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Sox Desk: Crunch Time

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Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox

When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox were slow out of the gate before coming up lame down the stretch to drop the opener of their short, two-game interleague series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Red Sox will look for a more complete effort today, especially on the base paths, when the teams reconvene at Fenway Park.

Jean Segura continued his hot streak with a two-run double before coming home on Scott Kingery’s single in a three-run first inning for Philadelphia, which benefited from Boston’s base-running blunder in the ninth to secure its fifth win in seven outings. Segura has four doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored during his four-game hitting streak heading into an encounter with right-hander Rick Porcello, against whom he is 4-for-9 with a solo homer.

Xander Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double to lead off the ninth before his ill-advised decision to run toward third on a grounder to shortstop led to the first out of the inning. The 26-year-old has 13 hits and seven RBIs in his last eight contests for the Red Sox, who reside six games out of the final wild-card spot in the American League.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Philadelphia, NESN (Boston).

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Drew Smyly (2-6, 7.09 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (11-9, 5.49)

Smyly bolted out of the blocks in his first two starts with Philadelphia before stumbling in his last three trips to the mound, surrendering 14 earned runs and six homers in 15 2/3 innings. The 30-year-old received his second straight no-decision on Thursday, however, despite allowing five runs on seven hits in five frames against the Chicago Cubs. Jackie Bradley Jr. (2-for-11, four strikeouts) and J.D. Martinez (0-for-6, four strikeouts) have struggled against Smyly, who sports a 3-1 mark with a 2.18 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 10 career appearances (eight starts) versus Boston.

Porcello continued his trend of alternating good and bad performances over his last six starts on Friday after permitting one run on four hits in six innings of a 9-1 romp versus Baltimore. The 2016 AL Cy Young Award recipient kept the ball in the park against the Orioles after surrendering 12 homers over his previous seven outings. Bryce Harper (0-for-7, three strikeouts) has been flustered by Porcello, who owns a 2-1 record with a 4.32 ERA in four career starts versus the Phillies.

WALK-OFFS

  1. Philadelphia C J.T. Realmuto is 0-for-8 in his last two contests after going 12-for-23 with four homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored in a six-game span.
  2. Boston RF Mookie Betts is 9-for-25 with seven extra-base hits and eight runs scored during his six-game hitting streak.
  3. Harper is 8-for-21 with four homers, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored in his last six contests.

Phila-Nola Defeats Red Sox

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Base-running Blunders in 9th Cap Game

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola pitched seven strong innings to make a three-run first stand up as the visiting Phillies edged the Boston Red Sox 3-2 in the opener of a two-game inter-league series.

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Nola (12-3) stranded the tying run in scoring position with no outs in the fifth and sixth innings, allowing only two runs on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. The victory snapped a two-game skid for Philadelphia.

Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a two-run home run for the Red Sox, whose five-game winning streak came to an end. 

After Nola whiffed a pair in the seventh to complete his outing, Jose Alvarez and Mike Morin combined to work a scoreless eighth. Reliever Hector Neris gave up a leadoff double to Xander Bogaerts in the ninth, but Bogaerts was out at third after a poor base-running decision allowed SS Jean Segura to cut-down Bogaerts at third on a J.D. Martinez groundball fielder’s choice. When Neris got Andrew Benintendi to line-out to Phillies’ infielder Cesar Hernandez, the second baseman caught pinch-runner Chris Owings trying to advance off first base, Hernandez ended the game with a toss to 1B J.T. Realmuto for the double-play. The pair of base-running blunders completed Neris’ 22nd save.

The Phillies got all the offense they needed in the first inning, when a Bryce Harper double with one out put two men in scoring position. Jean Segura doubled them home before scoring on a Scott Kingery single for a 3-0 lead.

Boston got on the board in the third when Mitch Moreland hit a leadoff single and trotted home after Bradley crushed the first pitch he saw into the Red Sox’s bullpen in right field with one out to make it 3-2.

While Philadelphia’s bats continued to stall, Boston posed multiple threats without breaking through. Christian Vazquez led off the fifth with a double and was stranded at third, and Mookie Betts singled and stole second to kick off the sixth but advanced no further.

Overall, the Red Sox had the tying run in scoring position with none out in the 5th, 6th and 9th innings, but failed to convert a run.

Brian Johnson got the start for Boston in place of Chris Sale, who is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with left elbow inflammation. Johnson (1-2) gave up three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings.

The Red Sox’s bullpen settled-in and retired 15 straight Phillies from the fourth until a two-out walk in the ninth.

-Field Level Media

NFL Training Camp Round-Up

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INDIANAPOLIS – Andrew Luck‘s return to practice won’t happen this week, Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich told reporters Tuesday. Luck is dealing with injuries to his left calf and ankle and previously had been ruled out of playing in any preseason games. Reich has said he would like to identify a starting quarterback for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Los   Angeles Chargers by Monday.

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Reich said the issue is a matter of “full speed movement vs. pain threshold” for Luck, according to The Athletic. Luck missed organized team activities in May because of the calf injury and began training camp last month on a limited basis before experiencing a setback.

— Oakland Raiders wideout Antonio Brown practiced with an approved helmet, putting aside a second grievance with the NFL over his headwear — at least for one morning.

Brown reportedly filed a second grievance with the league on Monday in order to use his favored model — the Schutt AiR Advantage — hoping to get a one-year grace period. His old helmet is no longer approved for NFL use because it is more than 10 years old, and a newer model he found failed NFL testing.

An arbitrator will hear Brown’s grievance on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

— The Dallas Cowboys reached a long-term agreement with linebacker Jaylon Smith. The five-year deal is worth $64 million with $35.5 million guaranteed, executive vice president Stephen Jones said.

Smith sat out all of 2016 due to a knee injury sustained in college. In 2017, he made 81 tackles while starting six games. He started every game last season and finished with 121 tackles, including six for loss and four sacks, plus two forced fumbles.

— Zero yards, 0.0 passer rating and one first step to forget. That was Jimmy Garoppolo’s return for the San Francisco 49ers in Monday’s preseason game against the Denver Broncos, his comeback from a torn ACL.

Garoppolo was pulled after three series with one completion in six attempts for no gain, and coach Kyle Shanahan said the plan was definitely to get him more work. “Obviously a little frustrated, but it’s the NFL,” Garoppolo said.

C.J. Beathard spelled Garoppolo, but Shanahan said he expects to see his first-team offense for at least a few quarters against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.

— Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock will miss time with what the team said is a badly sprained thumb.

Lock left Monday’s game against the 49ers. X-rays taken at the scene were negative, but he had more tests Tuesday. Lock completed 7 of his 12 pass attempts for 40 yards before he landed on his thumb in the third quarter when he tried to pitch the ball as 49ers safety Marcell Harris took him to the ground.

— San Francisco wide receiver Shawn Poindexter likely sustained a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament on Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

Poindexter, an undrafted rookie from Arizona, was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam to formally confirm the extent of the injury.

— Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. told Sports Illustrated the New York Giants had better trade offers but chose to trade him to Cleveland “to die.”

“This wasn’t no business move,” he told writer Ben Baskin. “This was personal. They thought they’d send me here to die.”

Beckham was acquired by the Browns for the Nos. 17 and 95 draft picks in 2019 and safety Jabrill Peppers. The San Francisco 49ers were among other known suitors, but general manager Dave Gettleman opted for the deal with Cleveland.

— Baker Mayfield offered his usual no-holds barred opinion when discussing the Giants drafting Daniel Jones, telling GQ he “can’t believe” New York selected the Duke quarterback sixth overall in April. “Blows my mind,” Mayfield added.

Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft and went 6-7 as a starter as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns. Jones was drafted by the Giants after Mayfield’s former Oklahoma teammate, quarterback Kyler Murray, went first to the Arizona Cardinals.

— Settlement of a class-action lawsuit that claimed the NFL’s Rams misled fans about the intention to stay in St. Louis could allow the team’s former Missouri-based fans to recoup a 25 percent refund on tickets and merchandise.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the details of the settlement include purchases from April 21, 2010, to Jan. 4, 2016. Refunds could be worth up to $25 million. Each of the former fans who filed the original suit will receive $5,000, and attorney fees are projected to be separate at a value of $7 million.

–Field Level Media

Filed Under: NFL Tagged With:

Digital Sports Desk’s While We’re Young (Ideas) – Episode 17

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief

BOSTON – Earlier this week in an item posted in our Digital Sports Desk Sports Biz section, we reported on a trend-setting deal between the Houston Chronicle and La Vida Baseball, a relatively new online venture out of Chicago, brought to you by TeamWorks Media. 

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The content partnership brought together a very strong local news brand of Houston with an upstart media (and OTT) platform in La Vida Baseball to better serve LatinX consumers, mainly Latino sports and baseball fans residing in the Houston market.  The fact the new content is culturally relevant and delivered by highly credible resources familiar to the Houston fans, makes it a simple offering but grand slam home run in the world of sports media in 2019. 

For your enjoyment, our While We’re Young (Ideas)  tossed a few, simple questions to the two people behind the new content partnership. In the spirit of Dick Young (see below), we’ve brought to you their answers without editorial involvement, so it’s a clear lens in the discussion of where this effort might lead. We hope to do more of this as these deeper dive/weekly notes and quotes columns on Digital Sports Desk.  

Q – (To both Jay Sharman, TeamWorks Co-Founder/CEO and Reid Laymance, Sports Editor at the Houston Chronicle) – How did your deal with Houston Chonicle come about? Have you been “pitching” the Chronicle and other prominent media outlets for strategic relationships?

Jay Sharman – “The Houston market is a hotbed of US Latino sports fans, and in particular, baseball fans. There is no better, trusted sports brand in the market than the Houston Chronicle, so it was our top target to start with from a distribution partnership perspective. Our managing editor, Jesus de Ortiz, is a former writer for the Chronicle, so it was a natural starting point to reach out to their editorial team since there was already an inherent mutual respect and trust – a key in any partnership. We are in conversations with many other prominent media outlets, but the Houston Chronicle was target number one.”

Reid Laymance – “One of our former writers, Jose de Jesus Ortiz, reached out to me first. I was familiar with the work he was doing at La Vida. It seemed like a win-win for both of us. We are always looking for more content, either for our printed page or our digital pages. The thing that was unique about La Vida was that it had a specific voice and audience. We strive to be more diverse in our staffs and our coverage but if your staff isn’t expanding and your aren’t making new hires, it can be a challenge. This certainly helps us do that. We don’t really know yet how much content we will use, but it is great to have an option to provide something more unique than wire service copy.”

Q – (To Sharman) – From every aspect, you’ve “aced” baseball with this deal, so are you considering efforts for NFL and NBA?

Sharman – “We do not have plans at the current time to pursue the NFL or the NBA under the La Vida umbrella, but I’ve learned to never say never!”

Q – (To Sharman) – Anything strike you as “under” reported or people like me – missing the key point or business aspect of your venture?

Sharman – “Language. I believe the US marketing and advertising is undereducated on the dynamics of the US Latino. Many still erroneously oversimplify that Latino equals Spanish-speaking. It does not. Two-thirds of US Latino sports fans consume sports media content in English and those numbers go higher the younger the demographic. And somehow, despite one out of five Americans being Latino, the spending power of this passionate group is underestimated in our opinion.”

Q – (To Laymance) – What else is on tap? What other kinds of deals can the newspaper industry cut to expand readership/page viewing to core news sites? New partnerships?

Laymance – “There was a time when most papers didn’t want to have anything but staff copy in their pages, and that was great. It made papers like the Boston Globe and Dallas Morning News great reads. As the industry changes, we have to think differently. When you look around, some of the more successful new sites are more niche-oriented. They have a specific audience and tap into it. Newspapers lost recruiting coverage several years ago to sites like 24/7 and others. We tried a brief partnership with 24/7 but never made it work right. I think you just have to be willing to try. If it works, great. If not, move on.

Q – (To Laymance) – As CineSport went south after its sale, might there be “more/better” video to be integrated into news coverage? Send To? Others? What trends are you following? What’s next?

Laymance – “I still get mixed signals on video. I don’t think people want to watch talking heads. Highlights are great but rights-issues are a factor. When organizations are able to do high-end projects, I think that works best. But, I’m not sure if the video for sake of video is that helpful.”

Q – (To Laymance) – This deal will greatly serve Astros and MLB readers of LatinX culture via the Houston Chronicle, but is there room for and other deals for NBA and NFL? Or is it a void. Traditional and in Spanish language only?

Laymance – “This may be unique to the Astros and MLB because it does fill a void. We have a weekly Spanish-language publication but it isn’t able to cover the Astros like La Vida. I’m not sure what’s out there yet for NFL or NBA but you never know. We may need to figure out coverage of e-sports next.”

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Here Now, The Notes:  The Boston Red Sox placed left-hander Chris Sale on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with left elbow inflammation. Sale could be finished for the season. … Among the doctors who will examine Sale’s medical tests is noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. … “I don’t know,” Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, said about Sale’s chances of returning to the mound in 2019. “I don’t know one way or the other at this point. The other doctors will look at the information, look at his MRI and then he’ll determine if he wants to go see them or not. The first one will be Dr. Andrews.” … Sale threw 6 2/3 innings and struck out 12 on Tuesday in a win against the Indians in Cleveland. Dombrowski told reporters that Sale reported being stiff in the following days and informed team doctors on Friday. He had medical tests on Saturday that will be evaluated on Monday, Dombrowski said. … The pitcher wasn’t available to speak to the media on Saturday. … “I think he’s upset that he’s going on the injured list, yes,” Dombrowski said. “I can’t tell you anything other than inflammation. I can’t tell you what’s on the MRI.” … Sale was on the injured list twice last season with left shoulder inflammation.

More Notes: PGA Tour pro and current FedExCup Playoffs leader Brooks Koepka on playing the “Majors” so well: “I treat everything the way I treat majors. It’s all focus. I think everybody thinks I’ve got different focus, but I think it’s the other way around. I think guys just psych themselves out. I don’t think it’s me being any more focused. It’s just guys psyching themselves out,” said Koepka before the BMW Championship at Medinah. … ESPN reporting the likely candidate to replace Brett Yormark as CEO of Barclays Center in Brooklyn is former Turner exec David Levy. … If that were so, he’d have turned working with Barkley into working at Barclays. … The Twitter machine account in the name of Barstool sports president Dave Portnoy read: “If you work for @barstoolsports and DM this man I will fire you on the spot,” he wrote in relation to a tweet previously sent by Rafi Letzter, a staff writer at Live Science and a “proud member of Future Union. … From there, it got ugly as the media picked up on the threat and the National Labor Relations Board (N.L.R.B.) caught wind of the situation. Of course, it paved the way for Barstool to get more publicity and labor lawyer, David Rosenfeld, who the Boston Globe called “a self-styled ‘paid troublemaker,’ saw the tweets as good old-fashioned union busting. He went to work.” … The simple solution was for Portnoy to rescind his comments and apologize to his staff and the public, but that’s not what Barstool Sports is all about. More to come on the Barstool revolution after the likes of the Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post have their way with the story … In Philly, right-hander Jake Arrieta will have season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur in his pitching elbow, The Athletic reported Saturday. … The surgery will happen later this month and the Phillies are hopeful Arrieta will be ready for spring training, per the report. … The 33-year-old was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. … “I would have liked it to go differently,” Arrieta said earlier this week. “I would have liked to pitch the remainder of the season healthy, but it’s something that I really couldn’t control. … The spur stayed pretty dormant for seven, eight years, and it decided to give me trouble and get to a size now where this is only option to me getting back to the pitcher that I am. And that’s OK. This is what I have to do.” … Rafael Devers was recognized as the Red Sox’ Heart and Hustle Award winner, as announced by the MLB Players Alumni Association…The award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game…One player from each MLB team is chosen based on the passion, desire and work ethic demonstrated both on and off the field. … The MLB-wide winner will be announced at the 20th Legends of Youth Dinner in New York on November 7th. … Previous overall winners were David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012), Boston’s Dustin Pedroia (2013), Josh Harrison (2014), Anthony Rizzo (2015), Todd Frazier (2016), Brett Gardner (2017) and Boston’s Mookie Betts (2018). 

When the Red Sox resume their suspended game against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, August 22, they’ll do so in front of a stadium dotted with kids who will be admitted to the ballpark for free. Children, ages 18 and under, will be a part of a general admission attendance as the Sox and Royals pick-it-up in the Top of the 10th with the score 4-4.  … The game might last for hours or minutes? … Other fans besides the kids will pay $5 with proceeds going to the annual Jimmy Fund efforts against cancer. … One other side-note, hot dogs will be $1 and other food items will have prices slashed in half. … Prior to the KC continuation game, the Red Sox face the Philadelphia Phillies for a short 2-game series on August 20-21. After the KC game, the Sox head west for a 10-day road trip with three games at San Diego, a pair at Coors Field in Denver and then a 3-game series at the LA Angels in Anaheim. … Then, the Red Sox will have only four home series remaining in the 2019 regular season.

Digital Sports Desk posts a once-a-week Sunday Notes column, entitled: “While We’re Young Ideas.” It’s a throwback of sorts to the days when sportswriting and the baseball beat were the best jobs in the entire sports industry, maybe the entire world. One of those sportswriters was named Dick Young and he wrote “Young Ideas” with a “Diamond Dust” section for notes and quotes. … We welcome feedback and suggestions (psst, they call ’em pitches) for mentions within “While We’re Young Ideas” or Digital Sports Desk. Please follow and encourage (at least) another person or two to plug into (@DigSportsDesk) (@WhileYoungIdeas) and (@terrylyons).

Field Level Media, GraceNote, the Washington Post, Boston Globe and Digital Sports Desk staff reporting contributed to this column.

Sports Biz: Former MLBers Arrested on Drug Charges

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SANTO DOMINGO – Former major leaguers Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo were among those arrested after being linked to a large drug-trafficking and money-laundering ring by authorities in the Dominican Republic, according to multiple reports.

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Officials said Tuesday that they are still seeking ring leader Cesar Emilio Peralta, known as “Cesar El Abusador.”

“Eighteen other people are linked to this network, including athletes and baseball players Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo,” Dominican attorney general Jean Alain Rodriguez said in a news conference before terming it as “the most important drug-trafficking structure in the region.”

Rodriguez said the 18 people — including Dotel and Castillo — were linked to Peralta after Dominican officials seized a 1,050-kilometer shipment of drugs slated to travel from South America to Puerto Rico. U.S. officials also helped in the case.

Rodriguez said that Dotel and Castillo were aiding Peralta in the trafficking.

Castillo, a former three-time All-Star, denied his involvement.

“The truth is my country no longer works,” the 43-year-old Castillo wrote in Spanish on his Instagram page. “My God, do you think that after making millions of dollars in Baseball I am going to dirty my hands with drugs?”

The 45-year-old Dotel hasn’t commented.

Dotel played for 13 teams from 1999-2013, which was a record broken earlier this season by pitcher Edwin Jackson (14 teams). Dotel went 59-50 with a 3.78 ERA and 109 saves in 758 appearances (34 starts).

Castillo batted .290 with 28 homers, 443 RBIs and 370 steals in 1,720 games from 1996-2010. All three of his All-Star appearances came during 10 seasons with the then-Florida Marlins.

–Field Level Media

Sox Desk: Phillies in Town

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Philadelphia Phillies at Boston Red Sox

When: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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BOSTON – Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been tormenting pitchers all season, but the 22-year-old appears to have taken it up a notch over the last 10 days. Devers aims to extend both his hitting streak to nine contests and Boston’s winning streak to six tonight as the club plays the opener of an abbreviated two-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.

Devers has 20 hits – including 12 for extra bases (eight doubles, four homers) – to go along with 14 RBIs with nine runs scored during his hitting streak. Named the American League Player of the Week, Devers highlighted his four-hit, four-RBI performance with a homer on Sunday as the Red Sox overcame a six-run deficit to complete a sweep of Baltimore with a 13-7 victory.

While Boston is riding high, Philadelphia was feeling pretty good with a season high-tying four-game winning streak before dropping its final two contests to San Diego over the weekend. Rhys Hoskins, who went 0-for-4 in Sunday’s 3-2 setback to the Padres, is just 3-for-45 in his past 14 games.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Philadelphia, NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Aaron Nola (11-3, 3.56 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Brian Johnson (1-1, 6.45)

Nola improved to 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA in his last 11 starts on Wednesday after allowing one run on three hits over seven innings of an 11-1 romp against the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old’s lone blemish was a solo homer in the seventh, marking the eighth time in those 11 outings that he has permitted one or fewer earned runs. Nola turned in a sparkling performance in his lone career start against Boston, yielding one run on four hits over eight innings in a no-decision on July 30, 2018.

Johnson will get the nod in a spot that was initially earmarked for Chris Sale, who reportedly received positive news on Monday after his meeting with Dr. James Andrews confirmed a previous diagnosis of inflammation on his ailing left elbow. The 28-year-old Johnson last pitched on Wednesday, when he allowed one unearned run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings of a no-decision at Cleveland. Johnson, who also received a no-decision in his lone appearance versus Philadelphia in June 2017, will be making his third start at home after splitting a pair of decisions with a 7.98 ERA over 14 2/3 innings on the road.

WALK-OFFS

  1. Philadelphia C J.T. Realmuto went 12-for-23 with four homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored in a six-game stretch before going 0-for-4 on Sunday.
  2. Boston RF Mookie Betts is 8-for-21 with seven extra-base hits (five doubles, triple, homer) with eight runs scored during his five-game hitting streak.
  3. Phillies SS Jean Segura has eight hits – including four doubles – in his last six contests.

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