* Text Features
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Boston Red Sox Thursday, September 7, 2017 * The Boston Globe Red Sox offense breaks out to beat Blue Jays Peter Abraham The Red Sox demoted Doug Fister to the bullpen after his first three starts this season. When he returned to the rotation in late July, it was only because David Price went on the disabled list. Now the righthander is one of the most reliable starters they have. Fister was sharp again on Wednesday night, allowing one run over seven innings as the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, at rainy Fenway Park. The Sox won two games in a span of 21 hours on Wednesday, finishing off a 19-inning game just after 1 a.m. then coming back to the ballpark later in the day. Manager John Farrell canceled all but the necessary pre-game activities for his players and told them not to report to the park until 5 p.m. If the Sox were tired, they did not show it. They collected nine hits, drew five walks and stole four bases. With the Yankees getting rained out in Baltimore, the Sox now have a four-game lead in the American League East. The Sox are off Thursday and continue their homestand on Friday against Tampa Bay. Fister left Fenway Park on Tuesday night when the game went into extra innings and was home asleep before it ended. “I woke up and saw it went 19 innings. That was a good win for the boys and I knew I had to give them some innings,” he said. Fister (5-7) scattered four hits, walked three and struck out nine. He had not stuck out that many since Sept. 26, 2014 while a member of the Washington Nationals. Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes each pitched a perfect inning of relief. Sox pitchers retired the final nine Blue Jays in a row. For Fister, the game followed what has become a familiar pattern in that he allowed a run in the first inning before shutting down the opposition. In his last four starts, Fister has given up five runs on eight hits in the first inning. He has thrown 26 shutout innings otherwise and allowed six hits. Farrell feared that would be different against Toronto. Interim manager DeMarlo Hale stacked his lineup with four lefthanded hitters and three switch hitters. But Fister prospered with a better-than-usual curveball that had the Jays taking awkward swings. “He finds a way to settle in then has quick innings,” Farrell said. “Those seven innings were big.” Fister is 5-2 with a 2.79 earned run average in seven starts since replacing Price. The Sox have a few weeks before worrying about a playoff rotation. But Fister is making a good case to be included. Fister needed 22 pitches to get through the first inning but allowed only one run. He then retired 19 of the final 23 batters he faced, striking out eight and getting eight outs on the ground. “Sometimes in situations I looked to expand the [strike] zone and get the strikeout. But most of the time I’m looking to attack,” Fister said. Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini (3-10) allowed five runs over 3⅓ innings. The Sox tied the game in the bottom of the first with aggressive base running by noted small-ball advocate Eduardo Nunez. Nunez singled, stole second, took third on a fly ball to center and scored on a groundball to second by Andrew Benintendi. The fourth inning was more of a power display. Mitch Moreland walked and then dashed around the bases when Xander Bogaerts lined a triple down the line in right field. Bogaerts is not having a good offensive season but has six triples, one more that he had in the first four seasons of his career. Bogaerts scored when Rafael Devers singled to left field. After Sandy Leon grounded into a force, Jackie Bradley Jr. homered into the Red Sox bullpen. It was his 15th of the season. Bradley was one of the six Red Sox fielders who played all 19 innings in the previous game. “You’ve got to mentally strong for this. Only the mentally strong survive,” Bradley said. “It’s tough. Your mind is telling your body to slow down. That’s what you train all offseason for, times like this.” The Sox added a run in the sixth inning. It could have been more if not for a bizarre double play. Devers led off with a single against Tim Mayza and went to third on a double by Leon. When Bradley grounded to shortstop, Richard Urena’s error allowed Devers to score. Carlos Ramirez replaced Mayza and got an out before hitting pinch hitter Chris Young to load the bases. Benintendi followed with a pop fly down the line in left. Saunders dropped the ball then threw to the plate to force Leon. Bradley, who had retreated back to second, was thrown out going to third to end the inning. Benintendi is hitless in his last 20 at-bats. The Sox are 12-4 against the last-place Blue Jays this season, winning seven of the last nine meetings. The teams play at Fenway again Sept. 25-27. Next step for David Price is facing hitters Peter Abraham For the first time since July 22, David Price is set to face hitters. The lefthander threw 30 pitches in the bullpen at Fenway Park on Wednesday afternoon with what manager John Farrell described as “good intensity.” Price is now scheduled to pitch to teammates from the main mound on Saturday afternoon. The tentative plan is to have him warm up then throw two 15-pitch innings. With expanded rosters, the Sox are carrying 18 position players and can provide all the competition Price needs. Price is on the disabled list with a triceps strain. Farrell was uncertain if Price would go four days between throwing sessions or condense those outings. Ultimately, that could be determined by whether the Sox decide to use Price as a starter or reliever once he returns. If Price pitched every five days, he could theoretically build up to six innings by Sept. 29 and pitch in a major league game that day to assess his readiness for a postseason assignment. Price is 5-3 with a 3.82 earned run average in 11 starts this season. Source: penalty wouldn’t be severe If Major League Baseball punishes the Red Sox for using a smartwatch to communicate stolen signs to the dugout, the sanctions are not expected to be severe. A MLB source said Wednesday that any punishment would not include a direct impact on the major league team. That could mean a fine or perhaps the loss of a pick on the second day of the amateur draft. The same is true for the Yankees, who have been accused by the Red Sox of using a YES Network camera to zoom in on Sox coaches giving signs to players. Commissioner Rob Manfred appears to regard the matter as far less serious than the incident in 2015 when the Red Sox conspired to circumvent international signing rules by signing multiple prospects to “package deals” and then redistributing the bonus payments to the better players. Maddox shines After front-liners Joe Kelly, Addison Reed, Craig Kimbrel, and Brandon Workman gave the Sox five innings of scoreless relief against Toronto on Tuesday, Farrell turned to 26-year-old rookie Austin Maddox. Maddox worked two innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced. He played a big role in what turned into a 3-2 victory in 19 innings. “I was excited,” Maddox said. “You live for moments like that. I wanted to be in there.” Maddox was a third-round pick in 2012 out of the University of Florida. He has appeared in six major league games this season and thrown 7⅔ scoreless innings with five hits, five strikeouts, and no walks. “It’s as much mound presence and not fearing the moment,” Farrell said. “He threw the ball over the plate.” Maddox is a power pitcher but has shown the ability to throw a changeup for strikes to righthanded hitters. Maddox has played parts of six seasons in the minors and never been considered a glittering prospect. But he has impressed the major league staff. “He’s had his own personal challenges that he’s gone through to get to this level,” Farrell said. “Pretty headstrong person and the ability not to fear the moment. Very aggressive, very good approach.” Maddox said there weren’t any nerves being in such a taut game. “I knew what I had to do, throw strikes and challenge the hitters,” he said. “When you get an opportunity like that, you have to do what works for you.” Waiting and worrying Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, a native of Puerto Rico, was on the phone before the game with members of his family as they awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irma. “They’re safe,” said Vazquez, who is from Bayamon. “They’re going to be fine.” . Dustin Pedroia was the designated hitter because of the damp conditions. Farrell was fearful of Pedroia slipping on his strained left knee . Tuesday’s marathon game was the latest walkoff win in Sox history, Mookie Betts scoring from second on Hanley Ramirez’s bloop single. Three previous home games of 19 or more innings ended in losses. It was the second-longest game at Fenway Park. Only a 20-inning loss against Seattle in 1981 was longer .