The Friday, May 3, 2019

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Opportunities squandered as White Sox walk off

Peter Abraham

CHICAGO — The Red Sox had a one- lead with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning against the on Thursday night. Their pitchers to that point had retired eight in a row.

When Jose Rondon grounded to third base, it should have been another step toward the first four-game win streak of the season.

“That’s a routine play,” said.

But no play is routine for third baseman Rafael Devers. He overran the ball and the led to the latest gut-punch loss for the Red Sox.

Nicky DelMonico’s three-run homer off Brasier gave the White Sox a 6-4 walk-off victory.

It was Delmonico’s first of the season. It came on a high slider from Brasier after Yonder Alonso singled to left field.

“I made a bad pitch and he did what he was supposed to do with it,” Brasier said.

Devers sat at his locker for several minutes after the game, still in his uniform pants. He finally trudged off to the shower after many of his teammates had already left the ballpark.

Devers has nine errors, the second-most in the majors. The 22-year-old, who made a nice sliding play down the line to steal a away from Jose Abreu in the first inning, is wildly inconsistent. He has committed 33 errors over the last two seasons.

Cora thought Devers was too out of control when he came charging in on Rondon’s ball.

“Definitely a play I should have made,” Devers said. “Things happen. I went after the ball aggressively.”

David Price worked six solid innings. and had perfect innings before Brasier came in.

“We’ll take our chances with those guys every time,” Cora said.

Andrew Benintendi, and J.D. Martinez were 8 of 13 with four runs scored and two RBIs at the top of the order. The rest of the Red Sox were 0 for 20, although Devers did drive in two runs.

The Sox were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. That came back to bite them.

On a 43-degree night, the teams combined for three runs on four hits in the first inning.

The Sox loaded the bases against White Sox starter when Betts singled, Martinez singled and drew a walk. Devers’ deep fly ball to left field scored Betts.

Price allowed a two-run homer by James McCann in the bottom of the inning.

The Sox took the lead back in the third inning. Benintendi homered to left field. Betts and Martinez then singled before two groundouts resulted in a run.

Price walked Abreu with one out in the sixth inning before McCann doubled to the base of the fence in right center.

Abreu got a poor jump off first base but third base sent him to the plate. The Red Sox executed the relay perfectly, Jackie Bradley Jr. hitting Bogaerts before Bogaerts threw a strike to the plate in time for Christian Vazquez to make the tag.

Red Sox Christian Vazquez converts a perfectly-executed relay from Jackie Bradley Jr. to Xander Bogaerts to tag out Jose Abreu at home plate in the sixth inning. Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez converts a perfectly-executed relay from Jackie Bradley Jr. to Xander Bogaerts to tag out Jose Abreu at home plate in the sixth inning.(DAVID BANKS/GETTY IMAGES) When grounded to , Price should have been out of the inning. But Bogaerts had trouble getting a grip on the ball and his throw to first was late.

McCann then scored the tying run when Rondon singled to center.

Price allowed three runs on seven hits with two walks and five . He has a 2.63 ERA in his last four starts, 3.75 for the season.

Workman pitched a perfect seventh inning. He has pitched seven consecutive scoreless and hitless innings. Opponents are 2 of 55 against the righthander this season.

Barnes was the choice for the eighth inning with the 2-3-4 hitters coming up. He struck out , Abreu and McCann on 14 pitches.

Chris Sale starts for the Red Sox on Friday night. The Red Sox are winless in Sale’s six starts with the lefthander going 0-5 with a 6.30 earned run average.

Sale was with the White Sox from 2010-16, making the All-Star team five times. He has faced Chicago one previous time at Guaranteed Rate Field, on May 30, 2017.

Sale allowed five earned runs on 10 hits over six innings but was the winning pitcher in a 13-7 game.

“You turn the page. Our goal is to win the series,” Cora said.

For Red Sox, it was yet another step backward

Chad Finn

CHICAGO — If they’re going to get to where they intended to be, before a messy April ruined the supposedly best-laid plans of Fort Myers, the Red Sox must beat up on the dregs and mediocrities of the .

Sure, the rivalry games with the Yankees will always be anticipated and tense, especially if the stakes are high. The Astros are loaded again, and no doubt vengeful for the way their season ended last October. And the Rays, the only 20-win team in the American League , don’t always get their due respect, but the hunch is that they’ll just keep proving worthy of it until they do.

But it’s the games like Thursday night’s opener here at Guaranteed Rate Field that matter for the Red Sox, during this recent encouraging stretch that they’re trying to build into something sustained.

And once again, it felt like one more long stride backward just when it appeared the Red Sox finally had some momentum forward.

Nicky Delmonico’s walk-off three-run homer off Ryan Brasier gave the White Sox a 6-4 victory Thursday night. The Red Sox are back to four games under .500, at 14-18. I hate to keep playing this comparison game, but it tells a story: The Red Sox didn’t lose their 18th game last year until May 31. They had 39 wins.

Because their post-championship bandwagon careened into a ditch with a 3-9 start and a 13-17 March/April, they must beat the teams like the White Sox, again and again, for those future games against marquee opponents to have the kind of stakes Red Sox fans both desire and expect.

Instead, here they are taking more lumps against right-where-they-should-be 14-15 Chicago, at Non- Descript Ballpark That Should Still Be Called Comiskey, in front of a crowd that looked not much larger than what you’d see in Portland, Maine, when Dustin Pedroia is rehabbing with the Sea Dogs.

But these are the ones they’ve got to have. All they got Thursday was more frustration.

So much for progress. The Red Sox entered the first game of a seven-game road trip that includes four against the White Sox and three at Camden Yards against the Orioles on a three-game winning streak. That may sound modest, but it was tied with a sweep of the Rays for their longest of the season.

The Sox entered 12-9 in their last 21 games, including 8-4 in their last 12 and 5-2 in their last seven. They seem to be getting this thing right, and if it’s true, all of those optimistic parallels to last year’s Dodgers (who were 12-17 on May 2 and ended up in the ) might have some merit.

The 2018 Red Sox throttled everything in their way en route to 119 wins and a parade, but they were especially cruel to the non-contenders. They went a combined 31-7 against the Orioles and Blue Jays last year. (Surprisingly, they won just 3 of 7 against the White Sox.)

One of the stinging early frustrations was, after the brutal season-opening road trip, their 3-3 record in the first homestand of the season against the Jays and Orioles . They’d have won those series last year.

There were few style points to be had in this one, but the victory was in reach. They took a 1-0 lead in the first when Rafael Devers’s sacrifice fly off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito scored Mookie Betts.

White Sox cleanup hitter James McCann took Price deep for a two-run homer in the bottom half, but the Red Sox tied it in the top of the third on ’s third homer of the season, then took the lead in the same inning on Devers’s RBI groundout.

Jose Rondon’s RBI single brought the White Sox even again at 3-3 in the sixth, but J.D. Martinez’s RBI groundout put the Red Sox back on top in the top of the seventh.

Matt Barnes did his relief ace thing in the eighth, striking out Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, and McCann. Brasier started the ninth well, striking out Yoan Moncada. But a Devers error (“It was a routine play,’’ manager Alex Cora said afterward) and a sharp opposite-field single by Yonder Alonso set the stage for Delmonico’s unlikely heroics — the homer was his first of the season.

Devers’s error was his ninth of the season, many coming on routine plays. “It’s a tough loss,’’ said Devers through a translator. “[I feel] like I was a significant part of the loss. But it’s also part of the game.”

Just when it seemed safe to say they’re looking like the Red Sox we expected all along, that they’ve fully escaped that weird malaise that enveloped them for the first couple of weeks, they add another painful loss to the ledger.

Chris Sale gets the start Friday, still searching for his first win. With a better ending Thursday, he’d be coming in to continue a winning streak. Instead, the still-winless lefty is charged with trying to start a new one. The rock, once again, has rolled down the hill.

Why Alex Cora has changed things up in his batting order

Peter Abraham

CHICAGO — Managers are flooded with information about which lineup would be the most productive based on the tendencies of their players and the opposing pitcher.

But ultimately, getting the best players to the plate the most often is what makes sense.

That helps explain why Red Sox manager Alex Cora shifted Mitch Moreland down in the order and moved up J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts.

Martinez, who was 3 for 4 with an RBI in the Red Sox’ 6-4 loss to the White Sox on Thursday night, has hit third and Bogaerts (0 for 3, two walks) fourth since Monday.

“Just trying to figure it out and see if we can run into some at-bats with men on,” Cora said before Thursday’s game.

Moreland hit third or fifth in the 17 games he started from April 4-28. He had six home runs and 10 RBIs but hit .185 with a .239 on-base percentage. Cora learned that Moreland had among the most at-bats with runners in scoring position during that stretch.

“If that’s the case, we’re going to put [Martinez] up there,” he said. “Mitch is going to get at-bats with men on anyway. It seems like we were lacking there in that [seventh] spot.”

Moreland, who has hit in every spot in the order except first in his career, said it didn’t matter to him where he hit. He homered on Tuesday and Wednesday.

White House visit set The Red Sox remained scheduled to visit the White House next Thursday. The ceremony to honor the World Series championship team is expected be in the Rose Garden.

Cora has not yet said if he will attend. He initially said he would then said he was undecided because of the many disparaging comments President Trump has made about Puerto Rico.

Cora took to for the first time in nearly a month on Wednesday to re-post two news stories about Trump’s intent to deny a waiver of the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. A waiver would allow the island to more easily receive the fuel and supplies needed to rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. On Thursday, Cora wore a hooded sweatshirt in the clubhouse before the game that said “Proud” across the front with an image of Puerto Rico’s flag.

Thirteen players on the roster have said they would attend. Ten have said they would not or were undecided.

Price refutes story When the clubhouse opened to reporters, David Price was waiting and had something to say.

“Fortnite was not banned,” Price said, referring to the popular video game. “People still play and I’m going to play right now. It’s not banned.”

A report on WEEI.com on Wednesday said it was “decided by the team” that playing video games in the clubhouse before games had become counterproductive.

News aggregators picked the story up and it spread nationally.

Price, who allowed three runs in six innings and came away with a no-decision Thursday night, said it was more a matter of Fortnite not being as trendy as it was a year ago.

Three avid gamers — Joe Kelly, Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith — are no longer on the roster. Other players have turned to different diversions.

“I know they play other games. They talked about it in ,” Cora said. “There’s no ban. There’s nothing from the team that says to reduce it. I’ll say it: We didn’t talk about reducing the game because we were playing sloppy baseball. That’s not accurate.”

Cora also said he did not know of any players who suggested that.

It was a year ago next week when it was speculated that video games were to blame for Price having a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Pedroia get started Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 and played five innings at second base for A Portland against Binghamton. It was the first game of an injury rehabilitation assignment.

Pedroia grounded to shortstop and twice flied out to right field. He had not played since April 17 when he aggravated his left knee. Pedroia is scheduled to play again on Saturday.

Eduardo Nunez, who is on the with a back strain, was 2 for 3 with a home run for A Pawtucket at Buffalo. He was the designated hitter. Nunez is 2 of 11 in three games for the PawSox.

Nunez is scheduled to play second base for Pawtucket on Friday.

“He’s getting close,” Cora said.

Lefthander Brian Johnson, out since April 6 with an elbow strain, traveled with the team and will pitch in a simulated game in the coming days. That would clear him to start a rehab assignment.

Rondon on the shelf Chicago lefthander Carlos Rondon went on the injured list with swelling in the flexor mass of his elbow. General manager Rick Hahn indicated the injury could be serious. Righthander Dylan Covey will go into the rotation . . . The Red Sox arrived at their hotel in Chicago just before 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday after playing a day game in Boston. The White Sox finished their doubleheader against the Orioles at 10:54 p.m.

Red Sox taking the long view with their pitching prospects

Alex Speier

Passage through the minor leagues is not expected to go smoothly and cannot be judged solely on performance at a specific point in time. Even top young talents are expected to struggle, in part because they’re adjusting to advancing competition, in part because they’re still maturing, and in part because there’s an element of trial-and-error.

“Player development is a long-term plan,” said Dave Bush, Red Sox pitching coordinator of performance. “It can be hard to be patient, but we’re looking years down the road.

“We want guys to be successful right away, but we also want to make sure we’re doing it in a way that they can continue that as they move forward. We don’t want to sacrifice who he can be as a big leaguer just to make them a good A ball pitcher.”

For the Red Sox, the start of this season has been a reminder of the power of the long view. In particular, the early excellence of righthanders Tanner Houck (3-1, 3.60 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 7 walks in 20 innings in Double A Portland) and Bryan Mata (1-0, 1.40, 26 strikeouts, 7 walks in 25⅔ innings in High A Salem) represents a reversal from the shadow under which the organization started 2018.

A year ago, Houck (ranked third in the system entering 2018) and Mata (fourth) got off to brutal starts in Salem. Their poor first-half performances — along with the absence of the team’s top two prospects, Jay Groome (elbow injury) and Michael Chavis (PED suspension) — cast the farm system in a poor light.

But the direction of the arrow for those two by the end of last season and into this one offers different conclusions. The prospects found solutions that permitted significant growth.

“We’ve got a lot of really, really good guys,” said pitching coordinator of logistics Ralph Treuel. “If we put our brains together, we’re going to come up with something good.”

Mata, who doesn’t turn 20 until later this month, gained considerable strength and velocity as he prepared for the start of 2018, a teenager’s physical maturation. But he struggled to corral the increased velocity, particularly as he tried to incorporate a two-seam fastball.

Through 10 starts last year, he walked more batters (34) than he struck out (31). But down the stretch, he started to locate the pitch in the strike zone, and he’s built upon that this year.

Now he’s regularly sitting at 94 m.p.h. with his four- and two-seamer while topping out at 97. He’s stopped walking batters (his walk rate has plummeted from 7.3 per nine innings last year to 2.5), his strikeouts are up from 7.6 to 9.1 per nine, and he’s permitted Salem’s grounds crew to take days off thanks to a remarkable 66.7 percent ground ball rate.

“He’s settled in quite a bit,” said Bush. “He’s still evolving quite a bit. I think we forget how young he is. But he’s made a lot of progress.”

Houck’s difficult start to 2018 came when a pitcher who’d thrown chiefly two-seam fastballs and sliders in college started working chiefly with a four-seamer, almost to the exclusion of his two-seamer. He struggled with his command, walking a ton of batters and giving up homers.

Just before the All-Star break, the organization encouraged him to lean once again on the two-seamer. Houck didn’t hesitate.

“That’s me,” Houck said. “That’s who I am.”

He started dominating while leaning again on his most comfortable pitch, and he is confident in spreading the strike zone from top (with four-seamers) to bottom (two-seamers).

Moreover, he’s one of several pitchers with whom the organization has been working in an effort to produce Corey Kluber-like sweeping sliders that travel the distance of the plate and produce swings and misses.

The results have been eye-opening. In his last 10 starts (six in Salem last year, four in Portland in 2019), he’s 6-1 with a 2.62 ERA, 62 strikeouts, 13 walks, and just one homer allowed in 55 innings.

He’s thrown 11 shutout innings with 15 strikeouts in his last two starts, showing the sort of dominance that made him a first-rounder in 2017.

“Failing at the beginning of the first half was probably the best thing for me in terms of my development,” said Houck. “I know that I can get past all the rocky edges that are happening through it and continue to stay positive.”

Both Houck and Mata look like legitimate prospects again, with a chance to impact the Red Sox in the big leagues by next year — or, in Houck’s case, potentially sooner. Their about-face suggests that, at a time when the team’s minor league talent is considered depleted ( ranked the system dead last), there is work happening to counter that.

“We’re perceived as not very good by the industry,” said Treuel. “I think we’re better than a lot of people think we are, and I think we’ll prove that out.”

THREE UP

■ Jarren Duran, a 2018 seventh-rounder who moved from second base to the outfield last year, is off to an amazing start in Salem. The center fielder is hitting .404/.459/.545 with nine extra-base hits and 11 steals through 24 games.

■ Shortstop C.J. Chatham, who hit for average (.314) but almost no power (25 extra-base hits in 114 games) in 2018, has been hitting the ball with more authority in Portland. He has nine doubles through 20 games with a .311/.369/.432 line.

■ Righthander Alex Scherff, who had an up-and-down first full season in which he missed significant time with injuries, is off to a strong start while repeating at Single A Greenville, with a 1.89 ERA and 19 strikeouts in as many innings.

THREE DOWN

■ First baseman/outfielder Sam Travis is hitting .214/.353/.286 with a 23.5 percent rate in Pawtucket.

This is his third and final year with options. Given that Chavis has surpassed him in the pecking order of righthanded bats, the 2014 second-rounder may be nearing a crossroads in his Red Sox career.

■ Outfielder Cole Brannen’s second season-opening stint in Greenville is starting no better than his first. Through 21 games, the 2017 second-rounder is hitting .169/.250/.229 with a 37.6 percent strikeout rate.

■ Righthander Denyi Reyes, who was added to the 40-man roster this offseason after showing spectacular command of a four-pitch mix last year, is 0-3 with a 6.87 ERA through four starts in Portland. He’s walking 4.9 batters per nine innings — up from 1.1 last year.

Dustin Pedroia plays five innings at second base for Portland

Peter Abraham

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 and played five innings at second base for Double A Portland against Binghamton. It was the first game of an injury rehabilitation assignment.

Pedroia grounded to shortstop and twice flied out to right field. He had not played since April 17 when he aggravated his left knee. Pedroia is scheduled to play again on Saturday.

Eduardo Nunez, who is on the injured list with a back strain, was 2 for 3 with a home run for Triple A Pawtucket at Buffalo. He was the designated hitter. Nunez is 2 of 11 in three games for the PawSox.

Nunez is scheduled to play second base for Pawtucket on Friday.

“He’s getting close,” Cora said.

Lefthander Brian Johnson, out since April 6 with an elbow strain, traveled with the team and will pitch in a simulated game in the coming days. That would clear him to start a rehab assignment.

* The

Red Sox fumble one away to White Sox in stunning, sloppy fashion

Michael Silverman

CHICAGO — That was brutal.

On the verge of winning their fourth game in a row for the first time this season, the Red Sox instead fell back into the brink, coughing up a one-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday night as the White Sox took Game 1 of this four-game series, 6-4.

Another costly error by third baseman Rafael Devers — with one out, he charged a slowly bouncing ground ball by Jose Rondon but could not transfer it from his glove to his throwing hand — led to the winning gut-punch rally, which featured Ryan Brasier overseeing the brutal ninth. After Rondon reached, Yonder Alonso singled before Nicky Delmonico clubbed a three-run walkoff home run.

“Absolutely, definitely a play I should have made,” Devers said. “Things happen, went after the ball aggressively and I just didn’t come up with the ball.”

Devers leads all third basemen with nine errors, but his defense has come up short more and more lately at inopportune times. Devers is fully capable of making highlight-reel plays — in the first inning, he made a sensational move to his right to snare the ball and then throw across the diamond — but he has shown a troubling knack to not make the routine ones.

Chicago White Sox’s Nicky Delmonico celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting the game-winning three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Thursday, May 2, 2019. The White Sox won 6-4. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) “It really doesn’t matter the type of play, I go after each play whether it’s the routine or non-routine play, I go after it as best I can — sometimes they come out the right way, sometimes they don’t,” Devers said.

And when they don’t, manager Alex Cora has to keep answering questions about why the routine plays are so tough for Devers.

“That’s a routine play, yeah, and he missed it,” Cora said. “We’ve been talking about it, we’ve got to get better. That one, got to take a look at the video but it seems like he was a little bit out of control. Just missed it, I’ll take a look at it, and talk about it tomorrow and go from there.”

In the series and road trip opener, the Red Sox never were able to extend a lead more than one-run wide, but when they got their third such lead in the seventh inning, they looked as if they would not let this one go.

The Devers error and then the slider Brasier hung to Delmonico meant the effort of starter David Price (six innings, three runs allowed, seven hits) and just-enough offense was in vain.

“Made a bad pitch and he did what he’s supposed to do to it,” Brasier said. “Just like any other day, going to have bad days, just have to wipe it clean for the next day, and come out with a clean slate and be ready to go.”

Before Brasier, Brandon Workman and Matt Barnes each had pitched perfect seventh and eighth innings, respectively, protecting the 4-3 lead they gained in the seventh, after J.D. Martinez’ RBI groundout scored Andrew Benintendi.

Devers accounted for two RBI, with a home run by Benintendi in the third inning tying the game at 2.

Price looked to be in command through the middle innings, but in the sixth, a spot of trouble led to a tie ballgame.

Jose Abreu worked a walk, but on a McCann double to center field White Sox third base coach Nick Capra made a poor decision to wave in Abreu. The throw from Jackie Bradley Jr. and the relay from Bogaerts was on the money and arrived in catcher Christian Vazquez’ mitt when Abreu was 10 feet away from the plate. But Yoan Moncada and Rondon followed with singles to tie the game at 3.

Red Sox can play all the Fortnite they want as long as they’re ready to play baseball

Michael Silverman

CHICAGO — Starting pitchers are off-limits on the day they pitch, but David Price walked up to two reporters Thursday afternoon to stress that the video game “Fortnite” has not been banned in the Red Sox clubhouse.

He was responding to an article on WEEI.com, which did not state the game had been banned but that players were not playing it as much — in part because of the team’s slow start.

Price also said players police themselves on video games and he was going to play “Fortnite” before his start in the opener of a four-game series against the White Sox.

Price was the subject of considerable media attention early last season when the Sox’ devotion to playing the game happened to coincide with the left-hander’s carpal tunnel condition. Many in the media speculated there was a connection.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Thursday, May 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

When asked about a “Fortnite” ban before Thursday’s game, manager Alex Cora backed up his starter.

“There are no rules,” Cora said. “I know they play other games, they talk about it in spring training. But there’s no ban. Or nothing from the team that says to reduce it. I’ll say it — we didn’t talk about reducing the game because we’re playing sloppy baseball. That’s not accurate.”

Cora said the team does not have rules on what to do in player’s downtime. There is really only one rule, he said.

“They know, they know when to be ready, just be ready for the game,” Cora said. “I take off at 6:30, 35 minutes before the game, I’m in the dugout. Whatever happens in there, be ready for the game.”

Cora mentioned he used to play a Mike Tyson video game when he was younger with his brother, Joey.

“I used to kick his (butt),” the manager said.

Price pitched well enough in Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the White Sox. He lasted six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, including a two-run home run by James McCann in the first inning. In the sixth inning, McCann doubled and later scored on Jose Rondon‘s RBI single to tie the game.

“Felt good. Needed to make better pitches there in the sixth inning, but that’s baseball,” Price said. He put the tough loss — the Red Sox lost via a bad error from Rafael Devers and then a walk-off home run allowed by Ryan Brasier — in perspective.

“Yeah, that’s part of it,” Price said. “We’re going to bounce back and come back ready to win tomorrow.”

BOGAERTS, J.D. MOVE UP IN ORDER

Xander Bogaerts batted cleanup Thursday night with J.D. Martinez in the No. 3 hole, one spot higher than they were earlier in the season.

“(Bogaerts) makes contact and he’s good with two strikes,” Cora said. “That’s something that, I feel really comfortable with it. I’ll talk about Houston again. It’s like Yuli Gurriel. He’s a guy that with two strikes, he’ll put the ball in play, and I feel like there are situations there — second and third, one out — that he’ll do that and we can score.”

Mitch Moreland, who is leading the team in home runs and RBI, dropped down to the seventh spot in the order.

“Mitch is going to get at-bats with men on anyway, and it seems like we were lacking something there in that spot,” Cora said. “Seems like with two outs, there was always an at-bat in the seventh hole, so just trying to figure it out, you know, and see if we can run into some at-bats with men on. And it worked over the weekend.” …

Red Sox pitchers allowed more than four earned runs for the first time in their last nine games.

They are 6-11 on the road this season. This was their first loss of the season when they held the lead after eight innings.

The top three batters in the lineup — Benintendi, Mookie Betts and Martinez — went 8-for-14 with two RBI. The other six hitters went 0-for-20.

JOHNSON BREAKS THROUGH

Brian Johnson’s bullpen Wednesday at Fenway was a success. It marked the first time he’s been able to throw breaking balls since the first road trip of the season. He will likely throw another bullpen here, and perhaps engage in a simulated games as well.

“He’s feeling better,” Cora said. . . .

Brock Holt (shoulder impingement) received treatment in Boston but remains shut down from baseball activities. …

Dustin Pedroia (knee) began his rehab with Double-A Portland on Thursday. …

Eduardo Nunez (back) is rehabbing at Triple-A Pawtucket. He served as DH on Thursday because of wet conditions, but is expected to play second base on Friday. “He’s getting close,” Cora said.

SALE’S TIME IS NOWl

The calendar plays a part in why Cora is optimistic Chris Sale’s start Friday night will begin a turnaround to his season.

“Swings and misses are not there, location, delivery, it’s been a lot of stuff,” Cora said. “Actually, I looked back today and it seems like May 6 last year is when he took off in Texas velocity-wise. Obviously the weather is not going to be like the one in Arlington last year, but it wouldn’t surprise me if tomorrow is the day velocity is back and he dominates.” . . .

Cora has no plans to move Marcus Walden into the rotation in the spot of Nathan Eovaldi (elbow). . . .

Cora is unconcerned about a plethora of recent walks from Brandon Workman, who has issued five over his last 3⅓ innings. That Workman has not allowed a hit to the last 25 batters he’s faced plays into the team not wanting to nitpick.

“We’ve used him a lot lately, maybe also like (Matt) Barnes last year,” Cora said. “There are certain situations where we don’t mind the walk, there’s other times we don’t like them, like in New York, but what he’s done against lefties and righties, he’s been pretty solid, getting people out with two strikes, his breaking ball has been outstanding.”

* MassLive.com

Nicky Delmonico blasts walkoff homer vs. Boston Red Sox’s Ryan Brasier after Rafael Devers’ error with one out, White Sox win

Christopher Smith

CHICAGO — Rafael Devers’ error led to a walkoff win for the Chicago White Sox.

The Red Sox third baseman failed to make a routine play on Jose Rondon’s grounder with one out and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Ryan Brasier.

Yonder Alonso singled and Nicky Delmonico crushed a three-run walkoff homer. The White Sox won 6-4 over the Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Jackie Bradley Jr. made a leaping attempt but couldn’t make the catch.

Red Sox’s top three hitters

Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, the top three hitters in Boston’s batting order, combined to go 8-for-13 with a homer, two walks, four runs and two RBIs.

Benintendi, the , went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, walk and two runs.

Benintendi blasted a 376-foot home run with a 100.3 mph exit velocity during the third inning. It tied the game 2-2.

Betts, the No. 2 hitter, went 3-for-5 with two runs. Martinez, batting third in the lineup, went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

The rest of the Red Sox’s offense went 0-for-20 with five walks and two RBIs.

Devers’ strong play at third

Rafael Devers made a sliding play on a ball hit down the third base line hit by Jose Abreu during the first inning. He made a strong throw to first base to retire Abreu.

Bradley-Bogaerts-Vazquez relay

James McCann belted a double 101.3-mph, 380-foot double to center field in the sixth. Abreu tried to score from first base. But Jackie Bradley Jr. fired to shortstop Xander Bogaerts who fired to catcher Christian Vazquez who tagged out Abreu.

That kept the score 3-2 Red Sox.

But Yoan Moncada’s infield single with two outs followed by Jose Rondon’s RBI single tied it 3-3.

Boston pulled back ahead, 4-3, in the seventh on Martinez’s RBI groundout.

Price records no decision

Price allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out five in 6 innings.

The lefty gave up a two-run homer to McCann in the bottom of the first inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. made a leaping attempt but McCann’s 391-foot blast cleared the center field wall to put the White Sox ahead 2-1.

Red Sox starters have posted a 3.26 ERA (91 innings, 33 earned runs) in their past 15 games since April 14.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless seventh, Matt Barnes hurled a scoreless eighth.

Rafael Devers error: Boston Red Sox’s Alex Cora calls it 'routine play,’ Devers says he ‘definitely’ should have recorded out before walkoff homer

Christopher Smith

CHICAGO — Rafael Devers failed to make a play on Jose Rondon’s 63.7 mph ground ball to third base with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

It cost the Red Sox.

Yonder Alonso followed with a single and Nicky Delmonico crushed a three-run walkoff homer. The White Sox won 6-4 over the Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“That’s a routine play and he missed it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

Ryan Brasier hung a slider to Delmonico.

“It’s a tough loss,” Devers said through a translator, adding that he felt he played “a significant role" in his team losing.

Devers had made a tremendous play during the first inning when he slid to his right and fired to first base to throw out Jose Abreu.

The 22-year-old third baseman has nine errors. He seems to make most of the difficult plays while struggling sometimes with routine plays. He has made 47 errors in 203 major league games.

“We’ve been talking about it. We’ve got to get better," Cora said. "That one, I’ve got to take a look at the video but it seems like he was a little bit out of control. Just missed it.”

Devers said he “definitely” should have made the play.

“Things happen," he said. "(I) went after the ball aggressively.”

Boston Red Sox’s Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez go 8-for-13, but rest of lineup, 0- for-20

Christopher Smith

CHICAGO — The Red Sox lost 6-4 to the White Sox on Thursday, but don’t blame the top three hitters in their batting order.

Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez combined to go 8-for-13 with a homer, two walks, four runs and two RBIs.

Benintendi, the leadoff hitter, went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a 376-foot, 100.3-mph home run.

Betts went 3-for-5 with two runs. Martinez went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

White Sox’s Nicky Delmonico crushed a three-run walkoff homer against Ryan Brasier in the ninth here at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“They did an outstanding job,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said about Benintendi, Betts and Martinez. “Getting on base, putting (up) good at-bats. Not trying to do too much. Saw J.D. go the other way. Mookie go up the middle. Benny getting on base. So we feel offensively we’re moving the line. But I guess we left a lot of base runners on base. That’s not going to happen often."

The Red Sox’s 4-9 hitters went 0-for-20 with five walks and two RBIs. Rafael Devers knocked in runs on a sac fly and groundout.

The Red Sox left 10 men on base and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Xander Bogaerts, Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers each went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. Mitch Moreland, Martinez and Betts each went 0-for-1.

“We felt offensively, we did a good job,” Cora said. "They’ve got a good bullpen. Mix and match. (Three) lefties. But we kept the line moving. We just didn’t get that big hit.”

Brandon Workman’s future with Boston Red Sox was once uncertain, now he’s dominating (2 hits, 14.2 IP); ‘I needed to show up ready to pitch’

Christopher Smith

CHICAGO — Brandon Workman knew he needed to pitch well during spring training or else he might not pitch for the Red Sox in 2019. The righty has no minor league options remaining this year for the first time in his career.

“Definitely. I needed to show up ready to pitch this spring training,” Workman said. “I thought I did that. I think that’s put me in a good position right now going forward.”

Workman has been one of the Red Sox’s most dominant relievers so far. He leads the club with seven holds. He has the second lowest ERA (1.84) behind only Marcus Walden (1.65).

He has allowed just three earned runs in 14.2 innings (16 outings). He pitched a perfect seventh inning in the Red Sox’s 6-4 walkoff loss to the White Sox here at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday.

The best stat of all: He has allowed only two hits (both singles). The opposition is batting .047 against him (2-for-43).

He has given up 12 walks compared to 21 strikeouts. Despite his high walk rate, he has a 0.95 WHIP because nobody can get a hit against him.

The Red Sox don’t mind their relievers walking batters as long as they’re smart walks.

“There’s certain situations that we don’t mind the walk,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “There’s others that we don’t like them.”

Matt Barnes puts walks into two categories: “smart walks” and “dumb walks.”

What’s a smart walk?

“If I get into a hitter-friendly count, I’m not going to give you something to hit when you can leave the yard,” Barnes explained. "I’ll make pitches. And if you walk, I’ll put you on first base. You still have to go 270 feet to score. And that’s just the way it is. And I’ll take my chances that I’ll get somebody out before you can get to home plate.”

What’s a dumb walk?

“Up by two, nobody on and you walk a guy. That’s a dumb walk,” Barnes explained.

“I have plenty in both categories right now,” Workman admitted. “The other day I pitched and walked the first two batters in my inning. Obviously that’s not what I’m trying to do out there. It’s just making my pitches and sometimes not finishing guys as well as I need to. Sometimes, it’s not giving in because of the situation and not giving them something over the plate behind in the count.”

Cora said many of the walks Workman has allowed have been smart ones.

“What he’s done against lefties and righties, he’s been pretty solid,” Cora said. “Getting people out with two strikes. His breaking ball has been outstanding. Using his fastball in different spots and the cutter. I think it’s managing the game sometimes. But there’s certain walks, we don’t care. Others that we do. There’s a few there that it’s just managing the game.”

The opposition is 1-for-25 against Workman’s curveball, 0-for-10 vs. his fastball and 1-for-8 against his cutter.

“I’ve got good movement (on the curveball) and really good command of it right now, too,” Workman said. “I’m able to throw it in pretty much any situation. Whether it’s a 3-1 count, I have the confidence in my ability to throw it where I need to. Or an 0-2 count, I’m executing it well.”

Workman added, “I feel real good right now. I’m real confident in how I’m throwing the baseball. So it’s a good spot I’m in. I just need to stay there."

Michael Chavis remembers ex-Boston Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada’s first triple in Low A; ‘I remember his speed, dude’

Christopher Smith

CHICAGO — Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis remembers the first triple former Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada hit in professional ball. They were teammates together at Low-A Greenville in 2015.

Most of all, he remembers Moncada’s tremendous speed.

Chavis and the Red Sox play a four-game series against Moncada’s White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field starting Thursday.

Boston traded Moncada, , and Victor Diaz to the White Sox for Chris Sale on Dec. 6, 2016.

“I remember his speed, dude,” Chavis said Thursday. “I had never really seen it before. But when he first got called up — he was young just like me, (Rafael) Devers, Kopech, all the guys that were on that team — I remember he did this thing. It was kind of like he would slap it and start running just because he knew he was so fast. He would beat out normal ground balls to the infield. I was like, ‘That’s different.’"

Moncada’s first triple in Greenville was May 23, 2015, against Charleston. According to a box score from MILB.com, Moncada belted it to center field during the eighth inning of his fifth pro game.

“Line-drive off the center field wall,” Chavis recalled. “He had an easy triple. I remember watching the ball. And it was hit well. And by the time I looked to see where he was, he was rounding second. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ He’s talented for sure.”

The 23-year-old is enjoying a breakout season. He’s batting fifth vs. David Price today. He has hit .301 with a .368 on-base percentage, .540 slugging percentage, .908 OPS, six homers, seven doubles, one triple and 20 RBIs in 28 games so far.

He has cut down on his strikeout rate from 33.4% last year to 22.4% this season.

“I’m sure a lot of that is growing up and getting more comfortable in the game,” Chavis said. “Probably not trying to do too much with two strikes. ... The talent was always there."

MLB News & Notes: Boston Red Sox winners of Chris Sale trade no matter how Yoan Moncada turns out; Jr. leads influx of talented rookies

Chris Cotillo

Any Red Sox-White Sox matchup will reignite the debate about which team is currently winning the 2016 blockbuster that sent Chris Sale to Boston for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and two other prospects. While Moncada’s hot start has been impressive, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that the Red Sox should be considered winners of the deal no matter how any of the other players in the deal pan out.

Too often are trades judged in a binary way, with one team being dubbed the clear winner and the other the loser. But the reality is that trades should be judged within the context of what clubs were looking to accomplish by making them, meaning deals can be considered wins (or losses) for both teams.

Coming off an A.L. East title in 2016, Boston went looking for a top starting pitcher to form a dynamic trio with David Price and reigning winner . They found their man in Sale, who the White Sox were shopping aggressively as part of a rebuilding effort at the winter meetings.

Dave Dombrowski knew Boston’s window to compete was wide open and Hahn took advantage of that by prying away four prospects in Moncada, Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz. The trade represented a classic deal between a pure buyer and a pure seller, setting Boston up for immediate success while stocking a White Sox farm system that has since become one of the best in baseball.

Sale was brilliant in 2017 and, despite some shoulder troubles, helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series championship a year ago. Even if Moncada and Kopech end up having excellent careers, Sale throwing the final pitch to clinch a World Series means the Red Sox can consider the trade a win.

Finally, the White Sox are starting to reap the benefits of their haul. Moncada, who led the majors with 217 strikeouts last year, is finally reaching his potential and entered Thursday hitting .301/.368/.540 with six homers in 28 games. Kopech made his major-league debut in 2018 before undergoing Tommy John surgery and is expected to be a major part of Chicago’s rotation beginning in 2020 and Basabe is currently ranked the No. 7 prospect in the team’s system.

Moncada is under team control for five more seasons, with Kopech and Basabe set to be White Sox even longer than that. The likelihood is that at least two of those three players will be productive major-leaguers, joining other young White Sox like Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, Reynaldo Lopez, and to form a core that could contend for years to come.

That shouldn’t matter to the Red Sox now, next year or even in 2023. Dombrowski knew the level of talent he was giving up for Sale and was willing to do so in exchange for a chance at winning a title.

The Red Sox gave up some of the most valuable lottery tickets in baseball for the chance to cash in on having one of the very best pitchers in baseball under their control for three years. Sale’s early season struggles this year, the lefty has been everything Boston could have asked for over his first two seasons, both on the mound and in the clubhouse.

Will it sting for Red Sox fans if Moncada and Kopech rack up All-Star appearance after All-Star appearance in the 2020s? Yes... but it shouldn’t. The Red Sox spent big to chase a title and it paid off.

***

Infusion of young talent the biggest story in baseball so far in 2019

For all that has been made about some contenders getting off to disappointing starts and players signing below-market extensions, the story of the early 2019 season is the amount of young talent joining big- league rosters for the first time.

When Nick Senzel debuts for the Reds on Friday, four of the top five prospects in baseball (via MLB.com) will have made their major-league debuts this season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) and Eloy Jimenez (White Sox) already debuted earlier this year.

For fans of four teams that aren’t expected to contend this season, there’s now an excellent reason to go to the ballpark or watch on TV. All four of the rookies have the potential to be perennial All-Stars and will be strong candidates for Rookie of the Year.

Major League Baseball has been defined by its young stars over the last few years. Expect Guerrero Jr., Tatis Jr., Jimenez and Senzel to be household names soon.

***

10 observations from the last week in baseball

1. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff is going to be a problem for the rest of the American League. Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow were impressive in person over the weekend.

2. Washington’s decision to fire pitching coach Derek Lilliquist was a weird move, timing-wise. One wonders if Davey Martinez could be the first manager sent packing this season.

3. We’re so used to being Mike Trout that no one is talking about the fantastic start he’s off to this season. He’s at .303/.492/1.065 with six homers through 28 games.

4. The Indians’ success this year was going to be based on their rotation. Losing Corey Kluber for an extended period after losing Mike Clevinger legitimately opens the door for the Twins to make a run.

5. Stephen Vogt is a great guy who thought his career might be over in 2017. Seeing him make it back to the majors with the Giants is pretty cool.

6. CC Sabathia became the first pitcher in 11 years to reach the 3,000 strikeout mark. It won’t take 11 more years for him to be joined by guys like , Max Scherzer and others.

7. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s debut was the most hyped-up in a while. Too bad he met Drake so early in his career and might be cursed now.

8. Offseason tankers Seattle and Arizona remain above .500 while buyers like the White Sox, Reds, Angels and Nationals have more losses than wins. Of course.

9. Don’t know Tim Mead personally, but he seems like a great replacement for Mass. native Jeff Idleson as the president of the Hall of Fame. Rare to see anyone spend 40 years with one organization, like Mead has with the Angels.

10. Welcome to the majors, Skye Bolt. Top-5 name in baseball already.

* The Lawrence Eagle Tribune

Manager of the Year Bob Melvin: Alex Cora knows what he’s doing

Chris Mason

BOSTON — Alex Cora won almost everything in 2018.

There were 119 photos adorning his victory wall, an AL East crown, and of course, a World Series championship. But there’s one piece of hardware that didn’t end up on his trophy shelf: AL Manager of the Year.

Cora finished second to Oakland’s Bob Melvin, whose A’s came out of nowhere to win 97 games despite opening the season with the lowest payroll in baseball, just $62.6 million.

“Last year he was amazing with what he had left rotation-wise and was able to make it to the Wild Card game,” Cora said. “There’s no panic. He stays the course. He understands how the organization works and what they believe in.”

It was the third time Melvin had won the award, so the veteran skipper knows a good manager when he sees one. Though the Red Sox are off to a sub-.500 start in 2019, Melvin maintains Cora knows what he’s doing in the Red Sox dugout.

“There’s a great presence that he has over there,” Melvin said. “You can tell that the players really respond to him. It’s not too long ago that he was playing too. They know that he’s gone through what they’re going through. He handles his team really well.”

Though the Red Sox returned many of the same pieces from their World Series team, there are a couple of spots that Cora has needed to change on the fly.

With Joe Kelly in Dodger blue and Craig Kimbrel still watching games from his couch, Cora needed to shake up his bullpen, maneuvering Matt Barnes as a late-inning weapon and inserting Brandon Workman and Colten Brewer into higher leverage roles.

Beleaguered at second base, Cora wasn’t afraid to throw top prospect Michael Chavis into the mix despite just five minor league starts there, and it’s a move that’s been paying off in a big way.

“It’s a little bit of a different team this year, he’s not afraid to make some adjustments,” Melvin affirmed. “I think he does a terrific job.”

* RedSox.com

After Price's quality start, Sox unravel in 9th

Russell Dorsey

CHICAGO -- The game went exactly how manager Alex Cora had planned. But as the Red Sox learned in Thursday’s 6-4 walk-off loss to the White Sox: What can go wrong, will go wrong.

Cora was able to go from his starter, David Price -- who pitched well for the fourth consecutive start -- and turn it over to his bullpen of Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier with a late 4-3 lead.

While Workman and Barnes each tossed a scoreless inning, Brasier was not as fortunate.

Brasier had no issues getting the first out of the ninth, striking out Yoan Moncada, but things quickly unraveled for the Boston closer.

Brasier got the next batter, Jose Rondon, to roll over on a slider and bounce it to third base. Rafael Devers, attempting to grab the short hop, bobbled the ball and allowed Rondon to reach on the error and keep the inning alive.

It was the ninth error of the season for Devers, the most among Major League third basemen.

“Definitely a play I should have made. Things happen. I went after the ball aggressively, just didn’t come up with the ball,” Devers said. “It really doesn’t matter the type of play -- the routine, non-routine -- I go after it as best as I can. Sometimes they come out the right way. Sometimes they don’t.”

“That’s a routine play, yeah. And he missed it,” Cora said. “We’ve been talking about it. We’ve got to get better. I’ll take a look at it, we’ll talk about it and go from there."

The next batter of the inning, Yonder Alonso, shot a single to left field off Brasier, putting both the tying and go-ahead run on base for White Sox outfielder Nicky Delmonico, who didn’t start the game.

Brasier came within inches of recording an easy out, getting Delmonico out in front of a first-pitch slider and prompting him to pop up to the first-base side in foul territory. The high popup looked like it would stay in play, but drifted into the camera well just past the outstretched arm of first baseman Mitch Moreland.

“I thought for sure that was a pop out to first,” Cora said.

Brasier hung the next slider to Delmonico, who ripped it into the seats in right-center for a three-run walk- off homer. It was the White Sox second walk-off win in as many nights.

“[Trying to get] a swing and miss down under the bat. Made a bad pitch, and he did what he’s supposed to do,” Brasier said. “Made a good pitch to the two guys before. Alonso hit the ball to left, and I made a bad pitch with people on base. Stuff like that is going to happen.”

Price, who received a no-decision, came into the game pitching like Boston’s ace, and that continued as he kept White Sox hitters off balance for a majority of the night, allowing three runs over his six innings of work.

The left-hander has now allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, and he has seen a growth in confidence with his changeup. Price’s newfound success has been a huge boost in stabilizing a Red Sox rotation that is still looking to get starter Chris Sale on track.

Price has thrown 112 changeups in his last four starts, only 12 (10.7 percent) of those changeups have been put in play. He’s allowed just a .214 batting average to opponents on changeups in 2019, according to BrooksBaseball.

“It’s a feel pitch,” Price said. “The more you throw it, the better feel you’ll have. It’s getting better.”

Injury updates: Pedroia, Nunez, Holt, Johnson

Russell Dorsey

CHICAGO -- The Red Sox walking wounded are getting a little closer to returning.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia (left knee discomfort) started his rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Thursday, batting second and playing second base. He played five innings and was 0-for-3 at the plate.

Pedroia has played just six games with the Red Sox this season after returning from the injured list on April 9.

“There’s a plan in place, and just like I said, he’s going to push himself to be an everyday player. That’s something that we want, too,” manager Alex Cora said Thursday. “We talked about our situation, where we are at roster-wise and all that, and he agreed to it. He understands. For him, too, it’s good. That’s who he is.”

Eduardo Núñez (mid-back strain), who began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, is starting to take more reps in the infield. The utility man has been the designated hitter in two of his three rehab starts, but he did play third base on Tuesday.

“Nuney’s going to play tomorrow, again,” Cora said. “He played today, he DH’d. It was wet. That’s why he didn’t play second or third. Tomorrow he’s going to play second base. He’s getting close.”

Infielder Brock Holt did not travel with the team to Chicago, staying in Boston to receive treatment on his right shoulder impingement. Holt began a rehab assignment after a scratched cornea on Friday, but was shut down after experiencing shoulder discomfort Sunday.

He has not begun baseball activities, according to Cora.

Left-hander Brian Johnson did make the trip with the team and has ramped up his baseball activities. Johnson was placed on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation on April 6.

“He threw a 'pen yesterday. He felt good. He threw breaking balls,” Cora said. “Maybe one more. Maybe a simulated game, but he’s getting better.”

* WEEI.com

The stage is set for Chris Sale's time to shine

Rob Bradford

Losses like Thursday night in Chicago will happen.

You have a game seemingly in hand -- as was the case with the Red Sox visit to the White Sox' home -- and all of a sudden there's a key error, opposite-field single, a foul ball that just barely makes the stands and finally walk-off three-run homer. Thanks to Rafael Devers' miscue and a few poorly placed pitches by Ryan Brasier that's what took place on a miserable night to play baseball. (For a complete recap, click here.)

When you're trying to dig out from what is now a 14-18 record it might sting a little bit more.

What it does is set up for what should be a meaningful moment. Chris Sale is understandably in the spotlight.

It would have been a thing even without the current circumstances, with Sale returning to the park he called home for seven seasons. There has been one other occasion similar to this since the lefty joined the Red Sox, pitching in Chicago in a uniform other than the White Sox. That ultimately was a dud the ace, giving up six runs on 10 hits over five innings in a Red Sox' 13-7 win on May 30, 2017.

At that time the Red Sox were four games over .500, sitting in second place in the .

Sale was also in a different place, pitching with a fastball averaging about 95 mph, totaling 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA through 10 starts.

This is different.

Heading into his seventh start Sale has a 6.30 ERA while not winning any of his five decisions. The feel- good presence that has come with the lefty taking the mound has yet to take root this season, with his newly-signed five-year, $145 million extension not making things any more comfortable.

Sale has had just one outing in which his fastball has averaged better than 92.8 mph, throwing his slider more than ever. In that previous visit against his old team in his old ballpark he threw the slider just 22 percent of the time, which was less than half of what he has offered it in his last three starts.

But the good news for Sale and the Red Sox is that all signs point to the southpaw having his health, with the crutch of it still being relatively early in the season.

It wasn't as if Sale's fastball was cranking on all cylinders in his seventh start a year ago, averaging 93.5 mph. But that start resulted in a seven-inning gem against the Royals, and it would be the last time before the lefty's heater averaged under 95 mph up until his shoulder ailment.

So heading into Friday night panic should be shelved for at least a little while longer.

The team is playing better and its ace is getting a prime chance to surface some optimism on his end.

Red Sox Farm Report: Dustin Pedroia had his first rehab start in Portland on Thursday

Nick Friar

Dustin Pedroia played five innings in his first rehab start for Double-A Portland on Thursday. The went 0-for-3 for the Sea Dogs, who had five hits as a team in the 10-1 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets).

Pedroia also made four plays at second base, starting a in one instance. Pedroia told reporters he will take Friday off and play again for Portland on Saturday.

“You can only do what you can do, you know what I mean?” Pedroia said. “That’s about it. I just put my head down and work and then do the best I can and try to be out there. It’s been a long process, so hopefully by the end of this rehab assignment we’re over it and I can be out there and do what I love doing.

“I hope my knee holds up because I’m still good. It’s just making sure that my knee can withstand being a Major League player. That’s what we’re hoping. We need a little luck.”

Pedroia last appeared for the big league club on April 17. He played six games from April 9-17 and had two hits in 20 at-bats, both coming in his first two games.

* NBC Sports Boston

Just when it looks like Red Sox have turned a corner, they fall on their face again

John Tomase

Maybe it's just going to be this kind of season.

When the Red Sox left Boston on Wednesday, I honestly believed they were about to win 10 out of 12. The starting pitching had stabilized, the offense was finding different ways to score, and the schedule was about to turn as soft as brie.

The 3-9 start and 13-17 April? Distant memories. Go to Chicago, take care of business behind David Price, and keep reminding the American League that the road to the World Series passes through Boston.

But whereas the Red Sox breezed to wins last year like they were walking the dog, now victories require the kind of slogs reserved for the Iditarod.

That said, for about eight and a half innings on Thursday, all went mostly according to plan. Price delivered a solid outing, the top of the order produced four runs, relievers Brandon Workman and Matt Barnes slammed the door, and then Ryan Brasier took the ball in the ninth.

Highlights: Chicago wins battle of Sox Brasier owned just one previous misstep this season, a go-ahead grand slam to after Workman had loaded the bases in Yankee Stadium last month. Otherwise, he had locked down the ninth with six saves in seven chances.

His overall numbers may pale compared to Barnes, who has struck out more than half of the batters he has faced (26 of 51), but he had gotten the job done.

Unfortunately, if there's one thing we've learned in this strangely subdued, misfiring title defense, it's that the Red Sox will do as many little things to cost them games as win them.

On Thursday, that meant third baseman Rafael Devers once again booting a routine groundball, this time with one out in the ninth. His ninth error gave Chicago life in a 4-3 game, and the ensuing opposite-field single that put runners on the corners suddenly made victory feel very tenuous.

The Red Sox still had a way out when Nicky Delmonico stepped in with one out and lofted a foul pop behind first base, but it caught just enough of the camera well to elude the outstretched glove of first baseman Mitch Moreland.

Given new life, Delmonico did not miss when Brasier hung a slider, ripping it just beyond the fingertips of a leaping Jackie Bradley in center for the walk-off three-run homer that leaves us wondering if this is simply how it's going to be.

"I made a bad pitch and he did what he's supposed to do with it," Brasier told reporters in Chicago.

The Red Sox aren't the first defending champ to battle a post-title hangover, but that doesn't make their struggles any less surprising. They did virtually everything right last year en route to 108 wins and their fourth championship since 2004.

They seem incapable of building any momentum a year later, despite returning the same roster and a bunch of players in their prime. They followed a sweep of the Rays with a doubleheader loss to the Tigers, and then won eight of 12 before opening this trip with a walk-off heartbreaker.

It was hard to watch it all unravel, but maybe we should get used to it, because at the moment, the Red Sox are the team that wants nothing to come easy.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

Red Sox have a problem at third base that needs fixing now

Sean McAdam

In the box score, the loss and the blown save both go to Ryan Brasier, who was tagged for a three-run, walk-off homer by Nicky Delmonico, giving the White Sox a stunning 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

That’s as it should be. Brasier was entrusted with a one-lead to protect and couldn’t hold it. That’s the job of a closer, or whatever it is that the Red Sox insist on calling the guy called upon to get the final three outs.

But if they could give blown saves to position players, then Rafael Devers deserves one, too. It was an error by Devers with one out in the ninth that cracked the door open for the White Sox game-winning rally.

Brasier had struck out Yoan Moncada for the first out in the ninth and when Jose Rondon hit a topper to third, it seemed as if the Sox were going to be an out away from claiming their first four-game winning streak of the season.

Except Devers didn’t field the ball cleanly. He charged the ball, and as he tried to scoop his glove up, the ball hopped out of the webbing, enabling Rondon to reach.

From there, it went downhill in a hurry. Yonder Alonso singled to left and after Delmonico hit a foul pop into the camera well beyond the Red Sox dugout, just eluding the reach of Mitch Moreland by a couple of feet, Delmonico made good on his second change, hammering a hanging slider just over the fence in right- center.

Again, Brasier didn’t do his job and that’s on him. But the whole inning pivoted on the misplay of a thoroughly routine ball hit to Devers, who committed his ninth error. That total is the second-highest in the game and puts Devers on pace for 46 errors this season.

“We’ve been talking about it and we’ve got to get better,” said Alex Cora. “On that one, I’ve got to take a look at the video, but it seems like he was a little bit out of control and just missed it. I’ll take a look at it and we’ll talk about it tomorrow and go from there.”

The irony was, eight innings earlier, Devers had made a spectacular backhand stop on a ball hit down the third base line by Jose Abreu, then scrambled to his feet and zipped a perfect throw across the diamond to get the out at first. Then again, that’s been the problem for much of Devers’s career in the big leagues — he’ll make a highlight-reel play, then muff a perfectly ordinary ball hit directly at him.

It’s what makes Devers so frustrating. When he doesn’t have time to think about making a play, he’s capable of supreme athleticism and instincts; it’s the run-of-the-mill play, however, that gives him trouble.

Only three days ago, Cora noted the paradox, expressing the wish that Devers just make the ordinary plays while letting the difficult ones become hits. It’s the lack of reliability that makes Devers such an adventure at the position.

It does the team little good for him to make the standout play in the first when he can’t convert the simple play into the 26th out of the game.

It’s hard to know where the Sox go from here. Devers has made significant strides at the plate this season, cutting way back on his strikeout totals — last year, he fanned in almost a quarter of his plate appearances and this year, that numbers was down to just 16.4 percent heading into Thursday’s game. At the same time, predictably, his on-base percentage has zoomed up to .388. He’s yet to homer, but the at-bats have been far better, and with his raw power, the home runs will come in time.

But Devers is an honest-to-goodness liability in the infield. It would seem a drastic step to return him to the minors to work on his defense, but at the very least, the Red Sox have to think about giving him some down time to give him time to work on the side. (Ironically, Cora inserted Tzu-Wei Lin at second in the bottom of the ninth in place of the inexperienced Michael Chavis. Perhaps subbing out Devers late in games in which the Sox have the lead should be an option for the foreseeable future).

There aren’t a lot of obvious alternatives within the system. Eduardo Nunez’s best infield spot is third base, but he’s still on a rehab assignment at Triple A. Brock Holt, who had a setback earlier this week with a shoulder impingement, won’t return for a while, and even when he does, third is his shakiest spot in the infield. Lin, the best defender of the non-regulars, hasn’t played a lot of third base.

The solution, in other words, isn’t obvious. But this much is: the Red Sox can ill afford to have Devers cost them games the way he did Thursday night.

BSJ Game Report: White Sox 6, Red Sox 4 – Bullpen, Devers combine to hand game away

Sean McAdam

Bullpen can’t hold on: The Sox were two outs away from their fourth straight win when it all caved in in the ninth inning. An error by Rafael Devers opened the door for the White Sox, and Ryan Brasier then allowed an opposite-field single to left by Yonder Alonso before hanging a slider to light-hitting Nicky Delmonico, who hit a three-run homer for the walk-off win. The irony was, the Red Sox bullpen had been so effective before the single and homer. Brandon Workman retired the White Sox with ease in a 1-2-3 seventh and Matt Barnes dominated Chicago by striking out the side. But Brasier couldn’t pick up Devers after the error and what looked like a road trip-opening win turned into a devastating loss. It marked the second time this season that Brasier gave up a huge late-inning homer on a poorly located slider — back on April 17, he yielded a grand slam to Brett Gardner than cost the Red Sox a game in Yankee Stadium.

Damage only at the top: The Sox amassed eight hits off Chicago pitching and every one of them came from the top three spots in the batting order, as Andrew Benintendi homered and singled, Mookie Betts had three singles and Martinez added three singles of his own. The three also scored all four of the runs the Red Sox managed and knocked in two. The problem was, the Red Sox got nothing from the rest of their batting order and, in the process, left 11 men on base while going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Too often, the Red Sox had opportunities to add on, but didn’t. In the first, after breaking through for a quick 1- 0 lead, they had runners at first and second with one out and couldn’t get anything else. It was more of the same in the third when they had first-and-third and no out after a leadoff homer by Benintendi and again, failed to score. Then, twice more in the late innings, they had two baserunners on and couldn’t produce any insurance runs which would have helped them given how the ninth inning transpired.

Price consistency continues: The stretch of strong starts continued for the Sox, who got six solid innings from David Price. Price was touched for a two-run homer in the bottom of the first when James McCann took him deep to erase the Red Sox’ 1-0 lead, but then Price sailed through the next four innings, pitching to just two batters over the minimum in that stretch., allowing just two hits along the way. In the sixth, three straight hits allowed the White Sox to tie the game at 3-3, but when the Sox pushed across a run in the top of the seventh, Price was positioned for the win. The outing marked the fifth time in six starts this season that Price had pitched at least six innings. Price has just one win to show for his first six starts; that figure could be a lot higher had he gotten better offensive support in some of those games, or, as the case Thursday night, more support from the Boston bullpen.

SECOND GUESS

In the sixth inning with Jose Abreu on first and one out, White Sox third base coach Nick Capra waved Abreu home on a double to right-center by James McCann — despite the fact that Xander Bogaerts had plenty of time to make a good relay throw to home to cut down Abreu easily.

ONE UP

Matt Barnes: Utilized in his typical high-leverage spot, Barnes came in for the 2-3-4 hitters in the White Sox lineup and struck out the side — two swinging and one looking.

ONE DOWN

Jackie Bradley Jr.: The outfielder’s struggles continue at the plate with an 0-for-4 night that included two strikeouts and a double play.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“That’s a routine play, yeah, and he just missed it.” Alex Cora on the costly error by Devers.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Martinez broke out of an 0-for-10 slump in a big way with singles in each of his first three at-bats. Workman has yet to allow a base hit to a left-handed hitter all season. The last six homers by the Red Sox have all come with the bases empty. UP NEXT

The Red Sox and White Sox continue Friday night with LHP Chris Sale (0-5, 6.30) vs. RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-3, 6.03)

* The Athletic

Tom Werner on White House trip: ‘It’s not appropriate for the Red Sox to be either red or blue’

Chad Jennings

Four days after the 2004 World Series, the three most powerful and recognizable Red Sox executives appeared, not at a parade, but at a rally. Principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and general manager Theo Epstein stumped for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in Manchester, N.H. Epstein spoke to the crowd in baseball analogies. Henry and Werner presented a championship t-shirt. Kerry held the shirt aloft amid a shower of confetti.

“The scouting report comes out straight A’s for John Kerry,” Epstein said.

The election was just days away, and Werner continued to campaign for the Massachusetts senator. Werner’s well-established political views were on full display while his team’s historic success gave him a greater platform to speak out. On at least one occasion, Werner wore a Red Sox jacket to a campaign event.

Fifteen years later, he still remembers the jacket.

Next Thursday, fresh off their latest World Series victory, the Red Sox are scheduled to visit the White House for the traditional congratulatory event with the president. The organization was honored by George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and it accepted this year’s invitation to be feted by Donald Trump.

Plenty of teams have declined such an offer from President Trump. Just last month, the University of Virginia men’s basketball team announced it wouldn’t go to the White House. North Carolina did the same in 2017. The Golden State Warriors declined twice, with President Trump revoking his invitation the first time. The Eagles also had their invitation withdrawn after Super Bowl LII after reports that only a handful of players would attend.

The Red Sox, though, have decided to go, in some small part because of Werner’s choice of outerwear so many years ago.

“I was chastened by the number of fans thinking in 2004 that perhaps I should not have worn a Red Sox jacket to a political rally,” Werner said, saying later that he came to agree with that criticism. “To me, having sort of reflected on it, this is something that is an honor that’s been bestowed by the president and the White House on the Red Sox, and it’s not a mandatory event for the players. Many players are excited to go, and many players have elected not to go, but we feel as an organization that we are appreciative of the invitation and we look forward to the experience.”

Both Henry and Werner plan to attend despite political leanings far from the Trump administration’s style of conservativism. They’ve chosen not to brand their personal politics with a Red Sox logo.

In this fractured political climate, accepting or declining the invitation could have been spun as a political statement. In that sense, the Red Sox were in a lose-lose situation. If they turned down the invitation, the decision would have been cheered by many as a strong rebuke of the Trump administration, but it would have been derided by others as an overreach of political ideology. By accepting the invitation, the Red Sox have allowed their players a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, while disappointing some of their blue-state fan base who will see, perhaps not an endorsement, but a tacit acceptance of the president’s more extreme statements and views.

“You think it’s a lose-lose,” Werner said. “But I think it’s actually an intelligent decision to try to keep sports as apolitical as possible.”

Werner offers no apologies for his support of Kerry’s presidential run in 2004, nor does he hide from his other political contributions and support of other Democratic candidates.

“I certainly have the right as a private citizen to support whoever I think would be a great elected official,” he said.

And he is open, though measured, in saying he does not support the current presidential administration.

“On a personal level,” he said, “I obviously don’t necessarily …” — Werner paused and laughed a little — “agree with certain policies of the president. But when I go to the White House that Thursday, I’ll be thinking this is an honor being bestowed on the organization.”

That, Werner said, was the lesson of 2004, and why he took to heart the criticism of his Red Sox jacket. It is Werner’s prerogative to support a politician, but if he does so, he does it as Tom Werner, private citizen. He’s a successful and influential private citizen, but a private citizen just the same. To him, his endorsements do not speak for the Red Sox players, the Red Sox organization, or the massive and diverse Red Sox fan base.

“I learned from (the 2004 campaign) that it’s important that sport and the Red Sox and baseball be apolitical,” Werner said. “People go to sporting events, in many ways, to forget about the issues that they have to struggle with in their daily lives. It’s not appropriate, I don’t think, for the Red Sox to be either red or blue. It should be a respite from the issues that we wrestle with daily.”

Politics, of course, seep into sport. Just this week, Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez had the home clubhouse television tuned to CNN so he could keep up with the political uprising in his native Venezuela. But baseball is a diverse game of divergent points of view. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been critical of the Trump administration’s handling of hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, and Cora said he’s still not sure whether he will attend Thursday’s event. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez has spoken out about his support of the Second Amendment after an old social media post was unearthed in which Martinez invoked Adolf Hitler to argue against gun control. The red-and-blue divide is inevitable within a fan base as large as the Red Sox, which surely has supporters from either side of the aisle, many of whom simply want to see the team honored in the Rose Garden regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

“Winning a World Series is special,” Werner said. “But obviously we know the importance of getting a ring, right? That has a certain symbolic value above and beyond the fact that people acknowledge we were the best team in baseball last year. This has a certain symbolism, too.”

Werner talked of seeing the Lincoln Bedroom. He mentioned the story of Winston Churchill speaking to President Franklin Roosevelt fresh from a White House bathtub. He remembered tales of President John F. Kennedy hunkered down in the situation room to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis. Being in that setting, he said, will make Thursday’s event special. He does not expect to make a political statement while he’s there.

“I think it would be much more just enjoying the majesty of the place,” Werner said. “I’ll get enjoyment out of seeing J.D Martinez enjoying it, and Chris Sale enjoying it, and Dustin Pedroia enjoying it. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Werner noted that the visit to Washington D.C., will also include a tour of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which has been a key part of the Red Sox’ Home Base program for veterans. Werner also pointed out that the Red Sox have not shied away from all political issues. Just last year, the organization pushed for Yawkey Way to be renamed Jersey Street due to former owner ’s connection to racial inequality, and the team has supported state and local initiatives for inclusion and equality.

Turning down an invitation from the White House undoubtedly would have been a political statement on a different plane than those the others. The Red Sox are not requiring that their players and coaches attend. Each is free to make his own individual decision and can make an individual statement by skipping the event if he so chooses ( and Carlos Beltran did just that when the Astros were invited to the White House last year). But the Red Sox organization as a whole will be there, despite the political inclinations of the ownership.

“There’s nobody that I’ve ever met who didn’t appreciate walking through the door of the White House,” Werner said. “And seeing those rooms in a nice, quiet setting, and enjoying the view from inside of the White House and looking at the Washington Monument. You’d have to be a very insensitive person not to get a sense of pride and joy out of the experience. There are going to be congressional people invited to the Rose Garden – I think both Republicans and Democrats – and I think to the degree that we can keep baseball as an apolitical part of life, that’s probably the right approach.”

In a country divided, Werner knows where he stands. In his role with the Red Sox, he seeks something more universal, an elusive middle ground — if only for one day.

Patient? Or heading to the dark side? How are fans handling the Red Sox rough start?

Jen McCaffrey

Despite returning almost the same team as a year ago, there’s no denying 2019 has been a decidedly different year for the Red Sox. They’ve transitioned from the squad for whom nothing appeared to go wrong en route to a World Series title to a run-of-the-mill club that is being outshined by the other local teams this spring.

Reactions to this unexpectedly slow start have, understandably, been mixed inside the Red Sox clubhouse.

There’s anger.

Chris Sale, who called his performance in New York last month “flat-out embarrassing for my family, for our team, for our fans.”

There’s disappointment.

“I wouldn’t want to say mad,” Bogaerts said. “Disappointed might be a better word. Surprised obviously fits, too.”

And then there’s the even-keeled approach of Alex Cora, who downplays things to ensure his club never gets too high or too low.

“I mean, our goal is to repeat, you know?” Cora said recently. “I can’t go in there, the whole, ‘Hey, the glass is half full.’ Or rah-rah meetings. I’m not going to go out there and get thrown out to get the troops going. Hey, here we go! We need energy! Let me get thrown out! It doesn’t work that way.”

Perhaps consistency is coming. The Sox have won three straight and five of seven as they head out on a seven-game road trip to play the White Sox and Orioles.

If players are struggling to react to the unexpectedly slow start by the Red Sox, we figured that fans might be too. So, which fan are you?

1. The casual fan: Red Sox? It’s Bruins and Celtics playoff season Listen, no one’s blaming you for being preoccupied with more interesting things. The Bruins and Celtics have each been in the middle of exciting postseason runs. Those should take precedence over regular season games, anyway. After the championships by the Red Sox in October and the Patriots in February, the Celtics and Bruins have a shot to give Boston a quartet of titles within the same 12-month span.

When there are intense playoff games happening across town, the Red Sox tend to get kicked to the back burner of many fans’ minds. (That’s also true in the TV world, with the Sox relegated to NESN Plus while the main network carries the Bruins.) Unless you’re a Red Sox fanatic who lines Van Ness Street for Truck Day and counts down the winter days until the season opener, it’s hard to ramp up for April baseball games. Somehow the Red Sox drew an announced crowd of 30,578 on April 23 for the nightcap of a lame doubleheader sweep by Detroit — while the Bruins were simultaneously winning Game 7 against the Maple Leafs at TD Garden. It’s fair to assume there were thousands of smartphones inside the park tuned to the Bruins that night. And the Red Sox took notice, showing game highlights in between innings on the Jumbotron.

2. The diehard fan: Everything does is awful There is plenty to complain about if you’ve been watching this Red Sox team. You might even be pessimistic about the remainder of their season.

You’re worried by Sale’s struggles and the fact that Nathan Eovaldi is out for at least another month as he recovers from surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. You’re frustrated, too, that Hector Velazquez has taken Eovaldi’s rotation spot, and that doesn’t seem to be working. You hated the club’s conservative spring training approach (which was at aimed at easing the pitchers in after a short offseason) because it now seems the starters didn’t get enough work.

Sale’s early struggles, whether due to that lack of spring innings or — worse — an underlying injury, make you worry about his new contract extension, too.

While the bullpen has saved the Sox on several occasions, beyond Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier the depth questions remain. You’re probably annoyed that Dombrowski didn’t sign another arm this winter. Marcus Walden (1.65 ERA in 11 appearances) has been a nice addition and Brandon Workman (1.98 ERA in 15 appearances) has largely delivered, but the rest of the bullpen has a lot to prove.

And then you were baffled, perhaps angered, by the Blake Swihart and Sandy Leon situation. Swihart was given just six starts behind the plate before the Red Sox gave up on him and ditched their one-time highly prized prospect. They brought back Leon, who hasn’t helped Sale win any games and has just two hits.

You feel like you’ve given Jackie Bradley Jr. a million chances to find his stride. You were promised his work this winter with J.D. Martinez’s hitting coach would help him out. But here Bradley is, hitting .156 through 27 games. Maybe there’s hope, since he has begun to show life with hits in three of the past four games. But your patience there is thin.

If you’re in this camp, the Red Sox have already started to ruin your summer, and it’s not even Memorial Day.

3. The patient fan: In Cora We Trust Maybe you’re the fan who looked at the past month as just a bad stretch. Brush it off and move on.

You probably think that winning 108 regular season games is pretty rare. (It was, of course, a franchise record.) And really, the Sox had to regress in some form this year, right?

You’re thinking that Eovaldi already had this surgery last year, and look how that turned out for him. You’re not going to give up on Dustin Pedroia. Instead, you think whatever he can provide in the lineup when he returns is a bonus. And hey, he’s been a pretty good player-coach helping his teammates from the bench anyway.

Meanwhile, you’re very excited about the addition of Michael Chavis (.314 and three homers in 11 games) and think he’s provided a nice spark. Mookie Betts is finally looking like himself at the plate (.289 with a .912 OPS and six homers in 31 games), and Martinez might be on pace for an even better season than last year.

When you look at the bullpen, you’re envisioning midseason call-ups for Darwinzon Hernandez and maybe even Durbin Feltman. Or maybe you’re hoping the Red Sox end up re-signing Craig Kimbrel after all.

You’re worried about Sale, but you’re more confident he’ll figure it out. Maybe his slow start means a strong finish to the year?

Cora hardly made any mistakes last year, so there’s no reason to doubt him a year later.

And even though the Red Sox had a rough start through March and April, it’s not like teams with similarly rough starts haven’t made the playoffs in the past.

* The Chicago Sun-Times

White Sox walk off Red Sox on Nicky Delmonico homer

Daryl Van Schouwen

Nicky Delmonico’s three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the White Sox to their second walk-off victory in as many nights, a 6-4 victory over the defending World Series champion Red Sox Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“Amazing,” said Delmonico, who was called up from Class AAA Charlotte last week. “Felt awesome.”

Delmonico went deep for the first time in his seven games this season, against right-hander Ryan Brasier with one out. Brasier threw a fastball past Yoan Moncada for strike three leading off the ninth, but third baseman Rafael Devers’ error on Jose Rondon’s grounder put the tying run on base. Yonder Alonso, who’s two-run single in the ninth inning beat the Orioles Wednesday, singled through the left side of the infield to put runners at the corners for Delmonico.

“I was sitting off-speed,” said Delmonico, who entered as a pinch hitter for Ryan Cordell in the seventh inning. “We have a pretty good scouting report on those guys that late in the game, they’re going to come at you. They all throw hard, but early on they’re going to come at you with off-speed.”

Nicky Delmonico of the White Sox celebrates his three run game winning home run against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 02, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (David Banks/Getty Images)

Lucas Giolito (5.32 ERA) came off the injured list (hamstring) to pitch five innings of three-run ball, catcher James McCann also homered and , and Carson Fulmer (1-1) combined for three scoreless innings of relief as the Sox (14-15) won for the fifth time in six games. The Red Sox fell to 14-18.

“Pitch count went a little bit too high early,” said Giolito, who threw 98 pitches (64 strikes). “But battled through it, and we were able to come out on top at the end. That’s all that matters, got the win.”

Giolito allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out seven.

On a day the Sox lost Opening Day starter Carlos Rodon to the injured list with an elbow problem that could be serious to end his season, Delmomico’s poke into the first couple of rows in the right-center field seats at Guaranteed Rate Field provided a salve.

“We just compete,” Delmonico said. “I love coming to the field and playing with these guys. We don’t give up.

“To be up here and help the team win, it was an awesome feeling.”

* The Chicago Tribune

White Sox are walk-off winners again as Nicky Delmonico's 3-run homer beats Red Sox 6-4

LaMond Pope

Nicky Delmonico made the most of a second chance.

One pitch after nearly fouling out, Delmonico hit a walk-off three-run home run in the ninth inning to give the White Sox a stunning 6-4 victory Thursday night against the Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“Amazing,” Delmonico said. “(It) felt awesome.”

Delmonico hit a 0-1 slider from reliever Ryan Brasier over the right-center-field wall to give the White Sox their second consecutive walk-off victory.

“We just compete,” Delmonico said. “These guys are awesome. I love coming to the field and playing with these guys. We don’t give up.”

Delmonico entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and grounded out.

He came up with runners on first and third and one out in the ninth. He fouled the first pitch high to the right, just out of the reach of Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland.

“I was watching Moreland, back and forth,” Delmonico said. “I took a deep breath after it went foul.”

Delmonico hit the next pitch for the second game-winning home run of his career. It was his first homer of the season in his 18th at-bat.

“I was sitting off-speed,” he said. “We have a pretty good scouting report on those guys that late in the game they’re going to come at you. They all throw hard, but early on they’re going to come at you with off- speed.

“So I went up there looking for an off-speed pitch up I could handle. The first one I got, I popped it up and I was praying it would go foul. I got another one and was fortunate to put a good swing on it.”

The hit gave the White Sox their fifth win in six games. They won the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Orioles also in walk-off fashion with a two-out single by Yonder Alonso.

“By slowing it all down and staying in that moment, guys can have some good moments,” White Sox manager Ricky Renteria said.

White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito had some solid moments in his return from the injured list. He suffered a strained left hamstring April 17 against the Royals.

The right-hander allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings Thursday.

“I felt the fastball was coming out good,” Giolito said. “I was thinking I missed a start or two starts, so I wanted to make sure that in the first inning I had all my stuff under control.

“It kind of got away a little bit, but (I was) able to come back through. I felt like I hit a nice groove in the last couple of innings. I felt I got better as the game went on, which is good for me.”

Giolito struck out seven and walked two.

“(I) felt like all my pitches were working pretty well,” Giolito said. “I'd say I've got to work a little on my curveball, I thought the shape of my curveball was not ideal. A few mistakes, two, three pitches kind of cost me a little bit. But we battled back, and that's that.”

*

Delmonico's 3-run HR in 9th lifts White Sox over Red Sox 6-4

CHICAGO -- After nearly fouling out on the first pitch he saw, Nicky Delmonico took advantage of a second chance.

Delmonico hit a three-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

It was Chicago's second straight walk-off win. Yonder Alonso had a two-run single in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader against Baltimore for a 7-6 victory.

The White Sox have won five of six to move within a game of .500 at 14-15, and things just appear to be breaking their way lately.

That certainly seemed to be the case on the pitch before the dramatic homer when Delmonico lifted a popup toward the stands along the first base line. The ball drifted and fell out of play about 2 feet from the outstretched arm of first baseman Mitch Moreland.

"I was watching it the whole way," Delmonico said. "I was watching Moreland, back and forth. I took a deep breath after it went foul."

Chicago's rally in the ninth began with a one-out error by third baseman Rafael Devers as he charged a slow grounder by Jose Rondon.

"Definitely a play I should've made," Devers said through a translator. "I went after the ball aggressively and didn't come up with it."

Alonso followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Delmonico, who entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh, then drove a hanging slider from Ryan Brasier (1-1) over the fence in right-center to win it.

"I made a bad pitch and he did what he's supposed to do," Brasier said.

"I was sitting off speed," Delmonico said. "They all throw hard, but early on they're going to come at you with off speed, so I went up there looking for an off-speed pitch up I could handle."

Carson Fulmer (1-1) got two outs for the win.

James McCann also homered and had two hits for the White Sox.

Andrew Benintendi homered, J.D. Martinez had three hits and Devers drove in two runs as Boston had its three-game winning streak snapped.

HOW THEY SCORED

Devers hit a sacrifice fly in the first to give Boston a 1-0 lead, but McCann answered with a two-run shot in the bottom half.

Benintendi tied the score with a leadoff homer in the third. Later in the inning, Devers had an RBI groundout.

David Price made the 3-2 lead stand up until the sixth. McCann doubled, advanced to third on an infield single by Yoan Moncada and scored on a single by Rondon to tie it.

Boston regained the lead in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Martinez.

FOR STARTERS

Before Delmonico's homer, Price was in line for his second win of the season. The left-hander allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out five and walking two.

White Sox starter Lucas Giolito permitted three runs and seven hits over five innings in his first start since going on the injured list April 18 with a left hamstring strain.

AWARD WINNING

Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson was selected AL player of the month for March/April. The 25-year-old Anderson became the first White Sox player to win the award since Jose Abreu in April 2014. Anderson batted .375 in March and April with six homers, 18 RBI, 21 runs and 10 steals.

"Timmy has always said he wants to be the best in the league," manager said. "This is probably a sign of where he's going."

Anderson went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts on Thursday.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia (left knee irritation) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland and went 0 for 3.

White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon was placed on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. Although the extent of the injury has yet to be determined, general manager Rick Hahn said Rodon will be sidelined "a little while" and Tommy John surgery is a possibility. "Over the course of the next several days or week or so, we'll come up with a specific plan," Hahn said.

UP NEXT

Boston left-hander Chris Sale (0-5, 6.30 ERA) faces his former team in the second game of the series Friday night. Sale is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts against Chicago. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (2-3, 6.03) pitches for the White Sox after striking out a career-high 14 in his last outing.