Going Deep 

Happy All-Star break, everyone. It’s an equally boring and glorious week spent day marveling at Giancarlo Stanton’s power and not watching the ESPYs. It’s the ceremonial middle of the MLB season, even though that one friend of yours who loves “Well, Actually …”-ing people will inform you that technically the season is already over halfway done.

When Eduardo Rodriguez (more on him later) and the Sox begin the second half in New York on Friday, it will begin a second half that is, put mildly, not poised to be kind to them. After a front-loaded home schedule, the Sox will find themselves on the road for 44 of their last 75 games. There are two West Coast trips still to play among those 44 games: an 11-game run in mid-August that starts in Anaheim, goes through Seattle and ends with the Dodgers, and a six-game trip in early September that brings them to Oakland and San Diego before finishing in Toronto.

From an offensive standpoint, expected production from the lineup – assuming it more or less stays the same – is a mixed bag. The good news: David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts, and Travis Shaw are all historically second-half players. All four of them have higher career wRC+ in the second half of the season, with Shaw’s (98 wRC+ vs. 123 wRC+) being the most dramatic. The caveat of small sample sizes comes into play when talking about Betts and Shaw, but having three of your better power hitters all be historically stronger in the second half is never a bad thing.

After a front-loaded home schedule, the Sox will find themselves on the road for 44 of their last 75 games.

That leaves Xander Bogaerts, Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Brock Holt as the regulars (we’ll leave Sandy Leon out of this because apparently he’s just going to hit like .500 for the rest of the season) who could theoretically see a drop off in production. Holt’s second-half struggles have been well documented, Chris Young’s on the DL, and while filling in admirably, it’s not a stretch to say that Bryce Brentz isn’t the answer in left. With all that said, the mind can’t help but wonder whether Andrew Benintendi might be the answer in left field.  Even as a top prospect, Benintendi has risen through the minors faster than anyone could have expected. He even admitted to the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier that “[he’d] be lying if he hadn’t thought about it” although prospects day-dreaming about playing in the big-leagues is hardly earth-shattering news.

Road trips – and the narratives that go along with them – tend to go one of two ways. The team either wins a lot (or at least comes away at .500) and suddenly they’re a team that’s bonded on the road and is ready to make a deep run, or the “rigors” of traveling across the country provide too much for them, they drop eight games back in August and are playing meaningless baseball by September. From an offensive perspective, this team seems perfectly capable of the former.

Quick Hits

Circling back around to pitching, Eduardo Rodriguez is slated to open the second half of the season for the Sox.  Since getting knocked around by the Rays and getting sent down to Triple-A on June 27th, Rodriguez has made only two starts. Apparently that was enough time for manager John Farrell and his staff to feel he’s made the necessary adjustments in his delivery. The trade market for starting pitchers is a post-apocalyptic barren wasteland where you’ll have to give up a real prospect for Rich Hill, so it makes sense that the Sox are going to exhaust all their other options before having to bite that bullet.

Speaking of the trade market, Atlanta Braves GM John Coppolella went on the record saying that pitcher Julio Teheran won’t be traded. Well that very well may be true, it’s just as possibly a bargaining tactic. This wouldn’t be the first time that a GM has declared a player untouchable, only to ship him off somewhere else at the deadline for a king’s ransom. At Over the Monster, Ben Buchanan argues that Teheran is good, but not take-out-a-second-mortgage good.

Multiple outlets are reporting that the Sox and first-round draft pick Jason Groome are nearing a deal. Alex Speier tweeted yesterday that the deal “‘should get done,’ though final bonus figure still being discussed.” By all accounts Groome was one of — if not the biggest — steal in the draft, as many scouts and evaluators had him as the top talent on their boards. Signing the lefty would give the Sox two legitimate pitching prospects with front of the rotation, even ace, potential and a great chance to get back to emphasizing pitcher development.

Over at the Boston Hearld, Steve Buckley catches up with Don Orsillo, The One That Got Away. From all accounts, Orsillo seems happy – he’s doing TV and radio for the Padres, he lives in a city where the weather is as close to literal perfection as scientifically possible and is also apparently very tan. There are, however, some incriminating quotes from Orsillo about how his time at NESN ended. Orsillo and NESN’s nasty divorce was one of last season’s worst-kept secrets, so it’s nice to see him land on his feet with another team. The whole article reads like that scene in a romantic comedy where the broken up couple runs into one another at a coffee shop six months down the road and stops to reminisce for a minute before going on their way.

Photo by David Butler II/USA Today Sports Images

Over the course of a long season we, as Red Sox fans, spend a lot of time getting to know our radio and television announcers.  As Tim Neverett takes his spring training reps alongside legendary radio voice Joe Castiglione, The Boston Herald’s Steve Buckley fills us in on the newest addition to the broadcast.  Neverett, who is a Nashua, NH native, had been working as a play-by-play host for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last seven seasons.  Over that time he saw the Pirates move from a terrible team with a 20-year losing streak to a perennial contender.  At the very least he should be used to calling games for clubs aiming to go from worst to first.

Usually, the transition of play-by-play announcers wouldn’t seem like such a big deal, but with all of the drama surrounding the exit of Don Orsillo from the NESN broadcast last year, this move is an exception. The game of musical chairs that’s led to Dave O’Brien taking Orsillo’s spot and opened up a radio gig for Neverett means Boston’s newest broadcast will face his share of scrutiny.  Neverett considered this before taking the job ultimately deciding, “Somebody has to be the next guy. Dave is still here, Don is happy in San Diego. I was happy in Pittsburgh. At the time I was not looking for another job. I planned on being there a long time and things were going very, very well, but it’s because of my New England roots I wanted to come home.”

Unless Neverett flounders in his new market things should be set for a long while on both the radio and television broadcasts.  Neverett has reportedly signed a five-year-deal with Entercom, the owners of WEEI, and has no intentions of going elsewhere.  From what I have heard so far Neverett has been adjusting to life in the booth seamlessly and already sounds like a veteran alongside Castiglione.  I for one am glad to have him here.  As for Dave O’Brien, I think he is doing an excellent job so far and by May I think most of us will forget that there was every any controversy surrounding this talented announcer’s new job.

Quick Hits

As David Ortiz gets set to enter his final year, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe warns us that this is not a good thing for the Red Sox.  Many have been looking at Ortiz’s pending retirement as an opportunity for Hanley Ramirez to move to DH rather than what it actually is: the loss of the team’s best hitter.  Cafardo reminds us that Ortiz is the only player in major league baseball to drive in 100 or more runs each of the last three seasons.  Unlike a lot of other Red Sox greats Ortiz will be retiring while he is still among the most productive hitters in the game.  Time hasn’t eroded his skills as much as it has his body and his will to keep grinding.  You have to think that if he has another great year, he will always wonder how much he really had left in the tank and how long he could have gone.

In Spring Training news, yesterday was the first time that Christian Vasquez caught in a game since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April.  John Tomase of WEEI notes that Vazquez isn’t concerned with where he is going to start the year and is just happy that he is back playing.  He looked good while calling the game and should settle back in quickly giving the Red Sox a luxury that most teams do not have: three major league-ready catchers.

Having three capable backstops is hardly a problem but with such a glut of talent you can expect teams to come calling.  Mark Normandin of OverTheMonster.com reports that teams have already begun calling the Red Sox about veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan and his availability.  The Red Sox are not likely to make any sort of a move here with Matt Wieters providing us the most recent example that Tommy John surgery isn’t always as straightforward a recovery process as it seems.  I think it would be wise to keep Hanigan at least until the All-Star break to be sure that Vasquez is not rushed along too quickly.

Down on the farm the Red Sox’s consensus number five prospect Michael Kopech has found himself in trouble yet again. ESPN’s Scott Lauber reports that the 19-year-old right-hander broke his throwing hand after getting into a fight with his roommate a few days ago.  This story would be troubling normally, but coming on the heels of Kopech’s suspension for Oxilofrine, a banned stimulant, it proves that his judgement is poor to non-existent.  We have seen far better prospects than Kopech fail to get off the ground due to off the field issues and he is on that path right now.

Let’s end on a high note as Ian Browne of MLB.com takes a look at Andrew Benintendi’s “Meteoric rise.”  If you aren’t familiar with Benintendi’s story the young outfielder was not always a star, in fact, during his first year at Arkansas he hit only one home run while batting .276 and didn’t impress anyone.  Benitendi says, “I know my freshman year, I think I was trying to be a different kind of player than what I had been in years previous to that.”   Luckily for Red Sox fans he remembered who he was and went on to win the Golden Spikes award as college baseball’s best player in 2015.  His skills are advanced across the board and if all goes well he may get a cup of coffee with the Red Sox this September

 Photo by Kelly O’Connor/www.sittingstill.smugmug.com

Going Deep

While the 2015 Red Sox season was a disappointment overall, the team was a different squad in the second half. For example, in the first half the starting pitching ranked 28^th in the league by ERA (4.75), and 13^th by FIP (3.90). In the second half their rankings improved to 9^th (3.97) and 11^th (3.95). The first half involved adjusting to a young catcher, a new pitching coach and, for Rick Porcello and Wade Miley, new surroundings. Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com has more on how the pitchers’ gradual acclimation to these things over the course of the season led to much better results for them on the mound. You should note that the improvement in pitching really only came in the runs allowed department; the fielding independent numbers remained basically the same. As Tim Britton of the Providence Journal notes, outfield defense has had a lot to do with keeping runs off the board in the second half. Moving from Hanley Ramirez and his -19 defensive runs saved (DRS) in 747.2 innings in left field to Jackie Bradley Jr. (3 DRS in 122.1 innings) and Rusney Castillo (9 DRS in 217.0 innings) was absolutely critical. A full season of the Betts, Bradley Jr. and Castillo outfield would be a lot of fun for Red Sox pitchers.

While the Red Sox starting pitching was much improved in the second half of the season, the team will likely pursue a frontline ace in the offseason. The available big names are Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, David Price and Jordan Zimmerman. In my opinion, Greinke and Price are the most attractive of this group, but they will likely come with the highest price tags, which could make them that much more difficult to lock down and Dave Dombrowski more hesitant to commit long-term. However, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe suggests that the way Dombrowski handled contract negotiations with Max Scherzer while in Detroit offers insight into what we can expect from the new boss this winter. He is willing to act aggressively within well-defined limits and will consider giving a long-term deal to a pitcher in his 30s. Dombrowski also notes that he is willing to move to secondary plans if acquiring a top-of-the-rotation starter proves too difficult, and is well-aware of the criticism that can come with making that decision. Secondary plans could involve someone like Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Yovani Gallardo, Hisashi Iwakuma, or maybe even Rich Hill (!). Starting pitching is just one of many areas about which many interesting decisions will be made by the Red Sox’s front office this offseason. For example, Scott Lauber of the BostonHerald.com reminds us that the bullpen is also an area that needs considerable attention. However, adding an arm or two to the starting rotation would allow players being considered for a rotation spot to be moved to the bullpen (e.g., Joe Kelly, Brian Johnson, Steven Wright), in a sort of killing two birds with one stone approach.

Quick Hits

Hanley Ramirez came into the season looking bulked up and ready to perform, but things did not go according to plan; by now you have read about his well-documented struggles. Well, it turns out the Red Sox think that Ramirez’s extra bulk may have played a role in his difficulty adjusting to playing left field, and contributed to his injuries. Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.com writes that the team has asked him to lose 15-20 pounds over the offseason.

Dave Dombrowski announced that John Farrell and Torey Lovullo will be back with the team as manager and bench coach, respectively, in 2016. Scott Lauber of BostonHerald.com outlines how the decision to retain the coaching duo benefits the team, and Jason Mastrodonato has positive reactions to the move from a number of Red Sox players in his notebook.

Sunday marked Don Orsillo’s final broadcast for the Red Sox. The game featured many highlights from Don’s time in the Red Sox’s booth, as well as heartfelt comments from broadcast-partner Jerry Remy, a tip-of-the-cap from Red Sox players, and finally, a touching note from Don (text of his comments here). Jon Tomase of WEEI.com kept a running diary of the broadcast that is well-worth your time.

Thirty-nine-year-old David Ortiz finished the 2015 season with a .273/.360/.553 line (.304 TAv), hit 37 home runs and 37 doubles. Somehow, despite that line, there exists a negative perception of Ortiz’s performance among some Red Sox fans. Chad Finn of Boston.com reminds fans to appreciate Ortiz’s production and asks them to stop measuring him against mythic perceptions that exist for other players.

Last Three Good Game Stories of 2015…

The Red Sox lost all three games of their final weekend set with the Indians, the first of which was an 8-2 drubbing that, as Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com writes, ended Henry Owens season on a sour note.

Craig Breslow got his second start of the season in the middle game of the Cleveland series. He pitched well, and tells Jason Mastrodonato of the BostonHerald.com that starting has reinvigorated his confidence and could be something he considers for the future.

Rick Porcello pitched well in the final game of the season, but was ultimately undone by his throwing error in the third inning. Nevertheless, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal notes that Porcello finished the final six weeks of the season strong, and can hopefully carry that performance into next year.

Photo by Mark L. Baer/USA Today Sports Images

2015 was better than 2014 or 2012, I think. Sure, any season that ends with Alexi Ogando as the last man to throw a pitch for you is a bummer, but we have Xander and Mookie and Blake and #Ed and #Honk and #TravisShawGOAT and if Dave Dombrowski doesn’t mess this up, we’ll have them for a long time.

But I’m not sure if any of that matters right now, because Game 162 was really about one thing. It was about Don Orsillo’s last game calling the Red Sox, and I still can’t believe what a shame it is that I have to be typing this sentence.

Top Play (WPA): Miscast Disney villain Giovanny Urshella singling to center to score Roberto Perez in the bottom of the second (.112).

Also, the Red Sox coming out of the dugout to give Don a collective tip of the cap that made this grown-ass 25-year-old Red Sox fan cry real tears. Also the Red Sox Nation <3 Don Orsillo banner that flew above the ironically named Progressive Field. We really do, Don.

Bottom Play (WPA): Travis Shaw flied out with two on and no one out in the top of the eighth (-.097).

The way NESN handled this entire scenario. Between-inning best-call montages and giving two minutes of air to Don to say his peace doesn’t make this better. We are not here because Don wants to leave or because he is retiring or because of any conflict of interest. We are here, feeling miserable and like we’ve lost a dear friend, because of a horrendous decision by NESN. We might be powerless to stop it, but that doesn’t mean we have to forget.

Key Moment:

Trend to Watch: The rest of the Padres offseason, which is already off to a phenomenal start.

Coming Next: Six months of trade rumors, David Price Watch, wanting to vomit any time Xander or Mookie are mentioned in trade rumors and, most immediately, rooting against the Yankees in the postseason. Thank you all for reading this year. We’ll be back with Game Recaps in April.

Photo by Mark L. Baer/USA Today Sports Images

Top Play (WPA): Wade Miley’s rapid-fire assault on the strike zone worked masterfully though five innings. Then the sixth inning happened. The biggest play, WPA-wise, was Asdrubal Cabrera’s game-tying double (.187). Previously in the inning, Miley recorded two quick outs before throwing an 89 mile-per-hour fastball down the middle of the plate, a pitch Evan Longoria vaporized somewhere in the direction of the Monster (+.111). There was also a go-ahead double from Steven Souza Jr. (+.174) and, later, a seventh-inning homer from Kevin Kiermaier (+.124) mixed in. All told, Miley gave up seven extra-base hits, five of which came in the sixth or seventh frames.

The Red Sox’s biggest play of the game, not surprisingly, was David Ortiz’s first-inning blast, a two-run shot that landed in the Monster seats. Ortiz’s OPS+ has dropped every year since 2012, but he started at 173 and he’s at 134 this year, so everything’s a-okay at the DH slot.

Bottom Play (WPA): Speaking of Big Papi, Ortiz’s game-ending double play (-.101) ran away with negative WPA honors, nearly doubling a Souza Jr. second inning ground out (-.056).

Key Moment: Oh, I don’t know, let’s say the sixth inning as a whole. Miley, who worked through the first five innings like he was late to a game of high-stakes bingo, lost whatever he had going with two down in the sixth. After retiring 13 of 14, Miley dealt Longoria a first pitch, get-me-ahead heater, and Longoria didn’t miss it. Okay, that happens. Logan Forsythe followed with a single down the left field line, then Cabrera and Souza followed with back-to-back doubles. That happens, too, unfortunately.

What went wrong with Miley? Maybe the answer’s out there, somewhere in the video footage or the PITCHf/x files, but perhaps it’s simpler than that. Maybe the Rays just got to him, after five innings of just missing pitches or failing to string together rallies, they stopped missing and strung together a rally. Miley’s solid outing went sour in a hurry. That happens.

Trend to Watch: This space is usually reserved for on-field trends, but I’d like to make an exception to write a few words about Don Orsillo. Unless NESN has a sudden change of heart (wait, what heart?), Orsillo only has a handful of games left to call as the Red Sox play-by-play guy, a gig he’s handled in (mostly) full-time capacity since 2001. Orsillo’s greatest strength is/was his wonderful ability to mesh seriousness and fun, as he, along with partner Jerry Remy, have been able to successfully toggle that switch on and off given the situation.

Back when I was watching the Red Sox on the Extra Innings package in the early 2000s, every once in a while the audio feed would stay live during a commercial break, and my ears would suddenly perk up for some hot, juicy behind-the-scenes commentary. Usually all I’d hear was Orsillo and Remy still laughing, often hysterically, about whichever thing they were carrying on about from the previous half inning. Orsillo (and Remy) has made the game more fun for the past 15 years, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy doing it.

Go ahead and enjoy Orsillo’s final days in the booth; there’s bound to be a good bit of laughter, maybe some tears, and the usual helping of good, old-fashioned play-by-play craftsmanship. It’ll be missed.

Coming Next: The Red Sox finish up the 2015 home slate with three games against the Orioles starting on Friday night, a matchup that features a pair of lefties in Rich Hill and Wei-Yin Chen. Hill was a once-promising starter with the Cubs back in 2007, but he’s thrown just 167 innings since, thanks in large part to near ceaseless trips to the operating table and, when healthy, bouts of extreme wildness. He’s found surprising (small sample) success this year in Boston, striking out 20 and walking just one in two starts and 14 innings.

After the O’s series, the Red Sox look to play spoiler in the season’s final week, as they travel to New York and Cleveland.

Photo by Mark L. Baer/USA Today Sports Images

Denial

The report first came down Tuesday morning, and there was no way it could’ve been real. I saw a tweet from the Dennis & Callahan account, and my first reaction was that something had been misinterpreted. Maybe they were still negotiating. Maybe Orsillo decided he wanted to try a national gig. That would be tough to swallow, but at least it would’ve been his choice. But there was no way NESN could actually be dumb enough to let Orsillo go, right?

Anger

There was legitimate anger from just about every Red Sox fan on Tuesday, and it was totally justified. Orsillo might be the very best play-by-play guy in the sport right now, and he’s certainly one of the best. He mixes humor, calmness and excitement so seamlessly. He had hilarious moments like “Here comes the pizza,” the boob grab, the tooth incident, the guy trying to put on the poncho, and the lamp. At the same time, he had incredible calls, like Daniel Nava’s go-ahead home run after the Marathon bombing and the Mother’s Day miracle. How the hell could the higher-ups at NESN not think this guy was worth the money?

Bargaining

Maybe if we yell at NESN’s twitter account long enough, they’ll change their mind. Maybe if we threaten to boycott the rest of their games, they’ll change their mind. Maybe if we start a petition, they’ll change their mind. We know it’s not going to happen, but we have to try.

Depression

Man, this really sucks. Orsillo has been calling every Red Sox game for ten years now, and has been here through one of the most tumultuous eras in the team’s history. For me, personally, he was the voice of my formative years in the game. This was the time I went from a young, casual fan to a slightly older die-hard. It was the time I transformed from the type of fan who would turn off a game during a blowout to the one who still watched every pitch. Orsillo was as big of a part of that as anyone. He still managed to make the game entertaining even when the ending was a foregone conclusion. For a sport that’s losing interest in a world shifting more toward instant gratification, that type of talent will be sorely missed.

Acceptance

In the end, it’s not really as bad as we’re making it seem. Orsillo definitely won’t be out of work for long. If he wants a national gig, someone will almost certainly give that to him. We’ll all be able to hear him on a regular basis in that case. If he’d prefer a local gig, he’ll get that too. In the internet-era, we all have access to any broadcast we want to listen to. Orsillo isn’t leaving the baseball world, just our local world. On top of that, Dave O’Brien, his replacement, is very good at his job.

With that being said, NESN is making a massive mistake here. The Red Sox have had so many huge moments over the last 10-15 years, and Orsillo has been here for almost all of them. He’s the best play-by-play guy in baseball, and as big a part of the franchise as anyone. This is truly the end of a golden era for Red Sox baseball, and it’s an ending that none of us were at all prepared for.

Photo by Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports Images. [Editor’s note: This is the only picture of Orsillo I could find. I looked for 20 minutes.]

Going Deep

This season hasn’t been kind to either the Red Sox or their fans. There have been many things that just flat-out suck: Hanley’s fielding, most of the pitching and Pedroia getting injured. None of that compares to the bombshell that dropped Tuesday morning: Don Orsillo will not return as the Red Sox’s play-by-play commentator in 2016. At first it looked mutual, with Orsillo’s contract ending and national broadcasts having interest in the commentator ever since his stint with TBS ended in 2011. Then the facts started to trickle down, as Chad Finn writes. Joseph Maar, VP of programming at NESN, was never a fan of Orsillo, and in 2014, Maar began a policy that had broadcasters – in this case, mainly Orsillo and Jerry Remy – take in-season breaks. While that sounds nice, the issue is that the broadcasters have to make up the week of work out of season, which seems strange considering the tough six-month schedule they endure on a yearly basis. Want to reach out to Maar and tell him that this is wrong? Too bad – he made his Twitter account private early this morning. It’s going to be a tough September, as the time we have with Orsillo as the voice we all know and love for Red Sox baseball slowly runs out.

August has brought a whirlwind of changes for the Sox, ranging from the delightful (JBJ hitting!) to the terrible (Orsillo’s departure) and even touching upon shocking, which was the case when the Red Sox stunned the baseball world by hiring Dave Dombrowski. With Ben Cherington soon to be out of the picture, the state of the 2016 Red Sox becomes murkier. Dombrowski will evaluate and consider players differently than Cherington. Very few things are bolted to the floor – David Ortiz as the perennial DH being one of them. Dombrowski did mention several players as the core of the future of the Red Sox, with Xander Bogaerts and Eduardo Rodriguez being part of it. However, knowing DD’s history in trades, it’s hard to think he wouldn’t make a trade if the right deal comes along. Scott Lauber and Ygritte say it best: you know nothing.

Quick Hits

If you say it enough, the team will actually do it. Hence Hanley Ramirez taking reps at first base before the game in Chicago on Tuesday night. He’s not unaware of his terrible fielding in left, despite what we all might say. As John Tomase writes, he seemed very supportive of the move, as he was quoted saying that it would make the team better. Good on ya, Han Ram.

Eduardo Rodriguez is a special talent, and the Red Sox want to keep it that way – so they’re going to skip his next start for rest. He’s already logged 140.2 innings combined at the Triple-A and MLB levels, and the Sox are looking to manage his workload. Jen McCaffrey also adds that Henry Owens is slowly approaching his limit as well, but Owens’ previous career-high in innings pitched is 159 innings, so there’s a bit more leeway there.

The Red Sox bullpen being a perpetual tire fire isn’t news, but the decisions surrounding how to use those burning tires are. Sean McAdam calls for Tazawa to be removed from the closer role entirely, handing it to Jean Machi in the short-term. After Sunday’s debacle, Tazawa simply looks unfit to close, but the Red Sox have few options beyond him. Jean Machi’s already there, sure, but why not try out Pat Light? With the postseason far out of reach, he’s worth a shot when rosters expand.

After this season, it might not amaze you that the relationship between spending and winning is weak. The thing is that it’s been that way for a long while, as Craig Edwards notes. The correlation between team spending and team wins has gradually gotten weaker as time has gone on. Success cannot be bought, and despite the massive differences in Opening Day payrolls, parity still exists in MLB.

Three Good Game Stories

Junichi Tazawa is now the most visible sign of a terrible bullpen, as his 9th inning implosion in Sunday’s game showed, writes Jason Mastrodonato.

A strong showing from a seemingly revamped Joe Kelly helped push the Red Sox past the White Sox on Monday, and Rob Bradford looks to find out what sparked the turnaround. It was probably his great stuff.

There’s a reason why Hanley needs to get out of left field, and Tuesday’s game was a prime example, said Brian MacPherson.

Photo by Mark L. Baer/USA Today Sports Images