Red Sox Notes: David Ortiz Thinks Andrew Benintendi Can Be ‘Superstar’

Share this: Things aren’t great for the Boston Red Sox in the present, but here’s a silver lining: The future looks pretty darn bright. The Red Sox’s 8-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday — their fourth defeat in six games — overshadowed a game to remember by rookie outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi was a one-man offensive wrecking crew in just his third major league start, going 3-for-4 while recording a trio of promising firsts. The 22-year-old got things started early, driving a low fastball the other way in the third inning for his first hit and getting a great jump on Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy for his first career steal. Benintendi pulled the ball in his next at-bat, lacing a two-out single

Red Sox Notes: Steven Wright Joins Pedro Martinez’s Company With Gem

Share this: Steven Wright’s 2016 season has been full of impressive milestones, but he entered Friday night in a bit of a recent funk. Consider his campaign back on track. The Boston Red Sox’s resident knuckleballer dazzled against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, allowing just four baserunners while striking out nine in a complete-game shutout that arguably was the best outing by a Red Sox starter this season. “He had a very good touch and feel for (his knuckleball),” manager John Farrell said of Wright, as aired on “NESN Sports Today.” “It never really got away from him for consecutive pitches. He repeated his delivery outstanding (Friday). In complete control.” Wright’s gem was a much-needed bounce-back outing after a rough July that saw him post a 6.23

Red Sox Notes: Brock Holt, Unfazed By Tough Situation, Comes Up Clutch

Share this: Nobody likes getting pushed out of the starting nine, especially when a 22-year-old rookie is involved in their demotion. But Brock Holt knows what it’s like to bounce around a big league lineup, and his steady mindset helped the Boston Red Sox earn a win Thursday night. Holt, who has spent most of 2016 when healthy as the team’s starting left fielder, appears to be returning to his role as a “super utility” player with outfielder Andrew Benintendi recently getting the call to the majors. That meant Holt wasn’t in the starting lineup Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, but he replaced Bryce Brentz as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning — and made the most of his opportunity. After a Travis Shaw single and

Red Sox Notes: Star Prospect Andrew Benintendi Getting Call Up To Big Leagues

The future is now for the Boston Red Sox. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, has been called up from Double-A Portland to the big leagues. The Boston Herald’s Evan Drellich was the first to report the news, and director of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed the move after the Red Sox’s 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. “It really came down to we looked at some possible alternatives to help us in left field,” Dombrowski said on “NESN Sports Today.” “We thought some of them were good choices, but we also thought the cost for some of those were quite high. We also weighed that versus

Red Sox Notes: Drew Pomeranz’s First Three Starts With Boston A ‘Mixed Bag’

Share this: Drew Pomeranz’s first three starts in a Boston Red Sox uniform couldn’t have been more different. In his Boston debut, Pomeranz pitched well for three innings, but it all came apart for him in the fourth. Start No. 2 went much better, as he allowed only two runs in six innings. The third? Well, as Red Sox manager John Farrell said, it was somewhere “in between” the other two. Pomeranz allowed five earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 5 1/3 innings in Boston’s 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. “Overall, he probably wasn’t as sharp as he was last time out,” Farrell said on NESN’s “Red Sox Extra Innings. “And when they created some damage against

Red Sox Notes: Albert Pujols Soaking Up David Ortiz’s Greatness One Final Time

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is relishing his final chance to face his good friend David Ortiz on the baseball field. Pujols, 36, grew up near the Seattle Mariners’ baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, and used to go watch the players there practice as a kid. Among those players was Ortiz (then known as David Arias), a teenager signed as an amateur free agent by the M’s. “I used to leave school early to watch them practice,” Pujols told the Orange County Register in a recent story. “He gave me a lot of advice, especially the times that I struggled in my career when I went to the American League.

Red Sox Notes: Boston’s Struggles In Close Games A Cause For Concern

Share this: BOSTON — The mark of any good baseball team is its ability to win all different types of games, from close contests to blowouts. The Red Sox have done just fine this season in the latter category. The former? Not as much. Boston lost another close one to the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on Tuesday, rallying on two separate occasions before falling to a 9-8 loss. After this defeat and the team’s 4-2 loss to the Tigers on Monday, the Red Sox’s last five losses have been by two runs or fewer. “We play the game and the situation that’s in front of us,” manager John Farrell said after the game. “Sometimes it doesn’t work in our favor. Sometimes you find yourself in a