BoSox Injection » Conor Duffy

Ciriaco, Iglesias Key Red Sox In Come-From-Behind 7-4 Win

Conor Duffy — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:54:58 +0000

Any win is nice, but wins like today’s 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians was a little bit nicer than the rest. The Red Sox were behind all game, but came back with some key contributions from unlikely contributors. The pitching matchup looked like a favorable one for the Red Sox coming in with Jon Lester (6-1, 3.15) squaring off against Scott Kazmir (2-2, 6.35). However, Lester struggled a bit while Kazmir looked like he was in 2007 form back when he was one of two good players for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Carl Crawford being the other).

The Indians took an early lead in the first inning on a pair of two-out hits by Asdrubal Cabrera and Nick Swisher. Lester got through the second inning on 13 pitches, but he struggled mightily in the third inning. He tossed 36 pitches (20 for strikes), allowing the Indians to score twice on three hits, a walk, and a hit batter in the inning. After the third, however, Lester was on top of his game. He was rolling along up until John Farrell inexplicably left him in for the seventh inning with 104 pitches under his belt. Lester threw 20 more in the inning, and allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate on a wild pitch.

May 25, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Pedro Ciriaco (23) hits an RBI single during the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Luckily for Lester, however, the Red Sox bats never let him get too far behind. After being burned in a similar fashion in the first, the Red Sox strung together a two-out rally of their own. Jose Iglesias singled on a dribbler to the left side of the infield and then advanced to second on a balk. He was driven in on a sharp single to center for Pedro Ciriaco, who had himself a nice 3-4 day with a run and an RBI to improve his slash line to .227/.314/.386 on the season.

The Red Sox scored again in the fourth on a Jose Iglesias double to cut the Indians’ lead to 3-2. They then tied it in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly to center field by Jonny Gomes. However, the true heroics came off Indians’ setup man Vinny Pestano in the bottom of the eighth inning after Lester’s (Farrell’s) miscues had allowed the Indians to take a 4-3 lead.

Jose Iglesias grounded out to lead off the inning, but Pedro Ciriaco played the part of the leadoff man as he stroked a double over the head of a confused Michael Brantley in left field. Jacoby Ellsbury‘s strikeout complicated matters, but Farrell made up for his earlier mistake with a good decision, pinch-hitting Mike Carp for Jonny Gomes. On the first pitch he saw, Carp drove the ball off the monster in left field. He would quickly come in to score on Dustin Pedroia‘s second double of the day to give the Red Sox a 5-4 lead. The Red Sox went on to load the bases for Daniel Nava, who hit a pop-up to left which somehow fell for a two-run single to give the Red Sox a 7-4 lead.

That lead would be more than enough for Andrew Bailey, who was sharp after allowing a leadoff single to a pinch-hitting Michael Bourn. He struck out another pinch-hitter in Jason Kipnis and then induced a pop out and a fly out from Mike Aviles and Asdrubal Cabrera, respectively. Bailey would convert his seventh save of the year and fifth in a row. All in all a good win, and the Red Sox now have at least a tied series but will go for the 3-1 series win in tomorrow’s ballgame.

Middlebrooks, Victorino To DL; Iglesias, Aceves, Ross Recalled

Conor Duffy — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:02:02 +0000

In today’s headlines, we saw the Red Sox make a flurry of changes between Boston, Pawtucket, and the disabled list. Will Middlebrooks (back spasms) and Shane Victorino (sore hamstring) will head to the 15-day disabled list while David Ross comes off the disabled list. He had been on there ever since he and Middlebrooks had that concussion two weeks ago. Ross’s call-up means that the Red Sox optioned Ryan Lavarnway to Triple-A and called up Alfredo Aceves and Jose Iglesias from Triple-A.

Apr 1, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias (10) reaches on an infield single allowing a runner to score during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Without Victorino and Middlebrooks, the Red Sox will have to re-arrange their lineup in some potentially interesting ways. Much like they did during Victorino’s previous stint on the DL, Mike Carp (.277/.333/.596, 2 home runs, 8 RBIs) and Jonny Gomes (.186/.339/.302, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs) will see quite a bit more playing time, and likely platoon. The interesting part of the new-look lineup is the third base job, as the Red Sox don’t have much depth behind Middlebrooks. They will turn to Jose Iglesias at the position, keeping Stephen Drew at shortstop despite Iglesias’s superior range. Iglesias has played all of one game at third in his professional career but, as an excellent shortstop, should be able to handle it.

The addition of Alfredo Aceves to the bullpen will give the Red Sox another long-man. Clayton Mortensen was roughed up last night (5 earned runs in 2 innings) and has generally not been good this year with a 5.25 ERA and 14 walks in 14 innings pitched. For what it’s worth, Aceves pitched well in Triple-A through 4 starts with a 3.13 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 23 innings. If Felix Doubront continues to struggle, then Aceves will put some pressure on the young lefty if nothing else.

The Red Sox season has been riddled with injuries so far in 2013, but that hasn’t stopped them from looking very good this year with a 28-20 record and standing just a game back in the AL East. However, they have struggled of late. Hopefully Iglesias will provide a spark like he did in his first stint in the majors (9 for 20 in 6 games). If all goes well, the Red Sox should be able to weather the storm and continue their comeback season even without two key cogs in their lineup.

Red Sox Sign Rafael Perez For Injury Insurance

Conor Duffy — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:22:01 +0000

The Red Sox’ abundance of injuries has resulted in the first roster move of the 2013 season. The signing of Rafael Perez doesn’t look like much of a signing right now, but if he can come close to the pitcher that nailed down eight innings in Cleveland a few years ago, it’s a great move. The problem is that he doesn’t look close to that form as he was released by the Twins earlier this week because it didn’t appear that an MLB roster spot was likely for the veteran lefty. Still, relief pitchers are volatile enough that it was worth looking into Perez as an option.

Apr 11, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Rafael Perez (53) delivers in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

He won’t be called upon in the majors anytime soon. However, if there are some more injuries and Perez rounds into form nicely, he may be at some point this year. This season he has pitched to a 2.25 ERA in just 4 appearances for Triple-A Rochester. In 8 games for the Indians last season, he pitched fairly well with a 3.52 ERA in 8 games.

However, the Red Sox may be breaking Perez out of his comfort zone. They have announced that they are going to experiment with him starting down at Double-A Portland. With any luck, Rafael Perez won’t be starting games in Boston. However, at the rate injuries have been happening this year, anything is possible and Perez is far from a bad pitcher and is still just 30 years old.

Amateur Hour: Ryne Stanek

Conor Duffy — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:28:08 +0000

If the Red Sox are looking at Sean Manaea and he gets taken, the next best thing might be to take Ryne Stanek. There are definite similarities between the two of them. Both are college pitchers who have great stuff but are still raw as a whole and have seen their stock fall a bit this spring. Stanek’s ceiling is similar to that of Manaea’s, a number two or three starter with great stuff who could be an excellent overall pitcher with some improvements to the command of their pitches.

June 18, 2012; Omaha, NE, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Ryne Stanek (55) throws against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second inning of game eight of the 2012 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Stanek has a fantastic, projectable body (6’4″, 180 lbs) as a tall right-hander with a repeatable delivery. He throws into the high-mid 90′s, topping out around 97 mph with nice, sinking movement and he mixes in a curve, slider, and change. The slider, one of the tight and quick variety, has the potential to be his out pitch in the future. His change and curve need work, but if they develop, there’s no question he’ll be a great pitcher.

As there often are with pitchers who have great stuff but only one or two good pitches, there are questions of whether he’ll start in the majors. If his curve and slider do develop into even average pitches, though, he will continue to be a starter. Stanek would still be a valuable late inning reliever with his arm, but he would obviously be more valuable as a starter. His riskiness as a prospect may deter Ben Cherington though.

Minor League Update: Brentz, Cecchini Stay Hot

Conor Duffy — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:05:27 +0000

The Red Sox farm system has continued to have a very good year with another solid week here. Apart from Bryce Brentz, nobody really had an outstanding week but a number of yearlong trends across the system continued. Rubby de la Rosa and Matt Barnes have also continued to rebound from their tough starts in an all-around good week again.

The Pitchers

Allen Webster made a pair of starts this week and apart from some control issues in both starts, he was pretty good. In his first start on Tuesday, he allowed a run on 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5 in 5 innings. Today, he allowed just a run on just a hit but walked 5 in 5 innings. That will bring his season statistics to a very impressive 2.40 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 30 innings. He will remain the man to be called upon with any injuries in the big leagues.
Matt Barnes continues the turnaround from his slow start with a quality start on Friday. He did allow 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk in 6 innings, but he also struck out 7 batters and lowered his ERA to 4.62. Although that doesn’t look impressive, with his peripherals (45 strikeouts to 13 walks in 37 innings), that should change soon.
Rubby de la Rosa, like Matt Barnes, continues to shake off the demons that plagued him in his first several appearances. He continued that this week in one appearance on Thursday which saw him go 4 innings and allow just an unearned run on a hit and 4 walks. The walks are not very good, but de la Rosa still lowered his season ERA to 3.65 and he has 29 strikeouts in 24.2 innings to boot.
Anthony Ranaudo did not compile his most impressive start yesterday as he went only 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts. Regardless of this most recent start, however, Ranaudo has had an excellent rebound year in Portland as he holds a 1.67 ERA, and should be due for a promotion soon.

The Hitters

Mar 15, 2013; Sarasota, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Bryce Brentz celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo homerun against the Baltimore Orioles during the top of the fifth inning of a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Xander Bogaerts has begun to break out of a mini-slump that he has been in recently. He batted .269 with 0 homers and 4 RBIs this week, bringing his season totals to .291/.367/.440 with 2 homers, 7 doubles, 4 triples, and 17 RBIs. The power hasn’t been quite so prevalent this year, but for a 20 year old in Double-A, Bogaerts has played very well and should be deserving of a promotion before year’s end.
Bryce Brentz has been awfully hot of late and this week was a very productive one for the right fielder. He batted .345 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs this week and has been very good for Pawtucket lately. This brings his season totals to a solid .276/.325/.487 slash line and he has 7 home runs to go with 29 RBIs. It shouldn’t be too long before we see him manning the spacious outfield of Fenway Park.
Garin Cecchini has been ridiculously hot all season long and this week presented no difference. This past week, Cecchini raked to the tune of a .500 average with 0 homers and 2 RBIs. Cecchini is now hitting .382/.477/.664 to start the year.

Can We Make The Nickname “Hot Lava” Stick?

Conor Duffy — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:53:41 +0000

Ryan Lavarnway has bounced between the Red Sox and Triple-A Pawtucket for three years now. One would’ve though that he would be in the majors as a full time catcher or designated hitter by now, but he has just never struck in the majors. He has a career slash line of just .171/.226/.281 with a mere 4 home runs and 53 strikeouts in 199 at bats. This is in comparison to his quite impressive slash line of .287/.378/.504 and his career 85 home runs in four and parts of two more seasons down in the minors.

Mar 7, 2013; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Ryan Lavarnway (20) at bat against the Minnesota Twins during a spring training game at Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Something has to be done to help Lavarnway have some long-term success at the major league level. My proposition is that we start a nickname trend for the burly catcher, and my input is “Hot Lava.” Here are a few reasons as to “Hot Lava” should become the proper terminology when referring to Ryan Lavarnway.

It can be chanted at Fenway Park (HOT LA-VA! HOT LA-VA!)
The nickname may get him hot when he isn’t hot, and when he is hot, it will remind the pitchers of that fact.
Everyone played the game “The floor is lava” when they were a little kid. This nickname will remind opponents that nobody steps on or screws with Ryan Lavarnway.
It just fits.

So, fans of BoSox Injection, let’s make this happen. Next time you go to Fenway Park, start chanting it if Lavarnway comes up to the plate. If you know somebody going to Fenway Park, tell them to start chanting it if Lavarnway comes up to the plate. I’m telling you, there’s no doubt that this nickname will get Lavarnway hot.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Big Papi Leads Sox In Messy 12-5 Win Over Twins

Conor Duffy — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:29:28 +0000

It’s rare that a Red Sox win is so miserable for me to watch. This game was just that, however. It was a long game, the pitching was terrible, I had to listen to the Twins’ announcers because of my Extra Innings package; it had every quality of a terrible game, except the Red Sox win. The pitching matchup looked like it had a chance to be at least competitive with Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.75), who had pitched well in his last start against the Twins, and Scott Diamond (3-3, 4.08), who had pitched well in his last start against the Red Sox.

However, both pitchers were absolutely terrible all night long. Neither got out of the fifth inning, and Dempster needed 126 pitches to go through all of 4.2 innings. Dempster and Diamond, both usually control pitchers, walked a total of 9 batters in a total of 9 innings. Luckily, the Red Sox were able to hit Diamond better than the Twins hit off of Dempster.

May 18, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) hits a three run home run in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Sox posted three runs in the first inning on a long home run to right-center field by David Ortiz, his sixth of the year. Ortiz drove in one more run in the third inning on an RBI single that played right fielder Oswaldo Arcia enough so that he couldn’t get a good throw in. The Red Sox took three more runs in the fifth inning, but in the bottom of the fifth, the Twins put a little rally together as well. They scored three runs in the inning and knocked Dempster out of the game, as the Red Sox chose to bring in Clayton Mortensen.

Mortensen worked out of that jam with just one more run scoring but he got himself into another jam in the sixth. That was when Craig Breslow came in and pitched exactly like the Red Sox needed him to. Breslow went 1.2 innings of relief with no runs allowed on a hit and a walk. The Red Sox would supported Breslow in the seventh with a pair of two-run homers by David Ortiz and Daniel Nava to put the Red Sox up 11-5.

From that point on, the game went by pretty quickly (thank God, we would’ve been up until midnight!). The Red Sox tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth with a sacrifice fly by Ryan Lavarnway (Hot Lava had two RBIs in this game). Alex Wilson pitched very well in relief to close out the game, going two scoreless innings while striking out two batters. The one positive I can take from this game is that we’re in a whole lot better of a spot than the Twins.

Amateur Hour: Sean Manaea

Conor Duffy — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:46:36 +0000

So far in this series, no pitchers have been discussed. That is because some of the better pitchers are out of the Red Sox’ reach and some of the next tier were not yet worthy to be discussed. However, I think Sean Manaea fits right into this fourth spot in “Amateur Hour.” His stock has fallen some this spring but his performance in the Cape Cod League last summer should be enough to make him an early first-round pick for a team. Stuff-oriented college lefties with an excellent, projectable pitching frame (6’5″, 215 lbs) are usually a hot commodity and there’s a good chance Manaea is one of the top ten picks.

Jul 4, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; A general view during a flyover past a large American flag draped over the green monster prior to a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

After all, Manaea is certainly stuff-oriented. Although he is a bit raw and he doesn’t have as good a feel for pitching as many of the college pitchers that get drafted, Manaea simply has wicked stuff. He struck out 85 batters in 51.2 innings last summer and has struck out 88 in 68.1 innings with Indiana State so far this season. More often than not, batters just can’t touch Manaea’s mid-90′s fastball when he’s mixing in his hard slider and chance with success, and Manaea is as intimidating as any on the mound.

Ben Cherington hasn’t been a very risky general manager so far, and thus Manaea may not be the most likely choice. Even though he has filthy stuff, Manaea may not round into a plus major league starting pitcher, or even a major league starting pitcher. Still, it’s hard to argue that Manaea doesn’t have some of the best stuff in the draft and I would not be opposed to the Red Sox picking him in the first round.

Amateur Hour: Colin Moran

Conor Duffy — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:25:27 +0000

Colin Moran strays a bit from my previous two spotlights on Clint Frazier and Kris Bryant. Both of those two are somewhat raw power hitters and there’s obviously some risk in taking somebody like that. There’s much less risk with Colin Moran, a third baseman from UNC who has shot up draft boards after a great spring at Carolina. He is one of, if not the most polished hitter in this year’s draft but although there’s a much greater chance he will pan out into a big league player, he also doesn’t have the same ceiling as Frazier and Bryant.

Jun 11, 2011; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran (18) throws to first during the first inning of the Chapel Hill super regional of the 2011 NCAA baseball tournament at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

However, being the #7 pick in the draft would have to entail a somewhat high ceiling and Moran has the chance to be a very good major league player. Moran has a great hitter’s frame at 6’3″, 209 lbs and will likely grow into more power as he fills out. He’s no slouch at the plate right now though, as he has hit .379/.512/.636 with 13 home runs with the Tarheels this year. The metal bats used in college obviously bump up his power numbers a bit, but power isn’t the main reason the Red Sox would draft him.

That reason would be that he is arguably the best pure hitter in the draft. His smooth, polished hitting mechanics make for a player who makes solid contact as much as anyone in college baseball. He has good enough opposite field power that he could probably compare to an Adrian Gonzalez type as his absolute ceiling, somebody who hits over .300 with around 20 home runs, a good number of which are over the monster. That would be the ceiling, but even if Moran doesn’t turn into Adrian Gonzalez, a guy who consistently hits .280-.300 with 15-25 homers has a ton of value.

Amateur Hour: Kris Bryant

Conor Duffy — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:28:35 +0000

If the Red Sox choose to go on the path of big, right-handed power prospects, then why look further than the best college power bat, Kris Bryant. Bryant is 21 years old and is a junior at San Diego. He is the prototype of a pure strength and power prospect, starting right from his 6’5″, 215 pound frame, as he shows elite power to all fields with an average hit tool and has an excellent arm, but mediocre speed and fielding ability to fit in at either third base or a corner outfield position. He may be destined for the other side of the diamond at first base, and with that an area of weakness in the Red Sox farm, he profiles well.

Like Clint Frazier, who I highlighted in the last Amateur Hour, Bryant shows the potential of a 25-30 home run bat if he develops properly. However, he lacks the pure athleticism of Frazier, and does not play a premium position like the Logansville High School center fielder. While Frazier’s struggles may move him from center to left or right, Bryant’s struggles in the field may move him from left field, right field, or third base all the way down on the position chart to first base.

Still, whenever there is a right-hander power bat who also fills a need available, the Red Sox are sure to be around. Bryant could play pepper with the Green Monster and fit into the middle of a lineup in a few years, as he is relatively advanced. If Bryant is around with the #7 pick, he will almost certainly be one of the Red Sox top choices.

Minor League Update: Barnes, De La Rosa Turning It Around

Conor Duffy — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:49:32 +0000

As a good year in the Red Sox farm system progresses, this week saw a turnaround from a couple of the slow starts that the Red Sox had. Matt Barnes and Rubby de la Rosa, who struggled considerably in April, continued their May trends of turning things around. On the offensive side, Garin Cecchini and Xander Bogaerts have continued rolling.

The Pitchers:

July 9, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA pitcher Matt Barnes (26) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Barnes is finally turning his season stats around as this week, he recorded not one, but two great starts. On Tuesday, he allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 4 over 6 shutout innings. Yesterday, he was excellent again as he allowed a run on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7 over 5 innings. This brings his season record to 3-1 with a 4.65 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 31 innings.
Rubby de la Rosa is also performing quite a bit better after a rough start to his season. In a pair of 4 inning relief appearances this week, he allowed a combined 6 base-runners while striking out 13 batters. After a slow start, this brings his season ERA to a decent 4.35 mark and he has 26 strikeouts to 10 walks in 20.2 innings pitched.
Anthony Ranaudo has continued his rebound season with a pair of nice starts this week. On Wednesday, he went 6 innings while allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits and a walk. Today, he tossed 6 scoreless innings with 3 hits and 3 walks to 5 strikeouts. He is now 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 39 innings.

The Hitters:

Xander Bogaerts continued the nice little upswing he has been on with a quality week here. He batted .250 with a triple and 3 RBIs and is now batting .296/.372/.452 with a pair of homers and 14 RBIs. If he continues to hit like this, he should be in Pawtucket before too long.
Garin Cecchini just keeps piling onto his age 22 season in Salem by hitting .333 with a home run and 5 RBIs. Cecchini has kept his slash line at a torrid .368/.463/.640 with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 11 steals. So far, Cecchini has been doing it all this season and if a spot opens up in Portland, you can bet he’ll be filling it.
Blake Swihart is beginning to break out of his early season slump, as he had a good week here. He batted .273 with a double and 2 RBIs and has brought his season slash line to .267/.353/.422 with 11 RBIs. His bat seems like it is coming along slowly, but if he can become a good defensive catcher and hit like he has in the minors, nobody is going to complain.

Red Sox Fight Back Only To Fall 3-2

Conor Duffy — Sat, 11 May 2013 21:36:44 +0000

High hopes were all around after the Red Sox had ousted the Blue Jays 5-0 backed by a Jon Lester one-hitter the previous night. This game did not quite live up to the hype, despite a good all-around pitching performance and an exciting game as the Red Sox fell late. The game looked like it may not be close again, with Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.60) facing Mark Buehrle (1-2, 7.02), but it didn’t turn out that way. Buchholz and Buehrle pitched very well, and the Red Sox were only just able to salvage being shut out by the 34 year old.

May 11, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Buchholz started off the game very strong, but ran into trouble in the third and fourth innings. Melky Cabrera‘s RBI bloop single to score Colby Rasmus from second capped the rally in the third while an RBI single from Rasmus would score Adam Lind to put the Blue Jays up 2-0. Buchholz settled down from then on and wound up stringing together a pretty strong outing. He went 8 innings, allowing just those 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while punching out a total of 4 and getting away with a no-decision.

The Red Sox bats also started the game off fairly strong, putting two men on base in each of the first three innings. In that fourth inning, however, Mark Buehrle settled into an incredible groove and set down each of the next 13 batters with ease. The streak was broken when David Ross worked a nine pitch walk to lead off the eighth.

That would drive Buehrle from the game in favor of Darren Oliver and on Oliver’s second pitch, Jacoby Ellsbury blasted a triple over Colby Rasmus’s head in center field. Ellsbury would score when shortstop Munemori Kawasaki couldn’t come up with a soft ground ball hit by Dustin Pedroia. Ellsbury raced across the plate to tie the game at 2-2, but that was all the Red Sox got in the inning.

Newly announced closer Junichi Tazawa came on to pitch the ninth inning, and ran into trouble almost immediately. His 2-2 fastball to Adam Lind was crushed over the wall to dead center to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 advantage. Tazawa managed to get out of the inning with only that run scoring and Will Middlebrooks doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth. There was hope and excitement in the atmosphere until closer Casey Janssen induced a pop-out, fly-out, and ground-out to end the game and tie the series at one apiece.

Amateur Hour: Clint Frazier

Conor Duffy — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:26:33 +0000

The MLB Amateur Draft is approaching and for the first time in quite a while, the Red Sox have a top ten pick– #7 to be exact. Although this year’s draft is not as full of top talent as it has been in past years, there are still plenty of high-ceiling players early on and the Red Sox will have their pick. It will be interesting to see how Ben Cherington decides to play this year’s draft with such a high pick as he was very conservative, going for low-ceiling, high-floor type players. In an effort to find players he may pick with that seventh spot, I will be posting a few draft profiles over the coming weeks.

Considering that Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray are the consensus top two picks, it seems very unlikely that either one slips to the Red Sox. However, the player with the next best ceiling may be high school outfielder Clint Frazier. He has five-tool potential, but the most impressive of those tools is his power, coming from his elite bat speed. Even though Frazier isn’t a big guy (6’1″, 190 lbs), he has shown power to all fields and scouts are in love with his short, quick swing.

That right-handed power would play very well into Fenway Park and would likely result in plenty of home runs and doubles off the Green Monster. Even beyond his power though, there’s a lot to like about Frazier. He has a good hit tool and good speed that, although he may have to move from center, would be a plus for a corner outfielder.

The only question would be whether Frazier would last until the seventh pick in the draft. If he is still available, he seems like he would be an excellent choice and would likely fit into the Red Sox’ top five prospects. Elite power is hard to come by, and elite right-handed power is especially useful for the Red Sox. If Frazier is still around, it seems like it would be foolish not to grab him.

Minor League Update: Bogaerts, Bradley Getting Hot

Conor Duffy — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:07:19 +0000

Everything is starting to fall into place in what has been an excellent year down on the farm. The prospects who were supposed to perform entering the season (Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Allen Webster, Garin Cecchini) have so far and there have been a few pleasant surprises (Sean Coyle, Anthony Ranaudo) as well. This week was a continuation on this theme and a very good week in general.

The Pitchers

Allen Webster continued his dominant season with Pawtucket with an excellent start on Friday. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 9 in 6 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.70 and picking up his first win of the year. If a Red Sox rotation member sees any struggles, it will likely be Webster that is called up as he has been great in Triple-A.
Matt Barnes may finally be starting to rediscover his excellent stuff. He recorded a great start on Wednesday, going 6 innings while allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 10 strikeouts. Barnes has been notoriously unlucky to start the year as despite a 27:8 K:BB ratio in 20 innings and an abundance of ground ball outs, he has a 6.75 ERA and .325 batting average against. Hopefully his luck is starting to turn and we’ll see more of the Barnes we saw last season.
Henry Owens has been great to start his season in Salem, and that trend continued as he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10 yesterday. Owens has always had great strikeout stuff, and that has certainly been on display this year as he has 40 in 32 innings, but he has been generally much more effective than he was last year as he has a 2.25 ERA and a .153 batting average against. We could see him in Portland before too long if he continues this.
Anthony Ranaudo’s marvelous return to form continued in his Thursday start as he allowed 1 run on 4 hits and a walk in 5.1 innings, striking out 4. Ranaudo has been phenomenal this season in Portland for the 23 year old and it’s looking like he’s ready to reclaim his spot as one of the Red Sox’ top prospects.

The Hitters

Xander Bogaerts is quickly making people forget about his slow start, as he just finished up a magnificent week. He batted .313 with his first 2 home runs of the year and 3 RBIs. He is now up to a .303/.373/.465 slash line with 2 home runs, 11 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, and an especially impressive 11 walks– plate discipline being his main flaw after last season.
Apr 1, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley (44) grounds to the pitcher advancing two men during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Boston won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Jackie Bradley Jr. has finally begun to heat up after a slow start to his season at Pawtucket. Over the last week, he batted .500 (6-12) with 2 RBIs and 2 walks. Strikeouts have been a problem since his brief stint in the majors, but he has brought his overall slash line up to .302/.400/.349 with 0 homers and 4 RBIs.
Garin Cecchini has continued his hot start in Salem, as he raked for another week, hitting at a clip of .375 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs. So far, he has looked deserving of a promotion as his slash line has been bumped to .394/.466/.636 with 3 homers, 16 RBIs, and 10 steals.

Injured Relief Pitcher Notes: Bailey, Breslow, Morales

Conor Duffy — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:47:59 +0000

The Red Sox remarkably managed to fight through injuries to have an excellent April, going 18-8. To start the month of May, the Red Sox have looked healthier as they have David Ortiz and Stephen Drew back in the lineup. However, they are still without a few relief pitchers (Craig Breslow and Franklin Morales) who missed April, as well as the potential addition of Andrew Bailey onto the injured player lists.

Apr 22, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Andrew Bailey (40) throws a pitch in the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Bailey last pitched on April 28 against the Astros and has been feeling discomfort in his bicep. He was cleared to pitch yesterday, but then after throwing a bullpen session was deemed unfit to pitch. This does not look like a serious injury, but there’s a risk that it could nag on him for a little while. The Red Sox need Bailey back as a force in the back of their bullpen, and preferably as soon as possible.

Sep 22, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Craig Breslow (32) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Craig Breslow has missed the entire season to date after feeling discomfort in his throwing shoulder during the spring. That has since ben diagnosed as left shoulder tendonitis. However, Breslow is making the long road back from injury. Breslow is currently on a rehab assignment in Pawtucket and has looked sharp while there, recording a scoreless inning last night. He should be back soon.

August 5, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Franklin Morales (46) pitches during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Franklin Morales, like Breslow, felt some pain during spring training and has missed the entire season to date. That was diagnosed as a bulging disc in his back, and the news on Morales is not so good as it is on Breslow. He was shut down from his rehab assignment a few weeks ago and is not currently pitching. He did long toss on Monday, so hopefully he is feeling good and is ready to act as the Red Sox’ long-man out of the bullpen.

Offense Looks Helpless To Back Lackey As Sox Fall 5-1

Conor Duffy — Sun, 05 May 2013 03:13:14 +0000

For the second consecutive game, the Red Sox have fallen to the Texas Rangers and it has been largely due to an anemic offense. This game was not quite so miserable as the series opener as the Red Sox held it close for some time, but it was hardly a feel-good game as the Red Sox dropped their second in a row. The pitching matchup looked potentially interesting with John Lackey (1-1, 2.61) going against Alexi Ogando (2-2, 3.38), and for the most part it was. Lackey did pitch well, the first time we’ve seen him do so against the Rangers, and it was the offense’s fault for the loss.

May 4, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey (41) throws a pitch in the first inning of the game against the Texas Rangers at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

It didn’t always look like it was going to be a pitching game though. On Lackey’s very first pitch in the bottom of the first, Ian Kinsler took him deep to left field. However, he recovered from that blow to pitch pretty well. He ran into some trouble in the fourth inning, but if not for a poor defensive play by Will Middlebrooks, who made two errors on the night, he may have gotten away unscatched. As things went, Lackey tossed 5 innings while allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4.

The hitters showed a bit of early life as well, as David Ortiz doubled off the wall to start the second inning. Daniel Nava drove him in with a one-out single, but that was all the scoring the Red Sox were able to do. They put two in scoring position with two outs down by two in the seventh inning, but they were not able to cut further into the Rangers’ lead.

Aside from a two-run homer allowed to Craig Gentry by Koji Uehara, the bullpen work was pretty good. Andrew Miller and Junichi Tazawa each threw a scoreless inning, with Tazawa striking out the side. The game wasn’t really out of reach until Uehara served up the tater, but it wasn’t too close either. The Red Sox hitters were just never able to mount enough of a rally to win the game as the Red Sox fall to 20-10 this season.

How Long Before Allen Webster Joins The Rotation?

Conor Duffy — Sat, 04 May 2013 15:19:46 +0000

Last night was the latest episode in what has been a line of disappointing starts for Felix Doubront. To start the season, the young lefty has a deceptive 3-1 record, but also has a 5.67 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. He was eaten alive by the potent Rangers lineup last night, as he allowed 6 runs and 12 hits in just 3.2 innings last night, picking up his first loss of the season in a 7-0 defeat. Needless to say, it has been far from an ideal start to the season for the 25 year old from Venezuela.

Feb 25, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Allen Webster (64) during the bottom of third inning of a spring training split squad game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It appears that the Red Sox will be needing to make a move before long if this continues. Luckily, there’s help on the horizon. Number three prospect Allen Webster has been dominant in Triple-A and looked good in his first major league start a couple of weeks ago, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) with 5 hits allowed and 5 strikeouts in 6 innings. However, he has been filthy with Pawtucket as he holds a 2.70 ERA with 12 hits and 6 walks allowed compared to 26 strikeouts in just 20 innings.

Both pitchers have filthy stuff, but Webster has seemed much more command of his arsenal than Doubront. While Doubront often falls behind and throws lots of pitches early, Webster is able to carve his way through lineups. Of course, his mid-90′s fastball and razor sharp slider help considerably and seemed to work even against a good Kansas City lineup.

I feel that Doubront deserves one more start, and the way things stand, he would face the Twins. If Doubront is unable to pitch well against the Twins, a stint with the PawSox may be necessary. And if Doubront is demoted, it’s going to be Webster who is called up. The way the Red Sox are playing, a youth movement would energize this team even more.

What Will Be Joel Hanrahan’s Role Going Forward

Conor Duffy — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:32:08 +0000

Joel Hanrahan‘s entrance in the bottom of the ninth of last night’s 3-1 win over the Blue Jays surprised many. Andrew Bailey had done an excellent job in place of the eccentric former Pirate, saving 5 of 6 games and allowing just a run and 3 hits in 7 innings with an 11:2 strikeout to walk ratio. John Farrell had even gone as far as to announce that Bailey was staying in his role despite the return of Hanrahan. The hard-throwing right-hander did a good job of closing the door, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning, but it wasn’t what was expected of him.

April 13, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Joel Hanrahan (52) pitches during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

That, of course, raises the question of what exactly is expected of him and I’m unsure if anybody knows quite what that role will be. Hanrahan has a good track record as a good pitcher, but he has not shown it this year. He has a 9.45 ERA, has allowed a .333 opponents’ batting average, and has 5 walks to just 4 strikeouts. He has shown excellent stuff at times, but at other times has proven to be just another erratic hard thrower.

That screams “NOOO!!!” to Hanrahan being in a high leverage spot for the Red Sox. In the eighth inning of a tie game, walking a pair of batters isn’t going to help a lot, even if he balances it out by striking out a pair as well. It seems that the man who saved 36 games with a 2.72 ERA last year and saved 40 games with a 1.83 ERA the year before is destined for middle relief.

This isn’t to say that Hanrahan is a bad pitcher, far from it. It is more a testament to the strength of the Red Sox’ bullpen, as one would be doomed if trying to argue that Hanrahan is a better pitcher than Bailey (1.46 ERA, 20:4 K:BB), Koji Uehara (1.54 ERA, 14:1 K:BB), or Junichi Tazawa (2.77 ERA, 15:3 K:BB). It’s tough to think of another bullpen in the majors (with the exception of Atlanta) where Hanrahan would be the fourth best pitcher in the bullpen.

However, that is the case in Boston. Even with his track record, it seems unintelligent at best and downright idiotic at worst to put Hanrahan into one of the highest leverage positions in baseball– closer of the Boston Red Sox. Hanrahan should contribute to what will be a lights out back end of the Red Sox bullpen though. I expect that he’ll pitch in the sixth and seventh innings if the Red Sox are in need of a flamethrower. If he struggles further, the Red Sox may try to bait another team based on his last two seasons. For now, however, let’s just enjoy that Joel Hanrahan is the fourth best reliever in this bullpen.

Minor League Update: Bogaerts, Cecchini Continue Raking

Conor Duffy — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:00:16 +0000

It was another relatively good week in the Red Sox farm system. Despite Matt Barnes and Allen Webster facing a bit of adversity, Anthony Ranaudo and Garin Cecchini have continued excellent starts and Xander Bogaerts is rounding into form.

The Pitchers

After making a successful major league debut last Sunday, Allen Webster is back down with Triple-A Pawtucket. In his start yesterday, he dealt with his first bit of adversity on the young season. He allowed 4 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3 in 4 innings. His season’s numbers are still impressive, however, as he holds a 3.21 ERA and a 17:6 K:BB ratio in 14 innings.
Henry Owens continued his red-hot start on the rubber in his Tuesday start, his fourth of the year. He allowed no runs on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 6 in 6 innings. He earned his first win of the year and moved to 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA and a 22:6 K:BB ratio in 21 innings down in High-A Salem; a few more starts like this and the 20 year old could be pushing for a promotion.
Anthony Ranaudo is the one who takes the cake this week, however. His revitalized 2013 season continues as he struck out 9 and allowed just 2 hits and no walks in 6 shutout innings yesterday. This brings the 23 year old to a 3-0 record and remarkable 0.83 ERA this year, and before long he could be penciled in as more pitching depth in the upper minors.

The Hitters

March 24, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (72) in the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Networks Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Xander Bogaerts got off to a very slow first week or so this year. That’s getting hard to remember lately because he has been seeing the ball very well over the last few weeks. This past week, he hit to the tune of .421 with a ridiculous 3 triples in the week– as many as he had in the entire 2012 season. Although he’s yet to hit a home run, his .308/.379/.423 line has erased any doubts conceived from his first week.
Garin Cecchini has been the hottest hitter in the Red Sox system this year, and that pattern continued this week. On the week, he hit .478 with 1 homer and 7 RBIs and he is now hitting an excellent .373/.466/.640 with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 8-11 steals in Salem.
Sean Coyle, a more unheralded prospect, has been the second best hitter in the Red Sox system this year. He lived up to that hype this week as he batted .353 with 3 homers and 3 RBIs. The 21 year old second baseman is now hitting to the tune of .333/.400/.759 this season with 6 home runs and 10 RBIs.

Ortiz, Middlebrooks Lead Offensive Charge Over Astros

Conor Duffy — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:08:05 +0000

The Red Sox continue to roll as they have won their fourth consecutive game, and third straight against the Astros. Tonight’s game was a rout, just like the first two games of the series, as the Red Sox just completely overmatched a hapless Astros team. The pitching matchup of Felix Doubront (2-0, 4.32) and Brad Peacock (1-2, 7.50) looked like it had the makings of a rough one for Houston and it was so. However, it didn’t always look that way as the Astros showed a bit of life early on in the ballgame.

That is largely because Felix Doubront looked absolutely horrendous to the first six batters he faced. Through those six batters, he had walked three, hit a batter, allowed a hit, and was down 2-0. From that point forward, however, Doubront was magnificent. He retired the last two batters of the inning and only allowed two more hits the rest of the game. As one could expect, he piled up the strikeouts against a free-swinging Astros ballclub as Doubront recorded eight punchouts to four walks. He would earn the win to improve to 3-0 on the year and lowered his ERA to 4.24 on the year.

Apr 27, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz reacts by flexing his muscles after hitting a two-run double against the Houston Astros during the second inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Peacock was not so lucky on the other side of the field, however. He managed to escape the first inning unscatched, but he was rocked in his second inning of work. The Red Sox batted around and scored four runs on two-run hits by Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz. They also worked Peacock to the tune of four walks and 42 pitches in the inning alone.

That was enough to tire Peacock out for the rest of the game, as he only lasted 3.1 innings; however, the Red Sox weren’t done scoring runs. They picked up one more in the fourth before putting together another rally in the seventh inning. Five of six batters reached after a leadoff out and RBI’s by Stephen Drew, Daniel Nava, and Dustin Pedroia put the Sox up to 8-3.

The bullpen was generally good after Doubront’s departure after 6.2 innings. Apart from Daniel Bard‘s two walks to two batters, Junichi Tazawa, Alex Wilson, and Andrew Miller got the job done out of the ‘pen. The Red Sox didn’t have to turn to any high-leverage relievers (except Tazawa, who only threw to two batters). All in all, it was a good game as the Red Sox improve to 17-7 on the year.