The Boston Red Sox Saturday, October 13, 2018

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1 * The Boston Globe Martinez has no hard feelings Peter Abraham The Boston Red Sox Saturday, October 13, 2018 The Houston Astros obviously made a lot of smart moves to take the leap from losing 111 games in 2013 to winning the World Series in But their handling of J.D. Martinez stands out as a mistake. Martinez was released during spring training in 2014, the Astros failing to recognize he had made significant adjustments to his swing and approach at the plate. Those changes led to Martinez hitting.307 over the last five seasons with an average of 34 home runs and 96 RBIs. But Martinez claims to harbor no resentment toward the Astros, recognizing he was a middling player during his time in the organization. I learned a lot from Houston. And you know what? It made me who I am and there s really no animosity there, Martinez said Friday. In a sense they did me a favor by allowing me to leave and going to play on another team. And if it wasn t for that I probably wouldn t be here right now. Who knows where I would have been? Martinez said he learned to fail during his three seasons with Houston. That helped him get to where he is now. I think it s given me that drive, that drive to keep working, because you never know what can happen, he said. Martinez was 5 of 26 (.192) in seven games against the Astros this season but did drive in nine runs. Mulling Moreland Mitch Moreland went through an extensive on-field workout for the first time since straining his right hamstring in Game 2 of the Division Series. Wearing turf shoes instead of cleats, Moreland participated in infield drills, ran the bases, took batting practice, and did some sprint drills. We came a long way the last two or three days. It s feeling a lot better, he said. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, manager Alex Cora and head athletic trainer Brad Pearson watched Moreland closely and talked afterward. The ALCS roster is due Saturday morning. Obviously it s something I m going to have to be aware of, be smart with, but if I get the opportunity I think I ll be ready, Moreland said. With the Astros expected to start at least three righthanders in the series, Moreland is important piece of the lineup. With Moreland out, Steve Pearce was 4 of 12 in the Division Series and drove in two runs. Brock Holt and Blake Swihart, who took grounders at first during the workout, also are possibilities.

2 Moreland said he ran at approximately 80 percent of full effort and didn t feel any discomfort. It s constantly getting better, day in and day out... If I m smart with it I can get where I need to be, Moreland said. If the Sox drop Moreland from the roster, they would likely replace him with a pitcher. Make your pick Chris Sale was asked if he would select Martinez or Mookie Betts for Most Valuable Player in the American League. I think I d just flip a coin or tell them rock-paper-scissors, he said. I don t know. They both bring something to the game that just separates them both from everyone else. It s hard to deny 130 RBIs,.330 and [43 home runs]. Then you throw Mookie in the mix. He s a guy; Gold Glove defense; hit (.346). I say just flip a coin or give it to them both. Foes now friends Sale is the pitcher Martinez has faced most in his career, most of the matchups coming when he played for the Tigers and Sale was with the White Sox. Over 42 plate appearances he hit.237 but managed an.812 OPS thanks to five extra-base hits. Martinez is glad they re teammates now. I remember we used to always have, I felt like, a day game in Chicago, 4 o clock game, not even a day game, one of those twilight, mid-shadow games, Martinez said. And we always landed Chris Sale for that game. And I was, like, dude, this is like a horror film, this is terrible. Big winners This is the fourth LCS matching two teams that won at least 100 games in the regular season, the first in the best-of-seven format. The last was in 1977 when the Yankees beat the Royals in five games... The last LCS between the teams with the two best records was in 2009 when the Yankees beat the Angels... The Astros won the regular-season series, 4-3, and outscored the Sox by three runs. Four of the games were decided by either one or two runs. Youk has the pitch Kevin Youkilis, who hit.306 with a.944 OPS in 29 playoff games for the Red Sox, will throw out the first pitch before Game 1. West Springfield native Michelle Brooks Thompson of NBC s The Voice will perform the national anthem... Gates at Fenway Park will open two hours before all remaining postseason games... The Boston Police Department will close streets surrounding Fenway Park an hour before the game until approximately 30 minutes after. The streets closed will be Brookline Avenue from Commonwealth Avenue to Park Drive, Jersey Street, from Boylston Street to Brookline Avenue, Ipswich Street from Boylston Street to Boylston Street and Van Ness Street from Ipswich Street to Kilmarnock Street. Can Martin Maldonado keep Red Sox base stealers in check? Owen Pence One of the many ways in which the Red Sox push the envelope is by whirring around the base paths. Boston went 5 for 5 on stolen base attempts against the Yankees in the ALDS, is 25 of its last 26, and ranked second in the MLB in stolen base success rate (80.1 percent).

3 Enter Martin Maldonado, the Astros precious midseason acquisition who throws out base stealers at a better rate than anyone but Kansas City s Salvador Perez, per numbers from An average defensive catcher throws out runners at a rate of about 30 percent. Maldonado caught over 45 percent of would-be thieves. Houston acquired Maldonado from the Angels on July 26 for lefthanded pitcher Patrick Sandoval and international bonus pool space. From day one in Houston, what stuck out to Maldonado s teammates was the level of care Maldonado applied to his craft. He cares, said Justin Verlander. Easy as that. He cared to take the time to talk to everybody individually, learn all our signs, learn all of our tendencies, learn all of our ticks whatever it was, what makes us comfortable, what we would want him to do. When he first got here his offense was struggling pretty bad. And he just didn t care. He was like, That s not why I was brought here. I was brought here to make you guys better as a pitching staff, to stop the running game, to do the little things as a catcher. He took a lot of pride in that and I think that s what made the transition seamless. Maldonado reiterated Verlander s message, saying he wasted no time trying to ingratiate himself in the clubhouse. Same day I got here, it started, he said. Talking to the guys, trying to build that relationship. Now, Maldonado is firmly a part of the best defense in baseball. Houston posted a collective.989 fielding percentage, tops in the majors and the best single-season mark in franchise history. The Astros committed just 63 errors, their fewest ever. Maldonado surely won t cower when, say, Mookie Betts takes off for second. The only team better at poaching bases in the American League this season resided in Cleveland. Houston swept Terry Francona s bunch out of the playoffs. I just have to play my game, said Maldonado of facing the Red Sox. Last series we re facing the top team in the American League in stolen bases. Now we re facing the second team in [stolen bases]. For me: Stay focused. Pitchers added With Game 1 of the ALCS against Boston a day away, the Astros revealed their roster Friday. Out? Outfielder Myles Straw and reliever Will Harris, who were a part of Houston s ALDS sweep over Cleveland. In? Pitchers Hector Rondon and Joe Smith. Straw made his major league debut in September. Meanwhile, Rondon posted a 3.20 ERA in 63 games for the Astros, and Smith clocked in with an ERA of 3.74 in 56 appearances. Astros manager A.J. Hinch explained that the Red Sox order is simply too fearsome to ignore, thus the extra pitcher. Getting through this lineup is really hard, said Hinch. I want to give myself as much opportunity to mix and match and create some different looks for these hitters that we re about to face. Harris s last outing against the Red Sox on June 2 surely didn t help his case. He allowed two hits and three earned runs in just ⅔ innings of work and was tacked with the loss. Yet Hinch insists Harris was simply the odd man out and that the decision had nothing to do with prior performance.

4 There s a great argument that Will should be on this roster, said Hinch. There s a great argument that Chris Devenski and Brad Peacock should be on this roster, but it surprises me to say those guys are left off a playoff roster. It s the way it is. On Price s side Just like the rest of us, Justin Verlander is perplexed as to why David Price doesn t have a playoff win. I do find that odd, said Verlander. Honestly, I hope the trend continues for the short term. The two played together on the Tigers down the stretch in 2014 and early in Price drew nothing but raves from Verlander in the personality department. Great teammate, said Verlander. Really enjoyed my time with David. Him and I still talk all the time, stay in touch. Making a mark The Astros allowed 534 runs this season, the fewest allowed by an AL team in a non strike-shortened season since the DH began in Houston finished the season with the best run differential in baseball at plus-263, also the best mark in franchise history. Underperformers and other thoughts on the Red Sox playoff run Christopher L. Gasper There s no more doubting the ability of this collection of Red Sox players to win in the postseason. Been there, done that. They summarily dismissed the New York Yankees to advance to the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. The old Green Lady in the Fens promises to be rocking on Saturday night when the teams with the two best records in baseball clash for Game 1 of the ALCS, a series that, with all due respect to the National League finalists, feels like it will determine the World Series winner. With the Red Sox just four wins away from their first World Series appearance since 2013 here are four thoughts on the playoffs thus far: 1. David Price wears a bull s-eye on his back for his postseason underperformance, but he s not the only Boston star that needs to live up to his regular-season résumé. If the Sox are going to dispatch the defending world champion Astros they re going to need the Mookie Betts who is one of the most dynamic players in baseball and the presumptive American League MVP. That guy hasn t shown up yet in three postseasons. Betts has yet to have his moment on the playoff stage or see his breathtaking brilliance translate to October. In 11 career playoff games, Betts is batting.238 with a.333 on-base percentage and a.667 OPS, well below his career.303 batting average and.888 OPS in the regular season. It s a bit alarming that in 48 career postseason plate appearances Betts is still homerless. Mookie batted just.188 and posted a.566 OPS in the Sox four-game American League Division Series triumph over the Yankees. However, he did pick up his first two postseason runs batted in during Game 3. Betts is the engine for the best offense in baseball, and if he remains idling then the ALCS could be the end of the road for the Sox. Houston is simply too talented for the Sox to prevail with their best player not being one of their best players. Betts acknowledged that the urgency of the postseason is hard to ignore and creates some pressure. I think it s just one of those things where I kind of have to embrace it, said Betts. If I have to go out and be one of the producers then you have to go do it, no matter if you try to push it to the side or not. It s just one of those things where I know I have to go out and do something and help the team win in some way. If

5 it s getting three hits, then cool. If it s making a nice play in the outfield, that s fine too. I m just going to do whatever I can to help the team win. I think we have a bunch of guys here that can do something to help the team win. It s just one of those things where I don t feel so pressured to do everything, but I know I have to do something. 2. The Red Sox should consider using an opener before Price s start in Game 2. It could be the solution to Price s confounding postseason performance issues. It s impossible for there not to be a psychological element to Price s playoff struggles as a starter at this point. After getting bounced by the Yankees after just 1⅔ innings in his latest attempt at redemption, Price is winless in 10 career postseason starts with a 6.03 ERA. Remove some of the pressure from Price and take a page from the Oakland A s and Tampa Bay Rays; open the game with a reliever such as Joe Kelly or Brandon Workman. Then bring Price on and hope he can give you four or five quality innings. Last year, Price pitched out of the bullpen in the playoffs against the Astros due to elbow issues that shortcircuited his season as a starter. He was dominant, tossing 6⅔ scoreless innings, including four scoreless in the Sox only win. Price has excellent numbers against the Astros since joining the Red Sox in 2016 he s 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in eight appearances, including the playoffs. Manager Alex Cora showed he s willing to be creative by using Rick Porcello and Chris Sale as set-up men against the Yankees. Why can t such creative thinking extend to the first few frames of the game? What s the difference if Price delivers a quality performance as a starter or following an opener? The Sox should take what they can get at this point. 3. There is no Red Sox reliever that is more reassuring to see on the mound than closer Craig Kimbrel. But you can t completely write off his roller-coaster ride save in Game 4 of the ALDS as an anomaly. Kimbrel s control was uncharacteristically absent as he impersonated Heathcliff Slocumb, but the outing marked the third consecutive postseason appearance in which he has been scored upon, a troubling trend. Kimbrel has posted a ERA in his last three postseason appearances while allowing a OPS. In Game 4 of last year s ALDS matchup with the Astros, Kimbrel came on to replace Chris Sale in the eighth inning of a 3-3 game. He threw a wild pitch to put the go-ahead run in scoring position and walked George Springer. Then he surrendered an RBI single to Josh Reddick that put the Astros ahead for good. In the ninth, he allowed a run-scoring double to Carlos Beltran, which loomed large when the Sox got an inside-the-park homer from Rafael Devers in the ninth. Instead of extra innings, the Sox went home for the season. Kimbrel delivered a four-out save in Game 1 of this year s ALDS, but Aaron Judge touched him for a home run. It s going to be hard to keep getting away with the high-wire act against Houston. Nothing demoralizes a baseball team faster than uncertainty at the back end of a bullpen. Cora downplayed any concern over Kimbrel s recent playoff performance. Location with his breaking ball was off that night [in New York], but he is fine, said Cora. He is a guy that we trust, and, obviously that we need. 4. Baseball is undergoing a period of disruption when it comes to traditional measurements and managerial measures. Along those lines, it s probably time to reframe what constitutes a stellar postseason start. There was a time when Rick Porcello s five-inning, 65-pitch, one-run stint in the series-clincher against the Yankees would have been regarded as merely passable. But it was definitely an outstanding playoff start in It s not Porcello s fault he wasn t allowed to go deeper. It s the new prevailing wisdom of playoff baseball. Five years ago, when the Sox won the World Series there were 21 instances of a starting pitcher going seven innings or more that postseason, with a starter throwing eight or more innings five times. So far this postseason, there have been four such instances, including Boston s Nathan Eovaldi spinning seven innings of one-run baseball against the Yankees. Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who pitched eight shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, is the only starter that has lasted

6 beyond the seventh this postseason. Last postseason, a starter finished seven innings eight times, with only Houston s Justin Verlander going deeper. Verlander tossed a complete game against the Yankees in the ALCS. This is baseball s new world order. Adjust your expectations for starters accordingly. How the Red Sox and Astros match up, position by position Nick Cafardo Truly these two teams are the titans of the American League. After 162 regular-season games and the Division Series, the two best teams the 108-win Red Sox and the 103-win Astros emerged. And now we ll see who is truly the best team in the AL and likely the best team in all of baseball, because it doesn t appear that the National League winner can compete with either one. The teams met seven times in the regular season, and the Astros won four, outscoring the Red Sox, The Astros had four home games in that season series. This time around, the Red Sox would have the four home games. Do I sense a pattern? The Astros also defeated the Red Sox, three games to one, in the Division Series in 2017, and they look relatively the same except for Gerrit Cole as the No. 2 starter and Roberto Osuna as closer. The Red Sox, though, sport a few new faces, including J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler, Steve Pearce, and Nathan Eovaldi, which could slant things toward Boston s favor. In terms of pure matchups, some have mused that the Astros have the edge in a lot of them, but studying it closer, it could actually be the other way around. The biggest advantage Boston will have is the home field, which is why teams try to solidify it during the regular season. Here s a look, position by position: First base: Steve Pearce/Mitch Moreland vs. Yuli Gurriel Moreland s hamstring injury has created doubt about his availability. Pearce did a nice job in his place in the Division Series, and the Sox also could use Brock Holt over there. Gurriel hit.182 vs. the Indians in the first round, while Pearce hit.333 vs. the Yankees and also had an.890 OPS in the regular season. Gurriel is capable of coming up with big hits, as he did last year in the Division Series vs. Boston. Advantage: Boston Second base: Ian Kinsler/Brock Holt vs. Jose Altuve Because of injuries, Altuve didn t have the MVP season he had in 2017, but he is certainly a force and one of the best players in baseball. As well as Brocktober did in the ALDS and Kinsler dropping in a couple of big hits and giving you good defense, neither player is Altuve. Advantage: Houston Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts vs. Carlos Correa Remember when Alex Cora wanted Bogaerts to be more like Correa? Well, he has been, and he trumped Correa in overall play, amassing a 3.8 WAR to Correa s 1.7. Bogaerts knocked in 103 runs to 65 for Correa, who did miss time with injuries. Correa s only hit in 10 at-bats in the ALDS was a home run, while Bogaerts hit a solid.294 with a homer vs. the Yankees.

7 Advantage: Boston Third base: Eduardo Nunez/Rafael Devers vs. Alex Bregman Bregman is one of the best in the game, and the advantage of this matchup is obvious. That s not to say Nunez hasn t contributed important hits and that Devers is incapable of hitting high-velocity pitching. Defensively, Bregman also wins. He had a huge series vs. Cleveland:.556 with two homers and a OPS. Advantage: Houston. Catcher: Sandy Leon/Christian Vazquez vs. Martin Maldonado/Brian McCann. Looking for offense? Good luck finding it from this foursome, though both Vazquez and Maldonado hit home runs in the ALDS. Vazquez even had three hits in nine at-bats. The defense is pretty much a wash. Advantage: Boston. Left field: Marwin Gonzalez vs. Andrew Benintendi Gonzalez hit a red-hot.538 with five RBIs in the three-game sweep of the Indians, but let s face it, Benintendi is a better overall player despite his modest.286 with three RBIs against the Yankees. Gonzalez does have the gear to rise to the occasion. Advantage: Boston Center field: Jackie Bradley Jr. vs George Springer There s nobody on par with Bradley on defense, but Springer is a very good overall player, and dangerous on offense despite a down year from He also had an excellent ALDS, with three homers and a.429 average. Advantage: Houston Right field: Mookie Betts vs. Josh Reddick Betts may be the best player in baseball, so it s difficult for anyone to match up against him. Reddick is a very good overall player and can play right field at Fenway. He was 4 for 10 vs. Cleveland, while Betts hit only.188 against the Yankees. We expect that to flip. Advantage: Boston Designated hitter: J.D. Martinez vs. Tyler White/Tony Kemp/Evan Gattis While White and Kemp both hit well vs. Cleveland, the force that is Martinez will be hard to beat. Martinez would love to help eliminate the team that once released him, so he has that incentive. Advantage: Boston Starting pitchers: Chris Sale, David Price, Nathan Eovaldi, Rick Porcello vs. Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton Sale looks strong again, but the big mystery is Price. When Boston s starters are clicking, they re as good as anyone, but overall the Astros have the best rotation in baseball, and that showed with a 2.00 ERA and 0.70 WHIP against the Indians.

8 Advantage: Houston Bullpen: Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier, Brandon Workman vs. Roberto Osuna, Ryan Pressly, Will Harris, Lance McCullers Jr., Collin McHugh The Astros bullpen goes very deep, and it was lights-out in September. Right now, Osuna is far more of a sure thing than Kimbrel as a closer. Having a legitimate lefty in Tony Sipp is also important for Houston, as the Red Sox can counter only with Eduardo Rodriguez, who may not fully embrace being a reliever. Advantage: Houston. Bench: Brock Holt, Rafael Devers, Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez, Mitch Moreland vs. Tony Kemp, Brian McCann, Myles Straw, Evan Gattis, Derek Fisher Holt is the superior bench player, though Kemp is a spark plug. Gattis can hit the ball out of the park, so he s a guy the Red Sox need to be wary of. McCann brings great leadership, and while he s not having the best offensive year, he s still dangerous. Advantage: Boston. Managers: Alex Cora vs. A.J. Hinch Hinch has won it all as a manager, and while Cora was on that Astros staff in 2017 and won 108 games this year (five more than Hinch), the onus is on Cora to prove he can beat Hinch. Advantage: Houston. Red Sox ace Chris Sale ready to get started Peter Abraham Perhaps this will all seem quaint by the 2028 American League Championship Series, the idea of two starting pitchers expected to take their teams deep into a playoff game before grudgingly giving way to the bullpen. The diminishing influence of starters is already well underway, the 90-win Tampa Bay Rays proving that teams can be successful by using openers to start games and create favorable matchups from the first pitch. Oakland even tried it in their wild-card playoff game against the Yankees earlier this month. It didn t work, but other teams are sure to keep at it until it does. So here in 2018, that makes Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday night at Fenway Park something to savor while we still can as Chris Sale faces Justin Verlander. These are two aces who aren t concerned about facing a hitter for the third time. They intend to pitch as long as they can. Obviously we both have very good bullpens and big arms on either side. But this is more, I guess, the traditional way to play the game, and the way I like to play the game, Sale said Friday. That it comes against the Astros is fitting. Sale made his postseason debut at Minute Maid Park against Verlander in the Division Series last season and allowed first-inning home runs by Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve. When the Sox came back to tie the game, Sale allowed five more runs in what was an 8-2 loss. Houston went on to win the series in four games.

9 Now Sale gets another chance against the same team and same opposing pitcher. He s been ready, manager Alex Cora said. Game 1 last year in the Division Series, it wasn t a good one for him. And instead of taking it as a negative, he learned from it. It s not like he wants to beat the Astros more than the Yankees or the Royals. With Chris, he ll compete at a high level even throwing bullpens. So he s in a good place. He s ready to go. And I m glad that he s going to throw Game 1 for us. The Astros, like the Red Sox, are starter-driven. Houston has Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Dallas Keuchel, and Charlie Morton. All started at least 30 games and had 12 or more wins. In Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, and Nathan Eovaldi, the Sox have a similar group. It could be what decides the series between the teams with the two best records this season. I think it s just better for the game, Sale said. It s kind of one of those things where you have this starter versus this starter against these lineups. Sale was 11-4 with a 2.04 ERA and averaging 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings before he was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation in late July. The Sox, comfortably in first place, twice shut him down and in the five regular-season starts that followed never let him get beyond five innings or 92 pitches. Now Sale will be free to pitch as deep into the game as he can. The inflammation, while still being treated, isn t a problem. All the extra rest, careful usage, and tightly controlled pitch counts have led the lefthander here. Sale pitched twice against the Yankees in the Division Series, the second time in relief for an inning. He allowed two runs over 6⅓ innings and struck out nine with two walks. Both runs scored after he left Game 1 of that series. I ve had faith and trust in the coaching staff, my teammates, my doctors here, Sale said. We re at a point now where we can kind of let it go and just get back to pitching. And I think that process, leading up to that was a big part of that. We had to do what we had to do during the season to get here now... there s no holding back. Sale s four-seam fastball hit 96 m.p.h. when he pitched a perfect eighth inning against the Yankees when the Sox clinched the Division Series in New York on Tuesday. He also had the bite on his slider, the ball diving at the back foot of righthanded hitters. The goal was three outs, but Sale also should be sharper against the Astros instead of the alterative of having six days off. He was really good, Cora said. I do feel that the experience coming out of the bullpen in Game 4 in the division series helped him out. He was good, good fastball, good off-speed pitches. He didn t get caught up in the moment. Actually, he really enjoyed it. You could tell. And I don t want to say it was the bullpen, because it s a lot different, you know? But as far as usage, it was perfect. Not too many pitches, very efficient. And now he s ready. Moral victory for Red Sox: They passed on acquiring Astros closer Roberto Osuna Tara Sullivan

10 Game 1 of the ALCS is down to the ninth inning. The winning team is protecting a one-run lead. If that s the Red Sox, it s time for Craig Kimbrel. You clench your fists, knowing it might be a bumpy ride. If it s the Astros, it s time for Roberto Osuna. You clench your stomach, knowing it will be a revolting one. Do you really want to be OK with rooting for Osuna, the Astros closer who served a 75-game suspension this season for domestic violence? Sometimes in sports, the bad guy is not a matter of provincial loyalty or particular laundry. Sometimes, the villain is obvious. This series has one, and don me about his presumption of innocence or his right to work. To the latter playing Major League Baseball is a privilege, not a right. Nowhere is it written that Osuna and his fastball deserve to play. There has to be a team willing to give him that chance. And to the former, teams who realized that Major League Baseball concluded from its own investigation that a 75-game suspension was warranted, who understood that neither Osuna, the Blue Jays, nor the MLBPA appealed the suspension, who see that Osuna accepted a plea deal that reportedly included a restraining order and counselling, who understand more and more how difficult it is for victims such as Alejandra Roman Cota to come forward and ultimately testify (which Cota declined to do) and how that does not mean they are lying, they were more than justified in passing on him. As this championship series gets underway Saturday at Fenway Park, it s interesting to remember that one of those teams was the Red Sox. Boston was desperate for bullpen help probably still is, to be honest and Osuna was available at the trade deadline. But where the Astros were willing to acquire him from Toronto, where the Astros decided it was OK to put their baseball needs above their purportedly rigid zero tolerance policy against domestic violence, the Red Sox were not. For that, I applaud them. This is what Red Sox president Sam Kennedy told me in an Thursday when I asked about the organization s reasoning: We fully support MLB s collectively bargained Domestic Violence policy and while we do not comment on opposing players, we obviously chose another direction at the trade deadline last July to address our needs. Read between the lines and you get the gist: We re not touching this guy. Kennedy s words echoed what GM Dave Dombrowski said back at the deadline I would not talk about another organization s player, but I will say we did not pursue that situation, and what manager Alex Cora said during the team s workout Thursday: We talked about the situation before and the organization made a decision that we weren t going to pursue Osuna. The organization had their reasons, and I understand why. It s not an easy situation. But it should be an easy decision. Listen, the desire for moral superiority, or at least the appearance of such, is some tricky business. The willingness to step all over each other on the way to the moral high ground has turned our political conversation rancid, and downright mean. Defaulting to whataboutism constantly clouds issues that feel as if they should be clear. Just look at the Red Sox. What about Steven Wright, suspended for 15 games at the start of the season for domestic violence? What about Wil Cordero, former member of the Red Sox repeatedly arrested for altercations involving his ex-wife? Fair questions, no doubt. But mistakes of the past don t have to justify moves in the present. Different incidents require different responses. Remorse and responsibility matter. Our world has changed. Our climate has changed. Taking steps, even small ones, in respecting victims is so important. Empathy can trump expediency, the same way expediency for so long trumped empathy. The scales can change direction.

11 Remember, the Red Sox also declined to pursue Aroldis Chapman, who served a 30-game suspension for an altercation with his girlfriend that included discharging a firearm. From Larry Nassar, the disgraced faux doctor who victimized hundreds of young gymnasts, to Addison Russell, the Cubs infielder recently suspended 40 games after his ex-wife Melisa Reidy was able to put aside her fear and talk with investigators about years of mental and physical abuse at his hands, we are hearing what we were deaf to before. That the suspensions don t cover the postseason is a gap Major League Baseball still needs to close, which is why Osuna is available to play. And play he has, his 1.99 ERA over 23 appearances down the stretch helping the defending World Series champs reach 103 wins, his one save in two appearances in the ALDS helping them sweep the Indians. Kimbrel wasn t quite so automatic, his four-out save in Game 1 against the Yankees including a home run shot by Aaron Judge, his ninth-inning nail-biting appearance in Game 4 just barely avoiding the same fate by Gary Sanchez. Which one do you want on your side? Your brain might say Osuna. But your heart? Take Kimbrel all the way. How the Red Sox won us over, even (ahem) the skeptics Dan Shaughnessy Our sports High Renaissance continues. We are the center of the pro sports universe. This weekend, the ever-super Bowl-bound Patriots play the undefeated Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in the most anticipated NFL regular-season game of recent memory. On Tuesday, the Celtics kick off a season that is expected to find them in the NBA Finals against the world champion Warriors. Off to a 3-1 start, the Bruins switched their Saturday night game to a matinee so Hub fans can watch the Red Sox against the world champion Astros at night. Ah yes, the Red Sox once again the hottest team in town. It seems that everyone is buying in on the Red Sox at this hour. I say that with some certainty because I was one of the last holdouts. I thought the Yankees would beat Boston in the American League Division Series. I worried the Sox would fade quickly after their 108 regular-season wins. After watching them fail in the first round of the playoffs two years in a row, I feared they might not survive the two nights at Yankee Stadium early last week. I was wrong. After splitting two at Fenway against the Yankees a result that felt more like an 0-2 deficit to local cynics the Sox went to New York and made a statement, winning Game 3, 16-1, then erasing the Pinstripes entirely one night later. Boston never trailed in those last two games. So there. Book me a seat on the SS Alex Cora. What the Sox did to the Yankees firmly demonstrated that they are not the naive show ponies who danced after easy wins in then turtled badly in the postseason. They are not a house of cards artificially inflated by the 2018 Orioles, Royals, Blue Jays, and White Sox. They are not a raft of Mr. Julys pretending to be Mr. Octobers. The new-and-improved division champs dished out attitude after their win in the Bronx. Sox players mocked Sinatra s New York, New York in their champagne celebration at Yankee Stadium and acknowledged that they heard the noise from the pessimists after the split in Boston. A lot of people gave up on us after losing Game 2, said Cora, the ever-confident first-year manager.

12 A lot of guys doubted us, echoed shortstop Xander Bogaerts. I turned on the TV and everything is, Yankees in four. I m like, what is going on? How can we have 108 wins and they re like, the Yankees are going to win in four. I don t understand. Even the rarely quoted owner weighed in. I think the media from the first day of spring training was pretty negative, said Red Sox/Globe owner John Henry. Even though we won the division two years in a row... these guys are so talented, they just needed somebody to say, Go get em. And they went and got them this year all year long. Houston presents a greater challenge than the Yankees. The Astros won 103 games and are playoff-tough. They won two Game 7s last year, including the World Series finale at Dodger Stadium. They have four stud starting pitchers, including former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who will start Game 1 vs. Boston s Chris Sale. The Stros have a much better bullpen than the Red Sox and a lineup peppered with power and Big Moment guys (hello, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Marwin Gonzalez). They vaporized a strong Cleveland team in three quick games (all played in daylight to make room for the vaunted Red Sox and Yankees in prime time). On paper, beating Houston is a taller order than beating the Yankees. But this time I think the Sox can do it because they ve cleared the mental block of past failures. Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello were an aggregate 0-11 with a 6.18 ERA as postseason starters prior to the Yankee series. Sale and Porcello both pitched well and picked up their first playoff wins. Price is still a threat to collapse in the big moment, but his talent and track record against Houston have convinced Cora and team management that this time it will be different. Like Charlie Brown running to kick the football while Lucy holds it, I am also convinced Price is ready to win a playoff start. The Sox will be attempting to beat a 100-win team for the second straight series. The curse-busting 2004 Red Sox beat the 101-win Yankees and the 105-win Cardinals en route to the franchise s first World Series victory in 86 years. This will be the Sox sixth appearance in the ALCS since the start of this century. Grouped with the Patriots (12 AFC Championships), Celtics (six conference finals), and Bruins (two conference finals), Boston can now boast of 26 conference championship representatives since The Duck Boat count for the millennium Patriots (5), Sox (3), Celtics (1), Bruins (1) stands at 10. Grab your television remote and settle in. This should be one wild and crazy fortnight. * The Boston Herald Red Sox hope Mookie Betts can shake postseason struggles against Astros Jason Mastrodonato The Red Sox have made it this far without getting much of anything out of Mookie Betts bat. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series while Javier Baez was 5-for-30 (.167) with one homer and 13 strikeouts, though Baez had yet to become the superstar he is now. One year earlier, the Kansas City Royals won it all while their franchise player, Eric Hosmer, was 4-for-21 without a homer. It all depends on what the other guys do.

13 The 16 Cubs had Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta lead them from the mound. The 15 Royals had the dominant bullpen of Wade Davis, Greg Holland and Kelvin Herrera. And if Chris Sale, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi or Rick Porcello can lead the Red Sox, maybe Betts won t have to carry the team. But the Red Sox have relied heavily on Betts and J.D. Martinez to carry them all year. Betts ought to win the American League MVP when results are announced after the World Series. And he doesn t want to sit in the back seat while somebody else drives the Sox past the Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series, which begins tonight (8:09). I think it s just one of those things where I have to kind of embrace it, Betts said yesterday. If I have to go out and be one of the producers, then I have to go do it, no matter if you try to push (the pressure) to the side or not. Since the start of 2016, the Red Sox have two players who rank in the bottom 25 of postseason performers ranked by OPS (mininum 40 at-bats): Xander Bogaerts (.551 OPS) and Betts (.667 OPS). Betts 14 total bases in that span are fewer than all but six players. Overall, he s 10-for-42 with four doubles, no homers, six runs and just two RBI in the last three AL Division Series. He was 3-for-16 with a double in this year s ALDS vs. the Yankees. It s just one of those things where I know I have to go in and do something and help the team win in some way, he said. And if it s getting three hits, then cool. If it s making a nice play in the outfield, that s fine, too. So I m just going to do whatever I can to help the team win. And I think we have a bunch of guys here that can do something to help the team win, so it s just one of those things where I don t feel so pressured to do everything. But I know I have to do something. Why hasn t Betts performed up to his capabilities in the postseason? One theory is that he s putting too much pressure on himself again. Two years ago, David Ortiz had to pull him aside and tell him that his talent would take him far if he would think less. Betts took it to heart and later credited Ortiz for helping him find his groove. But earlier this year, the Red Sox again saw a player who was trying to do too much, to carry the team on his shoulders. When Betts went 17 games without a homer in the middle of August, hitting coach Tim Hyers reminded him that simplicity was Betts friend. He needed to trust his hands, not use his entire body to try to smash balls out of the park. Manager Alex Cora echoed a similar sentiment when discussing Betts performance against the Yankees in the Division Series. Game 3 was outstanding, Game 4 I think he caught up in trying to do a lot, which is understandable, Cora said. But I think it s good that we won and he didn t take charge offensively like he s been doing the whole season, so that s a plus for our team.

14 And I know he s prepared. He s in here in the scouting report, and hearing how bad he was last year against Houston from his manager. He ll be ready. He had a great series against them here during the year.... He s looking forward to it. I know that, like I am. And he s going to be fine. Betts admitted he s been feeling some pressure in the postseason. I think just the sense is that, you know, we have a limited amount of games, I think, so if you don t get it done now then it s never, he said. And during the season you have 162 games to get it done. So I guess there is some sense of pressure there, but I have to understand that I can only do what I can do. If Martinez can come up with a few more big hits and the Red Sox can continue to get production out of the bottom of their lineup, they can win without Betts doing a whole lot. It d be a lot easier if the MVP shows up this October. It s been a long season, Betts said. We were successful this year and there would be no reason for us to change and do something different now. I know I have to do whatever I do that s how I scored 120 runs or whatever it is, just getting on base for (Martinez). And we just continue to win games. I m very excited about it. Obviously we got that monkey off our back as far as getting past the first round. So we can be excited about that. Chris Sale can t forget last year s ALDS loss to the Astros Stephen Hewitt If Chris Sale needed any extra motivation heading into his Game 1 start against the Astros tonight in the American League Championship Series, he wouldn t need to look too hard. It was a year ago, in his postseason debut against these very same Astros, when he was rocked in his worst start of the season at the worst possible time. It put the Red Sox in a hole they never dug out of as they lost the Division Series in four games. But as he takes the ball tonight at Fenway Park, that start doesn t seem to be anything but a reference point. I don t know if it s motivation, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. I think he uses it the other way around, like as a learning experience. That seems to mesh with how Sale feels, too. Even before the playoffs began, Sale was adamant he wasn t trying to go out and erase the memory of that start a year ago. He embraced it, said he looked back on it, and tried to learn from it. I m not going to hide from it, Sale said before his Game 1 start against the Yankees. It is what it is. You can Google it now, tomorrow and 100 years and it s going to be there. I own it. I accept it. And like I said, I m going to be better. I m going to go do everything I can to be better. That s all I can do. A week later, nothing much has changed. To his credit, Sale has been better. Last year, four days after his forgettable Game 1 performance, he tossed 42 3 innings of relief in Game 4. This year, he s had a better start to the playoffs, pitching five strong innings in a Game 1 win over the Yankees before throwing a scoreless eighth in the series-clinching win on Tuesday. So as he heads into the ALCS, the lefty is certainly better prepared. It s almost the same type of situation as last year Game 1, opposing Astros ace Justin Verlander and the approach is no different than usual.

15 I think it s just staying locked in, not trying to play above your playing grade, I guess, not reaching for more, Sale said. I think we were a 108-win team for a reason and that s because everyone did what they needed to do throughout the year to get those wins and guys stepped up. I think it s just more of the same not trying to do more in these situations where the lights are brighter, the crowds are louder. We don t need more, we just need the same. The challenge is greater, too, as Sale is well aware. In last year s Game 1, the lefty was hit early and often against the Astros explosive lineup. He gave up back-to-back homers to Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve in the first inning, and that set the course. By the end, Sale gave up nine hits and seven earned runs in five innings in an 8-2 Red Sox loss. Cora, who was the bench coach for the Astros then, said Sale had good stuff that day, but his location was off, and everything happened fast for him. Sale then made the necessary adjustments when he returned in Game 4, which gives his manager confidence for tonight. I think he used that as a learning experience, Cora said. You know, it s not like he wants to beat the Astros more than the Yankees or the Royals. With Chris, he ll compete at a high level even throwing bullpen. So he s in a good place. He s ready to go. And I m glad that he s going to throw Game 1 for us. No begrudging the fact the Red Sox have motivation in this series Michael Silverman Holding grudges is not in the best interests for anyone s long-term health. But in a postseason baseball series? The bigger the chip on the shoulder, the better for everybody. The power of a grudge is never to be underestimated, and this Red Sox-Astros series contains enough edginess to make sure the mutual respect and two best teams in baseball and Alex Cora loves everybody on the Astros and vice versa storylines don t soak us all with syrupy sweetness. Start with J.D. Martinez. At the end of spring training in 2014, the Astros ran out of faith and patience with Martinez and released him just after he told them he spent all winter revamping his swing. They didn t believe him. The Tigers did and the rest is history 171 home runs and.958 OPS over his past five seasons. Martinez has said he has gotten over using the Astros release as motivational fuel. But he sure didn t deny that it s brought him to this stage, making it easier to use this series as the ultimate opportunity for a big fat told you so. How much does it drive me? I think my failures in Houston is what made me who I am, said Martinez yesterday. I think it s given me that drive, that drive to keep working, because you never know what can happen type deal. As far as it being Houston, no, really, I mean, I learned a lot from Houston. And you know what, it made me who I am and there s really no animosity there. In a sense they did me a favor by allowing me to leave and going to play on another team. And if it wasn t for that I probably wouldn t be here right now. Who knows where I would have been? That s easy to answer. Martinez would be exactly where he is now, in Boston, except in an Astros uniform and as their DH, if they had known who they had on their hands. Then there s Chris Sale.

16 In his postseason debut last year, Sale pitched like David Price and got pummeled by the Astros in Game 1 for seven runs and three homers. He redeemed himself somewhat in Game 4 as a reliever, and then acquitted himself well in this year s Division Series as a starter and reliever against the New York Yankees. But what about payback for Game 1 last year? Like I ve been saying the whole time, just keep playing the same game, not trying to reach for more, not trying to be better than I am, said Sale. We shouldn t play as a team like that either. The Red Sox seem to be a little touchy about so many in the media doubting their chances after the Yankees took Game 2. But what rubbed more salt in their imaginary wounds was when the Yanks Aaron Judge walked past the Red Sox clubhouse at Fenway Park with a speaker playing New York, New York after Game 2. Barely noticed the slight was their mantra, but then what song did the Red Sox turn up high at the beginning of their Division Series clinching party in the Yankees clubhouse? You guessed it. It s doubtful if the Astros have somebody cheeky enough to do what Judge did, but what song would the Sox play in case of a victory over Houston? No songs, said Mookie Betts, before changing his mind and goading Martinez, telling him You should know the song. Martinez remembered with a laugh. What s their song, Deep in the Heart of Texas? I don t know. Probably not. Maybe not a song. But motivation. You find it where you can and you use it. Sometimes it works. There s been a few things in the playoffs that I lived through it, said manager Alex Cora. Cleveland decided (in 2007 ALCS vs. the Sox) to bring (Sox pitcher Josh) Beckett s ex-girlfriend (to sing the national anthem) in Game 5, I think it was. That didn t work out. And I don t know about the song. But that s for the players to talk about. I know they had a great time after we clinched to play the music. I don t know. It was funny. But I think at the end if you need motivation at this time, you re playing the wrong sport. You ve got a chance to win four games and go to the World Series and win eight games and get a ring and, like I joked with them, but it s true, that check in December is a good one. You know? Plain old revenge for last year s Division Series should, in theory, be more than enough of a grudge. It s what you play for, said Cora. Your offseason workouts and then spring training and then 162 games and you put yourself in a situation that you either win 11 games in October... and you can say that you play for the best team in baseball. That s the only motivation you need. And our guys are locked in with that. They understand that. Red Sox notebook: Decision time on Mitch Moreland s hamstring Jason Mastrodonato The Red Sox like to run the bases with speed and aggression, but that could prove difficult if they decide to take Mitch Moreland on their roster.

17 As of last night, the Sox had not announced their roster for the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, which begins tonight at Fenway Park. They re unsure if Moreland (sore hamstring) will be on it. Moreland participated in a full workout on the field yesterday and said he felt good. But when asked if he d be able to run the bases at regular speed, he said, regular speed probably won t be until November-December. But yeah, if I m smart with it I can get where I need to be. If the Sox can t go with Moreland, they re likely to add another pitcher to the roster and go with 12 pitchers and 13 position players this round. Lefties Bobby Poyner and Brian Johnson along with right-hander Hector Velazquez are options. Moreland thinks he s healthy enough to contribute. They just wanted me to feel it out there at first, and I pick it up as I went, he said of his workout. Last one I did a little bit more effort level, got on it like percent, right in that range, and I hadn t felt it at all. It s constantly getting better, day in and day out. On the right track. Obviously it s something I m going to have to be aware of, be smart with, but if I get the opportunity I think I ll be ready. Steve Pearce has handled first base when Moreland hasn t been able to go, but Brock Holt, who hit for the cycle in Game 3 of the Division Series and hasn t played since, is also capable of handling first. Inside information After spending the entire 2017 season on the Astros bench, Alex Cora is hoping his knowledge of the opposition will help the Red Sox this series. I retain. I have a good memory. I do, Cora said. I don t know man, they re good players, they do a lot of good things... I have an idea. I don t know it s going to work. It doesn t guarantee it s going to work. Everybody is like, Alex knows them. Well, yeah, but they re still good players. They re pretty good. But we ll talk. And we ll do our thing. Hopefully I learned something from them that s going to make a difference in one of the four games we want to win. If that happens, well, being familiar with them really helped. But it doesn t guarantee anything. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was asked if Cora s knowledge gave the Red Sox an advantage. Not really, Altuve said. This is a new year. We have really good players. I think both sides are really good and have really good teams pitching here. It s going to be a pretty good series. Beyond explanation David Price, who will pitch in Game 2 tomorrow, remained a hot topic of conversation yesterday. Justin Verlander said he s surprised that Price, a teammate when they were in Detroit, still hadn t won a postseason start in 10 tries. Great teammate, really enjoyed my time with David, Verlander said. Him and I still talk all the time, stay in touch. And, yeah, I do find that odd. Honestly I hope the trend continues for the short term now. Does Price s poor postseason track record matter to the Stros?