red sox

Red Sox minor league roundup: Reassessing Allen Webster’s big league readiness; Blake Swihart injured; Mookie Betts dazzles

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:18:02 +0000

Right-hander Allen Webster once again proved all but unhittable but struggled to find the strike zone. (AP)

This isn’t the same Allen Webster who opened eyes in spring training.

The right-hander currently in Triple-A Pawtucket bears some important similarities to the pitcher who showed off-the-charts stuff down in the Grapefruit League. His stuff verges on unhittable at times, as when he allowed one hit (a single) and permitted just two balls out of the infield in five innings on Sunday while punching out seven and getting swings and misses on 15 of his 92 offerings. Certainly, his 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings and .158 opponents’ batting average along with a 2.40 ERA are eye-openers. The pitch mix is electric.

But whereas his improved command in spring training — highlighted by a 14-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate — was one of the biggest show stoppers in camp, Webster’s command has regressed recently in Pawtucket.

Sunday underscored the trend. Webster was filthy out of the gate, retiring the first 11 batters he faced in order. However, he then allowed five of the next six batters he faced to reach, walking four of them in the process and missing the strike zone badly with a number of pitches. As a result, on a day when he had incredible stuff, Webster managed to work just five innings while throwing 92 pitches (48 for strikes — just 52 percent).

He’s now walked nine batters in his last 10 innings. In 30 innings in Triple-A this year, he’s walked 15 batters, a rate of 4.5 per nine innings. As much as the 23-year-old’s extraordinary stuff and ability to get both swings and misses and tons of grounders creates general enthusiasm about his big league future, the fact that he has dominant major league stuff does not necessarily mean he’s major league ready. After all, with his current command and pitch efficiency issues, Webster confronts some of the same issues that have been areas of concern for left-hander Felix Doubront. In eight starts this year between Triple-A and the majors, he’s worked more than five innings just twice.

The temptation when seeing a remarkable talent such as Webster is to focus on his ceiling. But it will take time before he is capable of scraping it.

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 11-3 WIN VS. INDIANAPOLIS (PIRATES)

(BOX)

– Chris Martin contributed two scoreless innings, bringing his total number of shutout innings this year to 26 — 21 in Double-A, and five in Triple-A. Opponents are 2-for-14 against the 26-year-old in Triple-A.

– For the first time since April 27, Jackie Bradley Jr. was in the outfield, playing center on Sunday. He’d been limited to DH duties while managing his sore biceps at the end of April prior to landing on the DL for that condition. Bradley went 1-for-4 with a walk, and he’s hitting .300 with a .413 OBP in 13 games with the PawSox.

– Jeremy Hazelbaker went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base (along with two strikeouts). Here are his year-by-year lines in full-season ball:

2010 (Single-A Greenville): .267/.360/.455, 63 steals, 12 homers

2011 (High-A Salem, Double-A Portland): .269/.360/.445, 47 steals, 17 homers

2012 (Double-A Portland, Triple-A Pawtucket): .273/.335/.472, 36 steals, 19 homers

2013 (Triple-A Pawtucket): .285/.358/.446, 12 steals, 5 homers

In other words, the 25-year-old is showing a fairly consistent track record across levels. His high swing-and-miss rates and the fact that he’s probably limited defensively to the outfield corners might have played into the fact that he didn’t get taken in the Rule 5 draft a year ago, but if he continues to perform at this level in Triple-A this year, it will be hard for teams in need of outfield help to ignore him again — if the Sox don’t protect him themselves on the 40-man roster.

DOUBLE-A PORTLAND SEA DOGS: 8-5 LOSS VS. BINGHAMTON (METS)

(BOX)

– Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-5 with a double. After not collecting any extra-base hits in his first 10 games of the year, the 20-year-old now has 13 (seven doubles, four triples, two homers) in his last 24 games, ranking fifth in the Eastern League in the category since April 17, with a line of .323/.411/.542 in that time.

– Left-hander Drake Britton gave up six runs (including a season-high five earned runs) while matching a season-high with seven hits allowed in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two, struck out four and got swings and misses on 10 of his 90 pitches. Britton’s ERA is now 4.79 for the year, and by and large, he’s showing improvement in pitching ahead in the count with reduced walk rates this year (3.4 per nine, compared to 4.0 per nine last year) while also working regularly into the sixth inning. Still, at a time when the left-hander is in his second year on the 40-man roster and when others in the organization — Brandon Workman, Anthony Ranaudo, Matt Barnes and Henry Owens, to name a few — who have yet to make it to the 40-man roster are on more accelerated developmental tracks with clearer long-term likelihoods of futures as big league starters, there will come a point where the Sox will need to see Britton dominate for a stretch in the upper levels if he is to figure into the team’s future as a rotation member.

– Outfielder Pete Hissey went 2-for-5 with a double and triple, improving to 7-for-18 with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two triples) in his last four games. The 23-year-old is hitting .293/.370/.402 in his return to Double-A Portland, a considerable uptick over his .250/.298/.331 line of a year ago.

HIGH-A SALEM RED SOX: 6-4 LOSS VS. FREDERICK (ORIOLES)

(BOX)

– Catcher Blake Swihart suffered a disconcerting injury, getting hit on the head by a backswing. Swihart, who went 1-for-3 on Sunday, said via twitter that he did not suffer a concussion but did require three staples. He offered a kind of gross picture of his head wound on Instagram.

– Right-hander Noe Ramirez continued his promising showing as a reliever, tossing two scoreless innings in which he allowed one hit, didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. In his last eight appearances, the 23-year-old now has a 2.08 ERA with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 17 1/3 innings. Given his low arm slot, it’s not terribly surprising to see pronounced splits for the 2011 fourth-rounder. Lefties are hitting .350/.395/.475 against him, while righties have a .231/.281/.327 line. Still, he has a swing-and-miss changeup that lends itself to the possibility of effectiveness against hitters of both handedness.

– Third baseman Garin Cecchini went 1-for-3 and got hit by a pitch. He’s reached base in 11 straight games, with the 22-year-old pacing the Carolina League by huge margins in average (.381; second-best is .331), OBP (.478; second-best is .422) and slugging (.657; second-best is .549).

SINGLE-A GREENVILLE DRIVE: 9-7 LOSS VS. CHARLESTON (YANKEES)

(BOX)

– Daily Feats of Mookie: Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. He now has a 14-game hitting streak during which he’s raised his average from .145 to .264, elevated his OBP from .340 to .418 and nearly doubled his slugging percentage — thanks to five homers and six doubles among his 23 hits — from .263 to .496. On the year, he has nearly as many extra-base hits (15) as he does strikeouts (16), and he has more than twice as many walks (35) as he does strikeouts.

As explored at greater length in Sunday’s roundup, Betts’ offensive profile to date this year is unlike that of anyone else in the minors in 2013. While in a less-than-two-month sample (meaning, it may be little more than a mirage), he’s combining skills in games in a way that is rarely seen at any level of professional baseball.

– Shortstop Jose Vinicio went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, his first game this year with multiple extra-base hits. (He had two such games last year, also in Single-A Greenville.) Both of the doubles came against lefties, against whom the switch-hitter had struggled to date in 2013. Entering the game, he was 2-for-29 with no extra-base hits or walks against southpaws.

This marks the second straight year in which Vinicio has struggled significantly against lefties. In 2012, he hit .305/.347/.396 against right-handed pitchers but just .203/.247/.304 against lefties.

– Right-hander Justin Haley matched a season-high with six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings as a piggyback starter behind Austin Maddox. In two long relief outings since being moved into the piggyback role, Haley has allowed one run in six innings (1.50 ERA) while striking out eight and walking four. Those numbers compare favorably to the 21-year-old’s work in six starts preceding that, when he had a 6.66 ERA, 27 strikeouts and 28 walks in 25 2/3 innings.

– Austin Maddox, a 2012 second-rounder, continued to struggle in his first full pro season. He allowed nine hits (including two homers) in 4 2/3 innings while giving up five runs, striking out three and walking two. He’s yielded five or more runs in four of his last five outings. While he has a solid 31-to-12 strikeout-to-walk rate in 35 1/3 innings, he’s already permitted eight homers (2.0 per nine innings) with opponents hitting .342 against him.

Blog Author:

Alex Speier

Monday’s Red Sox-White Sox matchups: Jon Lester vs. Dylan Axelrod

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:25:55 +0000

Jon Lester

The undefeated Jon Lester will vie for his seventh win of the season Monday night as the Red Sox take on the White Sox for the first time in 2013. Dylan Axelrod will get the start for Chicago in the first game of the three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.

The success of Lester in 2013 is a huge reason why the Red Sox are in the mix for the division lead through 44 games. The ace of the Boston staff has rebounded exceptionally from his disappointing 2012 season and comes into Monday’s game with a 6-0 record and 2.72 ERA. Through nine starts, Lester is putting up numbers that are reminiscent of his great 2010 season, in which he made the All-Star team and finished fourth in Cy Young voting.

Lester faltered a bit at the end of April, allowing more than three runs in a start for the first time in 2013 back on April 30 against Toronto, giving up six runs on six hits to the Jays. But Lester got back on track in a big way, throwing a complete-game, one-hit shutout the next time he took on Toronto. Lester notched his sixth win of the year his last time out, allowing two runs on eight hits to the Rays while striking out five batters in seven innings. With those five strikeouts, Lester now has 1,110 on his career, moving him past Josh Beckett for fifth place on the team’s all-time strikeout list.

“That’s pretty cool. It’s not something that you play for,” Lester said of the feat. “I play to win games and hopefully win the World Series. If it just so happens along the way your name moves along those lists, then great. … It’s an honor to be with those names that I’m sure are still ahead of me, and hopefully I can keep pitching, and hopefully we can bring more World Series here.”

Dylan Axelrod

The White Sox have given Lester some trouble in the past, scoring 32 runs in 55 1/3 innings off of the Sox lefty, good for a 5.20 ERA in nine starts. Lester lasted only four innings in his last outing against the White Sox back in July 2012, giving up six runs on seven hits. The start came in a string of three outings in which Lester couldn’t get past the fifth inning. However, the first time he saw Chicago in 2012, Lester got the better of the White Sox lineup, throwing seven innings of shutout ball. But if there’s one batter Lester will have to be careful with in this Chicago lineup, it’s Paul Konerko. The power-hitting first baseman has 10 hits in 23 career at-bats against Lester, with six of those going for extra bases.

Lester will be matched up against Axelrod, who is 1-3 with a 4.27 ERA. The righty finally earned his first win of 2013 in his last outing, his eighth start of the year, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on a season-high nine hits to the Twins.

The 27-year-old Axelrod is in the midst of his first full season in the majors, spending his first month of last season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. The Red Sox have not seen much of Axelrod in his three years with the White Sox. He appeared in two games against the Sox in 2012 (one start and one relief appearance), allowing 10 hits and two runs in nine innings while striking out 10.

Axelrod doesn’t have overpowering stuff, with his fastball velocity sitting around 87-89 mph. He also uses a slider, curveball and changeup. He owns a 1.317 WHIP and an even 2.00 strikeout to walk rate on the year.

Red Sox vs. Axelrod (RHP)

Pedro Ciriaco (3): 1.000 AVG/1.000 OBP/1.333 SLG, 1 double

Jacoby Ellsbury (3): .000/.000/.000, 1 strikeout

Will Middlebrooks (3): .000/.000/.000, 2 strikeouts

David Ortiz (3): .333/.333/.333, 1 strikeout

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (3): .000/.000/.000, 2 strikeouts

Mike Napoli (2): .000/.500/.000, 1 walk

Dustin Pedroia (1): 1.000/1.000/1.000

Mike Carp, Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Lavarnway, Daniel Nava and Shane Victorino have not faced Axelrod.

White Sox vs. Lester (LHP)

Alex Rios (42): .237/.310/.289, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts

Paul Konerko (26): .435/.500/.957, 3 HR, 3 doubles, 7 RBI, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts

Alexei Ramirez (24): .227/.292/.273, 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

Casper Wells (11): .000/.091/.000, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Adam Dunn (9): .167/.444/.167, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts

Alejandro De Aza (8): .286/.375/.571, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Dayan Viciedo (8): .375/.375/.875, 1 HR, 1 double, 2 RBI, 3 strikeouts

Tyler Flowers (3): .333/.333/.333, 1 strikeout

Jeff Keppinger (2): .500/.500/.500, 1 strikeout

Blog Author:

Katie Morrison

Red Sox-White Sox series preview

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:58:31 +0000

The Red Sox will make their first (and only) trip of the season to Chicago to take on the White Sox for a three-game set beginning Monday night. The Red Sox begin the day with a 27-17 record, a half-game behind the Yankees, who were rained out on Sunday.

White Sox outfielder Alex Rios, here being congratulated by third-base coach Joe McEwing after hitting a home run in Friday's win over the Angels, brings a 14-game hitting streak into the series against the Red Sox. (AP)

Apparently, all it took to get the Red Sox back on track was a little road trip. After a disappointing homestand in which they went 2-5, the Sox dropped the first game of the trip to the Rays but took the last two games of that series and moved on to sweep the Twins in a three-game set. The most recent five-game winning streak is the third time the 2013 Sox have won five or more in a row, with their longest streak (seven) coming in mid-April.

The White Sox are off to a frustrating start after finishing second in the American League Central a year ago. Chicago comes into the series with a 19-23 record, percentage points ahead of the last-place Twins. The good news for the White Sox is that the race for the division lead is a tight one. Despite being close to the cellar, they’re only six games behind Terry Francona’s Indians, who sit in first with a 25-17 record. The White Sox are opening an eight-game homestand after going 4-3 on a road trip.

It’s fair to say that the White Sox offense has been a big part of why the team hasn’t gotten off to a great start. The lineup ranks third from the bottom in OPS, tied for third worst in runs scored, and 26th in batting average amongst all major league clubs. But slugger Adam Dunn anticipates that better fortune is on the horizon. “We are pretty close to getting really hot,” Dunn said after the Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Angels. “”We swung the bats pretty well, excluding [Sunday].” He did note, however, that the club would need to put runs on the board with Boston in town.

Here are the pitching matchups for the three-game series.

Monday: Jon Lester (6-0, 2.72) vs. Dylan Axelrod (1-3, 4.27)
Tuesday: Felix Doubront (3-1, 6.03) vs. Jose Quintana (2-1, 3.97)
Wednesday: Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.78) vs. Chris Sale (5-2, 2.53)

WHO’S HOT: RED SOX

• The Red Sox bullpen has been fairing pretty well without the team’s two closers, Joel Hanrahan (flexor tendon and Tommy John surgery) and Andrew Bailey (biceps inflammation). During the first six games of the road trip, Red Sox relievers have allowed only one run over the course of 20 innings, good for a 0.45 ERA.

• David Ortiz has gotten back on track after having a quiet homestand. The designated hitter is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, batting .429 over the course of those games while driving in 12 runs. Ortiz had a huge game on Saturday night, driving in half of Boston’s 12 runs and knocking two home runs, notching his 40th multi-home run game and passing Ted Williams for the most in Red Sox history.

WHO’S HOT: WHITE SOX

• Much like in 2012, Alex Rios is one of the most consistent hitters in the White Sox lineup. The outfielder is hitting .301 on the season and riding a 14-game hitting streak, batting .386 over that span. Rios has shown some power early as well, clubbing 10 home runs, one triple and nine doubles in 42 games. Rios leads the team in batting average (among qualifiers), OPS and RBI.

• Lleft fielder Dayan Viciedo, a 24-year-old in his second year playing full-time for Chicago, also is off to an impressive start. Viciedo saw his average fall to .288 after an 0-for-4 day on Sunday, but he still owns a 344 OBP with four home runs. Viciedo isn’t the only young White Sox to be making an impact; third baseman Conor Gillaspie is enjoying his first season with Chicago, batting .283 with a .349 OBP. The 25-year-old also has 10 extra-base hits on the season, including three home runs.

WHO’S NOT: RED SOX

• Utility infielder Pedro Ciriaco has been struggling, both on defense and with the bat. Ciriaco has expanded his versatility and is capable of playing most infield and outfield positions (though third base, shortstop and second base are the positions he’s most experienced playing), but he’s already made six errors in 103 innings. The 27-year-old made only nine errors in over 500 innings last season. Ciriaco’s bat hasn’t gotten going yet, either, as he’s batting .184 after an 0-for-4 day Sunday, starting in place of the injured Stephen Drew.

• Though John Lackey had an excellent start on Sunday (no earned runs through six innings while allowing only one hit), the back end of the rotation has been inconsistent as of late. While Lester and Buchholz have continued to be effective in almost every outing, Ryan Dempster, Doubront and Lackey have been hot and cold. The No. 3, 4 and 5 starters have a collective 5.80 ERA in the month of May over their last 59 innings.

WHO’S NOT: WHITE SOX

• The White Sox were relatively quiet in the offseason, but one of their only acquisitions, infielder Jeff Keppinger, has been very disappointing. Keppinger is batting only .197, even after a 2-for-3 day on Sunday. Even more frustrating is that fact that Keppinger, who boasted a .367 OBP for the Rays in 2012, is only getting on base at a .205 clip this season, taking only his second walk of the year on Sunday. Add in a meager .218 slugging percentage, and Keppinger’s OPS is .423 in 36, the lowest among qualifiers.

• First baseman/designated hitter Paul Konerko is having a rough beginning to 2013, coming into the game batting .224/.280/.340. The 37-year-old had been heating up, going 6-for-17 on Chicago’s homestand, but went hitless on Sunday afternoon. Konerko does have four home runs and five doubles, but the power stroke has eluded him lately. He hasn’t hit a home run since April 28 or a double since May 4. The longtime White Sox first baseman is adjusting to splitting time between playing in the field and DHing, serving as the designated hitter in about half of his games this season.

Blog Author:

Katie Morrison

Why Andrew Bailey might save Red Sox, in more ways than one

Rob Bradford — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:35:20 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS -- The non-waiver trade deadline is 73 days away, but the conversation is worth starting.

Three-hour rain delay was a piece of cake for Red Sox

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:56:16 +0000

Few stuck around for the entire three-hour rain delay at Target Field. (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS — It could have been a lot worse for the Red Sox, just ask the players and coaches on the Rangers and White Sox who sat through a 7-hour, 23-minute delay on Aug. 12, 1990. (Hat tip to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.)

Sunday, the Sox and Twins had to weather a three-hour delay, ultimately finishing up with a 5-1 win for John Farrell’s team, along with a series sweep. As was the case in that game at Comiskey Park, just a few hundred Target Field fans stuck around to witness the final outcome.

The answers for what the Red Sox did while waiting in the visitors clubhouse and dugout weren’t mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination. For instance, John Lackey relayed that he passed the time (with others) by watching the movie ‘The Sandlot,’ which was being showcased (with attendance from a few of the actors) to celebrate it’s 20th anniversary.

(Note: At the time the game re-started, there were inarguably more fans at the table getting autographs from ‘The Sandlot’ cast members than there were in the entire outfield seats.)

“Watched ‘Sandlot,’ hadn’t seen that in awhile, so that was solid,” the pitcher said.

Dustin Pedroia’s choice to pass the time?

“I was just walking around hanging out,” said the second baseman. “Basically it. It was pouring, so you kind of have that in the back of your mind that you’d not’ know if you’re going to continue to pay, so you got to try to stay focused.”

Regardless of what activities took place in between the 4:30 p.m. (eastern time) and 7:30 p.m., Red Sox manager John Farrell said there was no concern that his team would be ready to play for the final 2 1/2 innings.

“This group? That’s built-in,” said Farrell when asked about the team’s focus. “We obviously all had to wait three hours. But a number of guys were in the dugout for probably half of that time. Updates were being given as best we could relay it. This is a group that, their focus is to play the game. Even with a three-hour rain delay, they were raring to go. They love the game. They love to play it. Keeping this group focused, I’m not going to say is not an issue, but the game is clearly a priority to all of them.”

And while the Red Sox did run into some trouble when Koji Uehara loaded the bases in the eighth, the reliever managed to escape the jam by striking out and proceeding to hug his catcher and then go through the visitors dugout to deliver a series of intense high-fives.

It took a while, but it all worked out for the Red Sox in the end.

“Glad we got it in,” Farrell said. “Whatever it took to finish out this win, we were here for.”

Blog Author:

Rob Bradford

John Lackey postgame guest after the last game of the Minnesota series

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:53:00 +0000

Joe Castiglione talked with John Lackey after he picked up the W against the Twins. Lackey threw seven innings, and retired the 1st twelve batters of the game.

[0:00:00] ... I thank John Lackey congratulations that was really an outstanding performance you were just about perfect. I held about it felt pretty good guys play really good defense but I've got some. Although ...
[0:00:35] ... balls close location to your fastball. Yeah -- for -- located fastball Rick Warren. Alaska says. Felt pretty good just measles -- -- -- And that was during the rain delay. I'll watch a little -- we've lost to Sam -- who aren't in the it's of up yesterday and that's about it. ...

John Lackey postgame guest after the last game of the Minnesota series

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:50:00 +0000

Joe Castiglione talked with John Lackey after he picked up the W against the Twins. Lackey threw seven innings, and retired the 1st twelve batters of the game.

[0:00:00] ... I thank John Lackey congratulations that was really an outstanding performance you were just about perfect. I held about it felt pretty good guys play really good defense but I've got some. Balls are hit pretty hard out we -- -- -- though there's some of those guys that's team went. Why are you glad. Retired everybody to the ...

Sox weather three-hour delay for sweep

Rob Bradford — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:28:58 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS – The Red Sox have certainly used the last week wisely when it comes to turning around perception.

The Sox closed out their three-game trip to Target Field with a 5-1 win over the Twins, sweeping the series and extending their win streak to five games. The game was complete with a three-hour rain delay, leaving a couple of hundred people in the stands when the teams came back out for the home half of the seventh inning.

Closing Time: Red Sox weather three-hour rain delay to sweep Twins

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:27:55 +0000

John Lackey

MINNEAPOLIS – The Red Sox have certainly used the last week wisely when it comes to turning around perception.

It was the Red Sox’ fourth series sweep of the season, having managed just three sweeps in all of 2012.

John Farrell’s team, which has now won six of their seven road series, was paced this time by starter John Lackey. Lackey rebounded from his worst outing of the season – a five-run, nine-hit performance that stretched just 4 1/3 innings – to limit the Twins to just one hit over six innings, striking out five and not walking a batter.

The Red Sox starter was set to go beyond just six frames, having thrown 84 pitches, but the rain came, forcing the players off the field as Lackey was warming up for the seventh inning.

The bizarre day was capped in the ninth inning when Dustin Pedroia hit his second home run of the season, with this one being propelled off left fielder Josh Willingham’s wrist (jumping to catch the ball) and over the fence for a two-run blast. The pitch Pedroia hi was a neck-high, 92 mph fastball from Minnesota reliever Jared Burton.

Every Red Sox player, except Pedro Ciriaco, collected at least one hit.

Here is what went right (and wrong) in the Red Sox’ 27th win (27-17):

WHAT WENT RIGHT

- Shane Victorino made his presence felt immediately upon returning from a back ailment. The outfielder – who was filling in for Jacoby Ellsbury in center field and in the leadoff spot – singled in his first at-bat and walked in the third. The free pass ultimately led to the Sox’ second run, coming in on Dustin Pedroia’s roller to third. Victorino also stole his fourth base of the season.

- Will Middlebrooks kept moving in the right direction, launching a solo homer in the second for the Sox’ first run. The third baseman came into the game hitting .286 with eight extra-base hits in his last nine games.

- Mike Napoli helped the Sox’ collect their third run, punctuating back-to-back-to-back singles in the fifth inning for his 35th RBI

- Pedroia extended his hit streak to 11 games thanks to a fifth-inning single. He entered the game hitting .475 (19-for-40) over the course of his stretch, having managed multiple hit outings in seven of the 10 games.

- Reliever Andrew Miller continued to impress, this time coming on after the rain-delay to pitch a perfect seventh inning. In his last 13 outings, Miller has only turned in one appearance in which he surrendered a run, striking out 17 and walking just two.

- Koji Uehara got into some trouble in the eighth, loading the bases. But the righty proceeded to strikeout Joe Mauer to kill the threat, leading to an enormous embrace for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia just outside the dugout along the subsequent round of high-intensity high-fives.

WHAT WENT WRONG

- David Ortiz wasn’t able to score from second on Daniel Nava’s single to deep center field with one out in the fifth inning, holding up while waiting to see if Aaron Hicks was going to make the grab. The ball, however, went off the outfielder’s glove, bouncing to the wall and leaving the Red Sox with the bases loaded. It would be the last batter Minnesota starter Pedro Hernandez would face, with the Red Sox leaving the frame without any more runs after a Will Middlebrooks’ pop-up and Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounder to first.

- Lackey saw his no-hitter broken up when Trevor Plouffe lined a double into left field to kick off the fifth inning. It was the first time since July 22, 2010 he had gotten through the first four innings without surrendering a hit, with the previous occasion before that coming against the Red Sox in ’08.

- The Twins scored their first run thanks to an errant throw from Pedro Ciriaco on what should have been an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The ball sailed wide of first baseman Napoli (deflecting into the midsection of baserunner Chris Parmelee, who was on the ground recovering for a bit), allowing Plouffe to come in from third. It made it 3-1 Red Sox. It marked the 13th unearned run of the season for the Red Sox, five of which have come with Lackey pitching.

- Through seven innings, the Red Sox were just 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position, having stranded eight.

Blog Author:

Rob Bradford

Red Sox, Twins in rain delay

Rob Bradford — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS — The Red Sox and Twins are in a rain delay that began at 4:30 eastern time.

The delay occurred with the Sox holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Twins scheduled to bat. It is the ninth rain delay in the history Target Field.

Check back for updates …

Red Sox, Twins in rain delay in seventh inning

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:30:51 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS — The Red Sox and Twins are in a rain delay that began at 4:30 eastern time.

The delay occurred with the Sox holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Twins scheduled to bat. It is the ninth rain delay in the history Target Field.

Check back for updates …

Blog Author:

Rob Bradford

Should the conversation start regarding Dustin Pedroia playing 162 games?

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:02:49 +0000

Dustin Pedroia

MINNEAPOLIS – There have been six occasions where a Red Sox players has played in every single one of his team’s regular season games since the schedule was expanded to 162 game — Jim Rice (1978), Bill Buckner (’85), George Scott (’66), Carl Yastrzemski (’69) and Dwight Evans, who did it both in ’82 and ’84.

Could Dustin Pedroia be next? He is, after all, the last man standing on the Red Sox who has played in every one of the team’s games this season after the only other candidate, Jacoby Ellsbury, received Sunday off.

“I don’t have goals,” Pedroia reminded. “I’m just trying to play today. I’ll worry about tomorrow if we wake up. Day by day by day by day. That’s it.”

Pedroia has come close before, playing in 159 games in ’11. It is, however, traditionally an elusive feat for many in baseball with managers attempting to counteract the wear and tear that comes with this day and age of baseball.

Last season, there were four players – Starlin Castro, Prince Fielder, Adam Jones, Ichiro Suzuki – who never took a day off.

“Pedey will fight that one tooth and nail,” said Red Sox manager regarding the possibility of sitting Pedroia down for a day. “He’s the last man standing right now,and that’s probably the way he likes it.

“If it comes to that, he and I will set down and talk. As well as he’s playing, as good as he feels, as headstrong as he can be with not wanting to come out, all that is taken into account. … Pedey is the heartbeat of this team, and you don’t want to cutout the heart.”

Blog Author:

Rob Bradford

Drew: 'I don't plan on sitting out much longer'

Rob Bradford — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:22:06 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS — Stephen Drew was out of the Red Sox’ lineup for a second straight game after aggravating his back during an eighth-inning slide. The shortstop was optimistic, however, regarding the possibility of returning within the next few days.

Stephen Drew: ‘I don’t plan on sitting out too much longer’

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:19:53 +0000

Stephen Drew

“I hope so. I don’t plan on sitting out much longer,” said Drew when asked if believed a return was imminent. “I know I needed that day [Saturday], and then we have the quick turnaround [Sunday afternoon]. Give it one more day and hopefully it kind of settles down and we get back after it.”

Drew described as a “hyperextension on my spine,” having slid in awkwardly while legging out a double.

For May, the shortstop is hitting .321 with a .969 OPS. He was replaced in the lineup by Pedro Ciriaco, who collected a pair of hits while subbing Saturday.

“It’s not so much a surprise as it is being cautious because it’s your back,” Drew said. “Yesterday going into the cage, throwing and trying to do that motion, it wasn’t feeling so good. Throwing more so than the hitting, twisting and stuff. I actually threw first to see how that felt and it was just in the same place I felt it the night before.”

Blog Author:

Rob Bradford

John Farrell pregame before the last game of the Minnesota series

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Dave O'Brien talked to John Farrell before the end of the Twins series. The Sox skipper said that Big Papi's success is no surprise given his work ethic.

[0:01:12] ... and and other guys to contribute in that way. Let's talk about Dustin Pedroia a little bit I know is when your favorite subjects in for very good reason but big poppy was on star of the game show last night he said at times it's like there were three. Dustin Pedroia is on the field the same time in this series it's feeling that way. He's impacted the game and he does seemingly ...
[0:03:03] ... the lineup Saturday. Go go go back to the fifth inning and Ryan Dempster is on amount obviously scuffling six walks in the contest. You left them in the ballgame to trying get through that it ...

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