The Boston Red Sox Sunday, July 15, 2018 * the Boston Globe
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Boston Red Sox Sunday, July 15, 2018 * The Boston Globe Eduardo Rodriguez injury throws Red Sox trade plans for a loop Nick Cafardo Everyone always thought Eduardo Rodriguez would put it together and be a front-of-the-rotation starter someday. He was really getting close to being there in previous outings and especially Saturday until on a cover play at first base in the sixth inning when Rodriguez sprained his right ankle and had to come out of the game. What a blow to the Red Sox on a day when they took an exhilarating 6-2 10th-inning walkoff win on a Xander Bogaerts grand slam before an electric crowd at Fenway. “I was just talking to [trainer] Brad [Pearson]. It looks bad,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was referring to the swelling in Rodriguez’s ankle. “He’s walking around, which is encouraging. We have to go through the tests and see what happens. “Today was probably his best one. Throwing strikes, great tempo, pitching to contact and then that happens. We’ll see. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I felt he was making strides and making great pitches. Hopefully he’ll be OK.” While X-rays were negative, there was more exploration to be done because of Rodriguez’s history with kneecap issues (although they seemed to be resolved by offseason surgery). Sprained ankles aren’t good for any player and it’s especially tough for a pitcher since, in E-Rod’s case, that’s his landing leg. Cora insisted that there was nothing wrong with his knee after the incident. Rodriguez had already left the ballpark before media availability after the game, so he was not around to comment. The bigger question is do the Red Sox need to be in the market for a starting pitcher? Rodriguez extended his scoreless string to 19 innings. He has become a significant part of the starting rotation. Are the Sox now destined to have to scout the Tigers’ Michael Fulmer or the Rangers’ Cole Hamels or the Blue Jays’ J.A. Happ when they should be devoting their resources toward a reliever, such as the Orioles’ Zach Britton? It’s a shame for a team to be on such a roll and have to put an 11-game winner on the shelf. They benefit on the healing side by added days off from the All-Star break, but they have two pitchers — Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright — who can’t seem to make it back. Pomeranz has had all sorts of delivery issues in his three rehab starts, while Wright’s knee remains inflamed and the cartilage restoration rehab is going about as well as Dustin Pedroia’s. Brian Johnson has also been on the DL with a hip ailment though he’s expected back Sunday. Would the Red Sox go with a staff of Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Johnson, and Hector Velazquez for the short term? Would they include Jalen Beeks? This would be a staff that on paper is weaker than the Yankees, who are also looking to add a starting pitcher. With one out in the sixth inning Saturday, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. grounded to the right side where first baseman Blake Swihart ranged to his right but bobbled the ball. He caught the ball barehanded and threw to Rodriguez, who was running to cover the bag. The throw sailed behind E-Rod, who then had to jump over Gurriel as he was sliding headfirst into the bag. However, Rodriguez caught his left leg on Gurriel’s helmet and landed awkwardly on his right foot. Rodriguez tried to work it out and got on the mound. But, after one throw to the plate, flexed his leg again, and that’s when the Red Sox training staff and Cora told him to shut it down. It was an unfortunate development for a 25-year-old guy that was really pitching well (11-3, 3.44 ERA). There are things that still drive you cuckoo about him, like the parade of injuries and throwing too many pitches, which limit the length of his outings. Economizing is often a problem of young pitchers. Most of them eventually figure it out. Jon Lester used to suffer from this, but he learned to economize to the point where he could pitch beyond seven innings but still throw 100-115 pitches in a game. Rodriguez had won his last start vs. the Rangers on Monday throwing 5⅔ scoreless innings and allowing just three hits. So it’s all been good for Rodriguez. The Red Sox have needed it with David Price’s inconsistencies and injuries to Pomeranz and Wright. Rodriguez, who was acquired from the Orioles four years ago for Andrew Miller, has always had good stuff and mid-90s velocity. The Orioles were always high on Rodriguez, but there were issues and injuries that kept Rodriguez from excelling. But now there’s a new injury, which couldn’t have happened at the worst possible time. The Red Sox now have a another pitching problem that they’ll likely need to address. Xander Bogaerts’s walkoff grand slam was music to Red Sox’ ears Julian Benbow Xander Bogaerts doesn’t always hear his walk-up music on his way to the plate. But when he made his way to the batter’s box Saturday with the Sox knotted at 2 in the 10th inning against the Blue Jays, he picked up the lyrics as they cut through the extra-inning tension. Bogaerts was 11 years old, barely old enough to rip off the parental advisory sticker, when DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” led off the soundtrack to his 2003 action flick “Cradle 2 The Grave,” but 15 years later the song scored the drama for Bogaerts as he stepped in with the bases loaded. “They played ‘X gon’ give it to ya,’ ‘X gon’ deliver to ya,’ ” Bogaerts said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, my god.’ All this is coming to my head. It was a good time for it. I have certain spots where I like to hear that and it helped me. I kind of smiled going to the plate because it was some good words in there.” The table was set for Bogaerts after Mookie Betts reached on an error with one out, then worked a hit and run with Brock Holt to make it first and third. Jays reliever Chris Rowley intentionally walked J.D. Martinez to load the bases, setting the stage for Bogaerts. “It was loud,” Bogaerts said. “The stadium was really loud, but I think he put the music up even louder because I was hearing everything.” Above all else, Bogaerts wanted to be patient. At the very least, if he put the ball in the air, he could deliver a win with a sacrifice fly. Once he got ahead 2 and 0, he locked in. “I’m like, ‘I’m going to swing if it’s anything close,’ ” Bogaerts said. Rowley left an 87-mile-per-hour fastball up in the zone and Bogaerts drilled it to deep center field. “As soon as he hit it, I was like, ‘We won the game,’ ” Holt said. As it sailed toward the flagpole, Bogaerts still wasn’t quite sure. “I hit it real good, but I didn’t expect for it to go out,” he said. “But I knew I hit it good and I knew it was at least a sac fly and we would’ve won it.” When the ball landed, Fenway Park exploded. Bogaerts’s grand slam sealed the Sox’s 6-2 walkoff win. It was Sox’s the first walkoff grand slam in 18 years. Bogaerts was so swept up that midway through his trot, he forgot he had homered. Drew Pomeranz’s mechanics still out of whack during rehab Julian Benbow Drew Pomeranz’s search for consistency on the mound has stretched for nearly two months now, even before he went on the disabled list in June with left biceps tendinitis. But after three starts on his minor league rehabilitation assignment, he’s still looking for answers. Pomeranz gave up three runs on four hits, including a two-run homer, in 3⅔ innings Friday night in Pawtucket. Overall, he’s 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA in his three outings. The report Sox manager Alex Cora received on Pomeranz was that his velocity was still lower than ideal — sitting around 89-90 miles per hour — and his breaking ball has been inconsistent. He’s scheduled to make another rehab start Wednesday with Pawtucket. “I think with Drew it’s all about timing and mechanics honestly,” Cora said. “That’s why he’s going to go out there and pitch on Wednesday. And he knows it. He knows he has to get it right before he gets here. It’s very important, very important. We saw what he did last year with this team and we need the good Drew Pomeranz, the guy that can repeat his delivery and be consistent with his breaking ball.” Pomeranz was 1-3 with a 6.81 ERA in eight starts before going on the disabled list. How he’ll factor into the rotation after the All-Star break is uncertain. “I’m not concerned,” Cora said. “Sometimes we talk about [over-adjusting] sometimes. Maybe that’s what’s going on. I haven’t talked to him today. I don’t know how he felt about his delivery, I just read the report.