Red Sox starter Sean O’Sullivan had won in each of his previous three starts, but he allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings on Friday.
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At roughly 2 a.m. Saturday, the news broke that Boston had acquired Diamondbacks closer Brad Ziegler for a pair of Sally Leaguers, but it wasn’t until close to mid-day that the team announced that incumbent closer Craig Kimbrel would miss three to six weeks following surgery to fix a medial meniscus tear in his left knee.
Kimbrel will have surgery on his knee to fix cartilage on Monday, which will force him to sit out between 3 and 6 weeks.
Kimbrel did not play Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays due to discomfort in his left knee during pregame warm-ups.
Boston reacted quickly to the news, acquiring Arizona closer Brad Ziegler for two minor leaguers early Saturday morning.
“This is an anomaly”, Farrell said.
David Ortiz hit his 21st home run of the season, Bryce Brentz had two hits and broke a tie with an RBI single in the sixth and the Red Sox beat the Rays 6-5 on Friday night.
With all of the bullpen troubles, and now the Craig Kimbrel injury, this trade couldn’t have come at a better time. Martinez is batting.283/.306/.383 with a home run and three RBIs in 32 games this season with the Indians. “On days when he isn’t available, we’ve got Brad to turn to”.
“Well, the names that we don’t want to trade always start the conversation”, Dombrowski said.
Brentz’s hit made a loser of Chris Archer (4-12), who became the first 12-game loser in the major leagues while falling to 1-9 lifetime against the Red Sox. “Luckily I was able to do something to help the team out”. “We can’t put guys in bubbles, and yet you get a little bit of a change in direction, and this is what happens”.
Hill was in the starting lineup Friday and Saturday. “The first time that he had been away from the Tigers after six full years in the big leagues there”.
So far this season, the side-arm throwing righty has an ERA of 2.82 to go along with 18 saves collected in the desert.
The 36-year-old has given up 41 hits and 15 walks while striking out 27 batters in 38 1/3 innings, not almost as dominant as last season when he posted a 1.85 ERA and allowed only 48 hits and 17 walks in 68 innings. And even if Craig Kimbrel and Junichi Tazawa aren’t seriously injured, the Red Sox still need another late-inning reliever to ease the burden on 41-year-old setup man Koji Uehara.
Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will hope Ziegler can fortify the bullpen, which has been depleted in recent weeks with the pitching staff as a whole struggling.
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This isn’t something that’s gone unnoticed all year with Porcello winning eight of nine starts at Fenway this year – getting the no-decision in the other game.
