The Monday, May 10, 2021

* The Boston Globe

Rafael Devers continues Camden Yards dominance as Red Sox defeat Orioles

Julian McWilliams

BALTIMORE — ’s homer in the top of the second Sunday left on a line. In true Devers form, it got out of Camden Yards in a hurry, twisting its way over the head of Orioles center fielder and over the 410-foot mark on the wall.

The ball was of, course, barreled, jumping off Devers’s bat at 110.7 m.p.h., landing 423 feet from the batter’s box Devers calls his home. Off Orioles starter , it tied the contest at one apiece.

The Sox down a run in the sixth, Devers roped a double to right-center that scored two. It put the Sox ahead for good, the eventual 4-3 win setting up a chance at a four-game sweep Monday.

“The , that was eye opening,” said. “It seems like that ball was like five feet off the ground and it just kept carrying. He’s been doing a great job with men in scoring position. He’s been very patient lately, which is good.”

Devers’s swing always has conviction. If he takes a hack, it’s one that shows commitment. There’s no in between. He’s been steady and dominant this year, batting .288/.375/.576 (.951 OPS) with eight homers. He has 10 extra-base hits — eight doubles, two home runs — and 11 RBIs his last 13 games, batting .326 (15 for 46) in that span.

He’s shown a steady heartbeat, too, delivering when the Sox need him most. He’s hitting .405 (15 for 37) with runners in scoring position after his sixth-inning double. Devers lives up to the moment, according to Cora, certain he can deliver.

“There’s not a big moment for him,” Cora said. “He enjoys playing . He’s just happy and you know, he’s like, ‘Why be upset or mad? I’m playing baseball. I’m making a lot of money. And I hit homers.’ So I mean, you can’t go against that. He’s very relaxed. He loves it.”

Devers continues to impose his will on the Orioles, with 14 homers against them — his most against any opponent — and a .305 average with a .964 OPS at Camden Yards.

“I really have no control over it,” Devers said with a smile. “It’s just a park, I guess. Like any other night, I’m glad to be hitting the ball well.”

Despite a rocky start and 103-pitch outing, Nick Pivetta completed six for the Red Sox. The Orioles fouled off a whopping 30 Pivetta pitches, which the righty attributed to him tipping. Pivetta issued back-to- back walks in the first, and a line drive single up the middle scored the first run of the game.

Cedric Mullins hit a solo shot in the fifth, but that would prove to be all the damage against Pivetta, 5-0 on the year with a 3.19 ERA.

“I was just mixing pitches, getting ahead of guys,” said Pivetta. “A lot of weak contact today. You know, just contact in general. The defense played tremendous behind me. A lot of really great plays.”

Hunter Renfroe homered to center in the eighth, a massive 453-foot shot and critical insurance run when the Orioles made it 4-3 against in the eighth on a hit batter, two groundouts, and a Mountcastle double. After Ottavino got to ground out, put down the Orioles 1- 2-3 on nine pitches in the ninth for his eighth .

But it was Devers who imposed his will once more in Baltimore.

“I mean physically, I feel great,” Devers said. “I had a very, very, good offseason. I worked hard this offseason, I’ve worked hard during . I continue to work hard.”

Red Sox shut down due to sore flexor muscle

Peter Abraham

BALTIMORE — Triple A righthander Tanner Houck, who has appeared in three games for the Red Sox this season, has been shut down with a sore flexor muscle in his arm.

“We’re not overly concerned,” Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday. “This happened in his last start and the next day he came in sore. He’s actually feeling better right now. But of course we’re going to shut him down.

“There’s no timetable. But this is something that we feel is going to be short-term. It’s not something that we are overly concerned about.”

Houck pitched three innings for Triple A Worcester against Buffalo on Tuesday in Trenton, N.J. He allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out four without a walk.

The 24-year-old is 3-2 with a 1.98 average in six major league games.

Flexor soreness is common among and is often solved with rest, but also can be a precursor to a more serious injury.

For the short term at least, it’s an issue for the Sox as Houck was their primary depth starter. He filled in for Eduardo Rodriguez in the first week of the season, then returned April 18 to pitch the first game of a doubleheader.

The other Worcester starters are Daniel Gossett, Stephen Gonsalves, Kyle Hart, and Raynel Espinal. None are on the 40-man roster.

Gossett was 4-14 with a 5.91 ERA in 23 starts for Oakland from 2017-18 and hasn’t pitched in the majors since.

Gonsalves had a 6.57 ERA in seven games for Minnesota in 2018 and hasn’t pitched in the majors since. He started four of those games and was 0-2 with a 11.68 ERA.

Hart appeared in four games for the Red Sox last season and had a 15.55 ERA, allowing 13 earned runs over nine innings in three starts. He left a Saturday start for Worcester in the fourth inning after being injured making a fielding play.

Espinal has no major league experience and has been primarily a reliever in the minors.

The Sox viewed righthander Bryan Mata as starter depth this season, but the 22-year-old righthander was injured in spring training and had Tommy John surgery on April 13. Another option, righthander , has been sidelined with elbow inflammation.

Ryan Weber started for Worcester on Sunday. The 30-year-old righthander is 4-12 with a 4.86 ERA over parts of six major league seasons with four teams. He was 3-7 with a 4.73 ERA in eight games for the Sox from 2019-20.

Weber is 1-7 with a 6.27 ERA in 16 career starts.

Jonathan Araúz replaces

Infielder Christian Arroyo was placed on the 10-day retroactive to Friday because of a bruised left hand. Infielder Jonathan Araúz was recalled from Worcester.

Arroyo was having trouble gripping the bat after being hit on the same hand twice in 11 days, the last time coming Thursday.

“I don’t want him to feel the pressure of coming back sooner and then something bad really happens,” Cora said.

Arroyo has started 18 games at second base this season, hitting .275 with a .710 OPS. Arauz, 22, played in 25 games last season after being taken in the from Houston. He hit .250 with a .644 OPS.

Familiar faces

The Sox are in the middle of a stretch where they will have the same umpire crew for 14 consecutive games. Ryan Blakney, D.J. Reyburn, Ron Kulpa, and Brian O’Nora picked up the Sox in Texas on April 29 and are scheduled to have them through Thursday.

It’s part of ’s coronavirus protocols to make travel safer for the umpires.

“We talked about it [Saturday]. They’ve been around for a while,” Cora said. “But it’s been OK. I don’t think there’s an advantage … it’s weird, but at the time, we understand why.”

The umpires traveled with the Sox from Texas to Boston and then from Boston to Baltimore. Cora told the arbiters the Sox had a flexible dress code and they weren’t obligated to wear suits.

Checking in with Mom Cora dutifully spoke to his mother, Iris, on Sunday. She told him the Sox remind her of a Little League team with the way they celebrate after victories and pout after losses. “I was dying laughing,” Cora said. “I take that as a compliment. That means that we care and we’re having fun.” The manager’s mom also suggested he bunt more often . . . MLB’s Mother’s Day celebration included naming honorary bat girls for each team to highlight the fight against breast cancer. Brookline’s Nancy Mella Bulkeley represented the Sox. She is a nine-year breast cancer survivor and has been a top fundraiser in the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk, participating since 2018. Players on both teams wore pink wristbands and/or arm sleeves, with some wearing pink cleats or using pink bats . . . The Orioles placed righthander on the injured list with a strained left hamstring and recalled outfielder Ryan McKenna . . . The visiting team has won 10 consecutive games played by the Sox and Orioles. The Sox are 6-0 at Camden Yards this season, scoring 48 runs.

Once undervalued, Nick Pivetta is thriving in his new surroundings with the Red Sox

Peter Abraham

BALTIMORE — Kevin Millar was set to play in Japan in 2003. But Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein claimed him off waivers to block the deal, something that had never been tried before.

After weeks of squabbling, Major League Baseball helped negotiate a deal allowing Millar to play for the Sox.

Now Millar has a 2004 ring and a tee time at any celebrity golf tournament of his choice.

The Sox were once expert at working the margins to obtain undervalued players who blossomed in Boston. Then after a while it just became easier to write checks.

One of the reasons Chaim Bloom was hired as chief baseball officer was to get the team back in the business of turning on lights in dark corners.

For that, Nick Pivetta is thankful.

The righthander pitched six solid innings on Sunday as the Sox beat the , 4-3. Pivetta is now 5-0 with a 3.19 in seven starts.

His reliability is one of the reasons the 22-13 Sox have the best record in baseball and a 3½-game lead in the East.

Pivetta was pitching intrasquad games at Philadelphia’s Triple A ballpark eight months ago when the Sox picked him up in the trade that sent relievers and to the Phillies.

Connor Seabold, a former third-round pick, was the prize. Pivetta was a throw in, a pitcher who the Phillies didn’t have much use for — or he for them at that point.

Pivetta was 19-30 with a 5.25 earned run average in parts of four seasons with Philadelphia. But he was only 27 and threw with enough velocity and movement to be successful.

On the day of the trade, a Red Sox scout described Pivetta as “a classic change of scenery guy.”

It’s a platitude that applies to every team sport. Identify an underachieving player in a bad situation, pry him loose, and see what happens. It’s something the Patriots have done successfully for years.

Pivetta doesn’t fight the label. He likes the scenery in first place just fine.

“It seems that way,” Pivetta said. “I think it’s obvious that it seems that way. It seems that I needed something to get changed up. It seems like it worked the best. But there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Pivetta allowed two runs on only three hits on Sunday, but he needed 46 pitches to get through the first two innings. The Orioles fouled off 15 of those pitches, 11 with two strikes.

Pivetta said afterward that he was tipping his pitches and corrected that after the second inning, which is true to some extent. But the Orioles did foul off 15 of his remaining 57 pitches.

After a rocky first inning, Pivetta retired 15 of the final 18 batters he faced.

The Sox, much like the , encourage their pitchers to trust their pitches enough to throw strikes. Pivetta has become a believer — to a point.

He has averaged 5.2 walks per nine innings with the Sox, a big jump from 3.4 with the Phillies, although somewhat attributable to moving to the American League. His per nine have fallen from 9.6 to 9.3.

The difference is Pivetta is allowing 3.1 fewer hits per nine innings.

“It’s attacking the zone and letting my stuff play in the zone. Having that confidence and competing,” he said.

Pivetta said the Sox coaches, including game planning , have come up with the right words to reach him. He feels like there’s start-to-start improvement as a result.

From afar last season, Alex Cora saw a pitcher he liked. Up close he’s even more impressed.

“He’s been good. He’s been really good,” the manager said. “He’s been good since he got here last year.”

Pivetta is 7-0 with a 2.89 ERA in nine starts since the trade. The Sox are 8-1 in those games.

Asked if he thought much about how much his circumstances have changed, Pivetta pitched around the question.

“The worst thing you can do is think about it,” he said. “Go out every single day [and] have fun. You get to play baseball. Everybody enjoys being at the ballpark. Everybody enjoys being here.

“I love being here.”

* The Boston Herald

Rafael Devers powers Red Sox to Mother’s Day victory over Orioles

Steve Hewitt

In their 11-6 victory over the Orioles on Saturday night, every Red Sox batter in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit — except for one.

Rafael Devers.

The Red Sox third baseman did have an RBI, but if he felt left out of the offensive barrage, he more than made up for it hours later on Sunday.

On a day in which offense was at more of a premium, Devers provided two of the biggest hits. He continued to mash at his favorite visiting ballpark to power the Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Mother’s Day, their fourth win in a row and sixth consecutive over the O’s.

The Red Sox went down twice on Sunday, but it was Devers to the rescue on both occasions.

His biggest knock came in the sixth. Nick Pivetta had just surrendered a go-ahead homer in the fifth but the Red Sox rallied in the next inning as they loaded the bases. After struck out, Devers followed with a tough at-bat, ultimately smoking a two-run double to right that gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead they didn’t relinquish.

“He picked his buddy up there,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Xander, he grinds out with the bases loaded and he chased a few pitches up in the zone. He was able to foul off a pitch outside and then he was able to stay on top of a and he crushed that ball.

“He’s been doing a great job with men in scoring position. He’s been very patient lately, which is good. When he does that, he becomes very dangerous.”

That hit capped a 2-for-4 day, as he also picked up Pivetta with a game-tying home run in the second. His eighth homer of the season was one Cora called “eye-opening” after he golfed a pitch a few inches off the plate against O’s starter Dean Kremer, who mostly kept the Red Sox’ league-leading offense in check.

Devers was at his best Sunday. He was reliable at third with some impressive defensive plays, and at the plate, he came through in yet another clutch situation. He now has 66 game-tying or go-ahead RBI since the start of 2019, the most in baseball.

“There’s not a big moment for him,” Cora said. “He enjoys playing baseball. You saw that tweet or Instagram, he’s just happy. He’s like, ‘Why be upset or mad? I’m playing baseball, I’m making a lot of money and I hit homers.’ You can’t go against that. He’s very relaxed. He loves playing the game.”

Devers also continued his dominance at Camden Yards. In 29 games there, he’s now hitting .305; his nine homers and 24 RBI are the most for him in any visiting ballpark.

“I really have no control over it,” Devers said. “It’s just a park, I guess like any other where I’m glad to be hitting the ball well in that situation. I really don’t know. I have no control of where the home runs are.”

The Red Sox may not have taken advantage of all their chances on Sunday, but they were once again resilient as they came back from two separate deficits. Marwin Gonzalez went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot and sparked the rally in the sixth, and provided insurance with a homer in the eighth.

It was a needed boost for Pivetta, who pitched six strong innings and earned a deserved win as he improved to 5-0 this season.

“It’s just one guy after another,” Pivetta said. “There’s no getting around our lineup right now. It’s just fun to watch. We’re never out of it. It’s great.”

The Red Sox maintained their first-place lead in the , and at 22-13, still have the best record in baseball as they look to complete a four-game sweep of the Orioles on Monday night.

None of that comes as a surprise of the Red Sox, especially Devers.

“Not at all,” Devers said. “We believe in each other. We believe in each other as a team. It’s you guys who don’t believe in us, but in this clubhouse and this team, we believe in each other. We knew we were a good team.”

Red Sox Notebook: Tanner Houck shut down with sore flexor muscle

Steve Hewitt

The Red Sox went into this season boasting about the starting pitching depth they had behind their big- league rotation, but it took another hit on Sunday.

Manager Alex Cora announced before Sunday’s game that rookie pitcher Tanner Houck has been shut down from baseball activities with a sore flexor muscle, though he’s not expected to miss significant time.

Houck started Triple-A Worcester’s first game last Tuesday, giving up three runs on eight hits in three innings, and came in sore the next day, Cora said. He was scheduled to start Sunday’s game for Worcester, but was scratched with the injury. It’s not something the Red Sox seem too worried about.

“We’re not overly concerned,” Cora said. “He’s actually feeling better right now, but of course, we’re going to shut him down. There’s no timetable, but this is something that we feel that is going to be short term. It’s not something that we are overly concerned about, but that’s where we’re at right now.”

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom reiterated that the severity of Houck’s injury is minor and that they’re going to be cautious about his recovery, which has no timetable as of now.

“The inflammation is mild, but important to let it calm down before we proceed,” Bloom said. “No exact timing. He will be shut down from throwing for a little while to let it calm down, and then we’ll build him back up.”

After an impressive major league debut last season, Houck made three appearances (2 starts) with the Red Sox in April, and was 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA and 12 strikeouts to one walk over 10 1/3 innings.

The injury is another blow to the Red Sox’ starting depth in the minor leagues. Bryan Mata, their top pitching prospect, is out for the year after needing Tommy John surgery, and Connor Seabold, another top pitching prospect, started the Triple-A season on the injured list with elbow inflammation.

Arroyo heads to IL

Cora was hopeful Christian Arroyo could return this weekend after getting hit again with a pitch on his left hand last week, but after he tried to take swings before Sunday’s game, the Red Sox opted to put the second baseman on the 10-day injured list.

The Red Sox placed Arroyo on the IL retroactive to Friday, so he could theoretically return on May 17. They recalled Jonathan Arauz, a versatile infielder who spent last season with the Red Sox.

“It was going to take longer than two days or three, so I don’t want him to feel the pressure of coming back sooner,” Cora said of Arroyo. “And then something bad really happens. We’ll stay away from him. Jonathan is a good player. He is versatile so we’ll take care of Christian and whenever he’s ready he’ll be back.”

Mother’s Day love

Cora has a big Red Sox fan in his life in his mother Iris, and she tells him what she thinks of his team. The manager said he talked to her on the way to Camden Yards on Sunday, and she had some funny observations.

“She said, ‘They’re like a Little League team,’” Cora said. “They pout when they don’t do (well). It was funny. I was dying laughing. When things are not going good, they pout, and when things are going good, they celebrate, like a Little League team. I take that as a compliment. It means we care and we’re having fun. She understands the game. She knows it’s a different game. Probably she wants me to bunt a little bit more and stick with my starters more than usual. She doesn’t get in the way about criticizing me or second- guessing me. She’s just pulling for me, pulling for Joey (Cora’s brother). She’s in tune with everything going on. …

“She’s having fun. Like everyone else that pulls for the Red Sox right now, she knows it’s early, but she’s having a blast with this team.”

Venable fitting well

Cora has been impressed with first-year bench coach , whose role largely includes the running game, which he knows has room for improvement on the defensive side.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Venable said. “I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve fallen into a little bit of a stretch where other teams have been aggressive on us, but it’s something that we’re looking at and talking about on a daily basis from a variety of different standpoints that we need to improve.”

Overall, Cora likes how Venable has fit in with the team as his right hand man.

“He’s been amazing. He’s been really good,” Cora said. “He’s very organized, in tune with the game, in tune with the players, in tune with the organization. I think we made the right decision to bring him aboard. …

“When the name was brought up, I talked to him for two and a half hours, and I’m not great at conversations over the phone. … He opened my eyes. I had some people calling me. Dave Roberts gave me a call, called me, and they were right. He’s a good one.”

How Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta has saved his career

Jason Mastrodonato

Don’t look down, just keep walking.

If there’s a mantra to Nick Pivetta’s pitching career since joining the Red Sox via trade from the Phillies last August, that’s the one.

Pivetta doesn’t have a lot of answers for why he’s pitching so well. After throwing six innings of two-run ball to lead the Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Orioles on Sunday, he said he’s living in the moment and enjoying playing baseball.

“There’s a long way to go,” he said multiple times.

Is Pivetta’s success a house of cards ready to collapse at any moment? Or have the Red Sox helped him discover the best parts of his pitching ability?

Maybe a little of both.

Asked if a change of scenery has saved his career after posting a 5.50 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Phillies before they gave up on him, Pivetta sounded like he wasn’t quite sure.

“I think it’s obvious that it seems that way,” he said. “It seems that I needed something to get changed up. It seems like it’s worked out for the best. But there’s still a lot of work to do. There’s still 135 games left, a lot of time left, and we’re going to continue to get better and better and keep pushing forward.”

Pivetta struggled in the first inning on Sunday, when he thought he might’ve been tipping his pitches, took off his long sleeves and then settled in the rest of the way.

He nearly lost the game in the fifth, when he left a hanger right down Broadway for Cedric Mullins to hammer into the bleachers as the O’s took a 2-1 lead. But Rafael Devers saved him with a bases-clearing double the next inning and Pivetta ended up getting the win.

That’s all he’s done since he’s arrived in Boston. He’s now 7-0 with a 2.89 ERA and .196 opponents batting average in nine starts in a Red Sox uniform. He’s just the fourth starter in Red Sox history to begin his career 7-0, and the first since John Burkett in 2002.

In Philadelphia, they must be shaking their heads. What happened?

A peek at the pitch data indicates Pivetta has only made one significant change, using a instead of a curve as his primary .

Otherwise, he’s largely been the same guy he was with the Phillies, though he said Red Sox pitching coach and game planning coordinator Jason Varitek have taught him a few things.

“That my stuff plays in the zone,” Pivetta said. “That’s the biggest thing, just attacking the strike zone. I know my walks have been up this year, quite a bit, but at the end of the day, when I get past that, it’s attacking the zone and letting my stuff play in the zone. Having that confidence and competing.

“I think another guy that’s noteworthy is having Tek there, too. He’s been a huge help to me with my , my today. With him and Bushy that we have, it’s a really good combination.”

If being more aggressive and using his slider more are the only two things he’s changed, one has to wonder if it’s just a matter of time before the league catches on and changes their approach. There’s already some data that indicates Pivetta has gotten lucky this year. While his ERA on the season is a sparkling 3.31, some numbers suggest that’ll be going up soon.

Because he’s given up a lot of fly balls (about 36%) but only has allowed two homers on the year, Pivetta’s xFIP, a calculation of one’s ERA independent of fielding and assuming 10.5% of his fly balls are home runs, is 4.41, more than a run higher than his ERA.

But Pivetta isn’t the only pitcher benefiting from some fly balls that aren’t leaving the park as often as they normally might. Across the league, offense is down and the home run rate is just 13.6% of fly balls, the lowest in three years.

The two other numbers that suggest Pivetta has been fortunate: a .278 batting average against on balls in play (which suggests he’s benefited from lucky hit placement) and a left-on-base percentage of 75.8% (which suggest he’s gotten timely outs), both the lowest of his career.

But it begs the question: Is Pivetta getting lucky or is he just pitching better? Time will tell.

“You see the stuff,” manager Alex Cora said. “The fastball is a good fastball, good spin on it, good breaking ball, the changeup. He has ability, pitch ability… I love the way he goes about business. He’s relentless, not only on the field but in the weight room, in the training room. He went to Fort Myers right after the season last year to put in his work and work on his craft and it’s paying off.”

* MassLive.com

Rafael Devers belts homer, two-run double to lead Boston Red Sox to win over Orioles; Nick Pivetta improves to 5-0 with 3.19 ERA

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — Rafael Devers continued his dominance at Camden Yards with a homer and two-run double to lead the Red Sox 4-3 over the Orioles on Sunday.

Devers entered the game batting .298 (34-for-114) with a .375 on-base percentage, .553 slugging percentage, .928 OPS, eight homers, three doubles, one triple, 21 RBIs and 20 runs in 28 games here.

The slugger crushed a 423-foot home run with a 110.7 mph exit velocity to center field to tie the game 1-1 in the second inning. It was his eighth homer of the season.

His two-run double went 372 feet to right-center field. It left his bat at 106.5 mph and put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 in the sixth.

Renfroe homers

Hunter Renfroe extended Boston’s lead to 4-2 with a solo homer in the eighth.

It traveled 453 feet to center field and left the bat at 113.1 mph. It is the second hardest hit ball by a Red Sox this season. Xander Bogaerts hit a ball 113.6 mph.

He’s 11-for-35 (.314) with three homers, nine RBIs and seven runs in eight games in May.

Pivetta’s ERA drops to 3.19

Pivetta struggled through a 30-pitch first inning, but he ended up pitching 6 strong innings. He allowed two runs, three hits and three walks while striking out two.

The righty threw 50 four-seam , averaging 95.1 mph and topping out at 97.0 mph, per Baseball Savant. He mixed in 26 knuckle , 22 sliders and five .

Pivetta is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA in seven starts.

Red Sox bullpen

Josh Taylor took over for Pivetta in the seventh. He pitched around two walks, including a four-pitch leadoff walk, for a scoreless inning.

Adam Ottavino allowed one run in the eighth. He hit , the first batter of the eighth inning. Hays scored on a two-out double by Ryan Mountcastle.

Ottavino has allowed the leadoff batter to reach base seven times (four walks, two hits, one hit by pitch) in 16 appearances.

Matt Barnes pitched a perfect ninth inning.

Monday’s series finale

The Sox and O’s will wrap up their four-game series Monday at 7:05 p.m. Left-hander Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.40) will start for the Red Sox opposite Baltimore righty Jorge López (1-3, 6.49).

López gave up seven runs on eight hits (two homers) and one walk against the Red Sox on April 11.

Boston Red Sox notebook: Was Nick Pivetta tipping pitches in first inning? Hunter Renfroe bashes 453-foot, 113.1-mph home run

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — The first inning was a grind for Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta. He threw 30 pitches. Nine pitches were fouled off.

But Pivetta settled in, pitching 6 strong innings. He allowed two runs, three hits, three walks and two strikeouts in Boston’s 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles here at Camden Yards.

He might have been tipping pitches.

“I think they might have had a tip on me earlier on,” Pivetta said. “We were able to make that adjustment. And took the sleeves off and everything was good after that.”

Pivetta began the game with a red long-sleeve shirt under his jersey. But he took it off and went with bare arms.

“I have no idea,” Pivetta said when asked if tipping had something to do with his sleeves. “Alex (Cora) and the guys here, they do a really good job picking up on stuff. And they were able to tell me about something. It all worked out after that.”

Pivetta 7-0 with Red Sox

Pivetta is 7-0 with a 2.89 ERA (46 ⅔ innings, 15 earned runs) in nine starts since Boston acquired him last August from the Phillies. The opposition is batting just .196 against him.

Pivetta agreed he needed a change of scenery after posting a 5.50 ERA in 92 outings (71 starts) for Philadelphia from 2017-20.

“It seems that way,” Pivetta said. “I think it’s obvious that it seems that way. It seems like I needed to get something changed up. ... But there’s still a lot of work to do.”

He has learned this season his stuff plays in the zone.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is attacking the strike zone,” he said. “I know my walks have been up this year quite a bit. But at the end of the day, when I get past that, it’s attacking the zone and letting my stuff play in the zone. Having that confidence and competing.”

Red Sox game planning coordinator Jason Varitek has helped him with his offspeed pitches.

“He’s been a huge help to me with my curveball, with a lot of other things; my changeup today,” Pivetta said. “So with him and Bushy (pitching coach Dave Bush), it’s a really good combination. There’s two different points of view.”

Renfroe making ‘loud contact’ in May

Hunter Renfroe extended Boston’s lead to 4-2 with a solo homer in the eighth.

It traveled 453 feet to center field and left the bat at 113.1 mph. It is the second hardest hit ball by a Red Sox hitter this season. Xander Bogaerts hit a ball 113.6 mph.

He’s 11-for-35 (.314) with three homers, nine RBIs and seven runs in eight games in May.

“I do believe it started in Texas,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Forget the home run. I think the line drives the other way helped him out. He looks like he’s balanced now. He’s not trying to do too much. When he does that, he’s in a good spot. Actually, his swing reminds me a lot of what he did in spring training. I told him the other day, don’t change a thing. He’s putting the ball in play with two strikes. There’s not too many swings-and-misses. And as you know, when he makes contact, it’s loud contact.”

Ottavino vs. leadoff batter

Adam Ottavino pitched the eighth and hit the leadoff batter.

He has allowed the leadoff batter to reach base seven times (four walks, two hits, one hit by pitch) in 16 appearances.

Monday’s series finale

Boston has won all three games in Baltimore so far.

The Sox and O’s will wrap up their four-game series Monday at 7:05 p.m. Left-hander Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.40) will start for the Red Sox opposite Baltimore righty Jorge López (1-3, 6.49).

López gave up seven runs on eight hits (two homers) and one walk against the Red Sox on April 11.

Boston Red Sox lineup: Christian Vázquez has day off, Marwin Gonzalez leading off Sunday vs. Orioles

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — Christian Vázquez won’t play against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. He’ll receive the day off. is behind the plate catching Nick Pivetta.

The Red Sox and Orioles will play at 1:05 p.m. here at Camden Yards.

Marwin Gonzalez will play second base and lead off for the second time in three games.

Before the game, the Red Sox placed infielder Christian Arroyo on the 10-day injured list because of a left hand contusion.

Manager Alex Cora was considering giving Xander Bogaerts a day off but the shortstop is in the lineup.

Bogaerts leads all major league shortstops in batting average (.357), on-base percentage (.400), slugging percentage (.603), OPS (1.003), hits (45), doubles (10) and extra-base hits (17).

Boston Red Sox lineup:

1. Marwin Gonzalez 2B

2. CF

3. J.D. Martinez DH

4. Xander Bogaerts SS

5. Rafael Devers 3B

6. Hunter Renfroe RF

7. 1B

8. LF

9. Kevin Plawecki C

Pitching matchup: RHP Nick Pivetta (4-0, 3.23) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (0-2, 6.43)

Boston Red Sox roster moves: Christian Arroyo (hand contusion) placed on IL, Jonathan Araúz recalled from Worcester

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — The Boston Red Sox have placed infielder Christian Arroyo on the 10-day injured list because of a left hand contusion.

They have recalled Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester.

Arroyo’s IL stint is retroactive to May 7. He was hit by a pitch Wednesday. X-rays were negative.

Arroyo is 19-for-69 (.275 batting average) with a .333 on-base percentage, .377 slugging percentage, seven doubles, five RBIs and nine runs in 23 games this year.

His hand felt sore when he swung a bat Saturday.

Araúz spent the entire 2020 season on the Red Sox’s active roster after Boston selected him in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. He has gone 3-for-15 with a run and RBI in five games for Worcester this season.

This is the second position player in the past three days to be placed on the IL. Boston placed Kiké Hernández on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain Friday.

Tanner Houck injury: Boston Red Sox righty has sore flexor muscle, has been shut down

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — The Boston Red Sox have shut down top depth starter Tanner Houck because of a sore flexor muscle.

He underwent an MRI already that informed this diagnosis.

“We’re not overly concerned,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday morning. “This happened in his last start. The next day he came in sore. He’s actually feeling better right now. But of course, we’re going to shut him down. There’s no timetable but this is something we feel is going to be short-term. It’s not something that we are overly concerned but that’s where we’re at right now.”

The righty was scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Worcester today but he has been scratched.

He started Worcester’s first game of the season in Trenton on May 4. Houck went just 3 innings, allowing three runs, eight hits and no walks while striking out four.

Houck is 3-2 with a 1.98 ERA (27 ⅓ innings, six earned runs) in six outings, including five starts, for the Red Sox the past two years.

The 24-year-old has pitched in three games and made two starts for Boston this year. He has allowed five earned runs in 10 ⅓ innings.

Connor Seabold, another pitching prospect and depth starter at Worcester, began the Triple-A season on the injured list because of elbow inflammation.

“Connor is dealing with some minor elbow soreness,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said May 3. “It’s a long season and so we’d rather address this now rather than try to push through it. He’s on a gradual progression back to full strength.”

Bryan Mata, who entered the 2021 season as Boston’s top pitching prospect, underwent Tommy John surgery in April.

Daniel Gossett and Stephen Gonsalves are starting depth options not on the 40-man roster. , who has served in several different roles out of the Red Sox bullpen this season, also could be stretched out to start if needed.

Boston Red Sox ‘are like a Little League team,’ Alex Cora’s mom told him during Mother’s Day phone call this morning

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — It is Mother’s Day and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora called his mom Iris Amaro on the way to Camden Yards for today’s 1:05 p.m. game against the Orioles.

Iris made her son laugh when she told him the 2021 Red Sox “are like a Little League team.”

“When things are not going good, they’re pouting. When things are going great, they celebrate like a Little League team,” Cora said his mother told him. “I take that as a compliment. That means that we care and we’re having fun.”

Cora said his mother sees the game a little differently from him.

“She understands the game,” Cora said. “She knows that it is a different game. Probably she wants me to bunt a little bit more and to stick with my starters longer than usual. But she gets it. She doesn’t get in the way about criticizing me or second-guessing me. She’s just pulling for me, pulling for (brother) Joey (Cora). She’s great. She’s in tune with everything that’s going on.”

Cora said one of his biggest joys was in 2018 when his mom and the rest of the family came to Boston and Los Angeles for the World Series.

“Just to have them around and everybody sleeping on the floor and air mattresses everywhere, just kind of like summer ball, right? When you travel, you bring the whole family and everybody pulls for you. I know that was a big moment not only for her but us as a family. Joey had a blast being a fan. Only a fan, not a coach or not a manager, not a baseball guy. Just a fan of the Red Sox. It was amazing. And she’s having fun. She’s having fun like everybody else that pulls for the Red Sox right now. She knows it’s early, but she’s having a blast with this team.”

Cora said he’s biased but he thinks his mother “is the best in the world.”

“She did everything for us,” Cora said. “She’s the one who runs the family. She’s our manager.”

Rafael Devers not surprised Boston Red Sox own MLB’s best record; ‘We believe in each other as a team. It’s you guys that don’t believe in us’

Christopher Smith

BALTIMORE — Rafael Devers isn’t surprised the Boston Red Sox own MLB’s best record at 22-13.

“No, not at all,” Devers said via mental skills coach Rey Fuentes who was translating. “We believe in each other. We believe in each other as a team. It’s you guys that don’t believe in us. But in this clubhouse and this team, we believe in each other and we knew we were a good team.”

The Red Sox won again Sunday, beating the Orioles 4-3 here at Camden Yards.

Devers is correct: Nobody picked Boston entering 2021 after a disastrous 2020 season. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA Standings projected the Sox to win 82.7 games.

Fangraphs.com gave the Red Sox a 37.9% chance of making the postseason entering 2021. Boston’s postseason odds have increased to 63%, which still is lower than the 18-16 Yankees (84.5%).

It’s early. Only 22% of the regular season has been played. But the Red Sox are on a 101.9-win pace.

A big reason why the Red Sox have exceeded expectations is because of the 2-5 spots in the lineup. No. 2 Alex Verdugo has a .838 OPS, No. 3 hitter J.D. Martinez has a 1.075 OPS, cleanup hitter Xander Bogaerts has a .985 OPS and No. 5 hitter Rafael Devers has a .951 OPS.

It was Devers who did the damage Sunday.

The slugger crushed a 423-foot home run with a 110.7 mph exit velocity to center field to tie the game 1-1 in the second inning. It was his eighth homer this season.

He then belted a two-run double that went 372 feet into the right-center field gap. It left his bat at 106.5 mph and put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 in the sixth.

Devers’ one-out double with the bases loaded came on a 2-2 pitch after Bogaerts had just stuck out swinging.

“He picked his buddy up there,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Xander, he grinds the at-bat, he strikes out with the bases loaded. And (Devers) chases a few pitches up in the zone. He was able to foul off a pitch outside. And then he was able to stay on top of a fastball. And he crushed that ball. He’s been doing a great job with men in scoring position. He’s been very patient lately, which is good. And when he does that, he becomes very dangerous.”

Devers is 3-for-4 with a double and seven RBIs with the bases loaded. He’s 15-for-37 (.405) with three homers, three doubles and 23 RBIs with men in scoring position.

“I become aggressive in that situation,” Devers said. “I look for pitchers that are in the zone. ... I get extra aggressive but within the zone.”

Devers also has played strong defense in recent weeks. He said he continues to work and he never stops working.

“I know that everybody makes errors,” Devers said. “It’s part of the game. There’s also many people out there that are pretty negative towards that every time I don’t make a play. ... I don’t control them. So I just continue working, continue on my own.”

Marwin Gonzalez has had a big influence on Devers and helped him improve defensively.

“I’m a person who loves to ask questions,” Devers said. “I love asking questions. So obviously when we’ve got somebody like Marwin who’s a veteran, who has been around for a while, I ask him, I listen to him. I listen to anything that he can give me that will help me. And I’m not afraid to ask him anything. So I go up to him and ask question, leaning on what he’s going to tell me.”

* RedSox.com

Red Sox reaping rewards of Devers' flair

Megan Garcia

Boston’s batters needed just a little extra time Sunday afternoon to show the crowd at Camden Yards that no one was hitting the ball better than they are.

Rafael Devers drove in three runs -- on a home run in the second inning and a bases-loaded two-run double in the sixth inning -- helping the Red Sox secure their 15th come-from-behind win this season, 4-3 over the Orioles. It was Boston’s fifth win in six games and third straight in the four-game series in Baltimore.

"The home run, that was eye-opening. I think that's the first breaking ball they throw, and he's all over it,” said manager Alex Cora, whose Red Sox own the best record in baseball. “It seems like that ball was like 5 feet off the ground, and it just kept carrying.”

Devers has established himself as a clutch hitter at the age of 24. Opposing teams have tried to rattle him in big moments, but Devers doesn’t let things affect his approach. If anything, he laughs at them.

Cora watched Devers play in the 2017 American League Division Series when Cora was the Astros’ bench coach and Devers was a 20-year-old rookie for Boston. The Astros tried to grab Devers’ attention by laughing at him, only for him to join them in the wisecracks.

In four games of the ALDS, Devers posted a .364 batting average with five RBIs in 11 at-bats, including an inside-the-park home run.

Devers has kept his flair in the batter’s box and on the field. He has done it with such ease that his skipper laughs at it, since he gets to enjoy the wins that come from it.

"He enjoys playing baseball,” Cora said. “He's just happy and he's like, 'Why be upset or mad? I'm playing baseball. I'm making a lot of money, and I hit homers.' So I can’t go against that. He's very relaxed, he loves it. He loves playing the game.”

The Red Sox’s offense has changed drastically in the past couple of weeks.

When the lineup slumps, whether in one game or over a stretch of games, it no longer needs to rely on its core hitters of Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Devers. Now, Boston can call upon any of its hitters to change the outcome with one swing.

Hunter Renfroe was one of those hitters on Mother’s Day for Boston. He has trended upward since he batted .167 and hit one home run in April.

His solo homer in the eighth inning gave the Red Sox a 4-2 cushion, and it became the difference when Baltimore tacked on a run in the bottom half when Ryan Mountcastle doubled in Austin Hays.

In eight games this month, Renfroe has three homers and leads the Red Sox with nine RBIs.

"Forget the home run, I think the line drives the other way help him out. He looks like he's balanced now. He's not trying to do too much, and when he does that, he's in a good spot,” Cora said. “Actually, his swing reminds me a lot of what he did in Spring Training. I told him the other day, ‘Don't change a thing.’ He's putting the ball in play with two strikes, there's not too many swings and misses, and when he makes contact it’s loud contact.”

Venable proving a major asset from bench

Megan Garcia

When Red Sox manager Alex Cora decided who would join his 2021 coaching staff, a new recruit got high marks from former World Series champions around the Majors.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Cubs skipper David Ross made it a point to call Cora and vouch for Will Venable upon hearing that the former Major Leaguer was joining the Red Sox as a bench coach.

“They were right,” Cora said. “He’s a good one.”

Venable covers many facets of the game as a bench coach, from days off to game plans, but during games the 38-year-old controls the running game from the dugout. The methodology for preventing stolen bases comes down to pitchers working quickly and to calling the right pickoff plays while doing it differently each time.

"These are all things that we're working on and trying to just be really proactive,” Venable said. “[It's about] how we would go about that and changing our looks and trying different things, so it's an ongoing process.”

Before he joined the Red Sox, Venable was a coach and special assistant to the president of baseball operations with the Cubs dating back to September 2017. His nine years in the Majors prepared him for his career as a coach, though he isn’t ready to be at the helm of a team quite yet.

"That's not something that I'm thinking about right now,” Venable said. “Obviously, I've had opportunities to do some interviews, which has been a great learning experience. But the more I learned about that role, the more I understand how challenging it is.

"If that's something that happens down the road, great. But for right now, I'm just trying to be the best coach for the Boston Red Sox that I can.”

The Red Sox have been pleased with Venable’s work ever since Spring Training. He was often referred to as the MVP in camp, particularly for how organized he was while balancing different obligations.

"When his name was brought up, I talked to him for 2 1/2 hours, and I'm not great at conversations over the phone, and he opened my eyes,” Cora said. "He's been really good, very organized, in tune with the game, in tune with the players, in tune with the organization. I think we made the right decision to bring him on board.”

Other notes

• Second baseman Christian Arroyo was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 7 with a left hand contusion. The Red Sox called up Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester to replace Arroyo on the active roster. Araúz was traveling with Boston as part of its taxi squad.

• Right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck will be shut down after he left last Tuesday's start with Triple-A Worcester with a sore right flexor muscle. "This is something that we feel that is going to be short term,” Cora said. “It's not something that we are overly concerned about.”

* NBC Sports Boston

Nick Pivetta continues to be an absolute steal for Red Sox

Darren Hartwell

The Boston Red Sox have come a long way since being swept by the Baltimore Orioles in their opening series.

The Red Sox defeated the Orioles 4-3 at Camden Yards on Sunday to earn their fourth consecutive win and sixth straight victory over Baltimore since losing three in a row to open the 2021 season.

Starter Nick Pivetta (more on him shortly) earned the win and Matt Barnes picked up his eighth save of the season to improve Boston's record to 22-13, the best in Major League Baseball.

Here are three takeaways from the Red Sox' win in Baltimore:

Nick Pivetta is making Chaim Bloom look very smart

Our John Tomase recently gave the Red Sox' 2020 trade for Pivetta an A+, and it's easy to see why.

Pivetta was by no means dominant Sunday, but he limited the Orioles to two runs on three hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts over six innings to improve to 5-0 on the season.

That makes the 28-year-old right-hander a perfect 7-0 since coming over from the last August -- with a 2.89 ERA in that span.

Pivetta posted a 5.50 ERA over three-plus seasons with Philadelphia, but he's been an absolute steal for the Red Sox as a fourth starter who has provided valuable length to a surprisingly good rotation in 2021.

Hunter Renfroe shows signs of life

Renfroe has scuffled out of the gate and hit just .167 with one home run and 18 strikeouts in April. But a new month has brought him a hotter bat.

The veteran outfielder blasted a 453-foot homer to dead center field Sunday, his third in his last eight games.

Despite finishing the day 1-for-4, Renfroe is now hitting .314 (11-for-35) in May with three home runs and nine RBIs.

The Red Sox have plenty of pop at the top of their lineup -- Rafael Devers also crushed his eighth homer of the season Sunday -- but when players at the bottom of the order like Renfroe start to heat up, that's when they can do some serious damage.

Matt Barnes continues to take the stress out of close games

Be honest: Did you expect the Orioles to tie the game in the ninth inning when Barnes took the ball?

You shouldn't have, because with the exception of just two appearances, the Red Sox' closer has been lights-out this season.

Barnes struck out one batter in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his eighth save. Since allowing three runs to the Seattle Mariners on April 25, the hard-throwing right-hander has pitched seven scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts, no walks and just one hit allowed.

The game's best closers make the ninth inning uneventful, and Barnes has done exactly that as the Red Sox' go-to stopper.

On Mother's Day, Alex Cora reflects on rock of his family

John Tomase

Asked about the impact his mom has made on his career, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora takes a deep breath.

"Do we have time?" he asks. "We don't have time for that. We'd probably be here for hours."

Such is Cora's love and admiration for his mom, Iris Amaro, who is the rock of his family, not to mention his biggest fan.

Before the Red Sox faced the Orioles Sunday on Mother's Day, Cora took a few minutes to salute the woman who grounded him in the game as much as anyone after his father died of colon cancer when Alex was just 13.

"She's been everything for us," Cora said. "She's the one that runs the family. She's our manager. Let's put it that way. What she's done, what she's gone through the last 18 months, it hasn't been easy. But she's just mom. She's there. She will always be there for us. I'm very biased about that. She's the best in the world."

Cora is the youngest of four. His brother, Joey, preceded him to the big leagues and played 11 seasons, making an All-Star team in 1997 with the Mariners. He also has two sisters -- Lydia runs a medical lab and Aimee is a public relations official for multiple radio and TV stations in Puerto Rico. (For more on the family, check out this profile from MLB.com's Ian Browne.)

His dad founded a popular Little League chapter in Caguas that his mom took over following Jose Manuel Cora's death. The family banded together for young Alex.'

"The three of them, my two sisters and her, they carried the little guy, the baby of the family, everywhere," Cora said. "To baseball games, to volleyball games, basketball games, parties, everywhere, until I went to Miami. I'm so proud of them. Not only for what they did for us, but also what they mean to a lot of people in our hometown, and the people they impacted in our Little League chapter, dad started that. She's the mom of a lot of professionals back home."

Cora's mom is 81, but her passion for the game hasn't waned. She still texts him daily, and she religiously watches the Red Sox and Pirates, where Joey coaches third base. Old-school fans will embrace some of her positions.

"She understands the game," he said. "She knows it's a different game. Probably she wants me to bunt a little bit more and stick with my starters more than usual. She doesn't get in the way about criticizing me or second-guessing me. She's just pulling for me, pulling for Joey. She's in tune with everything going on."

One of Cora's biggest joys was having his family on hand for the 2018 World Series in Boston and Los Angeles. His mom has taken a particular interest in this year's Red Sox team, which she likens to a group near and dear to her heart.

"She sees the game a little bit different than me," Cora said. "She enjoys the game. We just talked on the way here and she said, they're like a Little League team. They pout when they don't do (well). It was funny. I was dying laughing. When things are not going good, they pout, and when things are going good, they celebrate, like a Little League team. I take that as a compliment. It means we care and we're having fun."

His mom offered one last bit of wisdom for the surprising Red Sox, who own the best record in baseball.

"Like everyone else that pulls for the Red Sox right now, she knows it's early," Cora said, "but she's having a blast with this team."

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Final: Red Sox 4, Orioles 3

Sean McAdam

Rafael Devers drove in three runs and Hunter Renfroe added a big solo homer in the eighth inning as the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles for their fourth straight win and improved to 6-0 at Camden Yards this season.

Devers had a solo homer in the second and a two-run double in the sixth.

Nick Pivetta improved to 5-0 with six innings, during which he allowed two runs. Matt Barnes notched his eighth save in as many tries.

WHO: Red Sox (21-13) vs. Baltimore Orioles (15-18) WHEN: 1:05 p.m. WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 5-3 SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 2-0 STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (4-0, 3.23) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (0-2, 6.43) TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7 FM

RED SOX

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

ORIOLES

Mullins CF Hays LF Mancini DH Stewart RF Mountcastle 1B Galvis SS Severino C Ruiz 3B Valaika 2B

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

B8: Adam Ottavino continues to struggle with first hitters. He hits Austin Hays, marking the seventh time in 16 appearances that he’s put the leadoff man on base.

T8: Hunter Renfroe got all of that one –more than 450 feet to straightaway CF, with an important insurance run.

T7: Sox leave ’em loaded. That’s five baserunners stranded over the last two innings, including four in scoring position.

B6: On his 103rd — and surely final — pitch of the afternoon, Pivetta digs in and retires Galvis on a flyout to center, stranding a baserunner in scoring position.

T6: Sox get two, but with a chance to add on and two in scoring position and just one out, can’t do so. Remains to be seen how costly that will be.

T6: Devers, fooled badly by two pitches up in the strike zone earlier in the at-bat, doesn’t miss on a third try, slamming a double to right for a two-run double.

T6: Dean Kremer had limited the Sox to just three hits through the first five innings, but with back-to-back singles from Marwin Gonzalez and Alex Verdugo to open the sixth, he gets the hook. on.

B5: Pivetta leaves a changeup up in the zone and Cedric Mullins crushes it into the right field seats.

T5: Sox strand Bobby Dalbec (double) on third in the fifth.

B4: Pivetta, settling in nicely, has set down the previous nine Orioles in a row before Freddy Glavis lined that single to right field.

T2: Four of the eight homers hit by Devers this season have come against the Orioles — all of them at Camden Yards.

T2: With an almost effortless swing, Rafael Devers goes deep to center with his eighth homer, tying the game quickly.

B1: A reminder of how quickly an inning can turn: Nick Pivetta was ahead of 0-and-2 with two outs and was a strike away from a 1-2-3 inning. Instead, he lost Mancini with a walk, followed that with another one and then gave up a run-scoring single to Ryan Mountcastle.

B1: Complete with eye-pink, Hunter Renfroe makes a fine leaping catch against the RF scoreboard to take away extra bases from Austin Hays.

PRE-GAME STATS: The Red Sox have the best record in the game at 21-13 and have won three straight and four of their last five…The Red Sox have scored 45 runs in their last five games, including 11 or more runs in three of those five, and at least five runs in each of them……The Red Sox lead the majors in runs (183), batting average (.269), slugging percentage (.445), OPS (.779), doubles (76), and extra-base hits (120)…They have 14 HR in their last eight games…They also have had multiple extra-base hits in 18 consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors in 2021…. The Sox are the only team with four qualified players with an OPS of at least .850: J.D. Martinez (1.084), Xander Bogaerts (1.003), Rafael Devers (.915), and Alex Verdugo (.856)…..Xander Bogaerts has seven homers in his last 17 games, the most in the majors during that time…Bogaerts leads MLB in hits (45) and ranks third in batting average (.357)…In the month of May, he is 13-for-29 (.448) with three home runs…Bogaerts leads MLB shortstops in AVG (.357), OBP (.400), slugging (.603), OPS (1.003), doubles (tied, 10), and extra-base hits (17)…No other shortstop has an OPS of at least .900….The Red Sox are 15-for-19 in stolen base attempts for a 78.9% success rate…..Christian Vázquez (4-for-4) and Alex Verdugo (3-for-3) lead the club in steals….Hunter Renfroe has eight RBI in May, tops on the team. He 10-for-31 (.323) with two homers this month...Marwin Gonzalez has hit safely in each of his last six games, with doubles in each of his last three…Vázquez is 10-for-22 (.455) with seven RBI during his six-game hitting streak...Bobby Dalbec is 3- for-8 with five RBI in his last two games…The visiting team has won each of the last nine games between the Red Sox and Orioles, including all eight meetings this season…As a staff, the Red Sox have 300.1 , with 58.7% coming from starters (176.1); In 2020, 46.9% of their innings came from starters (246.0 of 524.0)….Since joining the Red Sox last September, Nick Pivetta is 6-0 with a 2.88 ERA and .204 opponent AVG in eight starts (40.2 IP, 13 ER, 29 H)…Before Pivetta, the last pitcher to go unbeaten in his first eight or more starts with the Red Sox was in 2006 (5-0 in first 9)…..Only 3 starters have begun their Sox careers with 7+ wins before their first loss: Dave “Boo” Ferriss (8-0, 1945), George Winter (7-0, 1901), and John Burkett (7-0, 2002)…. is 2-for-3 with a homer against Pivetta lifetime while Freddy Galvis is 3-for-4...Kevin Plawecki is 2-for-2 in his career against Dean Kremer.

NOTES:

The Red Sox placed INF Christian Arroyo on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 7, with a left hand contusion. To replace him on the roster, the Red Sox promoted INF Jonathan Arauz. Arroyo was hit on the left hand Wednesday, the second time in the span of 10 days that he was hit in that area. This is the second IL move the Sox have made in the last three days, after placing INF/OF Kike Hernandez (hamstring) on IL Friday.

The Sox also have shut down RHP Tanner Houck with a sore right flexor muscle. “We’re not overly concerned,” said Cora. “This happened in his last start. The next day, he came in sore. He’s actually feeling better. There’s no timetable, but this is something we feel is going to be short-term.”

The Sox have had the same four-man umpiring crew — Ron Kulpa, Brian O’Nora, D.J. Reyburn and Ryan Blakney — for the past four series with two more to come — as MLB tries to limit exposure due to COVID. Twice, the umpires have traveled on the Red Sox charter. “It’s been OK,” said Alex Cora. “They’re profesionals and we understand the situation and we deal with it.”

BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 4, Orioles 3 – Devers, Pivetta lead Sox to fourth straight

Sean McAdam

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

HEADLINES

Pivetta improves to 5-0: At the start of the season, Nick Pivetta was probably regarded as the team’s No. 5 starter — a back-end option, perhaps serving only as a placeholder until supplanted by someone else. But some five weeks into the season, Pivetta is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA. He struggled some in the first inning, with consecutive two-out walks, a run-scoring single and a ton of foul balls, but made some adjustments thereafter, allowing just one more run over his final five innings of work. In the nine games that Pivetta has started since joining the big league club last September, the Sox are 8-1. “Mixing pitches, getting ahead of guys and a lot of weak contact today,” said Pivetta of his recipe for success. The one mistake he made was a solo homer to Cedric Mullins in the fifth, but he was able to overcome that.

Offense provides enough: After averaging nine runs over the previous five games, the Sox’ dipped with their production, relatively speaking. But they came up with big hits when they needed them and continued to see contributions from all over the lineup. Hunter Renfroe hit his third homer of the month and Bobby Dalbec had a hard-hit double to the left-center field gap. But the biggest hits came from Rafael Devers, who homered in the second to tie the game, then clubbed a two-run double in the sixth to put them ahead to stay. “That’s what we’re all about,” said Alex Cora of the balanced attack. “Right now, we’re feeling good about our lineup from top to bottom.”

Defense a factor: Sunday’s win may have lacked the kind of spectacular play that Xander Bogaerts turned in the sixth inning Saturday to start an improbable 6-4-3 double play, but there were solid plays in the field that helped limit the Orioles offense throughout the game. Hunter Renfroe made two standout plays in the first inning alone — leaping against the scoreboard to take extra bases away from Austin Hays and, later the same inning, came racing in to catch a sinking liner off the bat of Freddy Galvis, with two runners on base. In the ninth inning, with the Sox clinging to a one-run lead, Bobby Dalbec made a fine diving stop of a hot smash off the bat of , depriving the O’s of a double and a chance to put the potential tying run in scoring position.

TURNING POINT

In talking about how important it is for Red Sox starters to begin going deeper than five innings on Saturday, Alex Cora said the Sox would benefit from more shutdown innings — i.e., innings in which the starter has a quick inning immediately after the Red Sox score. Pivetta accomplished that twice Sunday — in the bottom of the second, after the Red Sox tied it, and again, after the Sox pulled ahead with two in the sixth, he turned the Orioles back, allowing only a walk in the bottom of the inning.

TWO UP:

Marwin Gonzalez: Back at the top of the lineup as the Sox’ temporary leadoff hitter, Gonzalez had three hits in five plate appearances.

Matt Barnes: Barnes converted his eighth save in eight opportunities. In his eight save chances, he’s allowed two batters to reach base — one on a hit, one on a walk

ONE DOWN:

Adam Ottavino: For the seventh time in 16 appearances, Ottavino put the first batter he faced on based. Not surprisingly, he allowed a run as a result in the eighth inning. Opponents have scored against Ottavino in six of his 16 outings.

QUOTE OF NOTE:

“We have a great rhythm going on. We’re never out of baseball games. We’re really good competitors and we compete when we need to.” Nick Pivetta on the streaking Sox.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The visiting team has won all nine games in the meetings between the Red Sox and Orioles this season.

Nick Pivetta is the fourth pitcher in franchise history to start his career with seven wins and no losses.

The Sox are 9-1 when their goes six or more innings.

Boston improved to 12-4 on the road.

UP NEXT: The four game series between the teams wraps up Monday at 7:05 p.m. with LHP Martin Perez (0-2, 4.40) vs. LHP Jorge Lopez (1-3, 6.49)

With the game on the line, Rafael Devers welcomes the challenge

Sean McAdam

The demeanor never changes.

The Red Sox could be up four, down five, or tied, and Rafael Devers has the same familiar routine at the plate — endlessly rolling his shoulders, taking deep cleansing breaths, shaking his head in wonderment and slapping himself in the helmet.

Then there’s the comical conversations he holds with himself, when he seems to be chastising himself for missing a pitch, or sometimes, passing one up.

Regardless of the score or the inning, Devers goes to the plate with the same goal in mind: to hit the ball hard somewhere. It appears to be merely a coincidence that he succeeds more frequently when teammates occupy the bases.

In Sunday’s 4-3 Red Sox win over the Baltimore Orioles, Devers cracked a solo homer to center with one out in the second. On a swing that resulted in the low-flying liner 423 feet to straightaway center, Devers appeared to barely flick his wrists.

But it was his at-bat four innings later that proved to be the signature moment of the Sox’ win, their fourth in a row and six in six tries in Baltimore this season. The Red Sox had loaded the bases with no out, but Xander Bogaerts looked uncharacteristically overmatched, swinging and missing on a pitch low and out of the strike zone for the first out.

In stepped Devers, who despite fabulous plate coverage that enables him to make contact with pitches others can only dream about, naturally fares better when he more stays more closely attuned to the strike zone. Devers chased two pitches well above the strike zone before eventually smashing a fastball to right field, scoring two runs.

That double, which put the Red Sox ahead to stay for the afternoon, improved Devers’ average to .405 (15- for-37) with runners in scoring position. That’s 10th-best among all qualified hitters in the game, though Devers seems at a loss to explain his success in those situations.

“Like I’ve said before, I become aggressive in that situation,” Devers said, “and look for pitches that are in the zone. I just get aggressive. I look to do the job that presents itself. I get extra aggressive, but within the zone.”

In analytic circles, the notion of someone being a “clutch hitter” is almost laughable. The date suggests that such a thing doesn’t exist. And yet, season after season, Devers seems to rise to the challenge that such opportunities provide.

His success this year may seem somewhat counterintuitive, since, for the most part, the Red Sox have not produced much in the lower half of their batting order. Once an opposing pitcher gets past Devers in the fifth spot, there hasn’t been much to worry about. (Though, to be fair, the team’s production has improved somewhat in the last 10 days in the lower half of the lineup).

Then again, if teams are deliberately pitching around Devers in big spots, he’s been smart enough to not get himself out. His walk rate heading into Sunday was 12.1 percent, more than double his rate (5.2 percent) of a year ago. In fact, Devers has already drawn more walks this season — 16 walks in 32 games — than he did in the 60-game schedule a year ago.

“He’s been very patient lately, which is good,” noted Alex Cora. “When he does that, he becomes very dangerous.”

Call it maturity. Call it learning more about himself. But know that, given the chance, Devers still is inclined to get his hacks in when there are RBI opportunities available.

While Devers hasn’t had much protection behind him in the lineup, he’s had plenty of at-bats with runners on base. Two of the hottest hitters in the league — J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts — hit directly in front of him, creating a gauntlet through which opponents must run.

If one doesn’t get you, another surely will. It just so happens that Devers represents the final link. And he’s determined to take advantage when his turn comes.

Perhaps it’s no more complicated than this: Devers doesn’t rattle. He enjoys what he’s doing, and isn’t about to shrink from the moment.

Cora frequently mentions his first interaction with Devers in the 2017 ALDS between the Red Sox and Houston Astros. Cora, then Houston’s bench coach, recalls leading the chorus of Astros chirping at Devers from the dugout late in Game 4 of the series. Not yet 21 and on the postseason stage for the first time, Devers laughed off the attempt and cracked a ball to Fenway’s triangle off veteran reliever Ken Giles for an inside-the-park homer.

Even then, Cora took note: the kid didn’t scare easy.

“There’s not a big moment for him. He enjoys playing baseball,” Cora said. “He’s just happy, very relaxed. He loves playing the game.”

* The Athletic

E-Rod and J.D.’s contracts, ’s return, and Tanner Houck’s injury: Red Sox Mailbag Part 1

Jen McCaffrey

Just like we all expected, six weeks into the season the Red Sox are among the best teams in baseball record-wise. Right.

We figured you might have some questions about this surprising Red Sox team so here’s the first half of a mailbag exploring Tanner Houck’s injury, Chris Sale’s timeline, contract extensions, when Jarren Duran might get called up, what to do about Franchy Cordero, how aggressive the Red Sox might be at the trade deadline and more.

Do you think the Red Sox plan to keep Tanner Houck in Worcester all season unless there is an injury to one of the starting five? He seems too good to keep down, but maybe the assumption is there will be major- league opportunities for him this season or do they feel he’s not quite ready for a regular role? I guess a good problem to have, but I’d like to see him pitch more often — Mike T via email

This question was sent in before Alex Cora revealed on Sunday that Houck would be shut down for the time being with a sore flexor muscle. The Red Sox are not overly concerned, according to Cora, but any kind of arm injury or soreness is by definition concerning. Houck first felt the soreness after his first start in Worcester on Wednesday, in which he allowed three runs on eight hits over three innings. In a best-case scenario, Houck will miss a few weeks before returning to action. At the same time, the injury underlines the importance of starting pitching depth. In a season where pitchers are being asked to throw much more than last year, teams have to be careful with ramp- ups and endurance and overall expectations. In addition to Houck, right-hander Connor Seabold (acquired along with Nick Pivetta in the Brandon Workman/Heath Hembree trade with Philadelphia last summer) has also been dealing with right elbow inflammation and top pitching prospect Bryan Mata had Tommy John surgery on April 14. These issues for Houck and Seabold might be a byproduct of reduced workloads last year, or a sign of the Red Sox being overly cautious with their top prospects; nevertheless they are concerning.

If Houck does return sooner rather than later, I do think the Red Sox will be more cautious with him. At this point, any kind of routine with regular starts would be good for him. He’s had so much start-and-stop over the past year, that finding a rhythm seems almost as important as anything. I’d imagine the results will follow. And in regard to the Red Sox rotation, if Houck returns healthy within a few weeks, it’s almost inevitable they’ll actually need him at some point this season to ensure the overall health of their staff. It should be noted that on a Chaim Bloom-led 2013 Rays team, Chris Archer didn’t make the Rays roster despite a strong debut in 2012. Yet he still made 23 starts in 2013 in a season where every other Rays starter (, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Roberto Hernandez, and Alex Cobb) made at least 22. So all this is to say, it’s a long season and they will undoubtedly find starts for Houck. I don’t think he’ll remain in Worcester the entire year.

Is there any chance the Sox go after a player such as Max Scherzer? — Jacob V via The Athletic app

I don’t think so. Given the moves Bloom has made since arriving in Oct. 2019, I can’t see him shelling out a bunch of prospects for half of a season of Scherzer, who hits free agency this winter. A move like that feels counterproductive to how Bloom has been building this team. Bloom has shown us he much prefers to find diamond-in-the-rough types like Nick Pivetta, and Martin Perez. That’s not to say he’ll never make a trade for a top-notch pitcher, but I think if he did, it’d be a younger pitcher with more years of control. Even if the Red Sox are still in contention and need pitching by the deadline (mind you Houck, and even Chris Sale could be contributing by then), I think any addition would be with an eye toward the future.

J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Rodriguez contract negotiations – do you think they offer extensions before the end of the season given how good they’ve performed? — Tony Serio, @Tonythemeatball

A lot of teams and players don’t like to work on contract extensions during the season because they see it as a distraction. Bloom has yet to offer an extension in his time here in Boston, but did acknowledge this spring that they have had internal discussions with some players about some contract extensions.

Rodriguez is interesting because he’s currently making just $8.3 million this year. It’s hard to predict the future for him. He came out strong this season, but his velocity has dipped to 90-91 mph. When he’s good, he could be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, but I wonder how the longevity concerns, especially coming off myocarditis, will affect his market. I think the rest of the season has to play out to determine how he fully bounces back this year, not just what he looks like after one month.

As far as Martinez, he is still under contract through 2022 with another opt-out in the coming offseason. There are plenty of variables for Martinez to consider, but I don’t think any of them will be resolved by the time he has to make his opt-out decision, which is five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Does he take his $19.375 million for the 2022 season, or does he bank on the league implementing a universal designated hitter in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement? The current CBA runs out Dec. 1. Free agents this winter face the real possibility of a work stoppage given the tension between the union and the league. The consensus seems to be that they’ll work something out, not wanting to interrupt a third straight season, but it nevertheless is something for someone like Martinez to consider with his opt-out.

Even if Martinez declines the option, that would open more options for the Red Sox, letting them move Rafael Devers to designated hitter with Bobby Dalbec potentially moving to third and first base prospect Triston Casas perhaps nearing a promotion by early next season.

What’s up with ? — MEWalsh, @mewalsh

This question was sent in before Kiké Hernandez landed on the injury list and Chavis was called up, but it was definitely fair to wonder when they would give Chavis a shot, especially considering the struggles of the bottom of the order. Will he immediately be sent back down when Hernandez returns or can he find a way to stick on this roster? At some point, it seems like Franchy Cordero could benefit from time at Triple A. Utilityman , who’s with High-A Greenville on a rehab assignment, is still a couple of weeks away and would have to go through a five-day intake protocol before even joining the team. Chavis put in a lot of work this winter to get faster and more athletic and had a good spring, but started to chase pitches again at the end of camp that led to an uptick in strikeouts, his vice over his first two big-league seasons. If he can keep that approach at the plate in check, he has enough versatility to contribute for now, especially with the team banged up.

Any chance of a late-season return of Sale in a limited role? — Raymond Cruddas, @raycruddas

I think there’s a good chance Sale will return after the All-Star break. If you’re asking for a date, let’s say maybe around Aug. 1. On Tuesday, Sale threw off a mound for the first time since his March 2020 Tommy John surgery. That’s a big milestone. If things keep progressing in the right direction, it’s reasonable to expect him to begin a rehab assignment by early July. It also depends on how slowly they ramp up his mound progression. A few weeks ago, pitching coach Dave Bush said they haven’t determined what kind of role they want for Sale — whether he returns to the rotation or they bring him back in the bullpen in a Garrett Whitlock multi-inning type role. A lot of that will depend on what the pitching staff looks like by the time Sale is closer to a return. Do they need a starter? Would it be better to ease Sale into action with limited short outings? Either way, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for Sale.

Coming in Part 2: Whither Franchy Cordero, whether would be a realistic target, and the hype around Jeter Downs

Pete Alonso behind a Mets mystery; the Red Sox’s unsung hero; Nick Madrigal, the anti-2021 hitter

Ken Rosenthal

Rat vs. raccoon, fact vs. fiction, the Mets sometimes appear as genuine as a TV reality show. The world might never know what dastardly events occurred in the tunnel connecting the Mets’ dugout to the clubhouse on Friday night, whether shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jeff McNeil exchanged just words or actual blows. But a week-long investigation of another of the Mets’ theatrical stunts has determined the identity of their fictitious mental skills/hitting coach, who actually wasn’t fictitious at all.

Donnie Stevenson was Pete Alonso.

Multiple sources confirm it was the Mets’ who fired up his fellow hitters on May 1 before they faced their former teammate, Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. The Mets won 5-4 on a go-ahead homer by Michael Conforto in the top of the ninth inning – the first victory of a 7-2 run that has vaulted them to the top of the NL East.

“Donnie’s been great helping the team,” Alonso said afterward, describing “Stevenson” as a “nice new hire,” “great hitting/approach coach” and all-around savior. “Donnie really helped us today.”

Alonso, in assuming his alter ego, wore a hat and sunglasses to the hitters’ meeting, then delivered the most basic of messages, according to some in attendance: Let’s stop over-thinking things. Let’s just go out there, stick to our strengths and let it rip. The meeting, according to one attendee, lasted about four minutes. The players did not even talk about Wheeler, laughing, clapping and hooting instead.

The results of Alonso’s attempt to loosen up a tight club were impressive – the Mets scored four runs in seven innings against Wheeler, matching the most he has allowed this season. Two days later, after a 6-5 loss in St. Louis, the team fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater. But the emergence of “Donnie” had nothing to do with those moves.

As Joel Sherman reported in the New York Post, team president Sandy Alderson and general manager Zack Scott had decided to make a change even before Alonso transformed himself into “Donnie.” Alonso, in fact, was among the Mets most upset by the firings, and admitted to crying at his locker after hearing the news. He also was emotional in two subsequent conversations with Scott, sources said.

At least Alonso can take solace in the success of his alter ego. The Mets’ postseason chances might hinge on the health of ace right-hander Jacob deGrom, who left his start on Sunday after five innings and will undergo an MRI to determine the cause of the discomfort in the right side of his lower back. But if the Mets make the playoffs, “Donnie,” not Lindor’s “Rat-coon,” will go down as the team’s Most Valuable Creation. That’s right, you heard it here first: “Donnie” for MVC.

About Rojas . . .

On a more serious Mets note, the rationale Scott gave for firing Davis and Slater – “the process behind the scenes” – actually might make it more difficult for the front office to replace as manager, not that it should even be thinking about such a thing with the team playing better.

Rojas is on the hot seat if only because of his circumstances. He is managing in the final guaranteed year of his contract under a new GM, Scott, and new owner, Steve Cohen. (Rojas was a Mets minor-league coach and manager during Alderson’s first term with the club, from 2010 to ’18.) The team has not exercised Rojas’ option for 2022, and his deal includes another club option for ’23.

Yet, even if the Mets wanted to replace Rojas, to whom would they turn? No one on their current coaching staff is viewed as immediate managerial material. And the veteran managers currently out of work – , Bruce Bochy, Mike Scioscia, et al. – do not fit the current mold for the position. The modern manager is expected to collaborate with the front office and yes, adhere to process.

Rojas, 39, maintains terrific relationships with his players, many of whom he managed in the minors. Virtually everyone in the organization views him as an authentic, caring person. And because this is his first managing job, he is seen as more open to suggestion than say, Davis, who had been a hitting coach with four clubs.

It’s true Rojas lacks the presence some of his peers possess, at least at this stage of his career. But like most managers today, he will be judged on how he manipulates his roster, handles his bullpen and works with his front office. As far as 2021 is concerned, the Mets do not appear to have a better option.

How Huascar became a Brave

As the 2017 trade deadline neared, right-hander Huascar Ynoa wasn’t the Braves’ first choice when they asked the Twins for a pitching prospect in exchange for left-hander Jaime García. John Hart, the Braves’ former president of baseball operations, said the team initially wanted righty Nick Burdi, but the deal failed to materialize.

At the time, Ynoa was 19 and still in rookie ball. Hart said the Braves were so eager to move García’s remaining salary of approximately $4.5 million, they did not do as much diligence on Ynoa as they normally would on a prospect. They bet on his arm and 6-foot-2 frame, but only after talks fizzled on a separate García deal with the Yankees that would have brought them infielder Nick Solak.

García was essentially a league-average pitcher in 18 starts for the Braves that season, but the Twins were willing to take on nearly all of his money, acquiring him as well as Anthony Recker for Ynoa. Six days later, after falling out of contention in the AL Central, the Twins pivoted to sell mode, paying virtually all of García’s salary as a way of effectively buying two pitching prospects from the Yankees, Double-A righty Zack Littell and Triple-A lefty Dietrich Enns.

Nearly four years later, the initial returns are in.

Ynoa, 22, allowed one run in six innings in a 6-1 victory over the Phillies on Sunday night, improving his ERA to 2.23 in 40 1/3 innings. He has proven a far better return for the Braves than Burdi, 28, who is recovering from his second surgery with the Padres after producing a 9.49 ERA in 12 1/3 innings with the Pirates the previous three seasons,

Solak, 26, was traded to the Rays in a three-team deal in February 2018 that also cost the Yankees right- hander Taylor Widener (who went to the Diamondbacks) while bringing them infielder Brandon Drury. Seventeen months later, Solak was dealt again, this time to the Rangers for right-hander Pete Fairbanks. He is now Texas’ everyday second baseman, batting .277 with an .820 OPS.

For Ynoa, the Twins got one good season out of Littell (2.68 ERA, .708 opponents’ OPS over 37 innings in 2019) and practically nothing from Enns (two games, four innings, 6.75 ERA in 2017). Both pitchers left the Twins as free agents. Littell is now in the Giants’ bullpen, while Enns is at Triple A with the Rays.

The Red Sox’s unsung hero

The Red Sox lead the majors in runs per game in large part because J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers rank in the top 15 in the league in OPS and Alex Verdugo is 37th. Sox people, however, view catcher Christian Vázquez as an underrated art of their success.

Vázquez, 30, is handling a staff that, while only 15th in the majors in ERA, is performing much better than most in the industry expected. He also is batting .283 with a .721 OPS, and two of his hits were among the Red Sox’s biggest of the season.

The first came on April 6, when the Red Sox were 1-3 and trailed the Rays in the bottom of the ninth inning, 3-2. Vázquez’s home run off Diego Castillo tied the score, and the Sox ended up winning 6-5 in 12 innings for the second of nine straight victories.

Vázquez’s latest heroics came as a pinch-hitter last Thursday night, when the Sox trailed the Tigers 9-8 with two outs and two on in the eighth. His RBI single off tied the score and started a four-run inning, and the Sox ended up winning, 12-9.

“This is the guy I envisioned, the one that is spraying line drives all over the place,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters on Sunday. “I know sometimes we get caught up in home runs, but there’s no more Javy Lopez or Mike Piazzas in this league.

“As far as the numbers, I’m not sure who the power-hitting are. I think (J.T.) Realmuto is the complete package. Yasmani (Grandal), yeah, he’s done it, he’s an on-base percentage machine, but I think our guy’s pretty solid. He’s one of the best. Just him taking pride in calling the game, too. Coming into the season we have a pitching staff that, for a lot of people, we have question marks. He’s done an amazing job behind the plate.”

The Sox hold a $7 million option on Vázquez for 2022, after which he would be eligible to hit the free- agent market entering his age 32 season. The benchmark for him very well could be the four-year, $40.6 million free-agent contract the Mets awarded James McCann last offseason. Teams will howl, “The Mets overpaid!” But by then, Vázquez might be in position to say, “I’m worth more.”

Madrigal: The anti-2021 hitter

Ask if he has ever managed a hitter like Nick Madrigal, and he quickly mentions David Eckstein and Fernando Viña. Then he adds David Fletcher, whom he watched up close last season while serving in the Angels’ front office.

Madrigal, though, might prove better than all of them.

While he has appeared in only 57 career games, Madrigal is striking out at an even lower rate than the previous La Russa favorites while showing the potential to be more productive.

Keep in mind that Madrigal, 24, is performing at this level when the league’s rate is higher than at any point in history, with many hitters more concerned about their exit velocity and launch angle than swinging and missing.

Madrigal’s average exit velocity is in the bottom 7 percent of the league, his hard-hit percentage in the bottom 1 percent. Yet, he’s batting .301 with a .721 OPS, and his 4.5 percent strikeout rate is easily the league’s lowest, with Jeff McNeil next at 7.5 percent.

“I’ve never seen a guy get so many infield hits in the holes, just past players,” White Sox hitting coach Frank Menechino said. “It’s like he’s got a magic wand.”

Yet, the player fans call “Nicky Two Strikes” also is capable of driving the ball, as he showed on April 24 when he fell behind the Rangers’ John King 0-2 with two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth inning. Madrigal got a slider in the middle of the plate, and hit it over the head of right fielder for a walk-off double.

In two-strike counts, Madrigal leads the majors with a .333 batting average.

“He takes pride in not striking out,” Menechino said. “A lot of guys could do that. But they choose not to.”

Marlins’ Rogers looking like a star

Mel Stottlemyre Jr. was the Diamondbacks’ pitching coach in 2009, Max Scherzer’s rookie season. Twelve years later, as the Marlins pitching coach, he is working with another gifted young talent, left-hander .

“Maybe not the same personality, but as far as what they do between the lines and how they’re wired,” Stottlemyre said. “I told Donnie – and I’m careful, very careful, using this word – but this guy is going to be a beast.”

Obviously, there is only one Mad Max, who struck out 14 at Yankee Stadium on Saturday in the latest entry on his Hall of Fame resumé. But Rogers, 23, currently ranks third in the NL with a 1.89 ERA, while Scherzer is 10th at 2.33.

The Marlins took Rogers out of Carlsbad (N.M) H.S with the 13th overall pick in 2017, the same draft in which three other high schoolers – Royce Lewis (Twins), (Reds) and MacKenzie Gore (Padres) – were taken in the top three selections. Rogers had a 6.11 ERA in seven mostly abbreviated starts last season, but already this season, he was the NL Rookie of the Month for April.

“There are guys I study from a scouting report going into a series, and just because he doesn’t have enough history in the league, I try to find out guys who have his stuff,” Stottlemyre said. “He is rather unique. He has that little bit of not-quite-Chris-Sale cross-fire, but kind of over in that same angle, probably not as far. The feedback I’ve gotten from hitters is that his fastball just keeps coming and boring in at a different angle. He definitely has some deception.”

Rogers’ average fastball velocity has increased from 93.6 mph in 2020 to 95.0 in ’21. His changeup is a swing-and-miss pitch, and he is gaining more confidence in his slider. Perhaps most important, from Stottlemyre’s perspective, he also is showing increased maturity on the mound.

Last season, Rogers struggled to get out of jams. In his May 2 start against Scherzer and the Nationals, he twice pitched scoreless innings after giving up leadoff doubles, and recovered to complete five innings after allowing two walks and a three-run homer to Ryan Zimmerman in the third.

Scherzer pitched a five-hit that day, and the Nationals won, 3-1. Rogers’ time, though, is coming, if it hasn’t already arrived.

“He’s got that burn inside between the lines,” Stottlemyre said. “I love it.”

How the Mariners and Graveman are doing it

Unlike the Red Sox, the Mariners are having difficulty scoring, ranking 22nd in runs per game. So, how are they 18-17, only 2 1/2 games behind the Athletics in the AL West? Their infield defense and bullpen are two big reasons.

The Mariners’ four primary infielders – third baseman Kyle Seager, second baseman Dylan Moore, first baseman and shortstop J.P. Crawford – are among the top 50 in the majors in Statcast’s defensive metric, Outs Above Average. The team leads the majors overall with 38 double plays in 35 games.

The bullpen, meanwhile, ranks seventh in the majors with a 3.20 ERA after regressing slightly over the weekend against the Rangers. Righty Kendall Graveman, who re-signed with the club on Oct. 29, has pitched 14 1/3 scoreless innings, with 16 strikeouts and three walks. Yet, the Mariners do not always use him as a pure closer.

Manager deploys his best relievers in the highest leverage, regardless of the inning. Last Tuesday against the Orioles, Graveman replaced starter Justin Dunn with one out, two on and the score tied, 1-1, in the sixth. He escaped the jam, then pitched another inning in a game the Mariners won, 5-2.

Graveman, 29, is averaging 96.9 mph with his sinker, and his breakthrough isn’t entirely surprising. He was throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s at summer training camp in 2020 before neck spasms sidelined him from Aug. 4 to Aug. 31. He returned as a reliever, essentially pitching out of the bullpen for the first time.

The Mariners, after declining his $3.5 million option, re-signed Graveman immediately to a one-year, $1.5 million deal that includes $2.5 million in incentives, enabling him to earn more than he would have if the option had been exercised. Graveman in turn fully embraced his new role, increasing the use of his sinker to more than 60 percent while throwing more sliders and fewer changeups.

The Mariners’ bullpen ranks last in the majors in strikeout percentage and their opponents’ batting average on balls in play is the fifth-lowest, indicating their relievers might be benefiting from good luck. Inducing soft contact, though, seems to be their bullpen’s specialty. The ‘pen’s expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA), reflecting the opponents’ quality of contact is the league’s seventh-best.

Around the horn

• Bullpen help figures to be the Astros’ biggest need at the trade deadline, but it’s possible the team will solve some of its problems from within.

Enoli Paredes (right side soreness) should return soon and Josh James (left hip surgery) also should be back well before the deadline. The eventual returns of two starters, right-hander Jake Odorizzi (strained right pronator muscle) and lefty Framber Valdez (fractured left ring finger) might provide other alternatives, enabling the team to use some of its younger starters in relief, or send them to Triple A.

For now, Ryne Stanek and Ryan Pressley are the Astros’ only relievers performing at above league-average levels. The team ranks 19th in the majors with a 3.95 bullpen ERA.

• If the biggest surprise for the Rangers isn’t center fielder Adolis García, then it’s probably veteran right- hander Ian Kennedy, who is 10-for-10 in save opportunities with a 2.40 ERA.

Kennedy, 36, signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Feb. 23. At the time, little did the team know it would lose both its former closer, José Leclerc, and projected closer, Jonathan Hernandez, to Tommy John surgery.

For Kennedy, it is quite the turnaround from last season, when he had a 9.00 ERA in 14 innings with Royals and missed nearly a month with a strained left calf. Not only is he perfect in save chances, but he also has struck 20 and walked only two in 15 innings. He is throwing with above-average command and hitters are struggling to get good swings on his four-seam fastball, which he is throwing at a career-high frequency, more than 80 percent of the time. His average fastball velocity also is up slightly, from 93.6 mph in 2020 to 94.2 in ‘21.

• Score one for the Yankees’ front office with their decision to go with Kyle Higashioka as their backup catcher over the popular Austin Romine after the 2019 season.

The move had long been in the works, as the Yankees placed great value on Higashioka’s defensive skills. Turns out, much to their surprise, that Higashioka has become something of an offensive threat, earning more playing time than they envisioned in part due to Gary Sánchez’s struggles. Though Higashioka is batting only .222, he has five homers and a .949 OPS in 52 plate appearances.

Romine, 32, currently is on the Cubs’ 60-day injured list with a left wrist sprain, and will be out until at least mid-June. Since leaving the Yankees, he has batted .230 with a .567 OPS in 144 plate appearances with the Tigers and Cubs.

• More than two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Reds right-hander Hunter Greene registered 37 pitches over 100 mph in his first start for Double-A Chattanooga, the most ever by a starter in a major- or minor-league game since the Statcast era began in 2016.

The Reds were not surprised by how hard Greene threw during his five-inning performance, in which he allowed one run on three hits, striking out eight and walking none. Greene worked at that velocity at the alternate site last season, and again in spring training. What encouraged club officials is that Greene used his entire repertoire and threw 51 of his 71 pitches for strikes, resembling more of a pitcher than a thrower.

• Catcher Mario Feliciano is at Triple A after making only one plate appearance during his brief stint with the Brewers, drawing an 11th-inning walk in the team’s wild 6-5 victory over the Dodgers on May 1. The team, however, expects he will make a greater impact in the future.

Feliciano, the No. 75 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is an offense-first catcher, but his on-base percentage in the minors is only .315. Still, the Brewers are higher on him than most clubs. The Athletic’s Keith Law rated Feliciano the team’s No. 6 prospect entering the season.

• And finally, a tale of two hitters: Ronald Acuña Jr. leads the majors with an .800 slugging percentage against non-fastballs (minimum 100 pitches). The Cubs’ is last in that category at .028 – he’s 1-for-36 against non-fastballs overall.

* Associated Press

Devers, Renfroe HR, lead Pivetta, Red Sox past Orioles 4-3

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe homered, Nick Pivetta won his third consecutive start and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Sunday.

Boston has won five of six, improved to 12-4 on the road and at 22-13 owns the best record in baseball. The Red Sox are within two victories of their entire total from last year’s truncated season, when they went 24-36.

“We believe in each other as a team,” Devers said on a Zoom call with reporters. “It’s you guys that don’t believe in us, but we believe in this clubhouse in this team and we believe in each other. We knew we were a good team.”

The Orioles fell to a majors-worst 4-13 at home, including 0-6 against the Red Sox.

Devers has played a significant role in Boston’s six outings at Camden Yards, hitting .391 (9 of 23) with five homers and 13 RBIs.

Devers, who homered off Baltimore starter Dean Kremer in the second inning, hit a two-run double off reliever Adam Plutko in the sixth to give Boston a 3-2 lead.

“He’s been doing a great job with men in scoring position, and he’s been very patient lately, which is good,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “When he does that, he becomes very dangerous.”

Renfroe added a solo shot off in the eighth.

Pivetta (5-0) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings to improve to 7-0 since being traded from Philadelphia to Boston last August. He is only the fourth starting pitcher in franchise history to win at least his first seven decisions with the team, joining George Winter (7-0 in 1901), Dave Ferriss (8-0 in 1945) and John Burkett (7-0 in 2002).

“Just mixing pitches, getting ahead of guys, a lot of weak contact today,” Pivetta said.

Matt Barnes earned his eighth save in as many tries with a perfect ninth.

Pivetta ran into his only serious trouble right away. After retiring his first two batters of the day, he issued consecutive walks and then gave up Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI single.

Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins belted a two-out solo homer in the fifth. The Orioles had just one hit in the last four innings, Mountcastle’s RBI double in the eighth.

“When you get four hits, you don’t expect to win the game,” Baltimore manager said.

Kremer (0-3) surrendered three runs and five hits in five-plus innings and has not won in nine starts since beating the in his major league debut on Sept. 6.

Baltimore shortstop Freddy Galvis extended his hitting streak to 10 with a single in the fourth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Boston placed INF Christian Arroyo (left hand contusion) on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, and recalled INF Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester. Arroyo was hit on the hand with a pitch Wednesday. … Boston has shut down RHP Tanner Houck after he was diagnosed with a sore flexor muscle at Worcester. “There’s no timetable, but this is something we feel will be short term,” Cora said. “It’s not something where we are overly concerned.” Houck was 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA in three April appearances with the Red Sox.

Orioles: Baltimore placed RHP Dillon Tate (left hamstring strain) on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Friday. Tate is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 11 games this season. The Orioles recalled OF Ryan McKenna from Triple- A Norfolk. … OF DJ Stewart left in the sixth inning with a left hamstring strain.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: LHP Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.40 ERA), who has a 2.53 ERA in two road starts this season, gets the ball for Boston.

Orioles: RHP Jorge López (1-3, 6.49), who allowed seven runs in four innings against Boston on April 11, takes the mound as the four-game series concludes.