in the] work and he was aggressive right away. I think that gave him confidence."

It was Cordero who came up with the game tied with two outs in the eighth. Behind in the count 1-2 and facing a lefty in Gregory Soto, Cordero avoided a strikeout and got the bat on the ball for a squibber down the third-base line that turned into an error by Jeimer Candelario as the go-ahead scored.

At that juncture of the game, it was significant that Cordero made contact when you consider he has 27 strikeouts in 64 at-bats this season and is a career .187 hitter against lefties.

"He got the hits and he made contact when it matters at the end," said Cora. "He hustles all the time, which is great. He put pressure on their defense and we were able to score."

Just before that, another player who was not in the starting lineup came up big. Cora called on Christian Vázquez to pinch-hit for the slumping Bobby Dalbec (0-for-27 drought), and Vázquez came through with a game-tying RBI single down the third-base line on a 3-2 pitch.

"I was ready," said Vázquez. "In the cage, I was watching all videos from when I faced [Alex Lange] the first night. He threw me a couple of changeups, but that pitch was way in. And [I] kept it fair, so it was a good hit there."

As for Cordero, his breakout couldn't have happened at a better time. Cordero had been in an 0-for-25 slump stretching back to April 19, which has led to speculation that he could soon be optioned to Triple-A if his performance didn't improve.

When the day started, Cordero was hitting .153 with a .393 OPS. After the series finale, those were up to .188 and .470.

Cordero credits his teammates and coaches for keeping his confidence intact. And that included some comforting words from a former Red Sox captain who won two World Series championships as a player.

"I was working hard with the coaches, spoke to a lot of the guys," said Cordero. "A lot of my teammates came up to me and would try to give me some advice as well. Coaches such as [Jason] Varitek, he came up to me and spoke to me about hitting. Just everyone. It was a team effort in trying to get me right and I'm just happy that I was able to have a good game today."

What type of advice did Varitek provide?

"Obviously, since he was also a left-handed hitter, he's someone that just gave me some advice on my approach and what I should be looking at. And [he was] just trying to help me with the minor details here and there. Just trying to be there for me, really," said Cordero.

Ultimately, Cordero is the one who deserves the credit for not giving up on himself when it might have been tempting to do so.

"This is a hard game," Cordero said. "If it was easy, everybody would be able to do it. I just kept working."

Cordero's teammates noticed.

"I feel good for him," Vázquez said. "He's a great kid, he's still learning, he's strong. I think he's going to be good for us. He needs to continue to work and be confident like he did today. He looked confident and relaxed and swung at good pitches. That's him. He enjoyed the game today."

Winning the rubber match of this three-game series against the 9-23 Tigers was in no way pretty, but the Red Sox (19-13) found a way to get it done.

"But it's a big league win," said Cora. "You've got to take it. That wasn't pretty, but we'll take it. We won two out of three, and now we move on. We have to address a lot of stuff. We know that. We've been saying that."

Perhaps Cordero's troubles will no longer be on the list of things to address.

Bogaerts' 1,000th game; injury updates

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- As another reminder of his constant presence on the Red Sox in what is now his ninth season with the club, shortstop Xander Bogaerts played in his 1,000th career game on Thursday against the Tigers.

In typical Bogaerts fashion, he was all over the place, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI while making all the plays at shortstop in a wild 12-9 win.

At 28 years and 217 days, Bogaerts became the 10th player to appear in 1,000 games for the Sox before turning 29 years old, joining a distinguished group that also includes Bobby Doerr, Dwight Evans, Harry Hooper, Rico Petrocelli, Jim Rice, , Reggie Smith, Tris Speaker and Carl Yastrzemski.

"It definitely means a lot," said Bogaerts. "I know for sure I came a long way since the day I signed and growing up as a kid just trying to learn to play the game and be successful and get to the big leagues. Now I have quite some [service] time and quite an amount of games, which is pretty impressive for a little kid who was just trying to get to the big leagues from Aruba.

"I'm extremely proud of myself and I'm thankful everyone who helped me, especially my family for always being there to support me throughout the good and the bad, because I had my bad times for sure. I definitely had a bumpy road at the beginning, but I'm happy where I'm at right now."

Bogaerts is the 30th player in team history to play 1,000 games.

"I do believe he's the most consistent person in this organization," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "I mean, off the field, on the field, physically, what he does in the offseason, the way he takes care of himself during the season. The way he goes about his business. Everything is about winning for him."

Bogaerts was initially called up to the Red Sox on Aug. 19, 2013 -- in the middle of a pennant race. He was part of a veteran-laden team but still got the opportunity to prove himself once he moved into the starting lineup midway through the postseason.

"I know when he came here in 2013, he got a taste, he got a ring, but that was a special group. A group of grinders," said Cora. "[Mike] Napoli, [Stephen] Drew, [Jonny] Gomes, David [Ortiz], [Dustin] Pedroia, just a bunch of grinders. [Shane] Victorino. And then [Bogaerts] learned right away what it's all about to play in this market, in this stadium, in this city for this franchise. And he doesn't take a day for granted."

Nor does Cora take for granted that he has Bogaerts as his shortstop. In fact, the manager isn't afraid to expand the boundaries of their relationship beyond the ballpark. Cora puts his young twin sons on the phone with Bogaerts when the occasion calls for it.

"Yesterday, the boys didn't want to have breakfast. They love Xander Bogaerts. They know the number. Obviously, one of the kids, his first name is Xander," said Cora. "So I called Xander and said, 'Tell them what they have to do.' He said, 'Hey, you guys have to eat.' They crushed breakfast. It was amazing."

And as usual, Bogaerts is crushing the baseball this season.

Bogaerts leads the Majors with 42 hits and is fifth with a .356 average. When the day started, he was tied for the American League lead in doubles and has belted six homers in the past 15 games. Bogaerts started the day leading MLB shortstops in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, doubles, hits and extra-base hits.

"He's a special dude, special player, special guy," said Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki. "Just the way he goes about his business, obviously the results on the field speaks for itself, but the work he puts in that nobody sees, the kind of teammate he is in the clubhouse and the dugout, on the road, whatever the case may be, he's just a really good dude and I know a lot of guys around here look up to him and go to him for certain things."

Bumps and bruises update

Kiké Hernandez started Thursday by lacing a leadoff double in the bottom of the first. But on the slide into second, he tweaked his right hamstring and was removed from the game with what the team's medical staff referred to as tightness.

Cora was unsure of Hernández's availability leading into the weekend series against Baltimore. It's possible the Red Sox could have to add a position player to the roster such as Michael Chavis, who wasn't in the lineup for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

"He thought it was probably a cramp in the beginning, but then he felt it was more than a cramp," said Cora. "I don't know how serious it is. I haven't had too much time to talk to [trainer] Brad [Pearson], but we'll talk about it and obviously we'll stay away from him tomorrow. We'll have more later on or tomorrow."

Alex Verdugo moved from left to center to replace Hernández. Franchy Cordero came off the bench to play left field and subbed in for Hernández in the leadoff spot and had a big day, belting three hits and scoring three times.

Still, the timing of Hernández's injury is far from ideal. Christian Arroyo was out of the lineup a day after he was belted on the left wrist by a pitch. It was the second time this season Arroyo has taken a shot to that same wrist. The last time it happened was April 25, and Arroyo had three days of rest before playing again.

X-rays taken on Wednesday night came back negative.

The good news is that Arroyo was healthy enough to pinch-run late in Thursday's game. He scored a run and then made a tremendous stop on defense in the top of the ninth.

Cora made special note of Arroyo's contribution after the game.

"I can tell you from experience, that's kind of hard, because when you become a defensive replacement, you have to make the play," Cora said. "People expect you to make the play. It's not that easy and you make that sliding catch and got the lead runner. If you look at the numbers, he's actually one of the best defensive second basemen right now in the big leagues. We're just happy that we have him. I was more than happy that he was willing to go out there a little bit banged up and help us."

Workman returns on Minors deal

As the Red Sox departed for Baltimore, the club announced it had re-signed former closer Brandon Workman to a Minor League deal and assigned him to Triple-A Worcester.

Workman spent six seasons with the Red Sox, going 24-16 with a 3.75 ERA and 20 saves. At last year's Trade Deadline, he was dealt to the Phillies along with Heath Hembree for Connor Seabold and Nick Pivetta.

The right-hander signed a free-agent deal with the Cubs on Feb. 18, but after going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 games, he was released last Friday.

Laundry cart guy

Speaking of Plawecki, he jokingly referred to himself as the "laundry cart guy" in a Zoom session with reporters on Thursday.

The ritual the Red Sox started late last season of giving a player a ride in a laundry cart in the dugout started with Plawecki and former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek brainstorming on a way for the team to have some fun. Everyone is having fun with it.

"Every interview I do now, it's all we talk about. The laundry cart guy," said Plawecki. "Haaha. It's just something fun. It keeps the guys loose. Just something that obviously has taken off and here we are. Added responsibility for me every day."

So how did it start, exactly?

"It started last year when Varitek was trying to get me to think of something fun for the guys to do after home runs and I couldn't really think of anything. And last year -- obviously being as tough of a year as it was for all of us in general – [I] tried to find a way to spruce things up," Plawecki said. "I found this laundry cart in Tampa, [Fla.], and I think [Christian] Vázquez was up to bat at the time. 'Tek was like, 'Push him down the tunnel in this laundry cart,' and here we are today, still doing it."

For the current homestand, the Red Sox were greeted with a custom laundry cart.

"Then we had somebody reach out to us, wanted to make us our own custom cart. They reached out to Tommy [McLaughlin], our clubhouse manager, and we put something together and here we are," said Plawecki, who had a strong game with two hits and a key walk in the bottom of the eighth.

* WEEI.com

Red Sox ride the redemption of Franchy Cordero to a wild win

Rob Bradford

Who knows how we will look back at Thursday afternoon's Red Sox 12-9 win over the Tigers.

Perhaps it's nothing more than a sloppy, 4-hour, 13-minute victory against a really bad Detroit club. A necessary evil.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the day the Red Sox stumbled upon the player they thought might be coming back from Kansas City in exchange for Andrew Benintendi.

Perhaps this was where we get to meet a Franchy Cordero we hadn't quite met yet.

The outfielder -- who had been put in the crosshairs of virtually anyone trying to identify the flaws of Alex Cora's club thanks to not claiming a single hit in his last 25 at-bats -- wasn't even supposed to play in this series finale. But play, he did.

"We know the talent that he has, obviously," said Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts of Cordero. "We played against him a couple of times. I actually saw him play a couple of times when he was with San Diego and Kansas City when he was on TV. We all know the potential that he has. Sometimes it’s tough for someone coming into a new organization, especially playing in this type of market compared to the other ones he was a part of. It’s just him trying to get comfortable and used to the new environment and the expectation that is here. Everyone that is here wants to win and wants you to be successful and productive to help the team. If you don’t do that they will get on you about it. It was definitely a great day for him. Hopefully tomorrow he’s back in the lineup and he does the same thing, just go out and get another four hits and he’ll be fine."

Enrique Hernandez doubled in the first inning, moved to third and then came out of the game due to a tweaked right hamstring. That paved the way for Cordero's appearance. (He, along with Christian Vazquez, were really the only two viable position players available.)

So, there Cordero was, hitting leadoff. It's a spot that ultimately would seem to fit him just fine.

First came as second-inning double, driving in the Red Sox' second run. Then in the sixth Cordero led off with a single via another liner into right field. The next frame saw another base-hit. And, finally, in the eighth with the game tied and runners on first and third, came the punctuation.

With Detroit bringing in lefty reliever Gregory Soto to face the lefty-hitting outfielder, Cordero managed to get enough of a two-strike, 96 mph sinker to dribble it to the left side of the infield.

It resulted in the decisive error and an entirely different perspective than hovered over the outfielder four hours before.

Why Xander Bogaerts is the Mike Trout of shortstops

Rob Bradford

Defining Xander Bogaerts has always been a tricky exercise.

But after playing in his 1,000 career game -- and hearing a few key quotes regarding the Red Sox' star -- a pretty good definition can now be mustered.

Bogaerts is the Mike Trout of shortstops.

It might seem somewhat of an odd analysis. That, however, shouldn't diminish the power and accuracy such a comparison. Let's start with the obvious ...

Nobody in baseball is as good as Trout right now. As much as we want to wedge the likes of Byron Buxton, J.D. Martinez or Bogaerts into the current American League MVP conversation, barring a downturn from the Angels' outfielder it's simply not happening.

Sure, take Trout out of the equation and we can have some fun imagining Bogaerts finally getting his just- do with an MVP award. He has been that good. But Trout is part of the equation, so the pedestal he sits on will remain.

That, however, doesn't mean we can't push Bogaerts into rarified air. He has, after all, become the standard bearer at his position, managing the ascension in a most unique and unassuming away.

Yes, Xander Bogaerts has become the Mike Trout of shortstops.

You can start with numbers if you like. Bogaerts leads all major league shortstops in batting average, on- base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, doubles and extra-base hits.

Yet, the aforementioned designation has as much to do with how Bogaerts does it than the end-result. Sound familiar? This "ah-hah" moment was truly surfaced with two key quotes after Thursday's Red Sox' win.

Bogaerts: "Sometimes people make it looks easy. I think Mike Trout might be the only one. I think it’s really easy for him."

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch: “It’s substance over style (for Bogaerts) … He’s just very comfortable with who he is. He doesn’t try to really do too much, doesn’t try to sit in the spotlight. He just shows up and does his job, gets a couple hits, makes all the plays, does it with a smile on his face. He’s a really remarkable player.”

These attributes are what makes Bogaerts, Bogaerts and has made Trout, Trout.

Nobody is going to suggest it's Mike Trout-easy for the Red Sox shortstop. He has had to endure a sometimes awkward evolution to arrive at this point. But Bogaerts certainly offers the same sort of another- day-at-the-office vibe so few can exude while landing with numbers that are the best of the best.

For example, while most every hitter stresses over falling behind in this day and age of unhittable pitches, Bogaerts calmly glides through his at-bats -- strikes or no strikes -- ultimately landing with the desired result. Bogaerts has had 65 at-bats with two-strike counts, hitting .292 on such occasions. No player with that many two-strike at-bats comes close.

Here's another one: Since the beginning of the 2019 season only one qualified hitter (Freddie Freeman) has a better collective OPS than Bogaerts' .931.

Defensively, he makes the plays. Plays you don't think he will make, but makes just the same. Yes, as Hinch said, it is substance over style.

And, finally, there is the public perception part of the deal. This is where Bogaerts and Trout really line up.

"Why aren't they publicized more?" "How come they aren't the faces of baseball?" "Where is the off-the- field love for the best-of-the-best on-field products?"

They are who they are, which is better than almost everyone else.

Deal with it.

Congratulations Xander Bogaerts, you have have gotten baseball's best compliment. You are the the Mike Trout of your position.

Enrique Hernandez exits Red Sox game with hamstring tightness

Rob Bradford

Just two days after Alex Cora dove into the reasons why the Red Sox had been so healthy for the majority of the young season, a few nagging ailments have come up.

Enrique Hernandez was forced from the Red Sox' series finale Thursday afternoon after experiencing right hamstring tightness. The Sox' centerfielder seemingly aggravated the leg muscle while legging out a leadoff double in the first inning.

Hernandez wouldn't exit the game until after reaching third base on a Alex Verdugo's ground out.

Replacing Hernandez was Franchy Cordero, who moved into left field with Verdugo sliding over to center. In his first at-bat, Cordero ripped a double down the right field line for a third-inning RBI. It was his first hit since April 19.

The injury comes a day after Verdugo was forced to sit out due a stiff back, with Christian Arroyo sidelined Thursday after being hit in the hand by a pitch.

Brandon Workman is returning to the Red Sox

Rob Bradford

Brandon Workman wasn't gone long.

The former Red Sox closer has signed a minor-league deal with the Sox. This comes after his release from the , who had signed him to a one-year, $1 million deal heading into the 2021 season.

Workman has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

The 33-year-old pitched in 10 games with the Cubs, totaling eight innings. He totaled an ERA of 6.75, striking out 11 and walking seven.

Workman was dealt from the Red Sox prior to last season's trade deadline, going to the Phillies along with Heath Hembree in exchange for Nick Pivetta and minor-league starter Connor Seabold.

Jay Groome's return to the mound doesn't go quite as planned

Rob Bradford

It's easy to say any year is an important one for a player. It's even easier to proclaim when it comes to .

Groome has been in professional baseball since being taken with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. Heading into Wednesday night, the 22-year-old had pitched in just four innings since 2017.

And now, beginning with his start for Single-A Greenville, he finds himself at a crossroads when determining his future with the Red Sox.

The all-important 2021 journey hasn't gotten off to a great start.

Serving as the Drive's starter, Groome allowed five runs on six hits over just two innings, striking out three and walking three.

The best news coming out of Greenville's 9-2 loss was the performance of Danny Santana, who is rehabbing after undergoing Tommy John surgery and enduring a spring training foot infection. Santana came away with a hit in his debut.

* NBC Sports Boston

Phenom Garrett Whitlock is finally coming back to earth

John Tomase

Rookie pitchers don't hit walls so much as watch their mistakes sail over them.

Case in point: Garrett Whitlock. The Rule 5 right-hander, stolen from the Yankees after missing more than a year to Tommy John surgery, finished April like the second coming of Mariano Rivera circa 1996, when he was John Wetteland's dominant multi-inning setup man.

Whitlock not only didn't allow a run, he barely surrendered any hits. His 18-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio told you all you needed to know. Blessed with an upper-90s fastball and devastating changeup, Whitlock mowed down opposing hitters with such ease, we started to argue about whether he'd be more useful as a starter or locking down the eighth inning.

We were getting way ahead of ourselves, because breakout performers like Whitlock don't remain secrets for long, and the rest of baseball already appears to be catching up.

On Sunday, he allowed his first run when Rangers second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa took him deep leading off the seventh in a game the Red Sox would lose. Whitlock didn't factor in that decision, but there was no hiding in the 10th inning Monday when he lost a long at-bat to Jonathan Schoop on a bloop single, and then served up a first-pitch meatball that Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario launched halfway to Chelsea for a three-run homer in Detroit's 6-5 victory.

If baseball is about lessons, Whitlock is learning one that comes for every pitcher, whether his last name is Koufax or Clemens or Kershaw or Whitlock: this bleep ain't easy.

"I think the fastball to Candelario, he was ready for it, he jumped on it," said manager Alex Cora. "It's part of this. It's part of being a big leaguer. You're going to have good day and bad days, and he should be OK."

Whitlock dominated so effortlessly for a month that it became easy to lose sight of exactly what he's accomplishing. Until striking out five in his eye-opening debut vs. the Orioles on April 4, he hadn't thrown a pitch in a game that counted since July of 2019, when the Double-A tagged him for eight hits and nine runs -- including a homer by future teammate, Bobby Dalbec -- in five innings.

He left that game with a sore elbow and by the end of the month would go under the knife. Then the pandemic wiped out 2020, leaving him to throw on Instagram, which helped the Red Sox find him in the Rule 5 draft.

They would've made every effort to carry him on the roster rather than offer him back to the Yankees had he pitched just marginally well in spring training, but he ripped through Fort Myers like a , striking out one to two batters an inning and securing his place on the roster through performance alone.

Returning to the mound after Tommy John is an experience that probably only trails a big-league debut on the stress-meter, and Whitlock is doing both. It should be no surprise that he has entered turbulent waters.

"It's baseball," Whitlock said. "The best thing about it is you always get tomorrow, and I'm just thankful to be here so each time AC gives me the ball, I'm going to go out and give it the best I can and try and help the team win."

With the bridge to closer Matt Barnes already feeling perilously unsteady thanks to the struggles of veteran eighth-inning man Adam Ottavino, inconsistent left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez, and unproven righty , the Red Sox can hardly afford for Whitlock to regress, too.

But then again, they probably shouldn't be counting on him so much to begin with. Wednesday's appearance was his first on as little as two day's rest, and it showed.

As much as we want to believe he's a finished product, we should accept the reality that he has many lessons left to learn -- and some of them are going to leave the yard.

Martinez's latest milestone lands him on list of Red Sox legends

Darren Hartwell

The most productive hitter in Major League Baseball is entering rare air.

Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez smacked a pair of RBI singles in Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers to extend his MLB lead to 31 RBIs through 30 games. That's to go along with Martinez's 10 home runs, which is tied with Ronald Acuna for the most in baseball.

If tallying at least 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in your first 30 games seems difficult to do ... well, it is.

Tomase: What to take from Red Sox' recent stretch of inconsistency Check out the list of Red Sox players Martinez joined by crossing the 30-RBI threshold Thursday:

We've heard of a few of those guys.

In case you're wondering, everyone on that list went on to put up stellar RBI numbers. Only Williams failed the cross the 100-RBI threshold in this group, but he played in fewer than 90 games in all three of those campaigns.

Mo Vaughn: 126 RBIs (career high)

Fred Lynn: 122 RBIs

Jim Rice: 139 RBIs (won American League MVP)

Ted Williams: 97 RBIs (89 games in 1950), 34 RBIs (1953 in 37 games) and 83 RBIs (1955 in 98 games)

Walt Dropo: 144 RBIs (career high)

Vern Stephens: 159 RBIs (career high)

Jimmie Foxx: 119 RBIs

Martinez is coming off the worst season of his career, a disastrous 2020 campaign in which he hit just .213 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. But through about 20 percent of the season, the 33-year-old is on pace to surpass his career highs in homers (45) and (130).

So, yeah. It's safe to say Martinez was ready for this season.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Final: Red Sox 12, Tigers 9

Sean McAdam

In a game seemingly designed to set the sport back decades, the Red Sox rallied for four run in the bottom of the eighth and somehow secured a 12-9 win over the Detroit Tigers in a game that featured 30 hits, six errors and countless lead changes.

Trailing by a run, the Sox took advantage of two errors from the Tigers in the eighth and with two out, four runners reached. Alex Verdugo’s two-run single was the key hit.

The Sox used six pitchers after Nathan Eovaldi, so sharp in the first two innings, couldn’t get out of the fifth. Six Red Sox hitters had multi-hit games, led by, of all people, Franchy Cordero, who took over for Kike Hernandez (hamstring) in the first inning and snapped an 0-for-25 skid with three hits.

WHO: Red Sox (18-13) vs. Detroit Tigers (9-22) WHEN: 1:10 p.m. WHERE: Fenway Park SERIES TO DATE: 1-1 STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.63) vs. RHP Spencer Turnbull (3-1, 4.06) TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM

LINEUPS

TIGERS

Grossman DH Schoop 1B Candelario 3B Ramos C Goodrum SS Castro 2B Jones CF Reyes RF Baddoo LF

RED SOX

Hernandez CF Verdugo LF Martinez DH Bogaerts SS Devers 3B Renfroe RF Gonzalez 2B Plawecki C Dalbec 1B

B8: This is the craziest inning of the craziest game of the season: Sox score four runs to take the lead, as the Tigers are busy wrapping this up for the Sox and putting a bow on it — two errors, a wild pitch and the gifts keep coming.

T8: Red Sox just cannot stand prosperity today. Every time they grab a lead, the Tigers come back. Matt Andriese with a bad inning here, with a leadoff walk and three straight two-out hits.

T7: Devers giveth and Devers giveth away. After singling home two runs in the top of the inning, Devers overthrows second base on what should have been an inning-ending double play and the Tigers capitalize one batter later for the tying run.

B6: Devers wastes little time before driving a single up the middle to score two and give the Red Sox their first lead since the fourth.

B6: Flick of the wrist by Martinez scores Cordero from third, and the Sox have two on, no out and one in.

T5: Ugly, ugly. Sox have coughed up another lead, and to make matters worse, Taylor is way too late breaking for first, enabling an infield hit and a run.

T5: Poor outing from Eovaldi, who gave no hint that this happen through three innings, during which he allowed just one hit. But starting in the fourth, the Tigers took a far more aggressive approach with him, often swinging at the first pitch, and now, his day is done with one out in the fifth. Josh Taylor on.

B4: Great bat control for Bogaerts, who flicks his bat at a pitch and loops it into center, scoring Martinez from second.

T4: Eovaldi gets out of a marathon inning (30 pitches) when Robbie Grossman hits into a bases-loaded comebacker, but you can see that it took a lot out of him.

T4: Sloppy play by Devers, who attempted to make a play before he had secured a grounder. Tigers have first-and-second.

T4: Tigers being aggressive with Eovaldi and it’s paying off — swinging early in the count, they have four hits this inning, and have tied the game with a two-run single from Harold Castro.

B3: Nice afternoon at the plate for Plawecki, getting a rare start. He slaps a broken-bat single to left, scoring Bogaerts.

B3: A couple of mistakes by the Tigers — error by Nico Goodrum and a hit-by-pitch – prove costly for Detroit as Rafael Devers singles up the middle, scoring J.D. Martinez.

B2: Cordero snaps an 0-for-25 hitless streak with a double into the right field corner, scoring Kevin Plawecki.

B2: Bobby Dalbec looks completely lost against righthanders. Now just 4-for-52.

B2: Red Sox announce that it’s right hamstring tightness for Hernandez.

T2: Nathan Eovaldi attacking the Tigers lineup with a blizzard of high-octane fastballs, up to 98 mph on his four-seamer. He’s faced six and retired them all, with three strikeouts.

B1: Run-scoring single to left by J.D. Martinez scores Cordero. Martinez now has 30 RBI, tops in the big leagues.

B1: Kike Hernandez leaves the game with an injury. Had doubled off The Wall and slid into second. Looked to be stretching at second before advancing to third and asking out. Could be a groin or muscle pull. Franchy Cordero replaces him.

PRE-GAME STATS: The Red Sox have lost three of their last four games, but they are still tied with the Giants and Cardinals for the second-best record in the majors (18-13, .581)…The Sox’ +23 run differential ranks fourth in the AL….Today ‘s game ends a stretch in which the Sox play 21 of 23 games are against teams outside of their division..Just 18 of their first 57 games are against AL East teams, with none against the Yankees…Today marks the 1000th game for Xander Bogaerts in a Red Sox uniform, as he becomes the 30th player in franchise history to reach that milestone and only the 10th to do before his 29th birthday…. The Red Sox lead the majors in batting average (.263), slugging percentage (.443), OPS (.771), doubles (68), and extra-base hits (109)…They also lead the American League in runs (154)….J. D. Martinez leads the majors in RBI (29) and total bases (78) and is tied for the lead in homers (10)… He also ranks among the top 5 in MLB in average (5th, .349), OBP (4th, .437), slugging (3rd, .716), OPS (3rd, 1.152), extra-base hits (2nd, 20), and runs scored (T-3rd, 25)….Martinez, who homered Wednesday night, has hit 96 HR with the Red Sox. He would be the 32nd player to hit 100 homers with the club….. In his last 10 starts Nathan Eovaldi is 7-2 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .239 opponent average and a 6.33 strikeout to walk ratio….Eovaldi has not allowed a home run in his last 47.2 IP, the longest active homerless streak in the majors.. The last homer he allowed was 197 batters ago — Tampa Bay’s Austin Meadows on Sept. 12, 2020… Eovaldi is the only qualified pitcher to not allow a home run in 2021…. Red Sox pitchers have struck out 10 or more batters in each of their last 9 games, the longest streak in franchise history…The previous high was eight games in September of 2017…It’s the second-longest streak by any team this season; San Diego had a 10-game streak….After striking out 10 or more in just eight of their first 20 games, Red Sox pitchers have struck out 10 or more batters in 10 of their last 11 games…Matt Barnes struck out all three batters faced Wednesday nigh…Barnes has struck out 49.2% of batters faced (29 of 59) and has not allowed a run in his last 6 outings. He’s 7-for-7 in save opportunities…In those 7 games, he has allowed 0 runs and held opponents to a .043 AVG (1-for-23) with 12 SO and one walk...Jonathan Schoop is 1-for-9 lifetime against Eovaldi…Kevin Plawecki is the only member of the Boston starting lineup with a hit off Spencer Turnbull.

NOTES:

Outfielder Alex Verdugo, who missed Wednesday night with stiff back, is back in the lineup in left field. Infielder Christian Arroyo, who left the game in the eighth inning after having been struck in the left hand an inning early, was given the day off and Alex Cora indicated the Sox would try to stay away from him for a bit. “Obviously, we’ve got to be careful with Christian,” said Cora. “We’ll see how he feels throughout the day and see what he can or cannot do and we’ll go from there. It’s pretty similar to last week. You saw that he missed a few games (after being hit on the hand on the other occasion); we didn’t use him. It looked bad from the get-go. When he left (Wednesday) he felt like it’s pretty similar to last week, so hopefully, he doesn’t miss too much.”

BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 12, Tigers 9 – Sox manage to win in spite of themselves

Sean McAdam

All you need to know about the Red Sox’ win over the Tigers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

HEADLINES

Winning ugly: In a game that seemed more like something out of the Little League World Series (six errors, 21 runs, 30 hits, 12 pitchers used), the Red Sox managed to, somehow, come out on top. On the one hand, it shouldn’t be that hard to win a game against arguably the worst team in the game; on the other, they at least came out on top. At times, they seemed intent on committing sabotage against themselves, but the Tigers were more determined to hand the Sox the game, with four errors of their own, and too many sloppy plays in a crazy bottom of the eighth to document. “That wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it,” conceded Alex Cora. “We have to address a lot of stuff, we know that. ” That long list includes poor relief work, a less-than-quality start from Nathan Eovaldi, two errors from Rafael Devers that both proved costly and countless scoring opportunities wasted. The Sox stranded 12 on base. And they also couldn’t keep hold of a lead on three occasions.

Franchy breaks through: Franchy Cordero’s struggles have been well-documented, with an 0-for-25, He was out of the lineup to start the game, but when Kike Hernandez strained a hamstring on the bases in the bottom of the first inning, Cordero was pressed into duty. He responded with a three-hit afternoon, busting out of a slump that was literally weeks old, and gave him some confidence that things might finally be turning around. “Obviously, I’m really happy to contribute to today’s win,” he said. “It’s been tough. This is a hard game. If it was easy, then everybody would be able to do it. I just kept working. I’ve been speaking to the coaches and a lot of my teammates came up and would give me some advice as well. It was a team effort to try to get me right and I’m just happy I was able to have a good game today.”

Injuries mounting: The Red Sox have been remarkably injury free for the first month or so, but that has started to turn in the last two days. On Wednesday, Christian Arroyo had to come out of the game when he was again hit in the left hand. Meanwhile Alex Verdugo was scratched from the lineup Wednesday night when he felt stiffness in his lower back. He returned to play Thursday, but as he did, Hernandez came out of the lineup. After the game, Cora said he didn’t think it was serious, but given the nature of strained hamstrings, the Sox will have to, at the very least, be cautious with him and almost certainly won’t have him available for the start of their road trip Friday. It remains to be seen if there might be some corresponding roster moves.

Workman returns: After the game, the Red Sox announced that they had signed Brandon Workman to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple A Worcester. Workman had been designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs last week. He had appeared in 10 games with the Cubs, with a 6.75 ERA after signing with Chicago as a free agent over the winter. Workman, of course, was originally drafted and developed by the Red Sox, selected in the second round of the 2010 draft. He made his major league debut in 2013 and appeared in the World Series as a rookie. In six seasons with the Sox, he was 24-15 with a 3.75 ERA and 20 saves. His best season was in 2019, when he pitched to a 1.88 ERA and saved 16 games, serving as the closer in the second half of the season. But in 2020, with the Sox far out of contention, he was packaged with Heath Hembree and dealt to the Phillies at the trade deadline in return for Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. If Workman can straighten some things out in the minors, he could add to the Sox’ major league bullpen depth, an area that’s been somewhat thinned by the loss of (calf strain). Brasier is on the 60-day IL and is unlikely to be ready to contribute to the major league team until sometime in June.

TURNING POINT

The Red Sox had finally succeeded in tying the game up for the umpteenth time in the eighth inning. There were shadows across the infield, and after three hits on the afternoon, it looked like Cordero had run out of luck when he hit a slow roller to third. But pitcher Bryan Garcia screened Detroit third baseman Jeimer Candelario at the worst possible time, distracting him, and forcing an error that allowed the go-ahead run to score and the Sox were off and running.

TWO UP

Alex Verdugo: Extending his on-base streak to 25 games, Verdugo had two huge hits late in the game, including a two-run single in the four-run eighth that provided critical insurance runs.

Chrisitian Vazquez: The catcher was due for a day off, but it was all hands on deck by the end of the afternoon and as a pinch-hitter off the bench, he somehow managed to pull a ball in on his hands and keep it fair for an RBI single that brought the Sox to within a run and paced the way for the comeback inning.

THREE DOWN

Bobby Dalbec: It keeps getting worse for the rookie, who was 0-for-4 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in his final . His hitless streak stands at 27 at-bats.

Nathan Eovaldi: Things were going swimmingly through the first three innings, with just one baserunner allowed. But the righthander fell apart in the fourth, allowing three runs and couldn’t finish the fifth inning.

Josh Taylor: Brought in to try to get Eovaldi through the fifth inning, he failed to get off the mound and cover first base, a mistake that’s inexcusable for a big league pitcher.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“For all the ugly stuff that happened, we got a big league win and those are tough to come by.” Alex Cora.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The two teams combined for six errors in the game.

The win was Boston’s 13th come-from-behind victory

The game marked only the third time in the last 10 seasons that the Sox scored as many as 12 runs without a homer.

Rafael Devers leads MLB with game-tying or go-ahead RBI (63) since the start of 2019.

JD Martinez has 10 RBI in his last 10 games.

UP NEXT: The Red Sox are off for a four-game set in Baltimore. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 4.18) vs. RHP Matt Harvey (3-1, 4.06) at 7:05 p.m. is the first pitching matchup.

As Bogaerts reaches milestone, he takes stock of how far he’s come

Sean McAdam

It came on a getaway matinee game against a forgettable opponent, without a lot of fanfare.

Which, when you think about it, is kind of fitting.

The 1,000th game in a Red Sox uniform for Xander Bogaerts sort of came and went: underpublicized and without calling attention to itself. In other words, in typical fashion for Bogaerts.

Only 29 other players in franchise history have done what Bogaerts accomplished, and only nine others have done it before the age of 29, and of those nine, four — Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski, Tris Speaker and Bobby Doerr — have gone to be elected to the Hall of Fame. It may be premature, but it’s not exactly outlandish to suggest that Bogaerts could one day join them.

Certainly, it’s not difficult to say that he is trending in that direction. Barring something unforeseen, he will finish this season second on the franchise’s all-time list of games played at shortstop. Later this month, he’ll pass ; later this season, he’s eclipse , too, for second place on the list.

As for career milestones, Bogaerts, by virtue of the early start he got (he was 20 at the time of his debut), he’ll almost certainly be halfway to 3,000 hits before he celebrates his 30th birthday. Three-hundred career homers would seem to be in his sights.

But before getting ahead, it’s wise to appreciate what Bogaerts is accomplishing in the moment.

“It definitely means a lot,” he said. “I know for sure that I’ve come a long way since the day I signed (as a 16-year-old in Aruba) — growing up as a kid, trying to learn to play the game, be successful and get to the big leagues. Now, I’ve got a lot of games and it’s pretty impressive for a little kid just trying to get to the big leagues. So I’m extremely proud of myself and I’m thankful for everyone, especially my family, for always being there for the support. I had a bumpy road in the beginning, but I’m happy with where I am right now.”

However reluctantly, he’s the face of the franchise now. The trade of Mookie Betts saw to that. Bogaerts is the longest tenured person in the organization, with his origin story dating back to the final month of the 2013 season. He’s already been part of two world championship teams, something few players in team history can say.

Bogaerts may not be terribly comfortable in that role, but it is his nonetheless. Humble and unassuming, he doesn’t seek the spotlight, but he’s inarguably the team’s best overall position player in addition to his senior status.

“I’ve been saying all along,” said Alex Cora Thursday morning, “I believe he’s the most consistent person in this organization. Off the filed, on the field, physically, what he does in the offseason, the way he takes care of himself during the season, the way he goes about his business. Everything’s about winning for him.

“He doesn’t take a day for granted. He’s not as vocal or as loud as Dustin (Pedroia), but he’s always ready, he’s always prepared. I’ve really learned to appreciate him. We have a lot of (shortstops in MLB) that we love, but I’m happy that my shortstop is Xander Bogaerts and hopefully, he can play here for a long, long time.”

Where Bogaerts stands among the rest of the game’s shortstops is less obvious, but nonetheless an intriguing exercise. While few would put him in the class of, say, Francisco Lindor or Carlos Correa when it comes to defense, he’s certainly in the conversation for the game’s best offensive shortstop.

Only Lindor and Corey Seager can match him as a hitter. As MLB Network noted earlier this year when it ranked Bogaerts as the third-best overall shortstop in the game, Bogaerts, using the 2019-2020 seasons, began this year with the second-most homers, and was first among players at his position in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging and third in WAR.

Nothing he’s done in the first five weeks has changed that. Bogaerts entered Thursday leading all players in hits and was sixth in average. He ranked in the Top 10 in doubles, slugging percentage, OPS, extra-base hits and total bases while leading every player at his position in hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, doubles, extra-base hits and total bases.

And there’s this: Since the start of 2019, only Mike Trout (12.9) has a higher offensive WAR than Bogaerts (10.8).

Defensive metrics suggest Bogaerts has rather limited range at short. But he’s become more sure-handed in the last few years and converts the balls he gets to into outs with increasing regularity. If you can live with some balls getting by him up the middle, his game has few other weaknesses.

But Thursday wasn’t a day for assessment and classification. It was time for reflection, and the company that Bogaerts now keeps. And, maybe, just maybe, an opportunity to take some pride in what he’s accomplished.

“It hasn’t sunk in,” said Bogaerts. “A thousand games in the same organization, you have to be productive and be a guy they can rely on. I’m happy with the player I’ve become.”

And so, it should be obvious, are the Red Sox.

* The Athletic

Recent series have shown Red Sox’ weaknesses; how easily can they shore them up?

Jen McCaffrey

After a disappointing series loss in Texas, the Red Sox could have used a redemptive sweep of the Detroit Tigers, the team with the fewest wins in baseball.

Instead, the Red Sox barely scraped out a series win at home over the Tigers, in a stretch of games that exposed their holes, ones that need to be patched if this team is going to stay afloat and potentially challenge for the division all season long.

“We have to address a lot of stuff, we know that, we’ve been saying that,” manager Alex Cora said after Boston’s 12-9 win. “Over the course of the first month, for us to get to where we want to go, we have to be a lot better, and today was a reminder that.”

Five weeks into the season, the strengths of this Red Sox team are as obvious as its weaknesses. The middle of the order is carrying the offense while production out of the leadoff spot and bottom of the lineup are among the worst in baseball. The defense has been inconsistent and the reliable arms in the bullpen have been used too frequently, causing the unit to spring leaks of late.

Over their last 20 games, the Red Sox have gone 10-10 and are playing as if they could use some reinforcements.

“You have to be smart about how you maneuver your roster,” Cora said. “There are going to be weeks you are going to feel comfortable not using Phillips Valdez for 11 days. Then all of a sudden he has to pitch in a game like this and we might need him tomorrow. That’s the beauty of 162. We do believe our roster is deep enough to survive these stretches.”

But for how long?

A stagnant roster For the most part, Cora has stuck with the same roster since Opening Day, calling up for two starts and adding as the 27th man for a doubleheader in mid-April. Otherwise, Cora hung with his struggling players, whether it be Kiké Hernandez in the leadoff spot or Franchy Cordero in the outfield.

On Thursday, with Hernandez exiting the game in the second because of a hamstring cramp, Cordero entered and rewarded his manager with a three-hit game after an 0-for-25 stretch.

In the eighth, Cordero hit a tapper to third base that the Tigers misplayed, allowing the go-ahead and eventual winning run to score.

“It’s not easy, hitting at this level is not easy,” Cora said of Cordero. “People think that he’s not putting in work, but he’s been putting in work and he was aggressive right away. I think that gave him confidence.”

Even if Cordero’s three-hit day serves as a spark for his stagnant bat and buys him more time with the big league club, a few fresh faces might help rejuvenate a team that’s treading water of late.

Hernandez might need a few days, Christian Arroyo is dealing with a bruised hand after getting hit by a pitch earlier in the week, and Bobby Dalbec is mired in an 0-for-27 slump. Thanks to the team’s nine-man bullpen, the Red Sox bench has been so thin that catcher Christian Vazquez was forced to play second on Wednesday night.

Possible reinforcements

The Red Sox need bench options and versatility. Michael Chavis, who hit .250 in 25 spring training games, is 1-for-7 with two strikeouts in two games for Triple-A Worcester. Yairo Munoz is 2-for-8 so far for the WooSox. Neither Chavis nor Munoz was in the WooSox lineup on Thursday, indicating they could at least be on the Red Sox taxi squad for the weekend trip to Baltimore.

It was just about two years ago when Chavis made his major-league debut, and he served as a spark plug for a Red Sox lineup sapped of energy after a season-opening West Coast trip in 2019.

“I feel better than I was in 2019, I feel better than I have ever in professional baseball honestly,” Chavis said before the WooSox season-opener this week. “I feel like the way I performed in spring training relayed that. I’m very comfortable with where I’m at, I lost some weight this offseason, I’m feeling faster. I feel more flexible, more mobile and I have no issues saying I did everything I did this offseason to prepare for this season, so whenever my opportunity comes I’m really looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, utilityman Danny Santana, who is two games into a rehab assignment with High-A Greenville, is still at least a week away from contributing given his lack of at-bats after a foot injury this spring.

As for top outfield prospect (who is hitless so far for Worcester), he isn’t expected to see a call-up to Boston for at least another month.

“We want to make sure we don’t try to learn too much from a really small sample,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said earlier this week when asked about Duran. “But just having him go through the ups and downs of the season, and playing every day and doing it with the various ways that we have to track his performance. We’re gonna learn a lot pretty quickly, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the player; every confidence that Jarren is going to go out there and knock that door down, but he’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

When it comes to shoring up the bullpen, the Red Sox announced after the game Thursday they’d signed Brandon Workman to a minor-league deal. Workman, whom the Red Sox traded to Philadelphia last summer in the Nick Pivetta-Connor Seabold deal, had recently been designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs. He’d allowed nine runs, six earned, in eight innings. Though Workman may need some time to fix what’s gone wrong, he did post a 1.88 ERA in 71 1/3 innings for the Red Sox only two years ago. The Workman signing was the second minor-league relief addition of the week, with the club also bringing right-hander onto their 40-man roster. Brennan has a career 4.45 ERA, holding opponents to a .208 average in 49 career games.

Right-hander , who’s also on the Worcester roster, is another 40-man relief option who could offer a fresh arm for the tired Red Sox bullpen.

“We know where we’re at, we know how many wins we’ve got, but at the same time, we must keep working,” Cora said. “The same way when we were hot in April, it can go the other way around if we don’t keep working and getting better.”

Boston as a Braves town instead of Red Sox? Death of Del Crandall sparks talk of what might have been

Steve Buckley

Bob Brady was at his desk Thursday afternoon, assembling the latest edition of the Boston Braves Historical Association’s quarterly newsletter, when he received an email informing him that Del Crandall had died.

Brady, the association’s longtime president, paused for a moment and reflected. And then the 75-year-old retired vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston went right back to work, only now he was tasked with re-writing the newsletter in order to properly mourn the passing of Crandall, the last living member of the Boston Braves.

“The death of Del Crandall marks an end to a very much under-appreciated part of Boston baseball history,” Brady told me. “We knew this day was coming, but it’s still a very sad day. We also know it’s not going to be fully acknowledged in Boston, but it’s one of those things that needs to be mentioned.”

Crandall was 91 when he died on Wednesday. He was 19 when he made his major-league debut with the Boston Braves on June 17, 1949, pinch-running for catcher Bill Salkeld in the ninth inning of the team’s 7- 2 loss to the Reds at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field. He made his debut on July 1, getting the start behind the plate and collecting two hits as the Braves defeated the Phillies 2-1 in 12 innings.

Crandall played parts of the ’49 and ’50 seasons with the Braves but was not with the team at the end of the 1952 season, its last in Boston. By the time he finished up two years in the military and reported back to the Braves during spring training in 1953, the team was being relocated to Milwaukee.

That was 68 years ago. And yet the Braves continue to make a dent in the Boston sports consciousness. The surest sign that that Boston Braves once meant something in Boston — and still do — is , the fundraising arm of the acclaimed Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When the Jimmy Fund started in 1948, getting its name from a real-life child fighting cancer, later identified as Einar Gustafson, it was members of the Boston Braves who visited the little boy in the hospital.

The Red Sox were no less heroic in adopting the Jimmy Fund after the Braves left town, a commitment that has only increased over the years as generations of Sox players from to Mike Andrews to to to Brock Holt, among so many others, visit the Dana-Farber to bring good cheer to little faces.

But as baseball historian Saul Wisnia notes, “Although they passed the torch to the Red Sox and , the Braves were great benefactors to the Jimmy Fund. The Braves’ legacy is secure with the Jimmy Fund. The history of the Dana-Farber and the history of the Braves are forever connected.”

Wisnia is the perfect spokesperson for this topic. In addition to being senior publications editor at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, he’s also a founding member of the Boston Braves Historical Association.

Wisnia also points out that the Jimmy Fund radio spot currently airing on the Boston airwaves includes archival audio taken from the Boston Braves’ hospital visit with cancer patient Einar Gustafson.

“It’s almost like the Boston Braves are living on everyone’s radio when they air that,” said Wisnia.

Other Boston Braves history can be found in and around the city. Braves Field lives on as , now owned by Boston University. The old first-base grandstand remains from the days of Braves Field. Look at it this way: The same place where the Boston Braves played their last home game on September 21, 1952, against the Dodgers is the same place where the Boston Patriots played their first game on September 9, 1960, against the Denver Broncos.

It’s not just the presence of Nickerson Field that helps keep memories of the Boston Braves alive. Patriots owner was a Braves fan growing up in Brookline and was a few months shy of his 12th birthday when the team pulled up stakes and moved to Milwaukee. Kraft has often said that part of the reason he bought the Patriots was because he never forgot what it was like to lose the Braves. To this day he keeps Boston Braves memorabilia in his office.

Alas, there weren’t a lot of kids like little Bobby Kraft of Brookline. As much as Boston was a baseball town in those days, it was a Red Sox town. The Braves did win the National League pennant in 1948, losing the World Series to Cleveland, which got to the Fall Classic on the strength of beating the Red Sox in a one-game playoff for the AL pennant. But while the Braves drew 1,455,439 fans to Braves Field in 1948, attendance fell to 1,081,795 in 1949, to 944,391 in 1950, and to 487,475 in 1951.

In 1952, their last year in Boston, the Braves drew only 281,278 fans. The average attendance was 3,653, even less than what the pandemic-minded Red Sox are drawing at Fenway Park during these first weeks of this season.

The greatest what-if in Boston baseball history involves the Boston Braves. As in: What if they had just hung on for a few more years? It was, after all, the Boston Braves who in 1952 signed a young Negro Leagues star named Henry Aaron, but it was as a Milwaukee Brave that Hammerin’ Hank made his major- league debut in 1954. With Crandall emerging as a perennial All-Star catcher, with Aaron teaming up with Eddie Mathews to give the lineup a 3-4 power punch, with Warren Spahn building on his Boston resume as baseball’s best left-handed pitcher, the Milwaukee Braves were a 1950s juggernaut. They won the World Series in 1957 by toppling the Yankees in seven games, making it the first championship for the franchise since the Miracle (Boston) Braves of 1914. Milwaukee won another pennant in 1958, this time losing the World Series to the Yankees in seven games. Between 1953 and 1960 the Milwaukee Braves finished second in the NL five times. As all this was happening, the Red Sox snoozed right through the decade, finishing no higher than third place. When the 1967 “Impossible Dream” Red Sox won the American League pennant, it marked the first time Boston hosted a World Series game since the 1948 Braves played the Indians.

“If they had stayed in Boston, there was the potential for the Braves to be a dynasty,” said Dick Johnson, curator of the Sports Museum of . “Aaron and Mathews could have been the Russell and Cousy of Boston baseball. And slaying the Yankees in the 1957 World Series as they did, imagine that taking place in Boston. That would have utterly changed the fortunes of baseball in this town. If the Red Sox hadn’t already relocated, that would have pushed them out the door.”

The Boston Braves Historical Association has about 300 members. What makes the passing of Del Crandall particularly hard for them isn’t just that he was the last living member of Boston’s National League ball club.

“Del was a very, very generous supporter of the association,” said Bob Brady. “He would provide us with very generous checks to support our objective of preserving the Braves’ history. He will be missed greatly. We were fortunate enough to have him appear at one of our reunions.”

Crandall, a hugely popular member of the Milwaukee Braves, ended his playing career in 1966 with the Indians. The Braves had relocated a second time by then, this time to Atlanta. He returned to Milwaukee in 1972 when he was named manager of the city’s new big-league ball club, the Brewers. He later managed the Seattle Mariners, whose roster included future Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke.

“I’ve dreaded the day when I would have to acknowledge that there are no more Boston Braves players around,” said Brady. “And to be honest, we’re having the same type of situation in the association. A number of our members are passing, and I’m not young myself. Our future existence is perhaps headed in the same route as Del Crandall.

“But in the interim,” Brady said, “we’re going to preserve as many memories of the Boston Braves as humanly possible. We aren’t going to forget them.”

The Triple-A PawSox are no more, but their legacy lives on in broadcast booths nationwide

Tim Britton

A walk along the cement concourse of McCoy Stadium, the longtime home of the , is a trip through New England baseball history. Home to a Red Sox affiliate for a half-century, this is where Jim Rice and blossomed, where spent way longer than he should have, where the longest game in professional baseball history was played.

But perhaps the franchise’s proudest lineage emerged not from the diamond, but from McCoy Stadium’s most unglamorous room. Sitting at the top of the stadium, in a structure designed like a large beige shipping container, is the Pawtucket Red Sox broadcast booth. Sure, the dusty tower fan that keeps it cool on those rare 90-degree days in the Ocean State is too loud to use during the actual game. Its occupants had to jam a thin piece of wood underneath the window each night to prevent its abrupt closure. And that overstuffed bookcase has been leaning more and more each year.

This, however, was long the jewel of minor-league broadcasting. Here, at the corner of Division Street and Columbus Avenue, was where every fresh-faced just-out-of-college hopeful at the Winter Meetings wanted to be one day.

McCoy Stadium is empty this summer, for the first time in 52 years. The PawSox are no more, the franchise relocated 40 miles up the road to Worcester, Mass, where the WooSox began play this week. It’s not clear when McCoy Stadium will be occupied again by a professional baseball team, if ever.

And if the PawSox really are gone for good, then in some ways, this room may well be a part of their legacy.

“You know the day you get into the industry,” Josh Maurer said, “you want to get to Pawtucket.”

In the last 20 years, the Pawtucket Red Sox sent nine broadcasters to either the major leagues or the NFL. The rest of the minor leagues combined — what had until this year been 260 affiliated teams, including the other 29 Triple-A franchises — sent 20.

How did this become the place?

“We’re a bit like USC with running backs here,” general manager Dan Rea said. “It’s a very nice lineage, and it goes back to and Mike Tamburro and the value they placed on having really strong broadcasters.”

“Whenever that job comes open,” said Dan Hoard (2006-2011), who now serves as the radio broadcaster for the Cincinnati Bengals, “you know the most talented want-to-be major-league announcers in the country are going to apply for it.”

“This job gets you to the major leagues,” Maurer (2014-present) said. “It’s like the mythical golden ticket.”

It started with a commitment to the radio broadcast in the mid-1980s from Mondor and Tamburro, then the owner and team president, respectively.

At first, “Ben and I couldn’t afford to put the games on the air,” Tamburro said. “And then it got to the point where we couldn’t afford not to put them on the air, you know?”

The radio broadcast was a branding and promotional opportunity, Tamburro said — one a team playing 45 miles away from a lodestar major-league franchise required.

“You’re in the same market as a major-league club, and if people are going to listen, you’ve got to have a high-quality sound,” Tamburro said.

The PawSox first struck gold with Gary Cohen, their second-ever radio broadcaster back in the late 1980s. Cohen, whom Pawtucket hired out of Durham, spent two years at McCoy Stadium before being hired by the Mets. He’s now in his 33rd year calling ’s games, and he’s been nominated for the Ford C. Frick award, presented by the Hall of Fame.

It wasn’t until more than a decade after Cohen, however, that Pawtucket would send its second broadcaster to the majors in Don Orsillo — and that’s when the job started morphing into that so-called golden ticket.

Orsillo (1996-2000) was hired by the Red Sox for the 2001 season; the two announcers who replaced him, Dave Flemming and Andy Freed, were hired by the Giants in 2004 and the Devil Rays in 2005, respectively. Dave Jageler spent one season in Pawtucket before being hired by the Nationals in 2006. Hoard was hired by the Bengals in 2011. Like Jageler, spent a season at McCoy before being called up by the Mariners in 2013. Bob Socci was with the PawSox for half a season before becoming the Patriots’ radio announcer in 2013. Jeff Levering was there for two years before Milwaukee hired him in 2015. Will Flemming, Maurer’s partner from 2015 through 2018, was promoted by the Red Sox ahead of the 2019 season.

Talk to those involved and there are three reasons Pawtucket became the center of minor-league broadcasting. First, the importance Mondor and Tamburro placed on broadcasting meant a better search process than most other minor-league franchises. Second, the team’s proximity to its parent club created more intense interest in the home market. Finally, once a reputation is established, you get the best applicants.

“I remember being flown there,” Dave Flemming said of the hiring process. “I just can’t imagine most minor-league teams would ever do that — fly me from San Francisco to Providence.”

“They had the track record because they cared so much about the quality of the broadcaster,” said Socci, who had applied for the job each time it was open for more than a decade before landing it. “They looked for somebody who had a major-league sound and could continue the pipeline.”

“In the majority of minor-league cities, they choose the easiest person to hire — somebody that they know, somebody that’s recommended,” Hoard said. “They don’t go through the time-consuming process of listening very carefully to every applicant, and that’s why Pawtucket has consistently landed somebody that has moved on to bigger and better things.”

Indeed, the PawSox embraced an unorthodox approach to hiring a broadcaster. In most places, it’s a program director making the call by himself, after listening to minutes if not seconds of several applicants.

In Pawtucket?

“It was usually in March, so we’d have a March Madness kind of bracket,” explained Bill Wanless, the club’s senior vice president of communications. “What we wanted to do is get broadcasters that people from all walks of life would enjoy listening to throughout the season. So we’d bring everyone from the office in to listen — young people, older people, male, female, baseball fan, non-baseball fan. We’d play them in a big room and have people vote.”

“They basically utilize their front office as a focus group,” said Jageler, who wasn’t aware of how he was hired until he took part in the process of finding his successor. “It was a nice cross-section of different ears listening.”

“It’s like a tournament process: All right, you’ve made the cut for the elite 128!” Maurer said. “It was mind-blowing that people in minor-league baseball would take the time and effort to do that. The results have obviously shown.”

Couched in Maurer’s praise for Pawtucket’s broadcaster selection show is the frustrating understanding that this isn’t how it happens elsewhere. In some ways, being a minor-league broadcaster is similar to being a minor-league player, with a progression through levels and, at Triple A, the ultimate goal feeling within reach. But whereas every minor-league player is evaluated on the entirety of his performance and his track record, on reams and reams of at-bats and innings pitched, a minor-league broadcaster is judged on a somewhat shorter period of time.

“The crazy thing about it is it basically comes down to a five-minute inning that you send,” Will Flemming said. “Somebody presses ‘Play,’ and it’s just an intuitive immediate decision. It’s crazy to think about all the steps to get to that place where they press ‘Play.’”

“I know they only really listen to 90 seconds of it,” Maurer said. “They want to know what you sound like, the way you call a game. They can tell that after one batter.”

“People make such strong judgments off of you immediately. I mean, within 15 seconds,” Dave Flemming said. “A lot of what we do reveals itself over time.”

“I can’t tell you how much anxiety goes over that thing in the offseason,” said Orsillo, now with the Padres. “What does somebody want to hear? Everybody’s different! It’s so subjective.”

Once at McCoy, though, the stadium’s acoustics made that demo tape sound a lot better.

“The way McCoy Stadium was built, it’s kind of built up rather than pushed back,” Orsillo said. “And it had a major-league buzz to it. A lot of the minor-league guys sound minor-league because there’s clapping here and there.”

“We were getting 10,000 people a night,” Freed said. “It felt like doing a small big-league game.”

For a broadcaster coming from a smaller market in the Texas League or Eastern League, that ambiance amplifies the pressure.

“When I got that job at Pawtucket, I felt like I had reached the big leagues,” Goldsmith said. “That team, from a minor-league standpoint, gets an awful lot of media attention.”

“I’ll never forget as long as I live when Mike Tamburro offered me the job, one of the things he said to me was, ‘You’re not on a year contract or a month-to-month or week-to-week contract. You’re on a word-to- word contract,’” Levering said. “That kind of pressure made me grow up real fast.”

“There are expectations that come with this job,” Will Flemming said, back when he was still in it. “You have to meet the standard that has been set before, and you do know that it is exponentially more likely that someone who would hire you for a major-league job is listening here. That just puts different weight on a broadcast.”

“You just don’t want to let them down,” Maurer said.

That pressure doesn’t just come from the history here.

“I’m not a young guy,” the 40-year-old Maurer said. “How long can you keep doing this? If somebody told you at the end of the day, there’s a promise that even if you are here 10 more years, you’re going to be in the major leagues, I’d say, ‘Sure.’ But that doesn’t exist.

“So there is a clock going. The longer I keep grinding away, the less chance I have of having a normal life and starting a family and figuring out where I ultimately want to live.”

For years, Maurer has lamented a missed opportunity from 2015, when he filled in for Orsillo calling seven Red Sox games on NESN alongside Jerry Remy. They were the first baseball games he’d ever done on television.

“I don’t think I was good enough,” he said. “I wish I had done better, and that’s hard to live with if that’s really my only chance. … As many games as I’ve called in my career now — and I’ve called thousands of games — I’m essentially only judged by those seven.”

Orsillo could relate. He got a chance to fill in for Sean McDonough on three Red Sox games late in the 2000 season, and he gave himself much the same evaluation.

“I wasn’t myself,” he said. “It’s very similar to a player who comes up for three games. You try to do everything. You’re trying to impress everybody, and it’s impossible to do well. I thought I was awful.”

Despite that review, Orsillo landed the full-time gig on NESN for the next season; he hadn’t quite realized this was a full audition.

“It couldn’t have happened at a better time because at that point, I was soul-searching,” he said. “It was starting to get to, what else can I do, because it didn’t appear like it was happening. And I am truly a one- trick pony. I’ve got nothing else.”

Lingering in Triple A for several years isn’t the death knell of a career that it often is for a player. It’s not even really a commentary on the quality of a broadcaster’s work. It’s a numbers game.

There are 30 play-by-play television jobs in the major leagues. Depending on how a team sets up its radio broadcast, there are 30 to 60 radio jobs.

They do not come open often. Counting the 2021 baseball season, the average big-league broadcaster has been in the majors for nearly 22 seasons. On average, maybe two jobs a year are open, and they often go to people already within the organization.

“You can’t really think about it seven steps ahead,” Levering said. “There is no five-year program in this business. Baseball announcing isn’t that way, and if you think it’s going to work that way, you’re going to be disappointed so badly.”

“It’s impossible not to get antsy about it and it’s impossible not to survey the landscape and think these jobs are turning over one a year,” Dave Flemming said. “How am I ever going to get a shot?”

“No matter how good you are, there’s no guarantee you’re ever going to get there,” Hoard said. “You have to enjoy the journey. If you don’t like it, if you are frustrated that you are still in the minor leagues, then you really shouldn’t be doing it. It’s a crapshoot.”

Maurer admitted he had reached the breaking point himself. He entered 2020 thinking it would be his final year as a broadcaster. It was the team’s last season in Pawtucket, he would be turning 40 in the next year. He figured he had chased the dream long enough.

But a pandemic and a year away from the nightly rigors of a minor-league schedule revealed to Maurer how much he still enjoyed the work.

“I thought I would miss it when I changed careers,” he said. “But I learned to appreciate how much I would have missed it and how much I truly did still love it.”

Instead, he spent his summer working odd jobs for the PawSox, who didn’t furlough their seasonal employees during the pandemic, and refocusing on his craft by working with a broadcast coach. When Polar Park in Worcester hosts its first-ever game on Tuesday, Maurer will be behind the mic.

“I got caught up a lot for a couple years in the ‘Woe is me, how come I’m not in the big leagues?’” he said. “When you get caught up in that, you don’t appreciate what you have. I still have a pretty cool job.”

Orsillo has never forgotten what it felt like in Pawtucket, never knowing if the next call would come. That feeling still drives him two decades later.

“I think because of what I went through to get here, my mindset won’t ever change,” Orsillo said. “The 10 years of buses, the early flights at Triple A, I’ll never forget that. It’s made me who I am today.”

* Associated Press

Cordero snaps slump, Red Sox hold on to beat Tigers 12-9

BOSTON (AP) — Franchy Cordero woke up on Thursday in an 0-for-25 slump and he figured he’d end the day the same way. He wasn’t in the lineup for Boston’s series finale against Detroit.

Then Kiké Hernandez came down with a tight hamstring in the first inning, and Cordero was suddenly in the game — in the No. 1 spot in the batting order. And it was a good thing for the Red Sox that he was.

Cordero had three hits, made a shoestring catch to end a Tigers threat and then brought home the game- winning run in the eighth with the help of Detroit’s fourth error. After blowing three leads, the Red Sox held on to beat the Tigers 12-9.

“All of us that aren’t in the lineup to start the game, we try to stay ready,” said Cordero, who had one hit since April 14, dropping his batting average from .348 to .153. “We’re working in the cages or trying to stay warm. I was happy I was able to contribute to the win.”

One day after giving up three runs in the 10th, the Red Sox coughed up leads of 4-1, 5-4 and 8-7 before scoring four in the eighth to avoid losing the three-game series to the worst team in the majors.

“We know all about winning series. And yesterday it slipped away from us,” said Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who became the 30th player to appear in 1,000 games for the Red Sox — the 10th to do it before his 29th birthday. “It wasn’t our prettiest game this year. But it was definitely one where we showed fight, showed grit.”

The teams combined for six errors, three wild pitches, two hit batsmen, a passed ball and a balk. Of the 17 half-innings, only three went 1-2-3.

“It was amazing, right?” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said sarcastically. “But it was a big league win, and you’ve got to take them. We played some great games in New York, good pitching and defense. That wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.”

Rafael Devers drove in three runs on a pair of singles. But the Red Sox third baseman also committed two errors — the second to allow the Tigers to tie the game 8-8 in the seventh.

Matt Andriese (1-1) earned the win despite allowing Detroit to take a 9-8 lead in the eighth; he gave up one run on three hits, a walk and a balk in one inning. Adam Ottavino pitched the ninth for his first save.

After Devers led off the eighth by reaching on shortstop Niko Goodrum’s error, Alex Lange (0-1) relieved Kyle Funkhouser. Lange struck out Hunter Renfroe and Marwin Gonzalez before a wild pitch sent Devers to second.

Kevin Plawecki walked, Christian Arroyo ran for him and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Bobby Dalbec, who is in an 0-for-27 slump. Vazquez singled to tie it 9-all and then third baseman Jeimer Candalario botched Cordero’s nubber down the third-base line, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

“He made contact when it matters at the end,” Cora said. “He hustles all the time. He put pressure on their defense.”

Alex Verdugo singled in two more runs to make it 12-9.

Candelario and Willi Castro had three hits piece for the Tigers.

Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings in his worst outing of the season. He was 7-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 10 starts dating to last August. Eovaldi still has not allowed a homer in 52 innings — the longest active streak in the majors and the only qualified pitcher who hasn’t given up a homer in 2021.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Wilson Ramos took a Devers foul tip off the inside of his left knee in the first inning. A trainer came out to look at him, but he remained in the game. Ramos left the game in the eighth with lower back tightness.

Red Sox: Hernández left the game in the first inning with right hamstring tightness. He doubled to lead off the inning and took third on a groundout before Cordero came in to replace him there. In the fourth, Xander Bogaerts went to the ground after fouling a ball off his left leg. He remained in the game and hit the next pitch for a single.

UP NEXT

Tigers: Host the Twins for the start of a three-game series. LHP Tarik Skubal (0-4) will face Minnesota’s Matt Shoemaker (1-3).

Red Sox: Visit Baltimore for the first of four games. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0) will face righty Matt Harvey (3-1).

Former Red Sox boss Lucchino heads to the minors with WooSox

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Concrete is curing, saws are buzzing, and is at home again, in a ballpark.

At an age when many ease into retirement, the 75-year-old three-time cancer survivor instead headed to the minor leagues for one more chance to run a baseball team and build it a new home.

“I don’t think (retirement) is the way I’m wired,” Lucchino said this spring during an interview in the upper deck at the $118 million Polar Park. “I want to keep doing and being and making and contributing.”

Now chairman and part-owner of the , Lucchino ushered the Triple-A franchise from its longtime home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to this city an hour west of Boston. Polar Park, which will be unveiled for the WooSox home opener Tuesday, has brought new life to the city’s Canal District.

And perhaps even to Lucchino himself.

“I think it’s revitalizing and rejuvenating for him,” said WooSox President Charles Steinberg, who also worked with Lucchino in Baltimore, San Diego and Boston.

“For those holding out hope that he’ll sit on a chaise lounge and retire. I’ve got news for you: I think it’s hopeless,” Steinberg said. “He’s going to continue to tackle projects, it’s in his nature. He can’t do otherwise.”

A Pittsburgh native who was Princeton teammates with Bill Bradley, the Hall of Famer turned U.S. senator, and a Yale Law School classmate of Hillary Clinton, Lucchino found his way into sports when he took a job with Washington lawyer and NFL team owner Edward Bennett Williams. Williams added the Orioles to his portfolio, and so did Lucchino.

When the team needed a new ballpark, Lucchino worked with architect Janet Marie Smith to create Camden Yards, a project that returned baseball to the urban neighborhoods of its roots.

“We didn’t know that we were going to ignite a revolution in ballpark architecture. We just wanted to build a nice little ballpark,” Lucchino said. “And the same is true here: We’re just building a nice little ballpark -- one that has character and personality and a local flavor.”

That formula is one Lucchino carried with him to San Diego, where he presided over the construction of Petco Park, and then to Boston, reuniting with Smith — this time spending more than $250 million to renovate Fenway Park, rather than replace it. (The Red Sox built a new spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida, making Polar Park Lucchino’s fifth ballpark project.)

“Larry loves baseball. But right there with baseball, Larry loves cities,” Steinberg said. “And I think that’s why he’s had such a passion for building ballparks or refurbishing ballparks that improve the life of a city.”

In Boston, Lucchino was the face of the front office who stoked the rivalry with the to a furor, and a hands-on boss who approved everything from player trades to signage fonts. The team won three World Series, including the 2004 title that ended an 86-year championship drought.

One of his moves was to put together a group led by Providence lawyer Jim Skeffington that bought the PawSox in 2015. Lucchino described himself as “ceremonial appendage” to the deal, there to support Skeffington’s management.

But when Skeffington died a few months later, Lucchino filled the gap.

“We had to call an audible, and that audible called for me as the experienced member of the group to step up,” he said.

After attempts in Rhode Island to replace the 75-year-old McCoy Stadium fell through, the PawSox became the WooSox. (Worcester, for reasons that make sense only in England or New England, is pronounced “WOO-ster” -- or “WOO-stah,” if you really want to get into the local dialect.)

And Lucchino was once again donning a hard hat and yellow safety vest, clomping around a construction site.

“Larry’s interest is in how ballparks can resonate with communities,” Smith said, adding that Worcester was no different in that way than Baltimore, San Diego and Boston. “The idea of jumpstarting the development of downtown ... really got Larry’s juices flowing.”

Though overshadowed by Boston -- and often even smaller cities like Providence, Portland or Hartford -- Worcester is the second-largest city in New England, one that had a 19th Century heyday as a wire and textile industry hub. There have been sports, too: It was the birthplace of the Ryder Cup, candlepin bowling and Ernest Lawrence Thayer, the author of “Casey at the Bat.”

It even had major league baseball.

A National League team played here from 1880-82; on June 20, 1880, Worcester left-hander Lee Richmond threw the first perfect game in major league history.

Polar Park is undeniably the minors.

And that’s not a bad thing.

In addition to the lure of future stars — Pawtucket fans would have had the chance to see Hall of Famers like , Cal Ripken Jr. and — Polar Park has a total capacity of 9,508 and ticket prices from $8 to $32.

“Whatever you might say about how cool and great the Red Sox are, you probably wouldn’t apply ‘affordable family entertainment’ to it,” Lucchino said. “So we have a different product. It doesn’t have the win-at-any-cost kind of dimension that Major League Baseball has. But in terms of what it can do for a city — at this age and stage, that interests me a lot.”

Just as Baltimore has “Camden Green,” Polar Park has it’s own color scheme: “Woo Blue.” The home of the WooSox also has half the foul territory of Fenway — bringing fans closer to the players and eliminating many rally-killing foul popups.

And every detail needed Lucchino’s blessing.

“He’s certainly every bit as intense as he was in every other project I’ve worked with him on,” Smith said. “Since it’s Larry, he still insists to see every sign, every paint sample. ... There’s no detail that he doesn’t get excited about.”

Smith raved about the different ways fans can watch the game, from the seats atop the 22-foot Worcester Wall — modeled after Fenway’s Green Monster, but in right field — to a grassy berm out in left. As a nod to the city that calls itself the “Heart of the Commonwealth,” heart shapes pop up everywhere from the team logo to the arrangement of the outfield lights.

“Every ballpark is different. Every one reflects the city in which it exists,” Lucchino said. “This thing will look and smell and taste and feel like Worcester.”

Nothing makes that point better than the train tracks running behind the left field wall, making their way from Boston to Worcester’s Union Station. (Houston’s Minute Maid Park has a steam engine replica that chugs down a track to celebrate home runs, and Lucchino couldn’t resist a dig: “Some places pay a lot of money for a fake train,” he said. “We’ve got a real one.”)

The new ballpark also features local foods and local beer, spacious clubhouses for the teams and even a designated changing room for the new mascot, Smiley Ball, named after the iconic smiley face image created by Worcester artist Harvey Ball in 1963.

The PawSox mascot had no such luxury, team spokesman Bill Wanless noted.

“He used our bathroom in the office,” he said. “So thank God for that.”