The Sunday, May 2, 2021

* The Boston Globe

Rangers outhit Red Sox to carve out a victory

Julian McWilliams

The Red Sox had their opportunities Saturday evening against the Rangers. The pulse of this contest seemed as if it was one that would work in the Red Sox’ favor.

They had just one loss when collecting 10 or more hits in a contest. The Sox collected 12 in this one. The Red Sox hadn’t lost a game this year when the club scored four or more runs. They had six on Saturday.

It’s rare that this team, one of the better offenses in baseball, loses by getting outhit.

Yet Saturday marked one of those rare occasions.

The Rangers offense outperformed the Sox’, tallying 13 hits on the night. More importantly, the Rangers scored when they needed to. The Red Sox did not, which led to a 8-6 loss in Arlington, Texas.

If there’s an inning that determined the Sox’ fate, it was the fifth.

The Red Sox were up, 5-3, in that inning behind back-to-back RBI singles by Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez. Yet the team missed out on an opportunity to score more against reliever , who took over for at the start of the fifth. Rafael Devers would entertain a walk that loaded the bases with no outs, offering the Sox a chance to deliver what likely could have been the knockout blow.

Yet Hearn got Christian Vázquez to ground into a force at the plate. Bobby Dalbec and then struck out to end the inning. The Red Sox were 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

“I mean, you got a chance to put a team away right there,” Alex Cora said afterward. “Bases loaded and no outs and we don’t score. We had a chance to put them away and we didn’t We had traffic all over the place today.”

In the top of the second inning, Hunter Renfroe launched a two- homer off Lyles. It gave the Sox a 2-0 lead in what ended up being another night defined by the team’s offense.

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez made it through his five innings, yet this one was a grind, coming with a rocky third inning where Rodriguez tossed 33 pitches and yielded three runs. The Rangers peppered Rodriguez with singles that inning, registering four of them in that frame. ’s one-out RBI single plated the Rangers’ first run. Then following Rodriguez’s two-out walk to Adolis García that loaded the bases, ’s sharp liner to left scored two more for the Rangers, earning them a 3-2 lead.

In the fourth, the Red Sox tied the contest at three apiece. Devers laced a down the left field line and Vázquez’s single to right put runners at the corner. Dalbec’s slow tapper to shortstop enabled Vázquez to score.

Rodriguez got through the fifth inning, but allowed a homer to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, which shrunk the Sox lead to 5-4. Rodriguez surrendered eight hits during his five innings of work.

“I think his stuff wasn’t as sharp as before,” Cora said. “But you know, he gave us five. But I think today, it was a grind from the get-go.”

Cora pulled Rodriguez after five innings at just 67 pitches, a decision Rodriguez said he could live with.

“I feel like most of my pitches were on the plate today,” Rodriguez said. “I will say it was a good decision behind you know, take me out of the game after those four rounds. I mean, I can’t complain on that, you know.

Matt Andriese took over in the sixth, and a two-run shot by put the Rangers ahead, 6-5. The Rangers would add one more behind Kiner-Falefa’s RBI . The Sox will now try to go for the series split Sunday.

“We have to do a better job,” Cora said regarding his offense. “And it seems like we’re getting there. So, in those situations, the other team is not going to give in. We have to get on top of the fastball and go the other way.”

Red Sox’ Christian Arroyo looking comfortable at second base

Julian McWilliams

Christian Arroyo continues to leave his imprint on this Red Sox team.

Heading into spring training, Arroyo — who was out of options — found himself in a battle for a roster spot. He would ultimately seal that spot following his impressive spring that included a reliable glove up the middle and some pop at the plate. Arroyo tallied a .269 batting average to go along with three homers and nine RBIs in 55 plate appearances.

The 2013 first-round pick by the Giants has struggled to secure a place in the majors, playing for three organizations before finding a home with the Red Sox.

Arroyo’s journey with the Red Sox began last season after he was designated for assignment by the Indians. The Red Sox designated Arroyo for assignment, too, but he made it through waivers and was outrighted to the team’s alternate site. When former Sox second baseman José Peraza continued to struggle that provided an opportunity for Arroyo.

Saturday night’s game in Texas marked Arroyo’s 17th start at second. He went 2 for 5 in the Red Sox’ 8-6 loss, raising his average to .302, with three homers and seven doubles. Arroyo’s focus last year was to the ball hard and not focus on results. That still hasn’t changed this year.

“I think the mentality for me kind of always stayed the same,” Arroyo said before the Sox’ contest against the Rangers. “I think last year, just in general, I changed the way I thought about baseball in the sense of that process-oriented way [of going] about it instead of focusing on the results every single day. That’s when you get beat up and I think the mind-set has been the same coming into this season. I just try to come out and help us win in any way that we can. We have a really deep lineup, we’ve got great pitching, and we can win ball games.”

Fun, of course, comes with winning. The Sox started Saturday sitting atop the American League East after finishing April with the most wins in baseball (17).

“Really, this journey it’s been awesome,” Arroyo said. “I know there’s a lot more left for me. I’m excited for it. But at the same time, I’m just relishing in the now and in the present and not thinking about what’s going to happen in the future or what’s happened in the past.”

Since the start of spring training, manager Alex Cora has been bullish regarding what Arroyo brings to the table, particularly with the flexibility he provides the club up the middle. Cora’s belief in Arroyo has certainly left an impact on the infielder.

“He’s helped me out in more ways, from the mental side, obviously, from the physical standpoint, everything,” Arroyo said. “From a managing standpoint, he keeps it loose and he cares about you.”

Santana ramping up

Red Sox utilityman Danny Santana will begin his rehab stint in Greenville, S.C., next week. The Sox placed Santana on the in mid-March after he was diagnosed with a right foot infection.

Santana missed much of last year with a right elbow sprain, collecting just 55 at-bats with the Rangers. However in 2019, Santana had a breakout year, hitting .283/.324/.514 with 28 homers in 511 plate appearances.

Santana will get reps in both the infield and outfield in Greenville, per Cora. He’s fully healthy but will need game reps for more than two weeks to give the Red Sox an idea of what he will need next.

“It’s just a matter of the progression, so we don’t push him too hard,” Cora said. “He needs a lot of at-bats.”

The Red Sox gave Kiké Hernández another day off Saturday. Hernández ran into the center field wall in the bottom of the seventh Thursday vs. the Rangers.

Red Sox took advantage of a traditional spring training

Peter Abraham

ARLINGTON, Texas — In February, proposed pushing the season back by a month because of what at the time were worrisome rates of COVID-19 in Arizona and Florida just as spring training was about to start.

The Players Association rejected the idea, saying the sport had demonstrated the previous year that it could play through the pandemic.

The players had it right. There have been a few games postponed because of testing protocols but the season has been close to normal, especially with fans back in the stands and increasing numbers of players and coaches being vaccinated.

The decision to start the season on time worked out better than anybody could have expected for the Red Sox, who emerged from the first month of the season with the best record in the game, a half-game ahead of the Royals, Brewers, and Giants.

The Sox opened May with an 8-6 loss against the Rangers on Saturday night and fell to 17-11. They failed to hold a 5-3 lead as Matt Andriese allowed three runs in the sixth inning.

Sox manager Alex Cora supported the idea of moving back the season. But in retrospect, having what amounted to a traditional spring training benefited a team that flipped a third of its 40-man roster during the offseason and had Cora returning as manager.

“It was very important for us to, first of all, let them know what we have to do as a team,” Cora said. “I come in; we have a lot of new faces. We did a lot of different things for this group in spring training.

“Defense drills, offensive drills. There was a lot of competition. I think that really helped . . . we made a conscious effort to play clean baseball.”

It will be a surprise if the Sox, Royals, Brewers, and Giants are in the same position in the standings come Oct. 1 when the final weekend of the season starts. But it’s not a wholly outrageous goal for the Red Sox given the moves still to come.

The Sox have come this far without , who recently returned to the team complex in Fort Myers, Fla., to continue his rehabilitation from surgery.

The Sox have been oddly evasive when asked about his progress. Sale has yet to throw off the mound, but the expectation continues to be that he will join the team at some point in the second half.

The rotation has been strong to this point. But needs always arise and Sale’s return could be the most significant addition any team makes.

By then, you could see a much different outfield, too. Through Friday, the Sox were fourth in the American League with 4.78 runs per game and first in OPS at .759. That has come despite their hitting only six home runs and having a .651 OPS, the fifth lowest in the league. Outside of Alex Verdugo, the Sox don’t have a productive .

Hunter Renfroe hit his second homer of the season on Saturday but has only a .563 OPS. Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3. He has one hit in his last 31 at-bats and is hitting .167. He looks overmatched.

Kiké Hernández has played well defensively in center field. But a .259 on-base percentage has negated the impact of his 10 extra-base hits. Cora is sticking with Hernández as his leadoff hitter for now, but that experiment can’t go on indefinitely.

The Dodgers, who know Hernández best, hit him seventh, eighth, or ninth in 30 of the 32 games he started last season.

Danny Santana, a utility player with 247 games of outfield experience, was signed to a minor league contract in March and will start playing for Single A Greenville this week. Santana hit .283 with an .857 OPS, 28 home runs, and 81 RBIs for Texas in 2019, the best season of his career.

A shoulder injury limited Santana to 15 unproductive games last season. He’s finally healthy and could be a good fit in left field within a few weeks, maybe sooner.

“He’s in a good spot. He’s a full go,” Cora said. “It’s just a matter of the progression to do it right so we don’t push him too hard.”

The start of the minor league season also should push outfield prospect Jarren Duran closer to the majors. He had an impressive spring training but needed further development.

The Sox have flourished with J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Verdugo carrying the lineup. But a contender has to go better than four deep.

The rotation — 12-8 with a 4.05 — has been unexpectedly strong and durable. Only one start has been missed so far, that coming when Eduardo Rodriguez was delayed coming out spring training.

The depth will be tested in time, as will the quality of the bullpen beyond Andriese, Matt Barnes, and Adam Ottavino. Where rookie surprise Garrett Whitlock ultimately fits will be a factor, too.

“I like this bunch,” Cora said in spring training.

A month into the season, we have seen why.

Zack Scott has gotten his shot as Mets GM, just not as he intended

Peter Abraham

Zack Scott interviewed with the Mets in December to become their general manager, a job that went to former Red Sox colleague Jared Porter.

“It was something I really wanted and was disappointed I didn’t get,” Scott said.

To his surprise, the Mets then asked permission of the Red Sox to interview him for assistant GM, a lateral move.

“It was hard because it was a totally different equation at that point,” Scott said. “I was very comfortable, not just with the Red Sox and my friends there, that I’m very close with, but I’m from there. It’s the only organization I’ve ever cared about since I was a kid.

“My parents still live in the suburbs there and my sister lives there. It was hard. My wife [Molly] and I and our kids had established a really good community of friends. There were so many comforts. To disrupt that was a tough call. At one point I was willing to walk away from it and stay with the Red Sox.”

The Mets were persuasive, and Scott took the job two days before Christmas. Four weeks later, he received an 8 a.m. phone call from team president Sandy Alderson saying Porter had been fired after ESPN published a story detailing his harassment of a female reporter in 2016.

Scott was named interim GM immediately.

“We had a staff call an hour later,” Scott said. “I’ll tell you, that 9 a.m. meeting was not my best. It was a somber tone … it was tough emotionally. The organization handled it really well and did what they had to do. But my concerns were with [Porter] as a friend.”

Life has been a whirlwind since. Scott didn’t actually meet Alderson and team owner Steve Cohen in person until spring training. Everything prior was over Zoom.

“I’m enjoying the work and the people here,” Scott said. “A friend asked me if it was much more stressful being in this position. I actually said no because I haven’t felt stress.

“I’m busy, so there’s the normal stress of being really busy, and the scope of the job is so much bigger than anything I’ve done. But I just love the work so much that it doesn’t stress me out.”

The stress has come from being away from his family for the entirety of spring training because of coronavirus protocols and finding a new home in New York, a big task only recently accomplished.

As assistant GM, Scott could have spent more time back home in Malden. As GM, it’s his duty to make road trips and establish his presence in the front office while the Mets remake an organizational structure that hasn’t produced a playoff team since 2016.

Scott understands what it takes. He collected four rings working under Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington, and Dave Dombrowski, and he assumed more responsibility along the way.

Dombrowski put Scott in charge of building out the team’s research and development staff, an aspect of the game the Sox had fallen behind on.

“We did a very significant expansion. That conversation started at the end of Ben’s time there, putting together a plan. I led that part of it,” Scott said.

“That was my first opportunity to lead. I’m proud of the work we did and the team we put together.”

Epstein, Cherington, and Dombrowski approached the same job in different ways. Scott told the Mets during the initial interview process that while he had worked for only one team, he had worked for four baseball ops leaders with very different styles, counting his one season with Chaim Bloom.

“That helped shape me. It felt like I worked for different organizations,” Scott said.

Cohen, a billionaire investor, has been public in his desire to win the World Series as soon as possible and interacts with fans on Twitter. It’s nothing like Boston, where ownership rarely offers public comment beyond carefully worded press releases.

“It’s different than what I’m used to. But it’s fun and good for the fans,” Scott said. “They seem to like it. He’s seen the ups and down of doing it. It doesn’t really affect my job. He’s having fun. Steve cares a lot about the fan experience.”

Scott said the Mets fan base reminds him of the Red Sox before 2004 in that they’re waiting for something to go wrong.

“We’re trying to change that mind-set,” he said. “As somebody who was a Red Sox fan, there was a woe- is-me outlook. The fans here have that, too. But they’re kind of [ticked] off about it. It’s a cross between pre-2004 Red Sox fans and Phillies fans.”

Scott said he thrives on the pressure of a big market after his time with the Sox. He sees the East as being winnable if the Mets make the right moves.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora spent some time with Scott before the teams played on Tuesday. The Mets, he said, are in good hands.

“He works hard at what he does,” Cora said. “He listens to people and he understands there’s the [analytics] department, but also the baseball side of it. It’s a testament to who he is.”

NEW KID IN TOWN Whitlock impressive on and off the field

Garrett Whitlock’s statistics are eye-popping. Through six games he worked 13⅓ scoreless innings with two walks and 18 . Opponents were 6 of 46 (.130).

Whitlock throws his sinker an average of 95.2 miles per hour, and his changeup has been unhittable.

“The stuff is that good,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

But numbers don’t tell the whole story about the 24-year-old rookie righthander, who was a Rule 5 Draft pick in December.

For a player who went from Double A to the majors, Whitlock has impressed the Sox with his maturity and work ethic.

On Wednesday, there was a chance Whitlock could have come to the plate against the Mets. His last at-bat was in high school in 2015.

Cora told him to be ready.

“Whatever you need,” Whitlock said.

It’s been like that since spring training. Whitlock treated every drill with importance and talked to older , Matt Andriese in particular, about how he could improve.

Cora said Whitlock has even been perfect about how he brings beer on the plane for the veteran players.

“I’m just trying to be a good rookie,” Whitlock said. “Everyone’s got a role to play on the team. I told [bench coach Will Venable] when I first showed up, I said, ‘Shoot, I’ll be the janitor on this team if that means I get to be in the big leagues.’ ”

In time, the Sox will discuss moving Whitlock into the rotation, maybe not until next season given that he’s coming off Tommy John surgery.

Every time he’s asked about starting, Whitlock deflects the question. That speaks to his maturity, too. Let it play out and worry about the present.

“We’ve got a good one,” Cora said.

A few other observations about the Red Sox:

▪ Brandon Workman, who was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday, was one of the best relievers in the game from the start of the 2019 season until the Sox traded him to the Phillies last August.

Workman was 10-1 with 20 saves and a 2.07 ERA. He held opponents to a .457 OPS with a fastball/curveball combination.

In 24 games since, Workman is 1-6 with a 6.86 ERA and 2.43 WHIP. Opponents have a 1.090 OPS. His fastball, while never overpowering, has dropped to 91.5 m.p.h. with the Cubs.

Workman is only 32. It might be worth the Sox giving him a chance to work out his issues in Triple A.

▪ The Mookie Betts trade was held up in 2020 because the Red Sox had medical concerns about righthander Brusdar Graterol, who was coming back from the Twins as part of a three-team deal.

The Twins were eventually cut out of the trade and the Sox took Jeter Downs and Connor Wong instead. The Dodgers made a separate deal to obtain Graterol.

Now Graterol is on the injured list with forearm tightness, which is often a precursor to an elbow problem.

There’s a long way to go before any proper evaluation can be made. But the Sox may have been smart to show the caution they did.

▪ Will and Jenny Middlebrooks will host Jimmy Fund Bingo Night on Friday at 7. Cards can be purchased at the Jimmy Fund website until 4 p.m. that day and the game will be played on the Jimmy Fund Facebook page.

Winners of each round will receive prizes.

SHORT HONEYMOON Lindor feeling heat in New York

Watching Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor play in person is a joyous experience. He bounds out of the dugout with the eagerness of a kid on Christmas morning and moves around the field with an energy you can feel from a distance.

On Tuesday, Lindor snapped up a line drive from the Red Sox’ Marwin Gonzalez and dived to catch Hunter Renfroe off second base to complete an inning-ending double play.

Lindor high-stepped across the field like a drum major with a smile you could see from every corner of the ballpark. But when he grounded back to the mound in the eighth inning, he was hit by a loud chorus of boos from the crowd of 7,917.

The booing was louder on Wednesday during an 0-for-3 night.

“It’s interesting and it’s funny and it sucks. It doesn’t feel right, for sure,” Lindor said. “Interesting, because it’s the first time that it happened in my career and funny because I’m getting booed and people think I’m going to go home and just think about why I’m getting booed.

“I get it. They’re booing because there’s no results. That’s it. They expect results; I expect results. I get it. It’s part of the job. People expect results and they’re booing because there’s no results.

“I just hope they cheer and jump on the field when I start hitting home runs and start helping the team on a daily basis a lot more than I’m doing right now.”

Lindor had an .833 OPS in six seasons with Cleveland. He’ll hit.

Meanwhile, his presence is changing the team.

“What he brings every day is he makes other people around him better,” Mets GM Zack Scott said. “That’s hard to do in baseball because it’s not that kind of team sport.

“He has a high standard, and he expects that from his teammates because he wants to win. He’ll talk to them about that if they’re not meeting those standards and he does it in a way that’s effective.”

Cleveland officials told Scott that all Lindor talked about was wanting to win the World Series from the day he was drafted.

Scott said he was accustomed to such talk in Boston. But he learned that wasn’t always the case with the Mets.

“We need to get that mind-set throughout the organization and Francisco helps establish that at the major league level,” Scott said. “That’s what he brings.”

ETC. When is a no-hitter really a no-hitter?

We’ve all been forced to make accommodations because of the pandemic, baseball players included. Among them were a series of rules changes that included playing two seven-inning games in doubleheaders.

The idea is to shorten how long the players and coaches would be at the ballpark and lessen the possibility of somebody being exposed to the virus.

The rank-and-file players had little influence in determining any of these protocols.

Which is why it was unfair that Madison Bumgarner’s no-hitter against Atlanta last Sunday will not be recognized as such because it was only seven innings.

MLB’s statistician, the Elias Sports Bureau, has ruled a no-hitter must be nine innings.

In a nine-inning game, that makes perfect sense. But Bumgarner didn’t have the option of getting six more outs. He started a seven-inning game and went seven innings without allowing a hit. That’s a no-hitter.

If players, coaches, and fans have to make accommodations for the pandemic, so can Elias.

It’s easy. Simply add this entry to the list of official no-hitters:

April 25, 2021: Madison Bumgarner (Arizona) vs. Atlanta (7).

Extra bases

Count Ron Darling among those excited about being back in Worcester as the Triple A WooSox open their season on Tuesday. “It’s great for the city,” said Darling, the former St. John’s High star who went on to a 13-year career in the majors. “My dad [Ron Sr.] was telling me there’s a lot of standing room. It sounds like a beautiful park.” Darling, now a Mets broadcaster with occasional national assignments, is planning to take a midseason trip to catch a game at Polar Park and stop by the Cape Cod League. “For years all we had in Worcester was Fitton Field. It’s nice to see a new park there,” he said … Joe West now has two pairs of father/son ejections. He tossed (2003) and (2019), and now Buddy Bell (2006) and (2021) … was 3-8 with a 7.82 ERA for the Angels and Royals from 2019-20 and took a minor league deal with the Orioles in February. It has paid off for both sides. Harvey went into the weekend 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA, with the Orioles winning three of his five starts. Harvey’s fastball has averaged a modest 93.4 miles per hour, but his slider is the best it has been since his success with the Mets … The Rockies finally moved on from general manager Jeff Bridich, who resigned under pressure this past week. But how much will change? Chief operating officer Greg Feasel was put in charge of baseball operations. He is a former football player who has been on the business side for the Rockies for 26 years. The plan is to hire an interim GM to work under Feasel then fill the job over time. Why would any ambitious executive want to be part of the ongoing mess there under owner Dick Monfort? … Aaron Judge is a mystery. He left Tuesday’s game with “lower body soreness,” according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, then didn’t start on Wednesday before striking out as a pinch hitter on Thursday. But Judge homered twice on Friday and drove in five runs. Judge is a terror when he plays but has missed 35 percent of the games since 2018 … Happy birthday to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who is 36. The former first-round pick played for six teams during his 12 years in the majors and made his biggest impact in Boston from 2010-13. Salty started 111 games behind the plate in ’13. No Sox catcher has had more than 103 since. Eddie Bressoud is 89. The shortstop was with the Sox from 1962-65 and hit .270 with 57 homers. He played his last season with the Cardinals in 1967 and retired after they beat the Sox in the World Series. Bressoud attended the 100th anniversary celebration for Fenway Park in 2012.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox lose to Rangers, who pitch around red-hot J.D. Martinez

Jason Mastrodonato

The figured out what to do with the red-hot J.D. Martinez.

They sent him walking.

Martinez tormented the Rangers in Game 2 of the series, but otherwise pitched around him in Game 1 and Game 3. It’s no coincidence which games the Red Sox lost.

Martinez was walked two more times, including once in a key spot late in the game with the go-ahead run in scoring position, and the Red Sox offense didn’t quite have enough in an 8-6 loss to the Rangers on Saturday.

The Rangers have taken two of three in the series with a chance to win the series on Sunday. They finally found a way to slow down a Red Sox team that hasn’t lost a series since being swept by the Orioles to start the year.

The Sox lost Game 1, 4-1, when the Rangers walked Martinez twice. The Sox took a 6-1 win in Game 2 of the series when Martinez went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI. And by Game 3 it was obvious was the Rangers were doing.

Martinez singled in the first inning, then never saw another good pitch to hit the rest of the game.

He walked on four pitches in the third inning. In a key spot in the fifth, with runners on first and second, they had nowhere to put MLB’s leader, so they carefully settled for a single to right field. They struck him out in the sixth when he chased some high fastballs.

But the key moment was in the eighth inning, when the Sox trailed by one and had runners on second and third with two outs for Martinez. The Rangers didn’t think twice and issued him an intentional walk to load the bases.

Xander Bogaerts grounded to third on a second-pitch changeup to end the inning and kill the rally.

So far this series, Martinez has gone 5-for-8 with four walks, two home runs and five RBI.

Three more takeaways from this one:

1. Bogaerts’ failed opportunity in the eighth was one of many missed chances on the night. The Sox had the bases loaded and nobody out in the fifth inning and couldn’t score. Christian Vazquez hit a weak grounder to force an out at home, then Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe struck out to end the inning. Overall, they left 23 runners on base.

“You got a chance to put a team away right there,” manager Alex Cora said. “Bases loaded and no outs and we don’t score. It’s just, Jeff Reboulet used to say that the other team is going to score 85% of the time if you don’t score there. So I don’t know if that’s true, you guys can take a look at it, but we had a chance to put them away and we didn’t. We had traffic all over the place today and I know we scored some runs but we had a chance to score some more.”

2. Matt Andriese’s hot start out of the bullpen has come to an end. He was handed the ball to protect a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning, but promptly allowed three runs to score, including two on a homer by Willie Calhoun. Andriese entered the game having allowed only two earned runs in 12 2/3 innings this season. He has earned Alex Cora’s trust and has been pitching in key spots of late.

“I think he wasn’t able to elevate his fastball, it actually cut to Calhoun’s barrel right there,” Cora said. “So the changeup was good but the fastball today, I talked to him a little bit and he wasn’t able to elevate with it.”

3. Eduardo Rodriguez has hit a roadblock. After starting the year looking as good as ever, Rodriguez struggled to get outs in his fifth start. The Rangers knocked him around for four runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out five, but Cora chose to remove him after just 67 pitches. He entered with a 3.53 ERA and had looked strong until facing the Rangers, who have a below-average offense this season.

Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: I’m going to get my velocity back

Jason Mastrodonato

Eduardo Rodriguez may have overcorrected.

This time, it backfired.

After leading the American League in walks (while winning 19 games) during his last season in 2019, Rodriguez entered Saturday night with just two walks to 26 strikeouts in 23 innings this season.

Manager Alex Cora has been trying to get Rodriguez (and the rest of his staff) to trust in his stuff, have confidence to throw it over the plate and pound the zone.

Saturday, Rodriguez did just that, but he didn’t bring his best stuff.

The Rangers knocked him around for four runs on eight hits and a walk in an 8-6 win over the Red Sox.

Rodriguez was removed after five innings and just 67 pitches.

“I thought today with five innings, that was good enough,” Cora said. “It was a grind for him. They put good at-bats, his stuff wasn’t as sharp as before.”

Rodriguez said his manager was right for removing him after just 67 pitches.

“I want to go out there as much as I can, but I already gave up four runs, so I would say it was a good decision by him to take me out of the game,” he said. “Can’t complain about that.”

Cora’s assessment that Rodriguez wasn’t sharp “was right,” he said. “I feel like most of my pitches were on the plate today. I was throwing a lot of strikes but when you throw a lot of strikes you have to locate. Today I was missing too much on the plate.”

That was the lesson learned for Rodriguez in this one.

He averaged 92 mph on his fastball, up from his previous start, but still 1-2 mph below his 93 to 94 mph average in previous seasons.

After missing the entire 2020 season, he feels like the velocity has surprisingly not been an issue.

“I’m going to get it back,” he said. “I feel like today was what, 91 to 94 mph? Last game I was 89-90 mph, so, it’s something that will get back with time. I feel good with that right now. I feel good to throw those pitches. If you see the last game I was hitting 89-90 mph and was available to go seven innings because I was locating my pitches.

“It’s more about location than throwing hard. You can throw 100 mph right down the middle, they’re going to hit it pretty hard. Raffy (Devers) hits fastballs like that all the time. If you throw 90 mph right where you want it, you’ll get a good result out of it. That’s what I think.”

He said not to read too much into his first bad start of the year.

“My body was feeling great,” he said. “It’s just that I was missing too much of the plate. That happens. Sometimes you miss a lot on the plate, sometimes you miss a lot off the plate and you give a lot of walks and you’ll get the same result.”

Red Sox Notebook: Jarren Duran separating himself at Triple-A Worcester

Jason Mastrodonato

The Red Sox entered Saturday with the most wins in the majors and reinforcements waiting in Worcester.

The Woo Sox begin their first official season on Tuesday in Syracuse, where the Red Sox’ Triple-A club will begin a week-long road trip before they have their first-ever game at Polar Park on May 11.

Among those who will need to be watched closely are Jarren Duran and Jeter Downs, two of the organization’s top position player prospects.

Duran impressed during winter ball in Puerto Rico and looked like he was major league-ready in spring training. Woo Sox hitting coach Rich Gedman agreed when talking to reporters this weekend.

“He’s been doing all the right things,” Gedman said. “To me it’s just a matter of time before we see him playing in the outfield in Boston. I’m not going to project when it’s going to happen but I think he’s on the right path. He continues to do the things he’s doing. It’s just a matter of time before it happens.

“He’s turning into, as a young person, a really solid pro. He’ll continue to get better in the outfield and at the plate and on the bases. He’s a gifted individual, no doubt. He’s starting to find out about himself. I love his honesty, his freshness, his understanding of the game, how respectful he is of his teammates and how he goes about his business. They all have talent here, but he has been separating, no doubt.”

Duran looks like he could be one of the first on the Woo Sox to get called up given the Red Sox have struggled to get any production from three of their four outfielders. Alex Verdugo has impressed, but Kiké Hernandez, Franchy Cordero and Hunter Renfroe have yet to hit their stride.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he isn’t worried about Renfroe, who entered Saturday hitting just .167 with a .485 OPS.

“Obviously he’s not swinging the bat but he goes out there and he’s playing great defense,” Cora said. “He’s a good defender, and we know that he’s going to make adjustments and he can start producing offensively too.”

Expectations linger

Downs will always have some pressure on him after the Red Sox backed out of an agreed trade involving Mookie Betts at the last minute and changed up the trade to include Downs in the return from the Dodgers last year.

Pitcher Brusdar Graterol was supposed to be coming back to Boston but the Sox backed out, reportedly due to medical concerns, and ended up with Downs as the third piece along with Verdugo and Connor Wong.

Gedman said he worries about the pressure Downs might be feeling.

“Athletically he’s really talented, but I’m looking for a little more than I’ve seen so far,” Gedman said. “I think it’s in there. I need to see some more consistency at the plate. I still think he needs to get better.

“There are a lot of expectations that come with being Jeter Downs here. The guy he got traded for was very special in our organization.”

Downs said he doesn’t feel the pressure.

“I’m just trying to be me and not think of the other circumstances that happened,” he said. “You can’t control it. I’m trying to stay within myself and be me, let the game come to me and do what I’ve done my entire life.

Santana getting closer

Utility man Danny Santana will begin a rehab assignment in High-A Greenville next week, Cora said.

Santana has been recovering from multiple injuries in the offseason, but if healthy could put pressure on Renfroe and Cordero to perform. Santana can play any position but catcher. He’ll need at least two weeks to rehab before he’s ready, Cora said.

“He’s going to move around,” Cora said. “They have the schedule and I think he starts playing the infield first, then they move to the outfield, obviously, because of the arm too. He’s in a good spot. He’s a full-go. It’s just a matter of the progression to do it right so we don’t push him too hard.”

Sale still behind

Chris Sale, who had Tommy John surgery last March, has still yet to throw off a mound, Cora said. It’s been a long recovery time for the Red Sox’ ace, who still has a ways to go before he’s ready to return to the big leagues.

Benny heating up

“Look at Benny, he hit a homer,” Cora said during his press conference on Saturday as Andrew Benintendi hit his second homer in a Royals uniform. Benintendi homered twice in the game. Benintendi was hitting .197 without a homer through his first 16 games in Kansas City, but is hitting .434 with three homers in his last seven.

* The Providence Journal

Early success hasn't spoiled Red Sox rookie reliever Garrett Whitlock

Bill Koch

Short of putting together a championship roster, Chaim Bloom, Boston's chief baseball officer, could not find too many better ways of generating goodwill.

Stealing from the Yankees is at or near the top of the list for any Red Sox executive. Garrett Whitlock arriving from New York via the Rule 5 Draft certainly qualifies through his first month in Boston.

The right-hander has been a revelation in his 13⅓ innings, allowing just six hits and two walks while striking out 18. Whitlock has yet to allow an earned run despite having never previously worked above the Double-A level. The Red Sox will be forced to keep him on the 26-man roster through the season’s final day to retain his rights going forward, and that seems like no great chore at the moment.

“I’m glad I’m having some success,” Whitlock said. “Hopefully, I can keep moving forward. The process I have every day is one I want to keep going throughout my career.”

Whitlock was still recovering from Tommy John surgery and didn’t pitch for the Yankees at their alternate site last season. He played college baseball at the University of Alabama Birmingham, which put him in the same town as arguably the top orthopedic practice in the nation. The famed Dr. James Andrews is headquartered there and Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, who practices with Andrews, took Whitlock on as a patient two years ago.

“Mentality-wise and spiritually, it saved me,” Whitlock said. “For that, I’m grateful for Tommy John.”

Whitlock rehabbed with Dr. Kevin Wilk up to six hours a day five times each week. His last outing prior to spring training with Boston occurred in July 2019 at Trenton. Whitlock was tagged for nine runs — just three earned — and eight hits in five innings before being shut down.

“It was bad for me before when I was in Double A with the Yankees,” Whitlock said. “I was like, ‘Why am I not doing this?’ It was kind of just a wake-up call.

“Enjoy those around you. Kids all over the world would kill to be in your position right now. Just enjoy that and everything else.”

To say Whitlock is humble might be selling him short. He almost seems grateful to be carrying beer to the team charter on behalf of the veterans. It sounds as if he would have signed up for far worse during a conversation with bench coach Will Venable at spring training.

“I told Will when I first showed up, ‘Shoot, I’ll be the janitor on this team if that means I get to be in the big leagues,’ ” Whitlock said. “Whatever the job is I can do to possibly help the team out, that’s what I’m glad to be doing.”

For now, that means Whitlock will serve as a multiple-inning reliever. He’s recorded at least six outs in all but one of his six appearances. Whitlock has been kept on what amounts to a starter’s throwing program in terms of rest, enjoying at least three full days before each trip to the mound.

“They’ve been helping me understand what it’s like in that bullpen role,” Whitlock said. “Especially Matt [Andriese] — that's kind of his role, too. That multi-inning guy, he’s had success with that in the past years.”

Garrett Richards didn’t get out of the third inning against the Orioles on April 4, setting up Whitlock to make his debut in a lopsided affair. He jogged in from the home bullpen at Fenway Park and was met by the traditional welcoming party on the mound. Boston manager Alex Cora and shortstop Xander Bogaerts each offered a quick word of encouragement for the rookie.

“The biggest moment was when [Cora] first handed me the ball against Baltimore for my debut,” Whitlock said. “He said, ‘Trust your stuff and go do it.’ Bogey looked right at me and said, ‘You’ve got it, kid.’

“That inspired confidence in me. The veterans and my teammates are who deserve all the credit.”

How much more should the Red Sox expect from Whitlock in the future? All but four of his 42 appearances in the minor leagues were as a starter. It’s tempting to picture him as a member of the rotation or shutting down games at the back end of the bullpen thanks to his three-pitch mix of two-seam fastball, changeup and slider.

“Whatever everybody else wants to think about me, that’s fine,” Whitlock said. “I love the group of guys I’m around. I love the staff we’ve got.

“I’m thankful to be here.”

* MassLive.com

Boston Red Sox squander bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in fifth, lose to Rangers; Eduardo Rodriguez gives up 4 runs in 5 innings

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Boston Red Sox had a chance to build a sizable lead in the fifth inning but failed to do it. They ended up losing 8-6 to the Texas Rangers here at on Saturday.

The first five Red Sox batters reached in the fifth inning, but Boston scored only two runs.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Christian Vázquez grounded into a 5-2 force-out, then both Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe struck out on foul tips.

The Red Sox took a 5-3 lead but it should have been more.

The Rangers scored one run in the bottom half of the fifth inning, then three runs against reliever Matt Andriese in the sixth inning to jump ahead 7-5. Willie Calhoun’s 371-foot home run to right field put Texas ahead 6-5. Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s RBI triple made it 7-5.

Rodriguez struggles

Eduardo Rodriguez struggled, giving up four runs, all earned, eight hits and one walk while striking out five. Manager Alex Cora removed him after just 67 pitches.

Renfroe homers

Hunter Renfroe blasted a 417-foot home run with a 107.7 mph exit velocity to left field to put the Red Sox ahead 2-0 in the second inning. It was Renfroe’s second homer this season.

Rodriguez threw a perfect shutdown second inning on six pitches , but the lefty gave up the lead in the third inning. The Rangers scored three runs on four singles and one walk.

Bogaerts’ steal leads to run

Xander Bogaerts led off the seventh with a double. He stole third base with one out. Christian Vázquez hit a sacrifice fly to right field on the next pitch, cutting Boston’s deficit to 7-6.

Sawamura struggling

Hirokazu Sawamura has struggled in this series against the Rangers. he allowed two runs on two homers in Thursday’s loss. He pitched the eighth inning Saturday and allowed a run on two doubles.

Boston Red Sox notebook: Nathan Eovaldi’s father texted him about 1,000 career innings before start; Alex Verdugo had better April than Mookie Betts

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nathan Eovaldi reached 1,000 career innings Friday.

The 31-year-old righty tossed 6 innings and allowed one run in Boston’s 6-1 win over the Rangers here at Globe Life Field. He improved to 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in six starts this season.

“I’m definitely grateful for being able to achieve that goal,” Eovaldi said. “To overcome the injuries, I feel like that’s been the toughest part for me. So to be able to reach 1,000, it means a lot to me, for sure.”

Eovaldi, a Texas native, has overcome two Tommy John surgeries and multiple arm injuries during his baseball career. He had no idea he was nearing 1,000 innings until his dad told him before the game.

“My dad had texted me,” Eovaldi said. “He kind of told me I was close to 1,000 innings. He was like, ‘I don’t want to jinx you.’ He’s like, ‘I didn’t know you didn’t know.’ It’s one of those things that I’m not really looking at my stats personally. But he told me I was 5 ⅓ (innings) away. It meant a lot to be able to get it here in Texas against these guys. So it was a big deal for me.”

Verdugo had better stats than Betts in April

Alex Verdugo has been one of Boston’s top hitters this season, batting .300 with a .363 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, .863 OPS, three homers, seven doubles and one triple in 25 games.

Verdugo always says he doesn’t think of himself as the player traded for Mookie Betts. He’s his own person.

Cora was asked before Friday’s game if it might weigh on Verdugo some.

“If we’re fair right now, it would be cool to compare them, right?” Cora said. “But I understand it’s only 25 games or whatever. For him honestly, he just wants to be himself. He doesn’t care. He understands that Mookie is a great player. He’s one of the best players in baseball. But I really believe inside of him, he knows he can be a five-tool player. That he can impact the game in any aspect of the game. He’s a young age. He’s doing a great job hitting second for this team. He still has a lot to learn, a lot to improve. That’s eye opening.”

Verdugo had a better April than Betts who slashed .250/.364/.405/.768 in 20 games.

“His intensity at 7:05 is cool to see,” Cora said. “Sometimes we’ve got to talk to him to control his emotions. He takes every at-bat, every pitch very serious. One thing I notice with him, he knows the strike zone. And whenever he complains about a pitch that we think like, ‘Ah, maybe it’s a strike,’ we go to the iPad an inning later and it’s a ball. He understands the strike zone.”

Cora said Verdugo is a different type of hitter in an era centered on strikeouts, walks and home runs.

“He’s not that type of player and I think that benefits him,” Cora said. “He’s able to go the other way. He stays up the middle. He can pull the ball for power. But he understands that he needs to swing at strikes and try to make contact. And he’s excellent at that. I think he’s driving the ball more so far compared to last year.”

Cora thinks Red Sox fans will appreciate Verdugo’s energy.

“I can’t wait to have a packed house at Fenway and for them to enjoy the way he goes about it,” Cora said. “And I know they love him already but until they see him on a daily basis with a packed house, it’s going to be cool to see.”

‘He’s in a bad place’

Franchy Cordero has the highest percentage (47.3%) among major leaguers with 50 or more plate appearances. He has 26 strikeouts in 51 at-bats.

“There’s a few things he’s going through,” Cora said before Friday’s game. “I think the most important thing is controlling the strike zone. He’s been expanding up, expanding down. He’s in a bad place. Let’s be honest. Late on fastballs, out in front on offspeed pitches. Yesterday, he had a great BP session here. He was hitting line drives to left-center. But we have to go to the game and recognize pitches in the zone and put good swings on it.”

Cordero went 0-for-4 on Friday but he made contact in three of his four at-bats.

He also made a terrific catch in left field.

Nine teams reach 85% threshold

MLB announced Friday that four clubs are at least 85% fully vaccinated. Certain health and safety protocols for those teams have been relaxed. Five more clubs have reached 85% vaccinated and will have their protocols relaxed within the next two weeks. A person is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after his or her second shot.

The Red Sox have not yet reached 85%.

“Because of where we play, our process started a little bit later than other places,” Cora said. “So we just have to be patient. I’m not sure how close we are to 85%.”

Massachusetts residents 16 and older weren’t eligible to receive the vaccine until April 19. Teams in other states were able to receive it earlier.

“We’re trending up. Hopefully we can get to 85 sooner rather than later if we get there,” Cora added.

Cora mentioned he would love for his family to travel on the road with him.

“If we don’t get to 85%, we’re not going to be able to do that regardless if my family’s vaccinated or I’m vaccinated,” Cora said.

Pitching matchup Saturday

The Red Sox and Rangers will play the third game of this four-game series Saturday at 7:05 p.m., eastern. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52 ERA) will start for Boston opposite Texas righty Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75 ERA).

Boston Red Sox lost a winnable game Saturday and bottom of batting order (.182 BA, 31% strikeout rate) is becoming a concern

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Boston Red Sox lost a very winnable game Saturday as they squandered a no-out, bases-loaded opportunity. The bottom three spots in the lineup also left 11 men on base.

The Rangers won 8-6 over the Red Sox here at Globe Life Field in front of 35,129.

The first five Red Sox batters reached in the fifth inning, but Boston scored only two runs.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Christian Vázquez grounded into a 5-2 force-out, then both Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe struck out on foul tips.

“You’ve got a chance to put a team away right there, bases loaded and no outs and we don’t score,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Jeff Reboulet used to say that the other team is going to score 85% of the time if you don’t score there. So I don’t know if that’s true. You guys can take a look at it. But we had a chance to put them away and we didn’t. We had traffic all over the place today. I know we scored some runs but we had a chance to score some more.”

The Rangers scored one run in the bottom half of the fifth inning, then three runs against reliever Matt Andriese in the sixth inning to jump ahead 7-5. Willie Calhoun’s 371-foot home run to right field put Texas ahead 6-5. Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s RBI triple made it 7-5.

Renfroe, Boston’s No. 8 hitter, homered Saturday but the bottom third of the batting order is becoming a concern. Those three spots are 52-for-285 (.182 batting average) with 18 extra-base hits, 96 strikeouts and 19 walks. The Nos. 7-9 spots have a 31% strikeout percentage.

No. 7 spot: .146 batting average (14-for-96), .231 on-base percentage, .229 slugging percentage, .461 OPS, 1 homer, 5 doubles, 27 strikeouts, 8 walks.

No. 8 spot: .240 batting average (23-for-96), .288 on-base percentage, .365 slugging percentage, 653 OPS, 2 homers, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 37 strikeouts, 6 walks.

No. 9 spot: .161 batting average (15-for-93), .212 on-base percentage, .215 slugging percentage, .427 OPS, 0 homers, 5 doubles, 32 strikeouts, 5 walks.

The bottom three hitters, Bobby Dalbec, Renfroe and Franchy Cordero, went 2-for-13 with three RBIs, six strikeouts and 11 left on base Saturday.

“Obviously you guys see the numbers, we see the at-bats,” Cora said. “But the last at-bat (by Renfroe) was a good one. Going the other way. The home run was good. Obviously we didn’t put the ball in play in certain situations. Franchy, I thought, is getting close. He hit the ball in the air to the other side. ... So we’ll keep working. At one point, they’re going to start swinging the bat well.”

Eduardo Rodriguez’s velocity is down but Boston Red Sox lefty says he feels strong and being unable to locate caused him to struggle Saturday

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — Boston Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez’s velocity has been down so far this season but he’s not concerned.

“My body was feeling great,” Rodriguez said. “I was just missing too much on the plate.”

Rodriguez struggled Saturday. He gave up four runs, eight hits (one homer) and one walk while striking out five in 5 innings. The Red Sox lost 8-6 to the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

“It’s going to get back,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like today was what, 91 to 94 maybe? The last game I was 89-90. So it’s something that‘s going to get back with time. I feel good with that right now. I feel good to throw those pitches. You see the last game, I was 89 to 90 and was available to go seven innings because I was locating my pitches. Like I say before, it’s more about location than throwing hard. You can throw 100 mph right in the middle, they’re going to hit it pretty hard. You see how Raffy (Devers) hits fastballs like that all the time. If you throw 90 right where you want it, you’re going to get a good result out of it.”

Rodriguez — who missed 2020 and still is building arm strength — said his issue Saturday was an inability to locate pitches.

“I was missing too much on the plate,” Rodriguez said. “And they take advantage of it. They swing early.”

Rodriguez’s four-seam fastball has averaged 91.9 mph and his two-seamer has averaged 92.5 mph in 2021, per Baseball Savant. That is down from an average of 93.0 mph with his four-seamer and 92.9 mph with his two-seamer in 2019.

Rodriguez topped out at 94.3 mph and averaged 93.1 mph with his two-seamer Saturday. He maxed out at 93.4 mph and averaged 92.4 mph with his four-seamer (Baseball Savant).

He pitched much better last Sunday when his 34 four-seam fastballs averaged only 91.1 mph.

“It was a grind for him,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They put good at-bats. His stuff wasn’t as sharp as before, but he gave us five innings. They scored three runs, we had the lead. But I think today, it was a grind from the get-go for him.”

Boston Red Sox lineup: Kiké Hernández, who ran into wall Thursday, not playing again; Christian Arroyo leading off, Alex Verdugo in center

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — Kiké Hernández will not play again Saturday for the second straight day.

Alex Verdugo will play center field for the Red Sox. Christian Arroyo will play second base and lead off.

Hernández is struggling at the plate. But he’s also banged up after running into the center field wall trying to make a catch Thursday.

“I think it’s more about the wall running into him instead of him running into the wall,” Cora said.

Marwin Gonzalez also will sit again Saturday. It’s his second straight day off. Cora said both Hernández and Gonzalez will play Sunday.

“With Marwin, he’s putting in work in the cage,” Cora said. “He feels like he put himself in a bad position body-wise and he’s not able to get to the fastball. And so he’s been working on that the last two days. So hopefully tomorrow, when he goes out there, he starts catching up with that and from there, he’ll take off.”

Hernández has batted leadoff in all 23 games he has started. He’s hitting just .230 with a .271 on-base percentage, .400 slugging percentage, .671 OPS, three homers, six doubles, one triple, eight RBIs and 16 runs in 25 games (107 plate appearances). He is 5-for-33 (.152) with a .200 on-base percentage in his past eight games.

Eduardo Rodriguez, who has won all four of his starts this season, will pitch for the Red Sox. The Red Sox are 49-12 in the 61 starts he has made since the beginning of 2018. They have won 18 of his past 21 starts.

Red Sox lineup:

1. Christian Arroyo 2B

2. Alex Verdugo CF

3. J.D. Martinez DH

4. Xander Bogaerts SS

5. Rafael Devers 3B

6. Christian Vázquez C

7. Bobby Dalbec 1B

8. Hunter Renfroe RF

9. Franchy Cordero LF

Pitching matchup: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52 ERA) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75 ERA).

Boston Red Sox injury updates: Chris Sale still hasn’t thrown off mound; Danny Santana will need ‘more than two weeks’ on rehab assignment

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — Ace Chris Sale still has not thrown off a mound, Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed Saturday.

Sale, who underwent Tommy John surgery last March, recently returned to Fort Myers to continue his throwing program there. He worked out in Boston for most of April.

Pitching coach Dave Bush said last Sunday that Sale has made a lot of progress and would throw off a mound “sometime soon.” But it hasn’t happen in the past week.

Sale began throwing in September and initially was expected to begin throwing off a mound by the end of January. But neck stiffness and a mild case of COVID-19 set him back.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported back in January that Sale’s recovery process is “expected to be deliberate” and the Red Sox are “apt to take a conservative approach” with him.

It sure has seemed like a deliberate and conservative approach, especially in the past couple of months.

“He’s been adding long toss and adding intensity pretty regularly up here,” Bush said last Sunday. “So he’ll go back down to Florida and continue to build up.”

Danny Santana will need at least two weeks

Danny Santana will begin his minor league rehab assignment in High-A Greenville, which plays its first game Tuesday.

“He needs at-bats. He needs a lot of at-bats. But I can’t tell you how many games. It’s more than two weeks,” Cora said.

Santana, who bashed 28 home runs for the Texas Rangers in 2019 and signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox in March, spent time in the hospital during spring training with a foot infection. He also underwent an ulnar collateral ligament repair and augmentation procedure last September (per MLB.com).

“I think he starts playing in the infield first and then he’ll move to the outfield obviously because of the arm,” Cora said. “But he’s in a good spot. He’s a full-go. It’s just a matter of the progression to do it right so we don’t push him too hard.”

Andrew Benintendi homers twice: Boston Red Sox’s Alex Cora says, ‘Look at Benny,’ in midst of Zoom pregame press conference

Christopher Smith

ARLINGTON, Texas — “Look at Benny. He hit a homer,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said in the middle of his pregame press conference via Zoom on Saturday.

The Royals and Twins game must have been playing on the television in Cora’s office while he spoke with the media at 4 p.m., eastern. At the time, he was answering a question about Eduardo Rodriguez who will start here against the Rangers on Saturday.

Benintendi went 3-for-4 and blasted two homers in Kansas City’s 11-3 victory over the Twins.

Benintendi — who Boston traded to Kansas City on Feb. 10 — has heated up since being dropped to seventh in the batting order.

He’s 11-for-27 (.407) with three homers, one double, six RBIs and eight runs in his past eight games. He was batting .216 with a .286 on-base percentage, .275 slugging percentage and .560 OPS when the Royals dropped him from second to seventh April 17. He’s now batting .262 with a .340 on-base percentage, .417 slugging percentage and .757 OPS.

Boston acquired Franchy Cordero from the Royals and minor league pitching prospect Josh Winckowski from the Mets in the three-team trade. Boston also received two players to be named later from the Royals and one player to be named later from the Mets.

Cordero is just 9-for-51 (.176) with a .236 on-base percentage and .216 slugging percentage in 20 games. He has struck out 26 times in 55 plate appearances.

Betts slumping

Mookie Betts is batting .250 with a .364 on-base percentage, .405 slugging percentage, .768 OPS, two homers, seven doubles, five RBIs and 14 runs in 20 games (99 plate appearances) for the Dodgers.

He’s 7-for-36 (.194) with just three extra-base hits (all doubles) in his past eight games.

As MassLive.com mentioned this morning, Alex Verdugo, who Boston acquired in the Betts trade, had a better April than Betts.

Alex Verdugo has been one of Boston’s top hitters this season, batting .300 with a .363 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, .863 OPS, three homers, seven doubles and one triple in 25 games.

Cora was asked before Friday’s game if it might weigh on Verdugo some.

“If we’re fair right now, it would be cool to compare them, right?” Cora said. “But I understand it’s only 25 games or whatever. For him honestly, he just wants to be himself. He doesn’t care. He understands that Mookie is a great player. He’s one of the best players in baseball. But I really believe inside of him, he knows he can be a five-tool player. That he can impact the game in any aspect of the game. He’s a young age. He’s doing a great job hitting second for this team. He still has a lot to learn, a lot to improve. That’s eye opening.”

Bradley batting .207

Jackie Bradley Jr. is batting only .207 with a .274 on-base percentage, .356 slugging percentage, .630 OPS, two homers, two triples, three doubles, four RBIs and 12 runs in 95 plate appearances for the Brewers.

* The Worcester Telegram

Red Sox prospect Jeter Downs tries to stay within himself during his development

Joe McDonald

WORCESTER — Expectations for “The Mookie Three” are off the charts.

No, it’s not the title of this summer’s blockbuster hit movie. Rather, it’s the focus of the three Red Sox prospects — Jeter Downs, Connor Wong and Alex Verdugo — who were acquired as the return package for superstar Mookie Betts in 2020.

While Verdugo is playing in Boston, Wong and Downs have been honing their skills at the alternate site at Polar Park and will start the Triple-A season with the WooSox. All three have the potential to make an impact for the Red Sox with their respective skill sets, but Downs’ continued development path is an interesting one to watch.

There are many questions still surrounding the 22-year-old middle infielder.

Numerous big league evaluators wonder if Downs will be able to find the consistency needed to become an everyday player at the highest level. The Red Sox hope to see it, but the club is concerned about the pressures he will face in Boston.

“There are a lot of expectations that comes with being Jeter Downs here,” WooSox hitting coach Rich Gedman said. “The guy he got traded for was very special in our organization.”

It will be the coaching staff’s job to make sure Downs isn’t putting too much pressure on himself and he focuses on what he needs to do in order to have sustained success at the Triple-A level. The club doesn’t want Downs to think he’s something that he’s not.

“If we can get Jeter Downs to be the best Jeter Downs he can be, we’ll get a good player,” Gedman said. “If he tries to be something more than he is, meaning that he thinks he has to perform at a higher level, like he doesn’t have to hit .360, he just needs to play and keep getting better, keep improving. He’s still young, and with that there are a lot of expectations.”Despite being part of the Betts trade, Downs said he’s only focused on his development and what he can control.

“I’m just trying to be me and not think about all the other circumstances,” he said. “I’m trying to stay within myself and let the game come to me and do what I’ve been doing my entire life.”

Like all top prospects, losing an entire season last year was critical for their development. Every baseball operations staff is fascinated to see which development trends are created for these players this season, based on the lack of real games due to COVID-19 in 2020.

Downs participated in the Red Sox’ alternate site last summer at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, but he wasn’t able to continue his positive growth after an impressive 2019 season while still in the Dodgers organization.

“The only thing I think it affected was not having that consistent game experience every single day that you get from a regular season,” Downs said. “Other than that, I felt like I kept working and getting better. I made the most of the situation.”

He believes he was still able to grow as a player and person last summer, despite the lack of games.

“The biggest teacher in this game is playing and competing, so that’s what I missed a year of,” he said.

Gedman explained Downs has turned some heads during the simulated and alternate site games this spring, but the hitting coach believes there’s much more Downs could be doing on the field. Many in the organization hope once the regular season begins and the games finally count for something, Downs will perform better than he has in simulated games.

“I’m anxious to see what the season brings for him,” Gedman said. “I see some things that are really, really good, and at times, there are things I see that I’m not sure about yet. Athletically, he’s very talented. He has a strong arm. He has really good instincts in the field.

“Once we get into the season, I’ll have a little better feel for it. I’ve been looking for a little more than I’ve seen so far. I think it’s in there. I need to see a little more consistency at the plate; he needs to get better there.”

While Red Sox Nation want “The Mookie Three” to be worth it, the club is downplaying the trade internally to avoid any pressure that comes with it. The hope is having that mentality will equal a better return on investment for the Red Sox.

“I worry if he struggles here how he’s going to be,” admitted Gedman. “That’s why it’s important for us not to expect too much . . . I’m really cautious because I really don’t know what to expect. There’s nothing right now that tells me he’s going to be great here. It’s going to be difficult. It’s a big jump for him, and there are high expectations with that as well.”

Defensively, Downs will work at shortstop and second base for the WooSox. Many project him as a second baseman in the big leagues, but only time will tell. Remember, Dustin Pedroia spent the majority of his minor league career as a shortstop before he transitioned to second at Triple A, and we all know how that turned out. If Downs can develop a bit of that Laser Show mentality maybe it will help his progress.

“I don’t look too much into it,” Downs said of playing either side of the infield. “I just try to think about going out and playing no matter where they tell me to play. I feel comfortable at both spots, so it really doesn’t matter to me. I just want to play and wherever that takes me I’m fine with it.”

His defensive play has been solid, but he needs to find more consistency at the plate this season.

“Every baseball player is trying to hone in on that,” Downs said. “This is the hardest sport in the world to do consistently over time. It’s something we all strive to do and work on every single day. Yes, it’s something I’m trying to be better at on both sides of the ball.”

Even though this is his third team since turning pro, and despite any outside pressures to perform, Downs said his brief time with the organization has been a positive experience since he arrived in Boston.

“I love it here,” he said. “The people are great and super helpful. They’re willing to help you get better and learn. My teammates are amazing, so it’s been fun. It’s been a fun journey — a weird one for my first year. I’m definitely super excited to finally get going and see what we got.”

In a few weeks, Downs will be granted a brief hiatus from the team to participate in the Olympic qualifier for his native Colombia. It will also be an opportunity for him to play with his brother, Jerry, who also is in the Red Sox organization.

“It’s going to be so much fun,” Downs said.

When he returns to Worcester, he’ll continue to focus on becoming a complete player, because that’s the only way he’ll land with the Red Sox in the future.

“I just want to go out, play hard, have fun, and that’s all I’m trying to do,” he said. “Let all the work we’ve put in over the last year and a half take over. I’m not trying to be too critical, or put any expectation on myself. I’m just going to let myself go and see what happens.”

As one of the top prospects in the Red Sox organization, and the fact that he’s part of “The Mookie Three” it’s understandable the pressure he’s under even if he doesn’t show it.

“I don’t want to sit here and make this kid bigger than he is,” Gedman said. “Let’s not expect more. Let’s find out who he is. The potential is there.”

* The Portland Press Herald

On Baseball: Red Sox pitching prospects will be on display in Portland

Kevin Thomas

On Tuesday night, when the play at Hadlock Field for the first time since Sept. 2, 2019, fans will anticipate performances from some of the top Red Sox prospects – such as leadoff hitter Jeisson Rosario showing off his speed or slugger Triston Casas demonstrating the power that has moved him quickly through the Boston farm system.

But do not bypass the mound. Through development and trades, the Red Sox are quietly putting together a group of solid pitchers, including at the top of the Sea Dogs rotation.

We have already noted how Chaim Bloom, Boston’s chief baseball officer, has brought in surprisingly successful starter Nick Pivetta through trade and stunningly effective reliever Garrett Whitlock in the Rule 5 draft.

The minor league teams have been bolstered as well, including Connor Seabold (in the same trade as Pivetta), who was thought to be headed to Double-A but has surpassed expectations, jumping to Triple-A.

Two pitchers acquired by Bloom will be in the Sea Dogs rotation – right-handers Frank German and Josh Winckowski. When Boston traded with the Yankees for reliever Adam Ottavino and took on his $8 million salary, Bloom also got German in the deal. German, 23, a fourth-round draft pick who keeps improving, features an electric fastball and developing change-up and slider.

“Another exciting guy,” said Sea Dogs Manager Corey Wimberly. “Had a chance to see him on the other side (with the Yankees organization). I know he has good stuff.”

Winckowski, 22, was another trade “throw-in” in the three-way deal that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City in exchange for outfielder Franchy Cordero and three players to be named (while the Mets got an outfield prospect from the Royals (Khalil Lee).

Another hard thrower, Winckowski had a 2.69 ERA in in 2019.

Heading the Sea Dogs staff is a homegrown right-hander, Thad Ward, whose roots with the Red Sox began when he was a bat boy during Boston spring training games (Ward grew up in Fort Myers, Florida).

A fifth-round draft pick, Ward went from a 3.77 ERA in short-season Lowell in 2018 to dominating in Class A the next year, with a 2.46 ERA and 184 strikeouts – best in the Red Sox organization – in 157 innings. Ward, 24, offers a solid fastball with an outstanding slider.

“He looked good in (major league) spring training and when he came down with us,” Wimberly said. “Hard worker. Very confident.”

Among the others who should see time in the rotation is Denyi Reyes, who has been on the Red Sox roller coaster since being placed on the 40-man roster in late 2018. Reyes started in Portland in 2019 and featured a mix of dominating outings and clunkers (8-12, 4.16 ERA).

Boston designated him for assignment in 2020 but he returned to the organization on a minor league contract. Reyes pitched four games (three starts) in the Dominican Winter League, with a 0.61 ERA.

The bullpen includes a familiar face in Durbin Feltman, a third-round draft pick in 2018. Feltman was touted as a fast riser through the system, but he struggled in Portland in 2019 (5.26 ERA) and was not invited to the alternate training site last year. He’s back in Portland, with his fastball/slider mix.

PEDRO CASTELLANOS may be an overlooked name on the Sea Dogs roster. His 2019 numbers in advanced Class A are deceiving.

“He really took off in the second half,” said Wimberly, who was his manager then.

Before the All-Star break, Castellano was batting .266 with one home run. Wimberly said that Castellano put in extra work with hitting coach Lance Zawadzki (who is also in Portland this year). It paid off with a .288 average and eight home runs in the second half. Originally a first baseman, Castellano is seeing more time in the outfield.

ONE REASON WE watch is to see players who someday will be in the majors.

Occasionally, a game in the big leagues will remind us of one in the minors.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox, with five scoreless innings from Pivetta, beat the , 1-0. Mets starter Jacob deGrom allowed just one run, three hits and one walk over six innings while striking out nine.

Xander Bogaerts led off the second inning with a double and scored on Christian Vazquez’s double.

That game got Sea Dogs scorekeeper Thom Hinton thinking back to 2013. With thanks to the well- respected Mr. Hinton, here is a bit of déjà vu:

On April 17, 2013, the Binghamton Mets were playing host to the Portland Sea Dogs. Portland starter Brandon Workman was dealing with seven scoreless innings. Binghamton’s starter, deGrom, was nearly as good, allowing one run in eight innings, on three hits and a walk while striking out eight.

The Mets lost, 1-0. Sea Dogs shortstop Bogaerts led off the fourth with a double, advanced on Travis Shaw’s groundout and scored on Tony Thomas’ sacrifice fly. And, to add to the memory, Vazquez also batted in the inning and singled.

So, deGrom pitched a gem and lost 1-0 when Bogaerts doubled and then scored. Eight years later …

* RedSox.com

'A grind from the get-go' for E-Rod as Sox fall

Ian Browne

Eduardo Rodriguez's comeback was bound to hit a pothole or two along the way.

After four solid starts to open the season, the ace lefty didn’t look sharp at any point on Saturday night, as the Red Sox fell, 8-6, to the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

Rodriguez gave up eight hits and four runs and manager Alex Cora lifted him after five innings, despite the fact he threw only 67 pitches.

“It was a grind for him,” said Cora. “They put [together] good at-bats. His stuff wasn’t as sharp as before, but he gave us five innings. They scored three runs, we had the lead. But I think today, it was a grind from the get-go for him.”

Though Rodriguez had a strong outing last time out, this was the second straight start that he showed diminished velocity. He topped out at 94.3 mph on his sinker and averaged 93.1 mph on that pitch Saturday. The four-seamer topped out at 93.4 mph with an average of 92.4 mph. Rodriguez generated just five swings and misses.

Rodriguez didn’t throw a pitch in 2020 due to COVID-19 and myocarditis. Until Saturday, he had looked strong in his return to action.

After the start, Rodriguez was adamant that there were no red flags and the recent dip in velocity is probably just attributable to the fact he needs to rebuild arm strength.

“It’s going to get back. I feel like today was what, 91-94?” Rodriguez said. “Last game I was 89-90, so it’s something that will get back with time. I feel good with that right now. I feel good to throw those pitches. If you see the last game, I was hitting 89-90 and was available to go seven innings because I was locating my pitches.

“Like I was saying, it’s more about location than throwing hard. You can throw 100 mph right down the middle, they’re going to hit it pretty hard. If you throw 90 right where you want it, you’ll get a good result out of it. That’s what I think.”

It’s not like this game fell on Rodriguez either. When he departed, the Red Sox held a 5-4 lead. And for the first time this season, reliever Matt Andriese didn’t come through in a key spot, giving up three runs in the bottom of the sixth.

The real swing in momentum

The key reason the Red Sox lost on Saturday wasn’t due to Rodriguez or Andriese. Instead, it was a huge missed opportunity in the top of the fifth.

Earlier in the frame, the Sox had scored two runs to stake Rodriguez to a 5-3 lead. Then, they had the bases loaded with no outs -- a situation that begged for them to break the game open.

It didn’t happen. Christian Vázquez grounded out to third, with the lead runner getting cut down at the plate. Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe followed with strikeouts.

Unsurprisingly, the momentum swung to the Rangers from there.

“Bases loaded and no outs and we don't score,” said Cora. “It’s just, [former Major Leaguer] Jeff Reboulet used to say that the other team is going to score 85 percent of the time if you don't score there. So I don't know if that's true. You guys can take a look at it. But we had a chance to put them away and we didn’t. We had traffic all over the place today, and I know we scored some runs but we had a chance to score some more.”

Though the slumping Renfroe had one of his best games of the season with a two-run homer and a single, the bottom third of the order has been a problem for the Red Sox.

“We’ll keep working, you know, and at one point, they're gonna start swinging the bat well,” said Cora. “Hunter put a good swing on it and gave us the lead. The line drive to right to start off the eighth, that was a good one. We’ll keep working with them, and they’re gonna be OK.”

Raffy’s shoulder scare

In the top of the ninth, the Red Sox got a scare when star slugger Rafael Devers took a big cut and then started flexing with discomfort in his right shoulder.

Cora came out to look at him, and the finished his at-bat, hitting a couple of authoritative foul balls before striking out swinging.

Fortunately, the Red Sox didn’t get the same result as on April 11 in Baltimore, when Devers had a similar reaction after a swing and Cora came to check on him. In that instance, Devers hit the next pitch out of the ballpark.

“Yeah, I'm gonna talk to him in a little bit, but he just felt his shoulder a little bit. It happened before,” said Cora. “So I'll check with him and see, see what we have.”

Given the ferocity with which Devers swings, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that sometimes he feels something in his shoulder. What did Cora tell him when he went out to talk to him?

“I told him to cut [down] his swing a little,” Cora said.

Santana set to play in Minors games for Sox

Ian Browne

Danny Santana, a veteran player who belted 28 homers for the Rangers two years ago, will take a step closer to joining the Red Sox when he starts playing in Minor League games on Tuesday for High-A Greenville.

The Sox signed Santana in March to a Minor League deal that included an invitation to Spring Training.

However, Santana suffered a severe infection to his right foot shortly thereafter that required a procedure, a multi-day stay in the hospital and stitches, preventing any chance he had of making the team.

Santana also underwent extensive surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow last September.

While the Red Sox are enthused about what Santana can add to the team with his power bat and versatility on defense, they know they can’t rush his rehab.

“He needs at-bats. He needs a lot of at-bats. I can’t tell you how many games, but it’s more than two weeks [in the Minors],” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

With Franchy Cordero struggling mightily on offense, the eventual arrival of Santana could be significant for Boston.

In Santana’s career, he has started 199 games in the outfield, 104 at shortstop, 51 at first base, 16 at second base and 12 at third.

“He’s going to move around,” said Cora. “They have the schedule, and I think he starts playing the infield first, then they move to the outfield, obviously, because of the arm, too. He’s in a good spot. He’s a full-go. It’s just a matter of the progression to do it right so we don’t push him too hard.”

Marwin trying to catch up

While Marwin Gonzalez has done a solid job for the Red Sox at a variety of positions, his bat hasn’t quite caught up yet. For the second consecutive game, the switch-hitter (.186/.318/.271) was not in the starting lineup.

“With Marwin, he’s putting in work in the cage. He feels like he put himself in a bad position body-wise and he’s not able to get to the fastballs,” said Cora. “He’s been working on that the last two days. Hopefully tomorrow, when he goes out there, he’ll start catching up with that and from there he’ll take off.”

Kiké Hernández, who has been inconstant in the leadoff spot, was also out of the starting lineup for the second straight game.

Cora expects Gonzalez and Hernández to start Sunday’s finale in Texas.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Final: Rangers 8, Red Sox 6

Sean McAdam

The Red Sox got involved in a slugging match with the Texas Rangers and came out on the wrong end it, dropping an 8-6 decision.

The game featured a handful of lead changes as the teams battled back and forth. But the Rangers took the lead for good in the sixth with three runs off Matt Andriese, including a two-run homer by Willie Calhoun.

Eduardo Rodriguez was not sharp, allowing four runs in five innings. In the third inning, Rodriguez labored through 33 pitches.

The Sox had their chances, but stranded 10. In the fifth, with two runs already in, they had the bases loaded and no outs but couldn’t add anything on. They also left the bases loaded in the eighth.

WHO: Red Sox (17-10) vs. Texas Rangers (11-16) WHEN: 7:05 p.m. WHERE: Globe Life Field SERIES TO DATE: 1-1 STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75) TV/RADIO: NESN, MLB Network; WEEI-FM

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Arroyo 2B Verdugo CF Martinez DH Bogaerts SS Devers 3B Vazquez C Dalbec 1B Renfroe RF Cordero LF

RANGERS

Kiner-Falefa SS Solak 2B Gallo RF Garcia LF Lowe 1B Trevino C Calhoun DH Culberson 3B White CF

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

B8: Rangers adding on against Hirokazu Sawamura, with back-to-back doubles from Calhoun and

T7: Bogaerts rolls the dice with a risky steal of third, but it pays off as he just beats the throw, then trots home on a sacrifice fly from Vazquez.

B6: Renfroe has played a solid right field, but not there — ball shoots underneath his glove and rolls all the way to the wall for a triple for Kiner-Falefa as Texas grabs a two-run lead.

B6: Matt Andriese, who had been so effective in any role this season, loses a one-run lead quickly — a one-out single to and a two-run shot to right by Willie Calhoun, who crushes a fastball on the inner half.

B5: Kiner-Falefa turns on inside cutter and sends a rope over the wall in left, and the Rangers are back to within a run.

T5: That could be costly — Red Sox had the bases loaded and no outs after the first two runs were in, and couldn’t add on. Once more, lack of contributions from the bottom half of the order is an issue.

T5: Run-scoring singles from J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts put the Sox back in front by two. Two on, still nobody out. Five RBI in the last two nights for Martinez.

B4: Rodriguez has now allowed more hits (seven) in four-plus innings that he did in his entire last start, which covered seven innings.

T4: It’s amazing how often major leaguers lose track of the outs these days. On that sharply hit ground ball by Franchy Cordero, Isiah Kiner-Falefa initially thought about going to third to cut down Vazquez before throwing to first for what turned out to the out No. 3. Even after the out was registered, most of the Rangers seemed unaware the inning was over.

T4: With two hits a chopper to short, the Red Sox quickly tie the game, and with Christian Vazquez in scoring position with one out, Sox have a chance at a bigger inning and to re-take the lead.

B3: Lot of hard contact against Rodriguez in the third, who is laboring with more than 30 pitches thrown and eight hitters to the plate for Texas.

T2: Hunter Renfroe steps into a breaking ball that didn’t break much, swatting it into the second deck with a runner on, for a 2-0 lead. Five homers in the last 11 innings for the Red Sox.

B1: Alert play by Christian Arroyo, who snares a hard-hit liner by Adolis Garcia, and immediately fires to first to double-up . Double play gets Eduardo Rodriguez out of a first-and-third, one-out mess.

PRE-GAME STATS: The Red Sox have won four of their last five games, five of their last seven, and 17 of their last 24. Their .630 winning percentage is MLB’s best…They are the only team with at least 17 wins this season. The Sox’ +24 run differential ranks fourth in the majors and third in the American League….Since beginning the season 0-3, the Sox have a +37 run differential….The Sox are tonight looking to improve to 18-10 in their first 28 games. The last two times they reached that record in their first 28 games, they went on to win the World Series (2013, 2018)….Also, should the Sox win tonight, they would be 10-2 in their first 12 road games for only the third time in franchise history. They also did so in 1982 and 2002…Boston pitchers have compiled a road ERA of 2.67 while limiting opposing hitters to a .201 batting average….Over the last five games, Red Sox pitchers have a 1.43 ERA while holding hitters to a .182 bating average. In those games, they’ve registered 61 strikeouts and nine walks…The Sox have a staff ERA of 3.55, third in the A.L….Sox starters have gone at least five innings 21 times in the first 27 games.. Only Oakland (22) has had more such starts…The Sox have a streak of six consecutive games with at least five innings from their starts…Boston starters have allowed one run or no runs in each the last four games…The Sox are 16-6 against the Rangers since the start of the 2017 season and are 6-0-1 in the last seven series. In Arlington, they’re 8-4 in their last three series there…J.D. Martinez leads the majors in homes (nine), RBI (25), XBH (19), total bases (70), and doubles (tied, 10) and is second in both slugging percentage (.745) and OPS (1.175), trailing Mike Trout in both categories (.781, 1.304)… Martinez is only the second Red Sox ever to lead the majors outright in both HR and RBI on May 1, joining Jimmie Foxx in 1940 (4 HR, 19 RBI)….On Friday night, Rafael Devers hit his 200th extra-base hit, Martinez hit his 200th AL home run, and Nathan Eovaldi reached 1,000.0 . Devers reached that milestone in his 417th career game, becoming just the 12th AL player ever to reach the milestone in as few games…OF the 11 to do so previously, four are in the Hall of Fame…The most recent to do were (2017-20), (2008-10), and Travis Hafner (2002-06)….Eduardo Rodriguez has thrown at least five innings in each of his last 32 starts, dating back to May 4, 2019. That’s the third-longest active streak in the majors behind Shane Bieber (38) and Justin Verlander (33)….The Sox are 18-3 in Rodriguez’s last 21 starts, having won each of his last eight…Joey Gallo is 2-for-3 lifetime against Rodriguez, with both hits homers…Isiah Kiner-Falefa is 2-for-7 in his career against Rodriguez…Hunter Renfroe is 0-for-4 lifetime against Jordan Lyles…

NOTES:

Alex Cora gave both Kike Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez another day of rest, keeping both out of the lineup for the second straight day. Hernandez would have otherwise returned to action Saturday night, but running into the wall in Arlington in the series opener Thursday left his sore.

Eduardo Rodriguez goes into Saturday’s start with just two walks over his first four starts this season. This, after he led the American League in walks in 2019. “It’s night and day compared (to then),” said Cora. “He has great stuff. He nibbled a lot trying to induce weak contact, but one thing he can do now is induce weak contact in the strike zone. He can use the fastball up, the sinker, the changeup… We’re very pleased with the way he’s attacking hitters and he keeps getting better.”

Hunter Renfroe still isn’t hitting (.167/.235/.250) but Cora likes the defense he’s been providing in right field. “Obviously, he’s not swinging the bat but he goes out there and he’s playing great defense,” Cora said. “That ball that (Brock) Holt hit down the line, it seemed off the bat it was a double. If they score two runs there, it’s a different ballgame. But he got it, and turned it into a double play (by doubling off at second base). We’ll take what’s going on right now. He’s a good defender and we know he’s going to make adjustments and start producing offensively, too.”

When Danny Santana (foot infection) begins a rehab assignment this week in Greenville, he’s going to need time. “He’s going to move around (to different positions),” he said. “They’ve got him playing the infield first and then he’s going to move to the outfield. But he’s in a good spot. He’s a full-go. It’s just a matter of the progression to do it right, so we don’t push him too hard. He needs at-bats, a lot of at-bats. I can’t tell you how many games, but it’s more than two weeks.”

BSJ Game Report: Rangers 8, Red Sox 6 – Sox can’t take advantage, lose slugfest

Sean McAdam

All you need to know about the Red Sox’ loss to the Rangers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

HEADLINES

Rodriguez not sharp: Coming off an impressive start at Fenway in which he went seven innings and allowed three runs, Eduardo Rodriguez was starting Saturday night with an extra day of rest. But after two quick innings, Rodriguez hit a wall in the third. The Rangers sent eight men to the plate, scored three times and made Rodriguez throw 33 pitches. It was a preview of what was to come, as Rodriguez was hit around by the Texas lineup, with a succession of hard-hit balls. He was done after five innings, despite having thrown just 67 pitches. The issue? A lack of command. “Most of my pitches were around the plate,” said Rodriguez. “I was throwing a lot of strikes, but when you’re throwing a lot of strikes, you’ve got to locate and today I was missing too much (on) the plate. That was the whole start today. They were swinging at everything. If I had good command, those should have been strikeouts and groundouts.”

Sox had chances offensively: Boston banged out 12 hits but, in a back and forth game that resembled a heavyweight bout, couldn’t seem to come up with the knockout blow despite several opportunities. They twice left the bases loaded and stranded 10 runners for the game while going just 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Again, the bottom half of the lineup — with one exception — was a black hole for the offense. Together, the seventh and ninth spots in the order combined to go 0-for-9 with four strikeouts and four times, one spot or the other made the final out of an inning. For the second straight night, Franchy Cordero at least managed to make contact in his at-bats, but he’s still lost, going 0-for-17 and 1-for-31.

TURNING POINT

In the fifth inning, the Red Sox snapped a 3-3 tie with two runs on run-scoring singles from J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts. They were poised for more — much more, potentially — with the bases loaded and no outs. But Martinez was thrown out at the plate on a chopper for the first out and both Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe went down swinging. The Sox ended up leaving the bases loaded in the eighth, but that came with two outs. In the fifth, they had an opportunity to blow the same open and didn’t. It didn’t take long for that to come back to haunt them.

ONE UP

Hunter Renfroe: Showing some life at the plate finally, Renfroe crushed a two-run homer in the second to stake the Sox to a quick 2-0 lead and later added a sharp single to right-center.

THREE DOWN

Bobby Dalbec: The first baseman did knock in a run on a groundout, but had plenty of chances to do more damage in his four other at-bats. Instead, he struck out three times and stranded five baserunners.

Matt Andriese: Andriese took over for Eduardo Rodriguez in the sixth and in the span of five hitters, allowed a single, two-run homer, walk and triple.

Hirokazu Sawamura: The Rangers would seem to have his number. After they reached him for two homers on Thursday, he gave up two doubles and a run in his inning of work.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“We get a chance to put a team away and we didn’t. We had traffic all over the place today. I know we scored some runs, but we had a chance to score more.” – Alex Cora.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The game marked only the third time since 2017 that the Sox scored four or more runs in a start by Eduardo Rodriguez and lost.

Matt Andriese gave up more runs (three) in the sixth inning than he had all season.

The win by Texas was just their seventh in the last 23 head-to-head meetings against the Sox.

The loss by the Sox dropped them to 3-4 against teams from the American League West.

This was the first game this season in which the Sox scored at least four runs and still lost.

UP NEXT: The Red Sox wrap up the series and their road trip at 2:35 p.m. Sunday with RHP Garrett Richards (1-2, 4.94) vs. RHP (1-3, 4.61).

MLB Notebook: A look back at a (mostly) great first month for Red Sox; Minors geared up to start

Sean McAdam

Now that the first month of the 2021 season is in the books, it seems like as good a time as any to evaluate where the Red Sox stand.

Very few would have expected the Red Sox to sport the best record in all of baseball as the calendar flipped from April to May — especially after the season began so disastrously for them with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.

Since those forgettable first few games, however, the Red Sox have won 17 of 24 games, and in the process, given hope that this season can be something more than an exercise in building toward some future goal.

Here’s a look at what went right — and, as important, what didn’t — through the season’s first month:

BIGGEST SURPRISES

1. Starting pitching. Perhaps because the bar was set so low by the abysmal work of the rotation last season, there was nowhere to go but up here. Instead of Chris Mazza, Zack Godley and a cast of thousands, the Red Sox actually can count on having a legitimate starter every night. Whether they perform that way every turn through is another matter, but the fact is, Red Sox fans no longer have to cover their eyes when watching this rotation. Eduardo Rodriguez has fully rebounded from his lost season, a development that was by no means guaranteed. Nathan Eovaldi has pitched with a newfound aggressiveness and might finally get results commensurate with his stuff. Garrett Richards has been uneven, but has at least demonstrated an ability to make adjustments. That he’s healthy is, in and of itself, no small factor. What’s more, there’s vastly improved depth in the likes of Tanner Houck and Matt Andriese for when the inevitable injuries hit.

2. Kiké Hernández, center fielder. When the Red Sox signed the former Dodger, it was with the announced intention that he would play mostly second base while still retaining the versatility to occasionally contribute in the outfield. Instead, for a variety of reasons, he’s essentially become the everyday center fielder, he started 18 of the first 27 games in center with just five starts at second. While it could be argued that some of his value is lost by (mostly) utilizing him at one position, Hernandez has been superb in center, meanwhile, the combination of Christian Arroyo and Marwin Gonzalez have ably covered second base.

3. Matt Barnes. For the first week or, whenever he was asked who his closer was, manager Alex Cora all but began his answer with: “On the advice of counsel, I invoke my fifth amendment privilege against self- incrimination and respectfully decline to answer your question.” He was helped by the fact that it took forever for the Red Sox to actually have a save situation. When the time finally came, it was revealed that Barnes was, indeed, the Masked Closer. But no one could have foreseen the dominance he’s shown. Other than a three-run homer in a non-save spot, Barnes has pitched with a newfound aggressiveness. He’s thrown his fastball for strikes and even developed a third pitch (splitter). At 30, heading for free agency and eight years into his major league career, he’s finally peaked.

4. Garrett Whitlock. What’s the proper term to explain this rookie’s first month above Double-A? Revelatory? Unprecedented? Inexplicable? A Rule 5 pick, Whitlock caught the organization’s attention early in spring training with his poise and professionalism. Not once has he looked out of place in contributing out of the bullpen and his changeup, something that was refined in the spring with the help of Andriese, has become a plus weapon. Long-term, the Red Sox see him as a starting candidate; for now, he’s been a delightful surprise in relief. All for $100,000 and at the expense of the Yankees.

5. The Cora Effect. Most people expected the Red Sox to show improvement solely on the basis of Alex Cora’s return to the dugout. But this much? Not hardly. Cora ran a disciplined, focused spring training with extra emphasis on defense and fundamentals, and that’s been evident in the play of his team through the first 27 games. Sure, there’s been sloppiness here and there. But the Sox are, for the most part, more focused and prepared. They’ve already had more late-inning comebacks and extra-inning victories than they had all of last year. Add in the obvious camaraderie and energy, and it’s clear he’s had a sizeable and obvious impact.

Of course, not all is perfect, because, what fun would that be?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

1. Bottom of the order: The Sox’ lineup has been so top-heavy, it’s a miracle it hasn’t tipped over at times. Once you get past Rafael Devers at No. 5, — or, more generously, Christian Vazquez at No. 6, that next step is a doozy. It’s a wonder the Red Sox have the offensive ranking that they have — they’re among the leaders in virtually every significant category — given how little production they’ve gotten from about 40 percent of their lineup. Together, Hunter Renfroe, Franchy Cordero, Bobby Dalbec and Gonzalez have hit just .187 with three homers in 251 at-bats. That can’t continue if the Sox are going to remain contenders.

2. Kiké Hernández, leadoff hitter. As welcome as Hernandez’s play in the outfield has been, he’s been woeful in the leadoff spot, where he spots a .284 on-base percentage. Already having to overcome the almost non-existent contributions from the lineup’s lower half, the Sox have also somehow managed to rank second in the American League in runs scored without having much of a catalyst at the top. To be fair, Hernandez is new to this assignment, and demonstrated in spring training that he could handle it (.450 OBP in 21 games). Perhaps he just needs time.

3. Lack of aggressive baserunning. Cora had publicly said he wanted his team to be more aggressive on the bases, but there hasn’t been much of that yet. Boston has only 10 steals in its first 27 games, below the average figure (12) for teams in 2021. The Sox are also ranked 18th in MLB in “bases taken” — that is, bases advanced on actions like fly balls, wild pitches, passed balls and the like — and as measured in extra- bases taken (more than one base on a single, more than two on a double), the Sox are at 40 percent, just below league average. It doesn’t necessarily require speedy players to improve these numbers, but rather, instinctive ones. Plenty of room for improvement here.

4. Infield defense. For the most part, the Red Sox’ outfield defense has been well above-average and the play at second has been excellent. Even Rafael Devers, who made three errors in the early going, hasn’t hurt the team much and, as was the case both last year and the year before that, seems to have emerged from an early-season fielding slump. But as measured by Baseball Information Solutions and their Defensive Runs saved metric, the Red Sox two players in the bottom 11 of 120 qualified players in the game — first baseman Bobby Dalbec (-5) is No. 117 and shortstop Xander Bogaerts is at No. 110. As measured by BaseballSavant, which measures outs above average, Dalbec and Bogaerts also ranked in the bottom 10 percent of defenders. ______

For the first time since early September of 2019, minor league baseball is poised to come back.

During 2020, with the pandemic at its zenith, there were no actual minor league seasons. The only participation for players not already on major league rosters was for players at the upper levels of organizations to take part in the alternate site intrasquad games and workouts.

Starting Tuesday, it’s back to business as usual — with a few changes. Within the Red Sox’ system, the Triple-A affiliate has moved from Pawtucket to Worcester. At the Single-A level, Greenville and Salem have essentially swapped spots, with the former now representing the High A classification and the latter now Low A.

Evaluators within the Red Sox organizations haven’t seen — with few exceptions — any of their prospects in actual game conditions for the past 20 months. That made even routine things like start-of-the-year assignments somewhat problematic.

“Obviously, this whole situation is unprecedented. It’s new for everyone,” said Red Sox GM Brian O’Halloran. “It’s been a more difficult process than usual and, obviously, to evaluate players in 2020. But we did have minor league camp, although shortened. It’s great that games are starting. The whole industry is excited about minor league baseball and seeing players in real competition and having an opportunity for them to develop in a more typical way, like we’re used to.

“So it’s really exciting that we’re starting back up. It will be a huge benefit for everybody.”

As for start-of-the-season assignments, O’Halloran acknowledges that the process has included “more subjectivity to it. There’s maybe more evaluation vs. the ability to rely on performance data. But in the end, I think we feel good about the assignments. We have had the ability to assess our players — not the same environment as usual and it doesn’t have as much objective data — but we feel good about where we landed.

“There’s always these questions. But, yes, it’s been a little harder, a little more challenge (without games).”

O’Halloran said it’s too soon to know what’s been lost in not having the 2020 season and the full participation of all minor leaguers throughout spring training (teams were limited in how many prospects they could have in camp when the major leaguers were still present).

“It’s hard to tell,” he said. “Of course, it’s unfortunate. It’s a negative that most players weren’t able to play last year in a normal environment. I think it’s hard to see right now. I think it’s going to take a while to look back and determine how it impacted players.

“But I will say that we were pleasantly surprised at how, on balance, our players came into camp. It didn’t feel like they lost a year of development. And I don’t think they did lose a year of development. Just like every organization, we were keeping very close tabs on our players. And we learned to find ways to keep tabs on our players than we would have in a typical offseason. As an industry, we’ve been forced to help develop players from afar. We were forced (by conditions) to be more creative and more diligent as an industry.”

In the last two decades, an evolution has taken place in the minor league classifications, where Triple-A became mostly a haven for “4A players” — older, and more established, often with some major league experience (think: Ryan Weber), ready to help out the big league team for short stints with injuries hit the major league roster. Meanwhile, Double-A is often where the best prospects play, with some (Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers, as two recent examples) going right from Double to the major leagues.

This year, however, it just so happens that a number of the top prospects in the Red Sox’ system will start the year at Worcester, including Jeter Downs, Jarren Duran, Tanner Houck and Connor Wong.

“I think Triple-A, generally speaking, is still going to be important and is still going to be a balance of ready depth and development for players coming up through the system,” said O’Halloran.

Here’s where Top 12 Red Sox prospects — as ranked by the invaluable SoxProspects.com — will begin the season:

1B Tristan Casas – Portland, Double A INF Jeter Downs – Worcester, Triple A OF Jarren Duran – Worcester, Triple A. OF Gilberto Jimenez – Salem Low A P Tanner Houck – Worcester, Triple A P Thaddeus Ward – Portland, Double A P Connor Seabold – Worcester, Triple A P Aldo Ramirez – Salem, Low A P Jay Groome – Greenville, High A INF Nick Yorke – Salem, Low A C Ronaldo Hernández – Portland, Double A SS Brainer Bonaci — Gulf Coast League, Rookie Ball.

* Associated Press

Kiner-Falefa, Calhoun power Rangers past Red Sox 8-6

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered and had an RBI triple among his trio of hits, and Willie Calhoun’s three hits included a two-run homer as the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Saturday night.

Josh Sborz (2-1) allowed one run in relief and struck out three of the five batters he faced to earn the win. whiffed all three hitters in the ninth inning for his sixth save in six opportunities.

Calhoun’s homer off Matt Andriese (0-1) in the sixth gave Texas a 6-5 lead. Kiner-Falefa tripled home Charlie Culberson later in the inning.

Andriese gave up three runs and three hits in one inning.

Back-to-back doubles by Calhoun and Culberson in the eighth produced Texas’ eighth run.

Looking to become the American League’s first five-game winner, Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez left with a 5-4 lead after five innings. He allowed eight hits and threw 67 pitches.

Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run homer and J.D. Martinez had two singles and an RBI for Boston. Martinez went into play leading the majors with 25 RBIs.

Joely Rodriguez retired Xander Bogaerts on a bases-loaded grounder to leave the Red Sox scoreless in the eighth. Boston stranded 10 overall.

Texas starter Jordan Lyles gave up five runs in four innings and failed to win at home for the third time in three games this season.

Renfroe pulled a slider into the second deck in the second inning to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

The RBI singles by Martinez and Bogaerts that put the Red Sox ahead came off reliever Taylor Hearn to score inherited runners. The Rangers’ bullpen extended its scoreless streak to 21 1/3 innings before Christian Vazquez’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly scored Bogaerts.

Kiner-Falefa’s fourth homer of the season matched his career high in only 28 games. His triple came on a liner just over the glove of second baseman Christian Arroyo that barely got past Renfroe in the right-center gap and rolled to the wall.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: OF Kiké Hernández was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game after running into the center-field wall Thursday night. He entered in the eighth inning.

UP NEXT

Red Sox RHP Garrett Richards (1-2, 4.94 ERA) will start Sunday’s finale of the four-game series, having recorded season highs Tuesday with seven innings, 93 pitches and 10 strikeouts in beating the New York Mets 2-1. He’ll face Rangers RHP Mike Foltynewicz (1-3, 4.61), who comes off a 6-1 win over the Angels on Tuesday. He allowed eight home runs in his previous four starts.