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00:00Alex Cora, first thing I have to ask you about before we get to the weird game last night
00:04is apparently a weird flight to Minnesota via Detroit that had some people sick.
00:09I know you supposedly slept through it, but was it as bad as I've heard?
00:14Not supposedly. I slept through it.
00:18We got off at the airport here in Minnesota, and there were a few guys that looked like zombies on the way down.
00:29There were a lot of sick people. Supposedly, it was very tough, but for me, when I'm out, I'm out.
00:37It took us a while to get here. You can tell, with luck yesterday, he wasn't feeling great.
00:44Bello was another one, Rafaela. We kind of grinded through it yesterday.
00:50It got weird, too, at the end of the game yesterday with the rain delay so late.
00:54Too bad we lost the game, but got to be ready for tonight.
00:57So you kind of alluded to the fact that Jordan Hicks was all you had left, so he warms up.
01:03He waits 90 minutes. He has to warm up again.
01:06Is that a weird situation? Explain to us.
01:09Could the umpires have given you a heads up that, hey, we may have to put the tarp out between half innings here?
01:14Maybe you don't want to warm him up, or is it just sort of an unfortunate circumstance that nobody could do anything about?
01:20Well, halfway through the top of the nines, it's a tie game, and fans started leaving the stadium.
01:30You know, like, they're getting up and they're leaving. I'm like, this is weird.
01:34I knew there was going to be weather. We talked about it before the game.
01:37And nothing, you know, you know, it's still two bases. Roman gets a hit.
01:43You know, inning ends. Hicks is hot. He's actually coming in.
01:50I'm going to play to give, you know, the pitching change and the defensive changes.
01:57And right there, I see the head ground screw guy talking to Alfonso Marquez, who's the head, the crew chief of this group.
02:05And I was like, oh, shoot. You know, and right there, boom, they decided to cover the field.
02:12At that point, it's like, you know what, they're going to suspend this one.
02:17We'll show up tomorrow, finish the half inning, and then play the game on schedule.
02:24And that wasn't the case.
02:27Imagine, you know, I truly believe it was such a different, it was so different.
02:33You know, we just got ahead against one of the best closers in the game.
02:38Hicks, you know, he's hot and he's ready to come in.
02:41And then he had to wait an hour and a half.
02:43He wasn't perfect. We weren't able to finish the game.
02:47You know, but, you know, it was a tough one as far as, like, where we were in the bullpen.
02:53If it was another circumstance, you know, like we had more guys,
02:58Hicks wasn't going to go out there and try to finish the game.
03:01We would have pitched somebody else and tried to do it because it's very hard.
03:05It's very hard, you know, especially for closers.
03:08Adrenaline going on, you're locked in, and then you have to wait for an hour and a half.
03:11That was a tough one.
03:13So with all of those moving parts over a wild last 24 hours,
03:17as you turn your focus to tonight with the bullpen, do you have full availability?
03:20Are you expecting Whitlock back?
03:22And is Aroldis Chapman starting to bounce back?
03:24Yeah, I just got to the ballpark.
03:27We pushed everything back, and I just saw Chapman.
03:31He worked out in the morning.
03:32He got some treatment earlier today.
03:35He's going to go out there and play catch.
03:38It feels like he feels a lot better.
03:41I told him, I said, hey, if it's not today, it's tomorrow.
03:43You don't have to, like, you know, rush yourself because we're where you're at.
03:47Whitlock is healthy.
03:48Obviously, a few guys down.
03:50They have pitched a lot the last few days, but we're in a good spot.
03:54We do need Gio to go deeper into the game, give us five or six, 100 pitches.
04:00It's one of those that we probably need 100, 105, regardless of where we're at in the game,
04:06just to make sure we are able to try to win the game or reset the bullpen.
04:11You know, that's how it works, and hopefully we win the game
04:14and we are able to reset the bullpen at the same time.
04:17Hey, Alex, Roman Anthony has the best on-base percentage in major leagues
04:21in the last 45 played appearances.
04:23I'm guessing that's why you basically said for the foreseeable future,
04:27he's going to be your leadoff.
04:28But it was also to benefit maybe Jaron Duran,
04:31seeing how him being moved down in the lineup has kind of woke him up.
04:35Is that part of why you said it so definitively a couple days ago?
04:40Both, yeah.
04:41Just on-base percentage skills of Roman.
04:46You put him ahead of Alex, they have to make decisions.
04:50Hopefully he doesn't have to face too many lefties
04:52because he'll be sandwiched in between.
04:55Well, in this case, I think we got Toro hitting ninth and Alex hitting second,
04:59but, you know, most of the time it's going to be Sedan hitting ninth,
05:03Roman leading off, and Alex hitting second.
05:06So they have to make a decision.
05:07Do we bring a lefty for Anthony?
05:10And if they do, Alex is having his best season against lefties in his career.
05:15So we'll take advantage of it.
05:16And Roman is going to be okay against lefties.
05:19With Jaron, I think hitting third will benefit him,
05:22kind of like watch the game, slow down the at-bats.
05:24He's been really good with men on.
05:25And at the same time, and I know it sounds weird,
05:29we're going to just give him the green light, you know,
05:31hitting third just to put pressure on the opposition.
05:34Hopefully Trevor can get more fastballs
05:36and then just put pressure on the pitcher.
05:41And so far, so good.
05:43I think Jaron is having an outstanding month of July,
05:46controlling the strike zone, walks her up, hitting the ball hard.
05:50So I think those top three, the ways we rearrange it,
05:55it feels good right now.
05:57And hopefully it continues to produce.
06:00Red Sox manager Alex Cora joining us here on WEI Afternoons.
06:03Alex, one of the things we've talked about with your lineup is,
06:06obviously it can be potent and it can put up runs,
06:09but it seems like you have a lot of guys that can be streaky
06:12and go through really hot stretches.
06:14Abreu, different guys.
06:15Raffaella now came off a hot streak and is a little cool.
06:18How do you explain that?
06:20Is it a lot of young hitters learning as they go in the big leagues
06:24or is that just the DNA of some hitters in baseball?
06:27You are streaky.
06:28How do you explain so many streaky guys in this lineup?
06:31I think there's a lot of streaky guys around the league, right?
06:35League average right now is, what, 247, if that,
06:39and with an LPS, it's 717.
06:41You know, good pitching.
06:44The one thing we talk about is you're going to go through your hot streak
06:49for two weeks, but then when it evens out, it's not like rock bottom, right?
06:56Like just stay level, you know, take your walks, keep hitting the ball hard,
07:00understanding that you're not going to get a hit every at bat,
07:03but you can put a quality at bat every single time.
07:06And it feels like sometimes our guys, our kids, you know,
07:10they get caught up on the numbers and trying to make it happen
07:14instead of, okay, I don't feel right at the plate.
07:18Let me slow it down, take a few pitches.
07:21Hopefully I'll be 2-0, 3-1, 3-2 count, take your walk.
07:25It's not all about swing the bat, you know.
07:27Sometimes you got to make sure, you know, understand where you're at
07:32with your swing.
07:33And if your swing doesn't feel right, then swing less, right?
07:38That's like common sense, you know.
07:40And I tell the guys, man, like I wish my managers would have told me,
07:45Alex, swing less, you know, because you don't have a great swing, right?
07:49Like work your walk and all that.
07:52And then this is the truth, man.
07:53In 21, Kike, he was on the COVID IL, right?
08:00He was Cleveland and Tampa.
08:01He came back and he was having an outstanding season and his swing rate
08:06was low.
08:07And he was just maximizing his swing in certain areas and doing damage.
08:12And when he came back, he tried to like swing his way into the, you know,
08:20into the groove of things, right?
08:21Like I got to swing, I got to swing, I got to swing.
08:23And he was in this slump.
08:25And before a game, it was a day game.
08:28I'm talking to him and like, how do you feel?
08:30I'm like, I feel great physically.
08:32How's your swing?
08:33And he's like, it doesn't feel great.
08:35I'm like, you know you're swinging more than early in the season, right?
08:38How do you feel, how do you swing felt early in the season?
08:41Ah, it was great.
08:42Well, Kike, swing less.
08:44And he looked at me with this like, oh shoot, that makes sense.
08:47You know?
08:48And he started taking his walks.
08:51And I'm a big believer when you start walking, at one point you're going to get hot
08:56because it means that you're controlling the strikes.
08:58And so hopefully, you know, like Willie yesterday, that was a good, good game.
09:02You know, he had some great at-bats.
09:04He got a few hits.
09:05Sedan has been patient lately, taking his pitches.
09:08Although there's no results, but the process is in the right place.
09:12So hopefully, you know, they get hot.
09:15And, you know, with Alex and Roman and Jaren, you know, get two guys hot in the lineup will
09:20be amazing.
09:21Alex, on Sedan for just a moment, he was one of the hottest hitters on the planet over
09:25the few weeks before the All-Star break and then coming out of it.
09:29How often are you expecting to see him at second base now with Marcelo Meyer's injury?
09:34And how would you describe his progress at the position since taking over?
09:37Yeah, he's a lead defender at second, at short, in center field.
09:44You know, probably play him more than we really want to, but it's where we're at roster-wise
09:50right now.
09:51You saw the play he made the other day against the Dodgers, the Dolph play.
09:55He made two great plays against the Phillies in the last game of that road trip.
10:00So, he's really good.
10:03And I hate to move him around, but, you know, it's out of necessity, right?
10:08This is where we're at.
10:09Tonight, he's playing center field.
10:11Hammy's playing second.
10:13And Masa is not starting.
10:15We got, you know, we got David here.
10:18He needs to play at some point, right?
10:20And he's a good defender.
10:22Hopefully, he can get going offensively.
10:24You saw what he can do running the bases.
10:27So, hopefully, he can have a good game today.
10:29We'll get Masa back tomorrow.
10:31But, you know, we're going to maximize the roster.
10:36That's where we're at right now with the injury.
10:39And hopefully, the guys get used to it and they can perform.
10:43Alex, I feel like before the All-Star break, you kind of alluded to that after the All-Star
10:47break that you'd hope, you know, that your team was, you know, playing around 500 ball before
10:50the trade deadline to maybe entice the organization to make moves at the trade deadline, which is
10:55just two days away.
10:57Do you feel like the club there, you guys are 4-6 since the All-Star break.
11:01Do you feel like you've done enough and warranted enough for them to do something significant
11:06in the next couple of days to improve your ball club?
11:09Yeah, I hate to say it, but, you know, the season ends today and that's not the case.
11:14We got Gary Crochet in game one in the wildcard series, right?
11:17So, are we perfect?
11:20We're not.
11:21Are we a good baseball team?
11:22We are.
11:23And, you know, we just have to come here today and have a great day here in Minnesota.
11:29Hopefully, tomorrow we win the series and then Thursday, wait and see what happens.
11:32I know Craig and the group, they're working hard, you know, the phones and talking to
11:37people and the expectations are, you know, for us to be better or to improve the team in
11:45the upcoming days, right?
11:46That's not a guarantee that we're going to be better, but the hope is that we improve the
11:50team and then we keep playing good baseball.
11:53And, you know, it's hard right now, I bet, you know, in every office, right?
12:00Because you look around, there's a lot of teams that have a chance to make it to the playoffs.
12:05So, you know, the prices probably are up the roof, you know, they're way up there and you
12:11have to be smart not only for the now, but also for the future.
12:14But just talking to Craig and the people involved, you know, the goal is for us to improve in
12:22the upcoming days.
12:23Is that a necessity?
12:24Because I know you've made some comments that other teams are going to improve.
12:28So it's not just about you improving, but if you don't do anything and somebody else
12:31improves, you're falling behind.
12:33So is it almost a necessity to keep up with the Joneses, quote unquote, to improve the
12:38baseball team in two days?
12:41I'm a big believer that, you know, around this time, you know what you need to do to get
12:47better, right?
12:48And like I said, we're not a perfect team.
12:50So, you know, we'll see what the upcoming days have to bring, you know.
12:55And at the same time, it is a different group compared to the last few years.
13:01There's not a lot of veteran guys, you know.
13:03There's a lot of kids that are playing here that are playing to establish themselves in
13:07the big leagues.
13:08And I hope they cancel the noise, right?
13:10And they just keep playing.
13:12So like I said, you know, our job is for us to show up today.
13:16We've got G on the mound and put some good at-bats and win the game and do the same
13:20thing tomorrow.
13:21And then Thursday is going to be an off day.
13:23So, you know, some people will enjoy it.
13:25Others have to work a lot.
13:28Alex, before I let you go, I know you expressed some disappointment, I guess, in the environment
13:33at Fenway Park on Saturday, all the Dodgers fans.
13:36And I wanted to ask you, was that sort of a disappointment in fans in allowing that environment
13:41to be created in your home ballpark?
13:43Or was your alluding to the Dodgers and their success, almost disappointment in the organization
13:48for you guys not competing at a high enough level to prevent that from happening in your
13:53own ballpark?
13:55No, no, no, no, no.
13:56It was a tip of the hat to the Dodgers, to the organization, to their fan base.
14:02This is a topic that's been going on the last few years, you know.
14:05Like, if I'm a Dodger fan and I live in the East Coast, when they go to Fenway Park, I
14:10want to be there, right?
14:11And, you know, it was different.
14:13It was very different.
14:15But at the same time, if you look at the highlights of the 2018 World Series, Game 5, I guarantee
14:21you there were three quarters of the fans there, they were Red Sox fans, you know.
14:25So, it goes hand in hand, right?
14:27And I think people enjoy going to Fenway.
14:30But that fan base, just like the Mets, man, the last few years, they've done an amazing
14:36job traveling.
14:37And they have this, it's very similar to football, right?
14:40To soccer overseas, you know.
14:42Like, they have this group of fans that they travel, you know.
14:47And they like to take over the opposition stadiums.
14:51And, you know, it was more about what they have done lately.
14:55And obviously, the fan base, you know, they've been amazing.
14:58All right.
14:58I know I can't ask you to say this, but I'm just going to say two words that I want to
15:02hear by Thursday are Joe Ryan.
15:03That's what I'm looking for at the trade deadline.
15:05We can go about our business.
15:07I'll wish you good luck tonight in Minnesota.
15:10But I'm still dreaming of Joe Ryan heading toward the trade deadline.
15:13So, good luck out there.
15:15I appreciate you.
15:17Talk to you later.
15:18All right.
15:18Thanks, Alex.
15:18Thanks, Alex.
15:18Thanks, Alex.
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