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Orioles Sweep Red Sox

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After two shellackings by the Orioles on Friday (16-3) and Saturday (7-0)—not to mention a 13-6 beatdown by the Indians on Thursday, it really seemed as though the Red Sox would pull out a win on Sunday.

Instead, the Sox fell 2-1 for the first Orioles three-game sweep of the Red Sox since 2015 and the first one at Fenway since September 8-10, 2014.

Baltimore gave the Sox plenty of opportunities, allowing eight hits and eight walks on Sunday.

Boston starter Doug Fister did his part, too, stumbling for two first-inning runs, but otherwise keeping the birds in the park and off the scoreboard for 7.0 IP. In this case, “stumble” isn’t a turn of phrase. Fister said postgame the balk call against him, his first since 2011, came as a result of catching his cleat in the first. Boston relievers Addison Reed and Craig Kimbrel each worked a scoreless inning.

But even against Baltimore’s mediocre pitching the Sox couldn’t muster more than one lonely run in the sixth inning. In both the fifth and sixth innings the Sox loaded the bases—and left them loaded. The Red Sox now have 13 inning-ending, bases-loaded strikeouts this season, their most such strikeouts in a single season since 2014 (18).

In all, Boston left 13 men on base, going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position on Sunday.

Eight Hits, Eight Walks…and a Loss

Sunday’s was just the 19th game in all the major leagues where a team mustered eight or more hits plus eight or more walks and still came away with a loss. It was the first such game for the Red Sox since June 22, 2016.

The last time the Orioles allowed as many hits and walks to the Red Sox and still won the game was April 30, 2010. It has been over 10 years since Baltimore managed that at Fenway Park (May 11, 2007).

Yankees Creep Closer

Meanwhile, in New York, the Yankees capitalized on five Mariners’ errors, all coming in one inning. Seattle’s five errors were the most in an inning in club history. The last major league team to make five errors in one inning was the 1977 Chicago Cubs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

New York now trails Boston by 2½ games in the American League East.

On Monday the Red Sox will open a three-game set in Toronto against the Blue Jays, who are 3-7 for their last 10 games. Conversely, the Yankees will host three games against the hot Cleveland Indians, who are 7-3 for their last 10. The Red Sox will play in the Bronx starting next Friday night.


Yankees, Tigers Suspended

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This being RSNStats, the typical articles here cover news and stats for Red Sox Nation. But as this might affect the Sox, we’re breaking tradition to cover the aftermath of Thursday’s rock-em-sock-em game between the Yankees and Tigers.

In case you missed it—or even if you didn’t—enjoy it again here:

Today, MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre handed down the following sanctions:

  • Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera has received a seven-game suspension for inciting the first bench-clearing incident and fighting.
  • Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez has received a four-game suspension for fighting, including throwing punches.
  • Tigers (and former Red Sox) pitcher Alex Wilson has received a four-game suspension for intentionally throwing a pitch at Todd Frazier of the Yankees while warnings were in place for both sides.
  • Yankees catcher Austin Romine has received a two-game suspension for fighting, including throwing punches.
  • Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has received a one-game suspension for the intentional actions of Wilson while warnings were in place.

All five were also penalized with fines, though the amounts were not disclosed. Suspension are effective starting tonight, unless appealed.

The Red Sox don’t face the Yankees again until next Thursday, August 31.

The following who were involved in the mêlée will receive fines, but no suspensions:

Two other Yankees, first baseman Garrett Cooper and outfielder Clint Frazier were fined for being on the field while being on the disabled list.


Meet No. 25, Red Sox Rajai Davis

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The Red Sox added newly acquired outfielder Rajai Davis to the active roster on Thursday.

Dave Dombrowski, president of Sox baseball operations, consummated the deal for Davis on Wednesday, sending minor leaguer Rafael Rincones, 18, to the Athletics in return.

Davis, 36, was .233 (70-for-300) with 17 doubles, two triples, and five home runs in 100 games with the A’s this season. He’s also stolen 26 bases in 32 attempts.

Since the All-Star break, Davis has gone 23-for-76 (.303) with an .848 OPS and 11 stolen bases over 30 games. Davis has stolen at least 20 bases in 10 of his major league seasons, recording 40 or more steals five times with a career-best 50 in 2010.

The Red Sox are Davis’ seventh team in 12 big league seasons. He’s also played for Pittsburgh (2006-07), San Francisco (2007-08), Oakland (2008-10, 2017), Toronto (2011-13), Detroit (2014-15), and Cleveland (2016).

With the Indians Davis led the league in steals, swiping 43 bags and also had a career-highs with 12 home runs, 33 walks, and 106 strikeouts. At age 35, Davis’ stolen bases in 2016 made him the oldest since Rickey Henderson topped the American League with 66 steals at the age of 39 in 1998.

Davis will wear No. 25 with the Red Sox for the first time in his career. Before he was outrighted on June 22, pitcher Kyle Kendrick was last to wear that number with Boston. Jackie Bradley wore No. 25 from 2013-16 before trading up to No. 19 this season. Other notable Red Sox to wear No. 25 include Mike Lowell, Ellis Burks, Don Baylor, and Tony Conigliaro.

The last deals between the Red Sox and Athletics came in 2015. In May, Boston traded Edward Mujica and cash to Oakland for player to be named or cash. In July, Boston got Ryan Cook from Oakland. Cook appeared in five games with the Sox, but hasn’t played in the major leagues since.

Davis will be a free agent after this season.

Welcome Rajai Davis to Red Sox Nation. He’s on Twitter at @rajai11davis.


Pomeranz Is Legitimate No. 2 Of Red Sox Rotation

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Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised anymore by Drew Pomeranz.

Increasingly, Pomeranz has shown signs that he is the legitimate No. 2 starter for the Red Sox rotation. Any remaining doubts were likely erased—or at least reduced—on Wednesday when Pomeranz went toe-to-toe with Indians ace Corey Kluber and came out on top.

Doug Fister‘s complete game one-hitter against the Indians on Tuesday was unexpected, but it’s time to believe that Pomeranz can, in fact, face off against the league’s toughest opponents.

Pomeranz is now 13-4 with a 3.18 ERA for the season and has won a career-high six consecutive road decisions.

Asked about the prospect of competing against an opposing ace, Pomeranz said he tries not to focus on that. “I don’t really like to look at the other pitcher,” Pomeranz said after the game. “If I do my job, it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side.”

Big Win Against A Tough Team

Kluber has been outstanding this season and he was good again on Wednesday, limiting the Sox to two runs on four hits with 12 strikeouts over 7.2 IP. But Kluber would take the loss as Pomeranz, though somewhat less efficient, kept pace by allowing just 2 hits and no runs with nine strikeouts. Pomeranz did walk four, however, which helped to drive his pitch count to 103 by the time he left the game after 5.1 IP.

Mitch Moreland‘s home run gave the Sox the lead in the fifth inning, but it was Mookie Betts‘ two-out base hit in the eighth, scoring Brock Holt, that sent Kluber to the showers with Boston leading 2-0.

In the bottom of the eighth, Edwin Encarnación belted a solo shot, his club-best 29th of the season, off Sox reliever Addison Reed, sending us back to a one-run game.

With Kimbrel prepping to protect the slim lead, Boston put together a big top of the ninth with back-to-back singles by Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts and a big double for Brock Holt. Aided by a passed ball and a wild pitch, the Sox were now up 4-1 when Eduardo Núñez stepped to the plate and blasted a two-run home run.

Already warm, Kimbrel did enter the game collecting his 100th strikeout of the season. Kimbel is now struck out 101 of the 195 batters he’s faced this season (51.8%).

Boston batters struck out 14 times on Wednesday, with half those coming from Hanley Ramírez (4 SO) and Christian Vázquez (3 SO). For Ramírez it was Career Game No. 1,581 and his first ever with four strikeouts in nine innings. The 14 strikeouts was one shy of the club’s season-high (15) also coming against the Tribe.

Wednesday’s win gives the Red Sox a 4 games-to-2 lead over the Indians this season, assuring them of a season series win. The Sox took the 2016 set 4-games-to-2 in 2016; the Indians beat the Sox 4-2 in 2015.

Farrell Moves Up The List

Red Sox Manager John Farrell recorded his 412th win with the club on Wednesday for sole possession of seventh place on the club’s All-Time Managers Win List. With two more he’ll tie Jimy Williams at No. 6 on that list.

It’s a long way to No. 1 for Farrell. That record is held by Hall of Famer Joe Cronin, who recorded 1,071 wins from 1935-1947.

Red Sox Acquire Rajai Davis

Just prior to the game came word that the Red Sox had acquired veteran player Rajai Davis from the Athletics in return for 18-year-old minor leaguer Rafael Rincones.

Speedy Davis, has stolen at least 18 bases in each of the last 11 seasons and has five seasons with 40 or more steals. His 26 stolen base in 2017 automatically make him the SB champ for the Red Sox.

Davis broke into the big leagues with the Pirates in 2006 then played for the Giants (2007-08), Athletics (2008-10), Blue Jays (2011-13), Tigers (2014-15), Indians (2016) before returning to Oakland this season on a one year deal as a free agent.

As part of the Indians postseason drive last year, Davis was 5-for-22 (.227), all during the World Series, including that big, game-tying home run off the Cubs’ Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 7.

Though Davis’ .233 AVG/.294 OBP/.353 SLG slash line for 2017 seems mediocre, his power turned up in the second half, going .303/.361/.487 in 30 games since the All-Star break.

Following tonight’s announcement, Sox baseball president Dave Dombrowski praised Davis’ clubhouse presence and his postseason experience.. “He’s a tremendous individual,” Dombrowski said. “He’s the type of person everyone thinks the world of when they meet him, he’ll fit in with the ball club well.”

Dombrowski stressed that talks to acquire Davis were in the works for a week and did not reflect any greater concerns about Jackie Bradley, who injured his thumb sliding into home on Tuesday. Bradley was back in Boston today for further medical examination which found no tears or fractures, but he’ll need a splint for about a week and was officially placed on the 10-day disabled list.

Davis grew up in Connecticut and graduated from New London High School in CT in 1999 where he played baseball, basketball and football. He attended the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. Davis and his wife, Marissa, have a daughter, Jada Marie, and son, Jordan Michael.


Fister Is Unlikely Red Sox Hero

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Early on Tuesday, particularly after the tough loss the night before, it would have been hard to find anyone in Red Sox Nation who said they were excited about the upcoming start by Doug Fister.

It’s understandable. Since coming to Boston in June, Fister has made 10 appearances, including seven starts, for a 2-6 record with a 5.56 ERA.

Though there were some positive signs (a 7.2 IP performance on July 31 where he yielded just two Indians runs at Fenway), there were also plenty of reasons for concern. After each rough outing, Fister dutifully met the media to say he was tweaking his delivery, that he was working to get better.

On Tuesday, Red Sox Nation got to see something special from Fister. The first complete game one-hitter by a Boston pitcher since Jon Lester on May 10, 2013, and the first coming on the road since Josh Beckett‘s on June 15, 2011 against the Rays.

Fister became just the fifth Red Sox pitcher with a one-hitter or better on the road since the year 2000, joining Beckett, Curt Schilling (2007), Hideo Nomo (2001, a no-hitter), and Pedro Martinez (2000).

Fister, is one of just six Red Sox pitchers since 1913 with a complete game one-hitter (or better) at age 33 or older since Schilling’s complete game shutout on June 6, 2007 at Oakland.

After a Home Run, Indians Go Silent

The game didn’t start auspiciously. First there was rain, which delayed the first pitch to 8:23 ET.

Hanley Ramírez‘ first inning RBI, driving in Andrew Benintendi, seemed a good start. But when Fister took the mound in the bottom of the first, he immediately blew the early lead when Francisco Lindor took him deep on just his second pitch of the game.

112 pitches later, however, Doug Fister would walk to the clubhouse having not allowed a single subsequent hit.

Tuesday’s was Fister’s eighth career complete game (his first since September 26, 2014), his first to allow just a single opponent hit.

Pitching, Batting and Fielding

Everything was in sync for the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Sox offense exploded for 12 hits, including two apiece for Ramírez, Sandy León, Eduardo Núñez, and Jackie Bradley, with the latter two connecting for home runs.

For Núñez, Tuesday ended an 0-for-13 skid that saw him hitless in consecutive games for just the first time since May 7-9 (3 games). His three-run eighth inning blast was his ninth HR of the season and his first of the year coming with men on base.

Bradley’s majestic, 408-foot center field home run left the bat at 100.1 MPH. The Sox improved to 42-10 (.808) for Bradley’s career when he goes deep.

In the top of the seventh, Bradley came around to score with a beautiful slide on a Núñez double. The Indians challenged the safe call, but it was upheld on appeal. Bradley, however, injured his thumb on the slide. After the game, Manager John Farrell said that x-rays on Bradley were negative but that he would return to Boston for further evaluation on Wednesday. For his part, Bradley told reporters post-game that he was sore, but that he was not worried about the injury.

Rafael Devers, 0-for-5 on Tuesday, nevertheless made his presence known on the field. His defensive work at third base finally brings some stability after two-thirds of a season filled with turmoil there.

Tuesday’s win was the 411th for Sox manager Farrell. He’s now tied with Don Zimmer for seventh-most in franchise history.

Since June 3, the Red Sox are 38-of-43 (.884) when scoring at least four runs.

Feel Good Win

The Sox gained no ground on the Yankees Tuesday, as the Bombers pounded the Tigers for a 13-4 victory.

Boston will face a tough challenge in Game 3 on Wednesday when Drew Pomeranz takes on Cleveland’s Corey Kluber. Still, Tuesday’s solid win over a very tough challenger was just the tonic this team—and this fan base—needed to look ahead positively.