The Sunday, April 11, 2021

* The Boston Globe

Red Sox extend win streak to five with extra-inning victory over Orioles

Julian McWilliams

BALTIMORE — Manager Alex Cora said that he liked his group. Dating back to spring training, Cora unapologetically stated that he believed this crew of Red Sox players, despite the lack of a superstar, had what it took to be competitive.

A little more than a week into the season, the Red Sox manager hasn’t eaten his words.

The Red Sox clawed their way to the 10th inning Saturday night against the Orioles in their eventual 6-4 win.

With the game knotted, 4-4, Kiké Hernández flirted with the center-field wall, enabling — who served as the special runner at second — to advance to third on the sacrifice fly. With the Sox looking to extend a four-game winning streak, Chavis scored on a wild pitch, putting his team ahead, 5-4. Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts then walked and Christian Vázquez snuck a single to left field, scoring Verdugo and giving the Sox some breathing room.

Matt Andriese retired the side in order in the bottom of the 10th for the , putting the finishing touches on a nail-biting contest buy striking out to end it.

The game featured twists and turns for both squads, but the Sox in particular. Adam Ottavino looked as if he had the game under control in the seventh inning, only to see a 3-2 lead disappear in the eighth following a single and a DJ Stewart double. A fielder’s choice tied the game and a Galvis single put the Orioles ahead, 4-3.

Yet the Sox grinded through this one, responding with a run in the ninth on a fielder’s choice that could have been an inning-ending double play. But Bobby Dalbec’s hustle down the first-base line kept the Sox afloat and invited ’s flawless ninth.

“I mean, the hits will come,” Dalbec said after the game. “I’m happy to get an RBI there and put the team in a position to win the game. So, that’s what I’m thinking about if I got a hit on it.”

The play speaks to Dalbec’s competitive fervor which Sox scouts have alluded to as he trekked his way through the minor leagues. Dalbec’s not only a power hitter, but a complete package. His outlook after displaying part of that package leans on the selflessness and winning attitude, even though he’s struggled at the plate.

“That was huge,” Cora said. “He’s a little bit down, obviously, he’s not swinging the bat the way he’s capable. But he took some tough changeups and then he put the ball in play and good things happen.”

The Red Sox threw the first punch at Camden Yards.

Rafael Devers stroked a single to center off Orioles starter Bruce Zimmerman, scoring Verdugo from second base with two outs in the first inning. The Sox scored the second run of the game on a play featuring a mental blunder by each team. The Orioles caught Devers sleeping at first and initiated a successful back-pick to get Devers in a rundown. The Orioles, however, didn’t check on Bogaerts and Devers stayed in the rundown long enough for Bogaerts to score all the way from second base.

Garrett Richards found a bit of redemption on the mound after a rocky start. He surrendered home runs on back-to-back pitches to and to tie the game in the bottom of the first, but found some rhythm in the second inning, retiring eight straight following a four-pitch walk.

“Tonight, just in the first inning, I got clipped on a couple first pitches,” said Richards, who tossed five innings and allowed just those two runs in the first. “It’s going to happen but just keep the foot on the gas and keep moving forward and keep making pitches.”

Devers’s mental lapses — including forgetting how many outs there were in the second inning — didn’t come back to haunt the Sox. As much as he was a headache, he was even more productive, belting a solo home run off Zimmerman to put the Sox ahead, 3-2, in the sixth inning. It was Devers’s second homer of the season and second in as many games.

“You know, it’s a good vibe,” Cora said. “It’s a good vibe. We got a bunch of good players. That’s the way I see it.”

The vibe, so far, has been contagious. After suffering a series sweep at the hands of the Orioles last week, the Sox have responded with five straight wins and a chance at a sweep of their own.

“It’s a hungry team,” Barnes said. “I mean it’s a 162-game season. We’re going to lose some games in a row even moving forward. But the way that we were able to bounce back and get the W and sweep the and then come here and get the first two, it’s been a lot of really good energy and everybody’s kind of meshing together.”

Red Sox’ J.D. Martinez not in Saturday’s lineup, placed on COVID-19 Related Injured List

Julian McWilliams

BALTIMORE — J.D. Martinez was placed on the COVID-19 Related Injured List before Saturday evening’s game against the Orioles.

Michael Chavis, who is in Baltimore and on the taxi squad, was recalled from the team’s alternate site.

Prior to the game, manager Alex Cora intimated Martinez was dealing with a common cold. COVID-19 protocols require Martinez to undergo a series of testing, including both a rapid test and a more in depth Polymerase chain reaction test. That includes a waiting period. The Red Sox will have more on Martinez on Sunday morning.

“We’ll have more information throughout the night or tomorrow morning,” Cora said before the Red Sox’ 6-4 win Saturday. “But, obviously, we have to wait. I’ll just wait for the [team doctors] to let me know what’s going on.”

Martinez is hitting .433/.469/.867 with 2 homers and 7 doubles. He is the first Red Sox player and fifth major leaguer with at least one extra-base hit in each of a team’s first seven games.

Verdugo finding groove at plate

Alex Verdugo went his first 12 plate appearances without a hit. Despite hitting a number of pitches on the screws, each at-bat ended with a long walk back to the dugout.

Yet, that didn’t deter Verdugo, believing his numbers would even out.

“I feel like with that, you have one or two at-bats where you’re like, ‘I hit it right on the button,’ ” Verdugo said. “And then you have one or two at-bats where you’re like, ‘man what just happened?’ So before you know it you’re 0 for 4, but in reality it’s like you went 2 for 4 in quality at-bats.”

An enlightened perspective keeps the sometimes-rambunctious Verdugo in check. Instead of focusing on the result, his primary goal is to hit the ball hard. If he does that, he can live with the result.

“If I saw pitches, worked the count, if my swing felt good, and I hit it hard, I won that at-bat,” he said. “Yeah, he got me out. But I won the mental side of it.”

Verdugo collected his first hit of the seasonApril 5 when he doubled off Rays starter in the third inning.

Since then, Verdugo is sporting a three-game hitting streak. On Thursday, he was 2 for 5 with two doubles. He went line to line with both, slicing his first double down the left-field line, followed by another down the right-field line.

Verdugo was 0 for 4 Saturday but hit two balls hard and scored two pivotal runs.

“I feel really comfortable up there at the box,” Verdugo said. “I think I’m still working on things. I’m still slightly hitting the ball out in front a little bit more than what I want. I want to see the ball longer. But feel good up there. I feel like I’m hitting the ball hard, having good at bats, you know, kind of feeling my swing out.”

Cora said he’s still getting to know Verdugo, adding that his energy level is something the Red Sox need — particularly for a team that has carried much more of a cerebral approach in recent years.

“He brings a lot to the equation. Very emotional, which is good for this team” Verdugo. “I do believe that this team is a lot different than the ones I’ve managed before. They got their handshakes, and they’re not afraid to let their emotions show right on the field. And he’s one of the leaders on that.

“He seems like he was frustrated in the beginning. But talking to the other coaches and talking to him, that’s the way he is. He’s very competitive and he’ll let you know how frustrated he is. And he will let you know how happy he is when he gets singles.”

Renfroe gets weekend off

The Red Sox are giving a breather. Renfroe came up a bit sore after making a sliding catch during Wednesday’s game against the Rays. Cora is giving Renfroe the weekend off and expects him to be ready for the upcoming series against the Rays.

We are to finding out which Alex Cora will save for last

Peter Abraham

BALTIMORE — After an unusual 48-hour mid-series break, the Red Sox returned to Camden Yards on Saturday night for the second game of their series against Baltimore and the eighth game of the season.

And we finally found out who the closer is. Indirectly, at least.

The Sox won four of their first seven games without a save situation popping up. Alex Cora has been coy about who his closer will be since the early days of spring training and remained so when asked before the game if Matt Barnes or Adam Ottavino had the job.

“You know what? They both are throwing the ball well. I’m not going to jinx myself and name somebody,” Cora said.

Then Ottavino came out of the bullpen in the seventh inning, charged with getting four or five outs to get the ball to Barnes. He only got two as the Orioles took the lead.

But the Sox came back for a 6-4 victory in 10 innings. Barnes was the winner with Matt Andriese getting the first save of the season. Nobody had him in the pool.

Barnes has retired 13 of the 16 batters he has faced, 11 by , while throwing 51 of 65 pitches for strikes.

The righthander has regained faith in his fastball, throwing it 65 percent of the time, up from, 54 percent last season and 47 percent in 2019.

The days of Barnes throwing one curveball after another trying to get hitters to chase are gone. He’s attacking now.

“It’s not as erratic, right? He’s pounding the strike zone,” Cora said. “There’s something about him this year, he bought into the concept that he can put guys away in the strike zone.

“You look at the numbers the last few years and there’s proof he can get them in the strike zone. No more of that 0-2 fastball up, 0-2 breaking ball down, and all of a sudden it’s 2-2. It seems like he’s more aggressive.”

Like many teams, the Sox have been preaching high fastballs and low breaking balls as a way to counter the upper-cut swings most hitters have adopted. But Barnes was often too high with his fastball and throwing curves in the dirt. Now those pitches are forcing the hitter to react.

In the end, who has the lofty title of closer probably doesn’t matter. The Sox won the World Series in 2013 with Koji Uehara becoming the closer in late June after Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey were lost to injuries.

The 2018 champions got 42 saves from Craig Kimbrel in the regular season then survived a series of shaky outings from him during the postseason. When it came to finish off the Dodgers in Game 5, Cora went to Chris Sale.

Ottavino probably could handle the job. But circumstances limited him to facing only eight hitters over the first eight games. He hadn’t pitched since Monday when Cora put him in the game in the seventh inning with a runner on second.

Ottavino quickly ended the threat then surrendered two runs in the eighth inning to give the Orioles the lead.

It’s a short sample size, but Ottavino has allowed 15 earned runs on 25 hits and 11 walks over 20⅔ innings since the start of last season.

Chaim Bloom obtained him from the Yankees in January by agreeing to pay nearly all of his $9 million salary for this season. The Yankees had to include 23-year-old righthander Frank German, a legitimate prospect, to make the deal.

The next move will probably be to flip Ottavino for more prospects — assuming he gets his act together — and make that deal even better.

In 2019, Tampa Bay was getting excellent production from righthander , using him as an opener with occasional late-inning assignments. But with their team in playoff position, the Rays traded Stanek to Miami as part of a four-player deal that returned Nick Anderson. The front office, with Bloom as senior vice president of baseball operations, maximized Stanek’s value.

Nothing about how Bloom has run the Red Sox to date suggests he’s going to hold on to an aging reliever in his free agent year, no matter how well the team is doing. Certainly not with a chance to pry more of the prospect depth he loves from a contender.

The Sox have the depth to cover for a trade. Hirokazu Sawamura has shown promise and while there’s work to be done with Darwinzon Hernandez, the ability is there.

Garrett Whitlock is probably best suited for multiple innings, but they could eventually trust the rookie late in games based on how he has pitched since spring training.

They’ll also get Ryan Brasier back at some point and could shift a starter into the bullpen once Sale returns from the injured list.

“We can still get better,” Cora said.

Astros are hearing it on the road from trash-talking fans

Peter Abraham

The Houston Astros opened the season with six games on the road and it was clear fans have long memories.

In Oakland, enterprising fans managed to smuggle in small metal trash cans and made a racket banging them when the Astros were introduced before the game or when members of the 2017 team came to the plate.

Angels fans were even more creative. On Tuesday, one dressed as Oscar the Grouch, complete with trash can pants, and took a seat nine rows behind the visitors’ dugout. An inflatable trash can was thrown out of the bleachers onto the warning track the night before followed by the real thing.

There was no divine help coming, either.

“If you’re looking for a sign from God, the Astros probably stole it!” said one sign at Angel Stadium.

Six down and 75 more on the road to go. It’s going to be a long and loud season for the Astros, especially for Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, , and Yuli Gurriel. They are the most prominent members of the 2017 team still on the roster and beneficiaries of a sign-stealing system that included banging on a trash can to signal the hitter what pitch was coming.

The scandal came to light after the 2019 season, which led to general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch being suspended, then fired. The team was fined $5 million and lost four draft picks.

But the players skated, having received immunity for cooperating with MLB investigators.

They largely avoided the in-person wrath of fans last season when spring training was cut short by the pandemic. Then a 60-game regular season was played in empty ballparks.

Now, nearly 3½ years after the ’17 season, comes the retribution.

Manager Dusty Baker, who was hired last season to replace Hinch, thinks it’s over the top.

“You can tell the amount of hostility and the amount of hatred in the stands,” he said. “How many in the stands have never done anything wrong in their life? We paid the price for it. How many people have not cheated on a test or whatever at some point in time? I mean it’s easy if you live in glass houses, but I don’t think anybody lives in glass houses.

“I think that sometimes we need to look at ourselves before you spew hate on somebody else. It’s a sad situation for America, to me, when you hear things. I mean what are the kids supposed to think in the stands? And some of them are kids that are following their parents. It’s sad to me. People make mistakes. We paid for ours, and I wish they’d leave it alone.”

Baker can be a sage. But he’s wrong in saying his players have paid a price. Luhnow, Hinch, and bench coach Alex Cora all did. So did former Astros player Carlos Beltrán, who was fired as manager of the Mets when his prominent role in the scandal came to light.

But the other players reaped the benefits. The Astros didn’t lose their championship or the players their $439,901 World Series shares.

Their punishment, such as it is, will come on the road.

“It’s fine,” said Michael Brantley, who joined the Astros in 2019. “This is a veteran team. They can do whatever they want. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter.”

When Bregman was asked about the booing, he deftly steered around the question and said he was happy to be playing games with fans again.

It’s only going to get worse. The Astros have three games at Yankee Stadium May 4-6 and two games at Dodger Stadium Aug. 3-4. The 2017 Astros beat the Yankees in the ALCS and the Dodgers in the World Series, both in seven games.

There also are seven more games in Anaheim, including a three-game set starting on Aug. 13. Before the pandemic hit last season, Dodgers fans were buying up tickets in Anaheim to boo the Astros. The same could be true this season, especially as capacity increases over time.

Houston’s best defense is playing well. The Astros went into the weekend 6-1 with a plus-31 run differential.

“It’s pretty amazing. Pretty much every part of the game has gone good. Pitching has been good, defense and hitting has been amazing. It will not continue like this the whole year, but it’s a really good start,” said the always honest Zack Greinke.

Baker guided the Astros to the seventh game of the ALCS last season. An “us against the world” mentality plays well for a manager.

Meanwhile, American League ballparks better make sure the trash cans are chained to a post when Houston comes to town.

Third man in?

Devers still has work to do

The Red Sox had their infielders taking ground balls before batting practice Tuesday. Rafael Devers was at third base, as you would expect. But so was Bobby Dalbec.

All of Dalbec’s throws to first base were fast and true. Devers had a few of those too. But also some that drifted off target.

In what is now his fifth season in the majors, it’s still not a sure thing that Devers is a third baseman. He was charged with one error through the first seven games but has had a number of throws dug out of the dirt and had twice come close to colliding with shortstop Xander Bogaerts after cutting in front of him trying to make a play.

The Red Sox have been diligent about getting him extra work going back to the early days of spring training and Devers is committed to it. He’s not one of those good hitters who regards defense as a nuisance, he sincerely wants to be better at third base.

There’s a lot riding on it. Devers agreed to a $4.57 million deal in January, avoiding arbitration. As he gets deeper into his career, there’s a lot more value in being a good-hitting third baseman as opposed to being a first baseman or, worse, a designated hitter.

Since his first full season in 2018, Devers is at negative-22 defensive runs saved. That’s the lowest mark for a third baseman by far. Eugenio Suárez of the Reds, at negative-10, is the second worst.

Nobody is expecting Devers to play like Matt Chapman or Nolan Arenado. But being more or less defensively neutral is a reasonable goal.

Devers made an excellent play to steal a hit from Baltimore’s Trey Mancini Thursday and threw from one knee to get a force at second. The Sox hope that’s the start of more consistency.

As for Dalbec, he started the season 2 for 18 with seven strikeouts but has been excellent at first base. His arm is wasted there but his footwork has come a long way.

A few other observations about the Red Sox:

▪ Some sharp-eyed readers asked why the Sox are not using the out-of-town scoreboard on the Green Monster. It’s because two people are required to operate the scoreboard and under COVID-19 protocols, only one person has been cleared for the space.

The National League scoreboard is updated from the warning track and MLB allows only players, umpires, and staff on the field.

▪ The Red Sox have made 18 first-round draft picks since 2010. Eight of those players were no longer in organized baseball as of Opening Day.

Trey Ball (2013), (2012), (2012), (2012), Henry Owens (2011), Kolbrin Vitek (2010), (2010), and (2010) were signed for $13.4 million and gave the Sox a combined 1.3 WAR.

Most of that came from Johnson, who hasn’t appeared in a game since Sept. 26, 2019. Johnson was released at his request last August and remains a free agent, although the lefthander has continued to throw in hopes of getting another chance.

▪ Rick Porcello, only 32, remains unsigned. He had a 5.55 ERA over 44 starts for the Red Sox and Mets the last two seasons. But he also had 1.6 WAR. Couldn’t the Orioles or Pirates use him?

Other former Sox players still on the market: outfielders Yoenis Céspedes and Josh Reddick.

Etc.

Duquette suggests some changes

Dan Duquette is riding out the pandemic with his family in the seaside city of Wilmington, N.C. The Dalton native also has been working as a consultant to teams and technology companies since being fired as general manager of the Orioles following the 2018 season.

As prepares to experiment with rules changes in the minor leagues next month, Duquette was asked what he would like to see based on his long experience in the game.

“Pace of play has been an issue for MLB for a while. The demand for constant entertainment by the fans has been driving that issue,” he said.

“The integrity of the game also is a pretty serious issue MLB has to concern itself with based on what happened with the Astros.”

Duquette thinks both issues could be addressed by improving how the catcher gives signs to the pitcher. To avoid sign stealing or delays caused by using a series of signs, Duquette believes the catcher and pitcher could communicate electronically via wristbands. Or the pitcher with the bench.

NFL coaches communicate with players via headsets. That could be another avenue.

“Speed things up and make it easier for the players,” Duquette said. “I think communication integrity is an important issue. In competition between teams, one team shouldn’t have a competitive edge over the other. It should be the talent of the players on the field.”

This also would help cut down on what Duquette called the “frontier justice” of players taking matters into their own hands if they think a runner on second is stealing signs.

As baseball gets more involved with sports betting, ensuring the integrity of the game will be paramount, Duquette pointed out.

The other issue on his mind is the rising rate and how hitters are losing ground in their eternal battle against .

“Ted Williams advocated that three balls should be a walk because pitchers had such an advantage,” Duquette said. “That balance is getting further away from the batter. There needs to be more scoring in the game.

“The lack of action and the three true outcomes [strikeouts, walks, and home runs] isn’t that interesting for the fans. Jacob deGrom has improved his velocity several years in a row. That speaks to Williams’s treatise that pitchers have such an advantage.

“I’ve always been a traditionalist. But you have to look at it from an entertainment perspective and be pragmatic. Other sports have acted to make their games more exciting.”

At 62, Duquette is eager to get back involved in the game by working for a team, and not necessarily as a general manager. He has a successful track record in scouting and player development and hopes to put that expertise to use.

“I believe I’ll get another opportunity to work with a team,” Duquette said. “I like what I’m doing now, working with my clients in the sports field and some MLB clubs. But I think I’d bring some skills and experience to a team.”

Extra bases

The Rule 5 Draft of veteran minor leaguers has produced some memorable finds over the years, Roberto Clemente being the most notable. It’s unlikely any future Hall of Famers were picked last Dec. 10, but the first seven picks of that draft broke camp with their new teams. That group includes 22-year-old outfielder Akil Neomon Baddoo, who was 5 of 11 with three extra-base hits and seven RBIs in his first four games for the Tigers, and righthander Garrett Whitlock, who has impressed the Red Sox at every turn since being picked from the Yankees organization … MLB has informed teams that the amateur draft, which starts June 11, will be 20 rounds after being dropped to five last season as a cost-cutting measure. The Red Sox have five of the first 136 picks, starting with No. 4 … Francisco Lindor will make $43.3 million from the Mets this season — $22.3 million in salary and a $21 million signing bonus. He’s certainly well protected in the event of a work stoppage in 2022 … Madison Bumgarner is 1-5 with a 7.28 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 11 starts for the Diamondbacks and has $60 million on his contract from 2022-24 … With access to Canada still tightly controlled, the Blue Jays opened their home schedule Thursday with a 7-5 loss against the Angels at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. The Jays played their home games in Toronto in 2019 and in Buffalo last season. The last team to begin three consecutive seasons in different home ballparks were the 1914-16 Boston Braves. They played at the South End Grounds, Fenway Park, and then Braves Field. The Braves played the first half of the 1915 season at Fenway while Braves Field was being completed. The Blue Jays are expected to stay in Dunedin until June and shift their operations back to Buffalo to escape the heat and late afternoon rain that hits most days … The Dodgers gave David Price a World Series ring even though he opted out of last season. Price plans to auction off the ring and donate the proceeds to The Players Alliance. The ring has 232 diamonds, 53 sapphires, weighs 11 carats, and comes in a box that includes a spinning platform, an interior light, and an LCD screen that plays four minutes of season highlights, complete with sound … The Yankees have used their farm system to make some creative moves. They gave the Red Sox 23-year-old righthander Frank German to take back Adam Ottavino and $8,150,000 of his $9 million salary for this season. Then they sent two prospects to Texas to get Rougned Odor as a lefty hitter off the bench. The Rangers are responsible for all but the prorated minimum of the $27 million Odor has remaining on his contract … Bill Bryk, a longtime scout, died Tuesday at the age of 70. He worked for several teams, including the Diamondbacks for the last 11 seasons, but was best known as a close confidante of the late Kevin Towers when he was running the Padres … Happy birthday to Red Sox game planning coordinator Jason Varitek, who is 49. He remains the only player to play in the Little League World Series, College World Series, MLB World Series, the Olympics, and the World Baseball Classic. Another World Series champion, , is 47. And Bret Saberhagen is 57. He was 26-17 with a 3.90 ERA for the Sox in his final 62 career starts from 1997-2001.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox win fifth straight game to move into first place after 0-3 start

Jason Mastrodonato

Somehow, someway, the Red Sox have erased their 0-3 start to the regular season and responded with five straight wins, including a wild one on Saturday night, when the Sox knocked off the Orioles, 6-4.

Adam Ottavino blew a one-run lead in the eighth but the Red Sox tied it on an RBI fielder’s choice by Bobby Dalbec in the ninth and scored the eventual game-winner on a wild pitch in the 10th.

It hasn’t all been pretty, but the Sox are getting good enough starting pitching to grind out victories and now find themselves at the top of their division on the 10th day of the 2021 season.

They’ve proven to be gritty and determined thus far, erasing leads and putting together late-game comebacks. They’re now 2-0 in extra innings.

But if there’s one takeaway from their win on Saturday, it has to be Garrett Richards.

Chaim Bloom’s most expensive signing yet, Richards ($10 million this season with an option for 2022) looked like a blind-folded dart-thrower in his first outing, when the Orioles weren’t fooled by anything he was throwing and handled him easily while scoring six runs in his two innings of work.

Saturday started the same way.

The Sox gave him an early lead on a clutch, two-out RBI single by Rafael Devers, and scored again when Devers got caught in a rundown and Xander Bogaerts ran home from third.

Richards took the hill with a 2-0 lead and gave it right back.

Trey Mancini, the feel-good story of 2021 after his return from a battle with cancer, hit his first homer in two years when Richards left a fastball over the plate and Mancini hit a no-doubter into the right-field seats. The reduced crowd at Camden Yards showered him with love as he crossed home plate, pointed to the stands and gave teammate Anthony Santander a warm hug in the on-deck circle.

The next pitch was a hanging curve that Santander blasted over the center-field wall.

Richards looked stunned. He ended the first inning having given away both runs the Sox’ offense provided. When he made it to the dugout, he was greeted by pitching coach Dave Bush, manager Alex Cora and a few position players who huddled up for an impromptu meeting.

Whatever was said, the conversation worked.

Richards was able to harness his mid-90s fastball and throw enough decent breaking balls to work through five innings while allowing just the two homers. He struck out four and walked three, throwing just 47 of his 79 pitches for strikes.

He hasn’t been easy to watch, and it remains to be seen whether or not he was worth the investment. The curveball sure does bite, but it rarely generates any whiffs, largely because he can’t seem to control it. He threw 18 curves without a single swing-and-miss on Saturday. His slider was decent enough to keep hitters off his fastball, which was clearly his best pitch.

He was good enough to get the game to Darwinzon Hernandez, who handled an inning and a third, and then Ottavino, who finished the seventh inning and started the eighth with a 3-2 lead.

Acquired from the Yankees before the season in a salary dump that also netted the Red Sox an intriguing pitching prospect, Ottavino flashed a 97-mph fastball and sharp breaking ball. But the Orioles saw it just fine.

Ryan Mountcastle hit a leadoff single in the eighth, DJ Stewart stung a double to center and the Sox were in trouble.

With the infield in, Maikel Franco hit a grounder to Dalbec at first base, but Dalbec’s throw home was off the mark and the tying run scored easily from third. Ottavino got the next batter to fly out, then Freddy Galvis guided an opposite-field single to left and the O’s took a 4-3 lead.

Ottavino has now thrown 2⅓ innings this year while allowing three runs on five hits and a walk, striking out three.

In the ninth, the Sox put runners on the corners with one out for Dalbec, who has been as cold as ice to start the year but finally managed to make solid contact. He hit a grounder to shortstop and narrowly beat out the double play at first while the tying run scored from third.

The go-ahead run scored on a wild pitch in the 10th. Matt Barnes struck out two in a dominant ninth while Matt Andriese got the save in the 10th to secure the Sox’ fifth straight win.

Red Sox starter Garrett Richards needs to be better, but Saturday’s outing showed progress

Jason Mastrodonato

Eight games into the season and the Red Sox have now seen at least one good outing from each of their five starting pitchers.

Garrett Richards was far from excellent in Saturday’s 6-4 extra-innings win over the Orioles, but he was good enough, and on a team that believes in its offense and has a revamped bullpen looking up to the test thus far, good enough might be all they need.

“We trust this guy,” manager Alex Cora said after Richards threw five innings of two-run ball against the O’s. “It’s just a matter of keep building up, keep building up. This one was five. Hopefully the next one is six. And we keep going.”

It was an odd scene to see Cora walking over to Richards in the dugout and giving him a big hug after five innings with the game still tied. Typically managers reserve a mid-game hug for only the most impressive of outings. But to see Richards go five innings after his two-inning stinker last Sunday must’ve been enough for Cora to start celebrating.

“This is a guy that we love,” Cora said. “We love the stuff. We love him as a competitor. Just keep working with him and he’s going to be OK.”

This one was at least better than his first one (two innings, six runs). And while Richards still has a long way to go towards proving he was worthy of being Chaim Bloom’s most expensive free agent, one who will cost the Sox $10 million this year with an option for 2022, at least he’s gaining some momentum.

The fastball looked great on Saturday and while the breaking balls remain a question mark and Richards is still having a hard time throwing strikes, the Red Sox feel like with more time (and some good health), they can help Richards unlock his potential, whatever that may be.

“Right now, I’m doing a lot of things really, really well, as far as my delivery goes, to allow me to be in the zone a lot more,” he said. “For me, I feel like it’s just simply, ‘be in the zone,’ and it will help me a tremendous amount.”

“Just throw strikes” should be Richards’ mantra this year.

His fastball sat at 94 mph on Saturday and his slider looked OK. His curveball remains far from a finished product, though the Red Sox acquired him with the goal of getting more out of that pitch. He had used it with some success in the past, but never before made it a focal point of his repertoire the way he did on Saturday.

He threw a remarkable 14 curveballs, the second-most he’s ever thrown. He didn’t generate a single whiff on the pitch, largely because it never looked like a strike; the big, looping motion was too big to fool hitters before it fell out of the zone.

Richards thinks the curveball could be a big weapon for him at some point this season.

“I’ve been pretty fastball-slider heavy most of my career,” he said. “I feel like the last couple of years I started getting more into the curveball. It was a pitch that was just my third pitch that I hadn’t really developed a whole lot. But over the last couple years I’ve figured out a delivery and a mindset to help me throw that pitch for a strike more often.

“And it’s a weapon. And I need to use it. Tonight vs. the first start, I wanted to throw more curveballs. So I did.”

One of them was a hanger to Anthony Santander, who demolished it into the center-field seats and prompted some comedic analysis from Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who said his advice to Richards would be simple: don’t hang a curveball.

But Richards kept throwing it. And after struggling in the first inning, he allowed just one hit over the final four innings, finishing the game with four strikeouts.

Pitching five decent innings won’t be enough to celebrate in May or June, but the Sox were pleased with Richards for one day, at least.

“My first start wasn’t something I was proud about, obviously,” he said. “It’s all about gaining some momentum. I’m feeling good right now. My delivery has become more consistent.

“It’s a long season. I know everybody doesn’t want to hear that, but it’s a work in progress and you’re working to progressively get better and better as the season goes on.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora after five-game winning streak: ‘It’s a good vibe’

Jason Mastrodonato

The Red Sox have erased a 0-3 start to the season and won five in a row.

Inside the locker room, the Sox are feeling good.

“It’s a good vibe,” manager Alex Cora said after the Sox’ 6-4 win over the Orioles in extra innings on Saturday. “It’s a good vibe. We’ve got a bunch of good baseball players. That’s the way I see it.

“I know a lot of people don’t feel like we’ve got superstars, but I like my bunch. It’s a good baseball team. They did everything right. We played that extra-inning rule the way we wanted to, and we got the W.”

After taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Sox fell apart in the bottom of the frame.

Garrett Richards gave up back-to-back homers to erase the lead. And in the second inning, Rafael Devers forgot how many outs there were and never bothered laying down a tag on a baserunner that would’ve been thrown out easily at second.

“I wanted to slow the game down,” Cora said. “It felt like everything was going fast. It was a different feel today, actually, with the fans. They were into it. There were a lot of them. Just felt that way. Even myself, I had to slow down a little bit early on.”

Devers redeemed himself with a go-ahead homer in the sixth. And after Adam Ottavino blew the lead in the eighth, the Sox came back to tie it in the ninth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Bobby Dalbec and win it in the 10th on a go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

“We’re vibing with each other right now,” Richards said afterward. “This is a sneaky team. People want to talk about other teams a lot. But this team will be there, I promise you that.”

Asked about the vibe, Dalbec smiled.

“Pretty good,” he said. “We started gelling together pretty quickly in spring. We started gelling together pretty quickly and it’s continuing to get going. After those first three games to start off the year we’re tough but we’ve stayed up and kept working and continued to get more comfortable as a team.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora won’t name Matt Barnes the closer, but implies he’s the closer

Jason Mastrodonato

Matt Barnes isn’t the Red Sox’ official closer, but you might as well start calling him one.

The Sox have yet to have a save opportunity, so the battle between Adam Ottavino and Barnes for the closer role hasn’t officially been won. But Barnes has been lights-out so far this year, striking out nine to just one walk in four scoreless innings.

“You know what, they both have been throwing the ball well so I’m not going to jinx myself and name somebody,” manager Alex Cora said. “The way Barnes is throwing the ball has been amazing. We haven’t been able to use Adam that much, right? Only that bases loaded situation a few days ago. I still feel very confident with them and the structure is falling into place. We just have to keep rolling the way we do right now. You guys are watching.”

The knock on Barnes in previous years was that he nibbled too much and ended up walking batters in key situations. That seems to be different early on in 2021, when Barnes has been attacking hitters.

“He’s not as erratic,” Cora said. “He’s pounding the strike zone. There’s something about him this year that he bought into the concept that he can put guys away in the strike zone. You look at his numbers the last few years and there’s proof he can get guys out in the strike zone. There’s no more of that 0-2 fastball up, 0-2 breaking ball down, all of a sudden it’s 2-2. He seems like he’s more aggressive.

“He can still go up, but it’s like, making that fastball up more competitive. The point of throwing a fastball up is to make it competitive. It’s not about changing eye levels. It’s actually for them to commit. It’s like, ‘do I get on top of it or do I take it?’ They have to make a decision. And if they make a decision up there, then you can expand down. That’s how he’s going right now and he’s been great.”

Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez added to COVID-19 injury list due to cold symptoms

Jason Mastrodonato

The Red Sox were without their hottest hitter for Saturday’s game against the .

J.D. Martinez was added to the COVID-19 related injured list due to cold symptoms as the team awaits a negative test before he’s eligible to return.

“We feel pretty confident that he’ll be able to be with us (Sunday), but obviously we have to wait,” manager Alex Cora said.

Major League Baseball mandates all players and on-field personnel get tested every other day during the season. Cora said Martinez was given a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as part of the routine, as well as a rapid test after Martinez revealed his symptoms.

The Red Sox made a roster move before the game, recalling Michael Chavis from Worcester. Teams can carry up to five players on a taxi squad with them to road cities in case of a coronavirus outbreak.

MLB has been strict about protocols this year as they attempt to avoid the extended slate of missed games due to coronavirus outbreaks.

“I’ll tell you my story in spring training,” Cora said. “We got this app that they asked you how you feel, right? I had allergies in spring training, and you got to be honest, you know, as far as like, ‘OK, so I felt this.’ And as soon as I sent it, I got a text, a phone call and a lot of people panic and in less than five minutes. So I had to go to JetBlue Park, do the rapid test, stay in my office until they gave me the green light, and that was it.

“But it’s understandable, right? We know what we are fighting against. But we don’t know how it moves or when we can get it, where, but I understand the protocols. I’m OK with it. So if we don’t have J.D. for one day, so be it, you know? Somebody has to step up and do the job tonight.”

The Sox are also without outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who will miss the entire weekend due to general soreness, according to Cora. Renfroe hurt himself making a sliding catch in right field at Fenway Park on Wednesday.

Without two of their regulars, Kiké Hernandez was in center field with Alex Verdugo in right field and Marwin Gonzalez in left.

That opened the door for to make his fifth start in eight games at second base, where he’s quietly become an every-day player for this team.

He’s just 3-for-17 and ranks in the bottom of MLB in exit velocity and chase rate, but Cora said he likes what he’s seen.

“He has the two biggest at-bats of the last week,” Cora said. “Sometimes we talk about results and look at the numbers, but from my end, he’s doing a good job. We’re going to get everybody involved… But I’m very happy with the way he’s competing.”

Red Sox lineup behind RHP Garrett Richards vs. the Orioles behind LHP Bruce Zimmermann at 7:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards:

Hernandez CF Verdugo RF Bogaerts SS Vazquez DH Devers 3B Gonzalez LF Arroyo 2B Dalbec 1B Plawecki C

Home runs are down across MLB; Red Sox trying to take their singles

Jason Mastrodonato

Home runs are down across the league and the Red Sox are part of the trend.

They entered Saturday with just six homers on the season, while their pitching staff has allowed just two.

It was on Friday that MLB passed the 100-game mark this season. The early numbers are relevant particularly given the league is using new that are supposed to suppress home runs. Compared to other seasons (through full day in which 100 games were played), the home run rate is the lowest since 2018:

’21: 2.29 HR/G

’20: 2.44 HR/G (season started in July)

’19: 2.34 HR/G

’18: 2.17 HR/G

’17: 2.18 HR/G

Sox outfield Alex Verdugo said he thinks the Red Sox offense started scoring more runs once they realized they should stop swinging for the fences.

“We hit a few balls to left field that in normal times, a month or two from now, would be easily off the Monster or maybe even homers,” Verdugo said. “It got a little discouraging. But then it was like, ‘alright guys, that’s not going to work for that team either, we still need to figure out a way to chip some runs.’

“I think some good at-bats, good two-strike approaches and watching the guy in front of you grind, maybe spoil some pitches and get a base hit, it makes that next guy’s job – he’s a little more fired up and has an understanding of what he has to do.”

Verdugo has four doubles on the season but is still looking for his first home run. He said he’s hitting the ball hard and feels great about his approach, and the entire offense started rolling once the Sox completed their first win after getting out to an 0-3 start.

“Everybody relaxed,” Verdugo said. “We might’ve been pressing a little bit. Not to give any excuses, but to go from spring training weather to Boston weather was a slight change for us. I think just figuring out our swings and figuring out that we don’t need to try to keep going deep, just small hits here and there, keep the train rolling. That’s a big part of our success. And obviously our pitchers are doing a heck of a job keeping us in games.”

* The Providence Journal

Rafael Devers is who he is, and that's more than good enough

Bill Koch

Rafael Devers imagined as a cartoon character would be a rambunctious, loveable puppy.

There will be a time or two where he has an accident on the carpet. He might chew through your favorite pair of slippers. You'll be tempted to grow a bit frustrated.

But generally, when the day is done and he goes in for a lick on your face, you’ll be happy he’s in your life. The Red Sox certainly were Saturday night.

Devers made a game-saving defensive play in the bottom of the eighth inning and bashed his second home run of the season. Boston extended its winning streak to five games by rallying past the Orioles, 6-4, in 10 innings at Camden Yards.

Michael Chavis scored on a wild pitch and Christian Vazquez secured some insurance with an RBI single to left. Matt Barnes dominated again in his lone inning and Matt Andriese notched what seemed an unlikely eighth career save. None of that happens without Devers keeping the Red Sox within striking distance at 4- 3.

“He didn’t panic,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He knew the runner. That’s what we’re talking about. Anticipate the play and go from there.

“He’s been doing a good job the last few days. It was a rough start early on, but he’s made better decisions. We’re very happy with the way he’s been playing.”

Freddy Galvis snapped a 3-3 tie with a bullet single to left and Adam Ottavino was on the hook with two outs. Trey Mancini ripped a one-hopper down the line at third and Devers speared it on the backhand behind the bag. His long throw across took a comfortable hop and was scooped routinely by Bobby Dalbec at first.

“It’s been a lot of really good energy,” Barnes said. “Everybody is kind of meshing well together. We’re playing a solid brand of baseball all around.”

Devers was picked off first base in the top of the first but stayed in a rundown long enough for Xander Bogaerts to score all the way from second base. He forgot how many outs there were in the bottom of the second, declining to tag a stealing Rio Ruiz at second while deployed near the bag in the shift. To describe both plays as mild brain cramps would be fair.

But there’s a certain wariness among the Boston staff when it comes to scolding Devers too often. The 24- year-old is his own harshest critic, and behind closed doors he’s not as quick with a smile or as unassuming as you might outwardly believe. You can see a bit of a furrow on his brow when the conversation inevitably turns to his performance with the glove.

But in terms of what Devers brings on the whole, the bat still outweighs everything else by a wide margin. He’s a virtuoso at the plate – the names he’s associated with in terms of achievements by age include Joe DiMaggio, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Conigliaro, Ted Williams, Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols. The career credentials of that group speak for themselves.

Devers scalded an RBI single to center in the first and crushed a solo home run to deep right-center in the sixth. He’s hit two balls to the bleachers a combined total of 887 feet over the first two games at Baltimore, doing so with that easy left-handed swing that earned him $1.5 million as an international signing out of the Dominican Republic. All but one of his last 16 balls in play have been stroked at 90 mph or better, and three on Saturday were drilled at 106.6 mph or more.

Is Devers going to develop defensively into the next version of Brooks Robinson? Unlikely, but remember how poor Wade Boggs was in the field during his first few seasons with the Red Sox. And Boggs didn’t debut until two months shy of his 24th birthday – Devers played 392 games in the regular season and 15 more in October before reaching the same age last fall.

So in your mind, the next time Devers boxes a routine two-hopper to the left side, offer him a mental pat on the head. Chances are he’s going to more than make up for it eventually.

Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez (COVID-19 reserve list) out of Saturday lineup

Bill Koch

J.D. Martinez was out of the Red Sox lineup on Saturday night and the club is anxiously awaiting his latest set of COVID-19 test results.

Boston’s designated hitter reported some cold symptoms prior to the second of three matchups with the Orioles this weekend. Protocols agreed upon by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association were immediately activated and Martinez underwent a rapid test for the virus in the afternoon.

Martinez will be held out until the results of his rapid test and a subsequent PCR test are returned. Boston officially placed him on the COVID-19 reserve list and recalled Michael Chavis, who was on the trip with the club as a member of the five-man taxi squad.

“I'm just waiting for them to let me know what’s going on,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “But I spoke to J.D. Obviously, we never know because of the virus but he feels pretty confident it’s just a regular cold.”

Martinez is off to a blistering start to the season, cracking seven doubles in as many games and compiling a 1.335 OPS. He singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored a run in the club’s 7-3 victory against the Orioles on Thursday at Camden Yards.

“There’s a lot of testing going on right now,” Cora said. “There’s a lot of stuff — but understandable. The good thing is, from our end, we do believe he’s going to be back with us tomorrow.”

Martinez’s absence from the lineup raised eyebrows, especially against left-handed Baltimore starter Bruce Zimmermann. It would have been an odd time for Martinez to receive some extra rest and especially after a day off on Friday. Christian Vazquez will play the final two games of the series, with catching on Saturday and Vazquez likely to go back behind the plate for Sunday afternoon’s contest.

“Now that helps Christian, actually,” Cora said. “He wasn’t going to play tomorrow — now he’ll DH today and play tomorrow.”

Players, staff members and other ballpark personnel are required to complete an electronic survey prior to reporting each day. Cora triggered the protocol in spring training while battling allergies — he was experiencing corresponding sniffles and watery eyes. Red Sox medical personnel immediately summoned him to JetBlue Park for a rapid test and sequestered him in the manager’s office.

“You’ve got to be honest, so I was like, ‘OK, I felt this,’ ” Cora said. “As soon as I sent it, I got a text, a phone call and a lot of people panicking in less than five minutes. I had to go to JetBlue, do the rapid test and stay in my office until they gave me the green light. That was it.

“It’s understandable. We know what we’re fighting against but we don’t know how it moves or when we can get it or where. I understand the protocols and I’m OK with it. If we don’t have J.D. for one day, so be it.”

Matt Barnes and eight other Boston players and staff members were held out of spring training after he registered a false positive test. Protocols would have forced Barnes to isolate at home for up to 10 days and close contacts to remain away from the team for up to seven days. Barnes was negative for the virus during his subsequent tests and was ultimately cleared.

* MassLive.com

Rafael Devers leads Boston Red Sox to comeback win with his glove; Michael Chavis scores go-ahead run in 10th

Christopher Smith

Rafael Devers saved Saturday’s game with his defense.

Devers made a tremendous play on a grounder Orioles’ Trey Mancini hit down the third base line with the bases loaded in the eighth to keep Boston’s deficit at 4-3.

Devers ranged to his right to field the ball at deep third base. He fired a one-hopper from the grass to Bobby Dalbec to end the inning. The Red Sox then scored in the top of the ninth to tie it and added two more runs in the 10th inning to win.

Boston posted its fifth straight victory, beating the Orioles 6-4 at Camden Yards.

Devers had a nice all-around game. He delivered an RBI single in the first inning and bashed a 435-foot homer against Orioles starter Bruce Zimmermann to give Boston a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

Bobby Dalbec hit a grounder to shortstop with runners at the corners and one out in the ninth. He hustled to first to avoid double play and tie the game.

Chavis scores the go-ahead run

Michael Chavis might return to the taxi squad Sunday. But he first contributed to a Red Sox win Saturday.

Manager Alex Cora chose Chavis as the runner to begin the 10th inning at second base. Chavis made it to third base on Kiké Hernández’s sacrifice fly to center, then scored on ’s wild pitch.

Christian Vázquez added an RBI single to put the Red Sox ahead by two runs.

Chavis was recalled before the game when J.D. Martinez was placed on the COVID-related injured list due to cold-like symptoms. The Red Sox don’t believe Martinez has coronavirus but the slugger needs to test negative twice before returning. He might be back as early as Sunday.

Bogaerts’ baserunning

The Red Sox took a 2-0 in the first inning. Devers hit an RBI single, then got picked off first base. But he remained in a rundown for enough time to allow Xander Bogaerts to score from second base.

Ottavino gives up lead in eighth

Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino looked sharp while recording two outs in the seventh inning. But he struggled in the eighth. He got ahead in the count 0-2 against DJ Stewart and Freddy Galvis but he failed to put away both Orioles batters in the eighth inning.

Stewart doubled against Ottavino to put runners at second and third base with no outs. Maikel Franco then hit a weak fielder’s choice (59.2 mph off the bat). First baseman Bobby Dalbec was playing in and tried to throw out Ryan Mountcastle at the plate but it wasn’t even close.

That tied the game 3-3. Galvis then delivered the go-ahead RBI single to left field to put the O’s.

Richards goes 5 innings

Red Sox starter Garrett Richards settled in after allowing back-to-back solo homers with one out in the first inning.

Trey Mancini blasted a 95.4 mph four-seam fastball from Richards 427 feet over the right-center field wall to cut the Orioles’ deficit to 2-1. The ball left Mancini’s bat with a 111.9 mph exit velocity. It was his first homer run since returning from Stage 3 colon cancer.

Anthony Santander tied it 2-2 when he bashed a curveball from Richards for a 407-foot homer to center.

Richards allowed just one hit over his final 4 ⅔ innings.

He didn’t throw his sinker at all Saturday after throwing just one in his first start.

Hernandez’s velo increase

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless sixth inning and recorded the first out of the seventh, averaging 96.0 mph with his 16 four-seam fastballs and topping out at 97.1 mph, per Baseball Savant.

Hernandez’s fastball had averaged 94.5 mph in his first three outings this season.

Boston Red Sox notebook: Alex Cora feels ‘good vibe’ after fourth comeback win; Garrett Richards shaves mustache, pitches well

Christopher Smith

The Boston Red Sox have won five straight games. Four of the victories have been come-from-behind wins.

Boston tied the Orioles in the ninth inning Saturday, then scored twice in the 10th inning to win 6-4 at Camden Yards.

It marked the second time this week Boston tied a game in the ninth inning and won in extra innings.

“They didn’t stop playing,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said about his players. “It’s a good vibe. We’ve got a bunch of good baseball players. That’s the way I see it. I know a lot of people don’t feel like we have superstars, but I like my bunch. It’s a good baseball team. They did everything right toward the end of the game. We played the extra-inning rule the way we wanted to and we got the W.”

Garrett Richards warned against sounding the panic button too early last Sunday after Boston dropped to 0- 3. A week later, the Red Sox sit in first place in the AL East.

“I don’t feel like I was wrong,” Richards said. “We’re trying to win every single game. I don’t think anybody denies that. The games we lost early on, it wasn’t for a lack of effort, but simply just playing clean baseball from pitching to hitting to being in the field. I feel like we’ve got some good momentum ... moving forward. We’re vibin’ with each other right now. From the first pitch, we’re trying to win the game. And it’s great to see. This is a sneaky team. I think people want to talk about other teams a lot. But this team will be there. I promise you that.”

Richards shaves mustache

Richards settled in Saturday after allowing back-to-back solo homers with one out in the first inning. Richards gave up only one hit over his final 4 ⅔ innings.

He pitched much better than he did in his Red Sox debut last Sunday. But the most noticeable difference might have been that he shaved his signature mustache.

“Wearing the mask all the time, I was kind of eating that thing most of the time,” Richards said. “My wife was super pumped about shaving it off. I had been growing it for over a year and periodically I would tell her, ‘Today’s the day. Today’s the day.’ I got off the couch the other day to go get ready to go to the field and it just kind of felt right. I wouldn’t say that it wasn’t a little bit of a 50/50 moment when I actually did it. But it’s gone. So we’re moving on. It was over a year. To grow a mustache over a year is kind of an investment. So I’ll just check that off the list of things to do during your lifetime.”

Verdugo, Red Sox ‘not afraid to let their emotions show on the field’

Red Sox manager Alex Cora still is getting to know energetic Alex Verdugo’s personality.

“He brings a lot to the equation,” Cora said Saturday. “Very emotional, which is good for this team. I do believe this team is a lot different than the ones I managed before. They’ve got their handshakes and they’re not afraid to let their emotions show on the field. And he’s one of the leaders of that. It seems like he was frustrated at the beginning, but talking to the other coaches and talking to him, that’s the way he is. He’s very competitive and he’ll let you know how frustrated he is. And he will let you know how happy he is when he gets singles.

“It’s just a good swing,” Cora added. “And he understands the strike zone. He makes sound decisions as far as like swinging. And I like the fact he can hit lefties, too. That’s very important for us. So far so good. Good all-around player.”

Verdugo has made three starts in center field, three starts in right field and one start in left field so far in 2021. He’s fine with playing all three outfield positions.

“It’s just another day,” Verdugo said. “I’ve gotten to the point where I just look at my name in the lineup and just see where I’m hitting. Make sure I’m batting in that two hole and we’re good. Doesn’t matter with right, left, center. It’s all the same. Just gotta make sure you go out there and take a look at your surrounding, take a look at whatever field you’re at and you’re locked in.”

Cora trying to stay away from Renfroe for weekend

Hunter Renfroe (soreness) did not play Saturday despite a left-hander pitcher starting for the Orioles.

“I think it was the last game at home, sliding catch in right field,” Cora said. “Kind of like he was sore that day. He felt worse the next day. So we’re trying to give him a few days.”

Cora said pregame that Renfroe is available off the bench if needed.

“But I’m trying to give him the weekend off so he’ll be ready for Minnesota,” Cora said.

Sunday’s pitching matchup

The Red Sox and Orioles will wrap up their three-game series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Red Sox righty Nick Pivetta (1-0, 0.00) will start opposite Orioles righty Jorge López (0-1, 7.71).

Rafael Devers’ defensive play keeps Boston Red Sox within one run, sets stage for comeback win; ‘He didn’t panic’

Christopher Smith

Rafael Devers’ defensive play with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning set the stage for the Red Sox’s comeback victory Saturday night.

Boston won 6-4 over the Orioles in 10 innings at Camden Yards.

Orioles’ Trey Mancini hit a ground ball down the third base line. Devers ranged to his right to field the ball on the grass at deep third base. He fired a one-hopper to first baseman Bobby Dalbec to end the inning.

That kept Boston’s deficit at one run. The Red Sox scored in the top of the ninth to tie it and added two more runs in the 10th inning to win.

“Good job using the grass, too,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He didn’t panic. He knew the runner and that’s what we’re talking about. Just anticipate the play and go from there.”

Mancini didn’t exactly scorch it. He hit it with a 73.8 mph exit velocity off the bat. And so Devers did not have much time. But the third baseman did a nice job setting and putting himself in a good position to make an accurate throw with Mancini, who is not a fast runner, hustling down the first base line.

Devers has struggled with his throws early in the season.

“He’s been doing a good job the last few days,” Cora said. “It was a rough start early on but he’s made better decisions and we’re very happy with the way he’s been playing.”

Devers made a mental mistake earlier in the field Saturday. He forgot the number of outs in the second inning and didn’t make a tag on a stolen base. Devers received the throw at second base from catcher Kevin Plawecki because the Red Sox were in the shift.

Cora told all his players to slow down the game after that inning.

“For some reason Raffy didn’t tag the runner,” Cora said. “Just one of those where I wanted to slow the game down. I just felt like everything was going fast. It was a different feel today actually with the fans. They were into it. There were a lot of them. It just felt that way. Even myself, I had to slow down a little bit early on. So just a message (to the players) like, ‘We have nine innings. If we play it this way, it’s going to be too fast for us.’ So we did a good job after that.”

Devers also stroked an RBI single in the first inning and bashed a 435-foot homer against Orioles starter Bruce Zimmermann to give Boston a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

Bobby Dalbec ties Boston Red Sox game by beating throw to first; ‘As soon as I hit it, I was just flying. Flying for me’

Christopher Smith

Bobby Dalbec has struggled to make contact early this season. The Red Sox slugger is 2-for-21 with nine strikeouts in six games.

But he needed to make contact with one out in the ninth inning Saturday — and he did.

Dalbec stepped to the plate with runners at the corners and the Red Sox down 4-3.

He hit a grounder to Orioles shortstop Freddy Galvis (85.9 mph off the bat) and hustled to first base to beat the throw there and avoid the double play. Marwin Gonzalez scored from third base to tie it 4-4.

The Red Sox then scored twice in the 10th inning to beat Baltimore 6-4 at Camden Yards. It marked Boston’s fifth straight victory.

Dalbec hit it sharply and Galvis slid to his right to field it. He tossed to Rio Ruiz at second for one out. Dalbec just beat out Ruiz’s throw to first base.

“As soon as I hit it, I was just flying. Flying for me,” Dalbec said. “I knew that’s a big-time run there obviously and I’m trying to leg it out.”

Dalbec said he felt better in his final two at-bats (he also walked in the seventh) and he hopes to carry it over into Sunday.

“The hits will come,” Dalbec said. “I’m happy to get an RBI there and put the team in a position to win the game. ... I’m just trying to help the team win games whether it’s defensively, hustling or anything like that.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora added, “It’s big. And those are the situations we talk about making contact. We felt it was a good matchup for him down in the zone. He hit that ball hard to Galvis. That was a nice play out of the shift. And for him to put the ball in play and hustle and get to first, that was huge. That was huge. He’s a little bit down obviously. He’s not swinging the bat the way he’s capable of. But he took some tough changeups and then he put one in play and good things happen.”

Boston Red Sox roster moves: J.D. Martinez placed on COVID-related IL; Michael Chavis recalled

Christopher Smith

The Boston Red Sox have placed DH J.D. Martinez on the COVID-related injured list because he is dealing with cold-like symptoms. Boston has recalled Michael Chavis from the alternate training site.

Martinez and the team do not believe he has COVID. They think he will be ready to be reactivated for Sunday’s series finale. But he is not allowed to play Saturday because of protocols.

The slugger must test negative twice before being able to play again. He already has taken a rapid test and the Red Sox are waiting for the results. He will need to take a PCR test, too.

The Red Sox will be able to activate Martinez on Sunday if both the rapid and PCR tests return negative.

“We’ll have more information throughout the night or tomorrow morning,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We feel pretty confident that he will be able to be with us tomorrow. But obviously we have to wait.”:

Martinez initially was scheduled to be the DH on Saturday vs. the Orioles. Christian Vázquez will DH and bat cleanup. Kevin Plawecki will catch.

“From our end, we do believe he is going to be back with us tomorrow,” Cora said.

Chavis was on the taxi squad that traveled with Red Sox on this road trip. Pitchers Colten Brewer and Ryan Weber, outfielder César Puello and catcher Chris Herrmann also are part of the taxi squad.

Chavis began the 2021 season at the alternate training site at Worcester after Christian Arroyo beat him out for the final position roster spot.

J.D. Martinez not in Boston Red Sox lineup because of cold symptoms; Christian Vázquez will DH and bat cleanup

Christopher Smith

J.D. Martinez will not play against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. He has cold symptoms. The Red Sox do not think he has COVID but the DH cannot play due to coronavirus protocols.

Martinez has taken a rapid COVID test. The Red Sox are waiting for the results. He must test negative twice (PCR test, too) before he’s allowed to play.

“From our end, we do believe he is going to be back with us tomorrow,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday.

Christian Vázquez will DH and bat cleanup. Kevin Plawecki will catch.

Boston potentially will place Martinez on the COVID-related IL today, then be able to activate him Sunday if the test results return negative. In that scenario, the Red Sox would be able to activate a player from the taxi-squad Saturday.

Boston is looking for its fourth straight win after starting the regular season 0-3. The Sox lost all three games against the Orioles at Fenway last weekend. But they then swept a three-game home series against the Rays and won Thursday in Baltimore.

Righty Garrett Richards will start for Boston after he struggled against the Orioles at Fenway Park last Sunday. Richards went just 2-plus innings and allowed six earned runs.

Richards has had Boston’s only poor start through the first seven games. The other starting pitchers have a combined 2.78 ERA.

Hernández continues to bat leadoff despite struggling in that spot. He is just 5 for 28 (.179) with a homer, double, three runs, three RBIs, two walks and seven strikeouts in seven games. He is 1-for-6 with a strikeout and no walks to lead off games.

Christian Arroyo will play second base.

Lefty Bruce Zimmermann will start for Baltimore. He beat the Red Sox last weekend at Fenway when he pitched opposite Richards. He allowed three runs, all earned, four hits and one walk while striking out five. Martinez took him deep.

Boston Red Sox lineup:

1. Kiké Hernández CF

2. Alex Verdugo RF

3. Xander Bogaerts SS

4. Christian Vázquez DH

5. Rafael Devers 3B

6. Marwin Gonzalez LF

7. Christian Arroyo 2B

8. Bobby Dalbec 1B

9. Kevin Plawecki C

Baltimore Orioles lineup:

1. CF

2. Trey Mancini 1B

3. Anthony Santander RF

4. Ryan Mountcastle DH

5. DJ Stewart LF

6. Maikel Franco 3B

7. Rio Ruiz 2B

8. Freddy Galvis SS

9. Chance Sisco C

Starting pitchers: Red Sox RHP Garrett Richards (0-1, 27.00) vs. Orioles LHP Bruce Zimmermann (1-0, 4.50)

* The Portland Press Herald

On Baseball: Red Sox deal for pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has worked out well

Kevin Thomas

The Red Sox made a solid acquisition when they traded for Eduardo Rodriguez in 2014. Rodriguez made his first start in nearly two years on Thursday and showed why he is a key piece of the Red Sox rotation. Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Eduardo Rodriguez’s first start of the 2021 season on Thursday did wonders for the heart (figuratively and literally), and for the Boston Red Sox fortunes this year.

“With him on the mound, we have a chance to win. He’s a great pitcher,” Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez said after the 7-3 win over Baltimore.

So, how did a great pitcher – not originally drafted or signed by the Red Sox, and not a pricey free agent – end up with Boston?

The story involves the , and begins with an athlete who was good enough to walk onto a Division I college basketball team … but did not.

In 2005, Texas Tech pitcher Dustin Richardson, a 6-foot-6 junior, took part in a reality TV show with the school’s basketball coach, Bobby Knight, trying out for a walk-on spot with the basketball team.

Richardson reportedly did well in the tryout, but he was already playing another sport. And the school was not going to let a star pitcher play basketball. “I knew if I wasn’t playing baseball, I would’ve gotten some playing time with Knight,” Richardson told milb.com.

Instead, Richardson pitched the 2006 college season, then was drafted by the Red Sox in the fifth round that summer.

In 2008, Richardson was part of a Sea Dogs rotation with the likes of future Red Sox pitchers Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden. Richardson led the team in strikeouts with 114.

Richardson reached Boston as a reliever in 2009 for three games, and then in 2010 for 26 games (4.15 ERA). But General Manager Theo Epstein traded Richardson in the fall for struggling Marlins left-hander Andrew Miller, who had a career 5.84 ERA.

Miller reinvented himself as a lights-out reliever. He collected a World Series ring with Boston in 2013, although he missed the postseason because of injury.

Richardson, meanwhile, never reached the majors again.

With Miller, Boston had a valuable reliever and, when the Red Sox tumbled in 2014, Miller became prime trade bait. He was shipped to Baltimore.

“There were a lot of good prospects we could have gotten for Miller,” then General Manager Ben Cherington told ESPN. “We like Rodriguez the best.”

Thus, Eduardo Rodriguez, then 21, joined the Red Sox.

Rodriguez had been pitching in Double-A for the Orioles, with a 4.79 ERA. Still, he was considered a prized prospect, and one Orioles website, camdenchat.com, prophesied that “this could be the kind of thing the O’s really come to regret.”

Miller was stellar for Baltimore, which won the American League East, eventually losing to Kansas City in the ALCS. Miller hit free agency and signed with the Yankees.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez was assigned to Portland, under the tutelage of pitching coach Bob Kipper, who was quickly impressed.

“He generates electric stuff,” Kipper said.

Kipper offered one suggestion to the young lefty: Throw the change-up more. Rodriguez listened, then sizzled with the Sea Dogs and reached the majors the next year, going 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 21 starts for the Red Sox.

More improvements would come: 13 wins and a World Series ring in 2018, 19 wins in 2019.

Then came 2020 and a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic was more than an inconvenience to the baseball season. Rodriguez caught the virus and suffered a further complication – myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. He did not pitch last year, and his return this season was postponed a week after dealing with a case of “dead arm’ at the end of spring training.

So, Thursday’s start was special. Rodriguez admitted to being too excited at the beginning, allowing a two- run homer in the first inning.

“After the first inning, everything went back to normal,” said Rodriguez. His final four innings featured only two more hits and one more run. He struck out seven and walked none. And, apparently, Rodriguez still remembers his lessons from Portland. He threw 25 change-ups – 32 percent of his pitches.

“That’s his best pitch,” Vazquez said. “It’s tough to hit a good change-up.”

A tough-to-hit Eduardo Rodriguez is going to be quite a boost to Boston’s hopes of being a contender again.

The Boston Red Sox picked up Garrett Whitlock in the Rule 5 draft and he has made an immediate impact. Steven Senne/Associated Press

GARRETT WHITLOCK appears to be the team’s latest young pitching phenom. And while Epstein can take credit for Miller, and Cherington for Rodriguez, it’s Boston’s chief baseball officer, Chaim Bloom, and his staff who deserve the kudos for Whitlock.

Whitlock, a Yankees minor league pitcher before this season, last pitched for Double-A Trenton in 2019 (going 2-1 vs. the Sea Dogs). His season ended in July of that year because of an elbow injury and, eventually, Tommy John surgery. The Yankees did not add him to their 40-man roster, and Boston grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft last December – meaning Boston must keep Whitlock on the major league roster all season or send him back to the Yankees.

That seems likely.

Whitlock followed Rodriguez on Thursday with two perfect innings (three strikeouts). He has a mid-90s sinking fastball and a deadly change-up. Instead of just hanging onto a roster spot, he is bolstering the bullpen and could compete for a rotation spot next year.

* RedSox.com

Dalbec 'happy' to help Sox win 5th straight

Ian Browne

Rookie Bobby Dalbec was in a funk to start the season, but the Red Sox needed him to do something when it mattered most on Saturday night at Camden Yards.

There were runners at the corners with one out in the top of the ninth and his team down by a run and Dalbec needed to figure out a way to get that tying run home.

It started as simply as this: Dalbec reminded himself not to try to do too much.

“Which is what I've been doing and why I’m scuffling,” Dalbec said after his pivotal yet subtle contribution to a wild, 6-4 victory in 10 innings by the Red Sox over the Orioles.

The powerful corner infielder didn’t do what he is likely to do many times in his career and hit one into the cheap seats. He didn’t even hit one to the warning track for a sacrifice fly.

Instead, Dalbec managed to get bat to ball with an 85.9-mph grounder to shortstop. And then the man listed as 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds put in motion his legs with a sprint speed of 28.8 feet per second and got to first in 4.5 seconds, per Statcast. It was just fast enough to avoid a game-ending double play and, instead, tied the game.

Shortstop Freddy Galvis actually made a nice play to get to the ball and swiftly flipped to second. But Dalbec didn’t see any of that. He put his head down and ran for survival.

Did he think he could beat it out?

“Yeah, I did. As soon as I hit it, I was just flying,” Dalbec said. “[Well], flying for me. But yeah, I knew that’s a big-time run there, obviously, and I was trying to leg it out.”

As far as stat lines go, fielder’s choice groundouts are never going to enhance them. But Dalbec, Boston’s No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, did muster his first RBI of the season.

Though his season-opening slash line is .095/.174/.095, Dalbec could walk away from Saturday’s game knowing he did something to help his team extend its winning streak to five games after an 0-3 start.

“Yeah, I mean the hits will come,” Dalbec said. “I'm happy to get an RBI there and put the team in position to win the game, so that's what I'm thinking about. I’m not worried about if I’m gonna get a hit on it. I’m just trying to help the team win whether it's defensively, hustling or anything like that.”

For a manager in Alex Cora, who preaches situational hitting as much as or more than any of his counterparts, he was appreciative of his first baseman finding a way to keep the team in the game.

“It’s big,” Cora said. “Those are the situations we talk about, right? Making contact. We felt it was a good matchup for him down in the zone. He hit that ball hard. Galvis, that was a nice play out of the shift, and for him to put the ball in play and hustle and get to first, that was huge. He’s a little bit down, obviously. He’s not swinging the bat the way he’s capable of, but he took some tough changeups and then put one in play and good things happened.”

Good vibrations

After that ignominious start to the season in which they were swept by these same Orioles at Fenway, the Red Sox will try to return the favor on Sunday and run their winning streak to six games.

Meanwhile, a feeling is developing that was never present in the 24-36 disaster that was 2020.

“It’s a good vibe,” Cora said. “We’ve got a bunch of good baseball players. That’s the way I see it. I know a lot of people don’t feel like we’ve got superstars, but I like my bunch. It’s a good baseball team. They did everything right. We played that extra-inning rule the way we wanted to, and we got the W.”

Aside from Adam Ottavino turning a 3-2 Boston lead into a 4-3 deficit in the bottom of the eighth, this was a satisfying night for the Red Sox.

Matt Barnes was electric again in the ninth and Matt Andriese worked the 10th for his eighth career save.

Starter Garrett Richards, who was rocked over two-plus innings in his Boston debut on Easter, rebounded nicely after giving up back-to-back homers in the bottom of the first on Saturday.

The righty didn’t give up any other runs over five innings. It was Richards who said after the loss that dropped the Sox to 0-3 that it was “kind of an early panic button.”

The Red Sox are 5-0 since he said that and there is no sense of panic now.

“I don’t feel like I was wrong,” Richards said. “We’re trying to win every single game. I don’t think anybody denies that. The games we lost early on weren't for a lack of effort. But now we’re simply playing clean baseball, from pitching to hitting to being in the field. We’re vibing with each other right now.”

Sox place J.D. on COVID-19 injured list

Ian Browne

Opposing pitchers have had no answer for scalding Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez so far this season, but an illness prevented him from tormenting the Orioles on Saturday night.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora described his star slugger as feeling “under the weather and having cold symptoms” while adding that the “protocol” has been activated.

Translation: Martinez was ineligible to play Saturday as the Red Sox awaited his latest COVID-19 test, which he took earlier in the day.

So they wouldn’t be short-handed, the Sox placed Martinez on the COVID-19 related injured list prior to Saturday's game. However, the club hopes to activate Martinez as early as Sunday and have him back in the lineup for the finale of the three-game series in Baltimore.

To take Martinez’s spot on the roster, the Red Sox recalled infielder Michael Chavis from the alternate training site and had him available on the bench Saturday night.

At this point, the Red Sox don’t have any reason to think Martinez’s latest test will come back positive.

But as with everything pertaining to the pandemic, they had no choice but to take a wait-and-see approach.

“Obviously, we have to wait,” Cora said. “We're waiting for this [test] result. Then he needs to get tested again. One is the rapid test, the other one is the PCR, and, you know, I’ll just wait for them to just let me know what's going on but I spoke to J.D. and, obviously, we never know with the virus, but he feels pretty confident it’s just a regular cold.”

With Martinez out, Christian Vázquez batted cleanup and served as the DH.

In other lineup news, Hunter Renfroe didn’t start against Orioles lefty Bruce Zimmermann due to soreness from making a sliding catch at Fenway Park on Wednesday. Cora plans on holding the veteran outfielder out of the lineup again on Sunday and playing him in the upcoming four-game series against the Twins that starts Monday.

Closed case for Barnes?

Cora still hasn’t named a closer, and he hasn’t had a save situation in the first seven games of the season. But reading between the lines, it seems as if Matt Barnes beat Adam Ottavino out to be the man for the Red Sox in the ninth inning. Assuming that is the case, Ottavino will be the primary .

“You know what, they both have been throwing the ball well so I’m not going to jinx myself and name somebody,” Cora said. “The way Barnes is throwing the ball has been amazing. We haven’t been able to use Adam that much, right? Only that bases loaded situation a few days ago. I still feel very confident with them and the structure is falling into place. We just have to keep rolling the way we do right now. You guys are watching.”

Cora is impressed with the way Barnes has improved his control. In fact, the veteran righty was one pitch from throwing an immaculate ninth inning on Thursday.

“He’s not as erratic. He’s pounding the strike zone. There’s something about him this year that he bought into the concept that he can put guys away in the strike zone,” Cora said. “You look at his numbers the last few years and there’s proof he can get guys out in the strike zone. He seems like he’s more aggressive. He can still go up, but it’s like, making that fastball up more competitive. The point of throwing a fastball up is to make it competitive. It’s not about changing eye levels. It’s actually for them to commit.”

’Outfielder’ Verdugo

Through the early part of the season, Alex Verdugo has started three games in center, three games in right and one in left. He is unbothered by the roaming aspect of his responsibilities this season after settling mainly in right field last year.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I just look at my name in the lineup and just see where I’m hitting. Make sure I’m hitting in that 2 hole and we’re good,” Verdugo said. “It doesn’t matter. Right, left, center, it’s all the same. Just gotta make sure you go out there and take a look at your surroundings, whatever field you’re at, and you’re locked in. Until I start playing one spot every day, then yeah, I guess just an outfielder. I feel like I’ve played every position at a very good level.”

* WEEI.com

The Red Sox are taking 'sneaky' out of 'sneaky good'

Rob Bradford

This was a better postgame press conference for Garrett Richards.

After lining up the list of what-might-have-beens and what-will be following his disastrous Red Sox debut, Richards had the luxury of a much more palatable postgame presentation Saturday night. That was thanks to a solid five-inning outing, the Red Sox' 6-4, 10-inning win over the Orioles, and the explanation of a facial hair plight many men could relate to.

Yes, a lot had changed since last Sunday.

"I think to be honest, wearing the mask all the time, I was eating that thing most of the time, having to cover my lip," Richards said when explaining why he shaved his mustache. "My wife was super-pumped about shaving it off. I had been growing it over a year and periodically I’d tell her today is the day. I just got off the couch the other day to go to the field and it just kind of felt right. I won’t say that it wasn't a little bit of a 50/50 moment when I actually did it but it’s gone, so we’re moving on. It was over a year. To grow a mustache over a year is kind of an investment. So I’ll just check that off the list of things to do during your lifetime and move forward."

Richards joined a litany of Red Sox in becoming part of a solution that has now resulted in five straight wins. He also has managed to define the cut of this club's jib.

He is the guy who called the 2021 Red Sox "sneaky good" and he did it again when presented the opportunity this time around.

"I feel like we have some good momentum early on, moving forward. We’re vibing with each other right now," Richards noted. "From the first pitch we’re trying to win the game. It’s great to see. This is a sneaky team. People want to talk about other teams a lot. But this team will be there, I promise you that."

But here's the thing: There might not be anything really sneaky about it anymore.

Sure, it's only been eight games, and yes there was some expectation that such a record would be more of a necessity than a luxury thanks to the run of meetings with the Orioles. You can, however, see what Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora were thinking when putting together this group.

This might not be the shock-and-awe 2018 Red Sox -- as the snippets from the Sox' latest win suggests -- but the pieces of the puzzle do seem good enough to make life atop the American League East a regular thought.

While some might still need to be sold on this team's viability, the manager certainly doesn't need to be.

"It’s a good vibe," Cora said. "We’ve got a bunch of good baseball players. That’s the way I see it. I know a lot of people don’t feel like we’ve got superstars, but I like my bunch. It’s a good baseball team. They did everything right. We played that extra-inning rule the way we wanted to, and we got the W.”

The key plays this time around? Bobby Dalbec avoiding a game-ending double play thanks to his hustle down the first-base line. That allowed for extra-innings.

And then another well-executed extra-inning, this time courtesy pinch-runner Michael Chavis scoring the game-winner followed by Christian Vazquez's insurance RBI single.

At the end of the night, the Red Sox managed to fill the box score with enough best-case-scenarios needed to win another game.

Another hit from Franchy Cordero, this one coming in the form of a key pinch-hit in the ninth.

Matt Barnes once again offering the image of an absolutely dominant reliever. After striking out two of his three batters, the righty has now pitched five innings, struck out 11, walked just one and not allowed a single hit.

And to close things out was a guy Cora clearly has developed a significant amount of trust in, Matt Andriese. The supposed long-man came back for a second straight game and executed a flawless 10th inning for his eighth career save.

There were others, such as Rafael Devers, who made up for the absence of J.D. Martinez with his second homer in as many games. Oh, and by the way, his might also included a defensive play that might have saved the game.

Perfect? Dominant? Nope. Those aren't these Red Sox. Flat-out Good? At, this point that would seem to be an apt description. For now, that should fit just fine.

Red Sox place J.D. Martinez on COVID-related injured list

Ryan Hannable

Prior to the Red Sox' game against the Orioles Saturday night, the team placed J.D. Martinez on the COVID-related injured list.

To take his place on the roster, Michael Chavis was recalled from the alternate training site.

Speaking to reporters before the game, manager Alex Cora said Martinez was experiencing cold-like symptoms. It could just be a one-day stint on the list and the DH could return to the team Sunday.

“We’ll have more information throughout the night or tomorrow morning,” Cora said. “We feel pretty confident that he will be able to be with us tomorrow. But obviously we have to wait.”

Martinez will be able to return if he tests negative twice.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Final: Red Sox 6, Orioles 4 (10th)

Sean McAdam

For the second time in the last four games, the Red Sox rallied from behind in the ninth and won it in extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, the Sox scored twice — once on a wild pitch, once on a single by Christian Vazquez — to beat the Orioles, 6-4, and extend their winning streak to five games.

The Sox trailed by a run in the top of the ninth when Bobby Dalbec narrowly beat out a potential double play at first as Marwin Gonzalez scored.

The Orioles had rallied with two runs in the eighth off Adam Ottavino.

A solo homer from Rafael Devers had snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth, but the lead didn’t hold up.

WHO: Red Sox (4-3) vs. Baltimore Orioles (4-3) WHEN: 7:05 p.m. WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BAL 3-1 SERIES TO DATE: BOS 1-0 STARTING PITCHER: RHP Garrett Richards (0-1, 27.00) vs. LHP Bruce Zimmermann (1-0, 4.50) TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM

LINEUPS

SOX

Hernandez CF Verdugo RF Bogaerts SS Vazquez DH Devers 3B Gonzalez LF Arroyo 2B Dalbec 1B Plawecki C

ORIOLES

Mullins CF Mancini 1B Santander RF Mountcastle DH Stewart LF Franco 3B Ruiz 2B Galvis SS Sisco C

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

Sox go up by two on a wild pitch and a run-scoring single from Vazquez.

T9: Red Sox rally to tie it. With runners at first and third, Bobby Dalbec grounds to short, but the throw to first for the double play is late and Gonzalez crosses the plate. Second time in last four games that Red Sox have tied a game in the ninth inning.

B8: Ottavino got ahead of Freddy Galvis 0-and-2, but a fastball up and away is hit to left, putting the Orioles ahead for the first time tonight. Ottavino out, Josh Taylor on.

B8: Poor call by Bobby Dalbec, who throws home on weak grounder in an attempt to cut down the tying run. But the throw is late, and they’re safe all around.

B7: Strong outing from Adam Ottavino, who inherited a baserunner at second, but came after both Mancini and Santander and got out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout.

T6: Devers absolutely crushes a changeup that Zimmermann left up over the middle of the plate. Strange night for Devers, who’s been both very good (homer, delaying rundown long enough to get a run in) and very bad (picked off first, forgot how many outs in taking a throw).

B5: Looks like that’s it for Richards, who pulled himself out of a first-inning nose dive. Sox would have liked another inning (79 pitches), but given how it began — two runs allowed by the third batter he faced — he came back pretty well.

B4: Richards loses the strike zone with consecutive walks with two out in the fourth.

T4: Christian Arroyo doubles into the LF corner, and Marwin Gonzalez tries to score from first base. Couldn’t tell if that was a Steinway or Yamaha on his back as he rounded third, but it wasn’t close.

B2: Mental mistake by Devers, who lost track of the outs and neglected to put the tag on as Rio Ruiz. Devers took the throw in front of the bag and instead of tagging the baserunner, began trotting off the field.

B2: Richards struggling with control, falling behind nearly every hitter. Hardly a recipe for success.

B1: Not the start Garrett Richards wanted, certainly. On back-to-back pitches, he gives up homers wiping out the 2-0 lead in a hurry.

B1 Big moment for Trey Mancini, who, after missing all of last year battling cancer, homers in his second home game.

T1: Devers gets himself caught off first base but makes amends by staying in a rundown long enough for Xander Bogaerts to score.

T1: Rafael Devers stays back on a slider and serves a single into center, scoring Alex Verdugo.

PRE-GAME STATS: The Sox bring the league’s longest active winning streak into Saturday with four straight wins…In that stretch, they have a +21 run differential and are batting .333 with an OPS of .923. On the pitching side, they have a 2.31 ERA and opposing hitters are batting just .184. They’ve also committed one error in those four games…Three of the four wins have been of the come-fr0m-behind variety…The Sox could become the first team since the 2012 to begin the season with three straight losses, followed by a winning streak of at least five games…No American League team has accomplished that since the 2003 Toronto Blue Jays…The Sox have scored six runs or more in each of their last four games….Of the 27 extra-base hits the Red Sox have pounded out, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez can claim 14 of them….Both hitters are also over .400 in batting average….Xander Bogaerts began the season 1-f0r-12, but then went 8-for-12 in the following three before resting Thursday….Red Sox pitchers have allowed nine hits or fewer in six of the seven games, including five hits in each of their last two…The Sox’ bullpen is ranked fourth in ERA in the AL at 2.84 and have allowed only one run in their last 14.2 innings…Red Sox starters have thrown five or more innings and allowed three runs or fewer in six of the seven games, including the last four in a row….Last season, the Red Sox didn’t have a single four-game stretch in which their starters threw five innings or more…No Red Sox starter has thrown more than 92 pitches this season…Cedric Mullins is 2-for-2 lifetime against Garrett Richards...Christian Vazquez is 1- for-2 lifetime against Bruce Zimmermann while Alex Verdugo is 0-for-5.

NEWS AND NOTES:

The Red Sox are without their hottest hitter, J.D. Martinez, who is experiencing cold symptoms and has been placed on the COVID-19-related IL. Martinez took one rapid test and then another more reliable PCR test and the Red Sox are awaiting the result of the second one. “We feel pretty confident he’ll be with us (Sunday), but we have to wait,” said Cora. “Obviously we never know with the virus, but he feels pretty confident this is just a regular cold.” Martinez told Alex Cora he doesn’t believe he has the virus, but the Sox, of course, have to be certain. Less than 30 minutes before game time, the Red Sox placed Martinez on the COVID-related IL. There’s no minimum stay, and, in fact, he could be back tomorrow, assuming the remaining tests are negative. By placing Martinez on the IL, the Sox recalled Michael Chavis from the alternate site/taxi squad and he’s available to them tonight.

With Martinez sidelined, there was a domino-like effect on the lineup. Cora chose Christian Vazquez as his DH since Vazquez was only going to catch one of the two games this weekend with a night game Saturday night followed in short order by an afternoon game Sunday. With Vazquez as DH, Kevin Plawecki was behind the plate.

Hunter Renfroe is battling some general soreness after making a sliding catch in Fenway at the end of the homestand and is out Saturday night and Sunday. “We’re trying to give him a few days,” said Cora. “He’ll be available tonight if needed, but I’m trying to give him the weekend off so he’ll be ready for Minnesota.”

Cora praised the work of Matt Barnes, without officially conferring upon him the role of closer. “The way he’s been throwing the ball has been amazing,” said Cora of Barnes, who has pitched four scoreless innings, allowing no hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. “He’s not as erratic. He’s pounding the strike zone. There’s something about him this year that he bought into the concept that he put guys away in the strike zone. You look at the numbers the last few years and there’s proof that he can get them (out) in the strike zone. No more of that 0-and-2, then a fastball up and a breaking ball down, and then all of a sudden it’s 2- and-2. And he still can go up. But he’s been making that fastball up more competitive. They have to make a decision and if they make a decision up there, then you can expand the strike zone down. That’s what he’s doing right now and he’s been great.”

Alex Verdugo has been shuttled between center and right for the first eight games and has only once started in the same outfield spot two days in a row. But being moved around doesn’t bother him. “It’s just another day,” he maintained. “I’ve gotten to the point where I just look at my name in the lineup and see where I’m hitting — make sure I’m batting in that second spot, and we’re good. Doesn’t matter — right, left, center. It’s all the same. You’ve got to make sure you go out there, take a look at your surroundings, see whatever field you’re at and get locked in.”

BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 6, Orioles 4 (10) – Another comeback win extends streak

Sean McAdam

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox’ 6-4 win, complete with BSJ insight and analysis.

HEADLINES

Winning streak hits five with more late-game heroics: In the first 10 days of the season, the Red Sox have shown some mettle. For the second time in the last four games, the Red Sox managed to tie the game in the ninth inning, then win it in extra innings. After they let a one-run lead get away in the eighth, the Sox tied in the ninth — just as they had done last Tuesday against Tampa Bay — and manufactured a couple more in the top of the 10th. The first run scored on a wild pitch and the second on a run-scoring single to left by Christian Vazquez. “They didn’t stop playing today,” said Alex Cora. “It wasn’t a perfect game, but they kept grinding at-bats. We needed everybody today.” Indeed, the Sox used all but one position player and five different relievers to pulls this out. “We’re vibing with each other,” said starting pitcher Garrett Richards, who rebounded from allowing back-to-homers in the first inning to contribute four more scoreless innings. “People want to talk about other teams but this team will be there. I promise you that.”

J.D. Martinez sidelined with COVID-19 protocols: Martinez reported to the ballpark and informed the staff that he was experiencing cold symptoms. That automatically triggered the start of COVID-19 protocols, and he underwent several tests. About a half hour before gametime, Martinez was placed on the COVID-19 related IL, which does not require a minimum stay. Essentially, it provided the Red Sox with the opportunity to replace Martinez on the active roster so they didn’t have to play a man short. Michael Chavis was added from the traveling taxi squad that accompanies the team on the road, and Chavis served as a pinch-runner to score the go-ahead run in the 10th inning on a wild pitch. Martinez, meanwhile, will continue to take more tests, as he will require multiple negatives. ”We’ll know more in the morning,” said Cora. Martinez’s illness comes at a time when he’s carried the team offensively through the first seven games, ranking among the league leaders in doubles and RBI. He also had at least one extra-base hit in each of his first seven games.

Richards rebounds: Through the first seven games of the season, Garrett Richards was the one Boston starter who didn’t turn in a good outing. And when the Sox staked him to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, only to have Richards allow homers on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the inning, it looked like he was in for another rough night. But he battled through the remainder of the inning and over the next 4.2 innings, allowed just one more hit while keeping the Orioles off the board. “Throwing a lot of strikes, that’s been my main focus – just filling up the zone,” he said. “I know when I get ahead in the count, I can make some things happen. Just keep the foot on the gas, keep moving forward and keep making pitches. That was my main focus.”

TURNING POINT

In the top of the ninth, with the Sox trailing by a run, slumping Bobby Dalbec came to the plate with runners at the corners and one out. Dalbec hit a hard grounder to short and busted down the line, just beating the throw to first that would have completed a double play and ending the game. Dalbec has had trouble just making contact of late, but he managed to put the ball in play and then used some hustle to beat the double play attempt as the tying run crossed the plate.

TWO UP

Matt Barnes: The reliever continued his dominant run with a perfect ninth inning, including two strikeouts. Barnes has faced six Orioles in this series and fanned five of them.

Rafael Devers: Devers cracked a solo homer in the sixth to snap a 3-2 tie and also made a superb backhanded stop of a ball behind the bag in the eighth to save two runs.

TWO DOWN

Adam Ottavino: After working out of a one-on, one-out mess in the seventh, Ottavino was roughed up for the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth, earning a blown save.

Rafael Devers: It was a strange night for the third baseman, who in addition to some positives, also got himself picked off first base before failing to tag a would-be base stealer because he had forgotten how many outs there were in the second inning.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“When I hit that, I was flying. Well, flying for me.” Bobby Dalbec, 6-for-5, on beating out a potential double-play ball as the winning run scored in the ninth inning.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The Red Sox became the first AL team since the 2003 Toronto Blue Jays to start the season with three losses and follow that with five straight wins.

In every one of the wins in their five-game winning streak, the Red Sox have scored at least six runs.

After not allowing any homers in their first six games, the Red Sox, for the second straight game, had their starter allow two.

Boston’s starters have allowed three runs or fewer in seven of their eight games.

UP NEXT

The Red Sox and Orioles conclude their series at 1:05 p.m. with RHP Nick Pivetta (1-0, 0.00) facing RHP Jorge Lopez (0-1, 7.71)

MLB Notebook: Countering false early-season narratives; Ranking the best and worst of MLB ballparks

Sean McAdam

We’re all a little guilty of occasionally overreacting to a handful of games. In case any of us forgot, that was on display earlier this week when the Red Sox were run over by the Baltimore Orioles — never mistaken for the 1927 Yankees — in the first series of the year.

You could almost picture the line of fans queueing up to leap from the Tobin in despair. Fortunately, some held off long enough to witness the reversal of fortune that followed, resulting in a euphoria that led to some Duckboat Parade planning for later this fall.

Along the way, a few harebrained theories began dotting the local sports media landscape. None, you’ll be shocked to learn, had any sort of relationship to reality or rational thought. But, oh well.

Here are three misguided early-season (to be fair, some have been around for a while) conspiracy theories that just down hold up under closer inspection:

• The Red Sox hired Chaim Bloom because they intend to eventually have a Tampa Bay-sized payroll.

This one should be easily dismissed out of hand when you start to consider Red Sox ownership, who are as PR-conscious as any group of owners Boston has seen. Surely, they understand that drastically cutting payroll to this degree would result in the immediate arrival of pitchforks and torches on Jersey Street. That would never, ever fly with the local fan base and the owners know it.

This ownership has been in town for almost two decades, and in that time, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts (compiled by Baseball Prospectus) has been outside the Top 5 in Opening Day payrolls twice: in 2003, when they were sixth and again this year, when they were ranked eighth. When you rank payroll size as measured for the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) for the 40-man roster, they jump to fifth this year.

So, yes, the Sox are in the middle of…..call it what you will: rebuilding, bridge year, etc., and the spending has been reined in, starting, of course, with the ill-advised trade last year that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. But that’s part of a strategy to re-set their CBT rate and build the roster back up. If they’re still at this level at the start of next season, then fire away because they’ll deserve any criticism directed their way.

But nearly 20 years has taught us that while they sometimes spend foolishly and are guilty of not making themselves available when things go wrong, they are not, by any evidence, cheap.

Determining that the Sox are aiming to go low-budget because they hired a smart well-respected executive from the small-market Rays makes about as much sense as suggesting the Los Angeles Dodgers were aiming for the same when they hired Bloom’s one-time mentor, Andrew Friedman.

You may remember Friedman as the guy who handed out the second-biggest contract in the history of the game last year — to Betts. And, as the guy who has presided over a $200 million or more payroll in five of his first seven seasons.

• The Red Sox are being run — and ruined — by nerds.

Anyone using the phrase “nerds” in discussing analytically-driven baseball executives is essentially shouting from the rooftop: “I don’t know the first thing about baseball in 2021 and I don’t care who knows it!”

Because, guess what? Every single franchise in Major League Baseball is driven by data and analytics. Every. Single. One.

This isn’t 2002, with Moneyball and Carmine anymore. Back then, there was proprietary information for some teams, giving them a clear advantage. But the world has changed and so has the game, and any organization that didn’t adapt to more modern and efficient means of evaluating players is guilty of professional malpractice.

Starting from the beginning of the Theo Epstein Era, the Red Sox have smartly blended analytics and scouting to give themselves the most complete picture of player strengths and weaknesses. So while the Red Sox have added a half-dozen analysts to the front office, they also recently hired scout Jim Cuthbert to do some advance work and other duties. One of the people whose voice I respect the most in the game texted me, unsolicited, last month to tell me that it might constitute the best move the organization has made all offseason.

So the Sox still value more traditional methods of live scouting. And yes, they note spin rate and other data points in evaluating players, too. They use data-driven terms that probably seem esoteric to the average fans. That’s also true of countless other high-tech businesses in which billions are at stake.

But to think that this somehow makes them outliers in the game is to reveal your own ignorance about the topic.

Welcome to the 21st century.

• The Red Sox are up to something nefarious when it comes to .

Temporarily filling in for Eduardo Rodriguez last weekend, Houck made a strong start, allowing two runs over five innings. After one more relief appearance in the extra-inning win Tuesday night, he was optioned back to the team’s alternate site.

This news was greeted by some as if the Red Sox had cut ties with a three-time Cy Young Award winner, rather than someone who has showed great promise in five (5) major league appearances. Yes, Houck is talented, and yes, there’s plenty to suggest he may soon be a nice part of the Boston starting rotation for seasons to come. And yes, if that happens, it will represent something as rare as the dodo: a successful homegrown starting pitcher, drafted and developed by the Sox. It’s about time.

Instead, the reaction by some was to charge the Red Sox with one count of Baseball Malpractice, with a hint of “service time manipulation” thrown in for good measure.

Spoiler alert: it’s neither.

Here’s what it actually is: the realization that the smartest thing to do with your pitching inventory is to make sure you keep control of it. Nick Pivetta, for example, is out of options. If the Red Sox had opted to, say, keep Houck over Pivetta, they likely would have lost Pivetta to a waiver claim. So what makes more sense: keeping both pitchers in the organization, with the ability to soon recall Houck? Or keeping just Houck because he sure looked ready in a five-inning start last weekend?

That doesn’t begin to take into account that the Sox believe Houck still needs additional development, specifically where his splitter is concerned. Having been directed to find a pitch he could throw to lefties, Houck has worked to develop his splitter, but has thrown it just three percent of the time in the big leagues. Yes, there are instances of some pitchers succeeding as major league starters on just two pitches, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.

Doesn’t it make sense to have Houck give himself the best chance to succeed long-term?

Sure it does. Unless you’re more interested in stirring faux outrage among the fan base. ______

Maybe it’s the start of another season. Or maybe it’s the fact that the Red Sox road schedule this year began with trips to, in my mind, two of the best ballparks in either leagues (Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Target Field in Minneapolis) that got me thinking.

Whatever the motivation, now that people are starting to travel again and ballparks are welcoming a limited number of fans again, I thought it might be a good time to rank my favorite and least favorite ballparks.

I’ve been to 28 of the current 30. The two I’ve missed: Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark and the brand new (opened in 2020) Globe Life Field, so for the purposes of this exercise, they’re eliminated from this discussion.

Keep in mind: these are ranked in terms of general aesthetics, and not confined to my opinion on press box facilities, roominess of the visitor’s clubhouse and other factors involved in the day-to-day life of a traveling beat writer. Nor, I should add, does it take into account ballpark concessions, since, as a rule, I don’t have the opportunity to sample much of those.

Rather, this is a basic list on the general ballpark experience. Think of it as an answer to a question I often get: What ballparks would you recommend I visit? Or, conversely: What ones should I avoid?

THE BEST

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. I don’t ordinarily consider myself a traditionalist, but there’s something about this place in Chavez Ravine that captivates me. The view of the San Gabriel Mountains beyond the outfield is breathtaking, and so is the sight of downtown LA from behind home plate. The Dodgers have managed to modernize it in recent years without compromising its original charm. And the place is clean enough to eat off the floor.

Oracle Park, San Francisco. Build on the San Francisco waterfront, with views of bat visible beyond right field, now known as McCovey Cove. The limited footprint means fans are on top of the action. And yeah, the permeating smell of garlic fries is a huge selling point.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore. This set the template for the modern ballpark, and in that sense, it remains the gold standard by which all others that followed are measured. The idea of incorporating the historic, surrounding building was genius. People who believe replacing Fenway is heretical have likely never been here.

Target Field, Minneapolis. Criminally underrated, this shot to near to the top of my list from my first visit there. They nicely incorporated limestone throughout the ballpark, giving it a unique feature and the placement of the ballpark into the downtown community was nicely done.

PNC Park, Pittsburgh. I’ve only visited this for one series, but it lived up the hype, with breathtaking views of the Alleghany River and across that, downtown Pittsburgh. One of great experiences is walking across the Roberto Clemente Bridge on the way to the ballpark. Too bad the product on the field is often bad.

THE WORST

RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland. There’s a reason why the title sponsorship for this hellhole is always changing: you wouldn’t want your name associated with this dump. Depending on how you measure this is either the second- or third-oldest ballpark in the league, but it could pass for the oldest. As a general rule, I tend to be down on ballparks in which raw sewage flows out of the clubhouse and down to the field. But maybe that’s just me.

Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago. To begin with, minus points for what is unquestionably the worst name for a ballpark in the country. I get the need for corporate sponsorship, but come on. This place has the ignominious distinction of being the last of the “old school” ballparks. It was modeled after the old Yankee Stadium, but a year later, when Camden Yards opened, it was already hopelessly outmoded. It doesn’t help that, too often, it’s about a quarter full, and on a cold April night, just feels depressing. Rogers Centre, Toronto. The Blue Jays haven’t played there since 2019 because of the pandemic, and I’m guessing not a single member of the organization misses it. It seemed like a good idea at the time when it opened in 1989, what with the novelty of the first retractable roof and all. But it hasn’t aged well. The seating bowl is reminiscent of those godawful multi-sport joints that blotted the 1970s landscape in that you can be, say, 20 rows back and feel like you’re a cab ride from the playing field. And when the roof is closed, the environment is dark and uninviting. Plus, no matter how many times they change the playing surface, it’s still abysmal.

LoanDepot Park, Miami. Someone thought it would be a good idea to wedge a new ballpark into a neighborhood, Little Havana, meaning your best (and only?) parking option is to pay somebody $20 to park on their front lawn. It’s not much better inside, though thankfully, the whole pop art installation in center field has been removed. That doesn’t excuse the nightclub in left field, designed, apparently, to trick people into believing that they’ve been transported into an all-night raver in South Beach. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg. This place has exactly one thing going for it: decent sightlines to the field. But its list of sins more than cancel out its one positive. Let’s start with the catwalks, which are an abomination to the game. Add in the feeling that the entire place is going to disintegrate when one of the thunderstorms roll through and there’s very little to recommend here. ______

Every MLB schedule is unique and there’s some odds features to each team’s slate. For the Red Sox, this year, the quirk is how little the team plays its two chief rivals within their division: the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.

Yes, the Rays were the opponents for the recent second series of the year at Fenway (resulting in an improbable sweep by the Sox), but those three games against Tampa Bay represented the only meeting between the Sox and Rays through the first 72 games of the season. That’s very nearly half the year, with just three games against the defending American League champs. And even after the Sox’ visit to Tropicana Field, the Sox will have played six games against the Rays from among their first 106 games.

It’s even more stark with the Yankees, whom the Red Sox don’t play at all until a three-game weekend set in New York starting June 4th. Meanwhile, the Yankees don’t visit Fenway until the final weekend of June. That means four of the six series between the clubs don’t take place until after the All-Star break.

In short, the Red Sox’ toughest games will come in the second half of the season. That offers the Sox the chance to get their own house in order in the first half of the season before being regularly pitted against the two best teams in the East. In a perfect world for the Sox, a good many of those games against the Rays and Yankees could come with Chris Sale healthy and hack in the rotation again.

* The Athletic

Red Sox without J.D. Martinez after cold-like symptoms trigger COVID-19 protocols

Chad Jennings

J.D. Martinez woke up in a Baltimore hotel room Saturday morning feeling symptoms of a common cold. In a matter of hours, Major League Baseball’s COVID-19 protocols had kicked in, and the Red Sox were forced to play without their wildly productive designated hitter.

Martinez was placed on the COVID-19 Related Injured List, replaced on the roster by infielder Michael Chavis, who was called up from the alternate site. There is no minimum number of days for the COVID IL, so Martinez could be activated as early as Sunday.

For a team riding a hot streak, though, Martinez’s absence was a sudden reminder that there’s still an unpredictable X-factor hanging over every game, every team and every player until vaccines are administered or the pandemic slows to a crawl.

“We know (what) we are fighting against,” manager Alex Cora said. “But we don’t know how it moves or when we can get it (or) where, but I understand the protocols. I’m OK with it, so if we don’t have J.D. for one day, so be it. You know, somebody has to step up and do the job.”

According to Cora, the Red Sox already were scheduled for rapid tests on Saturday, but Martinez’s symptoms — which the team believes stem from nothing more than a cold, but which also resemble coronavirus symptoms — triggered additional testing and a mandatory quarantine. Cora said he expects all tests to come back negative, meaning Martinez could be activated for Sunday’s series finale.

“We never know with the virus,” Cora said. “But he feels pretty confident it’s just a regular cold.”

Cora wasn’t in baseball for the awkwardness of last season when virus protocols kept players and coaches isolated and separate, but he’s spoken often about the importance of following protocols, avoiding crowded indoor spaces, and generally playing it safe to avoid contact with — and suspicion of — COVID-19. His common refrain is this: When a player takes care of his family, he’s taking care of himself, which means he’s taking care of his team. It all starts at home.

But barring a total lockdown, there’s always some level of risk. The Red Sox had a few players in COVID- 19 quarantine at the start of spring training, and they had a calamitous false alarm when Matt Barnes tested positive — causing multiple teammates to be quarantined due to contact tracing — just days before breaking camp, but the Barnes test was eventually ruled a false positive and the Red Sox have avoided any in-season outbreak. Even last year, the only Red Sox who tested positive did so before the start of summer camp.

But then a guy wakes up not feeling well, and suddenly it’s an issue. The Red Sox are on their first road trip and had an off day Friday, but Cora said he felt confident players had abided by the strict league protocols to avoid large gatherings and indoor group activities.

“They signed in to do this, you know,” Cora said. “And they got to stick to the rules.”

The league’s restrictions will ease for any team that reaches 85 percent vaccination for all Tier 1 individuals, a group that includes all players and coaches, as well as medical and training staff who come into close contact with the players. A handful of teams including the Cardinals, Yankees, Angels and Rockies have either met that threshold or expect to reach it soon. The Red Sox, though, are not yet fully eligible in the state of Massachusetts. Stage 3 of the state’s vaccine rollout begins on April 19. That’s when the vaccine will be available to everyone.

“As it relates to player vaccination, we have been following the recommendations and guidelines of the CDC as well as those of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as to whom should be vaccinated and when,” team president Sam Kennedy said in an email. “April 19th is the date set by the state for general eligibility, and we are hopeful that our players will choose to receive vaccines at the first available opportunity on or after that date. We continue to work closely with the state to help amplify their ‘Trust the Facts. Get the Vax’ campaign and are currently collaborating on other ways our organization can support their efforts to tackle vaccine hesitancy in communities of color.”

Marwin González said this week that the vaccine has not been the center of much discussion inside the clubhouse, and it’s hard to say whether the Red Sox will see widespread vaccination among players.

“We’ll bring people to explain the effects or aftereffects or no effects of the vaccine,” Cora said. “But at the end, the player, the individual, the coach, or whoever is in the organization will decide if he wants to do it. Like I said, from my end, I’m all for it. Whenever I get a chance to do it, I’ll do it.”

* Associated Press

Red Sox extend win streak to 5, beat Orioles 6-4 in 10

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rafael Devers homered and the Boston Red Sox scored twice in the 10th inning on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Christian Vázquez to extend their winning streak to five games with a 6- 4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.

“It’s a good vibe,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “A lot of people don’t feel like we have any superstars. This is a good baseball team. They did everything right toward the end of the game.”

Baltimore outfielder Trey Mancini hit his first home run since his return from cancer surgery that caused him to miss the 2020 season. It was Mancini’s first homer since Sept. 28, 2019.

“Our dugout exploded when he hit that homer,” Orioles manager said. “It seemed like there was a lot of relief for Trey coming into the dugout after that.”

The Orioles scored twice in the eighth to take a 4-3 lead on a fielder’s choice by Maikel Franco and an RBI single by Freddy Galvis off Adam Ottavino. Boston tied it in the ninth on a fielder’s choice by Bobby Dalbec against César Valdez, who had converted his two previous save chances.

“As soon as I hit it, I was just flying. ... I mean, flying for me,” said Dalbec, batting only .095 this year. “I knew that was a big-time run there obviously and I was just trying to leg it out.”

Michael Chavis, recalled from the alternate training site earlier in the day, entered as a pinch-runner in the 10th and scored on a low pitch by Dillon Tate (0-1) that rolled to the backstop. Vázquez added an insurance run with a single off Wade LeBlanc.

Matt Barnes (1-0) struck out two in the ninth and Matt Andriese earned Boston’s first save of the season.

Devers had two RBIs for the Red Sox, who have won five consecutive games for the first time since August 2019. They opened the season with three straight losses.

The Orioles were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first. Devers hit an RBI single and then got picked off first, but stayed in a rundown long enough to allow Xander Bogaerts to score from second.

Mancini and Anthony Santander responded with back-to-back homers off Garrett Richards in the bottom half.

Devers broke the deadlock with a towering homer to right-center off rookie left-hander Bruce Zimmermann in the sixth.

Zimmermann, a native who grew up rooting for the Orioles, made his third career start, but it was his first game at Camden Yards with fans in attendance (9,307). Zimmermann allowed three runs and seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk over six innings.

“All in all it was an outpouring of support that a hometown kid can only dream of having at the ballpark behind him,” Zimmermann said. “It was just incredibly special to hear that and to hear the crowd call my name in the first inning when I got announced and everything, it was pretty awesome.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: DH/OF J.D. Martinez has cold symptoms and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Martinez underwent testing and the team is awaiting the results. “We do believe he will be back with us (Sunday),” Cora said.

Orioles: OF DJ Stewart (left hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day IL. He has not played since March 5. “I was worried it was going to be a lot longer,” Stewart said before the game.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Nick Pivetta (1-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his first career start at Camden Yards. He was solid in his season debut, throwing five scoreless innings of two-hit ball in an 11-2 win over the Rays on Monday.

Orioles: RHP Jorge Lopez (0-1) will look to avoid the sweep against Boston. He struggled in his last start, allowing four runs, three hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings in a 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

Boston’s J.D. Martinez placed on the COVID-19 injured list

BALTIMORE (AP) — Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez has cold symptoms and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

Martinez underwent coronavirus testing and the team is awaiting the results.

Going on the COVID-19 IL does not require a positive test. If he tests negative twice, Martinez can return to the lineup for the series finale Sunday at Baltimore.

“We feel pretty confident that he’ll be able to be with us (Sunday), but obviously we have to wait,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

Martinez has been of the hottest hitters in MLB to start the season. He is batting .433 (13 for 30) with seven doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs.

Martinez entered the day leading all major league players in extra-base hits with nine. He has also recorded at least one extra-base hit in all of his team’s first seven games of the year, making him one of five players in MLB history to accomplish that feat.

Cora fully understands the league’s precaution with Martinez.

“I’ll tell you my story in spring training,” Cora said. “We got this app that they asked you how you feel, right? I had allergies in spring training, and you got to be honest, you know, as far as like, ‘OK, so I felt this.’ And as soon as I sent it, I got a text, a phone call and a lot of people panic and in less than five minutes. So I had to go to JetBlue Park, do the rapid test, stay in my office until they gave me the green light and that was it.

“But it’s understandable, right? We know what we are fighting against. But we don’t know how it moves or when we can get it, where, but I understand the protocols. I’m OK with it. So if we don’t have J.D. for one day, so be it, you know? Somebody has to step up and do the job tonight.”

Teams can carry up to five players on a taxi squad on the road in case of a coronavirus outbreak.

The Red Sox recalled Michael Chavis from the alternate training site to fill the opening on the 26-man roster. Chavis hit .250 (15 for 60) with three doubles, six home runs, 11 RBIs and a .892 OPS over 25 preseason games this spring.