Atlanta Broadcasters Joe Simpson And Chip Caray Express Disgust At Dodgers' Batting Practice Attire

Atlanta broadcasters Joe Simpson and Chip Caray went on a now-well-circulated rant on Saturday, criticizing the Dodgers for what they were wearing during batting practice.

Simpson began shaking his fist at passing clouds in the fifth inning:

Simpson: You know that I grew up in the Dodger organization and certainly was taught how to play professional baseball and do things the right way. I want you to look at some things that were going on today in batting practice here, with the Dodgers. What do you see? T-shirts. You see Chase Utley with no socks and pants up over his knees. T-shirt. This was prevalent with their whole team. And I think about fans that come to SunTrust Park who are Dodgers fans and want to see their players. They had no idea who any of them were. Nobody had any kind of uniform or batting practice shirt on with their name on their jersey. They looked very unprofessional. And I think I can say this because I know what the Dodger organization was all about --

Caray: There's the bunt [by Atlanta pitcher Max Fried]. It is perfect.

Simpson: But if I were a Dodgers fan, I'd be embarrassed. And I don't know how Major League Baseball allows such attire when the gates are open and fans are watching. Chase Utley, I've had nothing but respect for him, his whole career, I think he's a great player and I thought he always played the game the right way. That was an embarrassment what he had on today during batting practice.

Caray: You think of all the merchandising that Major League Baseball does with their practice uniforms and the batting practice jerseys. I'm with you. Why not -- Look, it's called a uniform for a reason.

Dodger Thoughts:

That Simpson's comments were accompanied by a lengthy tape from batting practice only underscores what an orchestrated hit job this was. It's absolutely extraordinary for one team's announcers take a shot at an entire organization over this. ...

[S]omehow Simpson thinks that his take on what's appropriate for the Dodger franchise is more qualified than literally everyone working for the team today ... The sheer arrogance of it all is astounding. ...

Then there's the heartbreaking concern that Dodger fans who want to see their players "had no idea who any of them were." Think about that for a moment. Dodger fans committed enough to make the effort to see their team take batting practice play on a July afternoon in Atlanta wouldn't recognize Utley or Justin Turner or new hero Max Muncy. Guess what, Joe: Dodger fans of that caliber will recognize those guys in silhouette.

This entire kerfuffle, of course, is an even bigger hoot given the ongoing conversation about baseball marketing. Heaven forfend that a couple of hours before first pitch, any ballplayer shows off some individuality. ...

The only saving grace from tonight was that at least the ballplayers shown on the video were white. Because if Simpson had laid out this diatribe using Yasiel Puig as the object of his derision, my head would have truly exploded.

But Caray was not done!

@DodgersLowDown tweeted to Caray:

Completely classless tonight by you and Joe Simpson. Our boys have worn similar clothing when doing BP in LA even when Vin Scully was announcing and he never whined about our guys disrespecting the game the way you two did tonight.

Caray replied, in a tweet that no longer exists:

I'm not the guy taking BP in Capri-mimicking pants, no socks, and no "uniform." My partner merely pointed it out. Only mlb teamhesxseen be so non-"uniform." Why not wear MLB-issued BP jerseys with names on road so paying customers know who's who? Lighten up.

Really? Caray thinks the fan should lighten up? Holy shit!

Dodgers Digest posted tweets from fans and players:

Current players, former players ... local media, national media ... baseball was united through their sheer ridiculousness. [M]ost [Atlanta] fans I've seen are basically saying they hope this blows up so they can get a new announcing team.

Deadspin:

[C]rusty old fuddy-duddies Joe Simpson and Chip Caray threw the saddest little mid-game tantrum Saturday night ... Plenty to gripe about [in Atlanta's performance that night], but no — Simpson and Caray were distracted with disgust over what several Dodgers players chose to wear....to batting practice. So were the Dodgers players nude? Wearing codpieces? Were they taking batting practice while draped in the fresh hides of their enemies? No, it turns out they were taking batting practice in t-shirts. Regular old t-shirts.

Utley's shirt - which bothered Simpson so much he mentioned it twice in five seconds - was a Dodgers' K Cancer t-shirt. It was designed by former Atlanta reliever (!) Jason Motte's foundation; a portion of the proceeds go to benefit cancer research.

The Sporting News:

Simpson isn't shy about taking digs at opponents and opponents' cities ... Still, his old-man, "Back in my day" tsk-tsking about the Dodgers not being in full uniform for batting practice Saturday in Atlanta was bad even for him.

It's also a bit of a stretch for Simpson to claim he "grew up" in the Dodgers organization. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 1973 and had a grand total of 67 plate appearances in four years (1975-78), during which he hit .188/.224/.203.

USAToday:

It's worth noting that batting practice takes place two or three hours before game time and has no direct bearing on the day's result.

Logan Morrison On Umpire Doug Eddings: "The Way He Acted Today ... We Need To Do A Better Job Of Keeping Our Officials In Line"

Back on May 17, I blogged about Brandon Belt of the Giants accusing umpire Doug Eddings of making incorrect strike calls to "get the game over with". That was a pretty serious charge, especially since Belt added that Eddings had actually joked about doing that in the past. (Maybe "joked" should be in quotes.)

Eddings was behind the plate on Sunday, when the Red Sox beat the Twins 3-0. And he's still an asshole. According to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, several Minnesota players said Eddings was "hostile and argumentative all day".

Logan Morrison's post-game comments paint a picture of a man looking to pick a fight. It started in the first inning, when a pitch from Twins starter Jose Berrios to J.D. Martinez was called ball four. Berrios motioned with his glove, asking Eddings if the pitch was too low. Eddings indicated that it was.

Berrios turned away and gathered his thoughts before facing the next batter. When he turned back to face his catcher, he saw Eddings standing in front of the plate, looking annoyed with his mask off, trying to get Berrios's attention.

Berrios: "[W]hen I turned around again to get ready to pitch, he was like, 'It's low.' I was surprised."

Morrison: "It was a 'How dare you question my authority' type deal, and that's not the way the game goes. ... The reaction it caused was not warranted. ... A lot of that shit can't be tolerated. I'm not going to tolerate it."

Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press noted that two of the four balls to Martinez "registered as strikes on online pitch trackers". I see only one miscalled pitch - and it was the ball four pitch that Berrios asked about. He was right to ask, because Eddings blew the call.

Berardino also reported that Eddings was firing baseballs back at Berrios with added velocity as the game progressed. (Eddings is an umpire who does not like to give new baseballs to the catcher. Maybe he thinks throwing it himself makes him more a part of the game.) It sounds like Eddings' annoyance at Berrios grew as the game went along and he was taunting Berrios into saying something, so he could (presumably) exert his authority by throwing him out of the game.

In the sixth inning, Eddie Rosario objected when Eddings, in ruling that Rosario had not checked his swing on a third strike, did not ask for help from one of the base umpires.

Morrison: "Rosie didn't come at him in any way, but yet he's chasing him with his mask off. ... We're competing our butts off, and somebody asks you a question and you're offended by that? Walk away. Turn your shoulder. There's no need for it. Nobody came to see Doug Eddings umpire. They came to watch the Red Sox and Twins."

Morrison said that with Eddings, "you've got to watch what you say ... [B]ut what I saw today was not acceptable. ... [T]he way he acted today ... I think we need to do a better job of keeping our officials in line."

Eddings also took great offense when Brock Holt disagreed with a called third strike in the third inning. Perhaps Holt was also frustrated with himself because there was no question that the pitch was a strike.

G107: Red Sox 3, Twins 0

Twins   - 000 000 000 - 0  4  1
Red Sox - 020 100 00x - 3 10  0

I think I could grow to like this Nathan Eovaldi fellow. The Red Sox's newest starting pitcher allowed only four baserunners in seven innings on Sunday afternoon (7-4-0-0-5, 82). Only one of those four Twins runners got past first base.

Eddie Rosario hit a one-out double in the first inning, then watched as Jorge Polanco flied out and Brian Dozier went down swinging. Eovaldi also allowed an infield single with two outs in the second, another infield single leading off the fourth (a double play followed three pitches later), and a two-out single in the fifth.

Eovaldi was also extremely economical with his pitches, throwing only eight in the third and nine in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Nevertheless, manager Alex Cora opted to go to the pen in the eighth. Matt Barnes walked his first batter, but got two strikeouts and a groundout. Craig Kimbrel hit Polanco with one out. Dozier then lined out to shortstop and Polanco was doubled off the bag for the final out. (Polanco was the second and last Minnesota runner to venture past first base.)

The Red Sox have won 18 of their last 22 games and are 43-18 (.705) since May 18. Their overall record is 74-33 (.692) and they are 41 games over .500 for the first time since September 27, 1946 (when the team was 56 games over (104-48)). The 1946 and 2018 teams are tied for the most wins through 107 games.

The Red Sox had ample opportunities to score in the first four innings. They scored three runs, but left 10 men on base (including eight on second or third). It's a damn good thing Eovaldi and the pen were outstanding.

A single from Andrew Benintendi, a walk by J.D. Martinez, and an infield error on Steve Pearce's grounder loaded the bases with one out in the first inning. But Jose Berrios (4.2-9-3-3-6, 106) struck out Jackie Bradley and got Eduardo Nunez on a grounder to shortstop.

Of the six different players on base for the Red Sox in the second, only one crossed the plate. Blake Swihart singled and Brock Holt was hit by a pitch. Sandy Leon grounded back to the pitcher and Swihart was forced at third. Mookie Betts reached base when Leon was forced at second. Benintendi walked, loading the bases for the second straight inning. Martinez doubled to left for two runs.

Nunez singled and Swihart doubled in the third but were left on base as Holt struck out looking and Leon grounded to first. Holt was extremely pissed at the strike three call and barked loud and long at plate umpire Doug Eddings. Cora came out and directed him back to the dugout. The pitch was inthe low/outside corner of the zone.

In the fourth, Benintendi doubled to left and scored on Martinez single. With two outs Bradley singled and Nunez walked, loading the bases yet again. But Swihart struck out.

Jackie Bradley made another eye-popping catch, this time in the third inning. Statcast said he covered 78 feet in 4.4 seconds. He sprinted to deep left-center, dove towards the warning track, caught the ball at full extension, and then contorted his body so when he slammed into the dirt, he rolled into the base of the wall.

AL East: The Yankees beat the Royals 6-3 to remain 5.5 GB.

Jose Berrios / Nathan Eovaldi

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Pearce, 1B
Bradley, CF
Nunez, 2B
Swihart, 3B
Holt, SS
Leon, C

The Red Sox put Rafael Devers on the 10-day disabled list (left hamstring injury) and called up Tzu-Wei Lin.

Blake Swihart is making his first career start - minor or major leagues - at third base.

Nathan Eovaldi is wearing #17.

Mookie Betts is the youngest Red Sox player in history to hit 100+ home runs and steal 100+ bases. (He will turn 26 on October 7.) Betts is also the only Red Sox hitter with 100+ homers and 100+ steals in his first 600 games with the team (103 dongs, 100 steals, 594 games). And Betts is the first player in Red Sox history to have as many as three seasons with 20+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases.

Chris Sale has a 0.23 ERA (39 innings, one run) over his last six starts. It's the second-lowest ERA for a Red Sox pitcher over any span of six starts in a season since 1913, when earned runs became an official stat.

Elias reports Babe Ruth had a 0.16 ERA over six starts in 1916, but I looked at Ruth's 1916 Game Log and in six starts from August 15-31, he allowed one earned run in 44 innings. That is a 0.20 ERA, not 0.16.

The Red Sox's Game Notes contained an amusing typo - or perhaps Sale is even better than I think he is:

AL East: KCR/MFY, 1 PM. The Yankees are 5.5 GB.

Schadenfreude 229 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post (early edition):

Lucas Duda's towering home run to right field had barely landed in the seats when the curtain of boos rolled toward the pitcher's mound in the first of a two-gate doubleheader Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Luis Severino ... was the intended receiver of the boos as Duda rounded the bases and helped the Royals to a 10-5 victory ...

When Aaron Boone strolled to the mound to remove Severino, the booing subsided but the damage was done and the All-Star right-hander's slide hit four games. In 19.1 innings during that stretch, Severino is 1-2, allowed 33 hits (seven homers) and has an 8.85 ERA.

Prior to the Yankees' ninth loss in the past 18 games, Boone was hopeful Severino was ready to leave the slump behind him. Instead, the staff ace was rocked for six runs, eight hits in four-plus innings – his shortest outing of the season – when at times the Royals appeared to know what was coming. The stinker followed a five-inning outing against the Rays this past Monday when he gave up seven runs (six earned) and 11 hits. ...

Adam Warren's 2.2 shutout innings in relief of Severino presented the Yankees with a chance to chip into the six-run deficit. But with the Yankees trailing by a run in the top of the eighth, [David] Robertson gave up a three-run homer to [Brian] Goodwin that reached the second deck in right field and hiked the Royals' lead to 9-5.

George A. King III, Post:

"I don't think it's time to panic now for sure," David Robertson said following a 10-5 loss in which the reliever gave up a three-run homer in the eighth inning to Brian Goodwin. "I am not too worried about Sevy ... He just didn't have the location on his pitches today."

For Severino ... it's not a one-game blip. After giving up six runs and eight hits in 4.1 innings (his shortest outing of the season), Severino's four-game totals are nowhere near what a staff ace is supposed to possess. In 19.1 innings Severino has given up 33 hits (seven homers) ... and has an 8.85 ERA.

"I don't know what the issue is ..." said Severino, who ... will face the Red Sox this coming week at Fenway Park.

AP:

[Royals rookie starter Brad] Keller escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second to keep the game scoreless, thanks to an alert play by Perez. The All-Star catcher pounced on a ball Tyler Wade nubbed in front of the plate, stepped on home and then tagged Wade, who had not moved from the batter's box, for an unassisted double play. Wade was called up from Triple-A to take Judge's roster spot.

Kristie Ackert, Daily News:

It was the fourth straight start in which Severino has struggled. He has allowed 19 earned runs in 19.1 innings pitched over that stretch for an 8.84 ERA, and he has given up seven home runs in those four starts.

CC Sabathia went just 4.2 innings in the nightcap, getting into trouble after stumbling and falling on his surgically-repaired right knee in the fifth inning. ...

Severino and Sabathia are scheduled to start in this weekend's crucial four-game series at Fenway. ...

The Yankees' rotation behind Severino was already shaky, so they can't afford him to be hitting a rough patch too.

The Yankees have to hope the 38-year-old CC Sabathia holds up physically. Masahiro Tanaka has been volatile this season and there have been injury concerns. Sonny Gray has put together three straight solid starts, but the Yankees would have to be concerned putting him in a big spot after his track record this season.

Ken Davidoff, Post:

"Kind of a strange day," Neil Walker said Saturday night, after the Yankees barely avoided getting swept by the Royals at their home, securing the nightcap with a 5-4 victory after dropping the opener, 10-5. ...

There's strange and then there's concerning, and little doubt exists where you file Luis Severino's continuing struggles in Game 1. ...

The right-hander lasted just 4.2 innings, allowing six runs ... [Severino] has an 8.84 ERA in his past four starts thanks to 19 runs allowed (and seven homers) in 19.1 innings. ...

The Yankees are now 8-8 in their past 16 games, their worst such stretch since they started the season by winning half of their opening 16 ...

Severino's next turn ... will be at Fenway, so some urgency exists for the 24-year-old to diagnose and fix the problem.

Dan Martin, Post:

Gleyber Torres was right in the middle of what was shaping up to be a stirring Yankees comeback against Kansas City — until he helped end it with a baserunning mistake.

The rookie second baseman doubled off the wall in right-center field to score Didi Gregorius from first base in the bottom of the seventh to draw the Yankees within a run. But after Gregorius scored easily, Torres took off for third — and was just as easily thrown out by catcher Salvador Perez.

To make matters worse, it was the first out of the inning and the Yankees didn't score again in a 10-5 loss to the Royals ...

Third base coach Phil Nevin was left with his hands on his head as Torres was tagged out. ...

The gaffe looked even worse when Greg Bird flied to the track off Kevin McCarthy, and Neil Walker and Austin Romine followed with singles.

Instead of tying the game, the Yankees had runners on first and third with two out when pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar struck out against Tim Hill to end the threat. ...

Torres wasn’t the only Yankee to have some baserunning misadventures.

Tyler Wade, with the bases loaded and no one out in the second, tapped a ball near the plate. Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez picked it up, stepped on home for the force and tagged Wade to complete the double play. The Yankees didn't score in the inning.

Rob Bradford, WEEI:

The Yankees may be in second-place, but their fans absolutely lead the league in booing.

In a season where Giancarlo Stanton and Sonny Gray got viciously booed by their home fans, newly-acquired Zach Britton was the latest to get the Yankee Stadium treatment.

After retiring the first two batters of the seventh inning in a tie game against the Royals Saturday night, Britton allowed two hits and a walk. The lefty then proceeded to walk No. 9 hitter Drew Butera to force in the go-ahead run. The reliever was roundly booed by the home fans ...

G106: Red Sox 10, Twins 4

Twins   - 013 000 000 -  4  7  0
Red Sox - 100 311 04x - 10 14  1

The Red Sox scored the last nine runs of the evening, wiping out the Twins' 4-1 lead and securing their 73rd victory of the season. It was a team effort at the plate. Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit and five guys had two. Eight players crossed the plate and seven players knocked in at least one run.

Four of the five hits allowed by Rick Porcello (5.2-5-4-1-5, 100) came in the third inning. The other hit was a solo homer by Logan Morrison in the second. That shot tied the game after Boston had scored a run in the first on three singles, with Mitch Moreland knocking in Andrew Benintendi.

Minnesota took the lead with two outs in the third. With runners on first and second, Jorge Polanco tripled to the garage door in center, bringing in both runners. Brian Dozier followed with a single, putting the Twins up 4-1.

The Red Sox had a similar inning in the fourth, also scoring three runs with two outs, with the first two runs scoring on a triple. Rafael Devers hit a ground-rule double to right-center with one out and Eduardo Nunez walked. After Sandy Leon flied out, Jackie Bradley smacked the first pitch to deep center. Jake Cave leapt at the wall, but the ball hit above his glove and caromed off to his left, towards the triangle. Mookie Betts then ripped a double down the left field line, and the game was tied 4-4.

J.D. Martinez hit his 32nd home run to lead off the fifth, giving the Red Sox the lead for good. The Twins did not really pose a threat after the third inning. Porcello walked Dozier to begin the sixth and a passed ball put him on second. Porcello was pulled after getting two outs. Dozier stole third off Heath Hembree, but Robbie Grossman grounded out, with Xander Bogaerts, on the right side of the infield in a shift, making a nice backhand grab.

Leon doubled in the sixth and Bradley walked (nine pitches). Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Leon scored on Benintendi's single. Reliever Matt Magill struck out Martinez and Moreland to prevent further damage.

Nunez tripled with two outs in the seventh, but was stranded. And then damage came knocking again on Magill in the eighth. Bradley walked and raced home on Betts's double to right. Taylor Rogers took over and struck out Benintendi for the first out. The Twins intentionally walked Martinez. Taylor struck out Moreland (and Betts stole third during the at-bat). The Twins intentionally walked Bogaerts. With the bases loaded, Taylor fell behind Devers 3-0 before throwing two called strikes. The infielders were shifted around towards the right side, so Betts was taking an extremely large lead off third. At one point, he was actually halfway to the plate, faking a mad dash for home before Rogers, seeing him over his shoulder, stepped off.

Was Betts a significant distraction for Rogers? I have no idea, but it couldn't have helped the lefty's concentration. Devers fouled off two pitches before watching ball four. Betts trotted home. Nunez then lined Rogers's next pitch into the gap in left-center. Two runs scored. Devers chugged his way from first to third and came up lame. He was immediately replaced by Brock Holt. Leon, the ninth batter of the inning, struck out looking.

There was no official word on Devers right after the game, although Rob Bradford wrote that Devers "is expected" to go on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

A passed ball on a strikeout and a single put Minnesota runners on first and second against Joe Kelly in the ninth. Cave grounded up the middle and Bogaerts grabbed the ball, deftly stepped on second base, and threw to first for the game-ending double play.

AL East: The Yankees split their doubleheader, losing the first game 10-5 before winning the nightcap 5-4. ... Boston is 5.5 GA.

Jake Odorizzi / Rick Porcello

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Moreland, 1B
Bogaerts, SS
Devers, 3B
Nunez, 2B
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

The Royals beat the Yankees 10-5 this afternoon. KC led Luis Severino and the MFY 6-0 in the middle of the fifth. New York closed the gap to 6-5 after seven innings (stranding the tying run at third), but Brian Goodwin belted a three-run dong in the top of the eighth. ... OB Note: The Yankees "won" in hits 13-11.

Post: "Lucas Duda's towering home run to right field had barely landed in the seats when the curtain of boos rolled toward the pitcher's mound ..."

MLB.com: "It was the first time in [Severino's] career that he has allowed at least six runs in back-to-back starts, and his fourth consecutive start of the season lasting fewer than six frames. ... In four starts since July 7, [he] has allowed 19 earned runs on 33 hits, including seven home runs in 19.1 innings [8.84 ERA]."

AL East: KCR/MFY, day-night doubleheader, 1 PM & 7 PM. The Yankees are 5.0 GB.

Mookie!

MOOKIE. BETTS. 😍 pic.twitter.com/MCwDxlcOK3

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2018

Great comments, too:

@xPokeyyy
20 YEARS 800 MIL CONTRACT NOW, THANKS

@WhoIsBerzerker
Not enough. I'm thinking 100 mil a year is reasonable

@Vibrantankles
And throw in a tropical island of his choice. And a bowling alley. And dancing girls. Lots and lots of dancing girls.

And the bowling clip:

MOOKIE. BETTS. 😍 pic.twitter.com/AkhJwe1gY0

— Vincent Blain 🍁 (@Vincent___Blain) July 28, 2018

WHAT. A. GAME. Got Markus Lynn Betts’s walk off dinger on camera!!! 😱⚾️🎉 #MookieBetts #ALMVP #RedSox #DirtyWater #WalkOff pic.twitter.com/DxqvEvD94V

— Andrew Armenio (@Moneyball0318) July 28, 2018

Hey Siri, what is clutch? pic.twitter.com/dZpZvJ0ENE

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2018

First Career Walk-Off HR ✔️ pic.twitter.com/VXr2bosjlX

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2018

❤️ this team pic.twitter.com/iWRKnpHYXt

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2018

Chris Sale Is Making History

Chris Sale, obviously pleased with his performance.

Chris Sale struck out three batters in the first inning last night, giving him 200 strikeouts this season, in 136 innings. That is the fewest innings any pitcher in American League has ever needed to get 200 strikeouts.

Sale broke the AL record of 141.1 innings ... which he set last year.

With six shutout innings against the Twins last night, Sale also became the only pitcher to allow no runs and strike out 10+ batters in three consecutive starts at Fenway Park.

Sale has given up one or zero earned runs in 15 of his 22 starts.

Sale leads the AL in ERA: 2.04 (#2 in MLB, DeGrom, 171)

Sale leads MLB in opponents' batting average: .179

Sale leads MLB in opponents' OPS: .530

Sale leads MLB in opponents' slugging: .286

Sale is #2 in MLB in opponents' OBP: .244 (Verlander, .233)

Sale is #2 in MLB in WHIP: 0.87 (Verlander, 0.85)

Sale leads MLB in most strikeouts per 9 innings: 13.21

Sale leads MLB in fewest hits per 9 innings: 5.74

Sale has permitted only one run in his last 40 innings.

0000000000000000100000000000000000000000

In his last six starts (39 innings), Sale has allowed one run and struck out 67 batters. Since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, he is the only pitcher with 60+ strikeouts and one or no runs allowed in a six-game span. ... The only guy in 126 years!

The Associated Press Fails To Get Even The Most Basic Facts Correct

The Associated Press began last night's game story (which was posted by NBC Sports Boston) with this sentence:

Mookie Betts homered on the first pitch of the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

How hard is it to report the correct information?

It's apparently much harder than I thought.

What actually happened was:

Mookie Betts homered on the second pitch of the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Baseball Reference

MLB.com

And - although it is much less official - we have my scorecard:

It is almost 14 hours since the story was posted and it has not yet been corrected.

G105: Red Sox 4, Twins 3 (10)

Twins   - 000 000 102 0 - 3  6  0
Red Sox - 000 020 001 1 - 4  8  1

Mookie Betts hit the first walkoff home run of his career on Friday night, one inning after Rafael Devers had tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot off Fernando Rodney. Those two home runs came after Craig Kimbrel had surrendered two runs in the ninth, snapping a streak of 23 consecutive saves dating back to early May. And all of that happened after Chris Sale pitched six shutout innings.

Let's start with Sale. Here are his last 40 innings:

0619 at MIN -         0
0624 vs SEA - 000 000 0
0630 at NYY - 000 000 0
0706 at KCR - 010 000
0711 vs TEX - 000 000 0
0722 at DET - 000 000
0727 vs MIN - 000 000

40 innings, 1 run. 0.23 ERA. ... 21 hits, 6 walks, 69 strikeouts.

Sale fanned five Twins in the first two innings, but apparently became possessed by a demon in the fourth. With two outs, he walked Ehire Adrianza, hit Max Kepler, and walked Robbie Grossman. Jake Cave battled Sale for eight pitches, fouling a slider at 79, followed by a fastball at 99, before striking out. Sale snapped back to his old self and struck out four more batters in the next two innings.

Eduardo Nunez doubled off the Wall to open the fifth. Sandy Leon flied to right, but Jackie Bradley homered to left-center for a 2-0 lead. Betts followed with a walk, but was stranded at third.

Ryan Brasier was the first man out of the Boston pen. Kepler doubled to start the seventh and went to third on a comebacker. Cave's seemingly routine ground ball went through Nunez's legs for a two-base error and Kepler scored. (Nunez may have been screened by Steve Pearce who was ranging to his right from first base.)

Jorge Polanco singled and Eddie Rosario grounded into a double play. Pearce fielded the ball and threw to Xander Bogaerts at second. He dashed back to the bag and caught X's relay while he was flat on his stomach in the dirt - with his left leg on the bag.

Kimbrel came into the game with two outs in the eighth and immediately issued a four-pitch walk. (Why is he so often unable to throw strikes when he first takes the mound?) Joe Mauer pinch-hit and flied to left for the third out. In the ninth, he walked Grossman with one out. Polanco batted with two outs and Kimbrel bounced several pitches, including one that got away and allowed Grossman to go to second. Polanco walked also. Then Rosario hit an 0-1 pitch off the Wall in left-center and both runners scored.

Rodney faced the bottom half of the Red Sox lineup in the ninth, after having thrown 25 pitches last night in a less-than-textbook outing. Devers swung and missed and took two balls before smashing a line drive into the Red Sox bullpen. Kepler ran over and it looked like he might have a play, but he did not. He slammed his right shoulder into the wall and crumpled to the ground as Devers trotted around the bases for the 15th time this year. Rodney retired the next three hitters, but he needed 18 pitches to do so. It was Minnesota's 22nd blown save, the most in the majors.

Tyler Thornburg pitched a perfect tenth, although the third out was a deep drive that Bradley caught on the track in left-center, in the shadow of the Wall.

Matt Belisle and his 6.18 ERA took the mound in the home half of the tenth. His first pitch to Betts was a fastball at 89 that was pretty much down the middle. Mookie watched it for a strike. What does Belisle do next? He throws another fastball at 89 that was pretty much down the middle. It was the exact same pitch, in the exact same spot, and Mookie destroyed it. It clanged off a railing in the back row of the Monster seats.

Betts's teammates dumped no fewer than three huge coolers of water and ice (and one small bottled water) on him while he was out in front of the dugout waiting for, and then talking with, NESN. He did not seem bothered.

AL East: The Royals/Yankees game was postponed. The MFY are 5 GB.

Lance Lynn / Chris Sale

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Pearce, 1B
Devers, 3B
Nunez, 2B
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Alex Speier tweets that Mitch Moreland "says he's been 'banged up,' with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. He said he couldn't have pinch-hit last night, but thinks there's a better chance he could today. Anticipates lineup return this weekend."

Alex Reimer, WEEI:

[T]he Red Sox have no reason to be frightened. JA Happ and Zach Britton aren't going to bring the Yankees back from their 4.5-game deficit in the AL East. ...

Make no mistake: the additions of Britton and Happ make the Yankees better. ...

But there's a limit to how much impact Britton can have in the regular season. One-inning relievers generally don't lead teams on extended runs.

For the last six weeks, Happ has pitched like Sonny Gray [6.03 ERA over his last six starts] ...

If the Red Sox play sub-.500 play the rest of the way, they'll still win more than 100 games. The division is in their firm control, despite the Yankees' additions.

AL East: KCR/MFY, 7 PM. The Yankees are 4.5 GB.

Schadenfreude 228 (A Continuing Series)

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

We've seen some things at the old ballyard, haven't we? We've seen standing ovations and heard cascades of boos. We've seen curtain calls in good times, muted gasps in bad times. Hell, we've seen Dave Winfield kill a bird with a fly ball and Randy Johnson kill one with a fastball.

But this was a new one: thousands of the 46,965 in the stands pushing the flashlight tab on their cell phones all around Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. Yes, this was a new one.

According to a bunch of folks on Twitter, this was an impromptu "candlelight vigil" held for Aaron Judge, as word circulated around the ballpark that Judge had been taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for an MRI exam (and, we learned later, a CT scan to boot) since X-rays of his wrist — hit by a Jakob Junis pitch in the first inning — had been inconclusive.

It was an eerie sight, frankly. ...

Judge sustained a chip fracture in his right wrist, and while he won't need surgery ... it'll be at least three weeks before he can swing a bat again. That means no Judge for next week's Fenway Park showdown with the Red Sox, it means he and Gary Sanchez will be missing from the Yankees' lineup for the better part of August.

G104: Twins 2, Red Sox 1

Twins   - 000 000 110 - 2  8  0
Red Sox - 010 000 000 - 1  5  0

Kyle Gibson (8-4-1-2-7, 120) stifled the Red Sox, outpitching Brian Johnson (5.2-4-0-3-5, 84). Boston left the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth against Fernando Rodney. With a runner on second and two outs, Rodney suddenly became wild, walking two batters. He also fell behind Jackie Bradley 3-0, but came back to strike him out. The Red Sox's lead in the AL East was cut to 4.5 games, as the Yankees beat the Royals 7-2.

Both teams left the bases loaded in the first inning. Johnson gave up a single to Joe Mauer to start the game and Brian Dozier singled with one out. Mauer tried to score on Eduardo Escobar single to left-center, but Bradley's strong throw to catcher Blake Swihart was in time for the out. Johnson then walked Mitch Garver before striking out Robbie Grossman.

With two outs in the bottom half, J.D. Martinez dropped a single into center and Xander Bogaerts doubled into the left field corner. Steve Pearce walked, but Rafael Devers popped out to left on the first pitch.

Boston scored in the second. Swihart lined an opposite-field single to left. Gibson hit Brock Holt in the back foot with a pitch. Bradley forced Holt at second and Swihart went to third. Mookie Betts grounded out to shortstop and Bradley tried to advance to third. Mauer's throw across the diamond was in time. And even though it was ruled a double play, Betts got credit for the RBI.

Johnson was fantastic after the first. He retired 14 batters in a row before walking Eddie Rosario with one out in the sixth. Dozier followed with a single to left. Bradley threw to third, hoping to nail Rosario, but his throw was late. Devers, seeing Dozier trying to get to second, fired to Holt. The play was close, Holt held the tag on Dozier, but the umpire called him safe. Then Rosario broke for the plate. Holt's throw was a bit of a rainbow, but it was still in time for Swihart to slap the tag on the runner for the good old 8-5-4-2 out. Johnson walked Escobar and manager Alex Cora went to the pen.

Heath Hembree got the third out, but allowed the tying run in the seventh. Grossman and Max Kepler started the inning with singles, giving the Twins runners at the corners. Ehire Adrianza grounded into a double play, but Grossman scored. Bobby Wilson singled and Matt Barnes came in to strike out Mauer for the third out.

The first three Twins against Barnes in the eighth struck out, walked, and struck out. On the second strikeout, Dozier stole second base. Graver lined a double to the gap in left-center and Minnesota had the lead.

After scoring in the second, the Red Sox did little to bother Gibson. They had two baserunners in six innings. Devers singled in the fourth, but was stranded at second. Andrew Benintendi walked with two outs in the fifth, but JDM grounded to the pitcher unassisted. They finally got a chance at a real rally against Rodney in the ninth.

Bogaerts grounded a single to center. Pearce tapped a little roller along the third base line. It rolled maybe five feet onto the grass. Wilson pounced on it, turned and quickly fired a bullet to first, seemingly without looking. The throw was perfect, retiring Pearce. Bogaerts was now on second as Devers fouled out to third. Rodney walked Swihart on five pitches and fell behind Holt 2-0.

Rodney's next pitch was well outside, but plate umpire Marty Foster called it a strike. It was a perfect example of how a blown call by the plate umpire could potentially change the outcome of a game. The count should have been 3-0, but it was 2-1, a big difference. As you can see, Pitch #3 was not anywhere near the strike zone.

But Rodney could not take advantage of Foster's gift. Holt fouled a pitch off before Rodney bounced two balls in the dirt, loading the bases. Facing Bradley, Rodney threw ball 1 outside, ball 2 outside and high, and ball 3 inside/in the dirt. One more ball would tie the game - and give the Twins their MLB-leading 21st blown save. But, instead, Rodney broke out his easel and started painting, throwing two perfect pitches for strikes, one inside and one outside. His 3-2 pitch was a fastball at 97, inside and up, and Bradley swung and missed.

NESN: Missed the first pitch to Swihart in the bottom of the seventh because it was showing replays. ... Missed the first pitch to Betts in the bottom of the eighth because it was showing an extended shot of Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp sitting in his seat (he was actually watching what we were missing). ... Missed the first pitch to Benintendi in the bottom of the eighth because it was showing a close-up of the facial expressions of the Twins' shortstop after he threw out Betts.

Dave O'Brien: In the top of the third, he remarked that Dozier would make a "good leadoff man" because "he's hit a lot of home runs". It's worth noting that Dozier came into this game with the worst on-base percentage in Minnesota's starting lineup (.306). By comparison, Bradley's .298 OBP was only .008 lower. How much stock would you put in the opinions of a guy who claimed that the 2018 version of JBJ would make a "good" leadoff hitter?

O'Brien added: "He's hit a lot of home runs as a leadoff hitter in his career. He's hit 28 career leadoff homers ... a second baseman who packs a punch." The correct number is actually 114. (The Twins' Game Notes state that Dozier has hit 28 leadoff homers since 2013.)

Kyle Gibson / Brian Johnson

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Pearce, 1B
Devers, 3B
Swihart, C
Holt, 2B
Bradley, CF

The Red Sox have won 71 games, four more than the Astros. No National League team has won even 60 games.

RIP: Vaughn Eshelman pitched for the Red Sox from 1995-97. He died on Tuesday, July 24, in Texas, at age 49. According to the SoSH thread, Eshelman underwent a liver transplant this past March. Additional information is extremely scarce.

He made his debut on May 2, 1995, throwing six shutout innings against the Yankees, part of an 18-inning scoreless streak to begin his career.

AL East: KCR/MFY, 7 PM. The Yankees are 5.5 GB.

Schadenfreude 227 (A Continuing Series)

Ken Davidoff, Post:

Brett Gardner swung through a full-count Sergio Romo sinker — probably ball four — and the Rays' closer-third baseman slapped his glove, pumped his fist and screamed in joy Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field....

This loss, which gave the Rays a 2-1 series victory, marked a fourth straight series that the Yankees didn't win — they split four-game sets with the O's and [Cleveland] prior to the All-Star break and a two-game matchup with the Mets to launch the second half. It put them 5.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East ...

They own a 6-7 record over those four series, and in a normal season, it's a lull you expect and shrug off. ... [But t]his does not look or feel like a conventional campaign in any way. ...

The Yankees have gone three straight games without going deep, their longest such stretch since Sept. 22-24, 2016, fueling the contention that they're too homer-dependent. ... [The Yankees] need to step on the gas again or face consequences they never could have anticipated.

That one is too good to post only once!

George A. King, Post:

General manager Brian Cashman ... expects the Yankees to be without Gary Sanchez until late August or early September. Sanchez went on the disabled list Tuesday with the same right groin injury that shelved him earlier in the season.

Ken Davidoff, Post:

Only a select few know the exact severity of Gary Sanchez's right groin strain, so the conspiracy theories ... will have to [be?] thrust forward based on more emotions than facts.

Here's what's indisputable, however: Sanchez's return to the disabled list serves as the cleanest resolution to what could have been an existential crisis for the team, the clubhouse and the rookie manager.

They successfully kicked the can on their top headache of 2018 ...

Ethan Sears, Post:

"He probably had an injury for a while, but I'm telling you, I'm not buying last night, that that was about an injury," [Mike] Francesa said ... "Because if you watch the tape of him going down to first base, when he realized what was going on, he tried to bust it. He was not a guy who was limping down to first base. ... [A]fter the game, he never once said he was hurting. Not one time. He talked about the passed ball. He talked about the end of the game. And he — not one time did he say, 'I felt something, I hurt something.' Not one time did he say that. ... [T]hey should say he's not in the lineup 'cause he didn't hustle. Not that he's got some strain or something."

Bill Madden, Daily News:

Maybe Sanchez really is hurt. ... [B]ut the fact of the matter is, it was a whole lot easier for everyone to just maintain he's too hurt to play right now. Otherwise, Aaron Boone would have been in a very dicey position with his problem child catcher.

Millions of Yankee fans, the TV viewers back in New York and the majority of the crowd at Tropicana Field, witnessed Sanchez commit his 10th passed ball of the season in the first inning Monday night, then lollygag after it, allowing Jake Bauers to score all the way from second ... then further gasp in disgust when he loafed out of the box with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to get thrown out at first for the final out. ...

[W]e're not talking like this was an isolated incident, or just one unfortunate bad game. This was Gary Sanchez, the guy some people have said had a lot to do with Joe Girardi getting fired. Gary Sanchez, the guy who was suspended at least twice while in the Yankee minors for attitude and indifferent play issues. Gary Sanchez, to whom none of the Yankee pitchers like pitching. Gary Sanchez, who leads the league with 10 passed balls after tying for the major league lead with 16 last year. Gary Sanchez, whose work ethic has been a perpetual work in progress. ...

By now, everyone has grown weary of Sanchez's transgressions. How many times do we have to hear he's still growing as a player, or that he's working hard on his defensive deficiencies? ...

[Boone:] "It's still a learning experience for him. ... I know deep down he cares about his craft."

For nearly nine seasons now, he's had a funny way of showing that. ... And now offensively he's regressed — as in "can't get around on the good fastballs".

The Yankees are better off with him on the disabled list. A lot of people think a more fitting place to have sent him is the dog pound.

Rays Closer Plays Third Base During Four-Out Save Against Yankees

What's wrong with this picture?

Maybe this will clear things up:

Or not.

It is not often that the pitcher with the save is listed before the pitcher with the hold. Rays closer Sergio Romo recorded a four-out save against the Yankees yesterday afternoon. His manager, Kevin Cash, also had him play third base in the ninth inning of a one-run game.

In the top of the eighth, Romo - who has also started five games this season (Cash has also been using relievers as "openers") - came in with runners at first and third and one out. After a sacrifice fly cut Tampa Bay's lead to 3-2, Romo got an inning-ending strikeout.

Avery Yang, Deadspin:

For the bottom of the next inning, Cash had to choose: Leave Romo in to face a full slate, take him out entirely, or do some unconventional shit. He chose the third option and started the inning with Romo at third base. That way, reliever Jonny Venters could pitch to Greg Bird in a lefty-lefty matchup. Romo, who was the only position player on the entire left side of the infield, saw nothing hit his way. Bird grounded out to second base after four pitches.

Romo came back to the mound to secure the last two outs of the game and earned his 12th save of the season with ease.

Romo said the experience was "very, very fun":

I go back to about 20 years ago, to junior college, I played a little third base. Pretty interesting. The manager walks up to you and goes, "Hey, you're going to third base." Just kind of looked at him, and said, "What?" He said, "Just go to third base, we'll let you know after that."

O'Brien Claims It's "Very Rare" For A Team To Improve In The Standings On A Road Trip

NESN's Dave O'Brien remarked at the start of last night's game that the Red Sox began their current road trip with a 4.5-game lead over the Yankees and they had a chance, if they won the final game in Baltimore, to end the road trip with a 6.0-game lead. O'Brien informed us that it was "very rare" for a team to increase its divisional lead during a road trip.

(Note: After last night's game was postponed, MLBTV removed the video files of NESN and MASN, so I was unable to transcribe exactly what O'Brien said. It happened while Steve Pearce batted in the top of the first. If anyone has a transcription, post it in comments.)

Is it "very rare" for a team to end a road trip with a bigger lead in its division than when they began the trip? Or, if the team is not in first place, to improve in the standings?

I looked at the last three Red Sox seasons. ("Tied" means tied for first place.)

2018 (Improved in 5 of 8 trips (63%))

1st road trip - Improved from Tied to 1.0 GA
2nd road trip - Improved from 3.5 GA to 4.0 GA
3rd road trip - Dropped from 2.0 GA to Tied
4th road trip - Improved from 0.5 GA to 1.5 GA
5th road trip - Dropped from 2.5 GA to 1.5 GA
6th road trip - Dropped from Tied to 2.0 GB
7th road trip - Improved from 1.0 GA to 2.0 GA
8th road trip - Improved from 4.5 GA to 5.5 GA

2017 (Improved in 5 of 12 trips (42%); improved or stayed the same in 7 of 12 trips (58%))

1st road trip - Dropped from Tied to 1.5 GB
2nd road trip - Dropped from 1.0 GB to 2.0 GB
3rd road trip - Dropped from 3.0 GB to 4.5 GB
4th road trip - Stayed the same: 4.0 GB
5th road trip - Stayed the same: 3.0 GB
6th road trip - Improved from 3.0 GB to 0.5 GB
7th road trip - Improved from 1.0 GA to 3.5 GA
8th road trip - Dropped from 2.5 GA to 1.0 GA
9th road trip - Improved from 3.0 GA to 5.5 GA
10th road trip - Dropped from 5.0 GA to 4.5 GA
11th road trip - Improved from 2.5 GA to 3.5 GA
12th road trip - Improved from 3.0 GA to 5.0 GA

2016 (Improved in 4 of 12 trips (33%); improved or stayed the same in 6 of 12 trips (50%))

1st road trip - Dropped from Tied to 2.5 GB
2nd road trip - Improved from 3.5 GB to 0.5 GB
3rd road trip - Dropped from 0.5 GA to 0.5 GB
4th road trip - Dropped from Tied to 0.5 GB
5th road trip - Dropped from 2.0 GA to 1.0 GA
6th road trip - Stayed the same: Tied
7th road trip - Dropped from 1.5 GB to 5.5 GB
8th road trip - Stayed the same: 2.0 GB
9th road trip - Dropped from 2.5 GB to 3.0 GB
10th road trip - Improved from 2.0 GB to Tied
11th road trip - Improved from 2.0 GB to 2.0 GA
12th road trip - Improved from 3.0 GA to 5.0 GA

From 2016-18, the Red Sox improved their place in the standings on 14 of 32 road trips (44%). They improved their place in the standings or stayed the same on 18 of 32 road trips (56%). ... And the Red Sox have improved in the standings in 10 of their last 17 road trips (59%).

You cannot describe something as "very rare" if it happens approximately half the time. Of course, O'Brien had no clue if what he was saying was accurate or not. At that moment, he thought it must be rare, so that's what he said. A lot of listeners will assume it's true.

Don Orsillo may not have been perfect, but he never came off like a smug know-it-all. You don't have to listen to Dave O'Brien for very long before getting the impression that he thinks he's knows a lot about baseball, certainly much more than you do. However, the more you examine what he says, the more you discover that he is extremely ignorant about many things (statistics, in particular) and that he often just makes shit up.

G104: Red Sox at Orioles, PPD

Red Sox - 23          - 5  3  0
Orioles - 0           - 0  0  1

(At 7:33, this was tonight's linescore. At 10:06, it was washed down the memory hole.)

On yet another rainy evening in Baltimore, the Red Sox led 5-0 in the top of the second inning when the tarp was brought out. After a delay of two hours and thirty-three minutes, the game was postponed. Thirty minutes later, the Globe's Peter Abraham tweeted a photo of the field with the words: "No longer raining here".

Sean McAdam tweeted: "Red Sox are livid with handling of weather/postponement. An angry Alex Cora made his disappointment clear. Price refused to answer questions". In his story for the Boston Sports Journal, McAdam quoted Cora:

"[W]e had a 5-0 lead and we have one of our horses on the mound. It's not like it's a guaranteed win. But ... every game matters. It happened two days ago, with a rain-delay after two outs in the first inning and it happened again tonight. I'm not happy about it. I'm annoyed about the whole three-game series. ..."

Asked what he would have preferred for the Orioles to do, Cora chuckled and said: "Not started it." ...

Under Major League Baseball rules, the decision to start a game rests with the home team when it's not the final series in that city for the visiting team. Once lineup cards are exchanged, the decision to stop, restart or cancel a game altogether rests with the umpires. ...

The decision to wait, resume or cancel is made, [crew chief Fieldin] Culbreth said, by "many people. That is not something we take lightly. A lot of thought goes into that."

The game will be made up at 1 PM on Saturday August 11, as part of a day-night doubleheader, before the regularly scheduled game at 7 PM.

So: Did the Orioles look at this evening's weather data at all? If they thought it would rain long enough that the game had to be cancelled, why would they have informed the umpires that it was fine to start the game on time? During the delay, how could "many people" all have been clueless that the rain was about to stop? Did the Orioles pass on incorrect weather information to the umpires?

It had been announced on the Orioles broadcast that everyone was waiting until 10:30 to make a final decision. Yet the game was called at 10:06. Why the sudden rush? By 10:30, the rain had stopped. The game should have been resumed.

The Orioles clearly fucked up the situation (which is somewhat amusing considering how loudly Buck Showalter has whined in the past about rain delays). There are only two possibilities: either the Orioles are grossly incompetent or they did it deliberately to screw the Red Sox.

The Red Sox had hit three home runs for their five runs. Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez (above) went back-to-back in the first inning. Mookie Betts hit a three-run dong in the second* after Rafael Devers had reached on a dropped fly ball in left and Sandy Leon had walked.

*: Last night I posted that Betts had homered in every inning this season but the second and ninth. So he goes deep in the second tonight. But it does not count.

David Price pitched a clean first inning on 11 pitches, striking out the first two batters and getting a pop to shallow center.

Here is what was played - and has now been wiped away as if it never happened:

T1: Betts (cf) flied to left. Benintendi homered to right-center. Martinez (cbb) homered to left. Bogaerts (cff) flied to left [edge of warning track]. Pearce (fbb) ground to third.

B1: Beckham (cbbfb) struck out looking. Schoop (sbf) struck out swinging. Jones popped to shallow center. [Pearce chased Schoop's foul ball in foul territory towards right field. He suddenly stopped and the ball fell right next to him, on his left. Someone in the crowd may have yelled "I got it" and Pearce thought it was Betts or Holt.]

T2: Holt (b) grounded to second. Devers (b) safe at second on Mancini's error. [On a popup to shallow left, Mancini tried at the last second to make a basket catch. The ball clanked off his glove and went into foul territory.] Leon (bbfb) walked. [Rain started falling on ball 3.] Bradley (c) lined to first. Betts homered to left-center. Benintendi (b

David Price / Dylan Bundy

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Pearce, 1B
Holt, 2B
Devers, 3B
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey examines "how the Red Sox have pulled ahead of the Yankees":

1. Boston hits better with runners in scoring position

Entering Wednesday, Boston was hitting about 100 points better (.873) than New York (.777) with runners in scoring position ... In four fewer games, the Yankees have driven in 321 runs with runners in scoring position while the Red Sox have driven in 386. ... In 110 plate appearances with the bases loaded, Boston is hitting .337 with a 1.038 OPS. In a strange coincidence, New York has 111 plate appearances with the bases loaded this year, but is hitting just .236 with a .679 OPS. ...

3. Boston plays better on the road.

... The Red Sox are 34-13 at home and hitting .288 with an .854 OPS at Fenway. The Yankees have an almost identical record at home, 34-14, while hitting .265 with an .827 OPS. But Boston has been much better at winning on the road. The Red Sox have posted a 37-19 mark on the road while the Yankees are 29-21. ... The Yankees have only scored 57 more runs than they've allowed on the road while Boston has scored 79 more than they've allowed. With bases loaded and otherwise, the Red Sox are doing more with their opportunities. ...

The Ace of Spaeder:

J.D. Martinez is batting .316/.381/.687 with 123 R, 62 HR, & 157 RBI over his last 162 games played. He adds a .438 wOBA and 174 wRC+ during that span.

AL East: The Rays beat the Yankees this afternoon 3-2, so the MFY are now 5.5 GB.

Red Sox Trade For Nathan Eovaldi

The Red Sox have acquired Rays right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in exchange for minor league pitcher Jalen Beeks.

Eovaldi, 28, had a 4.26 ERA in 10 starts for Tampa Bay, after missing the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. In 57 innings, he has a solid 8/53 BB/K ratio. He has allowed 11 home runs in only 57 innings, but (a) four of them came in one game against the Astros and (b) he has given up just three dongs in his last five starts (27.2 IP). Then again, his 1.7 HR/9 this year is exactly what he allowed in 2016 (23 in 124.2 IP).

The trade occurred a few hours before Eovaldi was set to pitch this afternoon against the Yankees. He will be a free agent at the end of this season.

I'm Seeing A Pattern, But What If I'm Not?

Unanswerable Questions from WEEI.com:

March 2, 2018:

July 25, 2018:

Last night:

OAK - 001 100 341 3 - 13 11  2
TEX - 200 026 000 0 - 10  9  2

It was Oakland's biggest comeback since July 20, 2009, when they beat the Twins 14-13, despite trailing 12-2 in the bottom of the third inning:

MIN - 354 010 000 - 13 17  1
OAK - 203 200 70x - 14 22  1

Elias Sports, on the ATL/WSH game of July 20:

Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna Jr. are the 1st opposing players to HR in the same game before turning 21 years old since May 19, *1887*. The game was between the Indianapolis Hoosiers and New York Giants. Egyptian Healy (IND) and Mike Tiernan (NYG) did so that day

The Amazing Mookie Betts Gets Hits In Games Even When He Doesn't Play - And NESN Resurrects A Stupid Stat Which MLB Wisely Killed Off 30 Years Ago

In the top of the third of Tuesday's Red Sox/Orioles game, NESN provided evidence that Mookie Betts is more awesome than anyone could have imagined:

Even when you give Betts the day off - he will still get a hit!

Betts has played eight games against the Orioles this year, but he has hit safely in nine games against the Orioles!* (NESN did spell his name correctly.)

If you are wondering about those nine "game-winning home runs", you are not alone. (I checked the Red Sox's Game Notes for Tuesday and, sure enough, it's there on page 3.)

Older fans may remember an especially moronic stat from the 1980s: the "game-winning RBI". It was credited to the batter who knocked in the run that gave his team a lead it did not relinquish for the rest of the game. It did not matter in which inning the special RBI occurred. If a batter drove in a run in the first inning and his team held that lead for the rest of the game, that batter would get the GWRBI - no matter if the final score was 1-0 or 8-3 or 21-20. The stat was finally abolished in 1988 after almost a decade.

Betts has not hit a game-winning, walkoff home run this year. In fact, looking at his home run log, we can see that he has not hit a homer beyond the eighth inning in 2018. (Betts also has yet to go deep in the second inning.)

I looked at his 23 home runs (before last night) and there are indeed nine of them that gave the Red Sox a lead which they held through the end of the game. Those home runs were hit on April 17, April 25, May 2, May 19, May 22, June 13, June 26, July 6, and July 12. Seven of them were hit in a tie game (0-0 five times (all in the first inning), 1-1, 3-3). In two instances (April 25 and July 12), his home run erased the opponent's lead and put Boston ahead.

So ... NESN is putting its support behind a worthless statistic that was ridiculed by most fans from the day it debuted until MLB finally threw in the garbage - 30 years ago. But NESN also boosts fielding percentage several times during every single game, so I'm not all that surprised.

*: The graphic should have read "Hit Safely in 8 of 9 Games vs Orioles".
The Big Question: Will tomorrow's graphic say "9 of 10" or "10 of 9"?