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MLB: Tellez Tags Red Sox

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Milwaukee slugger Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer, and the Brewers’ bullpen preserved Milwaukee’s victory over visiting Boston.

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Rafael Devers pulled Boston to within 5-4 in the sixth with his eighth homer of the season, a 416-foot, two-run shot to right off Joel Payamps. Peter Strzelecki and Hoby Milner kept the Red Sox off the board until the ninth, when Devin Williams worked around a one-out single to pick of his third save of the year.

Brewers starter Wade Miley (3-1) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings, striking out three and walking one. Boston starter Garrett Whitlock (1-2) was tagged for all five runs on eight hits in four innings and took the loss.

Red Sox Walk to Victory Over Brewers

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer and starter Nick Pivetta pitched effectively into the sixth inning to pace the visiting Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.

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Pivetta (1-1) allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven with one walk. Josh Winckowski followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, fanning four, and Kenley Jansen finished with a perfect ninth, including two more strikeouts, for his fifth save.

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five with two costly walks.

Boston converted those walks into two runs in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Peralta was within a strike of finishing a 1-2-3 inning before walking Enrique Hernandez and Triston Casas. The Brew Crew’s Hoby Milner relieved and pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder punched the tying-RBI single to right, sending Casas to third. Jarren Duran then lined an RBI single off the glove of third baseman Owen Miller, who knocked the drive down, but had no play.

The Red Sox made it 5-3 in the seventh when Justin Turner walked with two outs and Masataka Yoshida doubled to left center.

Milwaukee had gone up 3-2 with two runs in the fourth. Rowdy Tellez tied the game with his sixth homer, a one-out line drive to right. William Contreras followed with a double and scored on Brice Turang’s single to right, sliding around the tag attempt at home.

Verdugo staked the Red Sox to a 2-0 lead in the third with his third homer. Duran singled to open the inning and advanced on a sacrifice. Verdugo then jerked a 2-1 pitch 366 feet down the right-field line.

Miller hustled up a run in the bottom half to make it 2-1. Miller singled with one out, stole second, and came home on Christian Yelich’s single to left.

–Field Level Media

Brogdan Continues Celtics’ Tradition; Wins 2023 NBA Sixth Man Award

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was named the 2023 KIA NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Brogdon becomes the third Celtics’ star to win the league’s annual honor, joining Kevin McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986).

“From day one, Malcolm has eagerly embraced his role as a game changer off the bench,” said Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His emphasis on winning has been reflected daily in his work, his play, and his selflessness. Malcolm winning the award named after John Havlicek, an all-time Celtic, could not be more appropriate.”

In the 41 years since the award’s creation in 1982, only eight other players have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in their first season with their team.

Brogdon was the only player in the NBA ranking in the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assists among players who didn’t start in a regular-season game as he finished with 14.9 points (1st), 4.2 rebounds (3rd), and 3.7 assists (2nd).

Brogdon finished the year ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage with a career single-season high 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. He tied Ray Allen (2010-11) for the third-best single-season three-point percentage by a Celtic since 1979 behind Allen’s 2011-12 season (45.3%) and Al Horford this season (44.6%).

As an NBA reserve, Brogdon ranked first in minutes played (1743.8), second in made field goals (354), third in total points (1,000) and clutch points (42), and fourth in assists (248). Brogdon became the fourth player in Celtics history to score at least 1,000 points in a season off the bench, behind Ricky Davis in 2004-05 (1,121 points) and Kevin McHale twice, in 1989-90 (1,109) and 1990-91 (1,031).

The Georgia native earns his third NBA honor including winning the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year award and the 2019-20 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

The Sixth Man of the Year trophy honors Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek, who excelled off the bench like no player before him. Havlicek came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons. His career highlights include eight NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP, eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections, and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Twins, Gallo Take Down Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Minnesota’s Joey Gallo made an immediate impact when he returned to the Minnesota lineup Wednesday night, and the Twins hope he will continue to swing a hot bat when they wrap up a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox this afternoon.

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Gallo came off the injured list Wednesday and went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run during Minnesota’s 10-4 victory over Boston later that night. His long ball came against Corey Kluber and handed the Twins a 7-0 lead in the third inning. It was his team-high fourth home run of the season.

Gallo, a 29-year-old outfielder/first baseman, missed Minnesota’s previous 10 games due to a right intercostal strain, an injury he sustained in an April 7 game against the Houston Astros. He was hitting .278 with three home runs and seven RBIs in seven games with the Twins before he was injured.

“He’ll be at first base a lot for us going forward,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He feels good, significantly better than when he left us. It’s good to have his type of at-bats back in there. Someone that can do some damage and someone that can have a good, deep at-bat.”

Minnesota signed Gallo to a one-year deal after he split the 2022 season between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit 19 home runs last year but batted .160 and had a 39.8 percent strikeout rate.

“He’s been one of the guys that’s been hurt the most by the way that the game has progressed over the last five or 10 years (with defensive shifts),” Baldelli said. “His numbers, and a few of these left-handed hitters’ numbers, look less than where they simply would have at any other time in the history of baseball.”

The Red Sox will be looking for more offense from the top of their order on Thursday after the first four batters in their lineup — Alex Verdugo, Ramiel Tapia, Justin Turner and Rafael Devers — went 0-for-16 in the Wednesday loss. Boston hitters were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez was one bright spot in the Boston lineup on Wednesday. Although he was shaky in the field, Valdez collected two hits in his major league debut.

“Like we said, this guy can hit,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He can hit … the ball hard. Even his last at-bat he stayed with the pitch and went the other way under control. Interesting night on the other side (defensively).”

Valdez was originally charged with two errors, but one was changed to a hit.

Right-hander Kenta Maeda (0-2, 4.09 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for Minnesota on Thursday. The Red Sox will counter with right-hander Tanner Houck (2-0, 4.50 ERA).

Maeda exited his first start of the season due to arm fatigue, and then allowed eight hits and four runs in six innings during latest outing, on April 10 against the Chicago White Sox. Maeda skipped his next turn in the rotation and will enter the Thursday game with extra rest.

He is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox.

Houck won his first two starts of the year, then gave up two runs on four hits in four innings against the Los Angeles Angels during a no-decision on Friday.

Houck has a 1-0 record with a 2.61 ERA two career starts vs. the Twins. In his most recent meeting with Minnesota, he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings en route to a victory on April 16, 2022.

–Field Level Media

Sox vs. Twins: Strange Game – Indeed

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo’s RBI single off the base of the right field wall, near the famed Pesky Pole, came with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning and capped a three-run rally and gave the Boston Red Sox a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins Tuesday night.

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The Red Sox trailed 4-2 until Reese McGuire hit a two-run single with no outs in the 10th. After Jarren Duran singled to load the bases, the Twins turned a double play before Verdugo’s third hit of the game scored McGuire with the winning run.

The Twins took a 3-2 lead when Byron Buxton’s sacrifice fly scored Nick Gordon in the top of the 10th. Minnesota made it 4-2 when Donovan Solano scored from third on Jose Miranda’s groundout later in the inning.

Chris Sale started for the Red Sox and struck out 11 in six innings. He allowed a run on three hits and walked two.

It was a 1-1 game when Sale exited the mound, and Max Kepler homered on the second pitch from reliever Josh Winckowski to give the Twins a 2-1 lead in the seventh. It was Kepler’s second home run of the season.

Boston tied the game in the eighth, when Enrique Hernandez scored from third on a fielder’s-choice grounder from Duran. Hernandez had gone from first to third when Minnesota’s Christian Vazquez was called for catcher’s interference.

Rafael Devers, Justin Turner and Duran each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who outhit the Twins 12-4. Minnesota also committed two errors.

Minnesota starting pitcher Sonny Gray limited the Red Sox to one run on seven hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the first, when Verdugo led off with a double and came home on a Devers single. The Twins tied the game in the fifth on a Carlos Correa bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Michael Taylor.

John Schreiber (1-0) got the win despite allowing two runs, one earned, in the top of the 10th. The Red Sox earned their fourth victory in five games.

Jovani Moran (0-1) took the loss, Minnesota’s third in a row.

–Field Level Media

Twins to Challenge Sox in Three-Game Series

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire service report by Field Level Media) – The Boston Red Sox open the second leg of their seven-game home stand with a visit from the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins tonight for the opener of a three-game series.

Boston strives for a better start in the new series than the finish of the prior stint after allowing four first-inning runs in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. The Red Sox are tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for most runs allowed in the opening frame this season with 23.

Despite that fact, 13 of Boston’s first 17 games have still been decided by three or fewer runs.

“We’ve got to be better on that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of the shaky starts. “As far as the team and what we’re trying to accomplish, we’re going to play 27 outs and we’ve been showing that.”

With Brayan Bello activated from the injured list to start on Monday, Chris Sale had his turn pushed to Tuesday as the Red Sox will work with a six-man rotation until their next off day on April 27.

Sale (1-1, 11.25 ERA) has recorded at least six strikeouts in each of his three starts this season, but he allowed six runs (five earned) over four innings on Wednesday in a loss at Tampa Bay.

“He hasn’t pitched in four years, honestly. … In (2019), he wasn’t healthy,” Cora said. “We’ll wait until Cinco de Mayo to see where we’re at.”

Sale is 11-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 29 career appearances (21 starts) against Minnesota, having gone 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA in his past five starts vs. the Twins dating back to 2017.

The Boston bullpen has more than made up for the starters’ early-season struggles, allowing just two runs over 18 1/3 innings in the past four games. Kutter Crawford worked 6 1/3 scoreless, one-hit frames after Bello’s rain-drenched Monday exit.

Minnesota comes to Boston following back-to-back losses to finish a four-game road set against the New York Yankees.

“This is not the same Twins team that people have seen in the last two years,” Twins designated hitter Byron Buxton said, according to MLB.com. “We are making our own identity.”

The Twins scored nine runs in the first inning on Thursday in an 11-2 win over the Yankees but were then held to just seven runs during the remainder of the series. They were shut out for the second time this season in the 2-0 series finale on Sunday.

“We played two good games and grabbed two wins at Yankee Stadium, and we walk out splitting. It’s not going to feel good,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I would call it a competitive series. Overall, the pitching was at a pretty high level.”

Sonny Gray (2-0, 0.53 ERA) looks to continue his outstanding start to the season and pick up his first career win at Fenway Park, where he is 0-4 with an 8.02 ERA in six appearances (five starts). He pitched five scoreless innings en route to a 3-1 win on Wednesday in the Twins’ rubber match against the Chicago White Sox. Gray is 1-7 with a 6.80 ERA in 10 career outings (nine starts) against the Red Sox.

Minnesota’s Donovan Solano, who is playing first base every day with Joey Gallo out due to a right intercostal strain, is batting .366 during an 11-game hitting streak.

“If you have a bunch of guys that hit the ball on the barrel often, as often as he does, I think you’re going to have a productive offense,” Baldelli said.

–Field Level Media

Citius – Altius – Fortius – Ranius – Bucketius

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Citius – Altius – Fortius – Ranius – Bucketius.

The weather forecasters tried to ruin the best day of the year in Boston. They couldn’t. When they threw a misty mountain top of a morning at us, Boston answered with the 9:00am start of the men’s wheelchair race and Swiss racer Marcel Hug primed to win his sixth Boston Marathon.

Workers lay down a Boston Marathon decal on Boylston Street with sponsor John Hancock logo, the final time they will sponsor the race. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

When they threw some headwinds at the racers, Boston countered with women’s wheelchair racer Susannah Scaroni, who finished in the Top 5 on five previous marathons, and she finally broke through for the win this year.

They threw dangerous cells of rain and some lightning at the runners and Boston countered with former NHL Bruins captain Zdeno Chara at ’em, and then doubled-down with Boston College and pro football legend Doug Flutie running the marathon yet again. It was Flutie’s fifth Boston Marathon and he raised $350,000 for autism research while he ran his 26.2 with a tweaked hamstring that kept him away from his final training runs for the past six weeks.

If that weren’t enough, Flutie was also nursing a pulled groin, suffered in a recent ice hockey game.

As the Marathoners got serious and the weather cleared, Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri took honors in the men’s and women’s elite/professional categories for the 127th running of the Carnegie Hall of Marathons.

The New England weather got tough and Boston got tougher until late afternoon when the novice marathoners saw only slight drizzles as they took a right on Hereford Street and a left to Boylston.

While the marathoners ran to Boston from the starting line out in Hopkinton, the Los Angeles Angels were throwing the great Shohei Ohtani against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Sox won the first three games of their series against the Angels, but Boston chose to throw Brayan Bello back at ’em, and that proved disastrous as former Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe plopped a 3-run homer into the lap of some Green Monster seat ticket holder in the very first inning of a game that was to be delayed for 56 minutes to start and a total of 2:21 on the day before Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida popped up to LA’s Gio Urshela at third base to end the 5-4 Boston loss.

 

Celtics Send a Message to Hawks

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire services report) -Two days after having five stitches removed from a finger on his shooting hand, Jaylen Brown recorded game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-99 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Saturday.

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Brown, an Atlanta native, missed Boston’s final two regular-season games after cutting himself while picking up a piece of glass in his home.

Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 11 rebounds for the second-seeded Celtics, who received a 24-point performance from Derrick White.

The seventh-seeded Hawks were 5 of 29 from 3-point range, and were outrebounded 58-45.

Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 24 points and eight rebounds. Trae Young, Atlanta’s leading scorer during the regular season, finished with 16 points.

The Hawks trimmed a 30-point halftime deficit to 12, 96-84, with 9:33 to play, but the Celtics responded with a 6-0 run to push their lead to 18. Atlanta, which trailed 94-75 after three quarters, missed 11 of its next 12 shots after slicing Boston’s lead to 12 points.

Atlanta used an 8-0 run to pull within 12 points with 3:16 to go, but never got any closer.

Game 2 will be played in Boston on Tuesday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Atlanta on Friday.

Boston led 29-19 after one quarter and extended its lead in the second. A Tatum 3-pointer capped a 20-3 run that put the Celtics up 52-27 with 6:10 remaining in the quarter, and Boston had its largest lead of the half after Tatum made a 3-pointer that gave the Celtics a 74-44 advantage with 2.2 seconds left in the second.

Boston shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, when it made nine of its 16 3-point attempts. Atlanta shot 33.3 percent from the floor and was 1 of 16 from behind the arc.

Sox Adjust 40-Man Roster

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BOSTON – (Staff report from official news release) – The Boston Red Sox made the following roster moves on Sunday, April 16:

  • Placed right-handed pitcher Chris Martin on the 15-Day Injured List (retroactive to April 13) with right shoulder inflammation.
  • Selected right-handed pitcher Jake Faria from Triple-A Worcester. He will wear number 32.
  • Transferred right-handed pitcher Wyatt Mills to the 60-Day Injured List.
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Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the moves..

Martin, 36, last pitched Wednesday in Tampa Bay, allowing one run in the eighth inning. The right-hander has allowed two runs in 7.0 innings pitched across seven outings with the Red Sox this season, his first games with the club. He was signed by Boston as a free agent on December 8, 2022.

Faria, 29, has made three relief appearances with Triple-A Worcester this season, allowing six runs over five innings, with six walks and five strikeouts. The right-hander owns a 4.70 ERA (106 ER/203.0 IP) in 72 career Major League appearances (29 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2017-19), Milwaukee Brewers (2019), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2021). He was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent on February 3, 2023.

Mills, 28, began the season on the 15-Day Injured List with right elbow inflammation. The right-hander made five Grapefruit League appearances with the Red Sox during 2023 Spring Training, posting a 7.50 ERA (5 ER/6.0 IP) with 10 strikeouts. He was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Jacob Wallace on December 16, 2022.

Can Sox Keep It Running?

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Wire Service) – Following a four-game losing streak, the Boston Red Sox found a way to win back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Angels to get back on track.

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Boston will look to keep rolling on Sunday when it plays host to the Angels in the third game of the teams’ four-game series.

With Saturday’s 9-7 win, the Red Sox have come from behind in five of their first seven victories this season, while the team has yet to have a starting pitcher record an out in the sixth inning.

“It’s been tough,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We were able to survive, but it’s kind of too soon to survive, to be honest with you. We’ve got to be better early on. We will be.”

Garrett Whitlock (0-1, 9.00 ERA) hopes to shake off a tough Tuesday start at Tampa Bay with some home cooking at Fenway Park, where he is 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 41 career games (five starts).

The Red Sox have averaged 6.1 runs per game at home this season, but it took a pair of catcher’s interference calls loading the bases and a two-run single by Yu Chang in the eighth inning to nab Saturday’s game.

Chang, who also homered and finished the game with four RBIs, was 0-for-16 this season entering Saturday.

“I’m so happy that the team gave me the opportunity to play every day,” Chang said through a translator. “I didn’t do well in the beginning, but (Saturday), I just got the chance, and with that homer, I was so happy.”

Whitlock, who made nine starts while also working in a relief role last season, allowed five runs on a career-high three homers in five innings in his last outing.

Two of his 2022 starts came against the Angels. He allowed six runs and struck out 14 across nine combined innings.

While the Red Sox have shown the ability to come back, it’s been a different story for the Angels, who have led in six of their first seven losses.

“We were in position to win a game when our starter wasn’t at his best, and we just didn’t finish it,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Saturday’s setback.

Tyler Anderson lasted four innings and allowed six runs, but four Angels relievers combined to allow three, only one of which was earned.

Reid Detmers (0-0, 5.59) will be tasked with trying to get Los Angeles’ pitching staff in a rhythm.

Detmers is seeking his first career win against the Red Sox in his third-ever start against the team, though he worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a home outing against Boston on June 8 of last season.

Despite logging 12 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings, Detmers has yet to record a decision this season. He fanned five across five innings last Sunday against Toronto, a game Los Angeles lost 12-11 in 10 innings.