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BOSTON ( BUCHHOLZ )
MINNESOTA ( PELFREY ) |
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| 925 | BOSTON | -120 | Ov 8,-120 | -140 | Ov 8.5,-125 | | 926 | MINNESOTA | +110 | Un 8,+100 | +130 | Un 8.5,+105 |
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| All Games | 21-24 | -7 | 20-23 | 4.0 | 0.241 | 0.311 | 0.374 | 0.685 | 4.8 | 0.260 | 0.324 | 0.419 | 0.743 | | Road Games | 11-12 | -0.7 | 11-10 | 3.7 | 0.220 | 0.292 | 0.337 | 0.629 | 4.9 | 0.263 | 0.326 | 0.415 | 0.741 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 14-17 | -5.9 | 14-15 | 4.0 | 0.240 | 0.309 | 0.364 | 0.672 | 5.4 | 0.271 | 0.338 | 0.436 | 0.774 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -2.7 | 2-4 | 3.9 | 0.293 | 0.335 | 0.438 | 0.773 | 4.4 | 0.261 | 0.315 | 0.420 | 0.735 | | Grass Games | 19-20 | -4.8 | 19-19 | 4.2 | 0.250 | 0.319 | 0.387 | 0.705 | 4.8 | 0.259 | 0.320 | 0.422 | 0.742 | | Night Games | 14-16 | -4.9 | 14-16 | 3.7 | 0.241 | 0.310 | 0.370 | 0.680 | 4.6 | 0.257 | 0.321 | 0.415 | 0.736 |
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| All Games | 4.0 | 0.241 | 0.311 | 45 | 1541 | 372 | 58 | 6 | 45 | 0.374 | 170 | 155 | 296 | 14 | 340 | 39 | 24 | 39 | 25 | | Road Games | 3.7 | 0.220 | 0.292 | 23 | 818 | 180 | 21 | 3 | 23 | 0.337 | 82 | 83 | 155 | 8 | 176 | 19 | 9 | 19 | 10 | | Righty Starters | 4.0 | 0.240 | 0.309 | 31 | 1091 | 262 | 40 | 4 | 29 | 0.364 | 120 | 108 | 206 | 10 | 251 | 27 | 20 | 28 | 21 |
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| All Games | 3.51 | 1.335 | 151.3 | 63 | 59 | 145 | 21 | 57 | 124 | 7-5 | 10 | 6 | 62.5% | | Road Games | 4.01 | 1.422 | 83 | 39 | 37 | 90 | 10 | 28 | 63 | 4-4 | 6 | 5 | 54.5% |
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| All Games | 26-18 | +13.6 | 22-19 | 4.6 | 0.257 | 0.308 | 0.388 | 0.697 | 4.2 | 0.273 | 0.320 | 0.420 | 0.740 | | Home Games | 15-6 | +10.8 | 11-8 | 5.6 | 0.294 | 0.340 | 0.444 | 0.784 | 4.0 | 0.272 | 0.311 | 0.395 | 0.706 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 11-13 | -0.1 | 9-13 | 3.4 | 0.239 | 0.287 | 0.345 | 0.633 | 4.6 | 0.285 | 0.328 | 0.444 | 0.773 | | Past 7 Games | 5-2 | +4.7 | 3-3 | 5.1 | 0.237 | 0.284 | 0.388 | 0.671 | 4.0 | 0.269 | 0.301 | 0.358 | 0.659 | | Grass Games | 26-18 | +13.6 | 22-19 | 4.6 | 0.257 | 0.308 | 0.388 | 0.697 | 4.2 | 0.273 | 0.320 | 0.420 | 0.740 | | Night Games | 14-7 | +11.2 | 8-12 | 4.7 | 0.252 | 0.301 | 0.382 | 0.684 | 2.9 | 0.247 | 0.296 | 0.364 | 0.661 |
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| All Games | 4.6 | 0.257 | 0.308 | 44 | 1504 | 387 | 74 | 9 | 35 | 0.388 | 191 | 111 | 353 | 18 | 274 | 41 | 25 | 40 | 26 | | Home Games | 5.6 | 0.294 | 0.340 | 21 | 707 | 208 | 37 | 3 | 21 | 0.444 | 113 | 49 | 154 | 9 | 131 | 22 | 12 | 22 | 8 | | Righty Starters | 3.4 | 0.239 | 0.287 | 24 | 788 | 188 | 36 | 3 | 14 | 0.345 | 76 | 54 | 212 | 14 | 145 | 21 | 10 | 19 | 12 |
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| All Games | 4.04 | 1.316 | 136 | 65 | 61 | 141 | 15 | 38 | 90 | 6-5 | 17 | 3 | 85% | | Home Games | 3.65 | 1.189 | 69 | 31 | 28 | 67 | 8 | 15 | 51 | 3-1 | 9 | 1 | 90% |
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| 5/12/2015 | MASTERSON(R) | @ OAKLAND | POMERANZ(L) | 2-9 | L | 110 | 8 un | O | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 1 | | 5/13/2015 | MILEY(L) | @ OAKLAND | GRAY(R) | 2-0 | W | 130 | 7 ov | U | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 | | 5/14/2015 | KELLY(R) | @ SEATTLE | ELIAS(L) | 2-1 | W | 100 | 7.5 un | U | 10 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | | 5/15/2015 | BUCHHOLZ(R) | @ SEATTLE | HAPP(L) | 1-2 | L | 100 | 7.5 un | U | 7 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | | 5/16/2015 | PORCELLO(R) | @ SEATTLE | HERNANDEZ(R) | 4-2 | W | 160 | 6.5 un | U | 8 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | | 5/17/2015 | WRIGHT(R) | @ SEATTLE | PAXTON(L) | 0-5 | L | 120 | 7.5 un | U | 5 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 0 | | 5/19/2015 | MILEY(L) | TEXAS | GALLARDO(R) | 4-3 | W | -160 | 9 ov | U | 13 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 0 | | 5/20/2015 | KELLY(R) | TEXAS | KLEIN(R) | 1-2 | L | -165 | 9 un | U | 9 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | | 5/21/2015 | BUCHHOLZ(R) | TEXAS | RODRIGUEZ(L) | 1-3 | L | -180 | 8.5 ov | U | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | | 5/22/2015 | PORCELLO(R) | LA ANGELS | RICHARDS(R) | 5-12 | L | -110 | 8.5 ov | O | 11 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 2 | | 5/23/2015 | WRIGHT(R) | LA ANGELS | WILSON(L) | 8-3 | W | -105 | 9 ov | O | 12 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | | 5/24/2015 | MILEY(L) | LA ANGELS | SANTIAGO(L) | 6-1 | W | -135 | 9.5 ev | U | 12 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | | 5/25/2015 | KELLY(R) | @ MINNESOTA | NOLASCO(R) | 2-7 | L | -115 | 9 un | P | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 0 | | 5/26/2015 | BUCHHOLZ(R) | @ MINNESOTA | PELFREY(R) | | | 5/27/2015 | PORCELLO(R) | @ MINNESOTA | HUGHES(R) | | | 5/28/2015 | WRIGHT(R) | @ TEXAS | MARTINEZ(R) | | | 5/29/2015 | MILEY(L) | @ TEXAS | GALLARDO(R) | | | 5/30/2015 | KELLY(R) | @ TEXAS | KLEIN(R) | | | 5/31/2015 | BUCHHOLZ(R) | @ TEXAS | RODRIGUEZ(L) | | | 6/1/2015 | | MINNESOTA | | | | 6/2/2015 | | MINNESOTA | | |
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| 5/12/2015 | GIBSON(R) | @ DETROIT | SIMON(R) | 1-2 | L | 135 | 9 un | U | 7 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | | 5/13/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | @ DETROIT | LOBSTEIN(L) | 6-2 | W | 125 | 8.5 un | U | 12 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 0 | | 5/14/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ DETROIT | SANCHEZ(R) | 1-13 | L | 170 | 8 un | O | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 0 | | 5/15/2015 | HUGHES(R) | TAMPA BAY | ODORIZZI(R) | 3-2 | W | +100 | 7.5 un | U | 9 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 | | 5/16/2015 | MAY(R) | TAMPA BAY | COLOME(R) | 6-4 | W | +100 | 8.5 un | O | 11 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 2 | | 5/17/2015 | GIBSON(R) | TAMPA BAY | ARCHER(R) | 3-11 | L | +115 | 8 ev | O | 6 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 12 | 0 | | 5/19/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | @ PITTSBURGH | LIRIANO(L) | 8-5 | W | 150 | 7.5 un | O | 8 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 0 | | 5/20/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ PITTSBURGH | LOCKE(L) | 4-3 | W | 130 | 7.5 ev | U | 10 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 0 | | 5/22/2015 | HUGHES(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | SAMARDZIJA(R) | 2-3 | L | 120 | 7.5 ov | U | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | | 5/23/2015 | MAY(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | SALE(L) | 4-3 | W | 155 | 7.5 un | U | 6 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 1 | | 5/24/2015 | GIBSON(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | QUINTANA(L) | 8-1 | W | 130 | 8 ev | O | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | | 5/25/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | BOSTON | KELLY(R) | 7-2 | W | +105 | 9 un | P | 16 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 0 | | 5/26/2015 | PELFREY(R) | BOSTON | BUCHHOLZ(R) | | | 5/27/2015 | HUGHES(R) | BOSTON | PORCELLO(R) | | | 5/29/2015 | MAY(R) | TORONTO | BUEHRLE(L) | | | 5/30/2015 | GIBSON(R) | TORONTO | SANCHEZ(R) | | | 5/31/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | TORONTO | HUTCHISON(R) | | | 6/1/2015 | | @ BOSTON | | | | 6/2/2015 | | @ BOSTON | | |
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| |  | BOSTON: BOSTON (AP) - A revamped lineup and change in attitude has the Boston Red Sox looking to repeat a feat they performed just two seasons ago when they went from worst to World Series champions.
Like the hip-hop song they blasted in their locker room after the 2013 division and World Series titles were clinched in Fenway Park, the Red Sox started at the bottom.
They've carried the theme over this season.
''There's a good vibe going around,'' said first baseman Mike Napoli, who rallies spirits in the clubhouse by growing beards with teammates. ''It feels a little like 2013 in here. We're just having fun.''
During this past offseason, GM Ben Cherington looked to grow a weak offense that finished 11th in the AL in scoring.
Cherington spent $88 million to sign Hanley Ramirez, who began in the organization's minor league system before stints with Miami and Los Angeles, and signed third baseman Pablo Sandoval to a five-year, $95 million deal.
It was a quick fix for a lineup that lacked pop besides another strong season by Big Papi.
''This has a chance to be a lineup that doesn't give the opposition too many breathers or take a hitter off - so to speak,'' manager John Farrell said. ''There's the ability to do some damage up and down the lineup.''
The 39-year old Ortiz posted a .263 average with 35 homers and 104 RBIs last season, his eighth time in 12 reaching 30/100 with the club.
The revised order still leaves the question of how Red Sox starting pitching will hold up.
Cherington moved quickly after left-hander Jon Lester opted not to return, signing instead with the Cubs.
The GM acquired right-hander Rick Porcello from Detroit for slugger Yoenis Cespedes, traded for lefty Wade Miley and signed free agent Justin Masterson, who was coming off an injury-plagued season. The trio is expected to join Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly.
Some have questioned whether they have a top-of-the-rotation type. Buchholz thinks they'll feed off the doubters and strive.
''I think we're going to fly under the radar for the most part, which I think is a good thing,'' he said. ''At some point they're going to say, `They've got their stuff in order and they've got a pretty good staff.'''
They aren't hiding from how bad last season ended after going 71-91 and finishing 25 games out in the AL East.
''Our record says what we were, and that wasn't good,'' Farrell said.
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A FUN TRIO
Just a few days into spring training, Ortiz dubbed himself, Ramirez and Sandoval as ''The Three Amigos.'' The three are expected to bring both pop and some interesting times in the clubhouse.
''This will be a lively group and, I think, a fun one to be part of,'' Farrell said. ''I think the biggest thing is, they love to play the game. You can see the joy come out of them when they do well, and there's no question they'll draw from one another - the confidence they'll draw from one another.''
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NO STICKER SHOCK HERE
The Red Sox pledged more than $180 million to bring in Ramirez and Sandoval.
''The proven power hitter obviously has a hefty price tag attached to it,'' Farrell said.
Ramirez hit 13 homers with 71 RBIs. Sandoval had 16 with 73 and won a World Series with San Francisco.
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KEEP QUIET AND PLAY
Shane Victorino, who had his 2014 season cut short by back surgery, isn't about to try to analyze what went wrong last season. He feels like it's time to move on and make up for it.
''You try to be the best team you can be,'' he said. ''Don't want to sit here and talk about this and talk about that. You've got to go out there and do it. There's no other way of looking at it.''
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KEEP AN EYE ON THIS
Ortiz didn't want to listen to any new rules about speeding up the game by having batters keep one foot in the box in between pitches. He even joked that he'll run out of money if he's fined.
''This game has been going on for over 100 years,'' he said. ''It's the nature of the game. I don't care who you are, you're not going to change. The pitch comes through, you come out of the box, you come back in.'' | | MINNESOTA: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Paul Molitor was hired as Minnesota's new manager, bringing Hall of Fame membership and renowned intelligence and intuition to a team seeking a fresh start.
The Twins brought back one of their most popular players ever, Torii Hunter, to help solidify an unsettled outfield, mentor a fledgling team and hit a few home runs. They have collected plenty of promising young hitters, either slated for the opening day lineup or waiting in the minor league wings.
None of that will matter much if the starting pitching continues to wobble the way it has the last four seasons.
Phil Hughes had by most measures a career year, his first away from the New York Yankees, but his ability to match that is low on the list of 2015 goals. Ricky Nolasco needs to rebound from a terrible first season with the Twins. Ervin Santana must show he's worth that $55 million, four-year contract. Kyle Gibson has to reduce the times (five of 31 starts in 2014) he goes three innings or less and gives up six runs or more. The fifth spot winner, Trevor May, Tommy Milone or Mike Pelfrey, needs to keep it.
''We'd put up a couple good starts and somebody would get hurt or we'd take a step backward,'' said Hughes, whose 2014 season has been one of the few true success stories of the rotation since it unraveled in 2011. ''Every good team I've been on, it seems like the rotation gets on a roll.''
New pitching coach Neil Allen will have more impact on the staff than Molitor, but after 13 years under manager Ron Gardenhire the clubhouse has been naturally buzzing with excitement about the new boss.
''He's one of the smartest baseball people I've ever been around,'' first baseman Joe Mauer said.
As for Hunter? His presence was desired for more energy and stronger camaraderie.
''If there's no tension between players and you're comfortable with everyone, you're going to play better,'' closer Glen Perkins said. ''So that's chemistry, I guess. I think we've held it together as much as we can, as much as we've struggled.''
Here are some key angles to know about the Twins in 2015:
MAUER IMPROVEMENT
Mauer, soon to turn 32, will make $23 million each of the next four years. Injuries have limited him to an average of 116 games from 2011-14. His batting average hit a career-low .277 last season, and he had a career-most 96 strikeouts despite time lost to an oblique muscle injury.
The Twins haven't lost faith in their franchise player, the homegrown guy who was the first overall draft pick in 2001. Playing for Molitor, whom he grew up admiring as an alumnus of the same St. Paul high school, ought to help.
''He's healthy. I think he's anxious to prove that last year was just an aberration,'' general manager Terry Ryan said.
LINEUP FLEXIBILITY
Molitor has been touting his options at the top and in the middle of the order, with a team that quietly scored the third-most runs in the majors after the All-Star break last year and added an accomplished hitter in Hunter.
One decision is whether to bat Mauer third, where he was most of his career until Gardenhire began to bat him second often over the last two seasons.
With Hunter, Kennys Vargas, Trevor Plouffe and Oswaldo Arcia, Molitor has power to play with in the heart of the order. The downsides are Arcia's inconsistency, leadoff man Danny Santana being the only player with a 2014 average above .290 and an unsettled situation in center field.
''It's a small sample, our track record from last year, but it's something you can use as a foundation to see potentially how your offense can work. We're going to have depth, I think, all the way down to the bottom,'' Molitor said.
BULLPEN SHUFFLE
The Twins could return as few as three relievers to their roles from last season: Perkins, Casey Fien and Brian Duensing. Blaine Boyer and Tim Stauffer, from San Diego, were signed. At least one of the losers in the fifth starter competition was headed for the seven-man bullpen. Rule 5 draft pick J.R. Graham, who must be returned to Atlanta if he's not on the 25-man roster, has been pushing for a spot, too.
Reliever use will be one area in which Molitor's strategy could differ from that of Gardenhire.
''I want to get them out of a one-inning mentality. Not that they all have it, or don't want to pitch more. But we've talked a lot about some of those guys, trying to get two innings out of them here, if we can,'' Molitor said. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER AL PREVIEW (BOSTON-MINNESOTA) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Red Sox-Twins Preview* =======================
By KEVIN CHROUST STATS Writer
Boston (21-23) at Minnesota (25-18), 8:10 p.m. EDT
After three straight road starts, Mike Pelfrey might be looking forward to taking the mound at Target Field, an inclination that wasn't common for the Minnesota starter in his previous two seasons with the Twins.
Not that he wasn't effective on the recent road stretch, but he seems to have turned a page at his home park entering Tuesday night's matchup against the Boston Red Sox.
The Twins (26-18) have become a force at Target Field after opening the series with Monday's 7-2 win, bumping them to an AL-best 15-6 at home. They went 53-28 in the park's inaugural 2010 season, but were 131-193 from 2011-14 - the second-worst mark in MLB.
Overall, they've won 17 of their last 23, which trails only Washington dating to April 30. Strong pitching has been a big part of it with a 3.59 ERA after the club posted a 4.48 mark during a 9-12 start. Over a 7-2 span, no starter has allowed more than three earned runs and the rotation has combined for a 3.00 ERA.
Pelfrey (3-1, 3.00 ERA) yielded a run and five hits in six innings of Wednesday's 4-3 win in Pittsburgh. He didn't earn the win and went 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in the road starts.
He didn't walk a batter for the first time this season, though he hit a batter for a majors-leading seventh time and came down hard on himself for the free passes.
"I think my command this year with hitting guys and walking guys has been kind of ridiculous," Pelfrey said. "I need to do a better job of throwing strikes and hopefully that'll lead to pitching deeper in the game."
Pelfrey's work at home has been his best with a 1-0 record and 2.35 ERA in three starts, which has to be a relief after going 2-8 with a 6.41 ERA at Target Field in 18 starts over his first two seasons with the Twins.
The Red Sox (21-24), meanwhile, can't seem to produce any offense on the road lately with 13 runs in their last seven games.
Former Twin David Ortiz is in a 2-for-23 slump, though he's a .475 hitter with nine home runs in 15 games at Target Field. Dustin Pedroia gathered two of Boston's eight hits in the opener and is a career .390 hitter in Minnesota with a 10-game hitting streak.
The Red Sox had won consecutive games entering the series, but they haven't been able to develop any significant momentum since winning three straight April 9-11.
"The energy in this clubhouse this morning was built upon the last two days, and to go out and have a game like today was very disappointing," manager John Farrell said.
Clay Buchholz will try to even the series and further rein in his season.
Buchholz (2-5, 4.58) lost his last start after allowing three runs - two earned - and five hits in 7 1-3 innings of Thursday's 3-1 home defeat against Texas, but his numbers continued heading in the right direction.
In his last three starts, the right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA and .200 opponent batting average. He entered that stretch with marks of 6.03 and .303.
"It's a little bit easier whenever you have your pitches working," Buchholz said. "It's the times that you go through whenever you've got one or two pitches working and you've got to filter out the other ones to try and get back."
In four career starts in Minnesota, he's 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA, with Joe Mauer (7 for 16) and Kurt Suzuki (8 for 15) contributing to the damage.
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| | Last Updated: 4/26/2024 1:48:26 PM EST. |
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