Sep 1, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ernie Clement (28) gestures as he rounds the bases on a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Cora doesn’t name Devers as third base option after Bregman injury
Cora doesn’t name Devers as third base option after Bregman injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Don’t count on Rafael Devers to move back to third base as Alex Bregman’s injury replacement.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t mention Devers as a third base option while naming potential replacements after Friday’s 19-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
“Ceddanne (Rafaela) can play third, Sogey (Nick Sogard) can play third, (Abraham) Toro can play third,” Cora said. “I don’t know how much KC (Kristian Campbell) played last year. We know Connor (Wong) can do it. So in case of emergency, we can move KC to the outfield, Ceddanne to the infield, and go from there.
Bregman exited Friday’s game in the fifth inning after he pulled up awkwardly rounding first base. The prized offseason addition immediately removed himself from the game, prompting panic across Red Sox Nation.
Later, the Red Sox announced Bregman left the game with right quad tightness. He called the injury a “day-to-day” thing, which is encouraging given how the injury initially looked.
Cora may not need to find a long-term answer at third base after all, but his omission of Devers’ name is telling. Devers has already called out the Red Sox front office for asking him to play first base after moving him from third to designated hitter. It appears Cora and Co. are avoiding another difficult conversation with the veteran slugger.
They also may not want to disrupt Devers’ scorching-hot stretch as the DH. He blasted two homers and drove in eight runs in Friday’s blowout victory, bumping his OPS up to .972 in the process.
If Bregman has to be placed on the injured list, another option for Boston is promoting top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer. Although Mayer is primarily a shortstop, and he has recently spent his time at second base, he also has experience at the hot corner.
Yankees open lengthy West Coast trip with stunning 3-2 loss to Rockies
DENVER (AP) — Ryan McMahon lined a two-run double off the top of the centerfield wall, Tanner Gordon got his first major league win and the scuffling Colorado Rockies stopped a five-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the AL East-leading New York Yankees on Friday night.
In front of a sellout crowd at Coors Field, the Rockies improved to 9-42, the most losses through 51 games since 1901. Colorado, which has yet to win a series this season, is 2-9 since Wayne Schaeffer replaced Bud Black as manager.
Aaron Judge hit his 17th homer of the season, a solo shot in the fifth of his first regular season game at Coors Field. He finished 2 for 4 and raised his major league-leading average to .398.
Gordon (1-1), a 27-year-old right-hander who entered with a 5.68 ERA, allowed two runs and five hits in six innings before turning it over to the bullpen.
After Jake Bird threw a perfect seventh, Seth Halvorsen worked his way out of trouble in the eighth by getting Judge to hit into a double play and striking out Ben Rice. Zach Agnos pitched around a one-out walk in the ninth for his third save.
New York went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and its last 14 batters failed to get a hit. The Yankees had won six of their previous seven games.
Clarke Schmidt (1-2) was cruising along until the fifth and had a 2-1 lead when he allowed two-out singles by Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman. He was taken out for Tim Hill, who surrendered the two-run double to McMahon.
Some of the loudest cheers of the night were for Judge and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who delivered a strike while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Key moment
The Yankees hit into two double plays, including a nifty turn by second baseman Adael Amador in the fourth.
Key stat
The Rockies are 2-2 this season while wearing their vibrant City Connect uniforms.
Up next
Yankees lefty Max Fried (6-0, 1.29 ERA) can tie Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (7-3) for the major league lead in wins Saturday. Colorado will throw lefty Kyle Freeland (0-6, 5.68).
Pete Crow-Armstrong hits 2 HR with 6 RBI for Cubs after Red Sox’s Rafael Devers drives in 8 with 2 HR
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s grand slam in the eighth inning lifted the Chicago Cubs to an 8-6 lead and an eventual 13-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Armstrong hit two home runs with six RBI, putting him among the league leaders in both categories in what’s been an impressive start to his 2025 season.
Crow-Armstrong’s first homer was a two-run shot in the fourth that put the Cubs on the board after falling behind 4-0. Reds pitcher Hunter Greene threw a 100-mph fastball on the outside edge of the strike zone, yet Crow-Armstrong still pulled it into the right field seats.