Terry Francona’s Bold Bullpen Moves Pay Off Vs. Red Sox, But At What Cost?

Share this: Terry Francona wasn’t about to make the same mistake as Buck Showalter. The Cleveland Indians manager saw his starter, Trevor Bauer, labor through a few rocky innings Thursday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field. So, in the fifth inning, with Bauer at just 78 pitches and Cleveland holding a one-run lead, Francona decided to take drastic action, pulling Bauer after 4 2/3 innings in favor of star reliever Andrew Miller. Francona’s daring move worked. Miller stopped any momentum the Red Sox’s offense had gained after Sandy Leon’s fifth-inning home run, allowing just one Boston hit over the next two innings while striking out four. After getting two outs in the seventh from right-hander Bryan Shaw, Francona called on closer Cody

Red Sox Notes: Rick Porcello Solidifies Role As Boston’s Top Starter

Share this: BOSTON — The Red Sox haven’t mapped out their rotation for the American League Division Series quite yet, but Rick Porcello almost certainly will be the No. 1 guy. The right-hander didn’t turn in his best outing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, but it still was good enough to give the Red Sox a 5-3 win. And that’s been the most important part of Porcello’s presence this season: When he’s on the mound, he gives the Red Sox the opportunity to win. “I feel good about the body of work this year,” Porcello said. “More importantly, consistency of giving us a chance to win, providing something that you can count on every fifth day, and that’s what I’ve been

Julian Edelman Not Looking Past Bills To Tom Brady’s Patriots Return

Share this: FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady’s return is on the horizon, but the New England Patriots have to temper their enthusiasm for a few more days. The Patriots aren’t the type of team to look past an opponent, and they have a game against the Buffalo Bills before Brady’s four-game suspension ends midnight Monday morning. “We got a game before that, so when he comes back, we’ll be happy,” Edelman said Friday. “But we got a job ahead of us with the Buffalo Bills.” The Bills are 1-2 and coming off an impressive 33-18 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. The Patriots have gone 3-0 without their starting quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo started the Patriots’ first two games before injuring his shoulder

Red Sox Notes: Boston, John Farrell Deserve To Celebrate, Even In Defeat

Share this: The Boston Red Sox’s champagne celebration Wednesday was strange. There’s no denying that. Boston won its second American League East title in the last four seasons, despite squandering a three-run lead over the New York Yankees and losing 5-3 in one of the worst ways possible. The Red Sox’s usually lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel couldn’t record an out through 28 pitches, loading the bases for Joe Kelly, who gave up a two-out walk-off grand slam to Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. But the Red Sox still deserve to celebrate. It’s all about perspective for the 2016 Red Sox. This time last season, they had some promising young players, but they still were last place in the division before an eventual 78-84 finish. And

Red Sox Look To Make It 10 Wins In A Row Saturday With Rick Porcello On Mound

Share this: Rick Porcello can bolster his Cy Young Award candidacy even more Saturday. The Boston Red Sox right-hander will go for his 22nd win of the season Saturday when he faces the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Furthermore, a win would make it 10 in a row for Boston after it won again Friday. Hear a preview of Porcello’s start in the video from NESN’s “Red Sox Final” above. Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images More Stories Source link

Red Sox Notes: Boston’s Bullpen Dominating Competition Down The Stretch

Share this: What was once a major weakness for the Boston Red Sox now is perhaps its biggest strength. The Red Sox had been plagued by bullpen issues all season for all different reasons. As the starters struggled earlier in the year, the relievers had around three days in any given turn of the rotation during which they’d have to pitch more innings than they’d like. The fatigue left the bullpen ravaged by injuries around the All-Star break, and all the while they struggled to keep the Red Sox in close games. But those days seem to be over, as the Red Sox have the best bullpen in baseball in September. Boston’s relievers have a collective 0.77 ERA this month after Joe Kelly, Robbie Ross Jr.,

Hey David Ortiz, How Important Was That Red Sox Win? ‘It’s Pretty Big’

Hey David Ortiz, How Important Was That Red Sox Win? ‘It’s Pretty Big’

The Boston Red Sox overcame a three-run ninth-inning deficit to win one of the more exciting games of the season, 7-5, over the AL East rival New York Yankees. Hanley Ramirez finished the rally with a monstrous, three-run homer to send the Red Sox home with the walk-off win that might just be the September spark Boston needed. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz was asked about the importance of the win after the game, as seen on NESN’s “Red Sox Final.” Check out what he had to say about it in the video above. Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images