The Sunday, May 23, 2021

* The Boston Globe

Bullpen saves Nate Eovaldi, Red Sox

Julian McWilliams

Manager knows Darwinzon Hernandez can sometimes get wrapped up in an outing. But Cora doesn’t try to shut off the reliever from his emotions. The Sox manager, instead, wants Hernandez to channel them in a useful direction.

So, with the bases loaded Saturday in the seventh, after Phillips Valdez the Phillies’ to load the bases, Hernandez’s emotions were put to the test.

Cora called on his reliever with just one out in the frame to protect a 4-2 Sox lead. Hernandez struck out on three pitches, but hit , narrowing the Sox lead by just a .

The next batter, , who already had two hits, struck out on a 95 mile-per-hour heater above the zone. It helped fasten what ended in a 4-3 Sox win.

Hernandez roared with elation.

“It was a big moment,” Hernandez said afterward. “Big spot, obviously, you know, after I hit the previous batter and having the bases loaded. It just was a lot of emotions flowing through. So when I was able to get that out, it was an exciting moment.”

The Red Sox’ fate fell on the club’s and it responded. worked a scoreless eighth, and notched a in the ninth. The Sox relievers pitched 3⅔ innings and collected nine in the win.

“It didn’t look easy, but they were amazing,” Cora said. “The pitching staff did an amazing job.”

When Nate Eovaldi, who got the start Saturday, plunked Angels’ Anthony Rendon to begin the second inning of his previous appearance, it was the beginning of what ultimately ended in a forgettable start for the righthander. Eovaldi threw 38 pitches in that bottom frame, and even though he limited the hard contact, the Angels tagged Eovaldi for four runs and a 4-0 deficit.

In the second inning Saturday night, Eovaldi walked the , Odubel Herrera. But he responded in this outing by retiring the next three hitters he saw to end the inning.

“The first two innings of tonight I was kind of battling mechanics, and then I was able to figure it out in that second inning,” Eovaldi said. “I was able to get out of it. And that’s always big.”

In some sense, Saturday’s outing resembled how he looked in his first two starts of the season. Despite registering 99 on the gun, Eovaldi effectively worked in his five-pitch mix. He switched up his pace in his delivery which kept the Phillies off balance.

“I think it just adds another thing in there that they have to worry about,” said Eovaldi regarding switching up the timing in his delivery. “Especially when you got certain guys who have the high leg kick or the toe tap and they’re trying to time you up.”

There was finesse that powered his game, not necessarily velocity. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that a Herrera sac fly, following a Miller , scored the Phillies’ first run, shrinking the Sox’ lead, 2-1.

The Red Sox established their offense and scored their first two runs of the contest in the third. ’s dropped beneath the glove of the outstretched Bryce Harper, allowing Eovaldi, who negotiated a walk off starter , to cross home. Then ’s sacrifice fly added on that second run.

That wouldn’t be the end of Bogaerts, who jumped on reliever for his 10th homer of this season. followed Devers and hit his second in as many days. Prior to Saturday, Eovaldi held the longest active streak (63 innings) without allowing a homer. Yet that was snapped in the sixth when Hoskins belted a solo homer to left. Miller followed Hoskins with a sharp liner for a single, ending Eovaldi’s night at 5⅓ innings.

The Sox are now 29-18 and still have a one-game lead over the Rays in the East. They will have a chance at a sweep Sunday, an opportunity spearheaded by Hernandez and the Sox bullpen.

“I just went with the mind-set that I just have to go out there and attack the hitters,” Hernandez said. “That’s something we always try to do.”

Rafael Devers’s gift of pitch recognition has led to the best start of his career

Julian McWilliams

In the top of the seventh inning Friday, one of Rafael Devers’s many gifts at the plate made its way to the surface. The Red Sox were leading the contest, 6-3, vs. the Phillies but Devers’s two-run homer off Phillies reliever extended the Sox’ lead in their eventual 11-3 win.

The home run was Devers’s 12th of the year, which again tied with J.D. Martinez for the most homers on the Red Sox. The way Devers got to that 12t home run, however, tells a better story on just how gifted he is at the plate.

On a 3-2 pitch, Brogdon attempted to pull the string on Devers with a . Initially, it looked as if Brogdon achieved that. Devers’s body was out in front on the pitch, yet his hands remained back just enough for him to park Brogdon’s offering in the right field seats.

Devers entered Saturday’s contest off to the best start of his career. He was hitting .281/.357/.588 with a .945 OPS and 37 RBIs. Within that, though, is Devers’s gift of recognizing spin, break, offspeed pitches, adjusting on the fly even when it looks like he’s fooled and still producing serious damage.

“He sells out for the , and he’s able to keep his ground,” manager Alex Cora said before the game. “He seems like he’s out in front, but the bat head stays back. There are guys that can do different things with their body. I always said that Mookie [Betts] and Francisco [Lindor] they’re so flexible and explosive that they’re able to gain ground and stay back and then from there, just explode and hit the ball hard. Raffy is very similar.”

As of Saturday, Devers was hitting .364 on breaking pitches and .444 on offspeed pitches. This comes despite an approach that relies on aggressiveness, that can flirt with pitches outside the zone. Despite that, Devers still feasts.

“I’ve always been able to see the way the ball breaks and things like that,” said Devers, who was 1 for 5 Saturday with an RBI during the Red Sox won, 4-3. “It just sometimes comes down to being able to hit them. Sometimes we can hit them. Sometimes we can’t hit them. But it’s all about just making adjustments, whether it’s breaking pitches, whether it’s , you just have to make the adjustments that are needed to be able to just make adjustments to do damage on these pitches.”

To the point on fastballs, Devers has struggled against that pitch, hitting just .191 on the heater with a 37.9 whiff percentage before Saturday’s game. Nevertheless, Devers still has found ways to thrive, beginning with the offspeed and breaking pitches.

“We would love him to just swing at strikes,” said Cora, noting that Devers can sometimes have an overzealous approach. “But at the same time, we understand that this is who he is, and he can do damage with pitches up and out of the strike zone and especially with offspeed pitches.”

Marwin Gonzalez struggling against fastball

Marwin Gonzalez has flashed an above-average glove on defense, particularly at second base. But the 32- year-old veteran has struggled mightily at the plate, batting .199 in 154 plate appearances to go along with just one homer in that span. He’s in the midst of an 0-for-15 skid, too.

“The one that he’s fighting is actually catching up with the fastball,” Cora said. “He has a game plan. But it feels like he’s conscious that he’s not catching up with it. So he doesn’t want to buy into what he’s thinking or what he’s seeing.”

Gonzalez, who played in 39 of the Red Sox’ 46 contests was supposed to get an off-day, but ended up pinch hitting in the eighth for on Saturday and snapped his hitless streak with a single to right.

“It’s been tough,” Cora said. “But one thing for sure, he’s such an asset in every other aspect of the game.”

Chris Sale returns to mound

Chris Sale threw a flat ground and got on the mound again Saturday ... (calf strain) threw a bullpen ... Red Sox pitching prospect (lat strain) will be out for a while, per Cora. The Sox manager said he will have more information on the extent of the injury Sunday ... (left hamstring tightness) will likely sit the rest of this series ... Cora and the Sox want to take advantage of the upcoming off-day Monday by giving Verdugo three straight days of rest ... Jarren Duran was 5 for 5 for the WooSox Saturday with two singles a double and two homers. He’s now hitting .299 in 17 games and his seven homers are tied for the most home runs in Triple-A East.

Danny Santana’s speed adds another dimension to Sox’ high-powered offense

Peter Abraham

PHILADELPHIA — The Red Sox arrived at Citizens Bank Park for Saturday night’s game against the Phillies averaging 5.28 runs per game, second in the majors.

By any measure, the 29-18 Sox have been a powerhouse at the plate. They beat the Phillies, 4-3, to extend their win streak to four games.

But there are flaws. The Sox are below average in terms of outfield production, with left field a particular drag, and they had only 20 stolen bases through Friday, one below the league average.

It helps explain why they were so eager to add Danny Santana to the roster.

Santana arrived here Friday and hit leadoff as the . He homered in the fifth inning.

Santana was back in the lineup on Saturday, this time hitting fifth and playing center field. He homered again and had a . Santana has already added a lot and made a difference on Saturday.

Santana had a big season for Texas in 2019, hitting .283 with an .857 OPS, 57 extra-base hits, and 21 stolen bases. He also started games at seven positions.

But Santana played only 15 games and hit .145 last season because of an elbow injury that required surgery in September.

Santana fell through the cracks in free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Sox on March 7. His major league salary is a modest $1.75 million with $1 million in potential bonuses.

It could prove to be a very cost-effective addition.

“The thing that he brings that we don’t have is speed,” manager Alex Cora said. “We run the bases well, we pick and choose when we want to go. We’ve been pretty effective.

“But he can run. I think that’s a dimension that will add something to the equation. I think offensively we should be better.”

Those 21 bases Santana stole in 2019 may not sound like a lot. But only nine American League players had more and two of them had 22.

Stolen bases are slowly becoming an anomaly. Every team plays the percentages and steals are generally considered too much of a risk to try as become more adept at holding runners.

Unless the numbers say there’s an 80 percent chance of success, most teams won’t try it. There hasn’t been a player with 60 steals since Dee Strange-Gordon in 2017. The major league leader in 2019, Mallex Smith of the Mariners, had 46.

Through Friday, only Kansas City’s (12) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (10) were in double digits.

Santana is no , but his speed can change the game. Sometimes just the risk of a stolen base can unnerve a and lead to a mistake.

That Christian Vazquez’s four stolen bases are tied with Xander Bogaerts for the team lead speaks to where the Sox are with team speed.

On nights when the offense needs a spark, Santana could make a difference.

“Hopefully. I think it’s important,” Cora said. “It’s very hard at this level to get three hits in a row. The numbers don’t lie.”

Before Santana arrived, the best hope the Sox had for some speed this season was waiting for Jarren Duran to be promoted from Triple A, which will probably be a few months.

The Sox plan to use Santana mostly at first base, second base, and center field. His versatility — along with that of Kiké Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez — provides added insurance against injuries.

Santana’s presence also allows the Sox to use Hernández in left field if continues to struggle. Cordero started the game in left field on Saturday and it’s finally starting to feel like he’s playing for his job, especially considering he has minor league options.

Cora likes the idea of putting pressure on the opposition as opposed to waiting around for a home run.

The Red Sox have been productive. Santana gives Cora another way to make sure that continues.

Should baseball’s unwritten rules be made history?

Peter Abraham

There were two more no-hitters this past week. Every division race is tight. Shohei Ohtani is doing what seems impossible and Albert Pujols joined the Dodgers.

But the hottest topic in baseball was a 76-year-old manager fuming about a 28-year-old rookie having the temerity to hit a home run.

When it comes to shooting itself in the foot, baseball never misses.

Imagine an NBA admonishing a player for entertaining the crowd with a creative dunk in the final minutes of a lopsided game.

You can’t. That would be ridiculous.

But when Rookie of the Year candidate Yermin Mercedes of the White Sox swung at a 3-and-0 pitch and homered off the Twins’ Willians Astudillo on Monday night, it set off days of controversy.

Because the White Sox were leading, 15-4, at the time and had a position player on the mound, Chicago manager Tony La Russa wanted Mercedes to take a pitch.

“I took several steps from the dugout onto the field, yelling, ‘Take, take, take,’” La Russa said. “The way he was set up, it looked to me like he was going to swing.

“I was upset because that’s not a time to swing 3-0. He missed a 3-0 take sign. With that kind of lead, that’s just sportsmanship and respect for your opponent.

“He made a mistake. There will be a consequence he has to endure here within our family.”

Consequences to endure for hitting a home run. Has it really come to that?

According to the vaunted unwritten rules of baseball, Mercedes could have swung at a 3-and-1 pitch without disrespecting the Twins. But 3 and 0 was forbidden.

Meanwhile, are people really paying close attention to the count in a 15-4 game?

Astudillo is a stout whose nickname is La Tortuga — The Turtle. He threw a looping 47-mile- per-hour pitch that Mercedes crushed. Is that really so awful?

“Big mistake,” La Russa said. “The fact that he’s a rookie, and excited, helps explain why he just was clueless. But now he’s got a clue.”

La Russa’s age isn’t the issue here. Old-school sensibilities are.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, who is 39, said he was surprised by Mercedes swinging.

“Those things still happen in this game, and we have to deal with it,” Baldelli said.

They did. On Tuesday, Twins reliever Tyler Duffey threw behind Mercedes in the seventh inning. He was ejected, as was Baldelli.

Duffey was later suspended for three games and Baldelli for one.

La Russa was fine with Minnesota throwing behind Mercedes.

“I didn’t have a problem with how the Twins handled that,” he said.

White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn came to the defense of Mercedes that night.

“The way I see it, for position players on the mound, there are no rules,” he said. “Let’s get the damn game over with. And if you have a problem with whatever happens, then put a pitcher out there. Can’t get mad when there’s a position player on the field and a guy takes a swing.”

La Russa shut down that talk quickly.

“Lance has a locker; I have an office,” he said.

Via Instagram, White Sox Tim Anderson threw his support to Mercedes.

“The game wasn’t over!” he wrote. “Keep doing you big daddy.”

La Russa is not the best messenger about rules, unwritten or otherwise. He left a pitcher as the runner on second base to start the 10th inning of a game earlier this month because he didn’t know it was permissible to use the player preceding the pitcher in the batting order.

Mercedes may have been a little overeager. But can you blame him? He’s a career minor leaguer who unexpectedly made the team out of and hit .358 with a .960 OPS through his first 38 games this season.

He’s realizing his dream. Now this happens.

“I’m going to play like that. I’m Yermin. I can’t be another person because if I change it, everything is going to change,” Mercedes told reporters. “We’re just having fun. It’s baseball.”

The White Sox went into the weekend with the best record in the American League. They’re too talented to let this get in the way. But this underscores the potential pitfalls of bringing La Russa out of retirement to manage a team with some players more than 50 years younger.

La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager. But he was out of uniform for nine years and what’s accepted around the game has changed. Players are more expressive and less inclined to accept groupthink.

So, what can be done?

A 10-run mercy rule would extinguish such situations in the first place. It’s hard to envision lopsided games being called, but then who ever thought would start with a runner on second base?

“I’m still not saying I’m for it. I’m just saying it’s worth discussing,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Because then you don’t have to worry about, ‘I’m six runs up, am I allowed to steal? Is this going to make this guy mad?’ No, we’re just playing to get to that point.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora stayed clear of the subject when asked if he would tell one of his hitters to take a pitch in a similar situation.

“Good question,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that. We’ve had some games like that, we decided what we decided to do. One thing for sure, we keep it in the clubhouse.

“That’s the most important thing and I don’t think it’s about respecting the game or disrespecting the game. I think the game is in a different stage right now. We see so many position players pitching compared to a few years ago. I mean, we’re seeing position players pitch in the seventh inning. So, it’s just unfortunate that it’s a topic.”

La Russa was a special adviser with the Red Sox from 2017-19. Cora considers him a friend and mentor and certainly wasn’t going to take sides.

That’s understandable. I got to know La Russa a little when he was with the Red Sox and learned a lot about the game from him. He’s a charitable, caring person.

But at some point, everybody around baseball will have to make a choice. As MLB works to maintain its position in the modern entertainment marketplace, rookies being chastised for breaking an antiquated code of conduct doesn’t help.

“Let the kids play,” was the slogan MLB came up with a few years ago.

It’s more like let the game breathe. Mercedes was just having a little fun.

PRESSURE IS ON Vazquez has faith in Rodriguez

Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to face the Phillies on Sunday. He was 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA in his first four starts before going 1-2, 6.00 in the next four.

Christian Vázquez, who has caught all eight starts, doesn’t see anything amiss with Rodriguez’s mechanics. He believes it’s more of a mental issue.

“He wants to be perfect. He wants to throw a no-hitter in one inning,” Vazquez said. “For me, he’s not locating his pitches well. He’s working at it, and he’ll get better.

“He’s trying too hard. He knows he’ll be a free agent. But he’ll get better. He needs to be the Eddie he was before.”

Rodriguez is 28 with a wife and two kids. A good season would set him up for a major contract that would take him into his 30s and provide lifetime security.

He’s 37-13 with a 3.92 ERA since the start of the 2018 season. With MLB bouncing back financially from the pandemic, Rodriguez could be in a strong position.

Trevor Bauer, , Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber, , Noah Syndergaard, and Justin Verlander will be free agents after the season or have the ability to opt out of their deals.

Rodriguez doesn’t have the accolades they do. But he’s a reliable lefthander who has performed well in a big market and has playoff experience. Whether it’s with the Red Sox (which he would prefer) or another team, he should have good options.

“It’s tough when you miss a whole season, but he looks strong to me and his velocity will get there,” Vazquez said. “I keep telling him to relax and be himself.”

A few other observations about the Red Sox:

▪ The Cubs, like the Sox, haven’t reached 85 percent of their Tier 1 players and staff being vaccinated. That’s the threshold for MLB to relax protocols. But beyond that, it also lessens the chances of an outbreak that could ruin the season.

General manager Jed Hoyer doesn’t believe the Cubs will get there and said it was “a real competitive advantage we’re going to miss.”

Red Sox officials have the same fears.

“The more players are vaccinated, and therefore you eliminate the contact-tracing element of [protocols]. It eliminates risk. So eliminating risk is a competitive advantage,” Hoyer said.

“Injuries can be avoidable, but sometimes they’re not. Your season can get derailed when you have injuries, and that’s part of this job. But I feel this is one that can be avoided, and we’re not able to avoid it.”

As with any group of 100 people, baseball teams have cultural and political differences when it comes to vaccines. Fifteen teams have hit 85 percent, but others are dealing with more holdouts than expected.

▪ The Sox have the fourth overall pick of the draft and are making sure to get as many eyes as possible on the top players available. GM Brian O’Halloran was in Mississippi last weekend to see Vanderbilt play Mississippi and get a look at righthanders Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter.

Rocker, Leiter, Texas high school shortstop Jordan Lawler, and California high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer are generally considered the top four prospects, although some scouts would put Louisville Henry Davis in that mix.

Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom hasn’t been on the road scouting amateurs yet but plans to be soon.

▪ hit .174 with one home run and a .507 OPS in his first 26 games. But the Sox stayed with him and it’s paying off.

Dalbec hit .316 with a 1.103 OPS and four runs in his next 11 games. As was the case in his journey through the minors, he’s figuring out how pitchers attack him.

If Dalbec hits 25 homers, drives in 75 runs, and plays above-average defense at first base, the strikeouts won’t matter.

ETC. Back up the truck in Anaheim?

The Angels were 18-22 before was lost for 6-8 weeks with a Grade 2 strain in his right calf. Baseball has had a rash of hip, quadriceps, and calf injuries this season and Trout is the latest to land on the .

With Trout out for an extended period, whatever slim chance the Angels had of making the postseason is down to nearly zero. That would make seven years outside of the playoffs for the greatest player of his generation.

As incredible as Shohei Ohtani has been, opposing pitchers can work around him now.

Over the course of his career, the Angels are 34 games over .500 with Trout and 25 games under without him.

The Angels have two choices: Persevere and try to stay in the mix until Trout returns or make as many trades as possible to reload for next season and beyond.

Manager Joe Maddon spoke positively about getting back in the race. But his pitching is not close to playoff caliber. The Angels have the worst ERA in baseball.

Trout turns 30 in August. There’s time to build a team around him that can make the World Series. At some point the Angels have to commit to that.

First-year GM Perry Minasian bolstered the roster over the winter with free agents signed to short-term deals. If trading Steve Cishek, Raisel Iglesias, Jose Quintana, , Tony Watson, or anybody else helps that cause, why not?

Extra bases

The Dodgers, who have a $266.9 million luxury-tax payroll, went bargain hunting. They signed 41-year- old Albert Pujols after he was released by the Angels and Yoshi Tsutsugo after he was released by the Rays. The Dodgers are responsible for only the prorated minimum salary on both players, about $430,000. “It’s surreal and I don’t use that word very often,” said manager Dave Roberts about having Pujols on his roster. “But it fit, and it looked normal.” Dylan Hernandez of the asked Roberts if he could beat Pujols in a footrace. “I would say yes,” the 48-year-old Roberts said. Pujols drove in four runs in his first four games with the Dodgers, who needed help against lefties … The Dodgers now have four former MVPs on their roster: Pujols, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, and Clayton Kershaw. They’re the first team with four MVPs since the 1996 Red Sox had Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Kevin Mitchell, and Mo Vaughn. They finished 85-77 … Chris Davis will miss the entire season for the Orioles after undergoing surgery on his left hip. He’ll be 36 next season and in the final year of his contract. You have to wonder if Baltimore will release him and move on. Davis has hit .185 since 2017 … Corey Kluber’s no-hitter on Wednesday was the sixth of the season, one short of the record. That was last done in 2012. Kluber threw the 14th of the season. Six were no-hitters. At this rate it will take a perfect game to impress anybody … As pitchers chase strikeouts, they’re losing control. There have been an average of 0.47 hit batters per game, well above the record rate of 0.32 in 2012. Wild pitches (0.40 per game) also are at record levels. To use the Red Sox as an example, they went into the weekend with 24 wild pitches in 45 games, four fewer than in 60 games last season … Happy birthday to Reggie Cleveland, who is 73. The righthander pitched for the Red Sox from 1974-78, appearing in 150 games. Cleveland was acquired from the Cardinals as part of a five-player deal. He was a starter with St. Louis but pitched in a variety of roles for the Sox and averaged 188 innings in his first four seasons. Cleveland was the first Canadian pitcher to start a World Series game (Game 5 in 1975) and his 105 victories rank fourth among Canadians. Only Ferguson Jenkins (284), Ryan Dempster (132), and Kirk McCaskill (106) have more. Kevin Romine is 60. He had 158 hits for the Sox from 1985-91. His sons Andrew (283) and Austin (279) surpassed that in their careers. Both are in the Cubs organization this season.

* The Boston Herald

Xander Bogaerts, Danny Santana hit back-to-back homers to lead Red Sox over Phillies

Jason Mastrodonato

With the hot on their trail, the Red Sox refuse to be caught.

Xander Bogaerts and Danny Santana hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning to give the Sox just enough to knock off the Phillies, 4-3, on Saturday night.

The Rays (28-19) won their ninth straight game as they’ve crept up behind the Red Sox in the American League East. But as close as they’ve come to catching them, the Sox (29-18) have found a way to keep the top spot for 43 consecutive days.

It was Red Sox starter who got the offense going on Saturday.

Eovaldi, 12-for-151 (.079) in his career at the dish, worked an eight-pitch walk with one out in the third inning that started a two-run rally. After Kiké Hernandez walked, Rafael Devers connected on his 14th double of the year to drive in Eovaldi for the first run of the game. Bogaerts later drove in Hernandez on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Eovaldi handed one back in the fourth, but Bogaerts and Santana went back-to-back off of Phillies righty Sam Coonrod in the sixth to extend the Red Sox’ lead.

Bogaerts, second in MLB to only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in WAR, hammered a 96-mph sinker to the opposite field for his 10th home run of the season.

Santana, who was just added to the roster Friday and homered in his first game, got a sinker near his ankles and golfed it over the center-field fence for what turned out to be the game-winning run.

The 30-year-old utility man started at first base on Friday and in center field on Saturday. He also stole second base in the game. He’s just the fifth player in Red Sox history to homer in each of his first two games with the team. The others: Darnell McDonald (2010), Sam Horn (1987), Lee Thomas (1964) and Jake Jones (1947).

“He’s a good player,” manager Alex Cora said. “Just the way he controls the at-bat, there’s no panic in the way he takes pitches. He can drive the ball the other way and you know what that means at home. He can shoot it the other way with power. He played good center field today. He was good at first yesterday. We’ll throw him somewhere out there tomorrow and take advantage of him.”

The Red Sox ran into some trouble in the bottom of the seventh, when Phillips Valdez loaded the bases with only one out and the Sox clinging to a two-run lead.

But Cora called on lefty Darwinzon Hernandez to handle Bryce Harper with the game on the line and Hernandez answered the bell, striking out Harper on three straight fastballs. Hernandez then plunked Rhys Hoskins to push in one run, but fanned Brad Miller on a 95-mph heater above the zone to clean up Valdez’s mess and preserve the lead.

“It was a big moment, a big spot,” Hernandez said. “Obviously after I hit the previous batter, I had the bases loaded and it’s just a lot of emotions flowing through. When I was able to get that out, it was an exciting moment. Just trying to pick up my teammate. Valdez has done it for us this season a lot of times so just wanted to do the same for him.”

Matt Barnes took care of business in the ninth inning, as usual. He picked up his 11th save in 12 chances this year, despite giving up a leadoff single to .

Facing Andrew McCutchen, Barnes threw four straight high-90s heaters that painted the bottom, outside and top of the zone to strike out the former NL MVP. Jean Segura walked to bring up Bryce Harper with two on, one out. But Harper hit into a fielder’s choice and Barnes struck out Hoskins to end the game.

“He’s been awesome,” Eovaldi said. “Just watching him grow and develop, even from ‘18 when I got over here. He’s attacking the zone a lot more. His mechanics are a lot cleaner, I feel.”

Some other takeaways:

1. Eovaldi finally allowed a home run. The hard-throwing righty had gone 55 innings this season before allowing his first homer, the longest stretch of anybody in baseball this year. Dating back to 2020, he completed 68 innings without allowing a long ball.

“It’s unfortunate but it’s not going to last forever,” he said. “I had a few I think I lucked out just playing at Fenway… At times you get lucky a little bit.”

He completed five innings for the ninth time in 10 starts this year. He’s now 5-2 with a 4.39 ERA.

Eovaldi said adding some pauses into his delivery and using the quick-pitch has helped him this year.

“I think it just adds another thing in there they have to worry about,” he said. “You have certain guys with a high leg kick or toe tap and they’re trying to time you up at the last second. When I pause, it’s harder for them to time it up and hit it, especially to have power with it.

“When I was rehabbing with the Rays for my second Tommy John, just sitting in the dugout and listening to our hitters complain about pitchers pausing on them. It’s a 3-1 count, they’re geared up for a fastball and you pause on them and they aren’t able to drive the ball as fast as you want to.”

2. The Red Sox have been a dynamite road team this year and continue to make it look easy against clubs. After sweeping the at Citi Field earlier this year, they’re now 4-0 against NL teams. And they’re 16-6 on the road.

3. Marwin Gonzalez snapped an 0-for-15 with a pinch-hit single in the eighth.

Red Sox Notebook: Errors piling up for Rafael Devers, but Alex Cora ‘proud of him’ for overall contributions

Jason Mastrodonato

Defense hasn’t been the Red Sox’ strong suit early on this season.

They entered Saturday with 32 errors, second-most in the majors, while their , Rafael Devers, has made seven of them, tied for fifth-most among all big leaguers.

“There’s going to be moments where obviously I’ve made some errors here and there, but I never let it get to me,” Devers said before Saturday night’s game in Philadelphia. “The following day or the following moment, I just try to put it in the back of my mind and continue to get better. But I feel I feel good out there and my confidence has never wavered.”

Early in Devers’ career, manager Alex Cora compared him to Adrian Beltre, who made 20-plus errors in three of his first four seasons, but later in his career won five Gold Glove Awards at third base.

But Devers has consistently ranked near the top of the league in errors in all five seasons thus far. He made a key on Thursday against the Blue Jays that nearly cost the Red Sox the game before J.D. Martinez bailed him out with a go-ahead homer with two outs in the ninth.

“I think it’s fine,” Devers said. “Obviously there are plays that I could have made but I didn’t make them. I just turned the page and tried to get better, and that’s something that I take pride in is my defense. And I’m doing the best that I can and I know that the results will show.”

Cora said “we’re very proud of him” for the way he’s played defense this year. The manager pointed to the defensive runs-saved metric. Devers has saved one run above average, according to FanGraphs. Baseball executives advise not to pay attention to advanced defensive metrics until at least midway through the season.

Still, Devers has been a monster at the plate. April has typically been his worst month, but Devers started hot and hasn’t cooled off.

He’s tied with Martinez for the team lead with 12 home runs and has been an RBI machine with 37 of them, tied for second in the AL, while hitting fifth behind Xander Bogaerts.

“Probably his best start in ,” Cora said. “In the minor leagues he struggled the first part of the season and finished great. He always finishes.

“He did an outstanding job in the offseason, physically. I think last year wasn’t fair for him. Going into spring training I heard and saw he was in great shape, then he went to the and for how tough things were in the United States (with the pandemic), it was tougher down there. He didn’t have the facilities to take care of himself. Actually we spoke a few times during the shutdown and he was afraid of just leaving the house. He’s just a kid. We were all afraid. For him not to be able to do the things he normally does to prepare for a season it’s not an excuse, but it’s a reality.”

Gonzalez struggling

With a .199 average and .572 OPS, Marwin Gonzalez could find himself on the bench more often in the coming days.

Kiké Hernandez made his return from the injured list and Danny Santana made a sizzling debut on Friday night. Hernandez was at second and Santana in center for Saturday’s affair.

“One thing that (Gonzalez) has been fighting is catching up with the fastball,” Cora said. “He has a game plan. But he’s conscious that he’s not catching up with it. … So, this is the toughest stretch for him with the strikeouts. It’s been tough. One thing for sure, he’s such an asset in every other aspect of the game that we’ll play him. Most likely he’ll play second tomorrow.”

Ups and downs

Franchy Cordero got a rare start on Saturday. He had made just two appearances in the previous nine days. Cora said “it’s hard” to find ways to get the struggling into the game.

Meanwhile, in Triple-A Worcester, center field prospect Jarren Duran was 5-for-5 with two homers Saturday in a 7-4 win over Buffalo. He has seven homers in 17 games.

Alex Verdugo is likely to miss the remainder of the series with a sore hamstring. Cora is hoping he’ll be back on Tuesday.

Chris Sale threw off the mound Saturday as he continues his progression from Tommy John surgery. Ryan Brasier also threw a bullpen session, but remains far away from a rehab assignment.

Depth reliever Eduard Bazardo “is going to be shut down for a while,” Cora said. The extent of his arm injury is currently unknown.

* MassLive.com

Danny Santana, Xander Bogaerts hit back-to-back homers as Boston Red Sox hang on to beat Phillies, 4-3, win fourth straight

Chris Cotillo

PHILADELPHIA -- The Red Sox needed back-to-back homers from the longest-tenured and newest members of their lineup to beat the Phillies on Saturday night.

Xander Bogaerts and Danny Santana -- who was playing just his second game in a Sox uniform -- went back-to-back in the sixth inning and the Sox held on to beat the Phillies, 4-3. Santana hit a home run for the second straight night, becoming the first Red Sox player to leave the yard in his first two games with the club since Darnell MacDonald did it in 2010.

Boston took advantage of the wildness of Phillies rookie starter Spencer Howard early, working three walks and plating two runs in the third. After starter Nathan Eovaldi worked an eight-pitch walk, Rafael Devers drove him in with an RBI double and Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Philadelphia answered with an Odubel Herrera sacrifice fly in the fourth, but the Red Sox extended their lead with Bogaerts’ and Santana’s home runs off Sam Coonrod two innings later. In the bottom of the sixth, Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins brought his club within two runs with a solo homer -- the first allowed by Eovaldi in a league-leading 68 innings.

Eovaldi bounced back nicely from a poor start against the Angels on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four batters in 5 ⅓ innings. In the seventh, a wild Phillips Valdez loaded the bases before Darwinzon Hernandez entered and struck out Bryce Harper for the second out of the inning. Hernandez then hit Hoskins to force in a run, cutting the lead to one, but then punched out Brad Miller to end the threat.

Sox relievers Adam Ottavino struck out the side in order in the eighth and Matt Barnes worked around a jam to record his 11th save of the year. With runners on the corners, Barnes struck out Hoskins to clinch the win as Boston improved to 29-18.

E-Rod takes ball with sweep on line

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (5-2, 4.70 ERA) will take the mound in hopes of helping the Sox sweep the Phillies on Sunday afternoon with righty scheduled to start on the other side. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

Boston Red Sox notebook: Nathan Eovaldi gives club jolt by walking, scoring run; Danny Santana homers in second straight game

Chris Cotillo

PHILADELPHIA -- ’s 10-pitch against Mets ace Jacob deGrom a few weeks ago might not go down as the best at-bat by a Red Sox pitcher this season after all.

In the third inning of Saturday’s game, righty Nathan Eovaldi worked an eight-pitch walk against Phillies rookie righty Spencer Howard, reaching base for only the 19th time in 172 career plate appearances. Eovaldi then advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored the game’s first run on a Rafael Devers RBI double.

Eovaldi went down 1-2 before fouling off a pitch and then taking a ball from Howard. He fouled off another, then took two straight balls and took his base.

“It was actually a great at-bat,” said manager Alex Cora. “I always joke around with them about 3-2 counts at the big-league level right now. If you are a bad hitter and you have no chance, it should be auto-take because it’s 50/50. 50% it’s a ball, 50% it’s a strike. If you swing, the odds of you getting on base go way down. I don’t know how many hits he has. He didn’t say it was an auto-take but I’ll take credit for that one. They know about the 50/50.”

Eovaldi went 5 ⅓ strong innings, giving up only two runs in the win. He was happy to help the team in an unconventional way as well.

“I wasn’t going to be swinging at much up there,” he said. “I was able to get a walk out of it and got on the basepaths.”

Santana joins Darnell MacDonald, Sam Horn with rare feat

Newcomer Danny Santana, who homered in his Sox debut Friday night, added another solo shot Saturday, taking Sam Coonrod deep in the sixth inning to go back-to-back with shortstop Xander Bogaerts. He became just the fifth Red Sox player ever -- and first since 2010 -- to homer in his first two games with the club. The others were Darnell McDonald (2010), Sam Horn (1987), Lee Thomas (1964) and Jake Jones (1947).

It’s clear Santana is giving the club a jolt early in his tenure.

“He’s a good player. He had a great season a few years ago,” Cora said. “Just the way he controls the at- bat, there’s no panic. The way he takes pitches. He can drive the ball the other way and you know what that means at home. He can shoot it the other way with power.”

Devers’ start impressing Cora

Devers, who was 1-for-5 with an RBI double Saturday night, has impressed Cora with his hot start to 2021. The third baseman is not traditionally a quick starter but is hitting .279 with 12 homers, 38 RBIs and a .935 OPS in 44 games.

“Probably his best start in professional baseball,” Cora said. “In the minor leagues, he struggled the first part of the season and then finished where he always finishes. He did an outstanding job in the offseason, too, physically. I think last year wasn’t fair for him. Going into spring training, everything I heard and what I saw, he was in great shape. Then he goes to the Dominican Republic and for how tough things were in the States, it was tougher down there. He didn’t have the facilities to take care of himself. Actually, we spoke a few times during the shutdown and he was afraid. He was afraid of just leaving the house. He’s just a kid. We were all afraid, and for him not to be able to do the things he normally does to prepare for a season, it’s not an excuse but it’s the reality. I know a lot of people were hard on him. Nobody was harder than himself. I don’t think it was fair to judge him last year, body-wise, because nobody knew what was going on where he lives.”

Devers attributes his strong start to health.

“I think the most important thing is the fact I’ve bene able to stay healthy,” he said through translator Bryan Almonte. “If I’m able to stay healthy, I know the numbers I’ll be able to put up. That’s something I’m really grateful for, I’ve been able to play in games and not have anything that has been bothering me. I feel really good out there.”

Ottavino sharp in win

Though Darwinzon Hernandez’s performance made headlines, Adam Ottavino was also sharp in the eighth inning Saturday night. Ottavino struck out all three batters he faced, needing just 15 pitches to do so.

“Very aggressive,” Cora said. “You could see the body language on the mound. He made some great pitches on Herrera. He mentioned the other day that he’s close. I think the stuff is a lot better than last year. We know that. It’s just a matter of executing pitches and he did tonight. He was great today.”

Taylor’s hot month continues

Reliever also played a big role Saturday night, recording two quick outs to escape the sixth inning. The outing continued a strong stretch for Taylor, who has not allowed a run in his last 10 appearances dating back to April 24 (7 ⅓ innings).

“This month of May, he has been throwing the ball well,” Cora said. “Overall, amazing against lefties, which is a big difference from ’19. In ’19, he was a reverse split guy. Now, you can mix and match with the rule. You’ve seen him. We’ve got two outs and there’s a lefty coming up, we use him there, then depending on where we’re at in the lineup with the opposition, we’ll push him out there or we shut him down. We’re very pleased with what he’s done.”

Cora said Taylor has shown improvements with his conditioning and is working harder in the weight room and training room. His ERA, which stood at 10.80 after eight outings, is now down to 5.17.

“This is the guy we envisioned,” Cora said.

Marwin scuffling in May

Utility man Marwin Gonzalez was out of Saturday’s lineup with Kiké Hernández starting at second base, Santana starting in center and Franchy Cordero making an appearance in left field. Gonzalez has started 37 of Boston’s first 47 games but has struggled in recent weeks, hitting just .114 (4-for-35) with two doubles since May 10.

“One thing he’s fighting is actually catching up with the fastball,” Cora said. “He has a gameplan, but it feels like — I don’t want to say he’s afraid — but he’s conscious he’s not catching up with it so he doesn’t want to buy into what he’s thinking or what he’s seeing. He feels like, ‘Ok, he’s going to throw me a here,’ but in the back of his mind, it’s like, ‘I’ve got to catch up with it.’ This is like the toughest stretch for him with the strikeouts. It has been tough.”

Gonzalez has been a defensive asset for the Red Sox at multiple positions and is likely to start Sunday’s series finale at second base.

“It’s not that we’re going to unplug him, but we’re going to help him out to get some matchups that favor him and he’ll get out of it,” Cora said.

Boston Red Sox’s Darwinzon Hernandez fired up after striking out Bryce Harper, Brad Miller with bases loaded: ‘It was a big moment’

Chris Cotillo

PHILADELPHIA -- The seventh inning of Saturday night’s win over the Phillies was quite the emotional rollercoaster for Red Sox reliever Darwinzon Hernandez.

With the Red Sox leading, 4-2, manager Alex Cora summoned Phillips Valdez to start the seventh, but Valdez lacked command and loaded the bases with one out. With Bryce Harper coming up, Cora called upon Hernandez, liking the lefty-lefty matchup against one of the game’s best hitters.

Hernandez struck Harper out on three pitches for the second out of the inning. Then, he hit Rhys Hoskins -- who checked his swing -- with a fastball on the first pitch he threw him.

Hernandez implored Cora and the coaching staff to take another look at the play, though it was clear Hoskins had not swung and that a run was going to score. On the mound, Hernandez was quite agitated, screaming at the dugout and the umpire.

“He wanted me to challenge the swing, the hit by pitch and the foul ball at the same time,” Cora joked.

Now tasked with holding a one-run lead, Hernandez’s next battle was to come against Brad Miller. Miller worked a 2-2 count before Hernandez got him to chase a high 95.4 mph fastball to end the inning.

After retiring Miller, Hernandez let it all out. In front of a lively crowd of 15,424 at Citizens Bank Park, the lefty fist-pumped and screamed in celebration.

“It was a big moment,” Hernandez said through translator Bryan Almonte. “A big spot. After I hit the previous batter, having the bases loaded, it’s just a lot of emotions flowing through. When I was able to get that out, it was an exciting moment.”

Hernandez, now in his third season with the Red Sox, tends to be a bit fiery on the mound, but Saturday’s display was even more demonstrative than usual. The swing of feelings from the Hoskins hit-by-pitch to the Miller strikeout was pronounced. During a stoppage in play, shortstop Xander Bogaerts went to the mound to try to calm Hernandez down.

“He needs to control it,” Cora said. “He’s going to come to spots like that. I don’t mind being aggressive. I actually like it, but there’s certain situations when you’ve just got to relax, man. Just move on to the next pitch. I’m glad he made some great pitches on Miller.”

Hernandez was followed by Adam Ottavino, who struck out the side in order in the eighth, and Matt Barnes, who shut down a first-and-third chance by striking Hoskins out to end the game. The bullpen preserved a solid outing from Nathan Eovaldi, who allowed two runs in 5 ⅓ innings, and the Red Sox won, 4-3.

Hernandez, who has had an up-and-down season to this point, was a big reason the club extended its winning streak to four games.

“I just went with the mindset that I have to go out there and attack the hitters,” Hernandez said. “That’s something we always try to do, when we’re in the game, is attack, attack, attack. I was able to do that and get the job done.”

Boston Red Sox’s Nathan Eovaldi gives up first homer in 68 innings but bounces back with strong start: ‘It’s not going to last forever’

Chris Cotillo

PHILADELPHIA -- When Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins homered off Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game, it broke a streak that was more than eight months in the making.

Hoskins’ shot was the first homer Eovaldi surrendered since Sept. 12, 2020, when Austin Meadows took him deep at . The righty had gone 68 straight innings -- including his first 55 of 2021 -- without allowing a hitter to leave the yard. The streak was tied for the second-longest by a Red Sox pitcher since 1997 and the longest active streak in the majors.

In an era in which homers are flying out of ballparks more frequently than ever, the feat was an impressive one.

“I was trying to go cutter down and away and it kind of backed up on me and stayed middle-in,” Eovaldi said. “Obviously, he hit it out.

“It’s not going to last forever, so go out there and keep competing,” he added.

Eovaldi said he thought part of his streak could be attributed to luck, citing balls hit by Seattle’s Kyle Seager and Oakland’s Mark Canha at Fenway Park as examples of balls that might have gone out in different weather or at different ballparks. He did concede that his focus on inducing soft contact and keeping hitters off-balance by pausing in his delivery might have had something to do with it as well.

“For me, it’s just attacking the zone and try to keep them off balance,” Eovaldi said. “I’ve got five pitches, so I’m trying to mix them in there and keep them off balance and not able to time stuff up.”

Overall, Eovaldi’s outing in Boston’s 4-3 win was a good one. In 5 ⅓ innings, he allowed just two runs on five hits and struck out four batters. After a rough start against the Angels on Sunday, Saturday’s showing was an encouraging one.

“He was amazing on the mound,” said manager Alex Cora. “He did a good job. He had good stuff, mixed up his breaking ball and threw some cutters to righties. Overall, a good one from him.”

Boston Red Sox lineup: Alex Verdugo (hamstring) sits; Danny Santana, Franchy Cordero starting in outfield vs. Phillies

Chris Cotillo

PHILADELPHIA -- Alex Verdugo is out of the Red Sox’ lineup Saturday night as Boston looks to extend its winning streak to four as they take on the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Verdugo was removed in the sixth inning of Friday’s win with left hamstring tightness. He will only be used in an emergency situation Saturday and is unlikely to play in Sunday’s series finale, manager Alex Cora said.

“Nothing serious. We’ll stay away from him today,” Cora said. “In case of an emergency, we’ll use him. As you know, we’ve got an extra position player. Most likely, I’ll stay away from him over the weekend and get him ready for Tuesday.”

Danny Santana is starting at center field with Franchy Cordero playing left field against rookie righty Spencer Howard. Kiké Hernández is leading off and playing second base; Kevin Plawecki is catching starter Nathan Eovaldi.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.

Boston Red Sox (28-18) vs. (22-23) · Citizens Bank Park · Philadelphia, PA FIRST PITCH: 7:15 p.m. ET

TV CHANNEL: FOX

LIVE STREAM: FOX Sports Live | fuboTV - If you have cable and live in the New England TV market, you can use your login credentials to watch via NESN on mobile and WiFi-enabled devices. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the game via fuboTV, in New England | MLB.tv (subscription required)

RADIO: WEEI 93.7 FM

PITCHING PROBABLES: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Howard (0-0, 8.31 ERA)

RED SOX LINEUP:

1. 2B Kiké Hernández

2. 3B Rafael Devers

3. RF J.D. Martinez

4. SS Xander Bogaerts

5. CF Danny Santana

6. 1B Bobby Dalbec

7. LF Franchy Cordero

8. C Kevin Plawecki

9. P Nathan Eovaldi

PHILLIES LINEUP:

1. LF Andrew McCutchen

2. 2B Jean Segura

3. RF Bryce Harper

4. 1B Rhys Hoskins

5. 3B Brad Miller

6. CF Odubel Herrera

7. SS

8. C

9. P Spencer Howard

Boston Red Sox injuries: Chris Sale has ‘another positive day;’ Ryan Brasier ‘not that far off’ from rehab assignment

Christopher Smith

Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday in Fort Myers.

The righty — who strained his left calf late in spring training — has been throwing off a mound for a couple weeks.

“It was pretty solid,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said about Brasier’s bullpen Saturday. “But not yet (ready for a rehab assignment). I think he’s not that far off but I think the next step will be live BP probably. Do that a few times. And then from there, we’ll decide what we’re going to do.”

Brasier dealt with a right pinkie fracture this past offseason. He also was behind during spring training after leaving camp for a personal reason in February.

Sale continues to throw

Ace Chris Sale, who continues his return from Tommy John surgery, threw on flat ground and then off the mound Saturday. He has been throwing bullpen sessions routinely the past couple weeks.

“He was able to repeat his delivery and so it was another positive day for him,” Cora said.

The Red Sox expect Sale to pitch for Boston at some point this season.

Verdugo’s hamstring ‘nothing serious’

Alex Verdugo was removed from Friday’s game with hamstring tightness. He is not in Boston’s lineup Saturday but Cora said “it’s nothing serious.”

Verdugo also likely will not play Sunday. The Red Sox have the day off Monday. Cora expects Verdugo back in the lineup Tuesday.

Cora said Verdugo would be available in an emergency situation tonight.

Bazardo will be ‘shut down for a while’

Reliever Eduard Bazardo — who left Worcester’s game Tuesday night during the ninth inning after throwing just five pitches — is going to miss significant time with a lat injury.

“He’s going to be shut down for a while,” Cora said. “He’s not going to be able to do baseball stuff for a while.”

* RedSox.com

Hernandez's clutch K's help Sox win in Philly

Ian Browne

Darwinzon Hernandez's coming of age moment just might have happened in a thrilling bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Boston’s talented yet inconsistent lefty reliever came on to quite a spot in this one. The Phillies had the bases loaded and one out, with Bryce Harper coming up and the Red Sox clinging to a two-run lead.

If there has been a frequent criticism of Hernandez, it’s that he sometimes nibbles, loses command and doesn’t trust his electric stuff as much as he should. At a time the Red Sox needed it most, Hernandez struck out Harper on three straight fastballs.

Without question, it was the key sequence in Boston’s 4-3 victory over the Phillies.

“I went out there with the mindset that I just had to go out there and attack the hitters,” said Hernandez. “It’s something that we always try to do when we’re in the game, just attack, attack, attack and I was able to do that and get the job done.”

After the key strikeout of Harper, Hernandez hit Rhys Hoskins with a first-pitch heater to force in a run and trim the lead to one.

This was a situation that could have unnerved Hernandez, especially when his 1-2 fastball to Brad Miller looked like a clear strike, but was called a ball. Two pitches later, Hernandez fanned Miller on a fastball, pumped his fist with elation and headed back to the dugout -- his team still in possession of the lead.

“You know, it was a big moment. A big spot,” Hernandez said. “Obviously after I hit the previous batter I had the bases loaded and it’s just a lot of emotions flowing through. When I was able to get that out, it was an exciting moment.”

After losing the first game of this six-game road trip, Boston won the next four and will try to finish strong in Sunday afternoon’s finale.

While the Red Sox are 29-18 and have led the American League East for 42 consecutive days, the most concerning area of their club has been the bridge to closer Matt Barnes, which has too often been wobbly.

For one night, those worries were put to rest.

In his 10-pitch sequence to get those two pivotal outs in the seventh, Hernandez threw nine fastballs.

Adam Ottavino took over in the eighth and was just as impressive as Hernandez, striking out the side on 15 pitches to put the game into the trusty right hand of Barnes, who did the rest.

“Very aggressive,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Ottavino. “There was something, you could see the body language on the mound, he made some great pitches on [Odúbel] Herrera. He mentioned the other day he’s close. I think the stuff is a lot better than last year, we know that. It’s just a matter of executing pitches and he did tonight.”

Nobody has executed as consistently for the Red Sox when it matters the most as Barnes. And when the Phillies had the potential tying and winning runs on base with just one out, he got Harper on a groundout and then struck out Hoskins in a four-pitch at-bat in which he threw all .

“He’s been awesome,” said right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who got the win. “Just watching him grow and develop, even from ‘18 when I got over here, he’s attacking the zone a lot more. His mechanics are a lot cleaner, I feel. It’s an uncomfortable at-bat for them. That’s what you want, especially when he’s out there closing games for us.”

Eovaldi the hitter helps his cause

For someone who entered his first at-bat on Saturday night with a career on-base percentage of .115, Eovaldi did a commendable job of earning his way on base with an eight-pitch walk that jump-started a two-run Boston rally to break a scoreless tie in the top of the third.

“It was actually a great at-bat,” said Cora. “I always joke around with them about 3-2 counts at the big league level right now. If you are a bad hitter and have no chance, it should be an auto take because it’s 50- 50 -- 50 percent it’s a ball, 50 percent it’s a strike. If you swing, the odds of you getting on base go way down.”

Eovaldi also showed good baserunning instincts, advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring on a one- out double by Rafael Devers.

“I was kind of in between with that fly ball to right. Wasn’t sure if I should tag up or get out there. Looked like he wasn’t going to get to it, so I started taking off. I was able to score and put one on the board,” Eovaldi said.

The righty turned in a solid performance on the mound, giving up five hits and two runs over 5 1/3 innings. The only down note was that his impressive streak of going 68 1/3 innings without giving up a homer finally ended when Hoskins took him deep in the sixth.

“It’s unfortunate, but like you said, it’s not going to last forever. Go out there and keep competing,” said Eovaldi.

Notes: Devers on All-Star path?; Sale throws

Ian Browne

At the age of 24, Rafael Devers is somehow playing in his fifth season for the Red Sox.

While he’s hit at a high level since the day he arrived, Devers has taken his game up a notch in terms of the consistent excellence he is displaying so far this season.

At this point, he looks poised to become an All-Star for the first time in his career.

“Yeah, obviously if they select me, it's great but if they don't, then you know, that's, that's fine, too,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I’m just out there trying to be the best version of myself and trying to win ballgames. You know, obviously, if I do get that invite, it's a great accomplishment, but not something that I'm really focused on.”

In typical Devers fashion, he'll let his bat make his All-Star campaign speech.

Entering action on Saturday, Devers was tied for the lead among Major League third basemen in homers (12) while leading the Majors at his position in RBIs (37) and extra-base hits (25). His .588 slugging percentage and .945 OPS trailed only the Cubs' for tops at the third-base position. He was tied for second at his position in runs and hits.

The only two players in the Majors who started the day with more than the 22 barrels by Devers?

Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr.

Devers has these stellar numbers despite going way out of the strike zone at times and getting himself out.

“Offensively, he is who he is and we like him the way he swings the bat,” said manager Alex Cora. “Sometimes he’s out of control, but we’ll take Raffy the way he goes about his at-bats.”

After struggling on defense earlier in the season, Devers has also cleaned that up and has been playing a solid hot corner.

“Defensively, I know people sometimes take defensive runs saved seriously and sometimes they don’t,” said Cora. “But he’s a +1 right now and if you look at the guys around him that are +1, there are some really interesting names and good defenders right there with Rafael Devers, so we’re very proud of him.”

Sale/Brasier updates

For the Red Sox, it has to be tantalizing to think about how their successful season so far could be enhanced if Chris Sale can make it back at some point in July or beyond.

The ace continues to progress in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

“Actually, Chris was on the mound this morning,” said Cora. “Him and [Ryan] Brasier. Brasier threw a bullpen. Chris threw a flat ground and got off the mound again so we got the report. ... Everything seemed fine, he was able to repeat his delivery."

The next key step for Sale will be when he starts facing live hitters.

As for Brasier, who hasn’t pitched this season due to a left calf strain, his progress bears watching because of the issues the Red Sox have had with setup relief.

“He’s not that far off,” said Cora. “But I think the next step will be live BP probably. Do that a few times and from there we’ll decide what we’re going to do.

Verdugo will rest in Philly A day after tweaking his left hamstring and leaving the game after three at-bats, outfielder Alex Verdugo was not in the lineup for the Red Sox on Saturday. It’s likely he won’t play Sunday either.

The Red Sox are off on Monday, so the goal is to get Verdugo back in the lineup for Tuesday’s home game against the Braves.

“We’ll stay away from him [Saturday],” said Cora. “In case of emergency we’ll use him. As you know we have an extra position player, but most likely we’ll stay away from him over the weekend and get him ready for next week.”

Marwin getting beat by heat

Marwin Gonzalez has given the Red Sox a lift with his defensive versatility, but he’s struggled to contribute with his bat (.199 average, .572 OPS). The reason is that he’s getting beaten on fastballs.

“One thing that he’s been fighting is catching up with the fastball,” Cora said. “He has a game plan. But it feels like … I don’t want to say he’s afraid, but he’s conscious that he’s not catching up with it. So he doesn’t want to buy into what he’s thinking or what he’s seeing, you know what I mean?"

The addition of Danny Santana will give Cora the opportunity to pick his spots a little more with Gonzalez.

“This is the toughest stretch for him with the strikeouts. It’s been tough. One thing for sure, he’s such an asset in every other aspect of the game that we’ll play him. Most likely he’ll play second tomorrow. He understands where we’re at right now. It’s not that we’re going to unplug him, but we’re going to help him out to get some matchups that favor him. But he’ll get out of it.”

Prospect Duran slugs 2 HRs among 5 hits

Nick Trujillo

Some days, the ball looks like a beach ball to the man standing in the batter’s box. Saturday was one of those days for Red Sox No. 3 prospect Jarren Duran.

The outfielder absolutely clobbered two balls over 475 feet and well over the Worcester Wall at Polar Park in a dominant, 5-for-5 performance out of the leadoff spot. Duran added a double, two singles, drove in three runs and scored three to round out his final line.

His two homers, three extra-base hits and five hits all tied career high marks. His career day at the dish powered the WooSox to a 7-4 victory over Buffalo.

Duran’s first career multi-homer game came earlier this month in Worcester’s 8-5 win over Syracuse on May 11. Saturday’s performance was Duran’s second career game with three extra-base hits, his first since July 17, 2018, and he became the first WooSox player to record five hits in a game.

Duran started Worcester’s day off with a bang out of his customary spot atop the WooSox line up. He ripped Buffalo starter and Blue Jays No. 30 prospect Nick Allgeyer’s second pitch of the day to the right- field wall for a stand-up double. The speedy lefty advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored easily on a sacrifice fly to the warning track from second basemen to tie the game at 1.

Jeter Downs, Boston’s No. 2 prospect, launched his third dinger of the year as the next batter, a solo shot that put Worcester up 2-1.

Duran smoked another offering from Allgeyer in his second at-bat for an RBI single that looked identical to his earlier double. A nice play from Buffalo right fielder kept Duran at first, but catcher Chris Herrmann would come around to score from first on the base knock that put the WooSox up 4-1.

The sweet swinging outfielder’s third at-bat against Allgeyer resulted in his sixth homer of the season. Duran crushed a 1-0 pitch 480 feet over the 22-foot-high wall to the seats in the furthest row back. The solo shot pushed Worcester’s lead up to 6-1 in the fourth.

While Duran’s first homer bounced back into the stands, his second mammoth blast of the day left Polar Park and bounced onto Summit Street. His seventh dinger of the season went 475 feet, and came in the sixth on a 2-1 count off reliever Dany Jiménez, another solo shot that put Worcester up 7-2.

Duran came into Saturday’s contest having gone 4-for-20 over his last seven games, with one home run and just three RBIs over his week-long cold spell. Due to the lean stretch, his slash line dipped to .242/.347/.532, marks he had not touched since the first week of the season.

A 12-total-base day at the plate is bound to be a boost to the line, no matter what point in the season it comes at. The 2018 seventh-rounder exited the day with a slash line of .299/.390/.672 and an OPS of 1.061.

Duran figures to play a role in Boston’s plans for later this season, with current and Franchy Cordero sporting OPS+ numbers of 72 and 26, respectively. With a need to fill, it may just be a matter of time before Duran is roaming the outfield at Fenway.

* WEEI.com

This version of Darwinzon Hernandez could be the Red Sox' ultimate weapon

Rob Bradford

When playing the game of predicting what the Red Sox will need during this season's trade deadline two months from now, the consensus was some sort of high-leverage reliever that could get whatever big outs might be lurking on the way to closer Matt Barnes.

Saturday night, the Red Sox found that guy.

His name is Darwinzon Hernandez.

Make no mistake about it, Hernandez wasn't the only bit of optimism emanating from the Red Sox' bullpen during Alex Cora's club's 4-3 win over the Phillies. Adam Ottavino struck out the side on 15 pitches in the eighth inning before Barnes closed things down in the ninth.

But it is Hernandez who represents the opportunity to truly uncover a late-inning difference-maker. This reality was put on full display in the seventh inning.

With just one out, the Red Sox clinging to a two-run lead and the bases loaded, Philadelphia's most potent threat, Bryce Harper, stepped to the plate.

Three Hernandez fastballs later, Harper was walking back to the dugout and the Red Sox' reliever was celebrating the possibility of uncovering a defining moment.

“I went out there with the mindset that I just had to go out there and attack the hitters,” Hernandez said. “It’s something that we always try to do when we’re in the game, just attack, attack, attack and I was able to do that and get the job done.”

Hernandez did experience a bit of a hiccup during this memorable outing, hitting Rhys Hopkins with a first-pitch fastball to force in a run. But the lefty's answer to that adversity might have said just as much as the Harper strikeout, with Hernandez coming back to get Brad Miller on an inning-ending punch out.

“You know, it was a big moment. A big spot,” Hernandez said. “Obviously after I hit the previous batter I had the bases loaded and it’s just a lot of emotions flowing through. When I was able to get that out, it was an exciting moment.”

It was the kind of spot Cora has desperately wanted to trust Hernandez in, with the payoff having been somewhat uneven due to some questionable command.

But if his last four appearances are any indication, Hernandez might just be on to something. During that stretch the reliever hasn't allowed a hit or run, striking out seven and walking four over 3 2/3 innings. The Red Sox have won each of those games.

It's a dramatic change for the image portrayed through Hernandez's first 14 outings, of which only three didn't include at least one baserunner.

It's a development that has undoubtedly been high on the Red Sox' wish-list. Saturday night proved to be a pretty good gift.

It's becoming hard to harness the Jarren Duran hype

Rob Bradford

Jarren Duran needs to work on some things. That's why he is still in Triple-A Worcester.

Outfield routes. Baserunning. And, of course, seeing how he responds to those inevitable offensive slumps.

Well, if Saturday night was an indication, Duran has become a pretty good test-taker.

Playing right field for the third time this season for the WooSox, Duran went 5-for-5 with a pair of home run.

Suddenly, the concerns that were coming with Duran going 4-for-20 over his previous seven games -- dipping the lefty hitter's to .242 -- was a thing of the past. The 12 total bases now puts him at .299 with an OPS of 1.061.

Duran now is tied for the Triple-A East lead in home runs with seven.

The performance also marked the first time a Red Sox Triple-A player had come away with five hits since Rusney Castillo managed the feat on July 23, 2019.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Final: Red Sox 4, Phillies 3

Sean McAdam

The Red Sox ran their winning streak to four straight, holding off the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3.

The Sox took a 2-0 lead in the second, and after the Phils managed a run in the fourth, the Sox got back-to- back solo homers from Xander Bogaerts and newcomer Danny Santana. For Santana, it was his second homer in two games.

The Phils edged closer with a homer from Rhys Hoskins in the sixth and used a bases-loaded hit batsman to force in another in the seventh.

Nathan Eovaldi (5.1 innings, 2 ER) picked up the win and Matt Barnes earned his 11th save.

WHO: Red Sox (28-18) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (22-23) WHEN: 7:15 p.m. WHERE: Citizens Bank Ballpark SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 1-0 STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Spencer Howard (0-0, 8.31) TV/RADIO: Fox; WEEI-FM, 93.7

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Hernandez 2B Devers 3B Martinez RF Bogaerts SS Santana CF Dalbec 1B Cordero LF Plawecki C Eovaldi P

PHILLIES

McCutchen LF Segura 2B Harper RF Hoskins 1B Miller 2B Herrera CF Maton SS Marchan C Howard P

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

: Strong outing for Adam Ottavino, who strikes out the side in the eighth.

T8: Marwin Gonzalez, off the bench, delivers a pinch-hit single to snap an 0-for-16 skid. Alex Cora said he would look to give him a good matchup, since he's been struggling against fastballs. So, against sinkerballer , Gonzalez singles.

B7: Well, that was quite a stretch of three hitters for Hernandez. First, he freezes Bryce Harper on a 96 mph fastball for a called strike three. Then, he drills Hoskins and claims that Hoskins swung at the pitch. Then, after getting squeezed by home plate umpire Scott Barry on not one, but two pitches that should have been strikes, he goes above the zone and fans Brad Miller with a 95 mph heater.

B7: Phillips Valdez has been superb this month and came into tonight having not allowed a run in May. But he was off tonight and a single, walk and a hit batsman has loaded the bases. Darwinzon Hernandez on to face Bryce Harper.

B6: First homer allowed by Eovaldi this season, and first since last September -- Rhys Hoskins takes him deep to bring the Phils to within two. And after a sharp single to left by Brad Miller, Eovaldi's night is done.

T6: Coonrod just allowed two homers and struck out three. If he had only worked in a walk, it would have been the prototypical 2021 inning.

T6: Danny Santana is here. Two games, two homers -- this one to left-center.

T6: Sam Coonrod, facing his first hitter, leaves a sinker up over the middle of the plate and Bogaerts goes the other way with his 10th homer.

B5: After issuing a leadoff walk in the second, Eovaldi hasn't walked anyone else and has retired 12 of the last 14 hitters he's faced.

T3: Bogaerts tomahawks a high fastball to left, deep enough to score Hernandez from third.

T3: Rafael Devers reaches on a bloop double down the right field line, scoring Eovaldi. Spencer Howard has no one to blame for himself, having walked Eovaldi, then Kike Hernandez.

T2: Danny Santana's speed was a big part of his appeal and he has stolen -- with help of review -- his first base with the Sox, giving the Sox a baserunner in scoring position with just one out.

T2: Xander Bogaerts is one of the better hitters in the game when it comes to checking his swing, but first base umpire Jeremie Rehak incorrectly rules that Bogaerts went around, putting Bogaerts in an 0-and-2 hole, and eventually, a strikeout.

B1: Big strikeout for Nathan Eovaldi, who challenges Bryce Harper up in the zone and gets him to swing through it for the second out of the inning.

WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have won six of their last eight games, including the last three in a row... At 28- 18 (.609), the Sox own the American League's best record, trailing San Diego and San Francisco (both 28- 17, .622) for best in MLB. The Sox are a season-high 10 games above .500....Their plus-50 run differential ranks third in the AL...The Sox lead all of baseball in comeback wins with 17....The Sox own the majors’ best record road record at 15-6 (.714)...They are 5-1-0 in road series this season and can improve to 6-1-0 with a win either tonight or Sunday...In the last two games, the Red Sox have scored 19 runs; 17 of those have come with two outs. The Sox lead all of baseball with 99....The Sox have also hit 27 HR with two strikes, most among American League teams. Only Atlanta, their next opponent, has more with 28....Danny Santana became the fourth player in Red Sox history to bat leadoff and homer in their club debut and the first since 1945, when Ben Steiner did it.... The Red Sox lead the majors in runs (243), doubles (104), extra-base hits (168), slugging percentage (.453), and OPS (.779)...They're also second in batting average (.267), with only Houston (.272) ahead of them...The Sox are tied for second in the AL with 61 homers and have hit 34 HR in their last 20 games, the most during that span...When they score at least four runs, the Sox are 25-3 (.893)...: The Sox are outhomering opponents, 61-33 (+28), the largest differential in MLB....Sox pitchers have allowed just 0.73 homers per nine innings, the lowest rate in the American League....The Sox have allowed one or no homers in 17 of their last 18 games, including each of their last 10...They've yet to allow three homers in a game, the only team in either league with distinction...Xander Bogaerts became just the third Red Sox player in team history to hit his 250th double before turning 29m joining Bobby Doerr and Carl Yastrzemski, both Hall of Famers...J.D. Martinez has played 394 games with the Red Sox has 98 homers and 299 RBI. .The only players in club history with at least 100 HR and 300 RBI through their first 400 games are Jimmie Foxx, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez....The Red Sox rank sixth in the AL and 12th in the majors in ERA at 3.88....They've allowed four earned runs or fewer in 10 of the last 12 games....Red Sox starters have thrown five or more innings in 39 of 46 games (84.8%), the most in the majors....They've thrown five or more innings in each of the club’s last 14 games, their longest streak of the season and the longest active streak in the majors...Sox starters have thrown six or more innings in nine of their last 13 games after reaching that mark just eight times in their first 33 games....Bryce Harper is 8-for-21 with a homer in his career against Nathan Eovaldi while Jean Segura is 4-for-12.

NOTES:

* Alex Verdugo, who felt some tightness in his hamstring late in the game Friday and was removed, is out of the starting lineup and Alex Cora said the Sox would try to stay away from him both tonight and Sunday. That time off, coupled with an off-day on the schedule Monday, should give him ample time to recover and be ready to be back in the lineup Tuesday night when the Sox begin a homestand. Cora, however, stressed that Verdugo would be available off the bench this weekend if needed.

* RHP Ryan Brasier threw off a mound for 25 pitches n Fort Myers and Cora said he's getting somewhat closer to a rehab assignment, while emphasizing that he's not ready to do that quite yet. The next step will be throwing live BP. Brasier missed several weeks of spring training and when he returned, suffered a strained calf muscle toward the end of March.

* Marwin Gonzalez, who is hitless in his last 15 at-bats and just 4-for-36 (.111), bringing him to .199 for the season, is out of the lineup tonight. "One thing that he's fighting,'' said Cora, "is catching up with the fastball. He's conscious that he's not catching up to it. This is the toughest stretch for him, with the strikeouts. He's such an asset in other aspects of the game. Mostly likely, he'll play second (Sunday). He understands where we're at right now. We'll help him up to get some matchups that are favorable to him. He'll get out of it. But the reality is, right now, he's scuffling.''

* Cora said Worcester reliever Edward Bazardo (lat strain) would be sidelined indefinitely and would have more details Sunday.

BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 4, Phillies 3 - Bullpen holds on as Sox win fourth in a row

Sean McAdam

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Phillies, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

HEADLINES

Bullpen saves the day: Starter Nathan Eovaldi seemed to hit a wall with one out in the sixth inning, meaning the Sox were going to have to get the final 11 outs from their bullpen. They did, too, though not without some anxious moments. Phillips Valdez faltered before the Darwinzon Hernandez recorded two huge strikeouts -- albeit sandwiched around a hit batsman that forced in a run. From there, the Sox were on lockdown. Adam Ottavino had what was probably his best inning since joining the Sox, fanning the side in the eighth on just 15 pitches. And in the ninth, despite a leadoff single and a one-out walk that made things a little jittery, Matt Barnes ultimately nailed his 11th save in 12 chances. Over the final 3.2 innings, Red Sox relievers combined to record nine Phillies.

Homers in bunches: In the span of three pitches in the sixth inning, the Red Sox produced half of their four runs. First, Xander Bogaerts swatted a pitch the other way and drove it just beyond the right field fence for his 10rh homer of the season. All 10 of those have come in the last 30 games after he failed to hit any in his first 15 games. Bogaerts is now on pace to eclipse his season high of 33, set in 2019. That was followed two pitches later with a homer from Danny Santana, who contributed his second in as many games. Santana's swing looked like some sort of trick shot golf swing. Sam Coonrod threw him a pitch that was way down and in, and somehow Santana was able to not only A) make contact but also B) hit it out and C) hit it out to left-center. The whole sequence seemed to defy logic and physics. But there's no denying Santana has made an immediate impact (he also stole a base in the second inning) and could be a fine, versatile addition to the roster.

TURNING POINT

Darwinzon Hernandez entered the game in the seventh with the bases loaded and the Sox leading by a run. He struck out the dangerous Bryce Harper on three pitches, before hitting Rhys Hoskins to force in a run. Hernandez can let his emotions run high at times and he was insistent that Hoskins did one (or more) of the following: fail to get out of the way, swung and missed, or fouled the ball off. Hoskins did neither, actually, and Hernandez, with the tying run on third, struck out Brad Miller to leave the bases loaded and the lead preserved.

ONE UP:

Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi saw his homerless streak come to an end at 68 innings when Hoskins took him deep in the sixth, but Eovaldi gave the Sox 5.1 strong innings, allowing just ruins and picked up the victory.

ONE DOWN

Phillips Valdez: Valdez has been very effective out of the bullpen of late, but entrusted with a high- leverage assignment, he faced four batters -- hitting one, walking one and giving up a base hit.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"It was a big moment, a big spot. There were a lot of emotions flowing through, so when I was able to get that out, it was an exciting moment." Darwinzon Hernandez, who roared after getting out a bases-loaded jam.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

* Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers became the first trio of Red Sox hitters to ever collect 10 homers and 10 doubles each in the first 50 games of a season.

* Danny Santana became the fifth Red Sox player to hit two homers in his first two games with the club.

* The Red Sox assured themselves of another road series win. They're 6-1 in seven series this year.

* Nathan Eovaldi became the first Red Sox pitcher to score a run since Eduardo Rodriguez scored one in San Diego on Aug. 23, 2019.

UP NEXT

The Sox and Phillies close out their series at 1:05 with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-2, 4.70) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.52)

MLB Notebook: Imagining a new role for Chris Sale upon his return; why La Russa 2.0 might be doomed

Sean McAdam

As the Red Sox march through their season and approach the one-third mark, reinforcements await on the horizon.

The Sox have yet to hit the one-third marker on the regular-season schedule, but some 1,200 or so miles away, Chris Sale is making progress all his own.

Sale is now fully invested in a throwing program that calls for him to throw bullpen sessions off a mound on a regular basis. The gains are painfully slow, but the careful pace is necessary. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in the final days of March 2020, Sale is methodically following his comeback course.

There can be no shortcuts or deviations almost 14 months into the program. Already, Sale has found his journey interrupted on three occasions. First, with a neck issue last winter. Next came a bout with COVID- 19. Finally, an unspecified setback took place in spring training. Combined, the three slowdowns have forced an adjustment to the original timetable.

Typically, pitchers undergoing Tommy John surgery require anywhere from 12-to-15 months before returning to game action, but given that Sale has yet to even throw live batting practice, it's obvious that he won't meet that time frame. Such a plan would have Sale activated at the end of June. Given that he'll need a weeks-long buildup on a minor league assignment, it's clear that schedule would not be met.

Not that the slowdown is cause for alarm. Beyond the current season, the Red Sox have $85 million invested in Sale over the next three seasons, through 2024, along with another $20 million in a club option for 2025. There's too much at stake for pitcher and team alike to rush his return for the sake of a few weeks. And frankly, the team's far better than expected first two months gives them additional wiggle room. The rotation has outstripped expectations, and, as important, the five members of the rotation has maintained good health. Eduardo Rodriguez wasn't available for his start, making his debut seven games into the season; since then, not one Red Sox started has missed a turn.

Whether the team believes its position at the top of the division gives them the luxury of exhibiting more patience than it might already have shown is uncertain. But based on conversations with numerous people in the organization, my expectation is that Sale won't return until after the All-Star break. That projection, of course, is with the assumption Sale experiences no further setbacks, which, obviously, can't be anticipated.

On the record -- and even off -- Red Sox officials are understandably loathed to talk about any potential target date, since doing so only establishes expectations that can only be dashed. If the Red Sox say they "expect'' Sale to be back on, say, July 20, and July 20 comes and goes without Sale on the roster, then what then? Everything from the competency of the medical and training staff to questions about Sale's commitment and toughness will become talk show fodder and turn into a sideshow. From the Red Sox' perspective, it's better to offer glib generalities, indistinct progress reports and let the comeback take its course.

As frustrating as it is for fans and media to be operating somewhat in the dark, there's little benefit to setting a public timetable that can potentially set up the organization (and the pitcher) for failure. Talk about a no-win situation.

Let's assume that Sale's buildup in the minor leagues -- think the ticket office at Polar Park isn't drooling over the prospect of a few Sale rehab starts this summer? -- goes according to plan and that he successfully rebuilds his arm strength, outing by outing. What then?

It's important to remember that while the success rate -- that is, complete physical recovery -- on Tommy John procedures is above 90 percent, there's nothing to guarantee that the rehabbing pitcher will be good as new from outing No. 1. To the contrary, actually.

"I think if people are expecting to see 97 (mph) and a wipeout (immediately), they're going to be sorely disappointed,'' said an MLB executive.

Indeed, while there's no known specific data kept or qualitative documentation for pitchers returning from Tommy John, anecdotally, we know that many such pitchers aren't not themselves until the following season. The trauma being reintroduced to the elbow by elite competition, the rush of adrenaline that can lead pitchers to try to regain their previous form prematurely and the demands brought about by the return to the grind of the regular season are all mitigating factors.

From 2013-2018, a healthy Sale averaged 200 innings, 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, a 2.89 ERA and a 1.007 WHIP. In each of those six seasons, he finished no worse than fifth in American League Cy Young balloting. But the back end of that dominant run was nearly three seasons ago -- he clearly wasn't himself in 2019 with his lowest innings total since making the permanent transition to starter and a bloated 4.40 ERA and he missed all of last season.

To expect that Sale in late July, August and September is going to immediately regain that lofty status is the height of naivete. Determined and competitive as he is, even Sale is likely realistic enough to recognize the unlikelihood of that standard being met.

All of which brings us to the matter of usage: How can Sale best be used in the second half of the season?

Some options:

1. Drop him into a five-man rotation and turn him loose.

For a variety of reasons, it would seem this option -- bumping someone currently in the rotation and giving him the ball every five or so days, albeit with a careful monitoring of his pitch count, etc. -- is the least likely scenario in play. That would seem needlessly aggressive, given Sale's importance to the franchise long-term and the organization's financial investment in him. There's no need to push him so soon, and that's doubly true if the Red Sox are still in playoff contention with expectations that Sale will contribute into October.

2. Add him to a six-man rotation.

This plan certainly has its merits. Even under normal circumstances -- and the 2020-2021 seasons are surely far from that -- starting pitchers could use and welcome some extra rest for their bodies to recover from one start to the next. That's particularly true when you consider that Eduardo Rodriguez will have pitched more than 100 innings by then, a year after pitching none at all. Add in the checkered injury histories for both (and a workload of exactly 60 innings in the previous two seasons combined) and Nathan Eovaldi (IL stints in each of the last four seasons), and the extra day could prove essential -- not only to guarantee health, but also, in limiting workloads with one eye toward October.

3. Sale becomes a multi-inning reliever.

On the face of it, this is the most radical of the three options. Sale has been one of the game's elite starters since 2012 and the Red Sox are paying him $30 million this year and next to fill that role.

But as noted, there's little "normal'' about any of this. For Sale's long-term health, and yes, for the Red Sox' 2021 playoff chances, this might be best for all parties involved.

Limiting Sale to a relief role will reduce the stress on the elbow. It would require advanced planning. Obviously, the Sox aren't going to get Sale hot in on a few minutes notice and hurry him into a game in the middle of an inning with inherited baserunners.

Instead, this would be scripted exercise. Sale would know well in advance what days he would be pitching and could prepare himself accordingly. The Sox could use Sale and rookie as multi-inning relievers twice a week, providing rest for both starters and other bullpen arms alike.

Imagine the weapon Sale could be, delivering two or three innings -- either as a bridge between the starter and closer Matt Barnes, or someone who takes the ball from the starter and finishes the game himself. The plan could then be re-evaluated in October if the Sox qualify for the playoffs.

In the meantime, the stress on Sale's elbow will be reduced and he could build back strength gradually, knowing he doesn't need to throw 90 or so pitches. ______

When Tony La Russa was hired to manage the Chicago White Sox over the winter, after recovering from my initial shock, I was one of the few who remained sanguine about his chances to succeed in the role.

I based that cautious optimism on some conversations I had with those in the Red Sox Baseball Operations department who had worked closely with La Russa during his stint as a Sox advisor under former president of baseball operations .

La Russa, they assured me, understood that the culture in the game had changed considerably since he last managed in 2011. They raved about the way he related to Red Sox players -- off the field, on the field before games -- and how, in turn, even the youngest players gravitated to him.

If La Russa could adjust and incorporate his old in-game brilliance, I thought, maybe this could work after all. And it surely didn't hurt that La Russa was inheriting a talented roster.

Now, less than two months into the season, it appears my confidence was misplaced.

Let's put aside, for now, the kerfuffle over "unwritten rules'' -- for the record, when you're facing a portly infielder who's throwing pitches 42 mph, all the rules, written or otherwise, are tossed out the window. La Russa came of age at a very different time, and his reluctance to disregard what he was taught is at least partly understandable.

But above and beyond debates about the propriety of swinging at a 3-and-0 pitch in a blowout, what was most disappointing was how public La Russa was in his criticism of his own player, Yermin Mercedes. La Russa embarrassed Mercedes by making his displeasure known and noted: "There will be consequences within our family.'' In addition to sounding too paternalistic with a 28-year-old player, surely La Russa could have reserved comment and spoken to Mercedes privately about his perceived transgression.

Things got worse the next day, when La Russa signed off on the Twins' Tyler Duffey throwing behind Mercedes, essentially conveying that Mercedes had it coming for violating protocol.

It's one thing to cling to outmoded philosophies about how the game should be played. It's entirely something else to side with the opposition over your own player.

What kind of message does that send to the rest of the White Sox clubhouse? If you don't play the game the way it was played in 1983, I'm going to root for the other guys???

Again, casting aside, for the time being, debates over "respecting the game,'' shouldn't White Sox players innately understand that their own manager has their backs and not those of their opponents?

Philosophical disagreements are one thing, White Sox players have to be wondering of their manager: Whose side are you on?

That that question is even being contemplated -- silently or, out loud behind closed doors -- is evidence that this experiment is a failed one.

And that leaves me a little more than sad.

* The Athletic

Red Sox bullpen could use reinforcements with tougher schedule ahead

Jen McCaffrey

As the Red Sox continue to pile up wins thanks to reliable starting pitching and a potent offense, it’s the bullpen that has come into question time and again.

On Saturday, the relief corps bent about as far as it could but didn’t break, squeaking out a 4-3 win over the Phillies. It gave the Red Sox their fourth win in a row and was the seventh win in their past nine games.

Nathan Eovaldi exited with a 4-2 lead after 5 1/3 innings, the 15th straight game in which a Red Sox starter went at least five innings. Red Sox starters have gone at least five innings in a major-league-leading 40 of 47 games.

But when the Red Sox turned to the bullpen, it made for a tension-filled final few innings.

“It was a well-fought game,” manager Alex Cora said. “It didn’t look easy, but they were amazing — the pitching staff did an amazing job.”

Lefty Josh Taylor, who had an 8.68 ERA at the end of April with questions swirling about whether he could still help the team, has been lights out in May. In nine scoreless appearances this month, he has allowed one hit while walking three and striking out six. Taylor finished the sixth inning with a flyout and a strikeout.

“In ’19, he was a reverse-split guy, but now you can mix and match,” Cora said. “We’re very pleased with what he’s done.”

Right-hander Phillips Valdéz, meanwhile, who has earned more high-leverage spots with a 2.70 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and .140 opponents average, put the Red Sox in a tough spot in the seventh after a leadoff single and four-pitch walk. Valdéz entered the night with five consecutive scoreless appearances but momentarily lost command of his signature change-up before striking out Andrew McCutchen. He then hit Jean Segura to load the bases.

With lefty hitter Bryce Harper coming to the plate, Cora opted for left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez, who’s been terrific on the road and struggling at home. Entering the night, Hernandez had allowed eight runs, six earned, in six innings at home, while pitching nine scoreless outings on the road. Regardless, the bases-loaded situation with Harper at the plate proved a test for Hernandez.

Hernandez got the slumping Harper to strike out on three pitches. But on his first pitch of the next at-bat to Rhys Hoskins, Hernandez clipped Hoskins, walking in a run — the first run he’d allowed on the road this season. Hernandez was furious, something Cora said he’s addressed with the reliever, but was able to channel the anger into a strikeout of Brad Miller to get out of the inning.

“I think our shortstop at one point went to the mound and talked to (Hernandez); he needs to control it,” Cora said. “He’s going to come to spots like that. I don’t mind being aggressive, I actually like it, but there’s certain situations where you just got to relax, man, and move on to the next pitch. I’m glad he made some great pitches on Miller.”

Against a tougher lineup, the seventh inning might have turned out differently. Even after a dominant eighth inning from Adam Ottavino, closer Matt Barnes, one of the league’s most reliable relievers this season, labored in the ninth. One outing removed from his first blown save of the season Sunday, Barnes allowed a one-out single and a walk to put the winning run on. A fielder’s choice advanced the tying run to third, but Barnes managed to strike out Hoskins on his 23rd pitch of the inning to escape.

The Red Sox will soon be facing more powerful lineups, with the Astros and Yankees on tap for early June. While the Red Sox could take solace in a win over the Phillies, the bullpen cracks might be exposed in the coming weeks. But it’s not as if there are any reinforcements on the 40-man roster in Triple-A Worcester.

Right-hander Ryan Brasier is still rehabbing in Fort Myers. Cora did note that Brasier threw a 25-pitch bullpen Saturday but would need to progress to live batting practice before any upcoming rehab assignment. Right-hander Eduard Bazardo exited a game in Worcester earlier this week with an arm injury, and Cora said he won’t be pitching for a while. The Red Sox designated right-hander Austin Brice for assignment to make room for Danny Santana. Right-handers Brandon Brennan and Colten Brewer are the only two 40-man options who could offer help. Right-hander Kaleb Ort, acquired from the Yankees in the minor-league phase of the , could be an interesting addition, though the Red Sox would have to make a 40-man move to add him to the roster. In seven appearances, the 29-year-old hasn’t allowed an earned run while striking out 11 and walking one.

“He’s a guy that got my attention in spring training, just like Garrett (Whitlock),” Cora said. “Actually, when we went to New York, I gave Cash (Yankees GM Brian Cashman) a call and said, ‘Man, those two guys are amazing. Thank you.’ Jokingly, I said thank you.”

Earlier this week, Cora said of Ort: “He’s a good one. His stuff plays. I really liked what I saw. Velocity got better in spring training. He was throwing the ball well down there. He’s a guy that we’re looking at, obviously, for the right reasons. We’re very excited (about) what he’s doing, what he did in spring training and what he can do probably in the future.”

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is likely also keeping an early eye out for bullpen reinforcements that will be necessary by the time the trade deadline heats up. But for now, the Red Sox will work with what’s at their disposal, knowing this group has gotten them this far.

* Associated Press

Bogaerts, Santana homer, Red Sox top Phils for 4th in row

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Xander Bogaerts and Danny Santana hit consecutive home runs in the sixth inning, Matt Barnes retired Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins to strand the potential tying run in the ninth, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Saturday night for their fourth straight win.

Nathan Eovaldi (5-2) ended a streak of three no-decisions, allowing two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

“Any time a team is going well, the starting pitchers are giving you quality outings,” Eovaldi said. “With our lineup, if you give up two or three runs, you have a really good chance to win the ballgame.”

Four relievers combined for one-run, two-hit relief, and AL East-leading Boston improved to a season-high 11 games over .500 at 29-18.

“It was huge,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It didn’t look easy, but the pitching staff did an amazing job.”

Philadelphia has lost four in a row and six of seven, dropping two games under .500 for the first time this year at 22-24. The Phillies went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, left 10 runners on base and struck out 13 times — the 14th time in May reaching double digits and 29th time in 46 games this season.

“It’s hard to score runs when you strike out a lot,” Phillies manager said. “You can hit a ton of home runs and score a lot of runs and strike out, but we’re not doing that. We’ll continue to talk about approaches. We have some guys who have gotten off to slow starts and guys in some slumps. But I think we’re capable of doing better.”

Ronald Torreyes singled leading off the ninth and Jean Segura walked with one out. Harper grounded to first baseman Bobby Dalbec, whose off-line throw to second was reeled in by Bogarts as the shortstop managed to keep a foot on the base, with Segura waving an arm and possibly obstructing his view.

Barnes then struck out Hoskins on four knuckle-curves, the last in the dirt, for his 11th save in 12 chances.

“Watching him grow and develop even from ’18 when I got first got here has been incredible,” Eovaldi said. “His mechanics are a lot cleaner and he’s going right after batters. It’s an uncomfortable at-bat for hitters going up against him.”

Harper struck out three times in an 0-for-5 night and is in a 2-for-25 slide with 13 strikeouts. Bothered by a shoulder injury that forced him from a game against Toronto last week, he is hitless in his last 16 at-bats.

“I’ll go in and think about it before making a decision on tomorrow’s lineup,” Girardi said.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the third off Spencer Howard (0-1), who made his first start this season after three relief appearances.

Eovaldi and walked Kiké Hernández, and Rafael Devers followed with a double for the only hit Howard allowed in three innings. Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly.

“I kind of didn’t give myself enough time to regroup after running to first (in the second inning),” Howard said. “I had more and more trust in my stuff and got aggressive. It wasn’t a total loss today and there were a few positives.”

Odubel Herrera cut the gap to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Bogaerts and Santana homered in a three-pitch span from Sam Coonrod starting the sixth. Bogaert has 10 homers this season, and Santana hit his second in as many nights since his contract was selected Friday from Triple-A Worcester.

Hoskins hit a solo homer inside the left-field foul pole in the bottom half, reaching 100 home runs in 450 games. He is the third-fastest among Phillies to start their career behind Ryan Howard (325) and Chuck Klein (390).

Santana was hit by a Howard pitch in the second inning, Segura was hit by Phillips Valdez in the seventh and Hoskins was plunked in the ribs by Darwinzon Hernández with the bases loaded later in the seventh.

Hernández struck out Brad Miller with a fastball to strand the bases full.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: OF Alex Verdugo was out of the Boston lineup on Saturday night after straining his left hamstring on Friday. “It’s nothing serious,” Cora said, hoping Verdugo could play Tuesday.. ... LHP Chris Sale, returning from Tommy John surgery that has sidelined him since Aug. 13, 2019, threw from flat ground.

Philies: LHP was placed on the 10-day IL with low back spasms.

UP NEXT

LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (5-2, 4.70) starts Sunday’s series finale for Boston and RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.52) for Philadelphia.