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Red Sox Score Six in 7th; Defeat Texas

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox erased a one-run deficit by scoring six runs on seven hits in the seventh inning and went on to defeat the visiting Texas Rangers 10-6.

Enrique Hernandez’s two-run single against Grant Anderson put the Red Sox ahead 6-5 in the seventh and opened the floodgates. Christian Arroyo, Connor Wong, Justin Turner and Masataka Yoshida added RBI hits as the Red Sox piled up seven hits — six singles and a double — against four Texas relievers.

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Wong had three of Boston’s 13 hits overall. Corey Seager led Texas with three hits, including his 11th home run of the season to cap the scoring in the ninth.

Josh Winckowski (3-1) earned the win for tossing two innings of scoreless relief as Boston took the rubber match of the three-game series. The Red Sox have won five of their last six games.

Josh Sborz (4-4) allowed three runs on one hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning and took the loss. The Rangers have lost four of five.

Alex Verdugo helped the Red Sox take a 1-0 lead when he scored from third on a Rafael Devers groundout in the bottom of the first inning, but the Rangers tied the game in the second on an RBI single from Jonah Heim that scored Adolis Garcia.

Boston took a 3-1 lead in the third. After Devers’ RBI double scored Turner, Adam Duvall’s sacrifice fly drove in Yoshida.

Texas quickly tied the game in the fourth. Josh Jung opened with a double and scored on Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice fly to pull the Rangers within a run, and then Ezequiel Duran scored on a single by Leody Taveras single.

The Rangers took the lead in the fifth. Garcia walked with two outs, took third on Jung’s double and scored on Yoshida’s throwing error. Heim followed with a double that drove in Jung to put Texas in front 5-3.

Boston was within a run after Hernandez scored on Rob Refsnyder’s single in the sixth.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Sign Walsh and Brissett

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Celtics signed forwards Jordan Walsh and Oshae Brissett to contracts. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Walsh, 6-7/205, is expected to make his Celtics debut at the NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas. At Arkansas, Walsh tied the program record for most games played by a freshman with 36 appearances in his lone collegiate season. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 24.4 minutes per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field.

The Dallas native helped the Razorbacks advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Walsh was ranked the No. 11 prospect by ESPN in the Class of 2022 after being named to the 2022 McDonald’s High School All-American Game and a Jordan Brand Classic participant. Walsh was selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

Brissett, 6-7/210, has appeared in 172 career NBA games (43 starts) in four seasons with the Toronto Raptors (2019-20) and Indiana Pacers (2021-23). He owns career averages of 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. Last season, he played in 65 games (two starts) with the Pacers and averaged 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 18 points against Orlando on Nov. 21, including a season-high-tying four three pointers.

The Toronto, Ontario native has also made 42 appearances and 31 starts over two seasons in the NBA G League and earned All G League Second Team honors in 2020-21 with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants when he averaged 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Brissett originally signed with Toronto as a free agent on July 23, 2019, and appeared in 19 games during his rookie campaign with the Raptors.

Red Sox Sign Alfaro

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a one-year contract for the 2023 season and added him to the active Major League roster. He will wear number 38.

To make room for Alfaro on the 40-man roster, the club designated catcher Caleb Hamilton for assignment. Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Alfaro, 30, played in 10 games for the Colorado Rockies this season, going 5-for-31 with four doubles and one home run. The right-handed hitter was previously signed by Boston as a minor league free agent on January 18 and appeared in nine Grapefruit League games for the Red Sox, batting .478 (11-for-23) with three doubles and two home runs. He began the season with Triple-A Worcester, hitting .320 (56-for-175) with 30 RBI in 43 games. A Colombia native, Alfaro has batted .254 (400-for-1,573) with 71 doubles, four triples, and 48 home runs in 488 career Major League games with the Philadelphia Phillies (2016-18), Miami Marlins (2019-21), San Diego Padres (2022), and Rockies (2023).

Hamilton, 28, has played in four games for Boston this season, including two starts as the catcher. The right-handed hitter has also played in 30 games with Worcester, batting .180 (18-for-100) with four doubles and three home runs. Selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 23rd round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, Hamilton has gone 1-for-23 with one home run in 26 career Major League games with Minnesota (2022) and Boston (2023).

Bello Gets the Job Done for Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire Service Report) – Red Sox starter Brayan Bello tossed seven innings to help the Boston Red Sox end a four-game home losing streak by beating the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Bello (6-5) limited the Rangers to two runs on eight hits. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.

Bello has pitched at least six innings in eight of his 14 starts this season and has pitched into the seventh in each of his last five outings.

Reliever Chris Martin kept Texas off the scoreboard in the eighth inning and All-Star Kenley Jansen recorded his 18th save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

The Red Sox were held to five runs in their previous four home games — three losses to Miami and one to Texas.

Justin Turner had two hits and two RBIs for Boston, which dropped a 6-2 decision to Texas on Tuesday. Connor Wong and Masataka Yoshida also had two hits for the Red Sox.

Adolis Garcia hit a two-run home run for the Rangers, his 22nd home run of the season.

Texas received three hits from Corey Seager, who has reached base in 24 straight games.

Texas starting pitcher Jon Gray (6-5) allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Can Bello Get Red Sox on Track?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox have lost their last four straight games at Fenway Park. To get on the right side of the W/L ledger, the Sox will send their best pitcher to the mound on tonight, when they try to win the second game of a three-game series against the visiting Texas Rangers.

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Right-hander Brayan Bello, 24, has established himself as one of the top young pitchers in the major leagues and has become the ace of a pitching staff that has been thinned by injuries to Chris Sale (shoulder), Tanner Houck (facial bone fracture) and Garrett Whitlock (elbow inflammation).

Bello (5-5, 3.08 ERA) missed the first three weeks of the season with a forearm strain suffered during spring training. He has been strong in 13 starts since joining the rotation, and his numbers would be much better if it weren’t for a lackluster season debut in which he allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Since that outing, Bello has an ERA of 2.56, and he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any appearance since then.

Bello carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his last start, a 2-0 loss to Miami on Thursday. He went seven-plus innings and surrendered a run on two hits, walked one and struck out five.

“He has so many weapons and he’s still learning how to use them,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Bello. “He’s just evolving, keeps getting better. His next (start) is going to be a challenge. It’s the Rangers, so he’ll be ready for that one and we’ll see what we got.”

Bello didn’t allow a run in six innings to earn the win back on Sept. 3, 2022, during his only career appearance against Texas. He gave up three hits and struck out five.

The latest blow to the Red Sox rotation came Sunday, when Whitlock left his start against Toronto after one inning. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday.

“It’s just about getting treatment and all that stuff and reassessing the situation next week,” Cora said. “Obviously no timetable, but for how bad it looked or whatever people were thinking ligament-wise and all that stuff, this is the closest thing to good news.”

Right-hander Jon Gray (6-4, 3.21) is scheduled to oppose Bello. Gray has a 1-0 record and a 2.45 ERA in his career against Boston (one start). He went 7 1/3 innings in that appearance and allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked three.

Texas ended Boston’s three-game winning streak by earning a 6-2 victory on Tuesday.

There was some speculation that Texas might replace closer Will Smith with newly acquired reliever Aroldis Chapman after Smith allowed two runs in the top of the ninth of Monday’s 12-11 loss to Houston, but Smith was called upon to retire the final batter in Tuesday’s victory. The Rangers traded for Chapman on Friday.

“I’m not going to go there now because Smitty has been doing such a great job,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s not what we’re even thinking about right now. … Those are important innings — seventh, eighth and ninth. We need to put zeroes up there, too. I’ll leave it at that.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Home on the 4th of July

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Home on the 4th of July, the Boston Red Sox can stretch their winning streak to four games when they open a three-game series against the visiting Texas Rangers early this afternoon. Boston had lost five games in a row — and seven of eight — before it swept a three-game series at Toronto this past weekend.

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(Highlights from July 4, 2022)

“The way we played this weekend was fun to watch,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said following his team’s 5-4 victory on Sunday. “Hopefully it’s a lesson to everybody here in this group that if we play that way against everybody, we’ve got a chance.”

The bottom four batters in Boston’s lineup (Triston Casas, Enrique Hernandez, David Hamilton and Connor Wong) were 0-for-17 in Sunday’s win, but Jarren Duran went 5-for-5 and matched a franchise record by hitting four doubles. It was the 50th time since 1901 that a major league player has had four doubles in one game.

While Boston had a day off Monday, the Rangers are coming off Monday afternoon’s wild 12-11 loss to Houston. Texas fought back from a 10-2 deficit to take an 11-10 lead in the eighth inning, but it surrendered two runs in the top of the ninth.

Travis Jankowski went 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs in the setback, capping an eight-game homestand during which the Rangers went 3-5. Jankowki’s hits included a three-run home run that sliced Houston’s lead to 10-5.

Texas arrived in Boston with a fortified bullpen. Not only did the Rangers acquire closer Aroldis Chapman in a trade with Kansas City on Friday, but they also activated right-handed pitcher Glenn Otto from the 60-day injured list on the same day.

Otto was used exclusively as a starting pitcher in his first two seasons with Texas, but he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in Friday’s 5-3 loss to Houston and allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings of relief on Monday. He missed the first half of the season rehabbing a right shoulder strain.

“I’m here to get outs,” Otto told the Dallas Morning News. “Whatever form or fashion that is, I’m here to get outs. I’m going to do the best job I can do to attack the hitters and get them out as fast as I can, go from there and let everything else fall where it may.”

Texas is expected to start right-hander Dane Dunning (7-1, 2.69 ERA) in the series opener on Tuesday. Dunning matched his career high by striking out 10 batters in 8 2/3 innings during his last start, a 10-2 victory over Detroit last Wednesday.

Dunning began the season as a reliever but joined the rotation to fill in for Jacob deGrom in May and has been used in that role since then. He is 0-3 with a 9.42 ERA in three career appearances (all starts) against Boston.

Boston has not officially announced its starting pitcher, but left-hander Chris Murphy (0-0, 1.80 ERA) is among those who could get the start. Murphy, who hasn’t pitched since last Wednesday, made his major league debut against Cleveland last month and has never pitched against Texas.

Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida was hit in the leg by a pitch during Boston’s 7-6 triumph over Toronto on Saturday and was held out of the lineup Sunday. Cora said he expects Yoshida to be available to play Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Sweep Blue Jays

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Alex Verdugo led off the ninth inning with a tie-breaking home run and the visiting Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep with a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.

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Jarren Duran tied a Red Sox club record with four doubles and finished 5-for-5 with three runs scored.

The Red Sox have won all seven games between the teams this season.

Brandon Belt hit two solo home runs for Toronto, which was held to six hits.

Boston right-hander Garrett Whitlock (right elbow tightness) allowed one run before being removed after the first inning.

Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman allowed two runs, five hits and one walk while striking out seven in five innings.

Duran led off the game with a bloop double to left and scored on a two-out single by Rafael Devers.

Toronto tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the first on Belt’s fifth homer of the season.

After Gausman struck out five in a row, Duran doubled to right with one out in the third and scored on a two-out single by Devers, who finished 3-for-3 with two walks.

Toronto took the lead in the bottom of the third. Kevin Kiermaier hit a one-out single against Brennan Bernardino, who was replaced by Kaleb Ort. George Springer singled, and after a double steal, Bo Bichette hit a two-run single to right. Verdugo threw out Bichette trying for a double.

Belt hit his sixth homer of the season against Nick Pivetta with one out in the sixth to make it 4-2 Toronto.

Duran led off the seventh with his fourth double, a shot high off the left-field wall against Erik Swanson. Justin Turner singled to drive in Duran. Turner was running on the play when Verdugo chopped a groundout to third and continued to third, coming home on a throwing error by first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to tie the game at 4-4.

After Pivetta completed four innings of one-run ball, Chris Martin (2-1) took over and pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth.

Verdugo hit his sixth home run of the season on the first pitch of the ninth off Toronto closer Jordan Romano (3-4) for the decisive run.

Boston’s Joe Jacques pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to earn his first career save.

Devers, Sox Upset Blue Jays

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TORONTO – Boston’s 3B Rafael Devers hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs in a three-hit game as the visiting Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6. Boston’s Justin Turner added a solo homer and an RBI double for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series. Boston is 6-0 against Toronto this season.

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Matt Chapman had a two-run homer for the Blue Jays while George Springer and Bo Bichette added solo home runs.

The game ended when Bichette was thrown out at home by right fielder Alex Verdugo. Bichette was trying to score the tying run on Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s single, which had already plated Springer.

Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (7-3) allowed five runs, seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) allowed two runs, three hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Springer led off the home half of the first with his 12th home run of the season.

Boston scored twice in the third. Turner singled with one out and Devers hit a 3-2 fastball to left center for his 20th homer of the season.

Bichette tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third with his 15th homer of the season.

Boston regained the lead in the fifth. Rob Refsnyder led off with a single and scored on Turner’s double. Devers followed with an RBI single and took second on the throw home. Trevor Richards replaced Kikuchi and allowed Masataka Yoshida’s run-scoring single.

Christian Arroyo led off the Boston sixth with a single, took third on Refsnyder’s double and scored on Verdugo’s sacrifice fly. Nate Pearson then replaced Richards.

Josh Winckowski allowed Chapman’s leadoff double in the Toronto seventh before Danny Jansen hit an infield single. With runners at second and third and two outs, Winckowski’s errant pickoff throw to second resulted in a run.

Winckowski walked Guerrero with two outs in the eighth and allowed Chapman’s 11th homer of the season, which pulled the Blue Jays within 6-5.

Turner led off the ninth with his 13th homer of the season. It came against Erik Swanson.

Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen allowed Springer’s single and Bichette’s double ahead of Guerrero’s single that nearly tied the game until Verdugo’s pinpoint throw finished off the Jays.

–Field Level Media

New Pro Hockey League for Women

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – A new professional hockey league, featuring the world’s best women’s players, will launch in January 2024.

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The new league was announced today by business and philanthropic leaders Mark and Kimbra Walter, sports icon Billie Jean King, and Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) Governors Johanna and John Boynton. The league will be supported financially by the Walters and led by board members including King, sports executive Ilana Kloss, and Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten.

The new league has acquired assets of the PHF and has spent months negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). These actions will enable the new league to move forward in unprecedented ways. The new league will undertake a thorough and equitable process to ensure that it features the best women’s hockey players in the world.

“I have always believed that professional sports should bring the highest levels of performance and organization, and this new league will have the backing and resources it needs to represent the very best of women’s hockey,” said Mark Walter, who is the controlling owner of the Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, co-general partner of the ownership group of the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club and holder of a significant interest in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to advance women’s sports,” said King. “I have no doubt that this league can capture the imagination of fans and a new generation of players. I want to thank Mark and Kimbra Walter for their vision and commitment to investing in women’s sports.”

“This is another step forward for the women who play professional hockey and the girls who dream of it every day,” Johanna Boynton said. “The PHF has been a game-changer and catalyst for growth in the women’s professional game. Today’s announcement builds on this foundation, represents a shared vision for one new league, and reaffirms our belief that collective and collaborative leadership is in the best interest of women’s professional hockey.”

“I celebrate this transformational moment for women’s professional hockey,” said Kasten, who represented the Walters in both transactions. “I thank Jayna Hefford, Kendall Coyne Schofield and the PWHPA player bargaining committee, Johanna and John Boynton and their partners at the PHF, and PHF Commissioner Reagan Carey for their essential roles in this historic accomplishment.”

“This new league will be unlike anything we have seen in women’s hockey,” said Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and PWHPA lead, Jayna Hefford. “I am inspired by this generation of players who are redefining the sport. We will create dreams and opportunities for girls and women around the world for decades to come.”

“I am extremely proud of our PWHPA group, which has remained committed to our vision and steadfast in our efforts to change the landscape of women’s professional hockey forever,” said Coyne Schofield. “Over the past four years, we have worked tirelessly to close the gap on what young girls and boys could dream to become in this sport.”

“This effort is the most significant development in our game since women’s ice hockey became an Olympic sport 25 years ago,” said Carey. “Players, fans, past pioneers, and future generations deserve to see the best athletes come together to elevate professional women’s hockey as never before.”

NBA Free Agency Round-Up

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Once the NBA’s free agency negotiation period began Friday, plenty of reported deals — including Kyrie Irving staying with the Dallas Mavericks and Draymond Green remaining with the Golden State Warriors — made the headlines, but there were several other moves worth noting.

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The contract agreements with free agents become official July 6, per NBA free agency rules.

Here’s a look at several deals that were reportedly agreed to on Friday:

–The Miami Heat re-signed forward Kevin Love and added guard Jason Richardson, according to ESPN. The Athletic also reported that the Heat were set to trade Victor Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Love, who will turn 35 before next season, turned his career around with Miami and played a key role in the team’s run to the NBA Finals.

A second-round pick of the Heat in 2015, Richardson, 29, gives his original team depth after Gabe Vincent reportedly joined the Los Angeles Lakers.

Oladipo, 31, spent 2 1/2 seasons in Miami. He previously played for Oklahoma City in 2016-17.

—Joe Ingles landed a deal with the Orlando Magic.

A key contributor off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks last season, the 35-year-old forward is getting a two-year, $22 million contract with the Orlando Magic, per ESPN.

–Former MVP Derrick Rose is set to join the Memphis Grizzlies. The 34-year-old guard was a bit-part player for the New York Knicks last season.

–Forward Herb Jones is sticking with the Pelicans. Jones, 24, had declined his option on a minimum salary, opting instead to agree on a four-year, $54 million deal to stay with New Orleans, per an ESPN report.

–Veteran guard Dennis Schroeder is joining the Raptors. After losing star guard Fred Van Vleet to the Houston Rockets, Toronto landed Schroeder, 29, with a two-year deal worth a reported $26 million.

–Guard Reggie Jackson, 33, and center DeAndre Jordan, 34, will stay with the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Jackson’s deal is reportedly for two years and $10.25 million.

—Seth Curry, 32, is back for a third stint with the Mavericks, landing a two-year contract. The former Nets guard, one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters, Curry played for Dallas in 2016-17 and again in 2019-20.

–The Minnesota Timberwolves are signing guard Shake Milton and forward Troy Brown. Milton, 26, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal, per an ESPN report. Brown, 23, played for the Lakers last season.

–The San Antonio Spurs retained forward Julian Champagnie with a four-year, $12 million contract. Champagnie, 22, signed with the team in February after he was waived by the Sixers. He averaged 11 points per game for San Antonio last season.

–The Boston Celtics agreed to a deal with forward Oshae Brissett, 25. According to ESPN, Brissett will get a player option for the second year of the contract.

–Field Level Media