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Celtics Face Heat in Desperate Situation

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Miami Heat will try to continue their winning ways at home and push the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination today when their Eastern Conference finals series shifts to Florida.

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The eighth-seeded Heat have won all five of their home games in the playoffs thus far. They also have backed the second-seeded Celtics into a corner by winning the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston.

Jimmy Butler collected 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Miami’s 111-105 victory over Boston on Friday, while center Bam Adebayo contributed 22, 17 and nine, respectively.

“Jimmy and Bam just really anchored us offensively,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s great when your two best players can lead you, in a place where the ball can go and everybody else is just playing off of those guys.

“Both of them at some point basically guarded everybody on the floor, basically at some point with the switches. They are going to burn a lot of calories on that end, but they have to shoulder massive responsibilities for us on the other end.”

Red Sox Sale Past Padres

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SAN DIEGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s left-hander Chris Sale held the Padres to two solo homers over seven innings and Enmanuel Valdez gave Sale a quick 3-0 lead with a three-run, second-inning homer as the visiting Red Sox scored a 4-2 victory in San Diego.

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Sale allowed three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. He threw 111 pitches (73 strikes) to improve to 4-2. Kenley Jansen, who blew his last two save opportunities, retired Brandon Dixon on a game-ending pop out to third after putting the tying runs on base with walks. It was Jansen’s 10th save.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox scored four runs on six hits, a walk and a hit batter against Padres starter Joe Musgrove, who had six strikeouts in five innings. Musgrove fell to 1-2.

Raimel Tapia triggered the Red Sox second-inning rally with a one-out single and moved to second when Musgrove hit Enrique Hernandez with a pitch. With Valdez at the plate, Tapia and Hernandez ran on a double steal. Tapia was originally called out at third for the second out in the inning. But Boston manager Alex Cora appealed and Tapia was ruled safe.

Valdez then launched a high, 374-foot drive to right on Musgrove’s third pitch for his third homer of the season.

Boston’s second successful appeal led to its fourth run in the fourth. Hernandez doubled leading off the inning, although he was originally called out on a throw by Jose Azocar. But the Red Sox appealed and Hernandez was ruled safe at second. He moved to third on a single by Connor Wong and scored on Alex Verdugo’s one-out single.

Juan Soto reduced Boston’s lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second on his eighth homer of the season — a 409-foot drive to right center.

Fernando Tatis Jr. again reduced the Padres’ deficit to two runs with his seventh homer of the season on a full-count, 440-foot drive to left center in the sixth. Tatis’ homer was the ninth straight solo homer by the Padres.

Ha-Seong Kim followed the Tatis homer with a double — the Padres’ third and final hit.

–Field Level Media

Miami Takes 2-0 Lead Over Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, including the tiebreaking basket with 2:33 remaining, and the Heat took control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 111-105 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 2 on Friday night.

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Miami won in Boston for the second straight game to grab a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Miami on today and Tuesday, respectively.

Caleb Martin established a career playoff high with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting off the bench for the eighth-seeded Heat. Miami’s Bam Adebayo contributed 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists and reserve Duncan Robinson chipped in 15 points.

Jayson Tatum had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for second-seeded Boston but didn’t convert a field goal in the fourth quarter for the second straight game. All five of Tatum’s final-quarter points came on free throws in the final minute.

Jaylen Brown scored 16 points but shot just 7 of 23 from the field for the Celtics. Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III had 13 points apiece.

Miami Heat, “Playoff Jimmy” Take Game 1 of NBA Eastern Conference Finals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s “Playoff” Jimmy Butler carried the Heat during the first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs. The opening game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals was no different.

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Butler played a solid all-around game, stacking-up 35 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds while leading the Heat to a 123-116 upset victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series that will determine the participant of the 2023 NBA Finals.

Butler raised his 2023 postseason average to 31.5 with his fifth 30-point effort in 11 games. He stopped short of saying he is playing better than ever but asserted the Miami coaching staff has set him up for success.

“I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so and not putting a limit on my game,” Butler said. “They are trusting me with the ball and on the defensive end, and I think that’s what any basketball player wants. What anyone wants in life is to be wanted, to be appreciated and just let you go out there and rock.”

Butler and the Heat were doing most of the rocking — particularly during a 46-point third quarter — while delivering the opening salvo in the best-of-seven series.

Bam Adebayo recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Heat recovered from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent all scored 15 points for Miami.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and seven rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Boston. Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points, Robert Williams III had 14 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart registered 13 points and 11 assists for the Celtics.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Boston.

Letting a double-digit lead get away at home was disappointing to Tatum.

“We’re going to watch film and talk about it,” Tatum said. “We’ll discuss the things we did well and the things we can do better and come out and execute better on Friday.”

The Heat led 114-105 after Butler’s basket with 5:33 remaining before the Celtics scored the next five points. Martin halted a Miami scoring drought of 3:23 by burying a 3-pointer to make it 117-110 with 2:10 to go.

Butler then made a 3-pointer that went in and out, bounced high and back in to make it a 10-point game with 1:03 left, and the Heat closed it out.

“He’s not playing for numbers,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “He’s trying to help the offense get the best possible high-percentage shot.”

Miami shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 16 of 31 (51.6 percent) from 3-point range.

Boston made 51.9 percent of its shots and was 10 of 29 (34.5 percent) from behind the arc. Derrick White added 11 points for the Celtics.

Miami trailed 66-57 at halftime before outscoring Boston 46-25 in the third quarter to take a 12-point advantage. The Celtics led 71-59 after Smart’s 3-pointer 65 seconds into the period before the Heat’s explosion began.

Miami used a 13-1 burst to tie the score. The Heat later went on a 10-2 push to move ahead 86-80 on a 3-pointer by Strus with 4:25 left in the period. Miami took a 103-91 lead into the final stanza.

“We got away from who we are in the third quarter,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought the first half was good. I thought we just let go of the rope in the third quarter. Lost our sense of urgency. We played harder than them in the first half, and they played harder than us in the third quarter.”

Tatum scored 18 first-half points. The score was tied at 47 before the Celtics went on a 15-2 run to open up a 13-point lead with 2:08 left in the second quarter.

Butler scored 15 points and Lowry had 13 in the first half for the Heat.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Score Early and Often to Take Series vs Seattle Mariners

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston shortstop Pablo Reyes hit a pair of two-run doubles as the Red Sox piled up nine runs over the first two innings en route to a 12-3 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

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Boston tied its season high with 16 hits, including six in a six-run second inning. Justin Turner went 3-for-4 with his second homer in as many games during the big frame.

Rob Refsnyder, Rafael Devers, Enrique Hernandez and Jarren Duran each added multiple hits to the total. Refsnyder and Turner also scored three runs apiece.

Brayan Bello (3-1) worked around three hits and five walks during his five-inning outing, ultimately earning his third straight win for the Red Sox.

Julio Rodriguez and Jose Caballero each had an RBI for Seattle, which was held to just five hits.

Seattle starter Marco Gonzales (3-1) lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits.

 

Red Sox Put One in the “W” Column

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox took the middle game of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners, 9-4, scoring runs in bunches at Fenway since an 11-run barrage against the Toronto Blue Jays on May the Fourth. Tuesday night, the Sox scored four runs to take a 4-0 lead in the first and then followed with a three-run fifth. Both scoring binges were the result of homers, triples, doubles and base hits – the “club cycle” that’s not a qualifier for free furniture.

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The rubber game of this three game set will be played Wednesday night at 7:10, giving Sox fans one hour and twenty minutes of baseball before they tune-in to see the hometown Celtics play host to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals.

For Boston, SP Nick Pivetta went 5.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits. He walked four and struck-out six Seattle batters. Pivetta allowed one home run as he threw 98 pitches with 58 strikes before giving way to RP Ryan Sherriff, the newly recalled lefty from Triple A Worcester.
Pivetta squandered the 4-0 lead but saw some run support after he headed to the showers. Ultimately, he was credited with the win and is now (3-3) on the 2023 season.
In the home half of the fifth inning, Alex Verdugo led-off with a 2B to left field and Masatka Yoshida followed with an RBI ground rule double that hopped over the low fence in fight field and Verdugo scored the go-ahead run, making it 5-4 Boston. After being moved over to third by a long fly ball to right by Justin Turner, a Luis Castillo wild pitch allowed Yoshida to score standing up. Sox CF Jarren Duran followed with a solo home run, a 4`7-foot blast to right center field to give Boston a 7-4 lead heading into the sixth inning.
Trailing 4-0, Seattle battled its way back to a tie game, 4-4 in the fourth, when Eugenio Suarez singled to left, C Cal Raleigh walked before RF Teoscar Hernandez tripled to center field. Red Sox centerfielder, Darren Duran, attempted to make a diving catch in short center, but missed and the ball rolled all the way back to the 420 mark in Fenways quirky center field. The triple scored both Suarez and Raleigh to make it, 4-3. Seconds later, Seattle DH Taylor Trammell cracked a two-run homer to right field, tying the game at the end of four innings.
The Red Sox started the game with an offensive outbreak. Boston RF Alex Verdugo beat out a bobbled ground ball to Seattle 2B Kolten Wong to lead-off the first inning. Masatake Yoshida crushed a bullet to center field which bounced off the outfield wall and rolled back towards the infield, allowing the Sox left fielder to show off his speed and dive into 3B as the throw trickled in from an errant cut-off. DH Justin Turner, batting in the third position then knocked in Yoshida with a towering 389-foot home run over Fenway’s Green Monster left field wall. With the Red Sox taking the three-run lead, 1B Triston Casas hit a 373-foot drive to clear the short right field and spot the Sox a 4-0 lead at the end of one.
Seattle’s Luis Castillo took the loss after pitching 5.0 innings and allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks. Castillo is now 2-2 on the season.
GAME NOTES:  The Red Sox have now won 9 of their last 11 games against Seattle. … After going 16-6 in a 22 game stretch (4/14 to 5/6), the Red Sox are now 2-6 over their last eight games. … Boston leads the Majors in two-base hits, now tallying 96. Verdugo and Yoshida carding doubles tonight. … Fenway Park fans were treated to one of the better renditions of the USA national anthem when nearby Suffolk University and its Performing Arts division brought it home in the pregame ceremonies…. It’s been a little over a month since Red Sox OF Adam Duvall broke his wrist (left distal radius fracture on 4/10). Duvall did not undergo surgery but will require at least six weeks of rehabilitation once the bone is set and healed. In the meantime, Duvall is running and throwing to stay in shape. It will take time before he can swing a bat and he was off to a very strong start, batting .454 with 15 hits, 14 RBI in his first eight games of the season, before suffering the broken wrist.

Red Sox on Four-Game Losing Streak

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – The Seattle Mariners will look to keep the hits coming for a second straight night when they continue a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park tonight.

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Seattle has won 10 of its last 14 games after dominating Monday’s series opener, racking up 15 hits in a 10-1 victory.

“We are riding the coattails of our pitching,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said before George Kirby logged a quality start to begin the series. “And we should.”

After Kirby tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Seattle leads the major leagues with a 3.24 ERA. The Mariners have prevented opponents from scoring more than one run in nine games this season.

The difference on Monday, however, was the Mariners’ season-high hit total. Cal Raleigh went 3-for-5 with four RBIs while becoming the first catcher to ever homer from both sides of the plate in a game at Fenway.

“I can’t believe (Jason) Varitek never did it,” Raleigh, who has strong family ties to Vermont, told Root Sports in a postgame interview. “That’s pretty cool.”

Eugenio Suarez also went deep for Seattle.

On Tuesday, the Mariners will give the ball to Luis Castillo (2-1, 2.70 ERA).

Castillo, who did not allow a run in three of his first four starts this year, is looking to bounce back after taking his first loss on Wednesday against Texas. He fanned nine Rangers but allowed three runs on eight hits through five innings during a 4-3 setback.

Castillo’s only career start against Boston was a great one, as he surrendered just one hit and struck out 10 in six shutout innings during a 2-1 victory on May 31, 2022.

The Red Sox are riding a four-game losing streak and have dropped six of their past seven since an eight-game winning streak.

Boston has been outscored 19-2 in the past two games, including a 9-1 setback against St. Louis. The Red Sox also lost leads in the first two games of the three-game set against the visiting Cardinals.

A positive sign could be Rafael Devers regaining his footing at the plate. The star third baseman is on a five-game hitting streak and logged Boston’s lone RBI on Monday with a double.

Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-3, 6.23 ERA), who is scheduled to start on Tuesday, has failed to complete five innings in only two of his first seven starts. However, one of those outings came in his latest appearance, on May 9 at Atlanta, where he allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings.

Despite the recent struggles, Pivetta fully expects to remain as a regular in the rotation, which could experience some alterations in the coming week.

“I’ve started for this team my whole entire career,” Pivetta said. “I’m going to continue to do that. By the end of the year, I’m going to continue to do that, then next year and the year on out.”

Boston manager Alex Cora isn’t ready just yet to discuss changes to the starting staff.

“You have 26 (roster slots) and have to make tough decisions at the end of the day,” Cora said. “But as far as conversations, we don’t have to do that right now.”

Pivetta has made only one career start against Seattle, when he held the Mariners to two runs on one hit over six innings in a no-decision on April 22, 2021.

–Field Level Media

Celtics’ 33-10 Third Quarter Beats 76ers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All season long, the Boston Celtics battled their opponents for the right to host a possible game against the Philadelphia 76ers at home.  When it came time for that Game 7, Boston’s Jayson Tatum poured in a record-setting 51 points and the Boston Celtics used a 28-3 run in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 112-88 Sunday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum’s 51 points broke the NBA record for points scored in a Game 7, set earlier this postseason when Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 50. Tatum was 17-for-28 from the field, including 6-of-10 on 3-point attempts. Tatum also had 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

“It felt great,” Tatum said. “This was a back-and-forth series. Obviously I didn’t play well in the first half last game and I was just happy to get that opportunity to bounce back. … Game 7 is all about win or go home.”

John Havlicek holds the record for points scored by a Celtics player in a playoff game. Havlicek scored 54 points in Game 1 of the 1973 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jaylen Brown added 25 points for the second-seeded Celtics, who will face the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. That best-of-seven series begins Wednesday in Boston.

St. Louis Hammers Red Sox for Sweep

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) St. Louis’ Paul DeJong, Andrew Knizner and Nolan Arenado each homered as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals beat the Boston Red Sox 9-1 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep.

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DeJong hit a solo home run before Knizner and Arenado each added two-run homers. Arenado homered in each game of the series.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas (2-1) pitched six strong innings to earn the win. He limited Boston to a run on four hits. Genesis Cabrera, Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton each tossed a scoreless inning of relief.

Boston’s Corey Kluber (2-5) surrendered four runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Lars Nootbaar had three hits (two doubles, single) for the Cardinals, who have won six of their last seven games. Arenado, Knizner, Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Burleson each added two hits for St. Louis. Arenado also drove in four runs.

The Cardinals beat the Red Sox 8-6 on Friday night, and 4-3 on Saturday.

The Red Sox received two hits from Rafael Devers, who drove in Boston’s only run.

Boston Blows Another Game, Save

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report with Field Level Media) – Boston closer Kenley Jansen allowed three runs in the ninth inning for the second consecutive game as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals came from behind to beat the Red Sox 4-3 Saturday.

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Jansen walked three (one intentionally) and committed three pitch-clock violations in the ninth.

Willson Contreras tied the game by scoring from third when Alec Burleson grounded into a fielder’s choice, and the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead on a throwing error by Enrique Hernandez as he was attempting to complete a double play. The error allowed Nolan Gorman to score.

Gorman’s double earlier in the inning drove in Paul Goldschmidt to cut Boston’s lead to 3-2.

Jansen (1-2) also allowed three runs in the ninth inning of Friday night’s 8-6 loss to St. Louis.

Boston wasted a strong start by Chris Sale, who recorded nine strikeouts in eight innings. Sale limited the Cardinals to a run on three hits and walked one.

Rob Refsnyder had three hits and two RBIs for Boston.

Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run for St. Louis. It was his second homer in as many days, and his fifth home run in his last seven games at Fenway Park.

Andre Pallante (2-0) earned the win for tossing a scoreless eighth inning, and Giovanny Gallegos pitched a scoreless ninth to record his third save.

St. Louis starting pitcher Steven Matz went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked one.

Boston opened the scoring when Justin Turner doubled and scored on a two-out single by Rafael Devers in the bottom of the first.

Boston’s lead grew to 3-0 after Refsnyder’s two-out double drove in Pablo Reyes and Alex Verdugo in the third. Nolan Arenado’s fifth home run sliced Boston’s lead to 3-1 in the seventh.

The Red Sox acquired Reyes in a trade with the Oakland A’s on Friday. He didn’t play for the A’s this season but has appeared in 157 major league games with Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.

Reyes, 29, started at second base Saturday and had two hits. To make room for Reyes, the Red Sox optioned Bobby Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester.