The Boston Red Sox

Thursday, May 16, 2019

* The Boston Globe

Michael Chavis feeling right at home in big spot for Red Sox

Peter Abraham

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black did the right thing in the bottom of the 10th inning on Wednesday

night when he intentionally walked Rafael Devers to get to Michael Chavis.

Devers has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last few weeks and Chavis is a rookie still

prone to strikeouts.

“They had no choice,” Mookie Betts said. “That was the right move.”

But it also put the right man at the plate for the Red Sox. Chavis has given the team a lift since he was

called up on April 19 and shown teammates he’s not afraid of the moment.

“He can hit, that’s the first thing,” said Steve Pearce, who has the locker next to Chavis at Fenway Park.

“And he knows he can hit. But it’s not that he’s arrogant. He’s confident.”

But Chavis didn’t take it for granted that he would even be swinging away at Chad Bettis. He looked down

at third base coach Carlos Febles to see if the bunt sign was on.

“All I’m really thinking is, ‘Don’t make me bunt.’ I wanted to hit,” Chavis said.

Oh, rookies. They’re so earnest. Chavis hadn’t sacrificed since a minor league game in 2015. Swing away,

Febles signaled.

Chavis received a quickie scouting report from hitting coach Tim Hyers on his way to the plate. He was

told that Bettis throws a fastball and cutter.

The first pitch was a cutter over the plate, a little inside, and Chavis grounded it into center field. That

scored Xander Bogaerts from second.

“Everything’s working away, so I was just trying to get him up and get a good pitch to hit and not do too

much with it,” Chavis said. “I didn’t need a home run, just a single.”

With center fielder David Dahl playing deep, the Rockies had no chance at making a play. By the time the

throw came in, Chavis had rounded first and Betts was sprinting at him followed by Rick Porcello and

Chris Sale.

The Sox had a 6-5 victory after blowing a 5-0 lead. The rally was needed with a day off on Thursday and

the Houston Astros coming in Friday riding an eight-game win streak.

“I got tackled by Mookie and gave him a hug. That was great, honestly,” Chavis said. “I’m a big hugger. I

get that from my mom.”

For a 23-year-old with 22 games of major league experience, Chavis had a refined approach with the game

on the line.

“In my minor league career I’ve had a decent amount of success in those scenarios,” he said. “When this

kind of situation comes up, it’s definitely one of those times I want to be the person hitting.

“Nobody out and [Bettis] is kind of in a tough spot. One of the things that I learned when I was younger is

in those kinds of situations; a lot of people feel the pressure. You want to do the big thing; you want to get the big hit. I’ve kind of learned to change the perception of it where the pressure is on him. He’s got two

guys on and nobody out. He can blow it right here. He needs to get me and two other people out.”

The clubhouse sound system was playing “Late Night” by Lucky Daye when Chavis made his way up from

the field.

“I’m happy for the kid,” Pearce said over the din. “He’s helped us a lot. It reminds me of Andrew

McCutchen when he came up with Pittsburgh when I was there.

“You can see he’s not afraid and that he can hit. You want to see him at the plate.”

Since being called up, Chavis leads the Sox with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. There have been 25 strikeouts but also 14 walks.

The Sox also don’t mind seeing Chavis at second base after initially saying they didn’t expect to use him

much there. He made a nice play going over the middle and throwing across his body in the eighth inning

to take a hit away from Ryan McMahon.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Chavis said. “It’s been fun. Xander has helped me a ton over there. He’s

showing me where I need to be. I get more comfortable every day.”

The Sox will have some roster decisions to make as other players get healthy. But one thing is certain:

Chavis is here to stay.

Red Sox squander five-run lead but still beat Rockies on walkoff

Alex Speier

As the zeros spread across the innings, the momentum built by the Red Sox in recent weeks seemed in

jeopardy. One night after the bullpen coughed up a late lead en route to an extra-inning defeat against the

Rockies, a similar outcome seemed possible on Wednesday after a three-run, seventh-inning advantage

went up in smoke.

The idea of spending an offday chewing on the aftertaste of two straight disheartening defeats, with the

team with baseball’s best record — the Astros — coming to Fenway over the weekend, seemed unwelcome. And ultimately, it proved unnecessary, thanks in no small part to the rookie who jolted the Red

Sox from their somnambulant start to the season back into a more familiar spot of contention.

With Xander Bogaerts (leadoff double) on second and Rafael Devers (intentional walk) on first in the 10th

inning, Michael Chavis jumped on a first-pitch cutter from reliever Chad Bettis and sent a hard grounder

through the middle of the infield. The single sent the Red Sox to a 6-5 victory over the Rockies at Fenway,

with Chavis collecting the first walkoff hit of his career.

“Needed. Much needed,” sighed Bogaerts.

The degree of difficulty in the victory proved far greater than expected. The Red Sox jumped on starter German Marquez for an early five-run advantage. Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and J.D. Martinez

strung together hits to open the first en route to a 2-0 lead.

The same trio again delivered back-to-back-to-back hits in a three-run third, with Benintendi ripping a

triple to center, Betts flicking an RBI single to right, and Martinez crushing a slider into the bullpen for a

two-run homer that put the Red Sox ahead, 5-0. Martinez now has five homers in his last seven games and

nine round-trippers on the year.

“He’s getting pitches in his zone, and he’s not missing them,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It’s

amazing what he does on a nightly basis. I bet, when you come here, you don’t want that guy to beat you, but at the same time you still have to pitch him, and when he gets his pitches, he’s not missing them lately.”

That early outburst seemed like it would be plenty with increasingly steady Eduardo Rodriguez carving the

strike zone with four- and two-seam fastballs, a wipeout changeup, a slider that flummoxed lefties, and a

nasty cutter. Through six innings, he’d given up just two runs on seven hits (no homers) and one walk

while striking out 10.

Yet with the lefthander’s pitch count at 99 and the Sox still leading, 5-2, Cora elected to have Rodriguez

return for the seventh. The decision quickly backfired when three straight lefties reached — Ryan

McMahon on a single, Tony Wolters on a double, and Charlie Blackmon when getting clipped by a fastball

— to load the bases.

Fireman Matt Barnes was summoned to try to preserve the increasingly unstable 5-2 lead. Instead, the

righthander allowed all three inherited runners to score, giving up a two-run single to Trevor Story and,

after a Nolan Arenado strikeout, an RBI ground out to pinch hitter Daniel Murphy.

Though Marcus Walden came in to strike out Raimel Tapia and end the inning, the Rockies, for the second

straight night, had stormed back to erase what had seemed an insurmountable early deficit. Barnes was

charged with his third blown save of the year, making him one of seven pitchers to give up that many leads

this season.

Meanwhile, despite his dominance for most of the night, Rodriguez was saddled with an unimpressive —

albeit deceiving — line of five runs allowed in six-plus innings on nine hits.

“You look at the line and it looks ugly, but he pitched a lot better than that,” said Cora.

Still, Rodriguez left with a no-decision not only because of the late runs allowed but also because Marquez

settled down after allowing Martinez’s homer. The strike-pumping righthander retired 11 of the next 12

hitters he faced and ultimately worked into the seventh.

His recovery, in turn, left the contest in the hands of the bullpens. While the Rockies mixed and matched

their way through the remainder of the game, the Red Sox turned to the remarkably reliable Walden, who

delivered 2⅓ perfect innings while striking out four. The appearance was his eighth of at least two innings,

tied for the most in relief of that length in baseball this year.

His impressive arsenal — mid-90s four- and two-seam fastballs, low-90s cutter, and sharp slider — have

helped the rookie produce a glimmering 1.46 ERA while holding opponents to a .140 average.

“His stuff is playing great at this level right now,” said Cora. “He gave us more than enough to have a

chance to win.”

Walden steered the game into extra innings, where Heath Hembree (double, walk, two outs) and Brandon

Workman (strikeout of David Dahl) delivered a scoreless 10th to position the Sox for their second walkoff

of the year, with Chavis delivering the finishing blow.

“I turned, got tackled by Mookie, gave him a hug. That was great, honestly. I’m a big hugger,” said Chavis. “That’s what every kid dreams about, honestly.”

For all of the Red Sox, the dreams seemed likely to be a bit sweeter entering the offday given a victory that

offered a measure of relief.

“We get a happy offday,” said Cora. “Yesterday was disappointing and today had the same taste for a

while. But we ended up winning and now we enjoy the offday and [will] be ready for Friday.”

Why a Rockies scout loved seeing Chris Sale dominate Colorado

Alex Speier

As Chris Sale mowed down one Rockies hitter after another in a game that Colorado nonetheless managed

to win on Tuesday night, one man had unique perspective on the contest.

Rockies area scouting supervisor John Cedarburg could take personal satisfaction not only because the

organization for which he works won, but also because of his connection to Sale, who finished with 17

strikeouts in seven innings Tuesday. In 2007, Cedarburg scouted Sale and convinced the Rockies to take

him in the 21st round.

Though Sale didn’t sign, the memories of scouting the lefthander at Lakeland High School in Florida

remain clear. Cedarburg saw a pitcher with pedestrian velocity — Sale threw mostly in the mid 80s, and only cracked 90 in his spring of his senior year — but who had a live, loose arm, a fastball/changeup/slider

combination, and character traits that suggested growth potential. Perhaps, Cedarburg thought, he could

emerge as a No. 5 starter — a ceiling that, in the 21st round, would represent an enormous coup for an

organization.

But certainly, Cedarburg never would have imagined what Sale became.

“Did I think he was going to be able to throw 98? No way,” said Cedarburg. “I thought maybe he’d have an

average fastball one day, and back then an average fastball was 88-91.”

The Rockies and Cedarburg thought there was a chance that Sale would sign. Colorado offered the pitcher $125,000. He considered it, but when the Rockies wouldn’t bump up that offer, he elected to go to Florida

Gulf Coast University. It ended up being a great decision for Sale, who gained strength and flexibility in

college while also changing his arm slot from a traditional delivery to his current low-three-quarters release

— something that improved his velocity and movement.

Cedarburg, who lives in Fort Myers (where FGCU is located), quickly became aware during Sale’s

breakout sophomore year that Sale was going to blow past his most optimistic projections.

“He just popped. It was like, ‘Wow, look at that — unbelievable,’ ” recalled Cedarburg. “That’s a credit to

Chris himself and coach [Dave Tollett] and the FGCU baseball program for what they did with him.”

For Cedarburg, Sale’s transformation after high school is less the subject of disappointment than a commentary on the difficulty of scouting and projecting high school pitchers. Cedarburg and the Rockies

seemingly liked the pitcher more than any organization when he was in high school, yet even their most

optimistic projections came very short of Sale’s eventual performance.

Now, Cedarburg sees both Sale and his father, Allen, at events around Fort Myers, and remains on good

terms with the family. He could watch the lefthander dominate his team and describe the spectacle as “a

beautiful thing.”

“I’d love to see the Rockies and the Red Sox in the World Series this year,” said Cedarburg.

Keeping account Reliever Brandon Workman, who was charged with a blown save when he gave up a two-run homer in the

eighth inning on Tuesday, was unavailable to take questions while the clubhouse was open to the media

following the loss. Manager Alex Cora said that he doesn’t want his players to duck questions after a bad

game.

“We always say that players have to be responsible, transparent, and accountable,” said Cora. “I’ll make

sure that doesn’t happen again.”

In contrast, Cora took some amusement at Sale’s suggestion that he had opened the door for the Rockies’

comeback by allowing a two-run homer in the seventh to Nolan Arenado.

“If that’s on him, I don’t know. Blame the manager, I guess,” said Cora. “[But] he’s accountable and he’s

transparent and that’s the type of player you want . . . We’re very proud of him and looking forward for

him to pitch on Sunday [against the Astros] and see what happens.”

Rick Porcello will get the start on Friday against Houston, while Hector Velazquez is the likely Saturday

starter.

Sale, meanwhile, became only the second pitcher in major league history with at least 14 strikeouts and no

walks over consecutive starts.

Dwight Gooden of the Mets was the first. As a 19-year-old rookie in 1984, Gooden struck out 16 Pirates on Sept. 12 without a walk, then struck out 16 Phillies on Sept. 17, also without a walk.

Gooden beat the Pirates with a two-hit shutout. But he took the loss against the Phillies, giving up two runs

on seven hits over eight innings.

Sale had 31 strikeouts over 15 innings. Gooden had 32 over 17.

Plan for Price

While the Red Sox had given thought to activating David Price from the injured list this weekend against

the Astros, they’ll instead have the lefthander throw a bullpen session on Friday in advance of his

anticipated activation against the Blue Jays next week. Cora said that weather and a desire to have Price throw multiple bullpen sessions before his return to the rotation determined that schedule . . . Dustin

Pedroia worked out with the team on Wednesday and will do so again on Thursday, at which point the team

will determine whether he’s ready for another rehab assignment . . . Lefthander Brian Johnson allowed two

runs on three hits and a walk while striking out a batter in 1⅔ innings for Triple A Pawtucket on

Wednesday, his first game action since suffering swelling and tendinitis in his left elbow on April 7. He

breezed through a perfect inning before laboring in the second. Barring a setback, he’ll continue getting

stretched out with a three- or four-inning outing next week . . . Brock Holt started a rehab assignment (his

third since going on the injured list on April 8) with Pawtucket, serving as the DH. He went 0 for 3 with a

pair of strikeouts, a walk, and a ground out.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox walk off on Rockies after Eduardo Rodriguez couldn’t finish the job

Jason Mastrodonato

The Red Sox got away with one Wednesday night.

Maybe they pushed Eduardo Rodriguez a bit too far, as the lefty blew a three-run lead in the seventh inning

only for Michael Chavis to hit a walkoff single in the 10th as the Sox escaped with a 6-5 win over the

Colorado Rockies.

Xander Bogaerts led off the 10th with a double, Rafael Devers was intentionally walked and Chavis poked a grounder through the middle to send the Sox away with a series split.

“It was a tough series,” manager Alex Cora said. “Obviously (Tuesday) it was disappointing and today had

the same taste for a while there.”

For the Sox, maybe they learned a lesson: Careful what you wish for with Rodriguez.

They have been begging for Rodriguez to morph into the kind of pitcher who can take over games and

throw six, seven, maybe eight innings from time to time. They practically threw a party when he completed seven last week against the Mariners.

Growth, they thought.

But when the Sox tried to get seven out of Rodriguez on Wednesday night, they got caught in the backfire

as he loaded the bases in the seventh and let a perfectly good outing unravel over a span of seven pitches.

It was the perfect matchup, too. Three lefties were due up to face him in the seventh as the Sox held a 5-2

lead.

Xander Bogaerts, one of Rodriguez’ best friends on the team, got his hopes up.

“I felt like that was a good inning for him, to show the staff, show the guys what he’s got,” Bogaerts said.

“We got three lefties coming up and don’t have any lefties in the bullpen. I think that was a good matchup

for him. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I think the move was right to leave him in.”

As Rodriguez evolves, the Sox need to better understand his capabilities.

He recorded only seven outs in the seventh inning or later all of last year. But this year, there’s been a

theme developing in the late innings: he tires, loses sharpness or some mix of the two.

In his first 75 pitches of the game, Rodriguez is holding batters to a .247 average (37-for-150) with seven

extra-base hits.

But from pitch 76 and on, they’re hitting .375 (18-for-48) with nine extra-base hits off him.

Of the 29 runs Rodriguez has allowed this year, 15 of them have scored from pitch 76 and on.

By the time Cora tried to fix things in the seventh inning Wednesday night, it was too late.

Rodriguez allowed a leadoff single to Ryan McMahon, a ground-rule double to Tony Walters and a hit-by-

pitch to Charlie Blackmon.

“It wasn’t like he got hit hard,” Cora said. “He made some good pitches in the previous inning and the

order was there for us. The leadoff guy was going to be the last hitter anyway. We were going to a righty but he wasn’t able to finish it. Overall, you look at the line and it looks ugly but he pitched a lot better than

that. That inning wasn’t good. That’s about it.”

Cora then turned to Matt Barnes, who threw 26 pitches over two strong innings the night before but didn’t

have his curveball in this one. And Trevor Story knew it, waiting for a juicy one as he smoked it into center

for a two-run single. Two batters later, Daniel Murphy grounded into a fielder’s choice at second base (the

Sox chose not to play with the infield in with runners on the corners) and the Rockies had tied the game.

Asked what he needs to improve to get more outs the third time through the order, Rodriguez said, “I feel

like just need to throw the ball better, try to locate the ball where I want it and that’s how I’ll get out of

those innings.”

After 2⅓ brilliant innings from Marcus Walden, and another inning pieced together by Heath Hembree and

Brandon Workman, Chavis saved the Sox in the 10th.

The red-hot J.D. Martinez drove in three of the Sox’ six runs on an RBI single in the first and a two-run

homer in the third.

Rodriguez struck out 10 on the night and has fanned 56 batters to 16 walks in 49⅔ innings. But he has a

4.89 ERA.

“I prefer to go seven innings and no strikeouts,” he said. “I think strikeouts don’t matter.”

Length does. The Sox need to figure this out.

Michael Chavis was unsure how to celebrate his first career walkoff

Jason Mastrodonato

Michael Chavis, one of the hottest hitters in the game since his call-up, still doesn’t know what the Red Sox

think of him.

How much do they trust him?

Despite entering Wednesday with seven homers and 20 RBI in 21 MLB games, Chavis stepped up to the

plate with two men on and nobody out in the 10th inning Wednesday night and wondered if he would have

to bunt.

Bunt?

“Standing in the box right there, I’m looking at (third base coach Carlos Febles) and all I’m thinking is,

‘Don’t let me bunt,’” Chavis said. “ I wanted to hit. So he didn’t tell me to bunt thankfully. Got a good

pitch to hit, first pitch cutter and didn’t try and do too much.”

Chavis poked a single up the middle for his first career walkoff as the Sox took a 6-5 win over the Rockies.

He’s hitting .296 with a .986 OPS while serving as an RBI machine in the bottom of the order.

And while he has all the confidence in the world, he’s unsure if the Sox share the same belief in him, which

is why he was wondering if they’d have him bunt in a huge RBI spot Wednesday.

“It’s just, I don’t know who I am, dude,” Chavis said. “I’m new here. I know I can hit, I know I have

power, stuff like that. But I’m hitting seventh. I don’t know if I’m hitting like Michael, or if I’m like, your

seven-hole hitter. So I’m just trying to do my part.”

Chavis said it’s been a while since he’s bunted, but he knows how to do it. Thankfully for him, he wasn’t

asked to bunt Wednesday night.

But there was something else he was unsure of.

As he rounded first base to celebrate the walkoff, the rookie wondered what he was supposed to do with his

helmet.

“I kind of just forgot what to do honestly,” he said. “I had my helmet, I was like, ‘Do I throw it? Do I keep

it? Do I hand it to somebody?’ I don’t know. I turned, got tackled by Mookie Betts, gave him a hug. So that

was great, honestly. I’m a big hugger. I get that from my mom.”

Slump? What slump? It’s been tough to cool down Michael Chavis

Michael Silverman

This weekend will mark a month that Michael Chavis has been in the big leagues.

It’s been quite a month, too, with Chavis already among the league leaders among rookies in walks (14), as

well as second in homers (seven) and RBI (20) in his first 21 games.

Everything he’s done stems from a small but increasing sample size. So toward the end of the last road trip,

during which he began an 0-for-19 “slump,” there was plenty of curiosity about how and when he’d get out

of it.

Given that he ended the slump by going 5-for-10 in the last game of the Seattle series at Fenway and

Tuesday night’s first game against Colorado showed that he came out of it just fine.

“You always want to pay attention so you know, he takes notes, I take my notes, too, so he was the same,

trying to get feedback from (hitting coaches) Tim (Hyers) and Andy (Barkett), doing the same routine in

the cage — that’s what you want,” manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not easy to hit at this level and you know

you’re going to go through stretches like that. I don’t know, I don’t think people really noticed he was 0-

for-19. I think you see what’s going on on the field and the quality of at-bats and when you see 0-for-19, you’re like, “Oh, really?’ It didn’t’ feel that way. So that’s a good sign.”

Cora never thought there was a concerted change in how opposing pitchers began to attack Chavis.

“Every team has their own philosophy of pitching — some of them it’s north and south, others east-west,

there’s off-speed other than the fastball — it’s not like there’s a certain way that he’s been attacked,” Cora

said. “One thing for sure, he controls the strike zone. We know the swings and misses are going to be a part

of the equation, we know that.

“But at the same time they’re competitive pitches. That’s the most important thing. It’s not like he’s

chasing way up, way down. Yeah, sometimes it’s going to happen, but I think he’s been very disciplined at that. That’s something I noticed in spring training. For how hard he swings, and (the other top hitting

prospect, Bobby) Dalbec, we talk about it with the strikeouts and all that but it’s not like it’s out of control.

“With Dalbec, it’s good pitches that he takes, pitches on the edge and they’re strikes and with Chavis,

they’re on the edge so he swings at it. It’s not like coming into the season, where these guys are just going

to swing and swing and get lucky and hit home runs or get hits.”

For sure nobody thinks luck has been behind Chavis’ hot start, as well as his swift recovery.

“Michael has done a good job,” Cora said. “The quality of the at-bats regardless of the results, they’re

good. There’s a lot of deep counts with him. Obviously he’s a threat of hitting the ball out of the ballpark

with every swing but he’s done a good job as far as like, working the counts and doing that.”

Alex Cora: Accountability important for Red Sox players

Jason Mastrodonato

How could a pitcher who sets the major league record for most strikeouts in a seven-inning performance

blame himself for his team’s loss?

Chris Sale did it on Tuesday, when he struck out 17 but gave up a two-run homer to Nolan Arenado in the

seventh inning, only to watch Brandon Workman give up another two-run shot in the eighth as the Rockies

outlasted the Red Sox, 5-4, in 11 innings.

Sale said afterward it was his fault, noting the homer to Arenado gave the Rockies life.

One day later, Red Sox manager Alex Cora wouldn’t allow that to stand.

“He’s accountable and he’s transparent and that’s the type of player you want,” Cora said. “But nah, we

had a lead going into the eighth and (Workman) made a pitch 2-0 and they hit a home run. But if that’s on

(Sale), I don’t know. Blame the manager, I guess. Blame me.”

Cora doesn’t believe Sale’s fastball velocity, which sat at 93 mph and topped out at 96 mph on Tuesday, has been the key factor in his resurgence.

“Command,” Cora said Wednesday. “We can talk about velocity, but I think it’s command of the fastball.

Slider is a lot better. I think his delivery is a lot better. You put that all together and that’s the result. He’s

been studying the way he attacks hitters. People will make adjustments.”

Cora unhappy with relievers

While Sale was overly accountable on Tuesday night, Workman and Ryan Brasier were not. Both were

absent from the Red Sox clubhouse when the media entered shortly after the game and left Sale to answer

all the questions about the team’s loss.

When Cora found out about it, he wasn’t happy.

“I’ll make sure I talk to those guys,” Cora said. “We always say that players have to be responsible,

transparent, and accountable. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

MVP to LVP?

Steve Pearce had another tough night at the plate Tuesday as his average dropped to .111. His OPS is now

at .319, the lowest of any major league player with at least 60 plate appearances this year.

“Just keep working out,” Cora said. “He was out there today, working on his timing, putting his hands in a

good place so he can get his swing off. It seems like he’s hesitant. He wants to swing at certain pitches but

he hasn’t been able to pull the trigger. So, just keep working.”

The Sox aren’t slated to face many lefties in the upcoming week, but Cora said he’ll keep going to Pearce

off the bench in hopes that the World Series MVP turns it around.

“We know that just like the other guys, they’re one swing away,” Cora said.

On the mend

Dustin Pedroia (knee) worked out on the field again Wednesday and could start a new rehab assignment as

soon as this weekend.

“If everything goes fine, then we’ll make a decision,” Cora said.

Lefty Brian Johnson (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday and was

expected to throw two innings as he ramps back up toward a long-relief/swingman role. Next, he’ll throw

three or four innings on Monday.

Brock Holt (eye) restarted his rehab assignment with the PawSox and was the DH Wednesday night.

Marcus Walden perfect in relief, again and again

Michael Silverman

Michael Chavis got the walk-off credit, the first for the rookie, Wednesday night.

Marcus Walden might as well have put the ball on a tee for him, that’s how crucial the Red Sox reliever

was to the Red Sox’ 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Rockies. Making a crucial contribution is getting to be

old hat for Walden as well.

His seven-up, seven-down relief appearance began with two outs, one on and the score tied in the seventh

ended and ran through the ninth inning.

The 30-year-old righty struck out four of the Rockies he faced, mixing in his four-seam fastball, slider and

cut fastball when he wished and getting big swings and misses when needed.

The biggest came with that first out, when he struck out Raimel Tapia to strand the go-ahead run at second

base.

“Which is definitely something new for me,” said Walden about getting those swings and misses or weak

contact — the three non-strikeout outs were infield pop-ups and a groundout. “The biggest thing is just

keeping the ball on my side of the plate, on what I’m trying to do, not leave anything over the heart of the

plate, so if we’re burying cutters into lefties or sliders down and in, trying to keep it there. Obviously I still

missed a couple spots today but fortunate with Tapia on the high slider, he swung through it. Trying to

command the ball and keep it on my side of the plate.”

This kind of performance is not a one-and-done for Walden.

Quietly Walden is becoming the dominant, go-to reliever for the Red Sox this still-young season. Since

April 20, he has appeared in 10 games and over 16 ⅔ innings he has struck out 19 batters and walked only

one. He has allowed only one run.

He has pitched in the middle of games and more recently, later and later in more and more clutch situations.

And, like Wednesday night, he is pitching in multiple innings.

Seven of his 15 appearances this season have been for two or more innings.

“It’s just trying whenever I get the ball,” Walden said. “I’ve got no problem taking it in the third after Hector or taking it today in the seventh with a guy on base. Just still trying to go out there and pitch, it

really doesn’t matter what inning it is, honestly, I’m trying to go out there and get three outs.”

And while the Red Sox could not score for Walden in the bottom of the seventh, eighth or ninth innings and

give him the win he deserved, his output certainly was valued.

Manager Alex Cora was thrilled.

“At this level, you don’t want contact late in games,” Cora said. “Waldy, with Tapia, the first hitter, it was

kill slider, slider until he swings and misses you walk him. That’s the way it is. That’s the way it works at

this level now. That’s why everybody likes bullpens. You don’t want contact. If there’s contact, it’s a fly

ball or a weak groundball. There’s not, like, try to induce him into a double play. His stuff is playing great at this level right now. The slider is good, the cutter is good, the fastball up is great. He was amazing today.

We put him in a situation, tie game, and he gave us more than enough to have a chance to win a game.”

Chavis won the game in the end.

And he couldn’t have done it without Walden.

* The Providence Journal

Red Sox 6, Rockies 5 (Final/10): Chavis walks it off for Boston

Bill Koch

BOSTON --- Michael Chavis might have been the only person at Fenway Park on Wednesday night who

thought there was a chance of him laying down a bunt.

It was the bottom of the 10th inning against the Rockies and the potential winning run was at second base

with nobody out. Chavis peered down toward third-base coach Carlos Febles and checked for the sign that

would effectively take the bat out of his hands, leaving matters to the bottom of the Red Sox order.

“I’m looking at Febles and all I’m thinking is, ‘Don’t let me bunt,’” Chavis said. “I wanted to hit. He didn’t

tell me to bunt, thankfully, and I got a good pitch to hit.”

Chad Bettis came in with a first-pitch cut-fastball and Chavis grounded it sharply up the middle. The rookie

was celebrating his first walkoff RBI seconds later, mobbed by his teammates after a 6-5, 10-inning

victory.

Bettis threw just two pitches and didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced. Xander Bogaerts cranked a

leadoff double to deep center and Rafael Devers was intentionally walked, setting up Chavis to be the hero.

He duly obliged in front of the sellout crowd of 37,032 fans and was mauled by Mookie Betts among others

as he rounded first base.

“I kind of forgot what to do,” Chavis said. “I had my helmet and I was like, ‘Do I throw it? Do I keep it?

Do I hand it to somebody? I don’t know.’ I got tackled by Mookie and gave him a hug, so that was great.”

Boston hasn’t dropped a home series with a National League club since suffering a sweep at the hands of

the Cubs in 2014. Seventeen opponents have tried and failed since then to deal the Red Sox a defeat, with

the Rockies being the latest. Colorado missed out on what would have been consecutive extra-inning

triumphs after Tuesday’s 5-4, 11-inning battle.

“It was a tough series,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Obviously yesterday it was disappointing.

Today had the same taste for a while, but we ended up winning. Now we enjoy the off day and get ready

for Friday.”

It was the 21st RBI for Chavis in just 22 games, as Boston won for the sixth time in its last seven and ninth

time in its last 11. His prodigious home run power and steady stream of production suggests Chavis should

be a bit more selfish. His slot batting seventh in a loaded lineup had him seeing things a little differently

entering a clutch spot on Wednesday.

“I’m new here,” Chavis said. “I know I can hit. I know I have power. But I’m hitting seventh. I don’t know

if I’m hitting like Michael or if I’m your seven-hole, hit-him-over dude. I’m just trying to do my part.”

Just as they did on Tuesday while spoiling Chris Sale’s 17-strikeout performance, the Rockies did the

majority of their scoring in the late innings. Eduardo Rodriguez lingered into the seventh with three

consecutive left-left matchups upcoming and didn’t retire a batter. Ryan McMahon singled to center, Tony Wolters doubled down the line in right and Charlie Blackmon was hit by a pitch to load the bases with

nobody out.

On came Matt Barnes after throwing two perfect innings on Tuesday, and the results this time were

anything but. Trevor Story lined a two-run single into left center to make it 5-4 and Daniel Murphy’s

infield grounder to second plated Blackmon from third to tie the game. Rodriguez was tagged with five

earned runs and a no decision despite his fourth career 10-strikeout game, hitting the number on the nose

through six innings.

“This is a guy who we believe needs to go deep into the game and the matchups, although he’s struggled

against lefties, we felt like we’d get those guys,” Cora said. “Then we get Barnes for one or two outs and get him out of there. But it didn’t happen and we were in a bad situation there.”

Colorado started to chip away at a five-run deficit in the fourth. Dahl’s sacrifice fly to center put the

Rockies on the board and Wolters grounded an RBI double inside the bag at first to make it 5-2. Rodriguez

retired the next five men he faced and Ian Desmond was caught stealing to end the sixth, a play that sent

Rodriguez into the seventh inning for the second straight outing.

The top of the Red Sox order sparked rallies in each of its first two trips to the plate. Andrew Benintendi,

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez all knocked singles in the first, with Martinez dribbling one through the right side to make it 1-0. Mitch Moreland’s 4-6-3 double play snuffed out the rally by allowed Betts to slip

in the back door from third base, doubling the lead.

Benintendi sent a one-out triple off the Green Monster in the third and Betts cracked an RBI single to right,

giving Boston a 3-0 cushion. Martinez followed by drilling a hanging slider from German Marquez into the

Red Sox bullpen in deep right center, a two-run homer that made it 5-0. It was the fifth homer for Martinez

in his last seven games after being blanked in his previous 15.

* MassLive.com

Michael Chavis delivers first career walkoff hit, Boston Red Sox win in 10 innings; J.D. Martinez

homers

Christopher Smith

BOSTON — Michael Chavis delivered his first career walkoff RBI hit.

Xander Bogaerts led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a 421-foot double. The Rockies then

intentionally walked Rafael Devers to bring Chavis to the plate with two men on base.

Chavis ripped a first-pitch RBI single up the middle with a 108.1 mph exit velocity.

The Red Sox won 6-5 over the Rockies here at Fenway Park on Wednesday.

Boston led 5-0 after three innings but the Rockies battled back to tie it 5-5 in the seventh.

With the game tied 5-5, Marcus Walden tossed 2.1 scoreless innings of relief. He recorded the final out of

the seventh inning on a strikeout. He then fired a scoreless eighth and ninth. He struck out four in all.

Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, the top three hitters in the batting order, combined to

go 7-for-13 with two walks, four RBIs and five runs.

Red Sox squander ninth-inning chance

With two outs in the ninth, Benintendi walked and Betts hit a 73.6 mph bloop ground-rule double that

dropped between shortstop Trevor Story and left fielder Raimel Tapia who collided.

The Rockies then intentionally walked Martinez to load the bases. But Eduardo Nunez grounded out to

shortstop to end the inning.

Martinez homers again

Martinez’s RBI single to right field put Boston ahead 1-0 in the first inning. His two-run home run put

Boston ahead 5-0 in the third.

He belted a 393-foot homer to the opposite field that left his bat with a 101.5 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.

The slugger connected on an 86.4 mph slider in the middle of the strike zone from Rockies right-handed

starter German Marquez. He sent it into the Red Sox bullpen.

Martinez has hit five home runs in his past seven games. He hit four homers in his first 34 games.

Rodriguez allows 5 runs in 6-plus innings

Eduardo Rodriguez struck out 10 and he recorded 20 swings-and-misses, including seven on his changeup.

Manager Alex Cora sending him back for the seventh inning at 98 pitches wasn’t the right move.

Rodriguez loaded the bases on a single, ground-rule double and hit batsman.

Matt Barnes relieved him and allowed all three inherited runners to score.

Rodriguez gave up five runs, all earned, nine hits and one walk in 6-plus innings. He received a no-

decision. His ERA increased to 4.89.

Alex Cora explains leaving in Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez for seventh inning

Christopher Smith

BOSTON — Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well ... until the seventh inning.

The Red Sox left-handed starting pitcher allowed just two runs, recorded 18 swings-and-misses and struck

out 10 batters through the first 6 innings.

But Rodriguez returned for the seventh at 99 pitches. And he allowed a leadoff single to Rockies No. 8

hitter Ryan McMahon, then a ground-rule double to Tony Wolters. He hit leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon

with a pitch.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora replaced him with reliever Matt Barnes who allowed all three inherited

runners to score.

The Red Sox won despite the seventh-inning meltdown. Boston walked off with a 6-5 victory over

Colorado here at Fenway Park.

Why did Cora send Rodriguez back out for the seventh?

“We’ve got all those lefties coming up, and there’s a trust factor,” Cora explained. “(He’s) a guy that we

believe (in). He needs to go deep into the game. And the matchups."

McMahon, Wolters and Blackmon all are left-handed hitters.

“Although he has struggled against lefties, we felt like, ‘You get those guys’ and then we get Barnsey with

one or two outs."

Rodriguez has reverse splits this season. Left-handed hitters are batting .351 against him. Righties are

batting .261 against the lefty.

Cora added, “The leadoff guy was going to be the last hitter anyways. We were going to a righty."

How Michael Chavis, Boston Red Sox rookie, approached chance at first walk-off hit Wednesday

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- When Michael Chavis walked to the plate with a chance to win the game for the Red Sox in

the 10th inning Wednesday, the rookie infielder looked down at third base coach Carlos Febles praying he

wouldn’t see the bunt sign.

“It’s just that I don’t know who I am, dude,” Chavis said. “I’m new here. I know I can hit. I know I have

power. I don’t know if I’m hitting like Michael or if I’m your seven-hole hitter. I’m just trying to do my

part.”

Chavis didn’t see the bunt sign, and, on the first pitch he saw, did his part. Chavis singled up the middle to

score Xander Bogaerts from second base and clinch a 6-5 Red Sox win.

Boston Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis ripped a first-pitch cutter from Rockies' Chad Bettis for an RBI

single up the middle. It left his bat with a 108.1 mph exit velocity.

Though he had hit a handful of walk-offs in the minors, Chavis was too excited to know how to act when

he realized the game was over. He pointed toward the dugout at nobody in particular before being mobbed

by his teammates.

“I just forgot what to do,” Chavis said. “I had my helmet… I was like, ‘Do I throw it? Do I keep it, Do I

hand it to somebody?’ I turned, got tackled by Mookie (Betts). Gave him a hug. That was great, honestly. I’m a big hugger.”

Chavis knew virtually nothing about Bettis before his at-bat, as the Rockies righty threw just one pitch to

Bogaerts and intentionally walked Rafael Devers before Chavis came to the plate. The rookie learned

through a crash course from hitting coach Tim Hyers that Bettis threw a fastball and a cutter and decided to

focus on getting a pitch he could put in play.

“A single scores him,” Chavis thought as he approached the plate. “Don’t try to be a superhero who hits a

home run or anything like that. You just need one.”

Chavis’ approach was a mature one for a rookie who had never before had the chance to end a game. Instead of letting himself feel any pressure, he decided to mentally flip the script on Bettis.

“One of the things I learned when I was younger is that in those kind of situations, a lot of people feel the

pressure because you want to do the big thing, you want to get the big hit,” Chavis said. “I’ve kind of

learned to change the perception of it. The pressure is on (Bettis). He’s got two guys on, nobody out and he

can blow it right here. He needs to get me and two other people out. If I change the perception and think the

pressure is on him, it alleviates me and puts me in a better position.”

Chavis’ approach worked, and in turn produced the most clutch moment of his young career. As someone

who doesn’t shy away from the big moment, he hopes to get similar chances in the future.

“Definitely,” Chavis said. “I think that’s what every kid dreams about.”

Marcus Walden’s dominance set stage for Boston Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis to deliver 10th-

inning walkoff hit

Christopher Smith

BOSTON — Michael Chavis delivered a walkoff RBI hit, the first of his major league career, to lead the

Red Sox 6-5 over the Rockies in 10 innings at Fenway Park on Wednesday.

But don’t overlook how Marcus Walden’s dominance set the stage for Chavis’ heroics.

With the game tied 5-5, Walden tossed 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, striking out four. He recorded the

final out of the seventh inning by striking out No. 5 hitter Raimel Tapia swinging. He then fired a scoreless

eighth and ninth.

Walden induced two infield popups and a groundout in addition to his four strikeouts. Everything put in

play was weak contact.

He recorded five swings-and-misses.

“Which is definitely something new to me,” Walden said about the swings-and-misses. “The biggest thing

is keeping the ball on my side of the plate. I’m not trying to leave anything out, over the plate. So if we’re

burying cutters into lefties or sliders down and in, trying to keep it there. Obviously I still missed a couple

spots today. But fortunate with Tapia on the high slider that he swung through it. Yeah, just trying to

command the ball and keep it on my side of the plate.”

Boston Red Sox's Marcus Walden is 5-0 with a 1.61 ERA, 2.75 FIP and 0.76 WHIP in 14 relief outings

(22.1 innings) this season. He has struck out 26 and walked five.

The 30-year-old righty has emerged as one of the four top relievers in the Red Sox bullpen along with Matt

Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Brandon Workman after he began this season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

He’s 5-0 with a 1.46 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and .140 batting average against in 15 outings (24.2 innings).

“You don’t want contact late in games,” manager Alex Cora said. “You’re not going to give in. And

Waldey with Tapia, the first hitter, it was kill slider, slider until he swings and misses or you walk him.

That’s the way it is. That’s the way it works at this level now. ... You don’t want contact. If there’s contact,

it’s a flyball or a weak groundball. There’s not like, ‘Try to induce him into a double play.’ And his stuff is

playing great at this level right now. His slider’s good. The cutter’s good. The fastball up is great. And he

was amazing today. We put him in a situation today, high-leverage one, tie game. And he gave us more

than enough for us to have a chance to win the game."

Michael Chavis walkoff: Watch Boston Red Sox rookie deliver his first career walkoff RBI in 10th

inning vs. Rockies

Christopher Smith

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis swung at the first pitch he saw from Rockies reliever

Chad Bettis and crushed it up the middle for his first career walkoff RBI. The Red Sox won 6-5 over

Colorado in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

Xander Bogaerts led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a 421-foot double. The Rockies then

intentionally walked Rafael Devers to bring Chavis to the plate with two men on base.

Chavis swung at an 86.9 mph cutter from Bettis. His hit had a 108.1 mph exit velocity.

Boston Red Sox notebook: Dustin Pedroia’s rehab could restart this weekend, Hector Velazquez

likely to pitch Saturday

Chris Cotillo

BOSTON -- A collection of Red Sox-related notes as Boston takes on the Rockies in the finale of a two-

game series at Fenway Park on Wednesday night:

Pedroia could go back on rehab this weekend

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia (left knee soreness) will work out with the Sox over the next two days and

could have his rehab assignment restarted either Friday or Saturday. Manager Alex Cora wasn’t sure if

Pedroia would go to Portland or Pawtucket on his next stint.

“If everything works out, we’ll make a decision,” Cora said.

Pedroia played five rehab games with Portland before feeling soreness in his knee and being pulled back

from the assignment. He said Tuesday that he’s dealing with minor bruising.

Velazquez likely to start Saturday

Righty Hector Velazquez is likely to take another turn in the rotation for Saturday’s game against the

Astros unless the Sox need him in relief over their next two games.

Velazquez went five innings in his start Sunday against Seattle. He’ll likely be sandwiched in between Rick

Porcello and Chris Sale over the weekend.

Chavis’ 0-for-19 stretch not as bad as it looked

Rookie second baseman Michael Chavis hit his seventh homer in Tuesday’s loss, crushing a Kyle Freeland

pitch over the Green Monster. Cora has been happy with Chavis’ plate approach since he was called up.

“We know the swings and misses are going to be part of the equation,” the manager said. “We know that.

But at the same time, it’s with competitive pitches. It’s not like he’s chasing way up or way down.”

Chavis found himself in a tough stretch last week, going 19 at-bats without a hit before breaking out with

an RBI single Sunday. The Sox lost one of the five games in which he was hitless and he worked five

walks in that period.

“I don’t think people really noticed he was 0-for-19,” Cora said. “You see what’s going on in the field and

the quality of his at-bats. You see 0-for-19 and you’re like, ‘Oh, really?’ It didn’t feel that way, so that’s a

good sign."

Cora was impressed with how Chavis didn’t try to make any drastic changes to break out of his slump.

“He takes notes. I take my notes, too," Cora said. "He was the same, trying to get feedback from (the hitting

coaches). Doing his same routine in the cage. That’s what you want. It’s not easy to hit at this level. You’re

going to go through stretches like that.”

Sox hot when Rodriguez pitches

Wednesday starter Eduardo Rodriguez has posted quality starts in three of his last four outings, lasting at

least six innings in each of them. The Sox have won six straight Rodriguez starts after going 19-4 in them

last year.

“I think he has been more aggressive in the strike zone,” Cora said. “Not too many 2-0 or 3-1 counts. I’ve

been saying all along, he can get people out in the zone. His changeup was more competitive in the last

(outing), closer to the strikezone. He got some weak ground balls and some swings and misses. He

understands to go deep into games, he needs to get outs like that.”

Devers showing opposite-field power

It took Rafael Devers a bit to get his power stroke this season, as the third baseman was homerless through

32 games. He now has three homers in his last 10 games, including an opposite-field shot off Freeland on

Tuesday.

“For him to go that way is always good," Cora said. “I think he’s adjusted to the way they’ve been

attacking him. He’s ready to hit from pitch one. I don’t know how many hits or line drives he has hit on the

first pitch of the at-bat, but if he’s in the zone, he has been putting good swings.”

Devers is hitting .331 and getting on base at a .402 clip entering play Wednesday. His strides have been

noticeable at the plate.

“He’s not trying to do too much. There’s no cursing anymore,” Cora said, referencing how frustrated

Devers got at the plate last year. “Mechanics-wise, he’s more quiet, too, in the box. (The hitting coaches) said If he’s able to use his hands, he’ll be good. If he tries to do too much, that’s when he gets in trouble.”

Pearce’s scuffle continues

First baseman Steve Pearce was 0-for-3 against Freeland, dropping his average to .111 in 63 at-bats this

year. The reigning World Series MVP is still putting in extra work to re-find his stroke at the plate.

“He was out there today, working on his timing and getting his hands in a good place,” Cora said. "It seems

like he’s hesitant. He wants to swing at certain pitches but he hasn’t been able to pull the trigger."

Pearce is out of the lineup Wednesday and is unlikely to start over the weekend with the Astros starting

three right-handers. He’s still available off the bench in case the opponent brings in a lefty.

“We’re going to go through a stretch here where I don’t think we’re going to face too many lefties coming

up," Cora said. "He’ll keep working and he’s a guy that we need. Lefties coming out of the bullpen, he’ll be

ready for that. We know, just like the other guys, he’s one swing away from getting back.”

* The Lawrence Eagle Tribune

Five Red Sox Takes: Michael Chavis had the walk-off hit, but Marcus Walden was the hero that

made it possible

Chris Mason

BOSTON — Matt Barnes is the most trusted arm in Alex Cora’s bullpen.

After that it has to be Marcus Walden — and with good reason.

The reliever is on an unbelievable run, and he keyed last night’s walk-off win over the Rockies. After

Eduardo Rodriguez and Matt Barnes blew up, Walden stabilized the ballgame, retiring all seven batters he

faced and sending it to extra innings.

That left the door open for Michael Chavis in the bottom of the 10th, where the rookie came through with

his first career walk-off hit, an RBI single.

Here are five takes from a 6-5 Red Sox win:

1. What a job by Walden

There is absolutely no question Walden is earning his keep right now.

A Cinderella story on last year’s Opening Day roster, Walden has been lights out this year.

After Barnes allowed three inherited runners to score in the seventh inning, Walden escaped further

damage there, and threw a 1-2-3 eighth. Cora liked what he’d seen, so stuck with Walden for the ninth. The

journeyman responded with another perfect inning.

Painting with his wipeout slider and a cutter, Walden has now given up just one run in his last 16 2/3

innings, and has a 19-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate over that span.

2. Cora’s early gamble hurts

Cora tried to steal an extra inning from Rodriguez and it came back to bite him.

At 99 pitches after six innings of two-run ball, Rodriguez was sent back out for the seventh and got in

trouble immediately. With three favorable left-on-left matchups, Rodriguez allowed two hits and drilled a

batter to load the bases. Barnes was summoned with zero margin for error.

3. Hard to fault Barnes here

Unfortunately for Cora, Barnes erred. It’s tough to hang the blame on him though.

Barnes threw two innings of perfect relief on Tuesday and was clearly not fresh last night. The high

leverage option only threw eight of his 16 pitches for strikes, and a bunch of those balls were simply non-

competitive pitches. It was out of character in a 2019 that’s been outstanding thus far.

4. Chavis is the hero

The Rockies intentionally walked Rafael Devers to get to Chavis in the bottom of the 10th, and the rookie

made them pay. With Xander Bogaerts on second base, Chavis shot a single up the middle to send the

Fenway fans home happy.

5. J.D. is on fire

J.D. Martinez is fond of saying, “Home runs come in bunches.”

He’s proving himself right at the moment. After going almost a month and a half without a homer at

Fenway Park, the slugger has gone deep four times in his last three games. Last night’s was a tworun shot

to right-center field, and Martinez added an RBI single for good measure, too.

Michael Chavis explains what he’s writing in that notebook, how rookie hit his way out of first slump

Chris Mason

BOSTON — After every one of his at-bats — good, bad or ugly — Michael Chavis returns to the

Red Sox dugout and begins scribbling away in his personal notebook.

It's become a hallmark of the rookie's routine, and there's been far more good than bad to write early in his

first season.

"The purpose of it is kind of to stay level, stay consistent," Chavis explained. "When I'm writing in it after

an at-bat, whether it's a home run or a strikeout, when I'm done writing I want to be over with the at-bat. I

want to be able to start over. I don't want to hit a home run and be feeling myself a little bit too much and

then go into the next at-bat trying to recreate it.

"So if I strike out: I'm done with the at-bat. It's over. If I hit a home run: I'm done with the at-bat. It's over.

Then I start from scratch essentially. Trying to just, not recreate it, but repeat the swing and the process."

Chavis will return to the notebook later in the batting cage, and it proved a valuable asset in snapping him

out of his first big league slump, an 0-for-19 stretch last week.

The infielder felt the brief skid was his own doing more than any adjustments pitchers were beginning to

make.

“It was me, myself,” Chavis said. “Honestly, I was missing pitches.”

“When I was in (Single-A) Greenville, if I missed a pitch early I’d get another one to hit later on. I could be

0-2 and they would make a mistake middle-middle. Up here, if you get one you can’t miss it. If it’s the first

pitch and you foul it back you’re just like, ‘Here we go!’”

It’s said you can tell a lot about a young ballplayer by the way they respond to their first adversity, and

Chavis snapped out of his slump emphatically with a five-RBI afternoon last Sunday. Alex Cora felt it was

only a matter of time.

“He takes notes, I takes my notes, too,” the manager said. “So he was the same… doing the same routine in the cage. That’s what you want. It’s not easy to hit at this level and you know you’re going to go through

stretches like that.

“I don’t think people really noticed he was 0 for 19. I think you see what’s going on the field and the

quality of at-bats and when you see 0 for 19, you’re like, oh, really? It didn’t feel that way. So that’s a good

sign.”

As media waited to interview the player of the game Sunday, Chavis was absent in the clubhouse.

The rookie was in the cage, where he spent another hour hitting.

And he wasn't done.

"I hit an hour before I came back to finish the interviews," Chavis said. "Then I went back for more."

So what makes a player hit for that long after raking during the game?

"Since I was a kid, hitting is my favorite thing to do," Chavis explained. "So it works to my benefit.

Putting in the work isn't like a job or a chore. It's something that I enjoy doing. As long as I can remember,

even when I was in high school as a freshman, I had a key to the batting cage in high school.

"I don't like just sitting there like, 'I'm sure it'll feel better tomorrow.' I'm not sitting in there taking a million

hacks with no plan (either), it's more about the quality of work than the quantity. The time that it takes is a lot just because of watching video, looking back at old video, comparing, thinking about my swing and

checking my notebook."

The early impact Chavis has made is undeniable. The de facto second baseman went deep seven times in

his first 20 big league starts, and he owns the five longest home runs hit by any Red Sox player this season.

He insists he's not trying to smash tape-measure shots, though.

"I'm not trying to hit home runs, I just try and hit the ball hard," Chavis said. "Something (hitting coach

Tim Hyers) said to me that really clicked with me was, he said, 'You try and hit the ball hard, not far.' "

In a batting practice group alongside Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Xander Bogaerts, Chavis was skying balls into the Monster Seats two hours before last night's game.

Almost a month since being called up, has it set in that the rookie is a major contributor on the

Boston Red Sox? Or is the whole thing still a bit surreal?

"I really don't know if that's ever going to be normal, taking BP with them," Chavis said. "I was actually

just talking to Tony (La Russa) about how lucky I am to watch them every single day. I know

I've contributed a lot, but it's what I'm here to do."

* RedSox.com

Bunt? No way: Chavis' 1st walk-off extra nice

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Michael Chavis, the top prospect who has shown no fear in his first month as a Major Leaguer,

admitted he had a brief moment of apprehension when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th

inning on Wednesday night.

When he looked at third-base coach Carlos Febles, Chavis was hoping beyond hope that there would be no

bunt sign with runners on first and second and nobody out.

Bunt? Has Chavis even noticed how he’s performed? Of course, there would be no bunt sign. Chavis is a

grip-and-rip kind of guy, and he jumped on the first pitch he saw from Chad Bettis and smacked it into

center for his first career walk-off hit.

Just like that, Chavis delivered the Red Sox a thrilling 6-5 victory in 10 innings over the Rockies at Fenway

Park.

Chavis whistled a 108.1-mph grounder through the infield and Xander Bogaerts -- who opened the winning

rally with a double -- scored easily to end it.

“Standing in the box right there, I'm looking at Febles and all I'm thinking is, ‘Don't let me bunt.’ I wanted

to hit,” Chavis said. “So he didn't tell me to bunt, thankfully. Got a good pitch to hit, a first-pitch cutter and

didn't try to do too much. One of the other things I was thinking was a single scores him. Don't try and be a

superhero and hit a home run or anything like that. Just need one."

With seven homers in his first 81 career at-bats -- most of them tape-measure shots -- Chavis showed

impressive poise not to try to hit another one onto Lansdowne Street.

“Chavis got a pitch elevated and didn’t try to do too much. Stayed up the middle,” said Red Sox manager

Alex Cora.

As for the crazy bunt thought, how could Chavis even think that was a possibility?

“You know, in that situation, there’s nobody out, a man on second base, you move him over, get a little

[closer], something like that. It’s just, I don’t know who I am, dude. I’m new here,” Chavis said. “I know I

can hit, I know I have power, stuff like that, but I’m hitting seventh. I don’t know if I’m hitting like

Michael, or if I’m like your seven-hole hitter, so I’m just trying to do my part.”

Despite a recent 0-for-19 skid, Chavis has more than done his part, slashing .296/.406/.580 with 21 RBIs in

81 at-bats.

Seriously, bunt? Bogaerts got a chuckle out of that one.

“I doubt it. Alex trusts his guys,” Bogaerts said. “But I saw he didn’t get a bunt sign. Homeboy is swinging

it pretty good.”

One thing that has swiftly become evident with Chavis is he has a presence about him. He wants to hit with

the game on the line.

"Definitely,” Chavis said. “I think that's what every kid dreams about, honestly. In my Minor League

career, I've had a decent amount of success in those kind of scenarios, so when this kind of situation comes

up, it's definitely one of those times when I want to be the person hitting.”

And when Chavis came through with his big hit, his most prominent teammate swarmed him just past first

base.

"I hit first base, and I’ve had a couple walk-offs [in the Minors], it's not like it's something I've never done

before, and I kind of just forgot what to do honestly,” Chavis said. “I had my helmet, I was like, ‘Do I

throw it? Do I keep it? Do I hand it to somebody? I don't know.’ I turned, got tackled by Mookie [Betts],

gave him a hug. So that was great, honestly. I'm a big hugger.”

The 23-year-old Chavis has given the Red Sox an infectious dynamic with his energy and ability to barrel

the baseball. It can’t be a coincidence that Boston is 17-7 since his arrival after a 6-13 start.

When Chavis ended the game, he pointed toward his dugout. Who was he pointing at?

“Everybody,” Chavis said. “I was happy for everybody. Honestly, I wish I had somebody in particular. It

was more so like, ‘Can you believe this?’”

J.D.'s shot to the 'pen extends home run tear

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- J.D. Martinez has gone from a power outage to a power surge, and the Red Sox are loving

every bit of it.

The star slugger mashed his fourth homer in the past three games on Wednesday night, a two-run shot into

Boston’s bullpen in right-center field in the bottom of the third while helping his Red Sox to a 6-5 victory

over the Rockies in 10 innings.

It was also Martinez’s fifth long ball in the past seven games. This outburst has come directly on the heels

of Martinez going 62 at-bats and 15 games without a homer, his longest drought since 2014.

This latest smash against Rockies starter German Marquez was vintage Martinez, as he turned perfectly on

an 0-1 slider and laced it to the opposite field to give the Red Sox a 5-0 lead.

“For a while there, I think he hit a few fly balls early in the season that in the summer, they're gone," said

Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "Lately, he's been more disciplined in the strike zone. Obviously, he's getting

pitches in his zone, and he's not missing them. At the same time, he's working the count and getting to

those counts to take advantage of that.”

Martinez now has nine homers on the season. But more than the homers, Martinez takes pride in his

approach, which has been contagious in his year-plus with the Red Sox.

“I try to go out there every day and be an example to everyone in here and just try to be an example on the

field -- take really, really tough at-bats, not give away at-bats, not give away outs, make the pitchers work

for every out, every pitch," Martinez said. "That's something I take pride in."

Red Sox make a plan for Price's return

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- The Red Sox now have a plan for lefty David Price, and it includes him likely making his

return to the rotation next week in Toronto.

Price last pitched for Boston on May 2, and has missed the last two weeks due to tendinitis in his left

elbow.

After Price throws a bullpen session on Friday at Fenway Park, the Red Sox will decide which day to slot him into the rotation. Boston will play a four-game series against the Blue Jays from Monday through

Thursday.

There was some initial discussion about slotting Price back in this weekend against the Astros, but the

controlled climate at Rogers Centre played a role in the decision to wait for Toronto.

“He's doing better,” manager Alex Cora said of Price. “He's doing well. As you know, probably the

weather [here] is what the weather is. I think that controlled environment in Toronto is better. And also two

bullpens in between the start. Instead of going from zero to the start, he gets two bullpens in and then he'll

go from there."

Rehab updates

Lefty Brian Johnson and utility player Brock Holt both started Minor League rehab assignments for Triple-

A Pawtucket on Wednesday.

Holt went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a walk, as he batted second and served as the DH in his first rehab

game. Johnson allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings, striking out a batter. Holt

(scratched cornea in right eye; right shoulder impingement) and Johnson (left elbow inflammation) both

went on the injured list on April 6.

The plan is for Johnson to stretch out as a starter, because the Red Sox don’t have much depth beyond their

regular rotation. Though Price’s return is imminent, there’s still no precise timetable on when Nathan Eovaldi, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last month, will return to action.

Pearce still trying to find it

Last year's World Series MVP Award winner, Steve Pearce, continues to be mired in a slump. The first

baseman has just seven hits in 63 at-bats, and just two of them are for extra bases. He has a .319 OPS.

“He was out there today, working on his timing, putting his hands in a good place so he can get his swing

off," Cora said. "It seems like he’s hesitant. He wants to swing at certain pitches, but he hasn’t been able to

pull the trigger. So, just keep working.

“We’re going to go through a stretch here where I think we’re not going to face too many lefties coming up. He’ll keep working.”

* WEEI.com

Michael Chavis, the Red Sox' breath of fresh air

Rob Bradford

There have been other walk-offs.

The guy gets the hit. The guy is chased around the infield by his teammates. The guy happily answers questions in the Fenway Park home clubhouse, allowing for smiles all around. This is usually the routine

that comes and goes within the windmill of a Major League Baseball season.

Somehow it felt different when Michael Chavis did it in the Red Sox' 6-5, 10-inning win over the Rockies

Wednesday night. Then again, Chavis has had a way of making it feel like we've been splashed by a bucket

of cold water. (For a complete recap of the win, click here.)

"It was awesome honestly," said Chavis after driving home the winning run with a single up the middle. "I

hit first base -- and I had a couple walk-offs, it's not like it's something I've never done before -- and I kind

of just forgot what to do honestly. I had my helmet, I was like do I throw it, do I keep it, do I hand it to

somebody, I don't know. I turned, got tackled by Mookie (Betts), gave him a hug. So that was great,

honestly. I'm a big hugger. I get that from my mom."

Who knows how this Chavis thing is going to play out?

He is a rookie who is doing everything asked and more. The infielder is hitting .296 with a .986 OPS and

seven home runs, playing second base well enough to not make anyone uncomfortable (as was evident by

the play he made earlier Wednesday night.)

But as we were reminded by Chavis' recent 0-for-19, good times can come and go when you're relying on a rookie. But for now, what he represents has been just what the doctored ordered ... across the board.

On the field, he has helped turn around a spot in the Red Sox' order that was painful for the first few weeks.

And perhaps most encouraging for what lies ahead is Chavis' ability to pull himself out of the

uncomfortable times. He did it in that first week of the Triple-A season, and he repeated the feat the last

three days. After a gift-wrapped bloop single Sunday, breaking that aforementioned hitless stretch, the Sox

have been returned the same threat which had crept his way up into the meat of the lineup.

No hits in 19 at-bats have turned into 15 at-bats that have included seven hits.

"You could say that," said Chavis when asked if that bloop against the Mariners helped change his way of

thinking. "I do feel a little bit more comfortable. Any time you start collecting a couple of hits, you definitely get a little more confident, a little more comfortable. But a lot of it is just kind of the consistency.

It’s not so much the results that I’m feeling more comfortable, it’s more so the swings that I’m putting on

pitches and the takes that I’m having. I’m more comfortable and more confident in those. They’re better

swings, better takes, and it’s just more of a progression thing where I’m not quite where I want to be, but

I’m staying focused on the process and the results are coming."

Then there is the kind of image he represented while executing what is becoming a regular routine -- the

stand in front of the big TV postgame press conference.

No cliches. Genuine enthusiasm. Little sense of dodging and weaving.

Chavis explains himself in the same fashion Rafael Devers offers us those always-refreshing Little League

mannerisms in the batter's box and on the basepaths. They actually manage to put a dent in our inevitable

baseball cynicism.

Take, for instance, the description of what he was feeling after Xander Bogaerts' first-pitch single and

Devers' intentional walk.

"You know, in the situation. There’s nobody out, a man on second base, you move him over, get a little,

something like that. It’s just, I don’t know who I am, dude. I’m new here," Chavis explained. "I know I can

hit, I know I have power, stuff like that, but I’m hitting seventh. I don’t know if I’m hitting like Michael, or

if I’m like your seven-hole hitter, so I’m just trying to do my part."

And then there is the actual execution against a seven-year big league veteran, reliever Chad Bettis.

"Honestly it's kind of a simple story, unfortunately," he said. "With Devers walking I didn't really even get

to see a pitch. I was literally walking out of the dugout and asked what pitches he threw. I've never faced

him before so I didn't really know what to expect. So I was just walking up there and knew he had a cutter

and a fastball. But a cutter, slider, that kind of stuff everything is working away. So I was just trying to get

him up and get a good pitch to hit and not try to do too much with it. Standing in the box right there, I'm

looking at (third base coach Carlos) Febles and all I'm thinking is don't let me bunt. I wanted to hit. So he

didn't tell me to bunt thankfully. Got a good pitch to hit, first pitch cutter and didn't try and do too much.

One of the other things I was thinking was a single scores him. Don't try and be a superhero and hit a home

run or anything like that. Just need one."

He added, "Nobody out. He's kind of in a tough spot. One of the things I kind of learned when I was

younger was in those kind of situations a lot of people feel the pressure because you want to do the big

thing, you want to get the big hit and stuff like that. I've kind of learned to kind of just change the

perception of it, where the pressure is on him. He's got two guys on, nobody out, he could blow it right

here. He needs to get me and two other people out. So if I kind of just change my perception to thinking the

pressure is on him it kind of alleviates me and puts me in a better position."

For now, Chavis is the Red Sox' second baseman. They are 14-7 when he starts -- with the offense

averaging better than eight runs per game in the wins -- and that is tough to ignore. Maybe he morphs into more of a role at first base. Or perhaps he ends up actually seeing some time in the outfield. For now, the

Red Sox just need to ride the wave, just like they did in this latest win.

Perhaps Bogaerts summed it up best before clearing out of the Sox' clubhouse: "Homeboy is swinging it

pretty good."

From the pitching side of things, reliever Marcus Walden proved to be the standout once again, coming on

to pitch a key 2 1/3 key scoreless innings, retiring all seven batters he faced. Walden has a 0.54 ERA in his

last 10 appearances, striking out 10 and walking just one.

* NBC Sports Boston

J.D. Martinez' contract needs to be addressed, because he remains most important player in Red Sox

lineup

John Tomase

BOSTON -- The end came swiftly for David Ortiz. One minute he exhorted the crowd late in a do-or-die

Game 3 of the 2016 American League Division Series, and the next he waved a tearful farewell from the

mound.

When Ortiz removed his jersey for the final time, the impact crater threatened to swallow the entire offense.

Without Ortiz to anchor them, the 2017 Red Sox found themselves adrift. Mookie Betts downgraded from MVP runner-up to borderline All-Star. Xander Bogaerts regressed. Andrew Benintendi regressed. Jackie

Bradley Jr. regressed.

Chavis' RBI single in 10th gives Sox walk-off win over Rockies

When the season ended, manager John Farrell lost his job, in part because he couldn't get the most out of

his young players. But the reality is the lineup lacked the star around which everyone else orbited.

Enter J.D. Martinez.

Linked to the Red Sox for the entire 2018 offseason, the slugger didn't sign until spring training. He wasted

no time solidifying the middle of the lineup, posting numbers typically associated with players named Ruth, Williams, and Mantle. His .330-43-130 breakthrough could've won the Triple Crown in a dozen different

seasons, and Red Sox hitters credited him with taking the pressure off everyone else.

The result? One hundred and eight wins and another championship.

"J.D. is something different," Bogaerts said. "Hitting behind him most of the time, throughout my career,

whenever he's locked in on that ball, that ball sounds pretty loud. You've got to be ready to hit when you're

on deck because he might swing at the first pitch. That's one thing I learned with him, especially when he's

going good. He's hacking on the first pitch and that ball comes off real loud."

A year later, Martinez's importance cannot be overstated, particularly in light of Ortiz's absence. Big Papi

represented a generational talent while leading the Red Sox to three titles. Replacing him seemed like a task measured in years, if not decades. And yet it took the Red Sox only one season to find Martinez.

Now, they're in danger of losing him, which is a story that deserves more attention. With this past

offseason's focus on impending free agents Betts, Bogaerts, and ace Chris Sale, Martinez flew under the

radar. The Red Sox managed to ink Bogaerts and Sale to extensions, and they'd love to do the same with

Betts, who seems content to reach free agency and then load a fleet of Brinks trucks.

Cora wants Workman, Brasier accountable

But what about Martinez? He can opt out of his contract this fall, and even in baseball's absurdly depressed market, interest should be robust in a slugger who may very well be on his way to a third consecutive 40-

homer season.

"It's amazing what he does on a nightly basis," noted manager Alex Cora.

Conversations about the most important members of the Red Sox generally start with Betts and end with

Sale, but don't let Martinez's lack of a regular defensive position fool you. He is the most important player

in the lineup, and the Red Sox can ill afford to lose him.

In the 6-5 win over the Rockies on Wednesday night, Martinez blasted his fourth home run in three games

while going 2-for-4 with a walk. After a slow start from a power perspective, he has socked five home runs

in the past nine days.

He's hitting .321 with nine homers, 28 RBI, and a .940 OPS. His numbers are slightly down from where he

was on this date a year ago -- .344-11-34-1.024 -- but he's heating up.

"The ball's going over the fence now. That's always better," Martinez said. "That's ideal. It was frustrating

early on in the season, but it's going now. I'm hoping to ride it as long as I can."

Truth be told, Martinez put up quality at-bats in the early going, too, but with buckets of loud outs to show

for it.

"We were playing Toronto, I hit a couple of balls that day," Martinez said with a sigh. "And then Baltimore, I hit a couple of balls, and I was just like, 'This sucks.' "

Now, he's rolling and providing the same kind of lineup security as Ortiz in his prime.

"I really don't look at myself like that," Martinez said. "I try to go out there every day and be an example to

everyone in here and just try to be an example on the field -- take really, really tough at-bats, not give away

at-bats, not give away outs, make the pitchers work for every out, every pitch. That's something I take pride

in."

So, about that five-year, $110 million contract. Martinez will earn $23.75 million this year and next, which

is a bargain for a 40-homer slugger who also hits for average. He can opt out after either season, or play for

$19.35 million each in 2021 and 2022.

He makes no secret of his desire to stay in Boston, and while his camp remains open to negotiating an

extension during the season, the ball is in the court of the Red Sox, but president of baseball operations

Dave Dombrowski prefers to hold contract talks in the offseason.

Martinez is clearly worth more than he's earning now, and at 31, he could have five or more productive

seasons in him at DH. Ortiz excelled into his 40s, after all, and look at Minnesota's Nelson Cruz, still

punishing fastballs at 38, with five All-Star berths since 2013.

Martinez isn't sweating it. The last time he hit free agency, he had posted .303-45-104 numbers following a

monstrous second half with the 2017 Diamondbacks. Just as he doesn't feel pressure to be Ortiz, he's not obsessing over his contract, either.

"It was like that the year I was a free agent," he said. "All I can do is control my preparation and what I do

every day. I can't control the results. I wish I could. I wish I could come in and say, 'Hey, I'm getting two

hits today,' and it just happens. All I can do is control my preparation, find ways to hit the ball hard, and the

rest is up to the big guy."

With that, Martinez pointed to the ceiling in recognition of the Almighty. Back down here on earth, there's

one big man as far as teammates are concerned, and he wears No. 28. The Red Sox would be wise to retain him.

* Bostonsportsjournal.com

Walk-off hero Michael Chavis learns as he goes at the plate for Red Sox

Sean McAdam

Life in the big leagues can be a roller coaster, a lesson that, if he didn’t already know, Michael Chavis

learned in the last week.

Only last week, the rookie infielder was working through his first big league slump. On Sunday, that came

to an end. And on Wednesday night, when he delivered a walk-off single to bring the Red Sox a 6-5 10-

inning win over the Colorado Rockies, the hitless skid that he weathered was officially a distant memory.

The slump was inevitable. After his first few weeks in the big leagues, when he seemingly could do no

wrong, all of sudden, Chavis couldn’t buy a hit.

After stinging the ball everywhere, suddenly, one hitless game followed another until the streak finally

reached 19 at-bats. But through it all, Chavis never wavered. He expected a rough patch would come

eventually, so when it did, Chavis was prepared.

“I kind of just treated it like any other struggle point throughout my career,” Chavis said. “I think every single year, someone’s going to hit a little bit of a bump. I did it when I first signed — I went 4-for-50-

something. I’ve had struggles before and looking back, I’m thankful for those kinds of struggles. It’s better

to deal with them then and learn how to deal with it, cope with it and how to get out of it than to be here

right now and not know what to do.

“For me, a big thing is staying process-oriented. If I’m staying focused on the progress I need to make — I

need to take a good swing, get a good pitch to hit and not try to do too much with the results — that’s what

gets me out of it.”

Finally, on Sunday, came the break. First, Chavis reached when Seattle rookie second baseman Shed Long

overran a popup in shallow right, then slipped on the wet grass, enabling the ball to fall in. Later, Chavis contributed two legitimate singles — both line drives to right — and finished the day 3-for-5 with five RBI.

Looking back on his slump, Chavis noted: “I felt like I was missing pitches, where I was maybe trying to

do too much — fouling it off, and then, all of a sudden, I’m 1-and-2 instead of 1-and-1, and that’s a whole

different at-bat.”

Problem solved? Not yet.

Chavis immediately took nearly an hour of hitting in the indoor cage behind the Red Sox dugout, and after

returning to the clubhouse to speak with the media, went back to the cage for more swings.

“Since I was a kid,” said Chavis, “hitting is my favorite thing to do. Putting in the work isn’t like a job or a chore; it’s something that I enjoy doing. I had a key to the batting cage in high school, because they knew I

wanted to go hit if I wasn’t feeling good (at the plate), I wanted to go work on it. I don’t like just sitting

there (and saying), ‘I’m sure it will feel better tomorrow.’ And I’m not in there taking a million hacks with

no plan.

“A lot of hitting for me is feel and if I can’t feel my swing, I’m not going to go into a game and think, ‘Oh,

here’s what I’m supposed to do.’ So I want to just feel it out and get a point where I know what I need to do

to make the adjustment. Then I’m aware of what I’m trying to do.”

Alex Cora took note of how Chavis was handling his first challenge.

“You always want to pay attention,” Cora said. “He was the same, trying to get feedback from (the team’s

hitting coaches) and had the same routine in the cage. And that’s what you want. It’s not easy to hit at this

level and you’re going to go through stretches like that. But I don’t think people really noticed that he was

0-for-19. You see the quality of at-bats and you see the 0-for-19 and you’re like, ‘Really? It doesn’t feel

that way. So, that’s a good sign.”

Chavis also watches video and checks the notes he’s made in his notebook. The notebook has gotten plenty

of attention, as NESN cameras have focused on Chavis dutifully making entries following every at-bat —

good or bad.

“The purpose of it,” said Chavis, “is to stay level and stay consistent. So when I’m writing in it after an at-

bat, whether it’s a home run or a strikeout, when I’m done writing, I want to be over with the at-bat. I want

to be able to start over. I don’t want to hit a home run and then be feeling myself a little bit and go into my

next at-bat and try to re-create it. If I strike out, I’m done when that at-bat’s over; if I hit a home run, I’m

done when that at-bat’s over. So I start from scratch, essentially, trying to not re-create it, but repeat the

swing and the process.”

Although he’s always been a good hitter, his power in the first few weeks of his major league career has

come as a surprise. Chavis has hit seven homers since his debut on April 20, the most on the Red Sox

during that span and tying him for fifth most in the American League.

And not only has he hit a lot of homers, but he’s also some prodigious shots. Eight weeks into the season,

Chavis can claim the five longest home runs for the Red Sox this season, including two which traveled over

450 feet.

In a lineup that boasts the likes of Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Mitch Moreland, that’s quite a feat for a

rookie.

“It’s cool,” shrugs Chavis, “but they all count the same. As long as they go over. It’s not something I’m

trying to do. I’m not trying to hit home runs — I’m just trying to hit the ball hard. Something Tim (Hyers,

hitting coach) said to me that really clicked was, ‘Try to hit the ball hard, not far.’ It sounds really simple,

but when you analyze what you’re trying to do with your swing, it really synchs up a lot of things.”

BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 6, Rockies 5 (10) – Second extra-inning game in a row swings Sox way

Sean McAdam

Aggressive approach pays off in 10th: The Red Sox sent three players to the plate in the bottom of the 10th,

and officially, they saw a combined two (2) pitches. Xander Bogaerts swung at the first pitch he saw from

Chad Bettis and drilled a double to the triangle. Then, after the Rockies intentionally walked Rafael Devers

— motioning to first, of course, without actually throwing a pitch – in stepped Michael Chavis, who, like

Bogaerts, also swung at the first pitch, driving a single up the middle to score Bogaerts with the winning

run. “Pitches in the zone,” noted Alex Cora, “and you don’t get too many of those, especially late in games.

With the stuff that bullpens are showing, when you get pitches to hit, you don’t want to miss them and we didn’t miss those two in the last inning.” Chavis had never faced Bettis before. “So I didn’t really know

what to expect,” said Chavis. “I was just trying to get him up and get a good pitch to hit. Got a good first-

pitch to hit, a cutter.” Chavis added that, in those situations, he tries to think that it’s the pitcher — not the

hitter — who’s under the most pressure and his tendency is to be aggressive because the pitcher will be

intent on getting ahead early.

Walden saves the day: Marcus Walden continues to emerge as a trusted reliever for the Red Sox. He got the

final out in the seventh after Matt Barnes allowed three inherited runners to score, then came back out and

retired six hitters over the next two innings. He struck out four of the seven hitters he faced over 2.1

innings. “At this level, you don’t want contact late in games,” said Cora. “His stuff is playing great at this level right now. The cutter is good, the slider is good, the fastball up is great. He was amazing today. We

put him in a situation, a high-leverage one, tie game, and he gave us more than enough to put us in a

situation to win the game.” Dating back to April 20, Walden has an 0.54 ERA over his last 20 appearances.

In those outings, he’s struck out 19 and walked just one.

Interleague series getting harder: Before this season, the Red Sox had great success against National

League teams, having won their last 13 interleague series. But early in April, the team dropped two-of-three

in Phoenix to the Diamondbacks, and they had to be satisfied with a 1-1 split in the two-game set with

Colorado — and they needed extra innings to get that one win. It doesn’t figure to get much easier the rest

of the season against NL teams, either — the Sox have a two-game series in Colorado later this year, and

also host the NL champion Dodgers later this summer.

SECOND GUESS

Eduardo Rodriguez had allowed two runs over the first six innings and thrown 98 pitches. It seemed a

strange decision to send him out for the top of the seventh, and sure enough, Rodriguez pitched like he had

hit a wall, allowing a single, double and a hit batsman to fill the bases with no out. He was then taken out of

the game.

TWO UP

Christian Vazquez: The Red Sox catcher continues to contribute offensively, with two singles, lifting his

batting average to .297. It was also his fifth multiple-hit game in the last eight.

J.D. Martinez: Martinez is starting to hit the ball in the air more, and is driving the ball to right-center. He

singled in the first, then hit a two-run homer in the second.

ONE DOWN

Rafael Devers: The Red Sox’ hottest hitter over the last few weeks had a rare off night, going 0-for-4.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“Standing in the box right there, I’m looking at (third base coach Carlos) Febles and all I’m thinking is,

‘Don’t let me bunt.”’ — Michael Chavis, who delivered the game-winning hit.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Eduardo Rodriguez fanned 10, giving Red Sox starters 27 strikeouts in 13 innings in the series.

The five runs allowed by Rodriguez were the most earned runs allowed by a Red Sox starter since Nathan

Eovaldi allowed five on April 11.

Rafael Devers saw his six-game hitting streak snapped.

Andrew Benintendi’s first-inning single was just the second hit in the first inning this season.

UP NEXT

After an off-day Thursday, the Red Sox host the Houston Astros Friday at 7:10. It will be RHP Rick

Porcello (3-3, 5.15) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (4-4, 3.88).

* The Athletic

Production and personality: Michael Chavis has given Red Sox what they needed most

Chad Jennings

When the ball got through and the winning run scored, Michael Chavis stopped somewhere between first

and second base, turned toward the dugout, pointed to no one in particular, took off his helmet, tossed it

away, and braced himself for a crush of teammates.

“I’ve had a couple of walk-offs,” he said after Wednesday’s 10th-inning game-winner. “It’s not like it’s

something I’ve never done before, and I kind of just forgot what to do, honestly. I had my helmet. I was

like, do I throw it, do I keep it, do I hand it to somebody? I don’t know. I turned, got tackled by Mookie,

gave him a hug. So that was great, honestly. I’m a big hugger. I get that from my mom.”

And with that, his legend grew. Best hitter on the field. Best quote in the clubhouse. It’s been less than a

month since Chavis showed up from Triple A — a call-up born of the Red Sox desperation to find anyone

who could hit — and he has provided the two things they needed most: production and personality. He’s indispensable in his ability, infectious in his joy.

“I like having fun,” Chavis said. “I joke around a lot, but at the end of the day, it is serious. It is business. I

understand that as well. But for me to perform well, I have to be relaxed. I perform best when I have fun, so

I’m just going to be me, you know?”

He’s had little problem with that since the day he arrived after a harrowing flight into Tampa. He compared

it to the movie “Snakes on a Plane.” When he got his first big-league hit in extra innings the next night, he

laughed at the very first question on camera.

“I’m going to turn off the professional mode,” he said. “That was awesome, dude.”

It was the same when he hit his first home run.

“Just kind of tried not to sprint,” he said. “I’ve seen a couple of other guys hitting their first home runs and

they sprint because they’re so excited. I kind of tried to act like I had hit a home run before.”

He’s unfiltered. He’s in-the-moment. Worried a 23-year-old kid can’t handle the big, bad Boston media?

Dude, don’t worry about it. The kid’s got it.

“I think a lot people with the media, they try to be so professional and try to hide some stuff sometimes

because they don’t want to get into repercussions or something like that,” Chavis said. “But I think the way

I handle myself on the field, away from the field, and with y’all, I try to stay the same.”

He comes by it honestly. We know that because, when Chavis made his home debut April 23, his mother,

Dorothy, became a viral sensation in her own right as television cameras captured her uninhibited bliss

watching her boy go deep. When she was interviewed by NESN reporter Guerin Austin in the stands,

Dorothy said seeing her son play at Fenway Park “takes your breath away, it really does.” The ball from his

first big-league hit is “in a little sock” at home. When the interview ended, she earnestly offered, “many

blessings to everybody, and thanks for cheering for my boy!”

Chavis still smiles thinking of the video clips that became a hit on social media.

“There it is,” he said. “That’s Momma. What’s funny is, the whole time I was growing up, my mom always said that she was praying to have a kid just like her. Everybody wants a little Mini-Me, you know? And she

said, ‘And then you were born, and I realized you’re a Mini-Me, and that meant trouble.’ She always talks

about her sense of humor and how she went about things, she realized that her child — me — was going to

be that way. So, when I would act up as a kid, she’s like, ‘Crap, I used to do that!’”

Chavis laughed and laughed telling that story. It came to him easily, and it sure felt sincere. There’s little

about him that comes across as contrived, which might seem hard to believe considering his previous brush

with notoriety came last spring when he was suspended 80 games for failing a performance-enhancing drug

test. He tested positive for something called dehydrochlormethyltestosterone.

Throughout the ordeal, Chavis maintained his innocence. He did not deny that he’d tested positive, but he

was adamant that any banned substance in his system got there by mistake. He said he’d spent much of his

suspension trying to find the culprit — was it something he’d eaten, something over-the-counter he’d taken,

some combination of legal substances that might have triggered a positive test?

When he returned from suspension, he even joked about spending the 80 days bulking up at the gym.

“If people are going to think I did it,” he said, “might as well look like it.”

Plenty of players, when they’ve returned from suspension, have clammed up around reporters, becoming

leery of their questions and untrusting of their intentions. Why not Chavis?

“The simple answer is just because I know I didn’t do anything,” he said. “Honestly, the whole process

would have been easier if I could have been like, ‘I messed up. I’m sorry.’ … (But) I know I didn’t do it, so

there’s no reason for me to be scared to answer questions about it. I’m an open book in general. If people

ask me personal questions, I give them the personal answer. Just in general, I’m an open book. There’s

nothing to hide behind. It’s just who I am.”

There is an outside impulse to suggest Chavis has given the Red Sox new energy, but that doesn’t seem to

be the case. He’s quiet in the clubhouse pregame. He sits at his locker on the far end of the room, and he

goes about his work like the low man on the totem pole. Even Wednesday night, he said he wondered

whether Alex Cora might order him to bunt the runners over rather than swing away for the game-winner.

It’s not that Chavis has energized the Red Sox so much as he’s given them a fresh source of vitality. There

are plenty of good, thoughtful players on this team, but it was telling last year when Andrew Benintendi

was a finalist for the All-Star Game and basically leaned on Brock Holt to do publicity for him. This is not

a team that punctuates its public comments with “dudes” and “bros.” Mookie Betts is kind, Chris Sale is

accountable, David Price is outspoken, Jackie Bradley Jr. is thoughtful — but this is not a clubhouse of

over-the-top personalities like the Red Sox of 2004. It’s not a problem. It’s just not their nature.

And then along comes this kid, with his big bat, easy smile and a willingness to tell a story with a punchline

at the end. Having the highest OPS on the team is earning him everyday at-bats. Having the personality to

match is making him a star.

“Just like if somebody asks you a question on the street, you answer it,” he said. “If you’re doing an interview, they ask you a question, you answer it. It’s as simple as that. You just don’t give them a BS

answer like you’re not trying. Just try to give them some information to work with.

“And beyond that, it’s just talking.”

* Associated Press

Chavis lifts Red Sox over Rockies 6-5 in 10 innings

BOSTON -- Michael Chavis had a simple thought as he walked to the plate.

"A single scores him. Don't try to be a Superhero and hit a home run or anything like that. Just need one,"

Chavis said Wednesday night after his walk-off single in the 10th inning gave the Boston Red Sox a 6-5

victory over the Colorado Rockies.

J.D. Martinez homered in his third straight game and Boston recovered after blowing a five-run lead.

Martinez hit a two-run shot and Eduardo Rodriguez struck out 10 over six innings for the Red Sox, who

won for the 12th time in 15 games. They split the two-game set to remain unbeaten (13-0-4) in their last 17

interleague series at Fenway Park.

Trevor Story had a two-run single but exited with a left knee injury after a collision with a Rockies

teammate. Tony Wolters doubled twice for Colorado, which had won four of five.

Xander Bogaerts opened the 10th with a double on the first pitch from Chad Bettis (1-3). After Rafael

Devers was intentionally walked, Chavis hit a grounder up the middle on the next pitch to win it.

"Pitches in the zone," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of the two-pitch rally. "You don't get too many of

those, especially late in the game."

Brandon Workman (3-1) struck out David Dahl with two runners on to end the top of the 10th.

A night after Boston ace Chris Sale became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out 17 batters

in seven innings -- and Colorado matched a franchise worst with 24 Ks -- Rodriguez had the Rockies

whiffing again. They ended up with 16 strikeouts in all.

But, as on Tuesday when they rallied for a 5-4 victory in 11 innings, the Rockies overcame an early deficit.

"Going up against the world champs toe-to-toe, beat them last night, took them to the last round tonight,

and they strung a couple of hits together there at the end," Colorado manager Bud Black said.

The bigger concern is Story, who came out after colliding with outfielder Raimel Tapia chasing a shallow

fly down the left field line in the ninth.

"I think the trainers right now are optimistic," Black said. "Our medical staff looked at some of the replays

on television. It looked like there was a collision and a hard contact to the knee. But cross our fingers that

he's going to be OK. . Right now, we're cautiously optimistic."

Boston built a 5-0 lead with two runs in the first and three in the third against German Marquez, who

entered 5-0 with a 2.02 ERA in nine career interleague starts.

In the seventh, the Rockies loaded the bases with nobody out against Rodriguez. Ryan McMahon singled

and Wolters doubled before Rodriguez plunked Charlie Blackmon with a pitch and was pulled. Matt

Barnes gave up Story's two-run single and, with Story running from first on a 3-2 pitch with one out, pinch-

hitter Daniel Murphy bounced to second, scoring Blackmon to tie it.

Dahl had a sacrifice fly and Wolters a run-scoring double in the fourth to make it 5-2.

Mookie Betts' RBI single made it 3-0 before Martinez, unlike his other three homers the past four days that

went over the Green Monster in left field, drove a slider into Boston's bullpen in right.

FIVE AND DONE

Both starters gave up five runs and were pulled in the seventh.

Rodriguez allowed nine hits and walked one. Marquez went 6 1/3 innings, striking out six with 10 hits and a walk.

"I think overall I did well," Marquez said through a translator.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: Murphy, who entered batting just .200, started on the bench for the fifth time in seven games.

Black said it had nothing to do with a fractured left index finger that caused Murphy to miss 3 1/2 weeks.

Red Sox: Cora said LHP David Price (on the injured list with left elbow tendinitis since May 3) is scheduled to throw a bullpen Friday and if it goes well, he'll "probably" start next week in Toronto. ... 2B

Dustin Pedroia took grounders with the other infielders before batting practice as he continues to try to

work back to a rehab assignment from soreness in his surgically repaired left knee that's limited him to nine

games over the past two seasons.

UP NEXT

Rockies: After a day off Thursday, RHP Jon Gray (3-3, 4.25 ERA) is slated to start the opener of a three-

game series in Philadelphia on Friday against LHP Cole Irvin (1-0, 1.29).

Red Sox: Off on Thursday before RHP Rick Porcello (3-3, 5.15) looks win his fourth straight decision

Friday. Houston RHP Gerrit Cole (4-4, 3.88) is scheduled to start in the teams' first meeting since Boston defeated the Astros in the AL Championship Series last fall.