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Red Sox Take Nationals, 5-4

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Alex Verdugo opened the game with a homer, Triston Casas had two hits and two RBIs and the Red Sox defeated the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Tuesday night.

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Pablo Reyes added two hits for Boston, which has won five of six.

Four Boston relievers tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings to end the game. John Schreiber (2-1) pitched one inning for the win, and Kenley Jansen worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 28th save.

Keibert Ruiz and Stone Garrett had two-run doubles for Washington, which had won three straight.

Washington starter Josiah Gray (7-10) was charged with five runs on five hits over three-plus innings, his shortest start of the season. Gray has allowed 14 runs in 11 1/3 innings over his past three starts as his ERA has climbed from 3.27 to 3.96.

Verdugo gave the Red Sox and early 1-0 lead when he led off the game with his ninth homer of the season, a shot to right-center.

Boston’s Reese McGuire opened the third inning with a single and stole second. With two outs, Rafael Devers and Trevor Story walked to load the bases. Casas then lined a 3-2 Gray pitch to right, driving in two runs.

Washington rallied in its half of the third. Blake Rutherford led off with a single, and Lane Thomas and Joey Meneses drew one-out walks. Ruiz followed with double into the corner in right, scoring Rutherford and Thomas. After Dominic Smith struck out, Garrett doubled to right, knocking in Meneses and Ruiz scored to give the Nationals a 4-3 lead.

Gray couldn’t hold the edge, Jarren Duran singled and Reyes doubled to open the fourth, prompting the Nationals to bring in reliever Robert Garcia. McGuire reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases.

When Verdugo flied to deep center, Duran scored and Reyes raced to third, but McGuire was thrown out at second. Reyes scored on a wild pitch to give the Red Sox a 5-4 edge.

Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta was lifted after 4 1/3 innings, having given up four runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out seven.

–Field Level Media

Patriots to Sign Ezekiel Elliott

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -The New England Patriots are in agreement with free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year deal, with NFL Network reporting the contract is worth up to $6 million.

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The two-time NFL rushing champion visited with the Patriots late last month and provides important depth behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Elliott referenced the Patriots in a Twitter post Monday.

Elliott, 28, was released by the Dallas Cowboys in a salary-cutting move in March.

The Ohio State product was slowed in the second half of last season by a knee injury and wasn’t fully healthy in 2021. He rushed for a career-low 876 yards and 3.9 yards per carry in 2022 while backup Tony Pollard emerged as a 1,000-yard rusher and big-play threat.

Elliott led the NFL in rushing in 2016 and 2018 and posted four 1,000-yard seasons with Dallas. The 2016 first-round pick (fourth overall) ranks third in Cowboys history in rushing yards (8,262) and rushing touchdowns (68) behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. He also has 305 catches for 2,336 yards and 12 scores in 103 games (102 starts).

The Patriots released running back James Robinson in June, and Ty Montgomery is nursing an undisclosed injury. Second-year running backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris are also on the depth chart.

–Field Level Media

Krejci Retires from NHL, Bruins

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BOSTON – Boston Bruins veteran forward David Krejci took it upon himself to make the formal announcement.

“After 15 full NHL seasons I have decided to retire from the best league in the world,” he wrote and posted to social media accounts the world over.

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“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cam Neely and Don Sweeney for allowing me to take my time with my decision and announcement.

I also want to thank the Jacobs family and the entire Bruins organization for believing in me over and over again and giving me the opportunity to be part of this amazing family for so many years,” Krejci concluded.

Gone, now, from the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup champion team are goalkeepers Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, defenseman and captain Zeno Chara, and legendary forward Patrice Bergeron – all sure-shot Hall of Famers.

Back into the Black and Gold is Milan Lucic, but he’ll be the lonely torch bearer.

 

 

 

Sox Go Deep for “W”

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BOSTON – (Staff and Write Service Report) – Boston’s Adam Duvall homered and drove in four runs and Trevor Story had four hits to lead the Red Sox to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon.

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Sox DH Justin Turner, who was playing in his 1,500th major league game, also went deep for the Red Sox. It was his 19th home run of the season and his second in as many games.

Duvall and Turner each had two of Boston’s 12 hits.

Akil Baddoo launched a solo home run in the fifth inning for the Tigers, who lost twice in the three-game series.

Garrett Whitlock, who was activated from the injured list Sunday, earned the win after pitching two innings of relief. Whitlock (5-3) allowed one (unearned) run and struck out three without surrendering a hit.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his 27th save.

Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez (8-6) took the loss after he allowed six runs on 10 hits in five innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

Miguel Cabrera’s groundout drove in Spencer Torkelson from third base to stake Detroit to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Torkelson reached base when he was hit by a pitch.

Boston pulled even in its half of the second after Triston Casas drew a two-out walk and scored on Connor Wong’s triple.

The Red Sox took a 2-1 lead on Turner’s homer in the third. They stretched the advantage to 3-1 later in that inning after Story reached on an infield single, stole second and third and scored on Duvall’s single.

Baddoo’s homer sliced Boston’s lead to 3-2 in the fifth before Duvall went deep with a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth

Detroit got a run back when Matt Vierling scored on Torkelson’s groundout in the sixth inning.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox to Face E-Rod and Tigers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Detroit left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch against his former team on Sunday when the visiting Tigers wrap up a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Rodriguez, 30, made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2015. He had a 64-39 record in 159 appearances (153 starts) over six seasons with Boston.

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Rodriguez (8-5, 2.75 ERA) signed a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers after the 2021 season but said he recalls his time with the Red Sox fondly.

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“I have a lot of good memories here, and it feels good to be back here,” Rodriguez said before Boston opened the series with a 5-2 victory on Friday night.

Rodriguez didn’t pitch in June because of an injury to his left index finger, but he tossed seven scoreless innings on Tuesday to help Detroit beat Minnesota 6-0. Earlier this month, he invoked the no-trade clause in his contract to keep him from being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rodriguez has made 17 starts for the Tigers this season. Opposing batters are hitting .218 with a .594 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against him. He’s 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA in his last seven starts.

Sunday will mark Rodriguez’s second career start against Boston. He allowed seven runs — just two earned — in 3 2/3 innings versus the Red Sox on April 13, 2022.

Kutter Crawford (5-6, 3.80) will pitch for Boston. Crawford took the loss when Kansas City beat the Red Sox 9-3 on Tuesday. He gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Detroit. He has allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Tigers.

Detroit hit four solo home runs atop the Green Monster in Saturday’s 6-2 triumph over Boston. Kerry Carpenter hit two of them and has three in the series.

“Any time I’m going well, I’m using the opposite field,” the lefty-hitting Carpenter said. “In this ballpark (Fenway Park), it’s easier to hit them out to left here. Anything they throw hard I want to hit that way.”

The Red Sox were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Garrett Whitlock is expected to return from the injured list on Sunday and be available out of the Red Sox bullpen. The right-hander pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Whitlock has been on the injured list since July 4 because of an elbow bone bruise. Whitlock has made 10 appearances, all starts, for the Red Sox this season, but Boston manager Alex Cora said earlier this week that Whitlock is returning as a reliever.

“He wanted to come back as soon as possible,” Cora said. “This is the best way. We’ll stretch him out. He’s gonna go two, three innings. It was more about his willingness to get ready and help us as soon as possible.”

Cora said there is a good chance third baseman Rafael Devers will have Sunday off. The lefty-hitting Devers leads the Red Sox with 26 home runs but will not play because Cora envisions loading his lineup with right-handed batters against Rodriguez.

“Have a good day (Sunday), win the series and move on,” Cora said.

–Field Level Media

Carpenter Nails Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter hit two solo home runs to help propel the visiting Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

The Tigers clubbed four homers for the game.

Carpenter opened the scoring by belting a solo home run against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello to lead off the second inning. He followed with his 15th home run of the season in the eighth against Kyle Barraclough. Carpenter also homered on Friday night.

Eric Haase and Spencer Torkelson also hit solo home runs for the Tigers.

Haase stretched Detroit’s lead to 3-1 when he homered to left-center in the fifth. It was his fourth home run of the season and also came against Bello, who was pulled with two outs in the fifth.

Torkelson’s home run, his 18th, came in the sixth against Brennan Bernardino and extended Detroit’s lead to 5-1. Torkelson finished 4-for-4.Justin Turner hit his 18th home run, a solo shot in the eighth inning, for the Red Sox.

Matt Manning (4-4) pitched 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. He surrendered a run on two hits. Jason Foley tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to secure his fifth save.

Bello (8-7) allowed four runs on nine hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

After Carpenter’s home run handed the Tigers a 1-0 lead, Detroit added to that lead in the third. Nick Maton singled, took second on Akil Baddoo’s single and made it a 2-0 game when he scored on Riley Greene’s single.

Boston cut its deficit in half in the fourth when Turner scored on an error by Maton at third base, but Detroit added two runs in the top of the fifth. After Haase homered, Baddoo made it 4-1 by scoring from third on a fielder’s choice.

Torkelson’s home run gave the Tigers a four-run lead, and Carpenter’s second home run of the game put The Tigers up 6-1. Turner’s homer capped the scoring.

–Field Level Media

For Boston, For Sale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Oft-injured Boston starting pitcher Chris Sale went to work in a major league game for the first time in more than two months and Triston Casas hit a three-run home run to help the Boston Red Sox stretch their winning streak to three games by beating the visiting Detroit Tigers 5-2 Friday night.

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Casas put Boston in front 4-0 when he hit his 19th homer of the season in the fourth inning. It was the first home run Detroit’s Tarik Skubal has allowed this season.

Sale, who last appeared in a game June 1, retired the first 14 batters he faced. He spent more than two months on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, but was activated off the 60-day IL Friday night.

Sale allowed two runs on one hit, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in 4 2/3 innings. Kerry Carpenter‘s solo home run in the fifth is the only hit Sale allowed. It was Carpenter’s 13th home run of the season.

Sale threw 58 pitches, 42 of which were strikes.

Kyle Barraclough (1-0) collected the win for pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Chris Murphy didn’t allow a hit or a run in the final three innings to earn the first save of his career.

Skubal (2-2) was pulled with one out in the sixth after he gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits. Skubal struck out three and walked two.

Boston took a 1-0 lead by scoring an unearned run in the first. Rob Refsnyder reached on a throwing error, took third on Rafael Devers’ single and scored on a fielder’s choice.

After Casas homered to make it 4-0, Detroit scored twice in the fifth. Carpenter’s home run put the Tigers on the scoreboard, and then Riley Greene’s single drove in Javier Baez to make it 4-2.

The Red Sox increased their lead to 5-2 when Connor Wong’s two-out single drove in Trevor Story in the sixth.

The loss ended Detroit’s three-game winning streak.

–Field Level Media

 

Paxton, Sox Blank KC Royals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – James Paxton tossed 5 1/3 innings to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting Kansas City Royals 2-0 Thursday night.

Paxton (7-3) allowed six hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Relievers John Schreiber (two-thirds of an inning), Josh Winckowski (one inning), Chris Martin (one inning) and Kenley Jansen (one inning) helped preserve the shutout.

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Jansen didn’t allow a baserunner in the ninth to earn his 26th save. He recorded two strikeouts.

Boston scored a run in the fourth and one in the fifth. Adam Duvall and Alex Verdugo had the game’s only RBIs.

The victory gave Boston three wins in the four-game series against Kansas City, which has lost five of its last six games.

Alec Marsh (0-6) took the loss. Marsh allowed two runs on six hits in five innings of relief. He walked two and struck out three.

Maikel Garcia had two hits for the Royals. His single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

The Royals had one hit in each of the first seven innings — and seven hits in the game — but were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Kansas City struck out 12 times.

Kansas City’s best chance to score came in the seventh inning, when the Royals had runners on first and second with one out. Dairon Blanco and Garcia each struck out for the final two outs in the inning.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Tristan Casas singled, moved to third on a Trevor Story double and scored on Verdugo’s sacrifice fly.

Boston made it 2-0 in the fifth. Duvall’s two-out double scored Pablo Reyes, who reached on a double earlier in the inning.

Reyes batted in the leadoff spot for the first time this season and collected two hits in the win. Before Thursday’s game, Reyes hadn’t hit higher than sixth in the batting order this season. Duvall also had two hits.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Sink and Split?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Kansas City Royals have lost four of their last five games but can split a four-game road series against the Boston Red Sox when the teams meet in the series finale tonight.

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Boston prevailed 4-3 Wednesday after the teams split the first two games in the series at Fenway Park.

The Royals will use left-hander Austin Cox as an opener Thursday, but righty Alec Marsh (0-5, 6.75 ERA) is expected to get the bulk of the work on the mound. He’ll be opposed by lefty James Paxton (6-3, 3.60).

“Overall a good one,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said following Wednesday’s win. “Hopefully we show up (Thursday) and Pax can give us six innings and go from there.”

Cox (0-1, 3.58) has a 1.16 WHIP in 27 2/3 innings this season.

Marsh allowed three runs on six hits in four innings during his last start, a no-decision in Kansas City’s 9-6 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. Marsh was pitching on short rest after he tossed a scoreless inning in a relief appearance the previous Tuesday. He’ll be pitching against Boston for the first time in his career.

Paxton had a 4.95 ERA in four July starts, then gave up three home runs in five innings during his only start in August — Friday night’s 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

“You go through stretches where you feel really good (and) the ball is coming out great,” Paxton told The Boston Globe. “In other stretches, you’ve got to battle a bit more. I’m working my butt off trying to get back to a stretch where it’s feeling a little bit better out there.”

Paxton is 3-0 with a 1.70 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals. He has 53 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.

Justin Turner, who has been dealing with a bruised left heel, isn’t expected to return to the Red Sox lineup until Friday at the earliest. Turner was injured on July 31 when he beat out an infield single against Seattle. He missed three games and then played in the next three, but hasn’t been in the lineup since Monday’s 6-2 victory over Kansas City.

Turner is hitting .284 and is second on the team in home runs (17) and RBIs (71).

“Hopefully we can get him ready for the weekend (against Detroit),” Cora said.

Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two home runs in Wednesday’s loss. He also went deep in Tuesday’s 9-3 victory.

“It validates the work he’s been putting in and the progress he’s been making, so I’m very happy for him,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.

The Royals stole six bases Tuesday, but pinch runner Dairon Blanco was thrown out attempting to swipe second for the second out in the ninth inning Wednesday. Kansas City also had a runner (Maikel Garcia) picked off second in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s loss.

KC Powers Way to Win Over Sox

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Story Hitless in Return

BOSTON – Drew Waters, MJ Melendez and Michael Massey each hit a two-run home run on Tuesday to help the visiting Kansas City Royals end a three-game losing streak by beating the Boston Red Sox 9-3 in the second game of a four-game series.

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The Royals collected 15 hits and six stolen bases in the victory.

Kansas City’s Brady Singer (8-8) earned the win after allowing three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He recorded four strikeouts and two walks.

Trevor Story, who had offseason surgery on his throwing elbow, made his season debut for Boston after spending 13 games in the minors on a rehabilitation assignment. Story was hitless in four at-bats and struck out three times.

Boston starter Kutter Crawford (5-6) was pulled with one out in the fourth. He allowed three runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out six.

The Royals opened the scoring in the second inning, when Matt Beaty doubled, took third on a Waters single and scored on Kyle Isbel’s sacrifice fly.

After Waters (3-for-5) hit his seventh home run of the season to increase Kansas City’s lead to 3-0 in the fourth, Boston cut its deficit to 3-2 by scoring twice in the fifth. Adam Duvall hit his 10th home run to make it 3-1 before Alex Verdugo doubled, took third on a groundout and scored on Connor Wong’s single.

The Royals took control with a three-run sixth. Maikel Garcia walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout to make it 4-2, and then Melendez hit his 10th home run to stretch the lead to 6-2.

Kansas City added three more runs in the seventh. Isbel’s double drove in Waters to put the Royals up 7-2 before Massey’s 10th home run increased the lead to 9-2.

The Red Sox completed the scoring in the bottom of the seventh when Jarren Duran’s double drove in Verdugo.

–Field Level Media