The Boston Red Sox Saturday, July 20, 2019

* The Boston Globe

Eck-related or not, David Price flopped in Baltimore

Peter Abraham

David Price woke up on Wednesday morning, read some comments Dennis Eckersley made about him in a Globe feature story, and decided to further stir the embers of his two-year-old feud with the team broadcaster and Hall of Famer.

Price posted a few jabs on Twitter, then called reporters to his locker at Fenway Park later in the day to bang the drum again. He made sure everybody knew how he felt.

Who started this latest chapter of their dispute didn’t matter when Price took the mound against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. His job was to put that aside, beat the worst team in baseball, and keep the Red Sox dogpaddling in the playoff pool.

Price instead allowed six runs over four innings in what was an embarrassing 11-2 loss for the Red Sox.

Price’s start was a fastball over the plate for his critics. He put himself out there with his comments and didn’t deliver two days later when he pitched.

“Anything off the field, it doesn’t affect how I prepare, affect the way that I pitch,” Price said. “That doesn’t affect me at all. I’m sure it’ll be used back in Boston. But it doesn’t affect me.”

Price overcame actual pressure last October when he helped pitch the Red Sox to a championship and ended a string of poor postseason performances. So the idea that the Eckersley issue was somehow a distraction is far-fetched.

“If you think I’m thinking about that out there on the mound tonight, you’re 100 percent wrong,” Price said. “That’s not the case. It didn’t affect me.”

But professional athletes essentially strike a bargain when they choose to wade into controversy. They can get away with it as long as they perform.

Bill Lee specialized in outlandish statements, but usually found a way to beat the Yankees. Manny Ramirez was high maintenance, but always drove in runs. How many squalls did David Ortiz end by belting a home run?

If you speak up, you have to back it up. Megan Rapinoe could teach a class on that after the World Cup.

But Price left himself open for second-guessing. Add it to the list of annoyances manager Alex Cora had had to deal with.

“These guys, they work and they give their all to the organization. What [Price] did last year, that was amazing to the city and us,” Cora said. “I don’t want to say it was unfair. . . . The timing was like, ‘Why now?’ It was out of nowhere.

“David is very honest and he speaks his mind. But at the same time, why do we have to talk about this while we’re in the middle of the season?”

The Sox are 11 games behind the Yankees, matching the their largest deficit of the season. A fourth consecutive division title isn’t happening, and even a wild-card berth is unlikely to produce much more than a quick exit from the playoffs given this team’s inconsistency.

The bottom three hitters of Baltimore’s lineup were 4 for 6 with two-extra base hits, three runs scored and two RBIs against Price.

One of the runs came when J.D. Martinez so badly misplayed a ball in right field, Richie Martin raced around the bases.

It was scored a triple and an error. That run wasn’t Price’s fault, but the rest were.

Price gave up a three-run homer to Anthony Santander in the first inning. It was Santander’s second career home run against a lefthander in 83 at-bats.

“When you give up runs with two outs, that’s always tough,” Price said. “It’s been my Achilles heel for a long time. It’s something I struggled with early on this year and it was a problem [Friday].”

With the Sox down 4-2, Price allowed a two-run homer to Keon Broxton, who at the time was a .174 hitter. The loss was Price’s first in 13 career starts at Camden Yards.

Price allowed 10 runs over nine innings in his last two starts. As the Sox get Nate Eovaldi back to bolster their bullpen, they now have to get Price fixed.

It has to happen soon. Once they finish this three-game series with the Orioles, the Sox play 14 in a row against the Yankees and Rays.

Forget about pitchers arguing with announcers. The Sox have much bigger issues than old feuds.

Red Sox hit bottom, get routed by lowly Orioles

Julian McWilliams

Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski had a front-row seat.

For all nine innings, he sat in the press box at Camden Yards and watched his team play the Orioles.

It wasn’t a sight to see.

The Red Sox lost, 11-2, and the game appeared out of reach by the end of the fourth inning.

“I think this is definitely one of the worst [losses],” Xander Bogaerts said. “Especially if you’re talking about from a team standpoint, [the Orioles] are not one of the leading teams in any category or one of the top teams. They’re last in the division. They came out playing good baseball today.”

Manager Alex Cora talked about being prudent with giving players days off because of the heat. He gave Betts a rest in right, starting him at DH. Michael Chavis got the start at second and Christian Vazquez played first. But with the Sox playing for their playoff lives now, there might not be much rest left for his regulars.

In the bottom of the first, David Price allowed a three-run homer on a fastball he left up in the zone to Anthony Santander, which gave the Orioles a quick 3-0 lead.

In the second, Sam Travis hit a two-run shot to cut the deficit to 3-2, but after that it was all Orioles.

Richie Martin tripled to right field in the second, but an error by right fielder J.D. Martinez, who was out there in place of Betts, allowed Martin to score.

Two innings later, Keon Broxton hit a two-run homer to left on a Price changeup. Price’s night was finished after he struck out Trey Mancini to end the frame. Price finished at 88 pitches, allowing six earned runs. It was only the third time in 18 starts that Price hadn’t pitched at least five innings.

“He wasn’t able to finish Santander there with two strikes and he hung a changeup there to Broxton,” Cora said. “Coming into the start we knew we would have to see where he was. He made a lot of pitches [in his last start] against the Dodgers.”

The pitch count proved to be the most glaring problem for Price. He’s certainly been the Red Sox’ best starter, but recently said that he hasn’t finished off batters the way in which he’s capable, often having to go through long at-bats.

In his loss to the Dodgers last Sunday, for instance, Price threw 113 pitches and had to be taken out after the fifth inning. It was much of the same Friday.

“I went five in Detroit [July 7] and it was a grind,” Price said. “I went five [after] that and it was a grind. It’s been tough to get early outs. Whether it’s getting strike one and strike two and letting guys back into the count. Or being 2-0 and having to grind back in that count and finally getting an out. It takes six, seven, or eight pitches. I feel like even 1-2-3 innings are even 20-pitch innings right now.”

He threw 21 pitches in just the first inning Friday and was at 59 pitches by the end of the third. The long at- bats show up in the numbers, too. In those four innings, the Orioles fouled off 19 of Price’s pitches. In his start against the Dodgers, 31 were fouled off.

Price said it’s a matter of him executing and making better pitches.

“That’s what it boils down to,” Price said. “It’s something I’ve struggled with the past three or four starts. It’s something I need to get better at.”

The Sox went to their bullpen, calling on Colten Brewer and Ryan Weber, who combined to allow five more runs. But for all the struggles of the pitching, the offense had its problems, too, as did the defense.

After Travis’s homer in the second the offense went dormant for practically the entire game. Their next hit didn’t come until the fifth on a Chavis single. The Red Sox were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. By the seventh, the Orioles seemingly put the Red Sox away tacking on three runs, one of which came on a costly Chavis error at second.

The Sox are now 53-45, three games behind Oakland for the second wild-card spot. The A’s haven’t lost back-to-back games since June 8. Cora unapologetically stated after the Sox were swept by the Yankees in London that his team still had its mind on winning the division. The date was June 30 and his club was 11 games back. Fast forward to Friday, July 19, following a Yankees win against the Colorado Rockies, and that number is still at 11.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” Cora said. “We have a chance to still win two out of three.”

The Sox will try and find a balance between resting guys this weekend while still competing to win games, as evidenced by Betts starting at DH on Friday. Chavis got the start at second and Christian Vazquez played first. But with the Sox playing for their playoff lives now, each win matters and each loss carries significant weight.

Inconsistency has been their Achilles’ heel, and they’ve yet to find out why.

“I wish I knew, man,” Bogaerts said. “I don’t know. It seems like every team that comes to play against us, they really want to beat us and humiliate us. For the most part we haven’t had many losses like this today. It’s one of those tough games and it’s a bad moment to have one of these losses. Tomorrow we have to come back and be much better. This is unacceptable.”

Promise in current Red Sox bullpen mix

Peter Abraham

The Red Sox have used 19 relief pitchers this season if you don’t count infielder Eduardo Nunez, who pitched an inning against Arizona on April 5.

That number will soon increase with Nate Eovaldi set to come off the injured list on Saturday.

There’s also a good chance the Sox will see what 23-year-old righthander Tanner Houck can do at some point soon. The former first-round pick switched to the bullpen earlier this month and was promoted to Triple A after two appearances.

It’s up to the Sox to determine which seven or eight of those relievers they can trust the final months of the season. The bullpen they had at Camden Yards on Friday night was a decent place to start.

The Sox have used more set roles since the All-Star break, and that has worked well for Matt Barnes, Josh Taylor and Brandon Workman in particular.

With the exception of one extra-inning game, Barnes has pitched in either the seventh or eighth inning this month and been dominant.

Taylor, a 29-year-old lefthander, has become a solid pick for the sixth inning.

Taylor was the player to be named later when the Sox traded Deven Marrero to the Diamondbacks last season. The Sox are his third organization and this season has been his first shot at the majors.

Taylor went into the weekend having allowed one run over eight innings this month. He struck out eight with one walk in those games.

“He’s showing us something,” manager Alex Cora said.

Cora doesn’t plan to name a closer, but Workman has essentially taken that spot. He had saves on Monday and Wednesday this week.

“It feels like it’s been structured lately,” Cora said. “Using Work closing games, the other day [Wednesday] was a perfect example against the Dodgers. It was going to be [Barnes] down two, down one. We tied the game and went to Work. He’s been that good.”

Beyond that, it gets thin. Big lefty Darwinzon Hernandez, who has 15 strikeouts in 7⅓ innings this season, offers hope. But he is a 22-year-old rookie yet to pass any big tests.

Eovaldi should be an instant upgrade. Almost any capable starter with a good fastball should be a good — if not great — reliever. Eovaldi has little regular season experience in relief, but showed what he could do in the role in the playoffs last year.

The Sox aren’t committing to Eovaldi being the closer, only that he’ll be used in high-leverage spots.

“That’s the most important thing, that you don’t have to go to the same guys when you have a lead,” Cora said. “You can have one more option.”

There are health concerns, too. Eovaldi was slow to come back from arthroscopic elbow surgery in April and won’t be used in consecutive games right away.

“We’ve got to be smart with him,” Cora said.

There’s also the possibility the Sox could need Eovaldi as a starter if Andrew Cashner can’t hold down a rotation spot.

“Let’s wait and see how it goes,” Cora said. “First things first, let’s go one inning at a time.”

If the Sox get to the postseason, a bullpen built around Eovaldi, Barnes, Hernandez, Taylor, and Workman has promise. Perhaps Brian Johnson could mix in as a long reliever. Maybe Houck steps up or Ryan Brasier has a revival after being demoted to the minors.

The Red Sox used all of their starters as relievers at various points of the postseason last year. But they were able to do that by giving all of them extra days off in September thanks to a commanding lead in the division.

They are unlikely to have that luxury this time around. It’s likely the Sox will have to grind all 162 games to either make the playoffs or host the wild-card game.

Of course, the other solution would be to trade for a reliable reliever instead of throwing darts at the roster. Dave Dombrowski hasn’t ruled that out and has his evaluators on the road. Detroit’s Shane Greene is one they’re watching.

But at least with Eovaldi returning to the roster, the Sox have another solution to what has been their biggest problem this season.

“It helps everything,” Cora said.

Red Sox’ plan for Nate Eovaldi — use in ‘high-leverage’ spots

Julian McWilliams

Nathan Eovaldi is with the Red Sox in Baltimore and manager Alex Cora said after an 11-2 loss to the Orioles on Friday night that the righthander will be activated for Saturday night’s game. The Sox sent down Ryan Weber to make room for Eovaldi.

Eovaldi has been on the injured list since the end of April with an elbow injury and his role once he returns will come in the bullpen. Cora believes this will be a significant boost to the pen, though he doesn’t know what his actual role will be just yet.

“We’ll find a way,” Cora said before the Sox’ 11-2 loss. “I think obviously we have to protect him, at the same time, he’s going to make us better and we feel comfortable where he’s at stuff-wise. We’ll sit down and talk about it. We’ll use him in high-leverage situations. I don’t know if we’re going to work him into it. We know what he can do as far as competing. We know the guy. We’ll see how it goes.”

When asked if the team will consider him in the closer role, Cora mentioned the job Brandon Workman has done and how the team has a bit more of an idea of how they want to go about the back part of the game.

“It seems like lately — you guys notice — we’ve been using Workman in that situation,” Cora said. “We’ve been using Matt Barnes a bit earlier. There’s structure, I think, now. Obviously we’ll use [Eovaldi] late in games. We know that he can do the job, so we can go from there. The other day was a perfect example against the Dodgers. It was going to be Barnes down two or down one and then we tied the game and we went to Workman. He’s been that good and actually we can use Barnes in the seventh or eighth.”

Eovaldi gives the Red Sox one more option in the bullpen. And though general manager Dave Dombrowski was bullish on Eovaldi being in the bullpen, Cora didn’t rule out a chance that Eovaldi could return as a starter.

Hot stuff The Red Sox entered the weekend two games back of the second wild-card spot and 10 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East. Unless the Yankees totally collapse, it seems as if the Red Sox’ best chance for a postseason push will come in one of the two wild-card spots. The weather this weekend, though, is extremely hot and Cora is trying to find a balance between getting his guys some rest and still making that run.

“We’ll do our best,” Cora said, “but we know where we’re at. One thing for sure, we’ll play in the air conditioning [at Tropicana Field] Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. So, we have to make sure we feel good. We just had the [All-Star] break but we had some long games at home, rain delays and all that stuff. It’s been going on for, what, a month already.”

Friday, for instance, Mookie Betts was in the designated hitter’s spot and J.D. Martinez was in right. Cora said he was trying his best to get Betts a breather and off his feet while still keeping his bat in the lineup.

Still, Cora mentioned his team doesn’t mind the heat.

“I know when it’s hot they like it, too, offensively” Cora said.

Pencil him in If there’s a person who doesn’t want a day off this weekend, it’s probably Jackie Bradley Jr. His mother, Alfreda Hagans, along with two nephews and a brother will make the trip up to Baltimore from their hometown of Richmond, Va. on Friday. Then, his father will be here Saturday. The trip is 2½ hours. The family plans on going to Bradley Jr.’s favorite restaurant in Baltimore, Teavolve Cafe and Lounge, for a huge family breakfast Saturday morning.

“It’s the closest it’s going to get for the teams we play all the time,” Bradley said. “My parents make it their business to try to come up here. It’s a pretty easy drive, but it’s also pretty easy to fly, too.”

Familiar ground for Cashner It’s been less than a week since the Sox obtained Andrew Cashner from the Orioles to help remedy a depleted and underperforming rotation. On Friday, he was back at Camden Yards, but this time in the visiting clubhouse.

“It’s different,” the well-traveled Cashner said. “But it’s one of those things where I’ve been over here on the other side [visiting clubhouse] before. It’s unique to get to come back so early and see a lot of the faces. It’s not so much weird to come back as it is nice to see a lot of familiar faces.

On the transition, Cashner said, “It’s been fast. I think the transition will be easier once I kind of get over this road trip. But everybody has been very welcoming and it’s a veteran team. I’m just trying to hit my stride and get going.”

Cashner will make his second start for the Sox in the series finale Sunday.

Moreland starts rehab Mitch Moreland restarted his rehab assignment Friday night at Pawtucket. He played first base and went 0 for 2. It’s his first rehab stint since July 11 after he felt tightness in his right quad and had to be removed from the game.

An umpire’s son is making a striking impression as a Red Sox prospect

Alex Speier

When area scout Stephen Hargett talked with the University of Central Florida’s Thad Ward prior to the 2018 draft, he came across a particularly unusual detail. As a kid growing up in Fort Myers, Ward served as a bat boy for the Red Sox in a spring training game.

Yet while the detail offered a great piece of a back story, another part of Ward’s upbringing played a more significant role in his eventual selection in the fifth round.

Ward’s father Steve loved the game, and worked as an umpire in both Rookie Level Gulf Coast League and spring training games. Thad Ward was thus raised with an awareness of the importance of the strike zone, and of pitcher/umpire dynamics that would work to his benefit if he worked with pitches inside of it.

“Umpires love guys who throw strikes and work fast. They want to go in, call a good game, and get out. I’ve tried my best to give an opportunity for that,” said Thad Ward. “But most of my strike throwing is because I want contact, I want the ball in play and to let my defense work.”

Ward was difficult to scout at UCF. In an early scrimmage, there was construction behind the plate at John Euliano Park. Without benefit of the best vantage point for watching Knights pitchers, most scouts opted to head to other Florida colleges. But Hargett stuck with UCF and was rewarded when pitching coach Justin Parker invited the scout to the bullpen to watch Ward throw.

“He threw great,” said Hargett, who observed impressive movement and command of a low-90s sinker, along with a good slider that showed swing-and-miss potential.

While his interest was piqued, Hargett and the Red Sox crosscheckers would need to see Ward throw in games in the spring to make him an early-round consideration. And because Ward made 17 of his 22 appearances as a UCF junior out of the bullpen, his appearances didn’t follow a typical schedule.

“You just didn’t know what day they’d use him,” said Hargett. “He was tough to see.”

Yet enough members of the Red Sox scouting department — including pitching crosschecker Chris Mears and regional crosschecker Fred Petersen — saw enough in the lean, 6-foot-2-inch righthander to consider him intriguing, particularly after he held hitters to a .203 average while striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings.

Even so, expectations were somewhat measured, particularly given that he chiefly leaned on a two-pitch combination that is rarely a successful foundation for a big-league starter in today’s game.

“Honestly, I thought he was a reliever,” admitted Hargett.

Yet even if the bullpen might be his eventual destination, the scouting and player development departments agreed to give Ward a chance to start once he entered pro ball.

“We were intrigued enough by his stuff to give it a shot,” said pitching coordinator Dave Bush. “The starter is still more valuable. There’s a lot of value to relief right now and the game is trending that way, but the ability to develop a starter is still enormously valuable. We wanted to give him a chance at that.”

And Ward has defied expectations by thriving in his first full pro season. He’s worked to refine two pitches — the curveball and changeup — that he rarely used in college, but more importantly, after a conversation with fellow Red Sox minor leaguer Matthew Kent this spring, he started to develop a cutter that has been used to great effect.

“I was able to pick up on it really well. It’s kind of a natural pitch for me. Differentiating between the cutter and slider wasn’t very difficult for me,” said Ward. “The cutter is more of a contact pitch that I like to use. It’s forcing action early, getting weak contact, essentially playing off the sinker. I have two different fastballs moving in two different directions off of the same tunnel. I use that to force a lot of early-count contact, a lot of weak contact.”

Meanwhile, Ward describes the slider as his best pitch, one that he can command both in and out of the strike zone.

In combination with a starting pitcher’s professional strength program that has helped Ward’s velocity tick up — he’s holding 93-94 m.p.h. in most starts and has topped out at 96, with a sinker that is a bad-contact rather than a swing-and-miss pitch — Ward has emerged as a legitimate starting pitching prospect.

In 18 starts this year — 13 in Single A Greenville, the last five following a promotion to High A Salem — Ward is 6-3 with a 1.98 ERA, 11.0 strikeouts, 3.5 walks, and 0.3 homers per nine innings. His willingness to attack the strike zone has allowed him to work deeper into games than most first-year starters, with Ward logging at least six innings eight times this year and at least seven on three occasions, an anomaly at the lower levels. Of the balls put in play against him, 48 percent have been groundballs.

“I mimic my pitching style a little bit after how Rick Porcello pitches,” said Ward, who said that he is increasingly incorporating his curveball and changeup into his mix to establish a more diverse array of options with which to attack opposing hitters.

As he continues his success, Ward’s history as a bat boy is receding to footnote status, an interesting detail of a pitcher whose performance suggests a chance to travel a very different path to the big leagues.

“I love that story. But that’s not exactly what I want to be remembered by,” said Ward. “I want to make a name for myself. I want my baseball story to be more about how I played and what my character was like, for being a good person.”

An improbable dream comes true for overlooked player on 1967 Red Sox

Stan Grossfeld

The Red Sox recently went the distance to right a wrong from the 1967 Impossible Dream season.

On June 28, 1967, Ken Poulsen, a 19-year-old Class A infielder in Winston Salem, N.C., canceled his wedding — replete with 25 invited guests — when he was called up and told to report immediately to the Boston Red Sox.

Dalton Jones, the Red Sox third baseman, was summoned for a two-week stint with the Army reserves and the team needed a lefthanded-hitting infielder.

Poulsen’s fiancée, Vicki Swaton, took the move in stride, kissing Poulsen goodbye at the airport as he boarded a flight to Minneapolis to meet the team.

“We can always get married,” the 18-year-old Swaton told the Boston Globe in a Page 1 story on June 29, 1967. “But how often does a guy get sent up to the big leagues?”

Poulsen played just five games and went 1 for 5 with a double. When Jones returned, Poulsen was sent back down to the Carolina League and never made it back to The Show. The Sox won the pennant on the last day of that landmark season, but lost to the Cardinals in a seven-game World Series.

Poulsen, at the time, was totally forgotten.

He never got an American League championship ring or a World Series share while other minor role players received extra paychecks. The players even voted a one-third share to George Smith, who was injured in spring training and never played a single inning all season. Two batboys, a clubhouse boy, two groundskeepers, and a parking lot attendant all received $750, according to the Globe.

“I didn’t expect money. I didn’t expect a ring, of course,” Poulsen told author Bill Nowlin in 2007. “But I sure wish they would have mailed me something, just with a stamp on it, if you know what I mean.”

But Poulsen wasn’t entirely forgotten. Jeff “Batman” Boujoukos knew of Poulsen’s plight. He had collected 786 Red Sox bats, and was just two from completing a collection of every Sox position player since 1960. Boujoukos knew Poulsen and Carmen Fanzone, who played 10 games as a Red Sox rookie third baseman in 1970, had addresses in Southern California.

Years earlier, Boujoukos wrote to both, but only Fanzone replied. Poulsen only responded to correspondence from kids seeking autographs and never answered collectors.

Boujoukos contacted Red Sox historian Gordon Edes wondering if the team could recognize his contribution.

“Ease his pain,” Boujoukos wrote in a text message.

Both agreed this was about more than just bats. It was a real-life “Field of Dreams” saga.

Edes and Boujoukos flew to Los Angeles seeking both bats and justice for Poulsen.

Fanzone happily gave up a bat, but, unfortunately, Poulsen had died the previous winter at the age of 70.

The duo located his 43-year-old son, Brett Poulsen, who lives near Sacramento and works at Raytheon as a rocket propulsion engineer.

Red Sox president Sam Kennedy quickly signed off to bring Poulsen, his wife Courtney, and their three sons to Boston for a special tour and ring presentation, which the Red Sox had kept secret from Poulsen. Kennedy enlisted Jim Lonborg, the 1967 Cy Young Award winner, to make the presentation before the opener of a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 12.

“Oh my God, it was an injustice,” Kennedy said, clearly excited to right a wrong.

At Fenway, the entire family wore Poulsen’s No. 17 jersey and was given a special tour of the ballpark. Groundskeeper Dave Mellor even let them walk on the grass and take pictures at third base, where Poulsen played three games.

There also were little coincidences, not to be ignored. When they went out to lunch, there was a No. 17 jersey (belonging to World Series hero Nathan Eovaldi) hanging on the wall of the restaurant. One of the kids even found 17 cents on the sidewalk outside the team store.

“It’s a little weird,” says Brett.

Poulsen, who was appreciative of Boujoukos’s efforts in recognizing his father, contacted Louisville Slugger and gave them permission to make a replica Poulsen model bat for Boujoukos’s collection. Brett and his boys all signed it.

“Baseball, for us, was religion,” says Poulsen. “That ’67 [Impossible Dream] team meant a lot to him. I don’t think he was mad [at the Red Sox]. I think he was hurt. It hurt him more than he would ever convey to me. But I don’t think there was a bitter bone in his body about it.

“He felt like he was a part of something, and at the end, he wasn’t acknowledged as being a part of it. So I think his heart hurt a bit from that.”

But unlike Moonlight Graham, whose Major League career with the New York Giants in 1905 spanned one inning of one game as a right fielder, Poulsen at least got to bat in the big leagues.

Poulsen hit a double to the left-field corner off Orioles pitcher Jim Hardin in his last major league at-bat on July 14, 1967. Lonborg got the win in an 11-5 Boston victory at Fenway Park. Tony Conigliaro and Carl Yastrzemski both homered.

There is no known film of the hit. Poulsen could’ve told his son or daughter it was a vicious liner that left a permanent dent in the Green Monster. Instead, he told the truth.

“That [swing] was a mistake,” the lefthanded hitter told Brett. “I don’t hit the ball over there, I pull the ball. I don’t go the other way.”

“He was sheepishly embarrassed about it,” Brett says.

He also was amazed at the passion of Boston fans.

“When he checked into a Kenmore Square hotel, he was floored,” Brett says. “He said, ‘Everybody knew who the hell I was, they knew where I was from, they knew my stance, and they knew what high school I went to. They knew everything about me.’ ”

Brett says his father and Yastrzemski, who was in the midst of a Triple Crown season, used to play catch. But he knew Yaz was prone to a bad temper.

“Yaz was a little peeved if he struck out,” Poulsen says. “He’d disappear behind the dugout, go down that hallway, and break every light bulb. Like take his bat and just beat the crap out of every one of them until it was dark.”

After the ’67 season, the Red Sox left Poulsen unprotected in the minor league draft. He signed with the Yankees, who converted Poulsen to a pitcher. He posted a 33-34 record with a 3.02 ERA in six seasons in the minors, but told Brett the move was “a mistake.”

Poulsen retired from baseball in 1973, worked in construction, got divorced, and ran his parents’ 60-acre cattle ranch in California. He skipped the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park in 2012 to take care of his ailing father.

Rico Petrocelli, who played at shortstop next to Poulsen at third, applauded the Red Sox for reaching out to Poulsen’s family.

According to Edes: “Rico says, ‘Look, we won the pennant on the last day of the season. We won by one game. Anybody and everybody who played for us that season contributed to us winning. When the margin was that small, every guy made a contribution.’ ”

Lonborg, the team’s player rep, believes the lack of recognition was just an unfortunate oversight.

“A team is a team,” he said. “Ken came in for two weeks and bailed us out while Dalton was away. Every individual, whether or not it’s a clubhouse guy or a coach or a guy in the military reserve, is part of the team and the team has to be recognized as a whole.”

Above the bleachers, a photo of the teenaged Poulsen, in a Red Sox uniform, appeared on the Jumbotron.

When Lonborg presented Brett Poulsen with the ring, Poulsen says he was shaking as his wife, Courtney, wiped away a tear.

“Wow,” Brett said, as he walked off the field. “Now I know how a fiancée feels when she gets a ring. You look down and brush away the tears from your eyes. It’s really surreal. It meant a ton to him. There’s some closure.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever take it off.”

* The Boston Herald

David Price: Dennis Eckersley drama ‘doesn’t affect me at all’

Steve Hewitt

Two days after David Price spoke out against Dennis Eckersley, reigniting a feud that began two summers ago, the Red Sox left-hander had one of his worst starts of the season.

But the two aren’t connected, Price insists.

Price gave up eight hits and six earned runs as the Red Sox were embarrassed by the Orioles in an 11-2 loss at Camden Yards on Friday night, and he was asked afterward if the renewed controversy with Eckersley had anything to do with his lousy performance.

“Not at all,” Price said. “Anything off the field, it doesn’t affect the way I prepare, affect the way that I pitch. That doesn’t affect me at all. I’m sure it’ll be used in Boston, but it doesn’t affect me.”

Eckersley, the Hall-of-Fame pitcher and now NESN broadcaster, was asked in a Boston Globe profile that published last week about his incident with Price nearly two years ago, when Price confronted Eckersley on the team plane.

“I didn’t know how to deal with that. I don’t plan on saying a word to him, I don’t plan on seeing him, never,” Eckersley said to the Boston Globe. “I don’t really give a (expletive) one way or another. I don’t think he really cares one way or the other.”

Price caught wind of those comments earlier this week and responded in a media session Wednesday at Fenway Park, where he called it “trash” and went on to criticize Eckersley’s reputation as a teammate.

Friday marked Price’s first start since, and he didn’t think the Eckersley drama caused any distractions.

“Not to me,” Price said. “If you think I’m thinking about that out there on the mound tonight, you’re 100 percent wrong. Or even last night or the night before or whatever the case may be. That’s not the case. It didn’t affect me.”

Price didn’t think the controversy was enough to make any conclusions on his performance.

“It’s one start,” Price said. “You want to talk about performances, you can go back to the playoffs last year, you can go back to what I’ve done here the last two years. You’re all going to portray that whatever way you want to. I can’t control that. That’s perception that’s laid on me and that’s part of it.”

Red Sox lose momentum again in ‘unacceptable’ 11-2 loss to Orioles

Steve Hewitt

The Red Sox just can’t find any momentum.

They’ve shown glimpses of their potential all season. Even as Alex Cora has maintained hope, he’s admitted over and over how this year’s team has been consistently inconsistent.

Even the beginning of a series against the worst team in baseball couldn’t change that narrative.

David Price submitted his worst outing in more than a month, and the bullpen dug the Red Sox a deeper hole even their red-hot offense couldn’t dig out of as they dropped an embarrassing 11-2 loss to the last- place Baltimore Orioles to start a three-game set at Camden Yards last night.

Xander Bogaearts didn’t pull any punches when he agreed that this was one of the worst losses of the year.

“This is definitely one of the worst, especially when you talk from a team standpoint,” Bogaerts said. “They’re not one of the leading teams in any category or one of the top teams, and I think they’re last in the division. For them to beat us like they did, they came out playing some good baseball today.”

After taking three of four at home against the Blue Jays, the Red Sox (53-45) couldn’t carry their play on the road with them at a time they could sorely use some momentum as they head into a crucial stretch of 13 consecutive games against the Rays and Yankees starting on Monday.

Every time the Red Sox look like they’re about to make a run, they take a step back. It continues to be a puzzling mystery on why they can’t produce any consistency, and it hit another low Friday as they were dominated from start to finish by the 30-66 Orioles.

“I wish I knew,” Bogaerts said. “I don’t know. It seems like every team that comes to play against us, it’s like they’re playing extra. They really want to beat us and humiliate us. For the most part we haven’t had many losses like this today and it was one of those tough games. It’s a bad moment to have one of these losses, but this is baseball, and tomorrow we gotta come back and be much better than what we did today. It’s unacceptable.”

Price, who has been the Red Sox’ most dependable starter this season, put them behind right away. It was an uncharacteristic night for the left-hander against a team and in a stadium he has dominated throughout his career.

Entering Friday, Price was 8-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 12 career starts at Camden Yards. He had spun seven shutout innings against the O’s earlier this season. But his run of good fortune ran out quickly last night. He lasted just four innings and tied a season high by giving up six earned runs, which included two homers.

The loss came two days after Price lambasted NESN analyst Dennis Eckersley, reigniting a feud from two summers ago, but he said that didn’t affect his performance and hasn’t caused a distraction.

“Anything off the field, it doesn’t affect the way I prepare, affect the way that I pitch,” Price said. “That doesn’t affect me at all. I’m sure it’ll be used in Boston, but it doesn’t affect me.”

Instead, the root of Price’s issues Friday was command. With two outs in the first, he mislocated a 2-2 fastball that Anthony Santander smashed 415 feet to center for a three-run homer. In the fourth, he paid for a hanging changeup as Keon Broxton, who entered the night as a .176 hitter, punished it to left for a two- run shot.

It was the third straight start Price has struggled to provide length. He hasn’t seen the sixth inning since July 2 as he’s struggled to get quick outs and bury hitters.

“It’s just been a grind the last couple of starts,” Price said. “Execute and make better pitches. That’s what it boils down to.”

His defense didn’t help matters. After Sam Travis hit a two-run homer in the second to bring the Sox back within a run, the O’s got one back in the third with the help of a misplay by J.D. Martinez in right. Richie Martin hit a deep drive to right, but Martinez — starting there in place of Mookie Betts, who was the designated hitter — couldn’t play it off the wall and it rolled away. He struggled to pick it up and Martin came around to score.

The Red Sox were still well within striking distance, down 6-2 in the fifth when they put runners on first and third with one out for the top of their order. But Betts and Rafael Devers each popped out to end the threat.

The O’s then took advantage of the Sox’ bullpen. Colten Brewer lasted just 12 pitches and gave up a run as he left the bases loaded for Ryan Weber. He limited the damage there but a three-run seventh, which was aided by a Michael Chavis error at second — put the nail in the coffin.

“We got a chance to win two out of three still,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Play good baseball tomorrow, do it on Sunday and go to Tampa on Monday.”

Nathan Eovaldi ready to be activated by Red Sox

Steve Hewitt

Nathan Eovaldi has presumably passed all the necessary tests and is ready to return to the Red Sox, where he’ll join the bullpen.

Eovaldi pitched an inning in Pawtucket on Thursday, and manager Alex Cora said then the team would wait see how he responded. Before Friday night’s series opener against the Orioles at Camden Yards, Cora said Eovaldi “feels great” and will likely be activated on Saturday. The Sox were going to wait until after the game to make a final decision.

Eovaldi traveled here with the Red Sox on Thursday. As far as what Eovaldi’s initial role might entail, Cora and the team were still mapping it out.

“We’ll find a way,” the manager said. “I do think that obviously we gotta protect him, but at the same time, he’s going to make us better. We feel comfortable with where he’s at stuff-wise. The game will dictate how we’re going to use him, but we’ll sit down and talk about it. We’ll use him in high-leverage situations. I don’t know if we’re going to work him into it, like go ahead and get an inning. He did that (Thursday). He feels great. We know what he can do as far as competing. We know the guy. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes.”

It seems the Sox will pick and choose their spots with Eovaldi, and while he didn’t rule out he could potentially close games, Cora noted how Brandon Workman has taken that role lately. Workman recorded a five-out save in Wednesday’s win against the Blue Jays and has dominated over the last two months, allowing just three earned runs in 21 appearances.

Workman’s reliability in that spot has allowed Cora to bring Matt Barnes in earlier.

“It feels like there’s been structure lately,” Cora said. “It’s not that I don’t want to name a closer, but I’m pretty comfortable with the way we’re doing things, and adding Nate is going to help us to get better.”

More than anything, Cora said it will help relieve a bullpen that’s been overstressed through the first half of the season.

“I think that’s the most important thing,” Cora said. “You don’t have to go to the same guys when you have a lead. You have one more option. … That’s the good thing about having more options and guys that are throwing the ball well. We trust (Josh Taylor). (Heath Hembree), he’ll be better.

“That’s the important thing. Instead of going to the same guys over and over and over again, we can give guys a day off knowing that the guy we’re going to use that day, the stuff is the same or better.”

Heat wave Temperature at first pitch on Friday was 96 degrees as severe heat takes over the region this weekend. It’s expected to reach 100 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday, and the Red Sox are paying attention as they try to take care of their players.

“We’ll do our best,” Cora said. “But we know where we’re at. One thing for sure, we’re playing in air conditioning on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (in Tampa Bay) … but we have to make sure we feel good. We just had the break, but we had some long games at home, rain delays and all that stuff. It’s been going on for what, a month already. We’ll talk about it. …

“It’s gonna be tough, but I know they don’t mind. When it’s hot like this, they like it too, offensively.”

Lineup shuffle Mookie Betts led off and was the designated hitter Friday night as Cora looked for an opportunity to get his star outfielder off his feet for a night. J.D. Martinez started in right field, and with the Orioles starting lefty John Means, Cora started Sam Travis in left field. Travis hit a two-run homer in the second inning.

Christian Vazquez, who entered Friday hitting .323 over his last 55 games, started at first base with Cora opting to keep the catcher’s bat in the lineup. Sandy Leon was the catcher for David Price.

Betts extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a leadoff single in the first. …

Mitch Moreland (quad) resumed his rehab assignment in Pawtucket on Friday, batting third and playing first base. Cora wasn’t willing to set a goal on when they hope to activate Moreland.

“Let’s take it step by step,” the manager said.

Is Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski being tested by owner John Henry?

Tom Keegan

The luxury tax, negotiated into the Basic Agreement by the owners to suppress salaries, er, I mean, to promote competitive balance, discourages the most successful baseball franchises from buying the stairway to baseball heaven.

Yet, when July arrived, Red Sox owner John Henry said the luxury tax, which amounts to a soft salary cap in an industry that has no floor, was not the reason he was not of a mind to add a lot of payroll to ready his sputtering team for a pennant race.

“It’s a question of how much money do we want to lose … It’s a worthy team because we invested. Two years in a row we have the highest payroll. It’s not a matter of investment. It’s a matter of playing well,” Henry told WEEI.

Baseball team’s ledgers are not open books, so we’re left to take the owner’s word that the Red Sox with all their sponsors and sellouts and TV deals and merchandise sales are losing money largely because of a payroll in the neighborhood of $240 million.

Such calculations, of course, never take into account that baseball franchises constantly appreciate in value.

Henry and friends purchased the Red Sox for $700 million in December 2001. Forbes Magazine estimates the franchise value at $3.2 billion now, an appreciation of $2.5 billion.

Whenever a ballplayer signs a big contract via free agency, somebody will calculate how much money he earns per game or per start, etc. Yet, nobody ever figures out how much a franchise appreciates per game. So let’s give that a try.

This is the 18th season of Henry’s ownership, so by season’s end, his Red Sox will have played 2,916 games, based on 162 games per season. Divide 2.5 billion by 2,916 and it comes out to an appreciation of $857,338 per game.

Given that, I believe Henry when he says the luxury tax isn’t what’s stopping him from adding payroll. He can afford to sink more dough into an investment that has appreciated so richly.

So if it’s not the money, what is it that’s stopping him?

Two possibilities.

First, it could be that he doesn’t want to get the stink eye from the rest of the owners for going rogue and undermining the owners’ efforts to curb inflation, although said efforts could not be organized because that would be collusion.

I suppose that could be it, but a second possibility might play a bigger part in Henry’s reluctance to splurge.

Simply overpowering the problem with money would be akin to slapping on another coat of paint while ignoring that the wood is rotting. It wouldn’t get to the main source of the problem with the 2019 Red Sox.

Which is?

Dave Dombrowski hasn’t done nearly as good of a job building this year’s team as he did as architect of the 2018 World Champions.

Maybe Henry is in the process of an unvarnished evaluation of his GM and doesn’t want a bailout to cloud that evaluation. Maybe Henry is starting to wonder if someone else could do a more efficient job building a baseball powerhouse if given a $240 million payroll.

The Red Sox live completely in the corporate world, and in that sort of world stockholders don’t care to hear about how splendid their portfolios looked a year ago when they are coming off consecutive shaky quarters.

In the bottom-line corporate world, it doesn’t matter how moves looked at the time decisions were made. It’s all about forecasting.

Analytics can tell you what has happened to this point with players. Skilled scouts can make educated guesses as to what will happen.

Dombrowski’s Midas touch has turned nearly everything to pyrite since the Red Sox were worshipped on duck boats.

A sampling:

Nathan Eovaldi signed a four-year, $68 million contract and pitched 21 innings, going 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA, before heading for yet another elbow surgery. The plan calls for him to work out of the bullpen when he is activated, which could happen as soon as this weekend.

Fellow World Series hero Steve Pearce signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract. In 89 at-bats, he’s hitting .180 with one home run and has nearly twice as many strikeouts (31) as walks (16). On the injured list with a bad back, Pearce suffered a knee injury during an injury rehabilitation assignment.

Chris Sale, 30, will start his five-year, $145 million contract extension next season. In 20 starts, Sale is 4-9 with a 4.05 ERA and has allowed 17 home runs in 117⅔ innings. What makes the rest of the numbers so surprising is that he has 29 walks and 172 strikeouts. He’s as dumbfounded as anybody over his atypical season. During a nine-start stretch (May 3-June 15) that included a three-hit shutout with no walks and 12 strikeouts vs. the Royals, Sale posted a 2.09 ERA. It’s too early to call the contract a bad one for the Red Sox, but it’s getting late in the season to believe they couldn’t have gotten him cheaper if they had waited. His encouraging six-inning Thursday start in a combined two-hit shutout leaves open the possibility of the signing still making sense.

Dombrowski’s signing of shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a six-year, $120 million extension that has a player buyout after 2022 was a great deal for the Red Sox.

The GM’s trade for No. 5 starter Andrew Cashner won’t be judged on whether it looked good at the time, which it did, rather on how it works out.

The recent shedding of Tyler Thornburg and Eduardo Nunez serve as reminders of past mistakes made by the general manager.

And we haven’t even gotten to the bullpen. The idea that the ninth inning doesn’t require a pitcher with a different makeup, if it were true, would save owners a lot of money because big save totals translate to big bucks.

Henry’s an analytics guy, but even he must wonder if the Red Sox have taken too deep a plunge with numbers that discount the very real human element of baseball. At some point, he might wonder if he needs to trust his $240 million payroll to someone who has the guts to do things in a way that might seem foreign to ownership.

For all we know, Henry’s reluctance to add big salaries down the stretch might have something to do with seeing how his top executive can compete on a level playing field.

* The Providence Journal

PawSox 4, Knights 3: Moreland’s return sparks Pawtucket victory

Bill Koch

Three considerably different at-bats and a couple of routine chances in the field marked the return of Mitch Moreland (right quadriceps) to game action on Friday night.

The rehabbing Red Sox first baseman played the first five innings of Triple-A Pawtucket’s matchup with visiting Charlotte at steamy McCoy Stadium. Moreland went 0-for-2 with a walk and played error-free defense as the PawSox slipped past the Knights, 4-3.

Moreland’s best plate appearance was his first. He saw seven pitches and drew a base on balls in the bottom of the first inning. Moreland snapped at a 3-and-1 fastball while popping to center in the third and fouled to the catcher on the first pitch with two men in scoring position in the fifth.

“He just missed that ball he fouled off to the catcher,” PawSox manager Billy McMillon said. “He saw some pitches — got a walk. He’s looking like he’s moving around OK.”

Moreland’s matchup on the mound was a difficult one, with all three of his at-bats coming against Hector Santiago. The left-hander was an American League All-Star with the Angels in 2015 and has 246 appearances in the big leagues. The Red Sox would likely keep Moreland on the bench in such situations and deploy Michael Chavis, Sam Travis or Christian Vazquez at first base.

Moreland went first to third when Rusney Castillo sent a long single to right-center field in the first. Moreland also had no trouble turning an Alcides Escobar grounder into an unassisted putout in the second. Moreland’s final chance came in the third when Luis Robert fouled out to the warning track in front of the grandstand.

“He played really good first base for five innings,” McMillon said. “I expect him to go a little bit longer tomorrow — maybe seven innings tomorrow.”

Castillo’s two-run single inside the bag at first in the fifth and Bryce Brentz’s two-run homer to left-center in the sixth put Josh Smith in line for the win. The right-hander allowed just two singles and struck out six over six shutout innings. Mike Shawaryn retired just one batter in the seventh and was tagged for three earned runs, but Bobby Poyner and Trevor Kelley combined to record the final eight outs.

Looking for answers

Ryan Brasier was hard at work in the home bullpen early Friday afternoon.

McMillon and pitching coach Kevin Walker were among those keeping a close eye on the right-hander, who was added to the PawSox roster on Thursday. Brasier was optioned by the Red Sox on Tuesday after posting a 5.74 earned-run average over his last 30 appearances.

“Just getting some work in and trying to refine,” Brasier said. “Kind of get back to what I was doing last year. That’s pretty much it.”

Brasier was a revelation among Boston’s relief corps in 2018, allowing just two home runs and issuing seven walks in 33 2/3 innings. He posted a 1.04 ERA in the playoffs as the Red Sox captured their fourth championship this century.

“It’s always maybe one little thing that might kind of click and get me back right,” Brasier said. “We’re working and trying to find out what that is and hopefully it comes sooner than later.”

Prospect update

His rocky first outing with Double-A Portland notwithstanding, Tanner Houck appears to be making a smooth adjustment to life as a reliever.

The right-hander’s first 15 appearances of the season were starts with the Sea Dogs. Houck has shifted to the bullpen ahead of a potential promotion to Boston, as the parent club continues to assess its options while making a run at an American League playoff berth.

“I like how he goes out there and competes,” McMillon said. “He plays to his strengths.”

Houck has totaled three scoreless innings with the PawSox, with two of those coming on Thursday. The 23- year-old was a first-round pick out of Missouri in 2017 and is ranked No. 9 in the club’s farm system by SoxProspects.com. He fires fastballs that reach the mid-90s, a slider and a changeup out of a three-quarter arm slot.

“He’s got some funk with his delivery, which he’s been able to exploit in his two outings up here,” McMillon said. “And he’s been throwing strikes.”

Working with TB12

The PawSox will be partnering with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his TB12 Foundation on Sunday as part of their Paws For A Cause program.

Pawtucket will donate half the proceeds from any $10 tickets sold through a specific link on its website at pawsox.com. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. and fans are invited to play catch in the outfield from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

Paws For A Cause recognizes a different area non-profit at every PawSox home game.

* MassLive.com

Nathan Eovaldi Red Sox closer: Matt Barnes has insight on Boston’s newest reliever’s challenge

Matt Vautour

Matt Barnes had more time to prepare and lower stakes when he arrived, but at the core of the transition, he understands what Nathan Eovaldi is facing.

Eovaldi, who has pitched in relief just eight times in 160 career appearances in the regular season, is expected to be activated Saturday and step into the Red Sox closer role. It’s a leap of faith for the ballclub that Eovaldi will take to the role quickly on a team that has minimal margin for error.

Barnes was almost exclusively as starter throughout his minor league career before moving to the bullpen in the Majors, where he’s been an asset for the Red Sox. He said the first step is physical.

“The biggest thing is you have to be ready to pitch every day. Two or three days in a row,” he said. “That’s the hardest part - finding a routine that allows you to maintain strength and feeling good while allowing you to pitch every day.”

That could be more challenging for Eovaldi, who has a lengthy injury history and is just coming off the injured list following a procedure to remove “loose bodies” in his pitching elbow. How frequently he can pitch has been and will likely be the topic of much speculation.

Barnes said starting pitchers can and should tinker and make adjustments as the game goes on, while relievers have to arrive in the game, already at top speed.

“The biggest difference in strategy is when you start is, you can kind of feel out the lineup, work and establish some stuff. You have to go through a lineup three times. You’re more or less playing chess with them of the course of five, six, seven innings,” Eovaldi said. “When you come in as a reliever, you’re emptying the tank. When the game is on the line you have to be smarter.

“In the second inning, if there’s a guy on first in a 0-0 game or 1-0, you can still go after him smartly. In the seventh, eighth, ninth inning it’s better to put a guy on first base than make a mistake trying to get back into the count,” Barnes continued. "Put him in first base and take my chances with the guy that’s on deck. It’s just being aware in situations like that.”

Barnes said making too much of what a pitcher’s stuff looks like warming up in the bullpen is a mistake.

“When you’re in the bullpen you’re just getting loose for the game. You have to trust that when you get out there, you’re stuff is going to be there,” he said. “If the fastball doesn’t feel great down in the pen, you’re still going to throw it. You have to trust that it’s going to be there when you get out there."

Price loses at Camden Yards for first time ever, Red Sox routed by Orioles; Travis homers

Christopher Smith

Red Sox left-hander David Price lost at Camden Yards for the first time ever Friday.

He entered 8-0 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and .237 batting average against in 12 starts there. But Price lasted only 4 innings, allowing six runs, all earned, eight hits and one walk while striking out four.

The Red Sox lost 11-2 to the Orioles.

Anthony Santander blasted a 415-foot three-run homer against Price in the first inning. Keon Broxton crushed a two-run shot 407 feet to make it 6-2 Baltimore in the fourth.

J.D. Martinez’s error on Richie Martin’s triple in the second inning allowed Martin to score for a Little League homer.

Martinez went too close to the wall. The ball deflected past him. Martinez then bobbled the ball when he tried to pick it up.

Sam Travis belted a two-run homer in the second inning to cut the deficit to 3-2.He connected on a 78.5 mph changeup and sent it 396 feet into the left field stands.

Sox trade rumors: Marcus Stroman, Shane Greene among players being watched by top Sox scout

Chris Cotillo

Red Sox senior vice president Frank Wren is in Detroit on Friday night scouting the Blue Jays-Tigers game, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Righty Marcus Stroman is starting for Toronto while relievers Joe Jimenez and Shane Greene (Tigers) as well as Ken Giles and Daniel Hudson (Blue Jays) could pitch.

The Sox also had a top scout at Thursday’s Giants-Mets matchup in which Noah Syndergaard faced Madison Bumgarner, though Boston is likely out of the starting pitching market after acquiring righty Andrew Cashner from the Orioles last weekend. A more likely move would be adding to the bullpen, with Giles, Hudson, Jimenez and Greene among potential targets.

Boston got a first-hand look at the Jays over four games at Fenway Park this week and could have interest in a couple of Toronto’s relievers. Giles (1.69 ERA) and Hudson (1.86 ERA since April 5) headline a group that also includes Tim Mayza, Joe Biagini and David Phelps. Greene (1.06 ERA) is the closer for the Tigers, who also have Jimenez, Buck Farmer and others as potential trade chips.

This time of year, scouting doesn’t prove legitimate interest, though it’s interesting Wren (one of Dave Dombrowski’s top lieutenants) is taking in a game between two sellers. The Sox could use some bullpen and bench help before the July 31 trade deadline but are also open to standing pat after obtaining Cashner for two low-level prospects.

“We might (stand pat),” Dombrowski said last weekend. “I think it’s one of those where we’ll analyze and see what takes place. I know a couple of our (relievers) worked a lot before the break. We weren’t getting a lot of innings from our starters. We think the rest, perhaps, will help some of them. When you look out there, there’s a good core of guys we like.”

Red Sox trade rumors: High-level scout watched Bumgarner, Giants relievers in recent outing

Chris Cotillo

The Red Sox had a high-level scout at a recent matchup between Giants starter Madison Bumgarner and Mets righty Noah Syndergaard on Thursday night, reports MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Morosi notes the Sox could have been there to watch San Francisco’s relievers, like Will Smith and Tony Watson.

Boston doesn’t have a clear need in the rotation after acquiring righty Andrew Cashner from the Orioles last weekend but still could look to upgrade its bullpen before the July 31 deadline. A series of recent developments (Steven Wright’s injury, Ryan Brasier’s demotion and Heath Hembree’s struggles) could lead president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to add an external arm along with rookie Darwinzon Hernandez and converted starter Nathan Eovaldi.

Though Bumgarner is arguably the top starter available on the trade market and Syndergaard is being discussed as well, the Red Sox seem to be an unlikely destination for both. More likely targets include Smith (2.68 ERA), Watson (2.95 ERA), Sam Dyson (2.74 ERA) or Trevor Gott (3.83 ERA).

The Giants were projected to be one of the most aggressive deadline sellers in baseball but have won six in a row (and 13 of 15) to climb within 2 1/2 games of a National League wild card spot. If their upward trend continues, the Giants could decide to hold onto key pieces like Bumgarner and Smith in hopes of getting into the postseason.

Addressing the Cashner trade Saturday, Dombrowski said the Sox could stand pat and not acquire any more pitching help before July 31.

“We might (stand pat),” Dombrowski said. “I think it’s one of those where we’ll analyze and see what takes place. I know a couple of our (relievers) worked a lot before the break. We weren’t getting a lot of innings from our starters. We think the rest, perhaps, will help some of them. When you look out there, there’s a good core of guys we like.”

Red Sox trade rumors: Jose Abreu’s availability being ‘monitored’ by Boston, a few other clubs

Christopher Smith

The Boston Red Sox again might have interest in acquiring right-handed power-hitting first baseman Jose Abreu.

The Red Sox “are among a few teams monitoring Abreu’s availability,” reported Phil Rogers, who was a longtime baseball reporter at the Chicago Tribune and now writes for Forbes.

The White Sox outbid the Red Sox by approximately $5 million when the slugger signed as an international free agent out of Cuba in October 2013. Since then, Boston has been linked to Abreu several times in trade rumors.

The 32-year-old Abreu is eligible for free agency at the end of the 2019 season. He’s batting .275 with a .310 on-base percentage, .499 slugging percentage, .809 OPS, 21 homers, 21 doubles and 68 RBIs this season.

The Red Sox could use a right-handed hitter. Manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Steve Pearce (knee) is rehabbing in Fort Myers and is not close to returning.

But President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said July 2 in Toronto (after Pearce injured his knee) he doesn’t feel the need to acquire a right-handed hitter because Michael Chavis can play both first and second base.

“I don’t see a driving need for that at this point,” Dombrowski said back then.

* RedSox.com

Price loses for first time ever at Camden Yards

Zach Silver

David Price has said previously -- whether it’s the positioning of the backstop or the feel of the mound -- that he enjoys playing in Baltimore no matter if it’s in a Red Sox jersey or that of another of his previous American League East stops. It’s not hard to imagine why, given his 8-0 record, 2.72 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 12 career games in Charm City entering Friday.

After slogging through his past two starts, it was perfect timing for Price that his next turn in the rotation would take place in a location where he’s found comfort throughout his career.

It was a seemingly ideal situation. Until it wasn’t.

Boston’s most steadfast starter gave up a career-high six runs to the Orioles across just four innings of work in what became an 11-2 loss -- his first at Camden Yards. He was tagged for three- and two-run homers -- both on two-strike counts -- along with a triple that saw Richie Martin round the bags to score thanks to an error from J.D. Martinez.

“Didn’t have very good fastball command,” Price said before pausing. “Didn’t have command of anything, really.”

“It seems like every team that comes to play against us, they are playing extra. They really want to beat us and humiliate us,” shortstop Xander Bogaerts added about the loss. “This definitely is one of the worst. Especially if you talk about from a team standpoint. They’re not one of the leading teams in any category or one of the top teams, they’re last in our division. For them to beat us like they did, they came up playing some good baseball today.”

Price ran into trouble from the start, putting two on for switch-hitter Anthony Santander, whose three-run shot in the first inning was just the second of his career from the right side of the plate. After Martin’s wild trip around the bases, Price allowed another homer in the fourth, this time a two-run shot by Keon Broxton.

Ignoring that one of his more lackluster outings of the year came against the last-place Orioles, Price again ran into a wall in terms of pitch count. Friday marked the third consecutive game in which he failed to reach the sixth inning, and with 88 pitches in just four innings Friday he’s now thrown 300 over his last 14 frames.

“The long at-bats are getting to the pitch count,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We just have to figure out if we can do something else as far as the script and the way we pitch so we can get quick outs.”

“I feel even 1-2-3 innings are 20-pitch innings right now,” Price said.

Pitching with little in the way of run support -- merely a two-run shot from Sam Travis in the second inning, his first homer of the year -- Price saw his ERA balloon from 3.16 to 3.61 over the course of Friday’s affair.

Price has reason to be encouraged, though, because on Saturday the Red Sox will welcome Nathan Eovaldi back from the injured list and hopefully bolster the back end of their shaky bullpen -- tagged for five runs in its own right Friday -- which Cora hopes can trickle into starting pitching stability as well.

With Andrew Cashner owning just one Red Sox outing to his name and each of the team's other starters posting an ERA over four this season, Price has been the guy Boston has counted on in 2019. Despite recent grinds, he’s provided comfort among a rotation that has offered its fair share of frustrating outings this year.

One would assume the location of Friday night’s tilt could have provided Price the chance for a bounce- back evening and an opportunity to reaffirm his place as the steady hand in the rotation.

Instead, the Red Sox were left muttering to themselves after falling to 4-4 out of the All-Star break.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re successful in a certain ballpark or whatever the conditions may be,” Price said. “Losing sucks, and you look forward to when you get back out there five days from now.”

Eovaldi could return as soon as Saturday vs. O's

Zachary Silver

If all goes to plan -- and according to Alex Cora, it should -- flamethrower Nathan Eovaldi will make his long-awaited return to the 25-man roster ahead of Saturday’s game against the Orioles, with a decision set to come after Friday’s series-opener.

Cora wouldn’t commit to the idea of Eovaldi slotting in as the closer -- he likes Brandon Workman’s production there as of late -- but at the very least he hopes the workhorse can bring back-end relief to a bullpen that has already used 19 arms this season.

“That’s the most important thing, that you don’t have to go to the same guys when you have a lead,” Cora said. “You have one more option.”

Eovaldi is on the trip to Baltimore after completing a one-game rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket Thursday, where he struck out the side and conceded a walk. The major question for him as he fights back from an April surgery that repaired loose bodies in his right elbow is durability, especially when it comes to back-to-back days. Those questions will hopefully be answered as Eovaldi gains comfort in the bullpen as opposed to his usual starting role, Cora said.

“I do think that we have to protect him, but at the same time he’s going to make us better,” said Cora, who did not rule out Eovaldi potentially working back up to starting. “We feel comfortable where he’s at stuff- wise … We’ll use him in high-leverage situations. I don’t know if we are going to work him into it … we know what he can do in terms of competing.”

Eovaldi, Workman, Heath Hembree and Matt Barnes will soon make up half of Boston’s relievers and be the quartet employed in most high-leverage situations. With those four solidified, Cora hopes stability can quickly come for a middle-of-the-pack bullpen and its 4.51 ERA entering Friday.

“Instead of going to the same guys over and over again, we can give guys the day off knowing the guy we use that day, the stuff is the same or better,” Cora said. “We have guys with stuff. That’s something we try to tell them. … It’s just a matter of putting everything together and getting the job done.”

Cashner talks return to Baltimore

Andrew Cashner lucked out -- at least when it comes to moving logistics.

He’s already back in Baltimore after being traded from the Orioles to the Red Sox on Saturday. Not only is he back to start against his old team on Sunday, but he has the chance to collect some of his belongings from his old abode before Boston heads to Tampa Bay.

“Still working on packing. I got a bunch of boxes today,” Cashner said, “so will be packing up most of tonight probably.”

Cashner said it was weird entering Camden Yards from the other side, and it’ll be even weirder facing off against his old teammates in the series finale. But now it’s all business, and he’ll hope to rebound from a rough outing his first time in a Red Sox uniform Tuesday.

“It’s unique to get to come back so early and see a lot of the faces,” he said. “It’s not so much weird when you come back as it’s nice to see so many familiar faces.”

Moreland’s rehab continues

Mitch Moreland (right quad strain) will make a rehab appearance at first base with Pawtucket Friday and he may return to the Red Sox, at the earliest, during the coming series in Tampa Bay.

“We’ll see how he feels, how he moves, the at-bats,” Cora said. “We’ll have more after the game.”

Heat impacting lineups

With excessive heat warnings in effect across Baltimore all weekend -- and plenty of the country, for that matter -- Cora said he needs to be judicious with player health this series.

One such fallout of that need for caution is slotting Mookie Betts into the designated hitter role Friday for just the fourth time this season. With J.D. Martinez playing in right and Andrew Benintendi getting a night off, Sam Travis earns his ninth start of the year and will play in left.

“We have to make sure we feel good,” Cora said. “We are trying to keep [Mookie] off his feet and we’ll see how we work out over the weekend. It’s going to be tough, but I know they don’t mind. When it’s like this they like it. Offensively, at least.”

* WEEI.com

Now is not the time to go after Jose Abreu

Nick Friar

Jose Abreu makes any team better offensively. No one is going to argue otherwise. But on the list of problems the Red Sox have this year, the offense is not a top priority. Actually, can you even include the offense among Boston’s issues?

Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaert have been outstanding. Christian Vazquez is having a career year. JD Martinez may not be having his best year, but he’s been good. Even Mookie Betts is picking it up, and while he’s had some lulls, he has still been effective.

That’s five guys you can rely on. Then get contributions from Brock Holt and Michael Chavis every so often. Maybe Andrew Benintendi gets it together, but the Red Sox should be fine offensively even if he doesn’t. Because this team leads all of baseball in runs per game (5.64). They’re also first in team batting average (.273), first in team on-base percentage (.347) and fourth in team OPS (.810). However you want to look at it, this offense is in good shape.

Now, if the Red Sox weren’t hurting in other areas, there were be no debate here. Why not add Abreu if you can? But it’s not exactly a secret their starting rotation and bullpen have struggled.

The Red Sox did make a move to get Andrew Cashner, which isn’t a bad move on its own — despite his first outing. But if Dave Dombrowski is prepared to present the White Sox with a package for Abreu, he’ll almost certainly have to offer a lot — expiring contract or not.

So why, then, didn’t the Red Sox instead use whatever assets they plan to offer for Abreu in another deal where they could’ve gotten a starter who slots higher in the rotation?

John Morosi of MLB Network reported the Red Sox had a scout in attendance for Thursday’s matchup between Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner, the latter of which is reportedly available and much better than Cashner. Boston was supposedly there looking at the relievers. That’s fine. San Francisco’s Will Smith, Sam Dyson and Tony Watson are all good relievers. Any one of them would make a big difference.

But why no interest in Bumgarner? Obviously, not now since they have Cashner, but before. Bumgarner isn’t what he used to be, but he’s still very good. And he has been the best starting pitcher in the postseason this decade.

If the Red Sox had the ability to get one of those three relievers and Bumgarner in a package deal instead of Cashner and Abreu, then Boston botched this one. Unless Cashner turns into ole reliable out of nowhere and Chris Sale builds off of Thursday’s start. If that happens, then the starting rotation will fine, and all the team will need is a reliever. But that’s a big ask for Sale this year and Cashner is truly a fourth or fifth starter — meaning he can only be so reliable.

Bumgarner, on the other hand, would at least be the team’s No. 2 behind David Price if they added him right now. Maybe Bumgarner would even be the No. 1. Either way, he’d make a huge difference.

Instead, the Red Sox got a No. 4 starter so they could go after another bat.

Why Red Sox are reportedly monitoring Jose Abreu market

Rob Bradford

Jose Abreu has been playing for the White Sox since 2014. He has been seemingly linked to the Red Sox that entire time.

And the connection isn't stopping now.

As a reminder, Abreu is the first baseman from Cuba the Red Sox came just a few million dollars away from earning the right to sign back in 2013 in what was a blind bid. (The close-but-no-cigar moment served as an impetus to overpay for Rusney Castillo the following year.)

He was the one that got away.

But because Abreu is now on the doorstep of free agency, with the White Sox continuing in rebuild mode, more trade talk surrounding the 32-year-old is going to percolate. Last offseason he went through the final year of arbitration, avoiding the process by agreeing to a one-year $16 million deal.

So where would Abreu fit?

The price tag, even for the final few months, might seem to be somewhat of a stumbling block. But it's hard to argue that Abreu's presence wouldn't be a plus while serving as insurance at first base. Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted Thursday that Steve Pearce isn't close to coming back, and Mitch Moreland's health continues to be up and down. And while Michael Chavis continues to do an admirable job at first, having the option to move the rookie over to second base on more occasions would be appealing.

Then there is what Abreu does to lefty pitching.

Against left-handed hurlers, the slugger is hitting .355 with a .947 OPS, although only seven of his 21 homers have come against lefties.

Is a deal likely? It would still seem to be a reach. But as has been the case for the six seasons with Abreu, it's OK to dream a little.

Mookie Betts is playing like MVP winner again, so stop saying he's having down season

Alex Reimer

One of the main culprits for the Red Sox’ sluggish start to the season was Mookie Betts’ regression at the top of the lineup. The reigning MVP was hitting .282 through the first two months of the campaign with an OPS in the mid-.800s. It was a decent slash line, but failed to approach the Mike Trout-level of production that Betts displayed last year. In addition, Betts fell victim to some uncharacteristic defensive misplays in the outfield, increasing the perception that he was not carrying his proverbial weight.

They say first impressions are difficult to break, and as a result, Betts is still painted as experiencing a down season. But over the last month, that could not be further from the truth. Since June 15, Betts is hitting .324 with an OPS of .924. He also leads the league in runs scored and is fifth in the league in WAR. Rafael Devers, meanwhile, is ninth.

On Thursday, Betts smacked his 14th home run of the season in the Red Sox’ 5-0 rout of the Blue Jays. It was Chris Sale’s first win at Fenway Park since last July and also featured a three-run home run from Devers. Even with all of the Red Sox’ troubles in the bullpen and gaping holes in the rotation, they should still grab hold of a wild card spot if the players at the top of the roster perform to their capabilities the rest of the way.

One of the most popular Red Sox topics on our airwaves in recent weeks has been whether they should sell at the deadline. But barring an egregious stretch against the Yankees and Rays, which isn’t entirely out of the equation, due to Boston’s 19-28 record against winning teams, it’s hard to imagine the 53-44 Sox falling much further than the two games out of the wild card they are right now. Teams with $230 million payrolls that are within striking distance of the postseason don’t sell off parts, especially a player like Betts, who remains one of the top five talents in the game.

It seems inevitable Betts will explore the free agent market when his contract expires in 2021, but to our knowledge, the Red Sox haven’t approached him with a market-level extension offer. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports the Sox offered Betts a $200 million deal in 2017, which falls well short of the $430 million contract Trout inked with the Angels prior to the start of the season.

Betts is a joy to watch on the field, and over the last four weeks, has been every bit of the MVP player he was during the World Series run. You don’t deal away players like that, especially when you still possess championship aspirations.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Making sense of Red Sox’ latest trade rumors

Sean McAdam

It’s that time of year again. As the trade deadline nears each summer, trade rumors sprout up like weeks.

Some are speculative, some are accurate and some couldn’t be more wrong.

In the last 24 hours, Red Sox scouts and front office evaluators have been spotted across the county.

There was a scout in San Francisco Thursday night to watch the Giants and New York Mets, and while some theorized that the Sox were interested in the starting pitching battle between Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard, that’s not accurate.

After acquiring Andrew Cashner last weekend, the Red Sox’ rotation is set. With Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox rotation has been inconsistent, but it’s ludicrous to think that the Sox would be searching for more starting pitching, especially with Sale, Price and Nathan Eovaldi under long-term deals and Rodriguez under their control for two more seasons.

It’s far more likely that the Sox were interested in bullpen pieces, led by Will Smith, the Giants’ lefty closer who is on an expiring deal. The Sox liked Smith enough to inquire about him last year and his affordable salary makes him a logical target again.

Frank Wren, Dave Dombrowski‘s closest advisor, was in Detroit watching the Tigers and Blue Jays. Some theorized — again, wrongly — that the Sox were looking at Jays starter Marcus Stroman. Again, the Sox’ need is not in the rotation.

Instead, the Sox were likely taking a look at Detroit reliever Shane Greene, whom Dombrowski traded for once and might be interested in trading for again. If not Greene, maybe the target is Toronto’s Ken Giles, who pitched just once n the recent series between the Jays and Sox.

Finally, longtime Chicago baseball writer Phil Rogers, a respected reporter, noted on Twitter Friday that the Sox have made inquiries about White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu.

If this is true, it shouldn’t be. Abreu should not be of any interest to the Red Sox.

Some six years ago, the Red Sox very nearly won the bidding for Abreu, but lost out when they wouldn’t up their offer at the 11th hour. (Sufficiently chuffed by their inability to land Abreu, the Sox then over- compensated on the next Cuban free agent to come down the pike, giving outfielder Rusney Castillo a seven-year, $72.5-million deal, and we all know how well that’s worked out).

Abreu is eligible for free agency after this year, and doesn’t fit the White Sox’ long-term plans, other than to continue to serve as a mentor of sorts for emerging star and fellow countryman Yoan Moncada.

There have been times when Abreu would have made sense for the Red Sox. In fact, he would have been a nice replacement for David Ortiz following the 2016 season.

But now? The Red Sox have far more obvious needs than a first baseman.

It’s true that both players who were expected to split time at first base this season — Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce — are currently on the IL, and Pearce, battling a knee injury after first being sidelined by back trouble, is probably out until well until August.

But while Moreland’s recovery from a quad strain had taken longer than anticipated, could be activated when the team starts a series in Tampa Bay Monday. At the very latest, barring any sort of further setback, he’ll be with the Sox for the start of their next homestand.

The Sox will then have Moreland and Michael Chavis to platoon at first, with Chavis also available to share second base duties with Brock Holt. If Pearce doesn’t return at all this season, the Sox are still set on the right side of the infield.

And while it’s true that Abreu would be a nice weapon against left-handed pitching — against which the Sox have struggled this year — that’s far from the Red Sox’ most obvious need.

As it stands, the Sox lead both leagues in batting average, average runs per game and runs scored, while ranking among the league leaders in total bases (second), OPS (third) and slugging percentage (fourth). Does that sound like a team in desperate need of more punch?

Next, consider that the Red Sox have a limited pool of intriguing prospect from which they can deal. Should that precious capital be used on a slugger or a bullpen arm?

That’s a rhetorical question, of course. If you’ve watched the Red Sox for more than a handful of games this season, you know a reliever is far more necessary than a power-hitting first baseman.

And that’s before we get to the matter of payroll. Abreu is making $16 million, meaning he’s due somewhere between $6.5-$7 million for the rest of the way. Even if the White Sox took back some of the money to facilitate a deal, they’d expected a better return in prospects.

The Sox don’t need Abreu. They need what they’ve needed since April — additional bullpen help.

Final: Orioles 11, Red Sox 2

Sean McAdam

The Red Sox have had worst losses this season, but few as embarrassing as this one.

Coming off a home series in which they won three-of-four, the Sox opened a six-game road trip by being outclassed by the last-place Baltimore Orioles, 11-2.

David Price had his second-worst start of the season and suffered his first career lost at Camden Yards, allowing six runs in just four innings. He gave up two multiple-run homers and a triple in his brief outing.

Sam Travis accounted for the only two Boston runs with a two-run homer in the second.

WHO: Red S0x (53-44) vs. Orioles (29-66) WHEN: 7:05 p.m. WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Boston 7-3 STARTING PITCHERS: LHP David Price (7-2, 3.16) vs. LHP John Means (7-5, 2.94) TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

8:54 Another failure from the starting rotation. Price lasts just four innings. Red Sox can’t seem to get any traction with a series of quality starts so that the bullpen isn’t overworked. Tonight, the pen will have to pitch a minimum of four innings, if not five.

8:28 Once again, another homer to left for the Orioles and once again, it wasn’t a cheapie. A changeup hanging over the plate gets walloped by Keon Broxton.

7:50 Once again, the wisdom of playing J.D. Martinez in the outfield escapes me. He misplayed that ball into a triple. then compounded things when he couldn’t pick the ball up, allowing Richie Martin to circle the bases.

7:40 Sam Travis is unlikely to stay on the roster when Mitch Moreland returns from his rehab, but in the meantime, the Sox are looking for him to have an impact against lefties. He drills a changeup deep into the left field seats, bringing the Sox to within a run.

7:31 Missed location for David Price which proves highly costly. Sandy Leon had set up inside for a two- seam fastball, but Price threw it on the outer half, allowing Anthony Santander to get his hands extended and hit it out to center for a three-run homer.

7:09 Mookie Betts extends his hitting streak to 11 games with a bloop single to right field.

LINEUPS:

RED SOX

Betts DH Devers 3B Bogaerts SS Martinez RF Vazquez 1B Travis LF Chavis 2B Bradley CF Leon C

ORIOLES

Villar 2B Alberto 3B Mancini 1B Nunez DH Santander RF Sisco C Wilkerson LF Broxton CF Martin SS

WHAT’S UP: The Red Sox are 9-4 in their last 13 games and 19-10 in their last 29…They’re three games behind the second wild-card spot…Both Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts have 10-game hitting streak, tied for the third-longest active streaks in MLB…Betts is hitting .463 (19-for-41) with seven extra-base hits while Bogaerts is hitting .452 (19-for-42) with five homers and 16 RBI in that span….Betts has scored a run in each of his last 13 games, tying Ted Williams (1946) for the franchise record…He’s scored in 24 of his last 26 games for a total of 34 runs….He leads the majors with 86 runs scored, which projects to 144 for the season…Bogaerts has multiple hits in each of his last six games….In July, Rafael Devers has seven homers and 23 RBI in 13 games…Since moving to the No 2 spot in the lineup he’s hit .397 with a 1.258 OPS with 16 extra-base hits…Devers hit his 50th career homer Thursday in his 273rd career games. Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Carlton Fisk hit 50 in their first 273 games, too…Among Red Sox players in history, only Tony Conigliaro (59) and Nomar Garciaparra (56) had more….The Sox lead the majors in runs scored (547), runs per game (5.64), batting average (.273), OBP (.347)…They have at least one homer in 17 of the last 18 games…Since coming off the IL on May 27, Brock Holt is hitting .396 (40-for- 101)…That’s 31 points higher than the next highest batting average in that span – .365 by Arizona’s Ketel Marte…The Sox are 14-2 in their last 16 games and are 26-9 away from home since April 19…They’ve had six straight winning road trips…The Sox are third in MLB with batting average with RISP (.280)…They also lead the majors with RISP with two outs (.281)….The Sox are in the middle of a stretch that has them playing 21 straight games against teams from the A.L. East. They’re 3-1 so far…Among MLB rookies, onlyt the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso (72) has more RBI than Michael Chavis (52)….J.D. Martinez is 0-for-7….David Price is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA in his last five starts…In his last 11 starts, Price is 6-0 with a 2.75 ERA….He’s allowed only two homers in his last 10 starts….In 12 career starts at OPaCY, Price is 8-0 with a 2.72 ERA….Chris Davis has a career average of .244 (11-for-45) with 20 strikeouts against Price…Jonathan Villar is 3-for-18 (.167) against him…Devers is 2-for-10 against John Means...Bogaerts is 3-for-7.

* The Athletic

Baseball Time Machine: 20 individual seasons worth going back in time to see

Grant Brisbee

I watched Rickey Henderson. I used to have fluorescent yellow Mizuno batting gloves, and when I reached first base — because the pitcher couldn’t throw a strike to someone 40 inches tall — I would take a lead off first base and hunch down, with cat-like anticipation, waiting to steal second. Then they kicked me out of the over-40 league because I was making them uncomfortable. But I did this in Little League, too.

To anyone who didn’t get to watch Henderson, I’m sorry. He was a blast. He was one of the greatest players in baseball history, and certainly one of the greatest players in baseball history to watch. And I was there for Barry Bonds. The whole thing. We’re almost two decades away from the zenith, and it’s getting harder and harder to describe what it felt like to watch someone be that good at baseball.

But there are players that I missed. I was too young to appreciate vintage Hank Aaron, for example. I missed the best of Tom Seaver. And while I do listen to the Beach Boys on purpose, I’m too young to have watched Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Lefty Grove. It all seems rather unfair.

So I’ve built a time machine. Don’t ask about the technical details — it’s complicated — but I can go back in time to watch any player I want. The catch is that it has only enough juice for 20 trips, and I can only stay a few months, which means I’m limited to a single season. There are only 20 baseball players I can go back to watch.

Here are my 20, in chronological order. I’m sure there will be no disagreement about my selections, and the comments will mostly consist of, “Huzzah! That is the exact 20 players I would have selected! Good show, chap.”

Thank you for your support. Here we go.

1. Old Hoss Radbourn, Providence Grays (1884) There has to be at least one 19th-century player in here, and there are options. Cy Young was thriving in the 1800s. Candy Cummings invented — or, at least, popularized — the curveball back then. Billy Hamilton 1.0 stole so many bases that he’s still ranked third in stolen bases all-time.

But when you’re picking Old Hoss, you’re really digging into the roots of the game. The 5-foot-9 righty was 60-12 in his 75 games (with two relief appearances) for the Providence Grays, pitching 678 2/3 innings and striking out 441 batters. What does that look like? Could you see the pain and decay emanating from his elbow, like waves above hot asphalt? Or was it easy, glorified batting practice to players who didn’t grow up trying to hit an orb with a stick, and were learning on the fly? What made him so much more successful than his peers? And what was it like to even watch a game back then, when everything was so new?

I don’t know, but I have to see it. And while I’m there, I can indulge in some culinary treats of the time, like, uh, frizzled ham.

2. Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers (1911) This isn’t the year he slashed an elevator operator with a penknife and was knocked unconscious when he was pistol-whipped in response. That was 1909. It’s not the season in which Cobb went into the stands to pummel a person with a disability. That was 1912. It’s also not the year he disemboweled a catcher with his feet, as shown in this picture:

That was also 1912.

Look, the first words in the “Major league career” section of Cobb’s Wikipedia entry begins with the words, “Three weeks after his mother killed his father, Cobb debuted in center field for the Detroit Tigers.” Dude was complicated.

No, I’m selecting 1911 to get the full Ty Cobb experience, because I’m less interested in him being a violent freak and more interested in him hitting .419. I know that once we get into the .400s, everything bleeds together, but think about that. You can instinctively tell the difference between a .280 hitter and a .300 hitter over a full season. You can definitely tell the difference between a .300 hitter, which every team has now and again, and a .320 hitter, who might lead his league.

This is like that, but compared to someone hitting .400.

The season also came with 248 hits, 24 triples and 83 stolen bases, so I’m feeling pretty good about this selection when it comes to on-the-field performance. I can’t watch every .400 season, and I’m sick about not having Rogers Hornsby on the list, but if you’re not getting one of Cobb’s seasons in, what’s the point of this Magic Baseball School Bus?

3. Walter Johnson, Washington Senators (1913) We should talk about the pitchers who aren’t getting a visit. Grove was a marvel, a dominant force at the same time baseball was besotted with runs. Carl Hubbell and his magic screwball would be a fine choice, especially if you time your trip to 1934 and get to watch the All-Star Game. Young was so good that a statue of him was erected at Northeastern University, which is certainly his most lasting legacy.

But “Big Train” is the pick because he’s the closest example we’d have of “What if we took a modern pitcher and inserted him into the dead-ball era?” A munitions laboratory clocked his fastball at 91 mph in 1917, when he was 29, so I’ll give him a couple of extra ticks when he was 25 and had 1,200 fewer innings on his arm. Cobb described the pitch by saying “the thing just hissed with danger,” which is danged near poetic.

In 1913, Johnson fashioned a 1.14 ERA in 346 innings, leading the league in both walk rate and strikeout rate. It was the dead-ball era, yes, but teams were still averaging around four runs per game, so it wasn’t exactly easy for a sub-2.00 ERA.

Mostly, though, I want to see that fastball and compare it to modern players. Johnson isn’t going to touch Aroldis Chapman, but my guess is that it would be absolutely hilarious in comparison to his peers.

4. Babe Ruth, Boston Red Sox (1919) It’s hard to go wrong with any Ruth season. But I wanna see him pitch.

The best offensive season in baseball history, by WAR, is Ruth’s 1923 season, and that’s a tempting selection. But it was 100 years ago when Ruth hit 29 home runs to break the all-time record, which was set by Ned Williamson in 1884 during a season in which automatic doubles over the fence were counted as home runs.

This 1919 season was when Ruth started melting minds. Twenty-nine baseballs over the fence was the sporting equivalent to landing a zeppelin in the middle of the Colosseum in 103 AD. Nobody knew what was to come, which probably made it the most ridiculous baseball season to date.

And he pitched. Just 15 starts, with a 2.97 ERA — which made him more of a Jeff Samardzija than a Max Scherzer — but I still want both parts of the full Ruth experience. This was before he became one of the most famous people in the country, so there’s even an element of “I saw them at a small club before they released their first EP” to this selection. You can go with 59 homers and the birth of an American icon, but I want the freak who also pitches.

5. Eddie Cicotte, Chicago White Sox (1919) Two players from the same year wasn’t my plan, but I knew that I wanted a knuckleballer. While toying with the idea of Hoyt Wilhelm and Phil Niekro, I wanted to go back to when the pitch was introduced, to see catchers struggle and hitters accuse pitchers of witchcraft.

With Cicotte, I get all of that and spitballs and emery balls. I’m fascinated with the art of the spitball, and this is the last season it was allowed. The season was legitimately awesome, with a 1.82 ERA (176 ERA+) and 29-7 record, and when the regular season is over, I get to kick back and watch Cicotte help the Black Sox throw the World Series. His ERA in the Series was 2.91 in three starts, if you can imagine such a thing.

It’s also a sneaky way to get a Shoeless Joe Jackson season in without using one of my time-machine credits.

6. Oscar Charleston, Harrisburg Giants (1925) Charleston had 301 plate appearances for the Harrisburg Giants in the Eastern Colored League in 1925, and he hit .451/.552/.826 with 20 homers. He was reportedly a magical defensive center fielder, too, and he would be 28 this season, which means I’m seeing him right when a player’s baseball aptitude catches up with his physical talent.

Also, I’m being sneaky again, because if I’m watching Charleston in 1925, I’m also getting some of his games with the Almendares in the Cuban League and with the New York Lincoln Giants, who played postseason games against white teams, including one with Lou Gehrig. When you get Charleston in 1925, you don’t just get one of the greatest baseball talents in history, but you also get a rich variety of history.

But you also get a player who was one of the very best ever to play. A scout for the Cardinals, Bennie Borgmann, once said, “in my opinion, the greatest ballplayer I’ve ever seen was Oscar Charleston. When I say this, I’m not overlooking Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, and all of them.” Buck O’Neil said, “He was like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker rolled into one.”

I believe it. And if you can spot me a little plutonium, we can both see it.

7. Joe DiMaggio, San Francisco Seals (1935) You want to watch the hitting streak? Well, I want to watch the Pacific Coast League in its heyday, when it was the Major League Baseball of the west. This was the last season that DiMaggio played in the PCL before becoming an instant megastar for the Yankees, and he hit .398/?/.672 as a 20-year-old (they didn’t keep track of walks, apparently). Everyone watching him knew he was going to be a legend, and soon, for an MLB team. It must have been electric.

As someone who owns a Mission Reds, Sacramento Solons and San Francisco Seals shirt, this was an easier call than it should have been. Heck, I even get to see a season with Lefty O’Doul, and if we get to count DiMaggio’s opponents, then I get to see a 17-year-old Bobby Doerr, too.

And I get to see it all in what might have been the best minor-league ballpark in the country, too. Sold.

8. Josh Gibson, Pittsburgh Crawfords (1936) Bill James wrote this in the “New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract” (which was published in 2001):

Probably the greatest catcher in baseball history, and probably the greatest right-handed power hitter.

…

His career was not exceptionally long, but I believe that he would have hit over 500 home runs had he played in the majors — 150 more than any other catcher.

There’s a wrinkle with this season, though. Gibson hit .451/.526/.756, which is hilarious, but he did it in just 95 plate appearances, which is about half of his typical season in the Negro National League. But I’m picking it because he was with the Pittsburgh Crawfords, who also featured Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, Judy Johnson and a 39-year-old Charleston that year. That’s five Hall of Famers on what was certainly one of the greatest baseball teams ever assembled.

Plus, this list is light on catchers, and here’s what Dizzy Dean said about Gibson:

Gibson is one of the best catchers that ever caught a ball. Watch him work this pitcher. He’s top at that. And boy-oh-boy, can he hit that ball!

One of the greatest players of all time on one of the best teams ever, all in a ballpark with a capacity of 7,500. That sounds like an easy call, even if there’s a season with more Gibson at-bats.

9. Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox (1941) A .406 batting average. A .553 on-base percentage. A league-leading 37 homers and 135 runs. A freakish 147 walks to just 27 strikeouts in 606 plate appearances.

I want to watch the best bat-control season of all time.

A lot of the seasons on this list include lengthy justifications for one year over another. Some of them, though, deserve nothing more than a GIF of me pointing at a computer with a Baseball-Reference page open and making a “What else do you want?” face. This is one of those seasons, and if I had to narrow this list down to five, it would still be on there.

10. Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers (1947) This would probably be the least enjoyable of the seasons to watch, if we’re being honest. Not because Robinson was bad — he hit .297/.383/.427 with a league-leading 29 stolen bases, winning the Rookie of the Year and finishing fifth in the National League MVP voting — but because people are bad. I’m not sure what the screaming, entitled fan of 1949 felt comfortable yelling at a player because of his race, but I’m pretty sure it was ghastly. And constant.

But this is certainly the most historically important season in baseball history, if not the history of professional sports. It also might be the most impressive individual accomplishment in sports history. I can’t fathom the ability to compartmentalize, to ignore, to persevere and succeed at the highest level.

When Robinson took the first at-bat of his major-league career and grounded out, what was the fan reaction as he went back to the dugout? Or am I underestimating the Brooklyn fans? Here was an excerpt from a Minnesota Star notes column the day after, buried somewhere toward the end:

Wed, Apr 16, 1947 – Page 37 · The Minneapolis Star (Minneapolis, Minnesota) · Newspapers.com

“He’ll have the fans pulling for him.” Well, I want to see that. It was tempting to go with Robinson’s MVP season in 1949, but not that tempting. The history here is too enthralling to pass up.

11. Satchel Paige, St. Louis Browns (1952) We already have prime Paige with our Josh Gibson pick, remember. He was still a hard thrower back then. But if I’m going to spend a valuable time-machine token on him, it’s to watch a masterclass in the great dookie arts.

Paige was 45 years old in ’52, and he had a 3.07 ERA (127 ERA+). He made six starts and threw complete games in half of them, with shutouts in two. One of those was a 12-inning shutout against the Tigers. He also threw 10 2/3 innings of relief in a 19-inning game (eventually taking the loss) and he also threw 10 innings of a 17-inning game that ended in a tie.

He did it all with dookie. And guile. And smarts. And craft. He was a long way removed from his best fastball, so he had to use deception, movement and command, and he had to do it well enough in his mid- 40s to make the 1952 All-Star Game. If baseball is supposed to be simple for a hitter — see ball, hit ball — Paige was proof that for a pitcher it was supposed to be a complex exercise in game theory, like Deep Blue memorizing every possible move on a chessboard.

This also might be a top-five season for me. As tempting as it is to focus on him in his prime, the artistry of this season is impossible to pass up. Other pitchers have done more with less as they’ve gotten older, but I’m not sure if anyone was better at it than Paige. What was he throwing in a 2-0 count? What was he using to get ahead? I want to see all of it.

(It was tough to leave Hoyt Wilhelm off for similar reasons, but I already had Cicotte and, look, this is an impossible exercise.)

12. Willie Mays, New York Giants (1954) Just … pick a season of his. If you want 1957, with 35 homers, 20 triples and 38 stolen bases, fine, yeah, that sounds great. His second MVP season came in 1965, when he was 34 and still better than everyone, leading the league with 52 homers and still playing a superlative center field. Go for it. Pick a season between 1951 and 1971, and you’re going to see the best parts of one of the greatest all-around players in the sport’s history.

I’m going with ’54, his first MVP season. Mays was still something of an unknown before this year, leaving for the Korean War when he was just a 21-year-old with a modest .266/.349/.459 career line. He came back, attached a saddle to the back of baseball and started riding it around everywhere. Grocery store, post office, everywhere. “This here is the game of baseball, and it works for me. I let it sleep in a barn when I’m not using it,” he would say. Probably.

Mays hit .345/.411/.667 with 41 homers this year, and he did it as a 23-year-old who could catch everything in the outfield.

Everything, you say?

I want to find Clapping Bow Tie Man and figure out if he actually clapped like that after the play, or if that was previously recorded footage that was spliced in after the fact. I might stare at him and miss The Catch in order to find that out. It’s always bugged me. But I also might want to sit in center field and say “He’s got it. He’s got it,” calmly the whole time the ball is in the air, and then act like it’s not a big deal when he catches it. Just because.

Mostly, though, I want to watch a full season of Mays, and this one features an MVP award and ends with him making one of the most famous plays in baseball history. I was wrong: You can’t pick any season. You have to pick this one.

13. Masaichi Kaneda, Kokutetsu Swallows (1955) Twenty seasons in the NPB, 5,526 innings pitched, with a 2.34 career ERA. That seems pretty, pretty good. Kaneda is almost certainly the best pitcher in Japanese baseball history, coming up as a 16-year-old and dominating for two decades shortly after. In his 20s, his highest ERA was 2.63, his fewest wins was 20, and the fewest innings he pitched was 304 1/3. His ERA was under 2.00 in his 20s more often than it was over.

Dude was good. And this is a great way to travel not just through time, but around the globe.

I picked ’55 because it was the first time his ERA dipped below 2.00 (1.78) and because it was something of a breakout season, shaving his walk rate by nearly half. He wouldn’t have an ERA over 2.00 for another four seasons. The kicker to this Sports Illustrated feature describes his talent well:

Bob Nieman, who is also with the Dragons, adds, “Just ask Mickey Mantle about Kaneda. The last time the Yankees were here in Japan on tour, Kaneda fanned him eight or 10 times and Mantle was muttering all winter long.”

If only there were more understanding of how to take care of the arm in the ’50s.

“Oh, I’d last a while,” (Kaneda) says, “but not long. I’ve seen American baseball, and the emphasis is too much on the fast ball. A pitcher throws his arm out in a relatively short time. Here we throw many fewer fast balls, only enough to vary the basic routine of curves, sliders and sinker pitches. Pitchers last longer. I feel as though I could go on for at least 10 more seasons.”

While he was at his best, though, Kaneda was as dominating as anyone in baseball history. My only regret is having a time machine and not an alternate-reality machine that put him on the Senators, just to see what he could do against Mantle over his career.

14. Roger Maris, New York Yankees (1961) Speaking of Mantle, here’s the easiest cheat of the list. I wanted to watch Mantle in his prime, but spots were filling up, and I was looking for loopholes. Here’s one! In 1961, I’m getting Mantle hitting a career- high 54 home runs in his age-29 season and looking stupendous doing it. But I’m there for Maris hitting 61 homers and creating all sorts of New York hot takes.

Maris had 159 hits that season:

78 singles 16 doubles 4 triples 61 homers In one sense, this wouldn’t seem to be the kind of season that would be worth a trip. I watched Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998, and I followed every game of Bonds’ in 2001, so what’s the big deal about a guy from a long time ago doing nothing but hit homers?

Because this was a milestone in dinger history. And because it was also a milestone in hot-take history. Imagine waking up every morning, snapping the rubber band off the morning paper and seeing what cranky dude wrote about Maris getting to hit against expansion pitching. Just glorious.

(And because we get a free Mantle with the purchase of one (1) round-trip time-machine purchase.)

15. Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox (1967) By WAR, it’s the third-best performance from a position player in baseball history. It goes Ruth, Ruth, Yaz, Ruth, and because some idiot decided to spend his time-machine token on a season that Ruth was a pitcher, that means this would be the highest WAR on the list.

While no one is bringing along a printout of the top 20 seasons by WAR to plan their trip, I especially want to see this one. Not only did Yaz win the Triple Crown this season, but he also padded those WAR numbers with a remarkable defensive season. And if there’s a defensive standout season to watch, I’m pretty sure it’s from a left fielder in Fenway Park. How did he play the hot shots off the wall? Where was he positioned against righties? Against lefties? I want to study this and try to reverse-engineer the newfangled defensive numbers, keeping my own Inside Edge-style spray chart to track the ball.

Or maybe I just want to watch the Triple danged Crown from an inner-circle Hall of Famer and have a few beers along the way.

They have delicate saisons in 1967, right?

16. Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals (1968) Of all the seasons on this list, here’s the most obvious one. If you want an in-depth video about it, please check out Jon Bois’ video “The Bob Emergency,” which is probably the most important video in the history of the internet, except for some of his other ones.

In 1968, Gibson took advantage of the hellacious conditions for hitters and absolutely dominated in a way that the sport probably won’t see again. He made 18 starts in June, July and August combined, and he pitched nine innings in 17 of them.

In the one start he missed that mark, it’s because he pitched 11 innings.

Gibson allowed four earned runs in two of his 34 starts that year. He allowed three earned runs in six of his starts, and two earned runs in three of his starts. And there were nine games in which he allowed just a single run. If you’re doing the math in your head, you’ll note this means that he had 15 games in which he didn’t allow an earned run. He threw as many shutouts in June and July as Justin Verlander has thrown in his career. His ERA in those two months was 0.27 over 11 starts.

Heck, Gibson threw more shutouts in June than Jon Lester has thrown in his career.

Those are good pitchers who might make the Hall of Fame one day. But they weren’t Gibson in 1968. Because nobody was. And this is another easy pick for the top five time-machine seasons.

If you’re forcing me to choose, this is the top time-machine season. Maybe I could see some good shows. Big Brother & The Holding Company once played a free show the night after a Gibson start, you know.

17. Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds (1970) Time does eventually come for everyone, and it’s why Bench’s catching career was over when he was 34. So if I want to see the greatest catching season of all time from the greatest catcher of all time, I’ll have to go back to the beginning, when the Big Red Machine was in its infancy. The, uh, Big Red Waterwheel or something.

Bench was 22 years old and just about the best catcher baseball had ever seen. He threw out 30 of the 62 runners who tried to steal against him, winning his third straight Gold Glove, and he hit .293/.345/.587 with a league-leading 45 home runs.

He also played 15 innings in center field, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need to skip right to that game. For science. But mostly I want to see the whole thing. I’m a fan of the catching arts, and here was the best example possible.

18. Hank Aaron, Atlanta Braves (1971) Originally I had Sadaharu Oh on the list, and my reasoning for taking him over Aaron was that Aaron never really had a signature season. He was A-plus for almost all of his 23 seasons, but he was never A-plus-plus. I want the A-plus-plus seasons. Aaron never had a 50-homer season, but he did have four different 44- homer seasons, for all you numerologists out there.

Except the more I looked at it, the more I realized that Oh had a similar non-problem. He never had one season that was wildly better than the rest. So if we’re talking 20 time-machine careers, Oh is on there. But I think I have to get Aaron in this one.

The question is which season? His one MVP was in ’57, when he was 24, and he also won a Gold Glove, so that seems like as good a place to start as any. Except I’m already seeing a few of his rookie games with my Mays selection, and I also get to see him smack a homer off Gibson in ’68.

This year, then, is the one when everyone realized that he could break Ruth’s record. Not only was it possible, but it was starting to become likely. Coming into the season, Aaron had hit 592 career homers, but he was already 37. Here’s what the list of 37-or-older players to hit 30 homers in a season looked like in 1971:

Ernie Banks, 1968 Ted Williams, 1957 Hank Sauer, 1954 Babe Ruth, 1932 and 1933 Cy Williams, 1927 If Aaron hit 30 home runs and had one of the greatest 37-or-older power displays of all time, and then he did it for three more seasons, he still would have been 41 years old and two homers short. Then you factor in the injuries that a 37-year-old full-time player should expect (and he had played 150 games the season before), and it was still a possibility. But it was far from a certainty.

Then Aaron hit 47 homers. It was his career high. He lead the National League in OPS for the third time, which was also a career high (1.079). He finished the season with 639 home runs, just 75 shy, and he had just completed what might have been the best offensive season of his career.

“Oh,” everyone said. “Oh, my.” And I want to hear that chorus get louder and louder as he just doesn’t stop.

19. Mark Fidrych, Detroit Tigers (1976) When I was younger, I was fascinated with Tiger Stadium. When I was 21 and Comerica Park was scheduled to open the following year, I tried to convince my friends to take a road trip to Detroit that summer. They were … not as enthused. So that’s a part of this. Ease my pain. Go the distance.

But the season that Fidrych had is way more important. For 31 games, 29 starts, Fidrych was a god, leading the league in complete games (24) and ERA (2.34). He finished second in the Cy Young voting, which was bunk, and he had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. If you use WAR, it was the best rookie season from a pitcher after World War I, and it wasn’t especially close.

It’s the other stuff that I’m just as interested in.

What life. What energy. You can watch the full game referenced in the above clip here if you are so inclined:

Maybe because that’s accessible, we could use this spot on Oh, or Steve Carlton when he won half of the games for a lousy Phillies team, or Hubbell in that All-Star Game, or Lou Gehrig or Frank Robinson or Lou Brock or …

Nah. I want to be in Tiger Stadium, waiting for that curtain call. I want to sit above the home dugout and think, “Is this real life? What is going on?” We have a lot of Hall of Famers to see on this tour through time, but I’m not sure if there’s a season that was more fun than Fidrych’s.

20. Fernando Valenzuela, Los Angeles Dodgers (1981) This is the only season that I was alive for, but I was busy shoving a plastic Yoda toy up my nose at the time, so it still counts. Plus I get to find 3-year-old me, grab myself by the ears, and scream, “DON’T TRY OUT FOR FOOTBALL AS A FRESHMAN. THEY’RE ALL GOING TO LAUGH AT YOU, AND YOUR ANKLE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.” Maybe mix in something about doing well in school, I don’t know.

Fernandomania was one of the best all-time vibes that baseball will ever have to offer, though, with a burgeoning 20-year-old Mexican superstar pitching for the city home to the largest Mexican diaspora in the world. Plus, if we’re going to include Cicotte because of the knuckler, then we absolutely need a screwball in there.

Sorry, Vince, but I’m gonna have to watch this 574 more times. Really sorry about this.

More bonus points: The strike was a drag, but I’ll get to watch baseball’s nutty attempt to make up for it with first-half champions and proto-wild cards. Plus, the Dodgers had to grind through two incredibly tense, compelling postseason rounds — when there was usually just one — to get to the excellent Yankees in the World Series. That’ll help make up for the loss of June and July.

While I’m sure that absolutely nobody disagrees with any of these selections, please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments. This whole idea started because I wanted to go back and watch Rod Carew in 1977, and he didn’t even make the final cut, so I get it.

The only rule is that young people who make me feel old by writing things like “I would go back and watch Tim Lincecum in 2009! I was 8, so I missed it” will be arrested. Thank you for your understanding.

* The Baltimore Sun

Orioles homer, hustle past Red Sox in 11-2 win, beating David Price at Camden Yards for first time

Nathan Ruiz

Richie Martin hasn’t gotten much chance recently to run the bases, one of several Orioles who have faced elongated slumps and hitless streaks in recent weeks. So when a bounce and a bobble gave the rookie shortstop the chance to flash his speed Friday night, he hustled all the way around the bases.

Martin provided the most electrifying moment of Friday’s 11-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox as he went the full 360 feet on an opposite-field triple and error by right fielder J.D. Martinez, an official scorer’s decision the only thing denying him the Orioles their first inside-the-park home run at Camden Yards. The second-inning sprint supplied only one of the six runs the Orioles scored off Boston left-hander David Price — the other five coming on home runs from Anthony Santander and Keon Broxton — as Price’s unblemished regular-season record in Oriole Park came to an end.

It took Martin 15.01 seconds to get around the bases, the fourth fastest home-to-home time by any player this season and the fastest by an Oriole since Statcast began tracking in 2015. Martin said he was preparing to slide into third when he saw third base coach José Flores step back and begin cranking his arm to send him home.

“You try not to miss him running because he’s just blazing fast," starting pitcher John Means said. “That kid is just so athletic and so fast. He’s just a freak athlete.”

Martin returned to the dugout to a celebration.

“Everyone was pretty hyped up,” he said. “I think that’s what’s great about this team. No matter what you’re doing, well or poorly, they’ve always got your back. They’re happy for your own success.”

Price, who has spent part or all of every season of his career pitching for American League East teams, entered Friday with an 8-0 record and 2.72 ERA in 12 starts at Camden Yards. Santander quickly dampened any chance of improvement on either mark with a three-run home run in the first inning.

Martin’s mad dash provided Baltimore’s only run over the next two innings, but Broxton slugged his first home run since June 4, a two-run shot, off Price in the fourth. In the games between homers, Broxton had only two extra-base hits and 36 strikeouts in 67 at-bats.

Martin bunted for a single on the next pitch, recording his first multi-hit contest since June 25, just a game after snapping an 0-for-24 skid. He showed his speed again in the fifth by beating out a potential inning- ending double play with the bases loaded to bring home the latter of two runs in the frame. He added a leaping catch on a line drive in the eighth to complete his all-around day.

“It’s a special defender,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "He’s unbelievably athletic. It’s so impressive the way he doesn’t take his offense to his defense and continues to really contribute defensively every game he’s in there. That’s hopefully a game to build on.”

[More from sports] Five takeaways from the Baseball America Orioles’ midseason prospect rankings » Broxton reached on an infield single during a three-run seventh for his first multi-hit game since June 14. Jonathan Villar, who hit a two-run single in the seventh to push the Orioles into double-digits, and Santander also had multiple hits, while every starting Oriole had at least one.

“For me, that was one of our better games of the year from all standpoints," Hyde said. "We pitched outstanding, we played really good defense, ran the bases well, and everybody contributed in the lineup, so it was just a fantastic game for us.”

Means does Means things Hyde said before the game that Means wasn’t likely to draw any motivation from Red Sox manager Alex Cora not using him in the All-Star Game earlier this month, noting that Means was being held back to provide length if the exhibition went extra innings.

None were needed Friday, with Means showing Cora he would’ve been valuable in regulation, too. Coming off his worst outing since rejoining the rotation in late April, Means bounced back with a quality start, allowing two runs in six innings. In four starts against Boston, the left-hander has a 2.35 ERA.

“Did what John Means has done all year,” Hyde said. "Keep guys off balance. I love that he flashed more breaking balls tonight and located his fastball and gave us six great innings.”

The only damage came when Sam Travis tagged Means for a two-run home run in the second, the fourth longball Means had allowed in eight innings out of the All-Star break, but Means retired the next nine Red Sox. He finished his outing with four scoreless frames to bring his ERA back to 2.95.

Richard Bleier, Jimmy Yacabonis and Miguel Castro pitched scoreless innings behind him, with Hyde calling Castro’s performance "the best Miguel Castro’s thrown for me all year.”

* Associated Press

Orioles hit 2 HRs off Price, cruise past Red Sox 11-2

David Price was clearly uncomfortable on the mound, and it had nothing to with the sweltering conditions at swampy Camden Yards.

Price had owned the Baltimore Orioles for most of his career, yet the five-time All-Star just wasn't himself this time against the team with the worst record in the big leagues.

Anthony Santander and Keon Broxton went deep against Boston's crafty left-hander, and the Orioles got six solid innings from rookie left-hander John Means in an 11-2 rout on Friday night.

Price (7-3) allowed six runs, eight hits and a walk in four innings to take his first loss in 13 starts since April 27. He was 8-0 in Baltimore and 16-5 lifetime against the Orioles before turning in a surprisingly ineffective performance.

"I didn't have very good fastball command, no command of anything really," Price said.

He insisted that the 96-degree heat was not the problem.

"It's something everyone had to deal with," Price said. "No, it wasn't an issue with me. I prepared for it."

Sam Travis homered for the Red Sox, who had won 14 of their previous 16 road games. Boston dropped 11 games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East, matching the biggest deficit of the season for the defending champions.

Red Sox leadoff hitter Mookie Betts had his streak of scoring in 13 straight games come to an end, one short of breaking the franchise record he now shares with Ted Williams (1946).

Means (8-5), the Orioles' lone representative on the AL All-Star team, gave up two runs and four hits. Facing the highest-scoring team in the majors, Means issued only one walk and retired nine straight batters after allowing the second-inning homer to Travis.

Put that together with a 14-hit attack, and you've got one happy manager.

"For me, that was one of our better games of the year, from all standpoints," Orioles rookie manager Brandon Hyde said. "We pitched outstanding, we played really good defense, ran the bases well and everybody contributed in the lineup. It was just a fantastic game for us."

Price, making his first start since renewing his feud with retired Red Sox star and current broadcaster Dennis Eckersley, struggled from the outset. The 2012 Cy Young Award winner gave up a single and a walk in the first inning before Santander sent a 2-2 fastball over the center field wall.

"I made some mistakes early on in the first inning and I paid for it," Price lamented.

Means opened the second with a walk and Travis followed with his first home of the year and second of his career.

In the bottom half, Richie Martin hit a liner off the right-field scoreboard. J.D. Martinez chased down the rebound as Martin was zipping around the bases, and after Martinez failed to cleanly pick up the ball, Martin raced for home and scored with a head-first slide.

The hit was ruled a triple, with Martinez getting an error.

Price avoided damage in the third, but Broxton made it 6-2 with a two-run drive to left in the fourth.

It took Price 88 pitches to get 12 outs. In his previous three games, he threw 93 in six innings and 99 and 113 pitches in a pair of five-inning stints.

"It's been a grind -- the foul balls, the long at-bats, getting to the pitch count," manager Joey Cora said. "We have to figure out if we can do something else so he can get big outs."

After Price left, Baltimore continued the onslaught against the Boston bullpen. It was the Orioles' second straight blowout win -- they beat Washington 9-2 on Wednesday.

FAMILIAR FACE

Andrew Cashner returned to Camden Yards just five days after being traded to the Red Sox for a pair of 17-year-old prospects. He will start on Sunday.

"I think this will be the hottest start I've made this year, but it'll be nice to face some of the guys I was with for a year and a half," Cashner said.

SLUMPING SMITH

Orioles OF Dwight Smith Jr. got the night off while mired in an 0-for-July skid that's reached 30 at-bats and dropped his batting average from .255 to .230. "They're making adjustments to him," Hyde said. "Pitchers are pitching him a little bit differently, and now it's his turn to make the adjustment back."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Red Sox: RHP Nathan Eovaldi is expected to come off the 60-day IL on Saturday after missing three months with an elbow injury. Although he appeared as a starter in all four of his games in April, the 29- year-old will return as a member of the bullpen, possibly the closer.

Orioles: Catcher Pedro Severino has spent much of the week battling a flu-like illness, so C Austin Wynns was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to back up starter Chance Sisco.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: Rick Porcello (7-7, 5.37 ERA) starts Saturday night, looking to improve his career 6-12 record against Baltimore.

Orioles: Rookie RHP Tom Eshelman (0-1, 5.06) makes his third career start. The previous two came against Tampa Bay.