The Thursday, May 6, 2021

* The Boston Globe

Red Sox left all wet, going from near walkoff to extra-inning loss vs. Tigers

Alex Speier

They did it again, or so it seemed for an instant. A Red Sox team that has made a habit of comeback victories in the first five weeks of 2021 seemed poised to conjure another.

Down two against the Tigers in the bottom of the seventh, the team knotted the score on a J.D. Martinez two- homer, then edged towards a walk-off triumph with a ninth-inning rally. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, drilled a liner to left-center that seemed destined to kiss the Fenway turf and allow the Red Sox to dance onto the field.

Instead, left fielder Robbie Grossman fought through raindrops and the lights, falling as he corralled the final out of the inning. Minutes later, the Tigers ambushed Red Sox reliever for a three- run 10th, just enough to withstand a furious Red Sox rally in the bottom of the inning and hold on for a 6-5 victory.

Though the Red Sox continue to occupy first place in the AL East, their current stretch represents a string of missed opportunities. The team has dropped four of six to the last-place Rangers and Tigers, the latter of whom snapped a six-game losing streak on Wednesday.

”We’re not invincible,” said starter Martín Pérez. “[But] we’re going to be fine. … We’re [expletive] good.”

The late drama came in contrast to most of what preceded it. The Red Sox took an early lead against Tigers starter — the top pick in the 2018 draft — without benefit of a in the second inning. Bogaerts and Christian Vázquez walked to open the frame, with Bogaerts advancing to third on a fielder’s choice and then sprinting home on a groundout.

Evidently sheepish about an advantage thusly forged, the Red Sox offered the Tigers a hand in resetting the score in the top of the fourth. ’s swinging bunt turned into a leadoff single, and he advanced to second when Pérez issued a walk to desperately struggling Tigers slugger .

Pérez nearly escaped, freezing the next two Tigers for called third strikes, but JaCoby Jones lined a sharp single to left with two outs. Candelario seemed content to stop at third to load the bases, but beleaguered left fielder kicked the ball, allowing Candelario to score the tying run.

Two innings later, Detroit broke through to claim a lead. Candelario led off with a single and scampered to third on a one-out single, with Goodrum reaching second on the throw. With the infield drawn in, Pérez elicited a soft liner for the second out of the inning. But on a 1-2 count against Jones, Pérez’s two-seam ran back over the middle of the plate, with Jones clanking a liner off the Wall in left for a two-run single and a 3-1 lead.

As has been the case in the majority of his six starts this year, Pérez delivered a solid performance with little to show for it thanks in part to an unsupportive offense. He lasted 5⅔ innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six singles while walking two and striking out six — all looking. The outing was the fourth of the year in which he allowed three runs or fewer in at least five innings.

Despite the solid work, however, Pérez left to a deficit as a result of the strong work of the Tigers’ 24-year- old rookie. Mize, who held the Sox hitless through three innings, allowed just one run on three hits over six frames. He walked four and struck out three, and he was denied a victory when the Tigers bullpen — possessors of a major league-worst 6.60 ERA — coughed up the lead in the seventh.

Kiké Hernández lined a one-out single off lefty . After a groundout, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch summoned righty to face Martinez, who blasted a 2-2 fastball through the rain and into the Red Sox bullpen for a game-tying two-run homer, his 10th of the season.

While , , and shut down the Tigers in relief — and, in the process, helped the Sox to a team record ninth straight game with at least 10 — the 10th inning unraveled quickly on Whitlock.

With a runner on second to start the frame, twice delivered potential run-scoring hits that ran just foul. On the ninth pitch of the , Whitlock got squeezed on a 2-2 sinker that could have been a called third strike. On the 10th, Schoop dumped a single to right to put runners on the corners.

Candelario, by contrast, wasted no time in pouncing on the first pitch of the next at-bat, blasting a poorly located Whitlock fastball into the right field grandstand for a three-run homer.

Whitlock, the Rule 5 pick who opened the year with 13⅓ scoreless innings, has allowed four runs and two homers in his last two appearances.

”It’s part of this. It’s part of being a big leaguer. You’re going to have good day and bad days,” said Sox manager . “He should be OK.”

Still, down three, the Sox did not easily relent against Tigers reliever . Marwin Gonzalez delivered a run-scoring single with one out, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and reached third on a infield single. Hinch brought in , the starter who recorded just two outs on Tuesday, who promptly saw another run score when ’s grounder was misplayed into an error.

But with runners on first and second and one out, Fulmer finally closed the door, getting to line out and pumping a 97-mph fastball past Hernández for his first career .

The defeat came with an additional cost for the Sox. For the second time in 11 days, second baseman Arroyo — denied a day off and pressed into game duty when ’s back tightness resulted in a late scratch — got drilled by a stray fastball on the left hand. Prior to the top of the eighth, Arroyo had to depart with a contusion (X-rays were negative), forcing a massive defensive reconfiguration that included Vázquez playing second for the fourth time in his career.

Cora said Arroyo will not play Thursday, while the team is hopeful Verdugo will be available. Depending on their status, a roster move to add to the team’s bench depth by the weekend is possible. For now, however, the focus of the Sox is more immediate, as the two teams — following a game delayed 37 minutes by rain and that concluded at 11:34 p.m. — must now turn around quickly for their rubber match on Thursday.

“We’re going to be OK,” said Pérez. “We just need to come back [Thursday] and hopefully [Nate Eovaldi] can throw a good game and we’re going to win the game.”

Alex Verdugo’s certainly made a home for himself at

Alex Speier

Outfielder Alex Verdugo was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox electing to proceed with caution on a wet night due to what the team described as tightness in his lower back. While that measured approach was understandable, it also seemed unfortunate given the remarkable fit of Verdugo in his home park.

On Tuesday night, Verdugo hit a homer that virtually no other lefthanded hitter can fathom at Fenway Park. He took a 96 mph fastball on the outside corner from Tigers righty and drilled a liner directly down the left field line that cleared the fence.

On occasion, a righthanded hitter with incredibly quick hands who catches a fastball out in front of the plate might hit that sort of homer. But lefties, who typically catch the ball deep in the zone when driving it to the opposite field — meaning less bat speed at the point of impact — almost never hit such a rocket.

“You probably had to have been perfect to hit it out at that angle and at that spot,” said Sox hitting coach .

“You have to be on time. You gotta be perfect,” agreed manager Alex Cora. “That was eye-opening.”

Verdugo continues to show a balanced offensive approach that allows him to excel in Fenway. Entering Wednesday, he was hitting .327/.371/.527 with two homers in 15 games at home this year. Those numbers resulted from an almost perfect distribution of balls hit in play to the opposite field, center, and pulled, as well as an even spread of grounders, liners, and flies.

That even spread underscores Verdugo’s adaptability as a hitter. He does not simply sell out for power or shoot liners to the opposite field. He does not provide opposing with a clear path for beating him.

“Whenever they shift him, he knows that there’s a lot of hits on the other side,” said Cora. “He likes hits.”

With an overall .314/.379/.520 line and modest 12.9 percent rate (15th lowest among qualifying hitters), Verdugo represents one of the better pure hitters in the game. And his ability to handle all pitch types, work deep counts, and hit the ball hard to all fields has made him a catalyst in front of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers.

“He’s one of the best hitters that we have, and there’s a reason he’s hitting second,” said Cora. “I still feel he can be better, and he puts the work in. It’s fun to watch.”

The answer man

Even with just three position players available off the bench, the versatility of Kiké Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez has permitted the Sox to balance playing time and provide members of the lineup with rest.

On Tuesday, the Sox had no problem giving Devers the day off and plugging in Gonzalez at third. On Wednesday, when Verdugo was scratched, the team relocated Hernández from second to center. Over the weekend, Cora will rest Bogaerts thanks to the ability of Gonzalez to play short.

“Marwin is a valuable player. He’s kind of the answer to everything when something comes up in the season. It’s why we like these multi-positional guys,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who had Gonzalez with the Astros.

Hinch marveled at the flexibility afforded the Sox by having two of the most versatile players in the game, who can maneuver freely around both the infield and the outfield.

“The defense doesn’t slip,” said Hinch. “That’s a rare combination to have in one player let alone two players.”

Gonzalez entered Wednesday hitting just .192, albeit with a respectable .312 on-base. Still, Hinch understood why he remains a regular in the Red Sox lineup.

“When he heats up, he can really do a lot of damage. His hot streaks are pretty impressive. You kind of want him in the lineup as much as possible,” said Hinch. “[He] has really grown into a fine major league player regardless of the ups and downs on the offensive side the last couple of years.”

Milestone left a mark on

Michael Chavis claimed a hard-earned landmark in history on Tuesday night, becoming the first official WooSox baserunner when he got hit by a pitch leading off the second inning in Trenton, N.J., against the Blue Jays’ -A affiliate. “Something I’ve always dreamed about,” the 25-year-old joked. “As soon as I heard, I called my mom and my whole family.” Chavis later hit a , the first extra-base hit in WooSox history. While Chavis is in Triple A to open the year, he expressed optimism about 2021. “I feel better than I was in 2019. I feel better than I have ever in , honestly. I feel like the way I performed in kind of relayed that. Honestly, I feel incredible,” said Chavis. “Whenever my opportunity comes, I’m really looking forward to it” . . . Bogaerts appeared in his 999th career regular-season game on Wednesday. On Thursday, he’s slated to become the 30th player in Red Sox history to appear in 1,000 with the team, and the 10th to do so before turning 29 years old . . . Red Sox pitchers entered Wednesday with at least 10 strikeouts in eight straight games, tied for the longest such streak in team history. In the franchise’s first 61 seasons (1901-61), there was not a single instance of back-to-back 10-strikeout games . . . The Blue Jays, still prohibited from playing in Canada due to COVID- 19 restrictions, announced they’ll relocate their home games from their spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla., to in Buffalo in June. Before that change of address, however, the Red Sox will play three games in Dunedin from May 18-20. The Jays are 7-4 this year in Dunedin, the top “home” record of any team.

Bobby Dalbec’s struggles creating an early test of Red Sox patience with a young player

Peter Abraham

Bobby Dalbec was out of the Red Sox lineup on Wednesday night, replaced by Marwin Gonzalez at first base against the .

It’s fair to ask if Dalbec will soon be in the lineup for Triple A Worcester.

Dalbec pinch hit in the seventh inning of a 6-5 loss in 10 innings and struck out. He finished 0 for 3 and is now hitless in his last 23 at-bats with 10 strikeouts.

The Sox left spring training convinced that the powerful and productive swing Dalbec showed in 23 games last season wasn’t a September mirage.

Instead the 25-year-old has struggled mightily. Among 21 first basemen in the majors with at least 75 plate appearances, Dalbec is 19th in batting average (.183), OPS (.532), and RBIs (6) and last in runs scored with only three.

“I didn’t see it like this, getting off to the start that he’s off to,” hitting coach Tim Hyers said. “That’s kind of a shock to me. Coming out of spring training I felt his swing was going to allow him to put more balls in play.”

There is an element of bad luck at play. Dalbec’s is a meager .293. It should be .500 based on the quality of the contact he has made.

But there also needs to be more contact. Dalbec has struck out in 31 of his 88 plate appearances, which is actually an improvement over the rate he was punching out last season. But without the extra-base hits mixed in, it’s harder to chalk those whiffs up as a cost of doing business.

“I think it gets to him at times,” Hyers said. “Like every player in that locker room they want to do well for the city, for the team, for their teammates, for themselves. There are times when it gets to him a little more than others.

“But for the most part I think he’s handled it well. He comes in and gets his work in every single day . . . he’s dedicated to the process.”

Hyers sees Dalbec getting under too many balls. For manager Alex Cora, it’s a timing issue.

“It takes one swing with him,” Cora said. “I don’t think it has to be a line drive to right field. Just get a hanging breaking ball and pull it for power, something positive.”

Cora believes Dalbec has played well defensively. But the statistics say otherwise. Dalbec is at minus-6 for defensive runs saved and has been charged with four errors.

“I think as far as picking throws, he’s been great for us. He’s done a good job,” Cora said. “He’s made his errors. But as far as helping the [ and shortstop], he’s been solid.”

DRS encompasses scoops, so how solid he has been is up for debate. Where Dalbec has had issues at times is ranging too far to his right or, on a few occasions, just not getting his glove down.

Dalbec had a history of initially struggling at the plate when he moved up a level in the minor leagues before adjusting. But it’s far easier to rationalize a slump in Greenville, Salem and Portland than in Boston, especially with the Sox in first place.

Dalbec represents a bit of a test for the Sox. Will they let him work out of his slump in the majors in the cause of his long-term development or demote him to Triple A (where he has played only 30 games) and try somebody else?

Michael Chavis, another strikeout-prone righthanded hitter with flashes of power, is an option. Chavis was angry when he was optioned on March 30 and won’t lack for motivation if he returns.

It’s been clear since Chaim Bloom took over that the immediate goal is broadening the talent base and finding a core group of young players to build around. That the Sox lead the division in early May doesn’t change anything in that regard.

If the Sox truly believe in Dalbec, let it ride. They’re second in the American League in runs per game without him doing much to help the cause. Give it at least another two weeks and trust his talent and history.

This season is running on parallel tracks, one reflected by the standings and the other in determining who’s a keeper. Christian Arroyo has taken his chance and run with it. So have and Garrett Whitlock.

Dalbec should get more than 20 percent of the season to prove himself. Now that the minor league season has started, Chavis has a chance to make his case, too.

One way or another, the Sox will get their answer.

For , Boston — with the Red Sox and now with NESN — proves to be a very nice fit after all

Chad Finn

Welcome returns are nothing new for Ellis Burks. Fans who know their trivia about the 2004 Red Sox’ World Series victory and all the sweet details of the postscript will remember it was Burks — and not a playoff hero such as , Johnny Damon, or — who carried the championship trophy off the plane upon arrival from St. Louis the morning after a victory generations in the making.

Burks, then 40 years old, played just 11 games that season, the last of a superb 18-year career which began with six seasons in Boston and took him to the White Sox, Rockies, Giants, and Cleveland before his Boston coda. But he was the fitting choice to do the honors, at the thoughtful suggestion of Pedro Martinez.

“We were all having great conversations on the flight back,” recalled Burks, “and Pedro stood up and just said, ‘Hey, this guy meant a lot to us throughout the year. He wasn’t able to play, but he was there for us mentally and emotionally.’ He should be the one to do this.”

Burks had remained with the team, even on road trips, after an April knee injury thwarted his hopes of being a significant contributor. He served as a mentor his younger teammates could lean on.

Now he is returning to Boston in a different role, debuting May 7 on NESN as a Red Sox studio analyst.

“I can’t really express how much it meant to me to hear that coming from Pedro and everyone else, [Jason] Varitek, Schilling,” said Burks, now 56 but still looking like he could rip a hanging into the gap. “All the guys agreed with him when he said, ‘Hey, I think it would be an unbelievable honor for us, as well as for him, to carry the trophy off, because he was there for us. He pushed us.’

“That meant so much. I wanted to be a part of the team and help out as much as I could, and just being someone they could count on for advice is what I felt that I could do.”

That scene was remarkable in part because there was a time when Burks’s return to Boston — for a final scene as a player or as a fledgling broadcaster — would have seemed unlikely.

‘I wanted to be a part of the team and help out as much as I could, and just being someone they could count on for advice is what I felt that I could do.’

Ellis Burks on his role on the 2004 World Series team

Expectations soared higher than the Prudential building when he first arrived in April 1987, an enthralling power-speed-defense combination percolating with talent and cool, the kind of player the Red Sox usually saw in an opposing uniform.

It didn’t take fans long to recognize what the Sox had; Burks hit 20 home runs and stole 27 bases that first season while playing dazzling center-field defense.

The organization already knew he was special before he got to the big leagues. The previous summer, Red Sox general manager refused to part with Burks — then in Double A, where was one of his coaches — in a trade for . (The White Sox accepted Steve Lyons instead.)

Burks was such a sensation when he arrived in ’87 that Sports Illustrated, in an article raving about that season’s rookie class (starring Burks, Mark McGwire, Bo Jackson, and, um, Matt Nokes), opined that Burks could end up being the best of all of them:

“Really now. The plodding Red Sox — baseball’s answer to Gerry Cooney — coming up with a fleet, slick-gloved center fielder whose and basestealing potential seems to be of 30-30 caliber?” the magazine asked. “Indeed. Burks has, in two months, become the darling of Red Sox fans.”

Storybook ending

Burks went on to a career worthy of Hall of Very Good selection, hitting 352 homers with a .291 average and an .874 OPS, his final statistics fittingly similar to those of previous Red Sox stars and . But his status as a cornerstone in Boston was much more fleeting than it should have been. Injuries mounted, serious ones, to his back, knees, and shoulder. So did the pressures, especially after retired following the 1989 season, leaving Burks as the only Black player on the roster.

In his book “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston,” author Howard Bryant wrote of the Curse of Willie Mays, and the inevitability that “any young black center fielder who has speed and power will be compared to the great Mays.” It’s intended as a compliment, but cruelly, it’s also a prescription for failure. No one can be Mays, the most complete player of all time. The weight of such expectations can crush a ballplayer.

Burks endured so much during those first six seasons in Boston that he needed to get away and rejuvenate elsewhere, first with the 1993 White Sox before finding great success with the Rockies and Giants.

As late as 2000, a return to Boston was still hard to fathom. There were rumors that summer that the Red Sox were trying to acquire him at the trade deadline. Burks later told Bryant that he would have considered retiring rather than accept the trade.

“After the ’92 season, Lou Gorman had called me and told me they weren’t going to extend my contract, and it was very disappointing, but I knew that it was more of a business decision than anything else because of my history with my back injury at that time," said Burks. “And I knew I had to really focus and get myself back in baseball condition, and I did that offseason, and then I signed with the White Sox and it was just another start for me.

“You go to a different city and maybe you have a little bit of a different baseball experience while also realizing that some of the positive aspects of where you were before aren’t always the same in a new place.

“By 2004, some things about the Red Sox were different than they were when I came up and when I left. The idea of coming back to end my career was sort of like one of those little storybook endings where as a young kid you get drafted by a certain team and you expect to spend your whole career there.

“It doesn’t work out that way, but later you get the chance to end it the way you want. I always felt like I was welcomed with open arms. The fans invited me in, accepted who I was, how I played.”

His next challenge

When word broke in March that NESN was adding Burks — as well as popular former stars , , and — the response was overwhelmingly positive. Fans were happy to hear his name again.

Since retiring, Burks has been involved with the game, working as a special assistant to the general manager for the Indians, Giants, and Rockies. He’s a television novice; he’ll begin with a couple of studio shifts before eventually joining Dave O’Brien and sometimes Jerry Remy or in the broadcast booth.

“It’s always been an interest to do something like this, and it’s very challenging, which I like,” said Burks. “I’m going to give you a baseball analogy. It’s sort of like a rookie coming in, it’s a new challenge facing big league pitching, so I have to get my timing and everything down.”

Burks has reached out to several NESN colleagues, including and Lenny DiNardo, for their advice. He remains close with his former teammate Rice, whom Burks grew up emulating in Vicksburg, Miss.

“Of course, when I told him that when I got to the big leagues, he said, ‘You know what, kid, I’m not that old, shut the heck up,’ ” said Burks with a laugh.

He also has leaned on Remy, who advocated for him in the organization when they were both at New Britain in 1986 and speaks highly now of his broadcasting potential.

“I hope I don’t let Jerry down, because he means a lot to me,” said Burks. “We have talked about it. He just said, ‘Be yourself; you may seem like you’re a little nervous at first, but just let it flow naturally.’ That’s good advice in a lot of different areas in life and in the game. You can help yourself just by taking a step back and just kind of relaxing.”

Burks was perceived as shy when he came up, but he’s an engaging interviewee who is putting in the work to understand what makes for a good analyst. Provided NESN can keep from unexpectedly careening into the studio or booth, Burks should thrive.

Before our conversation ends, Burks makes a point to mention a photograph he has in his home. It’s a shot of his last at-bat at Fenway, on Sept. 23, 2004. He was still hurting, but pinch hitting for Pokey Reese, he lined a full-count single, the next-to-last of his 2,107 regular-season hits.

In the photo, he’s waving to fans as he departs for a pinch runner, the crowd well aware of the magnitude of the moment.

“I knew that was it, and so did they,” said Burks. “It really meant a lot to me to wave goodbye to the fans and soak it in, to let them know I really appreciated them.”

It was pretty close to the perfect goodbye, Burks is told.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m looking forward to saying hello to them again.”

* The Boston Herald

Missed chances haunt Red Sox, Garrett Whitlock allows deciding homer in loss to Tigers

Steve Hewitt

There aren’t any must-wins in early May, but Wednesday night felt like a missed opportunity on a number of levels for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox, who looked lifeless for most of the night, finally came alive late to force extra innings but didn’t execute enough in a painful 6-5 home loss in 10 innings to the Detroit Tigers, who have the worst record in baseball.

Wednesday’s takeaways as the Red Sox fell to 18-13 this season, needing a victory in Thursday’s matinee to take the series against the lowly Tigers:

— Garrett Whitlock burst on to the scene with a dominant April and one of the best early stories of the Red Sox season, but his beginning to May may have marked the end to his honeymoon period.

The righty was summoned for the start of the 10th and ran into some tough luck. First, in a long at-bat with Jonathan Schoop, Whitlock may have been squeezed on a borderline 2-2 pitch down in the zone that was called a ball. Schoop then blooped the next pitch to right that bounced in front of Hunter Renfroe to put runners at second and third.

The next batter, Jeimer Candelario, wasted no time. Whitlock tried to get ahead with a fastball down the middle and Candelario smashed it into the right-field seats for a three-run homer and the ultimate dagger.

“I was thinking, get ahead, fastball, tried to attack and induce a groundball and he put a good swing on it,” Whitlock said.

The rookie pick is experiencing his first bout of struggles in the big leagues. Whitlock didn’t allow an earned run in his first six appearances, but the turn of the calendar has marked a different story. After allowing his first career earned run on a home run in Sunday’s loss to the Rangers, he followed it up with Wednesday’s costly homer.

“It’s baseball,” Whitlock said. “That’s the best thing about it is you always get tomorrow and like I said, I’m just thankful to be here so each time (Alex Cora) gives me the ball, I’m going to go out and give it the best I can and try and help the team win.”

The Red Sox scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the 10th and threatened to steal the game, but their rally came up short when Kiké Hernandez struck out looking to end the game.

— A night after erupting for 11 runs on 14 hits, the Red Sox struggled against Tigers starter Casey Mize, the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. Their only run off him came aided by a pair of walks in the second, when the Red Sox plated one on a ground out.

So, the Red Sox were certainly happy to see him depart after the sixth. And their red-hot took full advantage.

The Red Sox started the game 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, but with Hernández standing on second with two outs and trailing 3-1, J.D. Martinez changed that loudly with an opposite-field shot into the Red Sox’ bullpen, his major league-tying 10th homer of the season to tie the game.

But it wasn’t enough. The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth after Rafael Devers doubled and Martinez was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs, but Xander Bogaerts’ sharp liner to left — which had an expected batting average of .720 — was caught by Robbie Grossman for the inning-ending out.

“We put some good swings in that inning,” Cora said. “We put better at-bats from the seventh inning on. The way (Bogaerts) hit it, he didn’t hit it as hard as he usually does. I was hoping it would get down, but the ball just hung up there and he made a nice catch.”

— Franchy Cordero has been bad enough at the plate, and on Wednesday night, it bled over to his defense.

The Red Sox led 1-0 in the fourth and the Tigers had two runners on and two outs when a routine single from Niko Goodrum rolled toward Cordero in left. But Cordero misplayed the ball as it bounced off his glove and away from him, which allowed the game-tying run to score and the other two runners to advance to second and third.

It looked lonely in left for Cordero, whose offensive struggles continued with a pair of ground outs on Wednesday, extending his hitless streak to 25 consecutive at-bats. He doesn’t have a hit since April 19.

To Cordero’s credit, he bounced back with an impressive sliding catch to end the seventh, but Cora then pinch-hit for him with another slumping hitter in Bobby Dalbec.

Red Sox Notebook: Bobby Dalbec stays encouraged amid long offensive slump

Steve Hewitt

Even after a loud start to his major-league career last summer, the Red Sox knew Bobby Dalbec would go through some peaks and valleys in his first full big-league season. But hitting coach Tim Hyers didn’t foresee the slump that the is currently experiencing.

Dalbec was out of the Red Sox’ lineup on Wednesday (before eventually coming on to pinch hit) as he tries to get right. After Tuesday’s win, the first baseman is without a hit in his last 20 at-bats — which extended to 23 with three hitless pinch-hit at-bats on Wednesday — since hitting his first home run last Tuesday against the Mets.

Dalbec had a productive spring training and carried that into a strong stretch in mid-April, but he’s fallen into some bad habits that have caused him to lose his posture and lower-half stability and led to major inconsistencies at the plate, Hyers explained. It’s all part of an ongoing learning curve for the 25-year-old.

“We know there’s an adjustment period but at the same time, he played last year,” manager Alex Cora said. “Obviously it’s a different environment. Now you’re the first baseman of the Boston Red Sox. That comes into play. But we understand that there’s an adjustment period for him and right now, he’s hitting ninth, he’s hitting eighth. I don’t want him to put pressure on himself, just be you and right now obviously offensively it hasn’t clicked but we know that at one point, he’s going to start hitting balls in the air and he should be fine. …

“It just takes one swing with him. I don’t think it has to be a line drive to right field. I do believe, just get a hanging breaking ball and pull it for power, something positive.”

Dalbec’s coaches haven’t lost faith in him, and Cora and Hyers both had encouraging messages for their first baseman on Tuesday night.

“ ‘Hey man, just look at — you haven’t produced offensively, look at the scoreboard, look where we are at in the standings, and you’re playing good defense,’ ” Cora said. “That’s what it’s all about. Even if you’re not contributing offensively, just go out there and help your teammates out somehow, some way. And he’s done that.”

Hyers said that the slump has gotten to Dalbec a little bit, but that he’s mostly handled it well. The hitting coach has seen the first baseman come in to work every day, dedicated to the process and knows it’s just a matter of time before he breaks out of it.

“I told him last night, when you get out of this, you’re going to look back on your career and you’re going to be able to learn so much from these times, when going through this storm, going through this time, where you are struggling,” Hyers said. “You’re going to be in this league a long time and look back and you’re going to be able to help some other young players that are going through similar phases in their game and be able to help them and be that leadership that I know you’re going to be able to come through in this difficult time for you right now. …

“He has not laid off of work one day. He wakes up every day and he comes in and he has a mindset to try to get better and get out of the slump.”

Injury-free

One overlooked part of the Red Sox’ early success: their health.

The Red Sox, through the first month-plus, have avoided any major injuries to their core players, with a player needing a day here or there. Cora gave all the credit to his medical and strength and conditioning staff.

“They do an outstanding job,” Cora said. “During the offseason, that was something that was brought up and they were on top of them. Luck has to do with it, too. We have to be honest with the whole situation. But we’re very hands on with our players. As an organization we don’t want guys to go into the training room. It’s about preventing injuries. We want you in there. We want you to do the work so we can prevent something bad from happening instead of waiting for something bad to happen and then you get treatment. …

“I do believe our medical department is one of the best, if not the best in the big leagues. And they’ve done an amazing job keeping these guys healthy.”

Confidence boost

Christian Vazquez has looked better at the plate over the last week, and it’s no coincidence that it’s rooted in his opposite-field RBI double against Mets star Jacob deGrom last week. That hit was the latest reminder that the can change the complexion of the lineup when he hits to every part of the field.

“I think he gained a lot of confidence,” Hyers said of Vazquez’s at-bat against deGrom. “He takes a 100 mile-an-hour fastball up and away and stays on top of it. … One at-bat can change your mindset and kind of give you that boost. I think that obviously gave him some confidence but I think it also helps him understand where his swing is. We see him use the big part of the field and kind of that line-drive stroke. I think that’s where he’s at his best and really helps the team and he’s really good at it.” …

Alex Verdugo was a late scratch to Wednesday’s lineup due to lower back tightness. The outfielder was prepared to play, but Cora took him out just as a precaution. …

Christian Arroyo left Wednesday’s game with a left hand contusion after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. X-rays came back negative, but the Red Sox will stay away from him at least for Thursday’s game.

“He got hit on the same hand as he did last week,” Cora said. “He’s pretty sore. X-rays were negative, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow when he comes in, but we’ll stay away from him.”

Red Sox lineup: Alex Verdugo scratched Wednesday due to lower back tightness

Steve Hewitt

Alex Verdugo was a late scratch from the Red Sox’ lineup on Wednesday before their game against the Tigers due to lower back tightness.

Verdugo was originally slated to bat second and play center field on Wednesday night, but about three hours before first pitch, the Red Sox updated their lineup without him. According to a Red Sox official, Verdugo was prepared to play but manager Alex Cora took him out as a precaution. There are wet field conditions expected Wednesday at Fenway Park, which likely contributed to the decision.

Kiké Hernández will now play in center, with Christian Arroyo inserted into the lineup at second base. Rafael Devers, who was supposed to hit fifth, will now bat second.

Martin Pérez starts on the mound for the Red Sox as they look to take their first two games from the Tigers. Here’s the lineup:

K. Hernández CF Devers 3B Martinez DH Bogaerts SS Vázquez C Gonzalez 1B Arroyo 2B Renfroe RF Cordero LF

Pérez LHP (0-2, 4.70 ERA)

Michael Chavis ‘really looking forward’ to next opportunity with Red Sox

Steve Hewitt

Michael Chavis is in a good place.

As he started with Triple-A Worcester in its inaugural season this week, Chavis was even oozing with some confidence. A focused offseason that translated into a strong spring training wasn’t enough for him to earn a spot on the Red Sox’ roster, but Chavis is secure with the work he’s put in, knowing that his next chance awaits at some point — maybe soon.

Chavis has taken his situation in stride, embracing his return to Triple-A after two seasons in the big leagues. He was even joking Wednesday about becoming the first baserunner in WooSox history via getting hit by a pitch, saying, “That’s something I always dreamed about.”

It’s clear Chavis is in a healthy mindset. Asked before Wednesday’s game if he feels as good as he did in 2019, when he burst onto the scene as a rookie with the Red Sox, Chavis left no doubt.

“I feel better than I was in 2019,” Chavis said emphatically. “I feel better than I have ever in professional baseball, honestly. I feel like the way that I performed in spring training kind of relayed that. Yeah, honestly I feel incredible. … I feel very good, I’m very comfortable with where I’m at. I lost some weight this offseason. I’m feeling faster, I’m feeling more flexible, more mobile. …

“Whenever my opportunity comes, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Could that be on the horizon?

The Red Sox, who have lost four of their last six after Wednesday’s loss to the struggling Tigers, could use a jolt. The bottom of their lineup continues to struggle, with Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero in extended slumps. The two are hitless in their last 48 at-bats combined, and Cordero, who’s never seen consistent playing time in the majors due to a series of injuries, looks like someone who could benefit from regular at-bats in the minors.

They’re also a little banged up. Alex Verdugo was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with lower back tightness, while Christian Arroyo — who beat out Chavis for the last roster spot — left Wednesday’s game with a left hand contusion. Both players are considered day to day, but a healthy, productive and versatile reinforcement could be useful for the Red Sox right now, even if manager Alex Cora thinks they’re good.

“I think we should be OK (Thursday) if (Verdugo) plays or not,” Cora said. “We’re going to have to have to talk after (Thursday’s game) to see where we’re at physically and make decisions based on that.”

If the Red Sox make a move, Chavis is one of the most logical candidates. He has the most big-league experience of anyone in Triple-A and can fill multiple positions for the Red Sox. He has experience at first, second, third and even left field, though he didn’t get any reps in the latter positions in spring training as the Red Sox wanted him to focus on the infield.

That versatility is something Chavis takes pride in, and could be his easiest ticket back to the majors, especially right now.

“I think it’s going to be very important,” Chavis said. “I think my versatility is pretty much getting myself as many opportunities to play as possible. That’s kind of the way I approach it, that I can play third, second, first, left field, anywhere. If it gets me in the lineup, I’m going to be happy. That’s what my goal is at the end of the day is just to be in the lineup and be playing baseball. If my versatility gets me that opportunity, then that’s 100 percent something that I’m going to embrace and look forward to doing. I’ll be ready whenever my opportunity shows itself.”

Chavis made some strides offensively in spring training but was the odd man out as Cora chose Arroyo over him, a decision the manager said was difficult to make. But even then, Cora knew it was inevitable that they would need Chavis again at some point this year.

“I’ve been saying all along, it takes more than 26 guys to win this thing,” Cora said on March 30 at the end of spring training. “Because you’re in the Opening Day roster, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be here the whole season, and there are circumstances and injuries and other stuff, especially nowadays. I have to laugh because I felt like I was talking like in ’19, and ‘18 and I forgot about the pandemic, going through this but we never know. We never know what can happen so he needs to be ready.”

* The Providence Journal

Red Sox Journal: Hitting coach turns attention to Cordero, Dalbec

Steve Cumming

Tim Hyers rarely addresses his star pupils with the media.

The majority of the questions put to the Red Sox hitting coach in a given Zoom session focus on his strugglers. In this case, that’s Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec.

Cordero was back in the Red Sox lineup for Wednesday’s game against Detroit at Fenway Park. Dalbec was given the night off in the midst of an 0-for-20 skid.

“I think number one is pitch selection,” Hyers said. “It’s what they’re swinging at.

“The thing we preach around here is swinging at your strengths and trying to be good at that. I think that first and foremost is what they’re trying to do.”

Cordero opened with a seven-game hitting streak, but he’s recorded just one hit since April 14. The outfielder entered 1-for-34 with 17 strikeouts in his last 38 plate appearances. Cordero’s only two extra- base hits were achieved in back-to-back games against the Rays on April 5 and 6.

“He’s got to lay off that high pitch and be able to flatten his swing out,” Hyers said. “Stay above it.”

Dalbec bashed eight home runs in just 92 plate appearances after debuting in 2020. He went deep in a 2-1 win at the Mets on April 27 — it's Dalbec’s lone home run of the season and his only hit in his last 28 plate appearances. The first baseman was on a good run prior to that, racking up a 1.022 OPS through 10 games.

“It’s kind of a shock to me,” Hyers said. “Coming out of spring training, I felt the swing was going to allow him to put more balls in play.”

Hunter Renfroe has shown signs of life over his last three games, going 6-for-12 with two home runs and falling just a triple shy of the cycle on Tuesday. Boston’s offense on the whole leads the big leagues in average, slugging, OPS, doubles and extra-base hits. Criticism of individual hitters reads like nitpicking while the Red Sox top the American League East, but it is no less valid concerning trends that need correcting going forward.

“For me, it was a grind for 13 years offensively,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “I know it’s not that easy. You’ve just got to be patient.”

Valdez ready to go

Phillips Valdez hasn’t pitched for the Red Sox since April 24.

Cora confirmed prior to Wednesday’s game there is no injury concern with the right-hander. Valdez is likely to have have mopped up late had Tuesday’s 11-7 victory over the Tigers remained a bit more lopsided.

“The game hasn’t called his name,” Cora said. “It’s nothing about him. He’s healthy.

“Yesterday, the way the game was going, he was going to finish the game. He was pitching two innings. It didn’t happen.”

Boston held a 9-3 lead in the top of the sixth when Austin Brice allowed a three-run homer to JaCoby Jones. That forced the Red Sox to activate their high-leverage options for the final nine outs. Adam Ottavino, Darwinzon Hernandez and Matt Barnes — who fired 1⅔ innings for his seventh save — finished up.

“In the end, we won the game, which is the most important thing,” Cora said. “At the same time, it would have been perfect to go through that lineup three more times with no runs and give the guys a rest.”

Renfroe hits 100th

There was some negotiating ongoing in the grandstands late Tuesday night.

Renfroe’s home run above the Green Monster in the bottom of the fifth was the 100th of his career. The ball caromed back onto the playing field and Detroit’s Robbie Grossman threw it toward the patrons for a souvenir.

Red Sox staff members jumped into action quickly. Renfroe received what he believed to be the special ball prior to his postgame media briefing.

“I don’t know if it’s the right one or not but I got a ball,” Renfroe said. “They wrote 100 career homers. I don’t know if it’s the right one or not but we’ll see.”

Renfroe singled to right and cracked a ground-rule double to right prior to going deep. His first career hit occurred in a September 2016 game with the Padres, a single through the left side against the Giants at Petco Park. Renfroe’s first career home run was hit two days later, a solo shot against former San Francisco ace .

“People who come in the league and stay in the league are the only guys who get to do that,” Renfroe said. “The guys who come in and go out — it's tough to get 100 home runs or 500 RBI or whatever.

“Any kind of milestone needs to be celebrated in baseball. I think it’s awesome.”

Sox's hot-hitting Verdugo has to sit with an injury

Bill Koch

Alex Verdugo was scratched from the Red Sox lineup about three hours prior to Wednesday’s scheduled first pitch against the Tigers.

The ball club said Verdugo was being held out for precautionary reasons because of lower back tightness. The outfielder’s body has done more to slow him lately than opposing pitchers.

The Red Sox are content to exercise some patience with Verdugo and the rest of their players, be it due to minor aches and pains or a lack of performance. Boston manager Alex Cora adopted largely the same philosophy in his first tenure and nothing has changed through 30 games in his second. Kiké Hernandez moved from second base to center field and Christian Arroyo came off the bench to start.

“As an organization, we don’t mind guys going into the training room,” Cora said. “It’s about preventing injuries. We want you in there.

“We want you to do the work so we can prevent something bad happening instead of waiting for something bad to happen and then getting treatment. They’re on top of it.”

It doesn’t matter to the Red Sox that Verdugo is currently a vital offensive piece. Rafael Devers (right shoulder) was given Tuesday off and returned Wednesday, batting second and playing third base. He experienced some discomfort on a swing and miss during the weekend series at Texas.

Could Verdugo have played in a pinch on Wednesday? Could Devers have taken the field the previous night? The answer is almost certainly yes in both cases if it’s Game 7 of the World Series. Boston won’t be forced to make those sorts of decisions, if fortunate, for another five months.

This comes on the same day a report released by The Athletic highlighted the ever-growing injury problems in baseball. April placements on the from 2019 to 2021 — the last full season in the sport to this one — revealed a 15% increase. Pitchers have been hurt 22% more frequently.

“You’ve got to give credit to our medical staff and our strength and conditioning staff,” Cora said. “They do an outstanding job. During the offseason, that was something that was brought up, and they were on top of them.

“I think luck has to do with it, too. We have to be honest with the whole situation. But we’re very hands-on with our players.”

Eduardo Rodriguez (left elbow inflammation) opened the season on the injured list after suffering a dead arm late in spring training. He’s returned to win four of his five starts and strike out nearly 10 batters per nine innings. (left calf strain) and (left elbow) are the only current long-term-injury concerns on the roster.

“The roster, it helps us,” Cora said. “The 14 pitchers, there’s a reason for that. And also the versatility — the fact that we can move people around and give guys rest. You don’t feel like you’re missing somebody in the lineup. It helps.

“Raffy, he was OK to play yesterday. But why push him? We gave him two days off. We’ve done it with J.D. [Martinez], we’ve done it with Xander [Bogaerts], we do it with the — our roster helps that, too.”

Cora’s open communication with his players allows the staff set up lineups as far as a week in advance. The Red Sox are already discussing a possible off-day for Bogaerts during the weekend series with the Orioles at Camden Yards. Sometimes a late request can be accommodated, like when Bogaerts sent a Sunday-morning text message to Cora asking to serve as the designated hitter for an afternoon matchup with the Mariners on April 25.

“He wanted to play,” Cora said. “He texted me at 9:30 in the morning and the game was at 1. ‘Hey, I can play, but I need to DH.’

“Well, I have to tell the DH [Martinez] he’s going to play left field. And that takes a while to get going. But we try to structure a week and look ahead.”

Nobody on the club is hotter than Verdugo at the moment. He’s reached base safely in 23 straight games, compiling a 1.001 OPS in that span. Verdugo’s 32 hits and 10 walks followed an empty 0-for-11 start to the season, and he homered above the Green Monster in Tuesday’s 11-7 victory over Detroit at Fenway Park.

* MassLive.com

Garrett Whitlock surrenders game-winning three-run homer as Boston Red Sox lose, 6-5, to Tigers in 10 innings

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- It turns out Garrett Whitlock is human after all.

Summoned for the 10th inning in a 3-3 game, Whitlock surrendered a game-winning, three-run homer to Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario as Detroit beat Boston, 6-5, in a wild game at Fenway Park. The loss dropped Boston to 18-13 this season.

The homer -- which came after Xander Bogaerts lined out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning -- was the second against Whitlock in his last two outings. The lanky righty started his big-league career with 13 ⅓ scoreless innings before surrendering a homer to Isiah Kiner-Falefa to lead off the seventh inning of Sunday’s loss to Texas.

Boston threatened a comeback in the bottom of the 10th, plating runs on a Marwin Gonzalez RBI single and an error by Tigers second baseman to make it 6-5 with two runners on base. Michael Fulmer -- who recorded just two outs as Detroit’s starter on Tuesday -- got Bobby Dalbec to line out and struck out Kiké Hernández to end the ballgame.

Starters Martín Pérez and Casey Mize cruised through the first few innings, with the clubs trading runs on a Gonzalez RBI groundout in the second and a JaCoby Jones single -- aided by a brutal error in left field by Franchy Cordero -- two innings later. In the sixth inning, Pérez allowed two singles before Jones put the Tigers up 3-1 on a two-out, two run single. Overall, Pérez pitched well for the second straight outing, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in 5 ⅔ innings. He struck out six and lowered his ERA to 4.40.

In the seventh, J.D. Martinez launched a Bryan Garcia fastball into the bullpen for his 10th homer of the year to tie the game, 3-3. Relievers Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes shut the Tigers down in the eighth and the ninth before Boston mounted a two-out rally against left-hander Gregory Soto, loading the bases before Bogaerts sharply lined out to send the game into extras.

Arroyo removed (hand contusion); Vázquez makes cameo at second base

Second baseman Christian Arroyo was removed from the game after seven innings with a left hand contusion, according to the Red Sox. Arroyo was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning and X-rays were negative.

With Alex Verdugo (lower back stiffness) unavailable, the Red Sox were forced to get a little creative with their defensive alignment. When Arroyo came out of the game, catcher Christian Vázquez shifted to second base -- a spot he had previously played only three games at in his career -- and Kevin Plawecki came in behind the plate. Marwin Gonzalez, who started at first base, shifted to left field after Bobby Dalbec pinch- hit for Franchy Cordero.

Sox set franchise record

The Red Sox struck out 12 batters in the loss, marking the first time in franchise history the club has struck out 10 batters in nine consecutive games, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

Eovaldi has finale

Righty (4-2, 3.63 ERA) is on the mound for the Red Sox in Thursday’s series finale opposite right-hander (1-2, 4.50 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.; the Red Sox will travel to Baltimore for a four-game series after the rubber game against Detroit.

Red Sox’s Martín Pérez has clear message for anyone who thinks Boston’s hot start is a fluke

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- After the Red Sox lost a dramatic, extra-innings game to the Tigers on Wednesday night, starter Martín Pérez had a clear message for anyone who is doubting the hot start Boston has gotten off to this season.

“We’re never going to quit,” Pérez said. “We’ve got a good team. I know that people said we’re not going to be good this year. I’m sorry for what I’m going to say, but we’re (expletive) good. So tomorrow we’re just going to come here, do our job and win games.”

Pérez allowed three runs (two earned) while striking out six in 5 ⅔ innings but the Red Sox lost, 6-5, after Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario hit a three-run home run off rookie reliever Garrett Whitlock in the top of the 10th inning. Boston is now 5-5 in its last 10 games but still holds sole possession of first place in the American League East with a 1 ½ game lead over the Yankees and Rays.

Pérez was nearly flawless before Tigers center fielder JaCoby Jones gave Detroit a 3-1 lead with a two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning.

“Every team can hit,” he said. “We’re not invincible. We just need to go out there and throw our pitches and get people out. When you miss a pitch at this level, you’re going to (pay). That happened to me tonight. We’re going to be okay.”

The Red Sox have lost just two of their nine series so far this year, being swept by the Orioles on opening weekend and losing three of four to the Rangers from last Thursday to Sunday. They’ll look to take the rubber game of a three-game set against the league-worst Tigers on Thursday afternoon.

“I think the game was right there,” Pérez said. “Everybody did a good job. Just continue to do what we’ve been doing and get ready for tomorrow. Win the series.”

Alex Verdugo scratched from Boston Red Sox lineup with lower back tightness

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with lower back tightness, the team said. Verdugo was prepared to play but the Red Sox removed him from the lineup as a precaution.

Christian Arroyo is now starting at second base and hitting seventh with Kiké Hernández shifting from second base to center field against the Tigers. Rafael Devers is now hitting second after originally being slotted in the fifth spot.

Before Verdugo was scratched, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team’s versatility with Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez on the roster makes it easy to make adjustments on the fly when injuries pop up. Simply switching Hernández to center field and inserting Arroyo is an example of what Cora was describing.

“The roster, it helps us,” Cora said. “The 14 pitchers, there’s a reason because of that. And also the versatility, that we can move people around, give guys rest and you don’t feel like you’re missing somebody in the lineup. It helps.”

Verdugo, who is hitting .314 with four homers and an .899 OPS, has only missed two games this season. He has played the last seven games and hit a solo homer in Tuesday’s 11-7 win over Detroit.

First pitch between the Red Sox and Tigers is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Here’s how the Red Sox will line up against the Tigers on Wednesday night:

1. CF Kiké Hernández

2. 3B Rafael Devers

3. DH J.D. Martinez

4. SS Xander Bogaerts

5. C Christian Vázquez

6. 1B Marwin Gonzalez

7. 2B Christian Arroyo

8. RF Hunter Renfroe

9. LF Franchy Cordero

Boston Red Sox lineup: Rafael Devers returns, Franchy Cordero starting against Tigers on Wednesday night

Chris Cotillo

UPDATE (4:20 p.m. ET): Alex Verdugo has been scratched from the lineup with lower back tightness, the Red Sox announced. Verdugo was prepared to play but the Red Sox removed him from the lineup as a precaution.

The updated lineup is below. Christian Arroyo is now starting at second base and hitting seventh, so Hernández shifts from second base to center field. Devers is now hitting second after originally being slotted in the fifth spot.

***

BOSTON -- Rafael Devers is back in the lineup and Franchy Cordero is starting in left field for the Red Sox against the Tigers and former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

Devers missed Tuesday’s series opener with a sore shoulder after tweaking his arm Saturday night in Texas. Cordero, who is hitless in his last 23 at-bats, is hitting ninth after a night off Tuesday.

Kiké Hernández is starting at second base with Cordero, Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe making up Boston’s outfield. Bobby Dalbec has the night off and Marwin Gonzalez is starting at first base.

Mize, who was selected first overall out of Auburn in 2018, has yet to find much success in the majors, posting a 6.05 ERA and 1.436 WHIP in 12 starts since making his big-league debut in Aug. 2020. He’ll start opposite Red Sox lefty Martín Pérez, who lowered his ERA to 4.70 with a two run (one earned), 5 ⅔ inning performance against the Rangers on Thursday.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Detroit Tigers (8-22) vs. Boston Red Sox (18-12) · Fenway Park · Boston, MA FIRST PITCH: 7:10 p.m. ET

TV CHANNEL: NESN

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

RADIO: WEEI 93.7 FM

PITCHING PROBABLES: RHP Casey Mize (1-3, 5.06 ERA) vs. LHP Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.70 ERA)

RED SOX LINEUP:

1. CF Kiké Hernández

2. 3B Rafael Devers

3. DH J.D. Martinez

4. SS Xander Bogaerts

5. C Christian Vázquez

6. 1B Marwin Gonzalez

7. 2B Christian Arroyo

8. RF Hunter Renfroe

9. LF Franchy Cordero

TIGERS LINEUP:

1. LF Robbie Grossman

2. DH Jonathan Schoop

3. 3B Jeimer Candelario

4. 1B Miguel Cabrera

5. SS Niko Goodrum

6. 2B Willi Castro

7. CF JaCoby Jones

8. RF Victor Reyes

9.

Boston Red Sox weather: Alex Cora says club ‘should be okay’ to face Tigers on Wednesday despite rain in forecast

Chris Cotillo

UPDATE: The game is delayed and is now scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m., according to the Red Sox.

***

BOSTON -- The Red Sox and Tigers are expected to play Wednesday night despite a rainy forecast in the Fenway Park area, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. The two teams are scheduled for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch in Boston.

“We should be okay,” Cora said around 3:15 p.m. “It’s going to be a wet one and cold, so just a normal night here.”

The National Weather Service forecast calls for showers throughout the evening but the radar shows a decreasing chance of rain throughout the night. The game might need to be delayed if the rain in the area doesn’t end before 7:00.

From the NWS: “Showers, mainly before 10pm. Patchy fog before 1am. Low around 47. North wind 6 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.”

In the unlikely event the game is postponed, the Red Sox and Tigers would likely play a doubleheader Thursday, with the series finale currently scheduled for 1:10 p.m. The Red Sox are scheduled to fly to Baltimore and Detroit is scheduled to fly home to face the Twins on Thursday night; the Tigers don’t come back to Boston this year because they aren’t a divisional opponent.

The Red Sox won the series opener, 11-7, and have Martín Pérez on the mound opposite former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize on Wednesday night. Stay tuned for updates about the weather situation throughout the evening.

Boston Red Sox rain delay: Game vs. Tigers now slated to start at 7:45 p.m.

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- Wednesday’s Tigers-Red Sox game is in a rain delay and is now scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m ET, according to the Red Sox. As of the 7:10 p.m. scheduled first pitch time, the tarp was out on the field at Fenway Park with rain falling in the area.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for showers throughout the evening but the radar shows a decreasing chance of rain throughout the night: “Showers, mainly before 10pm. Patchy fog before 1am. Low around 47. North wind 6 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.”

Earlier Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he expected the teams to be able to play. The Red Sox have already had two home games rained out this year -- on April 1 against Baltimore and April 16 against the White Sox.

“We should be okay,” Cora said around 3:15 p.m. “It’s going to be a wet one and cold, so just a normal night here.”

In the event the game is postponed, the Red Sox and Tigers would likely play a doubleheader Thursday, with the series finale currently scheduled for 1:10 p.m. The Red Sox are scheduled to fly to Baltimore and Detroit is scheduled to fly home to face the Twins on Thursday night; the Tigers don’t come back to Boston this year because they aren’t a divisional opponent.

The Red Sox won the series opener, 11-7, and have Martín Pérez on the mound opposite former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize on Wednesday night. Center fielder Alex Verdugo was scratched from the lineup with lower back tightness; Christian Arroyo replaced him in the lineup as the second baseman and Kiké Hernández moved from second base to center field.

Boston Red Sox injuries: Christian Arroyo (hand), Alex Verdugo (back) both considered day-to-day

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- After the Red Sox’ dramatic extra-innings loss to the Tigers, manager Alex Cora offered updates on second baseman Christian Arroyo and Alex Verdugo, who were both banged up Wednesday.

Arroyo out Thursday after being hit by pitch

Arroyo was hit in the left hand by a Casey Mize pitch in the sixth inning and was later removed from the game with a left hand contusion. X-rays were negative but Arroyo is unlikely to play in Thursday’s series finale.

Arroyo was hit in the same hand last Sunday and missed two games before returning to the lineup Thursday in Texas.

“He got hit in the same hand as he did last week,” Cora said. “It’s pretty sore. X-rays were negative. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow when he comes in but we’ll stay away from him.”

Verdugo scratched with tight back

Verdugo was in the original lineup but was scratched before first pitch due to lower back tightness. The decision was precautionary, according to the Red Sox.

“He came into the office. He didn’t feel right,” Cora said. “I decided to stay away from him today. Hopefully, he can feel better tomorrow.”

Cora made it seem like Verdugo might play Thursday afternoon. Either way, the club isn’t planning on making a roster move for a position player before the matinee. The Red Sox could look to make a move or two before hitting the road for a four-game set in Baltimore that starts Friday night.

“I think we should be okay tomorrow, if (Verdugo) plays or not,” Cora said. “We’re going to have to talk about, after tomorrow, seeing where we’re at physically and making decisions based on that.”

If the Red Sox were to make a move, Michael Chavis is the obvious candidate to be added to the active roster. Jonathan Araúz and Marcus Wilson are the other WooSox position players on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Boston Red Sox’s Franchy Cordero ‘has been in a rut at a higher pace than is sustainable,’ Chaim Bloom says; OF is 1-for-34 in last 13 games

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- When the Red Sox acquired Franchy Cordero in the February trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals, they did so knowing Cordero would probably strike out quite a bit. But his performance so far -- a .158 average (9-for-57) with 26 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances (41.9%) -- is markedly worse than the Red Sox hoped.

Cordero has always had a high strikeout rate, punching out in 34.9% of his plate appearances in parts of four big-league seasons with San Diego and Kansas City. But he showed signs of improvement in a limited sample last summer, striking out only four times in 42 plate appearances in an injury-shortened season.

Cordero’s start to 2021 has caught Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom by surprise.

“To swing and miss and strike out at this rate is obviously more than we expected,” Bloom said Tuesday. “I think the way it has been the last few weeks, it’s very hard to be productive doing that. We know that’s a part of his game. There were reasons last summer to think he had advanced in his two-strike approach. We still think he put some things into play last summer that are reproducible, that he can carry forward. We know it’s going to be a part of his game. There are players who strike out and still can be productive. Over the last few weeks, he has been in a rut at a higher pace than is sustainable and we need to help him get it back under control so he can get to his power.”

Cordero is riding an 0-for-23 stretch and is 1-for-34 with 17 strikeouts dating back to April 14. He started three games over the weekend in Texas but sat against righty Michael Fulmer on Tuesday night. He’ll return to the lineup Wednesday night against righty Casey Mize.

Bloom called the performance of the bottom of the lineup “not ideal” to start the season. Cordero (.406), Kevin Plawecki (.527), Bobby Dalbec (.551), Marwin Gonzalez (.594) and Hunter Renfroe (.664) all have OPS numbers under .600 through 30 games.

“It is still early,” Bloom cautioned. “I think it’s important to remember a week into the season, you’d look at Franchy and he was hitting .350. Obviously, now he’s not. He has had a really rough few weeks. The game that both (Cordero and Renfroe) play, I don’t necessarily know that you’d expect either of them to come out and hit for a high average. You do expect them to be productive in other ways. So far, obviously, we’ve seen that in spurts, but we haven’t seen it consistently. All the physical ability is there to do it. We want to give them as much runway as we can.”

Boston’s lineup has been extremely top-heavy to start the year, as Alex Verdugo, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez have all gotten off to torrid starts. Bloom expects it to balance out at some point, and Renfroe -- who had three hits including a homer in Tuesday’s win -- has shown signs of life.

“I think it’s unlikely you’ll see the parts of our lineup that haven’t been as productive be that unproductive going forward,” Bloom said. “You may see some of our horses, who have carried us so far, go through the inevitable slumps that happen during a season.”

From the beginning of spring training, manager Alex Cora has said that the lineup can beat teams in three distinct ways. The top third, with Kiké Hernández, Verdugo and J.D. Martinez, is full of table-setters. The middle group of Bogaerts, Devers and Christian Vázquez is made up of run-producers. The group of Cordero, Renfroe and Dalbec has rare power potential for the bottom third of a club’s lineup.

“We wanted to build a lineup that — although we have some star power in the middle of that lineup — could be a threat No. 1 through No. 9,” Bloom said. “It hasn’t played out that way in terms of the production. I think the threat, the ability to impact the game is still there. I’d expect some of those things to even out just as we go through the season, but it certainly has been very pronounced so far.”

* The Worcester Telegram

Worcester Red Sox’ Michael Chavis: ‘I’ll be ready whenever my opportunity shows itself’

Joe McDonald

TRENTON, N.J. — Michael Chavis described the first game in Worcester Red Sox history as an incredible experience.

“We actually got to play baseball and that was really exciting,” he said.

The WooSox didn’t finish with the result they wanted in the first game, dropping a 6-1 decision to the Tuesday night at Ballpark, but it was still a special night as Chavis etched his name into the record books.

He registered the team’s first extra-base hit with a double to right-center field off Bisons starter Nate Pearson in the top of the fourth, and later Chavis scored the first run. He was also the first WooSox player hit by a pitch, which he had some fun with after the game.

“It’s very cool. Honestly, it was something I hadn’t really considered until after the game when people starting telling me that I was the first hit by pitch (pumped his fist in the air). What an accomplishment and that was something I’ve always dreamed about, so as soon as I heard that news I called my mom and told my family,” Chavis said with a laugh.

His ability to play baseball is just as impressive as his personality. The 25-year-old infielder/outfielder has been in the Red Sox organization for eight seasons ever since Boston selected him in the first round (26th overall) in the 2014 draft.

Chavis has played at every level in the Red Sox organization and he’s proud of what he’s accomplished in the last seven seasons.

“When I was 18-years-old it was a little bit different than it is now,” he said. “Early on in my career I was just trying to figure out what it was like to be in the Red Sox organization. Now, I’m 25 and I’ve had some major league experience. I’ve had some ups and down and have experienced a lot of things.”

He’ll use those experiences – both good and bad – to continue his development in hopes of one day becoming a full-time player in Boston. In a recent conversation with teammate and good friend, Josh Ockimey, Chavis said he thought earlier in his career that once he reached the big leagues he would become the perfect baseball player.

The reason he thought that is because when he was younger and he watched players, he thought they were perfect. So, it was only natural that he would also be perfect one day. Then he became a professional and quickly realized it’s not as easy as it looks.

“It’s interesting now being in this position as a Major League Baseball player, I’m more realistic and guys aren’t perfect,” he said. “It’s still baseball. It’s still a game and crazy things happen.”

Chavis is one of the most versatile players in the Red Sox organization and has the ability to play first, second, third and all three outfield positions.

“It’s very important,” he said. “My versatility is pretty much giving myself as many opportunities to play as possible. That’s the way I approach it. If it gets me in the lineup I’ll be happy. My goal is just to be in the lineup and playing baseball. If my versatility gets me that opportunity than 100 percent it’s something I’m going to embrace. I’ll be ready whenever my opportunity shows itself.”

In 2019, Chavis was the Red Sox Rookie of the Year, and he played in 42 of the Red Sox’ 60 games in 2020. During the offseason, he lost some weight and believes he’s faster, stronger, more flexible and more mobile. As a result, he enjoyed a productive spring training and he hopes it carries into the Triple-A season.

“I feel better than I did in 2019,” he admitted before Wednesday’s game. “I feel better than I have – ever in professional baseball. The way I performed in spring training kind of relayed that. Yeah, I feel incredible. I feel very good, very comfortable. I did everything I needed to do this offseason to prepare for this season, so whenever my opportunity comes I’m really looking forward to it.”

The current WooSox roster has the chance to become a solid team. It’s already evident the players get along well and now that the season has started it could lead to good things for many of these prospects. It also helps that the season began on the road.

Most of these WooSox players participated in the Red Sox’ alternate site at Polar Park in April and the team traveled twice to New York to face the Mets’ alternate camp roster. Due to MLB restrictions, players weren’t allowed in the clubhouse, so it wasn’t a typical road trip.

Now that the Triple-A season has begun, Worcester is using this first road trip as a team-bonding experience. It’s not perfect due to COVID-19 guidelines, but there’s a sense of things getting back to normal.

“It’s been great,” Chavis said. “We’re in the clubhouse and we’re able to interact with each other. Last year in the big leagues, it was very complicated and we didn’t really get that camaraderie within the team. We didn’t get to be around each other and get that bond you get by just messing around with each other 24/7. It becomes your family, so now being back in the clubhouse and being in a team-oriented atmosphere, I’m very happy.”

Since he’s been in the Red Sox organization, Chavis has played in a lot of ballparks during his pro career. He can’t wait to play a real game at Polar Park in front of WooSox fans this summer.

“It’s going to be really interesting,” he said. Just comparing it to Pawtucket, the foul ground is very different. (Polar Park) is not as wide. The dimensions are going to be really interesting ... the surface is real incredible – the dirt, the grass, everything has been incredible. There are no complaints with the field. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

* RedSox.com

Whitlock grateful 'you always get tomorrow'

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Garrett Whitlock had been the feel-good story of April for the Red Sox, as the Rule 5 Draft pick who turned in one dominant outing on top of another out of the bullpen.

And he could still wind up being their feel-good story of the season. But thus far, May has not been so kind.

The righty served up a three-run homer to Jeimer Candelario in the top of the 10th to lift the Tigers to a 6-5 victory over the Red Sox in 10 innings on Wednesday night at soggy Fenway Park.

“It's part of being a big leaguer,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You're going to have good days and bad days, and he should be OK.”

Whitlock handled the defeat with the same even demeanor he displayed after so many of his strong performances in April.

“It’s baseball, that’s the best thing about it is you always get tomorrow, and like I said, I’m just thankful to be here so each time AC gives me the ball, I’m going to go out and give it the best I can and try and help the team win,” he said.

After six scoreless outings -- covering 13 1/3 innings and including 18 strikeouts -- to open his career, Whitlock suffered his first blemish on Sunday in Texas when he allowed a solo homer to Isiah Kiner- Falefa. But that simply reduced a Boston lead from two runs to one.

Wednesday's mishap was more costly. Candelario beat Whitlock on a first-pitch sinker that was belt high and on the outer half of the strike zone.

“I was thinking, 'Get ahead with a fastball,' and tried to attack and induce a ground ball, and he put a good swing on it,” Whitlock said.

There was some misfortune earlier in the inning. With the automatic runner on second and nobody out, Whitlock appeared to have Jonathan Schoop on a called third strike on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, a 96.3- mph heater down the middle. Home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn ruled that it was low, though Statcast showed the pitch was in the strike zone.

“You’ve just got to focus on each pitch, and the umpire called it a ball, and so you move on from there and you try and attack the next pitch,” Whitlock said.

Whitlock’s next pitch was middle-middle and Schoop hit a little popup into short right field.

With catcher Christian Vázquez playing second base because Christian Arroyo had to exit due to soreness in his left wrist after he was hit by a pitch, the ball fell into no man’s land, and Hunter Renfroe couldn’t quite get to it. Had Arroyo still been in the game, the ball likely would have been caught.

Instead, Whitlock was staring at runners at the corners with nobody out when Candelario delivered the game-breaking hit.

Despite the frustrating loss for the Red Sox, the fourth in the last six games against sub.-500 opponents Detroit and Texas, there were some good things that happened on Wednesday.

J.D.’s smash into the bullpen

Red Sox slugger -- and former Tiger -- J.D. Martinez continues to come up big for his team.

With Boston down 3-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the star DH clocked an equalizing, two- run homer into Boston’s bullpen in right-center.

Martinez is tied with Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. for the MLB lead in homers with 10.

The Red Sox nearly won the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth when Xander Bogaerts hit a liner to left that had an expected batting average of .720. But it was caught by Tigers left fielder Robbie Grossman, sending the game into extras.

“[Bogaerts] hit it off the end, so the ball hung a little bit,” Cora said. “It was a good play. The way he hit it, he didn't hit it as hard as he usually does. I was hoping it would get down, but the ball just hung up there and [Grossman] made a nice catch.”

Another strong outing by Peréz

For the second consecutive start, Red Sox lefty Martín Pérez had a strong effort and nothing to show for it. Over 5 2/3 innings, Pérez allowed just two earned runs while striking out six, all looking.

The only damaging hit he allowed was a two-run single off the Monster by JaCoby Jones. If first baseman Marwin Gonzalez hadn’t stepped in front of second baseman Arroyo on a grounder earlier in the inning, Pérez would have never faced Jones in the sixth. When the Tigers scored their first run in the fourth, it was because Franchy Cordero booted a routine single by Jones, allowing Candelario to score from second on the error.

“I mean, tonight was good, and only one pitch changed the game,” Pérez said. “But like I say to my teammates, I think they hit my best pitch. So, I’m OK with that, and after that we were able to score some runs, tie the game, and I think the game was right there and everybody did a great job. So, just continue to do what we’ve been doing and be ready for tomorrow and win the series.”

In his first 10 Fenway Park starts for the Red Sox dating back to last season, Pérez is winless.

Dalbec scuffling; Verdugo rests sore back

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- After Bobby Dalbec bashed a Grapefruit League-leading seven homers, nobody was more optimistic about the type of rookie season he would have than Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers.

However, Dalbec has spent most of the first month of the season in a slump, and his hitting coach is trying to help him find some answers.

“I didn't see it like this, getting off to the start that he's off to. That's kind of a shock to me,” Hyers said. “Coming out of Spring Training, I felt his swing was going to allow him to put more balls in play. I know he's working hard to work out a few of the kinks that are causing him to lose some posture and lose some lower-half stability, and I feel that's where he gets underneath the baseball a lot.”

For Red Sox manager Alex Cora, there is a fine line between giving Dalbec time off to help him decompress and keeping him in the lineup so he can fix what ails him.

Dalbec has started 23 of the first 31 games, but he was not in the lineup on Wednesday night against the Tigers.

“He's still working on his timing. It's something that we've been talking about; it's very important,” Cora said. “He's not playing today, so he'll keep working at it. It just takes one swing with him. I don't think it has to be a line drive to right field. I do believe, just get a hanging breaking ball and pull it for power, something positive, right? One thing for sure, we're working with him hard, he's going out there and playing hard, trying to make every play at first base, which is very important.”

Dalbec is a natural third baseman, but his defense at first base has been excellent. He’s saved many errors from other infielders with his scoops.

“It's something I mentioned yesterday to him,” Cora said. “'Hey man, just look at -- you haven't produced offensively. Look at the scoreboard, look where we are at in the standings, and you're playing good defense. That's what it's all about. Even if you're not contributing offensively, just go out there and help your teammates out somehow, some way. And he's done that."

Given the versatility of Boston’s roster, it is easy for Cora to slot someone in at first base so Dalbec can regroup. Marwin Gonzalez started at first on Wednesday. Dalbec was known for getting off to slow starts each time he advanced to a new level in the Minor Leagues. However, he did belt eight homers in 80 at- bats for the Red Sox at the end of last season.

By contrast, Dalbec has taken 79 at-bats this season and has only one home run to go with a line of .190/.247/.304.

“Obviously it’s a different environment. Now you’re the first baseman of the Boston Red Sox. That comes into play,” Cora said. “But we understand that there’s an adjustment period for him and right now, he’s hitting ninth, he’s hitting eighth. I don’t want him to put pressure on himself. Kind of like, ‘Just be you right now.’ Obviously, offensively it hasn’t clicked, but we know that at one point he’s going to start hitting balls in the air, and he should be fine.”

Verdugo rests with sore back

Outfielder Alex Verdugo was in the original lineup on Wednesday but became a late scratch due to lower back tightness. Verdugo was willing to play, but Cora took the decision out of his hands. Kiké Hernández moved from second base to center field. Christian Arroyo was inserted into the lineup at second. Rafael Devers moved from the fifth slot to second and Christian Vázquez was elevated to the No. 5 hole.

It is important that the Red Sox keep Verdugo healthy. He has been one of their best players this season. In Tuesday’s win, he smashed an impressive laser-beam down the line in left and over the Monster for a homer. You don’t see left-handed hitters go deep with that trajectory down the line very often.

“I asked Timmy [Hyers] if that takes a perfect swing to do, and he was like, ‘Yeah, you have to be on time, you gotta be perfect’, and that was eye-opening,” Cora said. “I thought that ball was going to go off the wall. The fact it went over the wall, it was impressive. He’s in a good spot right now offensively. Balanced. Swinging at strikes. Using the whole field. It’s been fun watching him the last two or three weeks.”

Hyers wishes Chili well

When Hyers was hired as the hitting coach of the Red Sox, he replaced Chili Davis, who held that role for Boston from 2015-17.

Hyers, who worked under Davis when he was a roving instructor for the Red Sox, was saddened to hear about Davis getting dismissed by the Mets following Monday’s game.

“Chili is a great individual. I learned a lot from him,” Hyers said. “He cares for his players. It’s a tough gig. I know it’s a performance-based job, and I know he’ll be back in the business soon, I’m sure.”

* WEEI.com

After tough loss, Martin Perez offers Red Sox reminder: 'We're (expletive) good'

Rob Bradford

The Red Sox lost to the worst team in the major leagues Wednesday night. They are now just 1 1/2 games ahead of both the Yankees and Rays, and two in front of Toronto. Since ending their nine-game win streak, Alex Cora's club has gone 9-10.

Yet just before midnight, Martin Perez wanted to make it absolutely clear that this team was not on the verge of turning into a pumpkin.

"We’re going to be OK," said the Red Sox starting after his team's 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Tigers. "We just need to come back tomorrow and hopefully Evo can throw a good game and we’re going to win the game. We’re going to be fine man. We just come every day and prepare ourselves to go out there and compete. Like I told you guys before, from last year, too, we’re never going to quite. We’ve got a good team. I know the people say we’re not going to be good this year, and I’m sorry what I’m going to say, but we’re (expletive) good. Tomorrow, we’re just going to come here and do our job and win games.”

Perez has a case.

Yes, it would not seem to be a good idea to lose to a Detroit team that had won just twice since April 14. And the images of left fielder Franchy Cordero's careless error turning into a key run, or rookie pitcher Garrett Whitlock finally becoming mortal by surrendering a 10th-inning homer were tough to shake.

There is undoubtedly plenty to clean up.

Christian Arroyo being forced to leave after being hit on the hand (again) by a pitch, along with Alex Verdugo's absence due to a sore back were also red flags. And, of course, the conundrum at the bottom of the order didn't exactly fix itself, with Bobby Dalbec (0-for-3) now hitting .183, Cordero (0-for-2) sitting at .153 and Hunter Renfroe dipping back down to .208 after going 0-for-5.

But the Red Sox are no different than any of their American League East competitors. They are good, but still flawed.

It wouldn't seem like the Sox will be going anywhere when it comes to the A.L. East race, with the loss to Detroit offering instances of evidence.

Start with Perez.

The lefty's existence represented some of the unknown when it came to the Red Sox' lot in life, with many wondering if relying on the up-and-down Perez -- along with Nick Pivetta and -- was the wise way to go. But the southpaw has shown enough to offer optimism, this time giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

It was certainly good enough.

There was also the Red Sox' continued resilience, made possible once again by one of the best meat-of-the- orders in baseball. J.D. Martinez's two-run homer in the seventh inning allowed for extra innings. And even Xander Bogaerts' line-shot with two outs in the bases loaded in the ninth -- which was expertly snagged by Detroit left field Robbie Grossman -- represented another never-say-die reminder.

The reality is that losses to teams like the Tigers are the ones that come back to haunt you in September. But, in this case, that's what Thursday is for, making sure what was witnessed at Fenway Park late Wednesday was nothing more than an abberration.

* NBC Sports Boston

Why Renfroe might be key to unlocking Red Sox offense

John Tomase

It won't take much to transform the Red Sox from tenuous AL East leaders to clear-cut frontrunners. Hunter Renfroe anchoring the bottom of the order would be a good start.

As the heat of their nine-game winning streak dissipates and the Red Sox settle into what should be a dogfight with the Rays, Jays, and Yankees, lineup imbalance has emerged as a critical issue. The top four hitters -- Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers -- could be All-Stars. Everyone else, to varying degrees, has just been along for the ride.

Until the calendar flipped to May, that included Renfroe, who finished April with a .167 average and one lonely home run.

Over his last three games, however, Renfroe has started to show some promise, culminating in Tuesday's 3- for-4 night with a double and homer in an 11-7 victory over the Tigers.

Renfroe has recorded six hits, including two home runs, in his last three games. He has focused on driving the ball up the middle and to the opposite field, with impressive results.

"He's been swinging the bat well," said manager Alex Cora. "It started in Texas. He hit the home run, but then he got two hits the opposite way. He put the ball in play, and today he did the same thing. Even the out was a good swing going to the opposite field. He's in a good place now. It looks like he's having confidence. He's seeing the ball better, and it seems like good things are going to happen."

The Red Sox didn't expect Renfroe to hit .330 when they signed him this winter. They knew strikeouts would be part of the equation, but that they'd presumably be offset by power. He was supposed to join Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero as bottom-third threats to leave the yard. Instead, the trio combined for just two home runs and an unsightly 69 strikeouts in April.

"Obviously, it's not ideal," chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom admitted.

The injury-prone Cordero has barely played over the last five years, let alone produced, and Dalbec was entering his first full season. The Red Sox built some inconsistency into their expectations. Renfroe, by contrast, blasted 85 homers between 2017-19 with the Padres, including a high of 33 in 2019. He had also earned a Gold Glove nomination in right field and started three games in last year's World Series for Tampa, homering in an 8-7 victory over the Dodgers in Game 4.

If someone was going to anchor the 7-8-9 spots in the order, it would be him. But then he struggled worse than anyone, with his April average actually worse than Cordero's .176.

"Anytime you're a baseball player, you want to see some hits fall," Renfroe said. "But it was good to stay with my approach. I knew it was going to work out. I knew that some balls were going to fall eventually. It's all I can do – go in there, work hard, keep hitting it, and they'll fall."

The key has been avoiding the pull-happy habits that make him flail at sliders away.

"I think that most hitters really want to focus on hitting the fastball to right-center and pulling offspeed pitches," Renfroe said. "That's kind of everybody's approach for the most part, and when people are doing that with authority, hitting the fastball to right-center with authority and staying on offspeed pitches, I think that's when they're going the best, so to be able to do that means everything's going well."

If Renfroe can keep this mini-streak going, it would mean a world of difference to a lineup that right now can't afford any of its big four to slump or even take a night off. That's where the bottom of the order needs to do its part.

"I think that's going to be a huge offensive help for everybody," Renfroe said, "and just take the load off of Bogaerts, and J.D. and those guys at the top of the lineup knowing that they don't have to necessarily be on their A game when you've got guys at the bottom of the lineup picking up their slack."

Alex Cora reacts to Yankees fans harshly booing Astros

Justin Leger

The Astros avoided the boos last year with fans unable to attend games, but they're finally starting to pay the price for their 2017 sign-stealing scandal.

Boos rained down on the Astros during Tuesday's game at , where Yankees fans showed up with "cheaters" signs, inflatable trash cans, and more to let Houston know they haven't forgotten. Even with the ballpark at limited capacity, the ire of the crowd was noticeable. Just ask Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who was the target of a not-so-nice chant each time he stepped up to the plate.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was involved in the Astros scandal as the team's bench coach. He was let go by the Red Sox after the 2019 season and re-hired before this year's campaign.

Wednesday on WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni & Fauria," Cora shared his reaction to the Astros' harsh reception at Yankee Stadium.

"Yeah, I saw it. Obviously, it was interesting to say the least," Cora said. "What we did was wrong. Three people got suspended, another one (Carlos Beltran), he doesn't have a job in baseball. I still don't know how or why, because he was a player at that point. And then the guys, it's gonna be around them for a while. I know Dusty [Baker] made a good point, there's only what, four or five guys that played with us in 2017? But I mean, this is what we did and people are paying the price in different ways."

Cora knows what to expect when he and the Red Sox visit the Yankees. Especially once the stadium is filled with fans.

"It was a different atmosphere at Yankee Stadium with only 10,000 people, I can only imagine when they have 100 percent when the Red Sox are there," Cora said. "That'll be interesting. But it wasn't easy. I know it's hard to some of those guys. They didn't get suspended obviously, we know that. But I knew it was gonna be hard on them. The fans, they're gonna remind us what we did and that's their right. You have to respect that.

"Like I said yesterday, there's a lot of people that are happy I'm back, there's others that they don't agree with it. I understand that part and I understand why in Texas they boo me and when I go to Houston I don't know what reaction I'm going to get there. But I know in New York it's not going to be pleasant."

Cora and the Red Sox will take a trip to Yankee Stadium for a three-game series vs. the Yankees starting June 4.

The Yankees added insult to injury against the Astros with a 7-3 victory in Tuesday night's matchup.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Final: Tigers 6, Red Sox 5 (10th)

Sean McAdam

Unable to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox went to extra innings and came up empty, losing 6-5 to the Detroit Tigers in 10 innings, who snapped a six-game losing streak.

Jaimer Candelario drove a pitch into the right field box seats off rookie Garrett Whitlock to provide the margin of victory. It was just the ninth win all season for the Tigers.

Boston managed two runs in the bottom of the 10th as Detroit tried desperately to give the game back, but with the potential tying run on second and winning run on first, Michael Fulmer, the sixth Tiger pitcher of the night, struck out Kike Hernandez to close it out.

The Sox had rallied from being down 3-1 with a two-run homer from J.D. Martinez in the seventh. But the Sox were a woeful 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and managed just six hits all night.

WHO: Red Sox (18-12) vs. Detroit Tigers (8-22) WHEN: 7:10 p.m. WHERE: Fenway Park SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 1-0 STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Martin Perez (0-2, 4.70) vs. RHP Casey Mize (1-3, 5.06) TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI-FM

LINEUPS

TIGERS

Grossman LF Schoop DH Candelario 3B Cabrera 1B Goodrun SS Castro 2b Jones RF Reyes RF Greiner C

RED SOX

Hernandez 2B Devers 3B Martinez DH Bogaerts SS Vazquez C Gonzalez 1B Arroyo 2B Renfroe RF Cordero LF

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

T10: Garrett Whitlock’s struggles continue, as he misfires on a sinker middle-in and Jeimer Candelario turns on it and it deposits it into the right field box seats for a three-run homer. Whitlocked had been unscored upon in his first six major league appearances but he’s given up homers in each of his last two outings.

B9: Game on the line — tie, bases loaded and Xander Bogaerts up. Sinking liner to left is caught by Robbie Grossman and we’re onto the 10th.

B7: Why, yes, that will do for the first hit with RISP for the Sox tonight. Martinez drives a fastball up in the zone and delivers it into the Red Sox bullpen. Tie game.

B7: Red Sox have Hernandez at second and Martinez at the plate, with the Red Sox still looking for their first hit with runners in scoring position. They’re 0-for-8 so far.

T6: Poor execution there by Perez, who was ahead of Jacoby Jones 1-and-2 and threw a sinker on the inner half that Jones laced off The Wall for a two-run single.

B5: Sox have done very little vs. Casey Mize, with two singles — back-to-back in the fourth, the first of the infield variety — over the first five innings.

T5: Nice play all around as Rafael Devers barehands a slow roller and at first, Marwin Gonzalez stretches to take a low throw for the inning-ending out.

B4: Hunter Renfroe has been better at making contact lately, but with two strikes, didn’t cut down his swing at all with a man on third and goes down with a mighty swing, stranding two runners.

T4: As if Franchy Cordero doesn’t have enough issues (currently 0-for-24), he charges a single in left and has the ball clang off his glove, allowing a run to score and two others to advance an extra base.

T4: Martin Perez struggling with his command, with two walks to his last four hitters.

B2: Not exactly a big hit, but Christian Arroyo gets the job done with a groundout to the right side, scoring Xander Bogaerts. Textbook example of what Cora means when he mentions “team at-bat” — getting a baserunner home from third with less than two outs.

T2: Kike Hernandez, who is quite comfortable in CF, comes racing in for a sliding catch on a sinking pop- up in shallow center field.

PRE-GAME STATS: : The Red Sox are tied with the (18-12, .600) for the second- best record in the majors behind the Oakland A’s (19-12, .613). The Sox’ +24 run differential ranks third in the AL….This is the ninth time in the last 19 years the Sox have started 18-12 or better through 30 games… In seven of the previous eight, they quality the postseason. The Sox have won as many as 19 of their first 31 games on 33 occasions, most recently in 2013 and 2018. Both times, the Sox went on to win the World Series…The Sox have won six in a row against the Tigers, their longest winning streak since they won seven straight from 2010-11…In the current winning streak, the Sox have scored at least six runs and have outscored the Tigers by a margin of 54-29 margin…The Red Sox lead the majors in batting average (.265), slugging percentage (.449), OPS (.776), doubles (67), and extra-base hits (107)…They also lead the league in runs (149)…In Tuesday’s win, the Sox had four homers, their third such game this season. In the last four games, the Sox have homered 10 times after collecting just one homer in the previous five games….Overall, they rank tied for seventh in the AL with 37 homers (37)…..Xander Bogaerts has 6 homers in his last 13 games, including three n his last four games…Bogaerts leads MLB shortstops in batting average (.351), OBP (.385), slugging percentage (.604), OPS (.988), doubles (10), hits (39), and extra-base hits (16). Bogaerts leads the majors in hits and ranks fifth in AVG…He is tied for the AL lead in doubles….Sox pitchers have been beaten up of late, allowing 19 runs in the last three games; in the four games prior to that, the Sox had allowed just four earned runs. Overall, the Sox rank seventh in the AL and 13th in the majors in ERA (3.86)….Alex Verdugo has reached in 23 straight games, tied for the longest streak by a player this season with Joey Gallo of Texas, who reached base in 23 straight from April 1-27…It’s the longest such streak for a Red Sox player since reached in 25 consecutive games in 2019…During the streak, Verdugo has hit .353 with a 1.001 OPS...Matt Barnes is a perfect 7-for- 7 in save situations and is unscored upon in those situations with limiting hitters to a 1-for-23 with 12 strikeouts and just one walk…Miguel Cabrera is 4-for-8 in his career against Martin Perez while Jonathan Schoop is 4-for-12 and Victor Reyes is 4-for-6….Bogaerts has hit in four straight and Hunter Renfroe has hits in three in a row.

NOTES:

Cora praised his team’s offensive approach Tuesday, which exploded for 11 runs. “It was good to see,” he said. “We were able to put the ball in play in certain situations and stay up the middle. It was refreshing to see the guys make a conscious effort to stay up the middle and (go) the other way. They got rewarded. Big things are going to happen when you do that. But you have to stay with your approach.”

Cora hopes that Martin Perez continues to attack the strike zone, the way he did in Arlington last week. He also had his best changeup then, and can use that to expand the strike zone when he throws his fastball for strikes.

Bobby Dalbec, out of the lineup, is 0-for-20, is “working on his timing,” according to Cora. “It just takes one swing for him. I don’t have to think it has to be a line drive to right field — get a hanging breaking ball and pull it for power, just something positive. We understand that there’s an adjustment period for him. I don’t want him to put pressure on himself. Just be (himself). Right now, offensively, it hasn’t clicked. But we know at some point, he’s going to start hitting the ball in the air and he should be fine.” Cora has seen some defensive metrics for Dalbec which aren’t flattering for the rookie, but doesn’t understand those. “I think as far as picking (low) throws, he’s been great,” said Cora. “He’s done a good job. He’s made his errors, but as far as helping the other two guys on the other side of the field, he’s been solid. I think our guys are better than what they’re showing in the numbers. He’s been good for us.”

Phillips Valdez hasn’t pitched since the Mets series, but he’s physically fine. “The game hasn’t called his name,” Cora said. “(Tuesday), the way the game was going, he was going to pitch two innings. But (when the Tigers got ), it didn’t happen.”

Alex Verdugo, who was in the original lineup in center and batting second, was scratched a few hours before gametime with a stiff back. As a result, the Sox shifted Kike Hernandez from second to center and inserted Christian Arroyo into the lineup at second.

BSJ Game Report: Tigers 6, Red Sox 5 – Missed chances doom Sox in loss to lowly Tigers

Sean McAdam

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

HEADLINES

Whitlock in a rut: For the first month of Garrett Whitlock’s major league career, everything seemed to come naturally. Armed with a mid-90s fastball, a plus changeup and more poise than you’d ever expect, he held opponents scoreless in each of first six appearances. But that streak came to an end in Texas over the weekend when he gave up a go-ahead homer in a loss to Texas, and things went downhill further Wednesday at Fenway. Whitlock took over in the 10th inning, and with the automatic runner on second, allowed a bloop single to right followed by a three-run homer to Jeimer Candelario deep into the right-field box seats. And even though the Sox rallied for two runs in the bottom of the inning, that homer spelled the difference in the game. No one expected Whitlock to be perfect, but it will be interesting to see how he deals with his first bit of failure in the big leagues. He’s earned the trust of his manager and pitching coach to pitch in high-leverage spots despite his lack of experience; now, we’ll see how he responds to the first bit of adversity.

Sox fail in clutch: In Casey Mize, the Sox faced an impressive young pitcher who hasn’t quite put it together, but turned in one of his better outings, limiting the Sox to a single run on three hits over six innings. It happens – a good lineup is tamed by a strong pitching performance. But both before and after Mize, the Sox had their chances and failed, again and again, to take advantage of scoring opportunities. In both the second and sixth innings, they put the first two runners on base and couldn’t cash in, and in the fifth, they bunched together two hits with one out and came away empty-handed. A two-run homer by J.D. Martinez tied things in the seventh, but over the final two innings, against a bullpen that is hardly accomplished, the Red Sox stranded a total of five baserunners, including four in scoring position. Even in the 10th, when sloppy play by the Tigers gifted the Sox two additional baserunners, they couldn’t produce the tying — or go-ahead — run.

TURNING POINT

Even before the game went to extra innings, the Red Sox seemed poised to pull off a walk-off win. After two were out in the bottom of the ninth, the Sox filled the bases on a couple of walks sandwiched around a double from Rafael Devers. All the Red Sox needed was a bloop hit from Xander Bogaerts, and when Bogaerts ripped a hard, sinking liner to left, it seemed like they were going to seal their comeback. But instead, Detroit left fielder Robbie Grossman, fighting both the falling rain and the lights, managed to secure the liner as he slid to the wet turf and the game was headed to the 10th, and ultimately, to defeat for the Red Sox.

ONE UP

Marwin Gonzalez: Taking over first base duties for the night, Gonzalez made a couple of nice plays to dig out low throws and added two hits on offense.

TWO DOWN

Hunter Renfroe: The outfielder had a bad night all around, going 0-for-5 at the plate while stranding seven baserunners, and also made an ill-advised throw to third base in the sixth that allowed a Tigers baserunner to move into scoring position.

Kike Hernandez: With the potential tying run on second and the potential winning run on first base, Hernandez got a two-strike pitch right over the middle of the plate and kept the bat on his shoulder.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“It’s baseball. The best thing about it is, you always get tomorrow.” Garrett Whitlock.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The Red Sox are now 2-2 in extra-innings this season, including 1-2 at home.

The Sox have 11 homers in their last five games.

J.D. Martinez has eight RBI in his last five games and leads the majors with 29 RBI for the season.

Matt Barnes has fanned 49.2 percent of the hitters he’s faced this season.

UP NEXT

The Red Sox and Tigers close out the series tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.63) vs. RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-2, 4.50)

Red Sox roster imbalance needs correcting

Sean McAdam

Even before the end of spring training, Alex Cora announced that, because of the unique aspects of the 2021 season, the Red Sox would be taking the unusual step of carrying 14 pitchers as part of their 26-man major league roster.

With uncertainty surrounding Eduardo Rodriguez, who missed all of last season and then was sidelined late with a dead arm, plus the injury histories of veteran starters Garrett Richards and Nathan Eovaldi, the move was a sensible one.

And considering that all of the pitchers — young and old, healthy and those with some injury histories — were making the leap from a pandemic-shortened 60-game schedule to a more 162-game schedule, the extra arms were absolutely necessary.

That was then, however. And this is now.

And now, the Red Sox are carrying more pitchers than they need, to their detriment.

That’s not to suggest that Wednesday’s frustrating 6-5 setback to the moribund Detroit Tigers would have turned out differently had the Red Sox had one more position player — and correspondingly, one less pitcher – on hand at Fenway. Then again, it might have.

But the larger point is, enough time has passed. The Red Sox have survived the demands of the first month, and thankfully for them, their pitchers have remained healthy.

It’s time, however, to restore the roster to a more balanced 13-13 — 13 pitchers and 13 position players.

The catalyst for such a move is Phillips Valdez. Valdez has actually been a productive member of the bullpen, appearing in eight games and fashioning a 3.48 ERA. But would you like to know when Valdez made his last appearance? That would be on April 24, against the .

In other words, Valdez hasn’t pitched since the last Boston homestand. The Red Sox traveled to New York for a two-game series, then followed that up with four in Texas and never had the need to call on Valdez. They came home for this homestand, and have played two more games, again without needing Valdez.

If you’re keeping track at home, that’s nine straight games in which Valdez has been considered a non- essential worker. So, at this point, how necessary must his presence be.

(Cora said he had planned to go to Valdez Tuesday night when the Sox were building a six-run lead over the Tigers. But when Detroit climbed to within a couple of runs, Cora opted, with some reluctance, to deploy his high-leverage arms to protect the lead.

For the record, I’d keep Valdez and send out Austin Brice, even though Brice is out of options, and thus, at risk of being claimed. But Brice also has compiled a 7.88 ERA, and if teams are that desperate for pitching in early May, so be it).

Anyway, this isn’t about names. It’s about numbers. And for now, the Red Sox have too many pitchers and not enough position players.

Take Wednesday’s loss as an example. The Sox scratched outfielder Alex Verdugo a few hours before gametime with a tight back. It’s nothing serious, but it was enough to warrant a re-arranging of the lineup. It meant Kike Hernandez, who was set to play second, was moved to center, where Verdugo had been penciled in, and Christian Arroyo, who was going to have the night off, was plugged into second. Fine.

Except, when the game unfolded, the Sox found themselves in a bind. Arroyo had the misfortune of being struck on the left hand, for the second time in the last 10 days. When he exited the game and Cora opted for the righty-hitting Bobby Dalbec to hit for lefty Francisco Cordero in the seventh, the Sox were stretched thin.

In time, Cora shifted first baseman Marwin Gonzalez from first to left, inserted Dalbec at first, moved Christian Vazquez out from behind the plate to second and put Kevin Plawecki behind the plate.

With Verdugo unavailable, that left the Sox without any position players with which to make moves — in a tie game, that went to extra innings. That’s far from optimal.

This isn’t about one game, or one loss. It’s about providing them with a chance to win games with bench depth.

A three-man bench doesn’t do much to provide options, especially when one is a catcher. That leaves, most nights, two hitters for a team that has some significant weak spots in the bottom of the order. Going into Wednesday night, there were three regulars or semi-regulars with averages under .200. Even in an offensively-starved era, that’s a difficult hand to play for the manager.

Admittedly, there are no All-Stars at Worcester. But surely, Michael Chavis or Yairo Munoz — both of whom can play infield and outfield — would be of more value than the 14th pitcher at the end of the roster, particularly so when the team has used just 13 pitchers for more than a week.

It made sense to protect the team with pitching at the start. But now, the team needs position player reinforcements — as Wednesday night demonstrated.

* The Athletic

With a catcher at second base, the Red Sox three-man bench nears its breaking point

Chad Jennings

With versatile players and generally good health, the Red Sox carried a three-man bench for five weeks without serious ramifications. Their nine-man bullpen was an unnecessary luxury, but manager Alex Cora was able to keep his players rested and his team winning, and the Red Sox never really felt short-handed until late Wednesday night.

Alex Verdugo was scratched from the lineup with a tight back, Franchy Cordero was lifted for a pinch hitter, and Christian Arroyo was hit in the hand by a 92 mph fastball. With no healthy players left, the Red Sox had to fall back on their last resort in a tied game that was heading for extra innings, and catcher Christian Vázquez was playing second base when the Tigers homered in the 10th inning and held on for a 6-5 win at Fenway Park.

X-rays were negative on Arroyo’s left hand, but he’ll miss at least one game (he hurt the same hand a few weeks ago), and Verdugo is considered day to day with his sore back. If both sit out Thursday’s series finale, the Red Sox will have only their backup catcher on the bench, but Cora said he doesn’t expect to make a move right away. Considering Phillips Valdez hasn’t pitched in 11 days, the Red Sox could surely add a fourth bench player without leaving their pitching staff short-handed, but Cora said that decision will wait.

“No, probably not (before Thursday’s game),” he said. “I think we should be OK tomorrow if (Verdugo) plays or not. We’re going to have to talk about it after tomorrow to see where we’re at physically and make decisions based on that.”

Where the Red Sox are physically has been a quiet strength of the team, and perhaps an understated reason for their early season success. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote Wednesday about baseball’s injury problem, citing independent research that shows league-wide injury list placements are up 15 percent compared to the first month of 2019. (The data does not include COVID-19 placements.) The increase in soft-tissue injuries — strained muscles and such — is a whopping 97 percent. Seven different teams put at least 10 players on the IL last month; 22 teams had at least six IL placements.

The Red Sox had three.

One was Chris Sale, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery. One was Ryan Brasier, who injured himself before spring training then suffered another injury during his recovery. And the third was Eduardo Rodriguez, who missed one start as a precautionary measure at the beginning of the season. That’s it.

The vast majority of major league teams have doubled that number of meaningful injuries, and two underperforming American League East rivals — the Rays and Blue Jays — lost 14 and 12 players, respectively, in April. The Yankees put six players on the IL in April and already have added two more in May.

By simply staying healthy, the Red Sox have kept their Plan A intact, which could have been a meaningful advantage over teams that played without their marquee free-agent addition (Blue Jays center fielder ), their home-run-hitting first baseman (the Yankees’ Luke Voit) or three of their most- trusted relievers (the Rays’ trio of Nick Anderson, Pete Fairbanks and Diego Castillo).

Despite their short bench, the Red Sox have been cautious with their lineup regulars. Their starting pitchers are rarely extended beyond 90 pitches, their middle-inning relievers go days without pitching and their everyday players get regular rest. Even minor injuries are cause for a day off and extra treatment.

“As an organization we don’t mind guys to go into the training room,” Cora said. “It’s about preventing injuries. We want you in there. We want you to do the work so we can prevent something bad from happening instead of waiting for something bad to happen and then you get treatment. They’re on top of it.”

Of course, Cora also admitted: “Luck has to do with it, too.”

During the offseason, he said, the Red Sox spoke with their medical experts and strength and conditioning staff to come up with a strategy for managing workload and injury concerns this season. Those concerns are heightened because players are coming off a shortened 2020 season, and some have gone more than a year between at-bats and competitive innings.

A case like Rodriguez’s was especially unusual as a pitcher who missed an entire year due to a health issue that had nothing to do with his arm. When Rodriguez went through a dead-arm period in spring training, the Red Sox shut him down, even though it meant taking away a coveted and well-earned opportunity to start Opening Day. Rodriguez has responded with exceptional command and the lowest WHIP of his career. He won his first four starts. Is that because the Red Sox had him wait an extra week before finally pitching in a game? That’s impossible to say, but the decision to hit the brakes on Rodriguez did portend the Red Sox approach to nagging health issues this season.

Just this week, the Red Sox returned from Monday’s off day only to have Rafael Devers sitting on the bench because of a mildly sore shoulder.

“He was OK to play,” Cora said. “But why push it?”

Verdugo was pulled from the lineup Wednesday after he arrived at the ballpark with a tight back, and he got similar treatment two weeks ago when his hamstring cramped during a game. Cora kept him on the bench the next two games. Arroyo’s left hand was first hit by a pitch last month, and he didn’t play for three days. Kiké Hernández slammed into the outfield wall in Texas and was able to joke about it the next day, but Cora kept him out of the lineup for two days anyway.

“We try to structure our week and look ahead,” Cora said. “Obviously, like tomorrow (Thursday), Christian’s not playing. I’ll talk to Xander (Bogaerts) today, see if Sunday makes sense for him (to take a day off) in Baltimore. He can play Friday, Saturday, Sunday off, and then Monday is a night game. As a group, we do a good job getting ahead with stuff and giving them rest.”

Before Wednesday, the Red Sox had won each time Bogaerts had a day off, each time Verdugo had a day off and two of three times Devers had a day off (the only exception being the third game of the season when it seemed not to matter whom the Red Sox had in the lineup). But on Wednesday, the Red Sox came close to a dramatic win — Bogaerts nearly walked off with a bases-loaded line drive in the ninth — but they ultimately couldn’t finish off the Tigers, and they now need a short-handed win on Thursday just to salvage the series.

Welcome home, Ellis Burks. Ex-Red Sox star set to begin new career as NESN analyst

Steve Buckley

Ellis Burks is an old ballplayer up to new tricks: He’ll make his NESN studio debut Friday before the Boston Red Sox series opener against the . He’ll make his in-game debut next week, working six straight games: May 11-13 against the Oakland A’s teamed with Dave O’Brien and Dennis Eckersley, and May 14-16 against the Angels, teamed with O’Brien and Jerry Remy.

That’s a lot of baseball for a guy who’s never done this sort of thing before — especially the in-game appearances, considering that what’s happening on the field determines what’s being said. No scripts, no shot sheets, no safety net. Look at it is this way: How many ex-athletes-turned-in-game-analysts have you seen come and go over the years?

But if there’s any doubting that Burks is prepared for the task of breaking down the numbers and offering serious baseball analysis, we need only take you back to late October 2004 and to a time when “1918” was still part of the seasonal lexicon for generations of Red Sox fans who longed for a World Series championship. It’s just that on this day, amid all the celebrating that was taking place barely 16 hours after the team had completed its history-making comeback against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, Sox general manager Theo Epstein was locked away with manager Terry Francona as the two men worked to finalize their 25-man roster to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic.

Enter Ellis Burks. Literally. As in knocking on the door to the manager’s office at Fenway Park and asking if he could step inside and talk things over with Francona and Epstein.

Burks had made his major-league debut with the Red Sox nearly two decades earlier, all of 22 years old when he dug in against Seattle Mariners right-hander Scott Bankhead on April 30, 1987, at the old Kingdome. He was a toolsy outfielder when he arrived in the bigs. He went on to submit several fine seasons with the Red Sox, including a 1990 campaign in which he hit 21 home runs with a .296/.349/.486 slash line. He was an All-Star that season. Playing exclusively center field in those days, he won a Gold Glove. He finished 13th in the MVP voting.

But Burks was dinged up early and often, including a shoulder separation in 1989 resulting from a collision with left fielder Mike Greenwell as the two men chased a fly ball off the bat of Dave Parker at the Oakland Coliseum. Burks caught the ball, then caught a flight back to Boston, his season having come to a premature end.

He returned in 1990 and had his breakout campaign. After two more seasons with the Red Sox, he moved on to the White Sox and later played for the Rockies, Giants and Indians. Along the way, he hit lots of home runs, bringing his career total to 351 when he rejoined the Red Sox for the 2004 campaign.

Now it was World Series time, and Burks was, well, done. He’d played only a handful of games in April before needing to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and he didn’t return to the active roster until late September. He appeared in just two more games, spaced a week apart.

And here he was, standing in the manager’s office, asking Epstein and Francona to analyze this: Put me on the roster, he said, and I’ll crush the Cardinals.

“I remember Ellis lobbying me, telling me he owned the Cardinals, telling me to look it up,” said Epstein, now working as a consultant to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

We looked it up. Burks was right: He did own the Cardinals. In 245 career plate appearances against the Redbirds covering 61 games, Burks hit 18 home runs with a .378/.469/.794 slash line. His slash line at was .344/.455/.667.

For added measure, he had looked good in his last plate appearance of the season. In what would be the 2,000th and final game of his big-league career, Burks was penciled into Francona’s lineup as DH for the matinee portion of a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles on Oct. 2 at Camden Yards. He lined a single to left field in his first at-bat. Next time up, he rocketed a fly to deep-center. It looked like a sure double, despite Burks’ bad wheels.

But Orioles center fielder Larry Bigbie had good wheels. He chased it down and made a diving catch. Burks came to a dead halt after the ball disappeared into Bigbee’s glove, extending his arms in disbelief.

“I was pissed,” Burks said. “He could have gotten a bad jump, he could have taken a different route, but instead it was one of those situations where he wanted to go all-out. And he did. It was a diving play, and he made . And it was my last game, my last at-bat. I knew I couldn’t run anymore. So, yeah, emotionally, mentally, physically, I knew that was going to be it.

“I was locked in. I saw the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, I tracked it to my bat, I made solid contact. So I knew I could still hit.”

So why not have that final fling in the World Series? He did, after all, own the Cardinals. And he owned Busch Stadium. He had those two solid whacks against the Orioles.

Why not?

The problem was that although Burks could still hit, he could no longer play. His knee was chewed up to the degree that he would not be able to perform in the field, and DH wasn’t an option because David Ortiz had long since carved out that territory and had put on a veritable one-man show against the Yankees in the ALCS.

“Theo said they had already made their roster moves,” Burks said. “He said they were going to carry this player and that player, so I understood their side of it. I mean, come on, I hadn’t played consistently the whole year, and you can’t take a chance on a player like that in a situation of that magnitude. I get it.

“But I knew I could help the team against the Cardinals.”

The passage of time has allowed Epstein to take a more humorous view of that meeting with Burks: “I think I told him he was so old that none of those (St. Louis) pitchers were still in the league.”

As things happened, Burks chose a good time to wrap things up. He remained in uniform for what turned out to be a four-game sweep of the Cardinals for Boston’s first World Series championship since 1918, and as Epstein put it, “I was a big fan of his when I was in high school and he was starting his career with the Red Sox. It meant a lot to me to see him walk off the plane at Logan with a big smile holding the World Series trophy. Not a bad way to end an outstanding player career.”

The timing was also good in that Burks quickly segued into a long career in baseball operations. A year after retiring as a player, he took a job in the Cleveland front office. He later worked for the Rockies.

He then joined the Giants as a special assistant to the general manager, who at the time was Bobby Evans. That Burks would team up with Evans made for a reunion of sorts, given that in 1989 both men were with the Red Sox — Burks as the team’s center fielder, Evans as a summer intern going into his junior year at .

“I met Bobby in the dugout at Fenway one day,” Burks said. “He was just this young kid. I went up and started talking with him, we hit it off, and I introduced him to whoever he needed to talk to that day. I believe it was Jim Rice.”

For Evans, 20 at the time, these were his first baby steps as a big-league operative. Burks, he said, made those steps less unsteady.

“He was so engaging and warm to a young kid trying to figure out the particulars of Major League Baseball,” said Evans. “I think at the time I was helping out in player development and scouting, but on that day I was doing something for (the late) Dick Bresciani in media relations. It was one of those moments when you’re not in your element as a 20-year-old in the dugout at Fenway Park.”

They were later reunited with the Giants. Burks, who had some of his best seasons with the Rockies, was traded to San Francisco on July 31, 1998. Evans was director of minor league operations for the Giants. Years later, after Evans became the Giants GM, he looked to Burks as he was filling out his staff.

“He has a really good eye for guys who know how to play the game, on both sides of the ball,” Evans said. “He was very succinct and articulate in how he communicated with the front office about players. It was a candid approach in his assessments and evaluations, as well as his projections.”

As Burks remembered it, “Lo and behold, all those years later, for Bobby to call me and offer me a position like that was really something. It just goes to show you that you never know the bridges you’re going to cross throughout your baseball career. And I guess it’s always important not to burn those bridges.”

The Giants moved Evans out as general manager at the end of the 2018 season. Burks stayed on for a while and did some scouting.

And then NESN called.

“I never thought I would be in a position to do something like this,” Burks said. “But given how curious I get about things, I wanted to do it. I wanted the challenge when the opportunity came about.”

The opportunity actually came about more than a year ago. Burks was approached by NESN about joining the network’s baseball team for the 2020 season, but then the pandemic changed things. Burks decided to remain at home and look ahead a year. And here we are.

The former player, the former front-office executive, the former scout is trying now to think like a TV guy. It’s an important distinction. Ex-players make better radio and television analysts once they’re able to stop seeing things solely from the perspective of the athlete.

Sure, being an ex-player helps. Helps a ton. But listen to Remy. Listen to Eck. Listen to Lou Merloni on WEEI. As much fun as it can be when these guys kick back once in a while and lapse into back-in-the-day mode, they also need to be able to tell you what the guy on the mound might be throwing on the next pitch. They need to be able to comment on a batting order or on a play at second.

Most of all, they need to walk that razor-thin line that exists between speaking in such a way that makes it clear that of course they’d like the Red Sox to win … and doing it without coming across as an excuse maker.

“When I put my mind to something, I usually do it,” said Burks. “And I want to make this a career. If this is something Red Sox fans will want me to do, I would love to. That could be a career. Look at Jerry Remy. He’s been doing this for more than 30 years now, and he told me when he started off it was a little tough for him at first.”

To put things in perspective, Ellis Burks will be doing games with Jerry Remy, who broke in on NESN with the late Ned Martin, who worked with , whose rookie season doing the Red Sox was in 1951, when the team’s lineup boasted Ted Wiliams, , Dom DiMaggio and .

That’s a lot of Red Sox broadcasting history, and now Ellis Burks, would-be 2004 World Series hero, is part of it.

MLB injuries are up again in 2021, and the sport is nowhere near solving the problem

Ken Rosenthal

Another day, another round of physical concerns. The Mets scratched Jacob deGrom from his scheduled start Tuesday night and an MRI revealed inflammation in his right lat. The Brewers returned Christian Yelich to the injured list with lingering back trouble one day after activating him. The Cardinals awaited a second opinion on Jordan Hicks’ right elbow inflammation.

For all the talk of rules changes in the sport — the need for more action, more offense, a faster pace of play — Major League Baseball’s biggest problem may be keeping players healthy. A new collective-bargaining agreement presumably will address some of the sport’s aesthetic and competitive issues. But no one in the sport has figured out how to reduce injuries, and the return to 162 games in 2021 from 60 in ’20 represents a particular challenge.

Information provided to The Athletic from an independent firm that studies injury data (which asked not to be named because it is not authorized to discuss its research) shows placements on the injured list increased by 15 percent in a comparison from the first month of 2019, baseball’s last full season, to the first month of ’21 (both years include IL placements from spring training). The increase for pitchers was 22 percent, and the overall increase in soft-tissue injuries, including hamstring and oblique strains, was 97 percent.

A host of caveats apply, starting with the fact that the IL is not a form of medical diagnosis, but a roster management tool clubs use to replace injured players with healthy ones. Teams are being extra careful, particularly with young pitchers, fearing the impact of a dramatic increase in workload over a full schedule. And while the data includes only orthopedic injuries, not trips to the IL because of COVID-19, the increase in roster size from 25 in 2019 to 26 in 2021 might have contributed to an overall jump in the numbers.

Then again, the rate of increase in April injuries from 2018 to ’19 was similar to the rate of increase from ’19 to ’21, making it premature to suggest that going from 60 games to 162 has led to a greater number of injuries. The league is coming off a normal offseason and normal spring training; if anything, the effect of the ramp-up should be more of a factor later in the season. It’s difficult to draw firm conclusions when the sample size is still so small.

Brewers general manager David Stearns, whose team currently has 16 players on the IL (down from a season-high 17) said teams are exercising an abundance of caution, particularly with soft-tissue issues. “When something pops up, I do think the industry in general is more inclined to take it out of the player’s hands right now and put him on the IL for 10 days and let whatever it is calm down,” he said. But Stearns and other executives cite the disjointed schedule of the past two seasons as unsettling.

“We’re running an experiment here that we’ve never run before in terms of the amount of time off with lack of activity that a lot of these players have had,” Stearns said. “We’re not just talking about players who played in the big leagues last year. We’re also talking about players who maybe were at alternate sites and never made it to the big leagues and perhaps more concerning players who were never at alternate sites and maybe just got 30 plate appearances in instructional league over the last calendar year, 18 months.

“This is new. We’re probably all taking somewhat different approaches and strategies. I think everyone is doing their best to mitigate longer-term issues. But we’re seeing injuries pop up at an alarming rate.”

It’s impossible to know whether the stop-and-start nature of the 2020 season, combined with certain training limitations under the health and safety protocols, led to a greater number of injuries, and created in some cases a carry-over effect. The league and players’ union adopted seven-inning doubleheaders and a new extra-inning rule to reduce the length of games and the strain of playing through a pandemic. Those rules remain in place this season.

Injuries, though, were a problem pre-COVID, and will remain a problem once things become more normal. The incentive for solving the problem should only be increasing; every stakeholder in the sport has a financial interest in players staying healthy. Owners want returns on their investments. Players not on guaranteed, long-term contracts need to perform to earn money. Fans pay to see stars, not their understudies, and the same goes for the league’s television partners.

With pitchers, most attribute the increased number of injuries to the emphasis on throwing as hard as possible. According to baseballsavant.com, the average velocity of a four-season fastball in 2008 was 91.9 mph; this season, it’s 93.6 mph, a figure that would represent an all-time high.

“The stuff is better. Guys throw harder. They are more violent,” Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said. “With that, in my opinion, there are repercussions.”

To regulate pitchers’ effort, the league and union could agree to limit the size of each team’s staff, forcing pitchers (starters especially) to throw more innings and stop going all-out in shorter bursts. The introduction of a pitch clock might achieve a similar effect, forcing pitchers to conserve energy in order to throw more frequently. Then again, some might argue a pitch clock would increase the rate of injury, leaving pitchers less time to recover between throws.

For hitters, the next frontier might come from high-performance staffs who use sports science to develop baseball-specific theories on load management, recovery and soft-tissue injury prevention. Major leaguers use several forms of wearable technology.

But Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who previously worked for the Blue Jays, a club that invested heavily in its high-performance department, said experts in that area tell him major-league teams obtain “a fraction” of the information that sports teams in Europe receive on their players’ output and recovery.

Privacy concerns probably are one reason, and the union almost certainly would seek to protect players’ rights if it felt the league sought to be too intrusive. Cherington understands those fears — “If I was the human being on the other side of that, I would ask a lot of questions, would want a lot of proof and evidence for how this information is going to be used and if it is actually going to help me,” he said. But he also believes there is a path forward for the sport.

“It just means we have to be really disciplined in terms of how we’re using that information,” Cherington said. “The way I think about it, it would be less that we can build a tool that tells us how much Tyler Anderson should be pitching and what his recovery should look like and more so, ‘What are we learning from the information we do have that helps us ask him questions and maybe just helps us get in front of an unnecessary pothole?’

“One of the hurdles we tried to clear in Toronto — I’m not sure we ever did — was getting past the notion a player might have that any kind of information leads to shutdown. In fact, it was the opposite. We were trying to find ways to keep guys on the field, but in a more informed way. If we can see they’re starting to redline and we can back off and build into a little more recovery now, maybe that player stays on the field for three more months or something.”

The most obvious solution to ease the strain on players’ bodies — reducing the length of the season from 162 games to say, 140 or 144 — will probably never be adopted for financial reasons; neither the owners nor players would want to sacrifice the accompanying decreases in income. But at a time when the explosiveness and intensity required of players have perhaps never been greater, the amount of travel and lack of recovery time makes it that much more difficult for them to stay healthy.

The issues are complex. The daily parade of injuries in 2021 is only the latest manifestation of the problem. How many warning signs does baseball need? How much longer will it be before the sport starts figuring out meaningful solutions?

* Associated Press

Candelario homers as Tigers beat Red Sox 6-5 in 10 innings

BOSTON (AP) — Jeimer Candelario hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the 10th inning, and the Detroit Tigers held off the Boston Red Sox for a 6-5 victory on Wednesday night.

Robbie Grossman began the Detroit 10th on second and advanced to third on Jonathan Schoop’s leadoff single. Candelario then went deep against Garrett Whitlock, sending a drive to right for his third homer.

Boston got two back in the bottom half. Marwin Gonzalez singled in Xander Bogaerts and eventually came around to score on an error on second baseman Willi Castro. But Michael Fulmer retired Bobby Dalbec and Kiké Hernández for his first career save.

The Red Sox also had a chance to win it in the ninth when Hernández walked and Rafael Devers doubled. But J.D. Martinez flied out to left, ending the rally.

The start of the game was delayed for 37 minutes by rain, which continued to fall throughout the night.

Gregory Soto pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win, allowing two runs and three hits.