Ovi's Backstop Podcast

Red Sox and Twins split the series. Red Sox battle against the Blue Jays for the top AL East Division.

Red Sox outlasted the Tigers and hope to continue their success in Fenway Park.

Bobby Dalbec helps Red Sox avoid sweep. Red Sox travel to Detroit Tigers.

Welcome to a new season of the Backstop Podcast.  Major League baseball has begun opening day on April 7 but for the Red Sox and Yankees, they will wait until Friday, April 8th because of rain.  The Red Sox were supposed to open at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.  However, due to the MLB lockout, the season was pushed a week later.  So here we are waiting for the games to begin, an actual rivalry game between the Yankees and Red Sox.  In their last meeting, the Red Sox eliminated the Yankees in the Wild Card game. Then, the Red Sox took care of business against the Rays in the ALDS before falling to the American League Champions, the Houston Astros.   This season, there are still so many questions on how the Red Sox will survive the season.  Just like last year, the Red Sox were predicted to finish fourth in the American League East.  This season, the Red Sox are projected to finish tied in third in the standings with the yankees and sneak their way into the playoffs.  But, there are so many factors that may be an issue in the AL East.  I will talk briefly about that and the outlook of Red Sox baseball.  The big issue in MLB games will be the teams that play against the Toronto Blue Jays.  Because of Canada's vaccination requirements, any player who is not vaccinated cannot enter the country.  The NBA is dealing with these circumstances as they ramp up for the playoffs.  In MLB, everyone will find out if the players are vaccinated or not when the team travels to Canada.  In the AL East, that will be a concern because of the high competition.  The division is the best of MLB.  Last year, the Rays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays won over 90 games.  The Rays won 100 regular season games.  Not having a full roster to enter Canada can be a huge difference maker until Canada's law changes.  And in fact, it does not look like it will change anytime soon.  My prediction on the AL East for 2022 areBlue jays in first placeRed Sox secondYankees thirdRays fourthOrioles fifthThe Blue Jays have red hot Vladimir Guierrero, Jr who batted a .311 48 HRs with 111 RBIs.  Bo Bichette and the healthy George Springer can get the offense on track. Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who is coming from the San Francisco Giants, had an awesome season with 14 wins and 6 losses with a 2.81 ERA.  Jordan Romano is the closer who saved 23 out of 24 games.  For the Red Sox, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, similar to last season.  You can expect both All Stars Raffael Devers and Xander Bogaerts to have a phenomenal season.  Both may be playing their last season with the Red Sox.  Both declined an extension and can have their eyes on Free Agency.  Trevor Story is a new addition to the Red Sox this season.  He played six seasons with the Colorado Rockies.  He averaged .272  His best season was in 2018 when he hit 37 HRs with 108 RBIs.  However, he does strike out often.  In each full season, he has struck out over 100 times.  Jackie Bradley JR is back.  After one season with the Milwaukee Brewers, Bradley returns to play RF.  His defense was missed and could have been a difference maker if he would have been involved in the ALCS against the Houston Astros. The downfall is that Bradley cannot hit very well.  He has a career batting average of .230.  JD Martinez, Kike Hernandez, and Alex Verdugo will spark up the offense.  Christian Vasquez is dependable in clutch hitting and controlling the pitchers.  And Bobby Dalbec, what type of player will he be this season?  Can he reduce the amount of Strikeouts and pound the ball like he did in the 2020 season? He will be sharing time at first base this season. In pitching,  starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck return.  Michael Wacha and Rich Hill are the newcomers from the New York Mets.  It is a far stretch as to what caliber type pitchers they will become in this rotation.  We just hope Chris Sale can return healthy as he is projected to return in June.  There is no closer for the Red Sox.  One can only assume Matt Barnes will start to close.  He had a strong first half season in 2021 but after he signed a new contract with the team, he went downhill.  Garrett Whitlock took the reign.  Can the Red Sox surprise the league in 2022.  Anything is possible with Alex Cora.  Cora will be managing the Red Sox for his fourth season.  He has always had a winning season.  In 2018, his first season, he managed the team to win their fourth World Series of the millennium.  Last season, the team lost in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.  The team finished with 92 wins, 70 losses, 20 games over what was projected.  Expect more surprises in 2022.  Thank you for listening to the backstop Podcast.  Follow me on Facebook and Subscribe to the YouTube channel.  You can also follow me on Twitter at ovi_hhwshow.  Enjoy the season everyone.  Let's Play ball.  

Kike Hernandez and Nick Pivetta MVPs so far in the series. Heroics and dramatic finish.

#RedSox sweep series. Take on #Yankees in New York.

Red Sox lose another series to the Rays; focuses on Orioles this weekend.

Red Sox lose the series against the Blue Jays. Set on a three game home series versus the Rays.

Red Sox lose three straight series and won 2 of their last 11 games. Facts and stats on the Red Sox. Can they turn their season around?

Red Sox swept by Rays for the first time since Season Opener. Can they bounce back and take the AL East? Ovi Muniz gives you the details and frustration on starting pitchers.

Red Sox start the second half in first place. Can they remain on top of the American league.

Red Sox lose the series to the Angels; Sox head to Fenway to take on the Phillies.

Red Sox take the series against the A's; out look for the next two weeks, and who can the red sox acquire before the trade deadline.

Red Sox sweep the Royals. An outlook on the Oakland Athletics.

Red Sox sweep two consecutive series on the Yanks. However, is that enough to be playoff contenders?

Red Sox sweep the Yankees in the Bronx for the first time in a long time.

Devers hit a three-run homer to lead the Sox to victory.

The Red Sox home stretch came to a short end as mother nature took its path and poured all over New England this weekend. However, Red Sox playing strong as they get set for a pre-playoff week.

Red Sox defeat the Blue Jay and Phillies series and go home against the Braves and Marlins. Ovi recaps the week and the outlook of future series.

The Red Sox stand alone in first place by one game.  Since April 10, The Red Sox have remained in first place while the Rays, Blue Jays, and Yankees change places in the standings.  Thankfully enough, JD Martinez was able to hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the ninth inning Thursday night to give the Red Sox the lead over the Blue Jays and Matt Barnes to save it in a 8-7 win.  The Red Sox took 2 out of three games against the Blue jays but there are still some concerns in their active roster.  The Red Sox are batting a .266, second in MLB behind the Houston Astros.  They are third in Home Runs and RBIs.   They are first in total bases.  It seems as though the strike outs are reasonable since they rank 16th in the league.  But, the red sox do strike out  alot.  17 games resulted in double digit strikeouts.  But the most important play in baseball is what you do when their are runners in scoring positions.  The Red Sox are batting a .248 with runners in scoring positions.  That is when the team has runners combined or either in 2B or 3B, the Red Sox seem to fail in bringing in runs to support their starting pitchers. Only Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez are hitting over .300.  But Franchy Cordero is still struggling, batting a .170.  There is so much expectation for Cordero that he might find himself in a rehab assignment.  Danny Santana may receive the call to be activated and play in the Phillies series.  Santana is another utility player that can play any position.  He is also a switch hitter.  But where does Alex Cora and the administration deal with players that are struggling at bat.   Four players, including Cordero, are batting below .250.   Despite being in first place, the organization must look at a possibility to make some trades by July if they want to stay contenders for the playoffs.  On the mound,  the Red Sox are 13th in ERA with a 3.90.  They are sixth in strikeouts, and have given up the fewest bombers in the league.  But when you look closely, the starting pitchers look fabulous and perform well.  Once Chris Sale returns to the ball club, it would be a hard decision for Alex Cora to decide how he will place Sale in the rotation.  In the bullpen, the pitchers are being utilized a lot.  Pitchers Austin Brice, Matt Andriese, and Josh Taylor have made it difficult to shut down their opponents.  In the last seven games, Andriese has a 9.00 ERA. Andriese and Taylor have allowed opposing batters collectively bat over .300.    The AL East is now the most competitive division by having four teams above .500.  The race is tight as you have the Rays behind 1 game, Yankees 1.5, and the Blue Jays 2.5 games behind the Red Sox.  The Orioles have slipped away as their only glory came in the opening series, sweeping the Red Sox.  Since then, the Orioles have struggled winning only 2 of their last 10 games.  The Red Sox are going on 41 days in first place.  There is plenty of room for improvement.  The schedule is about to get tougher as they will finish their road trip this weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies.  Then they will have the Braves, Marlins, and then start the month of June against Houston Astros and the New York Yankees.  The Red Sox will try to extend their two game winning streak against Bryce  Harper, Rhys Hoskins and the Phillies in Philadelphia.  The Red Sox have the best away record with 14-6 while the Phillies are 14-8 at home.  The Phillies have lost 6 of their last 10 games.  

For the first time since the season opener in Fenway Park, the Red Sox lost the series three games to one against the Texas rangers.   In game one in the 6th inning, Rangers catcher Jose Trevino hit a two-run homer off of Pitcher Sawamura in which the team went up 3-1.  Rangers would win 4-1. The only run Red Sox scored came in the top 6th inning when Devers doubled that allowed Verdugo to score.  The Red Sox as a team batted .100.  They only hit 3 times and went 1-for-5 in runners in scoring position.  In game 2, JD Martinez homered twice against starting pitcher Kohei Arihara.  The Red Sox breezed through the game winning 6-1.  In game 3, The Red Sox were in the lead at the end of 5 innings 5-4.  However, Matt Andriese could not hold the Rangers and gave up 3 earned runs.  Willie Calhoun homered off Andriese and went 3 for 4.  Rangers won 8-6.  The Red Sox offense came alive, batting a .316.  However, they could not capitalize when they had runners in scoring position.  They went 4 for 13.  Cordero, Verdugo, Devers, and Dalbec could not become clutch at the given moment.  And in game 4, The red sox had a 3-1 lead in the 7th but Garrett Whitlock gave up a home run in the bottom of the 7th by SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa.It is the first time in this season that Whitlock gave up a run.  He completed the inning with the lead intact.  However, Adam Ottavino came in relief and only pitched ⅔ inning and gave up three runs allowing the Rangers to comeback and win.  

The Red Sox sweep the New York Mets in a two game series.  Both games were low scoring games.  I start with the first game.  Richards started for the Red Sox in which many media outlets and fans wondered how bad he would pitch in the game.  And David Peterson was the starter for the Mets.  The result was a total opposite.  The Red Sox defeated the Mets 2-1.  Richards gave up a home run in the second from Mets' Jeff McNeil to tie the game.  But Richards kept his composure and went on to pitch 7 innings with a total of 93 pitches.  He stuck out 10 batters and gave up 7 hits for the win.  After the game, Alex Cora commended Richards for his performance. He stated, “When you see that stuff moving all over the place on the swing and misses, you've got to trust your players and this is a guy that we trust.  Richards had his best game out of 5 starts.  It is the first time this season that he pitched past the fifth inning.  Richards would need to continue to pitch like he did against the Mets for everyone else, including me, to trust him on the mound.  In the second game, Pivetta and Mets' DeGrom performed well.  The only run scored in the game came in the second inning when Christian Vasquez doubled to deep right field.  Bogaerts scored the only run.  The Red Sox won 1-0. Pivetta pitched five strong innings.  He stuck out 7 batters.  Although he gave up 3 walks, Mets could not capitalize as the team went 0-4 with RISP.  Garrett Whitlock came in relief for two innings and he has not yet been scored upon in 13.1 innings.  On the other side, DeGrom, who is the best pitcher in the NL,   pitched 6 innings and struck out 9 Red Sox batters.  Both bullpens were outstanding throughout the series.Matt Barnes is on point.  He saved both games for a total of 6 saves.  Barnes struck out 2 batters in the first game and struck out the side in the second.  Rafael Devers is on fire going 4-8 in the series.  Bobby Dalbec got his first home run in the series off of Peterson.  As a team, the Red Sox batting has decreased in average.  In the last four games, the Red Sox are batting under .200 while the pitching has improved.  I don't know about you but I would not want the Red Sox to be compared to DeGrom and the Mets.  The Red Sox have shown their utility talent and hopefully the offense can come alive in Texas.  On April 29, 1986, Roger Clemens pitched a complete game and set a MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a game against the Seattle Mariners.  — The Red Sox will square off against the Texas Rangers in a four game series.  Brock Holt, former Red Sox player will be playing.Game 1 - Perez .200 vs Kyle Gibson .156  JD Martinez struggles against him.  He struck out 11 times.  But, Martinez has hit 2 HRs against him.  Game 2 - Eovaldi only faced two batters in the roster. vs Kohei Arihara first time pitching against the Red Sox.Game 3 - Rodriguez .298 vs Jordan Lyles has only faced five Red Sox batters in his career.  Game 4 - Richards .225 vs Mike Foltynewics .288

Quick recap on the Blue Jays and Mariners series; which red sox are hot and cold; and the upcoming week games with Mets and Rangers.

Red Sox and White Sox Split. Are Red Sox legit?

Red Sox streak ends at 9 but take control of the series. What should MLB do with umpires missed obvious calls? And an outlook of the upcoming White Sox/Red Sox series.

The red sox are on fire as they swept the Baltimore Orioles and are on top of the American East Standings by two games.  In Game 1, E-Rod started his first game going 5 IP, striking out 7 and gave up 3 earned runs.  But it was the bats of Christian Vasquez who went 3 for 5, and Rafael Devers coming out of the slump belting his first Home run in the season.   Kike Hernandez also hit a home run off of Orioles pitcher Wells.  The Red Sox won 7 to 3.In game 2 of the series, Rafael Devers continued to bat away as he belted his second home run off of Orioles Pitcher Zimmerman.  In the 10th inning, Orioles Dillon Tate came in relief.  With Red Sox Outfielder Chavis at 3rd base, Tate threw a wild pitch allowing Chavis to score.  Later, Christian Vasquez reached on an infield single to third that allowed Verdugo to score.  The Red Sox would win 6 to 4.  In Game 3, Red Sox batters were on fire.  This time, the Red Sox hit 6 home runs.  JD Martinez hit 3 home runs, Rafael Devers 2 home runs and Verdugo hit one home run.  The last time the team hit that many was on June 14, 2019 in Camden Yards.  Red Sox win 14-9.The Red Sox sweep two consecutive series and are bound to visit the Minnesota Twins in their next four game series before heading home to Fenway Park.  

After being swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the opening series, the Red Sox took on the Tampa Bay Rays.  This time, it was the Red Sox that swept the Rays and even their record to 3-3 in the American League East Division.  In Game 1, Xander Bogarts went 4 for 5 an RBI and a run scored.  JD Martinez homered in the 8th inning as the Red Sox totaled 11 Runs and 16 hits.  Nick Pivetta started for the Red Sox and earned himself a win. He threw 5 plus innings and gave up 2 hits and 4 walks.  Pivetta struck out 4 in 92 pitches.  In game 2, there were many mishaps for both the Red Sox and the Rays.  The most notable mistake came in the bottom of the 8th inning when Rafael Devers flied out to Right/Center Field.  Martinez kept running from second base believing it was the last out.  Martinez had to remain at second base.  Unfortunately, it was a double play and the end of the inning.  Matt Barnes came in relief to shut out the Rays in the ninth.  In the bottom of the ninth inning, Diego Castillo came in for the Rays to close the game.  On an 0-2 pitch, Christian Vasquez homered over the green monster to tie the game.  Eventually, the game came to the end at the bottom of the 12th inning.  JD Martinez hit the ball deep at Right Field. Ray's Randy Arozarena misjudged the ball that went over him.  That resulted in Martinez in a double that scored Renfroe and Verdugo for the win.    Lastly in game 3, the Red Sox scored 3 runs in the fourth, and 6 runs in the fifth inning on Ray's pitcher Ryan Yarbrough.  ON the other side, Eovaldi earned his first win as he went 7 strong innings, striking out 7 and giving up 1 Earned Run with 3 hits.  The Red Sox faced their first extra inning game on Tuesday night.  The rule in extra innings is that the batter that created the last out in the previous inning, goes to second base at the start of the new inning.  This is a great way for the game to be more exciting and prevent the game from extending the time.  The game may have lasted four hours but was filled with action from both clubs.  I have seen extra inning games similar to this in the minor leagues.  MLB did have the minor league clubs practice and survey extra inning rules and it worked to perfection.  The local team, Hartford Yard Goats, an affiliation to the Colorado Rockies, spent many games in extra innings.  Managers strategize their game by executing sacrifice bunts and flies to help push the runner to third and in better scoring positions.  We all can expect the managers to practice sacrifice hits throughout the season.    Notable Red Sox RosterJD Martinez continues his success as he has a six game hitting streak.  He hit one HR off of Chris Mazza.  Christian Vasquez hit 2 Home runs in the series.  One of them clutched to extra innings.  And Xander Boegarts going 3 for 3 in the third game.  Nick Pivetta and Nathan Eovaldi pitched well in the series.  In 6 games, the Red Sox have not given up a home run.  Team leaders so far through 6 games is JD Martinez batting a .440, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs, .481 On Base Percentage, and has a total of 11 Hits.  In pitching, the stats are close but Nathan Eovaldi leads the team in 11 Strikeouts.  As a team, The Red Sox increased their batting average.  However, there is still concern about clutch hitting, particularly in the second game of the Rays when the Red Sox could have needed a guy similar to David Ortiz.  It seems as though the only players that can be counted on are JD Martinez and Christian Vasquez.  The Red Sox had struck out 27 times in the series.  That is three more than the previous series against the Orioles.  Kike Hernandez leads the team with 7 strike outs in 23 at bats.  Devers, Dalbec, Bogaerts, and Cordero each have 5 strikeouts.  On the previous episode in this podcast, I had Joe Aguiar as a guest and had plenty of words to describe the details on why the MLB pulled the All Star game out of Atlanta.  MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred listened to the civil rights group and the MLB Players Association.  It was indeed a decision Manfred had to make as now the MLB will have the All Star game at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, Denver, Colorado.  The MLB Standings by Division:In the AL East, it is a tight race with Yankees and Orioles on top.  In the AL Central, Minnesota Twins are 4-2.  IN the AL West, Houston Astros are 5-1.  The Astros completed their series against the Anaheim Angels but the fans did not forget what happened two years ago with the cheating scandal.  Fans tossed an inflatable trash can and a real one onto the field.  In the National League East, The Mets and Nationals will make up the games not played in their double headers.  But for now, the Philadelphia Phillies are leading the East.  In the NL Central, The Cincinnati Reds lead the way and in the NL West, the LA Dodgers are 5-1.  — The Red Sox-Orioles will match up again.  This time the Red Sox will visit the Baltimore Orioles in a three game series. The game will start on Thursday, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:05 PM EST.  The projected starter for the Red Sox will be Eduardo Rodriguez, who will be making his first start versus Matt Harvey.  Harvey had no decision as he pitched 4 ⅔ innings striking out 4 and gave up 2 ER 6 hits and 1 walk.  The second game will be on Saturday.  Garrett Richard will make his second start against Bruce Zimmerman. Zimmerman earned his first win of the season pitched 6 strong innings, striking out 5 and giving up 3 ER, 4 hits and a home run from JD Martinez.  On Sunday, the series closes with Nick Pivetta for the Red Sox and Jorge Lopez for the Orioles.  Lopez will pitch against the Red Sox for the first time.  In his career, the Red Sox has batted a .302 against Lopez.  Rafael Devers has hit 2 HRs against him. Lopez's last start was against the New York Yankees as he only pitched 4 ⅔ innings in a 7-0 loss.  

Coming up on the BaCKSTOP pODCAST, The Red Sox completed their series with the Orioles. How well did they do?  Major League Baseball pulled the All Star game in Atlanta.  I have special guest Joe Aguiar on the show to explain more about it.  And the Red Sox get set for their next series with the Tampa Bay Rays.  Welcome to Episode 7 on the Backstop Podcast, I'm your host Ovi Muniz.The Red Sox completed their opening series in Fenway Park swept by the Baltimore Orioles.  In game 1, the Red Sox were held 2 hits in the game losing 3-0.  JD Martinez and Kike Hernandez were the only two batters that hit the ball.  Nathan Eovaldi Pitcher 5 ⅓ innings 4 strikeouts and charged with an earned run.  In game 2, Red Sox bats were at a slump again.  JD Martinez and Marwin Gonzalez combined went 5 for 6 with 2 RBIs.  Tanner Houck made his impressive start by  pitching 5 innings, 8 strikeouts but gave up 6 hits and 3 runs, 2 of them earned.  The Red Sox had a chance to get the third out in the fourth inning but Rafael Devers threw an error to 2Bmen Marwin Gonzalez resulting in the Orioles getting into scoring position.  The Orioles would score 2 runs in the inning and win the game 4-2.  In Game 3, the Orioles bats pounded Garrett Richards and Josh Taylor.  Both pitchers combined pitched 2 ⅔ innings, gave up 12 hits, 10 runs, and 3 walks.  However, Richards seemed to not be able to locate his pitches.  During the Left Hander defensive shifts, Orioles batters were able to hit to the opposite field.  That was the real damage that caused early runs to be scored.  Taylor came in for relief and walked the batter with bases loaded.  It was just so terrible to see these two pitchers today.  I hope they can do better on their next appearance.  Garrett Whitlock came in relief in the third inning to get an out.  He would continue to look awesome pitching a total of 3 ⅓ innings, 5 strikeouts and only gave up 3 hits.  In the offense, JD Martinez continued to be successful by hitting his first home run and going 2 for 4.  Christian Vasquez also went 3 for 4 with a run scored.  The Orioles complete the sweep with a 11 to 3 victory.  As Red Sox manager Cora noted, this has been “a rough start” for Boston in general, though Sunday's loss was particularly difficult to take.“It was a tough one, there's nothing else you can say,” Cora said during his postgame video press conference. “We got beat in every aspect of the game. The first two games, we didn't play good defense. We didn't swing the bat. Today, I didn't pitch.”The last time the Red Sox were swept in the opening season came in 2012.  The Red Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers.  John Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buchholz were the starters in each game.  That year, Bobby Valentine was the manager as the Red Sox finished with a 69-93 record in last place.  In 2011, The Red Sox started 0-6 before winning their first game.  The last time the Red Sox were swept in Fenway Park was in 1948.  The Philadelphia Athletics defeated the Red Sox in a three game series.  However, the Red Sox would eventually reach the World Series and lose to the Cleveland Indians four games to two.  Notable Red Sox RosterAlex Cora had Designated Hitter JD Martinez, First Baseman Bobby Dalbec and ShortStop Xander Bogaerts in their primary positions for all three games.  Marwin Gonzalez started all three games as a Utility player.  He played LF, 2B, and 3B.  Kike Hernandez played 2B and CF.  And Alex Verdugo played all outfield positions.  JD Martinez is by far the only Red Sox hitter who is hot with 6 hits, 3 doubles, 1 HR with 3 Runs Batted Ins. In pitching, Tanner Houck struck out 8 and Garrett Whitlock struck out 5 in relief.  — The Red Sox-Rays series begins Monday at Fenway Park. First pitch is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET.The projected starter for the Red Sox will be Nick Pivetta.  The Rays are batting a .048 in 10 ABs.On Tuesday, Martin Perez will pitch.  Rays are batting a .211.  Rays' CF Kevin Kiermaier has not done well against Perez.  However, the catcher Mike Zunino has hit 3 home runs against Perez.And on Wednesday, Nathan Eovaldi will make his second start.  He is 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA.  He will be challenged as the Rays have done great against him, batting a .349.Joe Aguiar, owner of ClovercrestMedia, the CMGPodcast.  He is the host of the political podcast, Divided WE Stand, and co-host of I'll Piss You Off Shortly.  Major League baseball decided to pull the All-Star Game out of Atlanta in a swift reaction to Georgia's new voting law that many view as voter suppression targeting minorities.  There was great influence by the civil rights group and MLB Players Association that resulted in baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to quickly make the decision.  On the other side, Manfred received a lot of backlash from the Governor of Georgia Brian P. Kemp by tweeting this statement…”Perhaps the MLB should take a look at the restrictive voting laws in their home state of New York before criticizing ours.”  The Braves issued a statement stating that they were disappointed.The Wall Street Journal chimed in by writing a headline  “The Biden Baseball league” and “Democratic Baseball league.”  

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Backstop Podcast with me, Ovi Muniz.  Spring training has ended and the Red Sox finish with a 16-10 record.  Red Sox Update:The Red Sox announce the 2021 RosterInfield1B Bobby Dalbec - rookie - .263 in 23 games 8 HRs2B Kike Hernandez - 8th season - .240SS Xander Bogaertz - 9th season - .289 (2019) 52 doubles; nominated MVP three straight seasons.  3B Rafael Devers - 5th season - .279 (2019) 54 doubles, led MLB; not a great spring season.OutfieldLF Marwin Gonzalez - 10th season - .261 played with Astros and TwinsCF Alex Verdugo - 5th season - .290 voted 12th in MVP last seasonRF Hunter Renfroe - 6th season - .228; Padres and last season with RaysCatcherChristian Vasquez 7th season - .259.  Average increases each year and his power.Kevin Plawecki 7th season - .229 played with Mets and IndiansDesignated HitterJ.D. Martinez - 11th season - .290 led RBIs in 2018 and total basesStartersLH Eduardo Rodriguez  4.03  pitch count and staying ahead of batters an issue.RH Nate Eovaldi - 10th season - 4.27 LH Martin Perez - 10th season - 4.71RH Garrett Richards 11th season 3.62RH Nick Pivetta 5th season 5.40BullpenRH Adam Ottavino 11th season 3.53RH Matt Barnes 8th season 4.08 RH Garrett Whitlock RH Matt Andriese   7th season 4.57RH Hirokazu Sawamura 11th season in baseball, first time in MLB 2.82LH Darwinzon HernandezLH Josh TaylorRH Colten BrewerRH Austin BriceUtilityMichael ChavisChristian ArroyoOpening DayApril 1st Nathan Eovaldi .186   vs John Means  .311Bogaerts 2 HR Martinez 3 HRs? vs Matt Harvey   .328 with Bogaerts, Gonzalez, and Renfroe.  However, Renfroe struck out 3 of 5 AB? vs Bruce Zimmerman .278 Hunter Renfroe has a HR against him.

Welcome to Episode 5 of the Backstop Podcast with me, Ovi Muniz.  Red Sox Update: This week the Red Sox went 3-3 vs the Twins, Braves and Rays.   Alex Cora announced that he will have either 13 or 14 pitchers in his 25-man roster.   He currently has a 38-man roster that will more than likely shrink down at the end of this week.   The Red Sox are 10-7 in spring training. Jarren Duran, Michael Chavis, and Bobby Dalbec are leading the team in hits with 11 Jonathan Arauz leads the team in doubles with 5.  Chavis and dalbec have 5 HRs With a minimum of 30 At Bats, Arauz is batting a .300Dalbec, .324, and Chavis .297. Concerns on the Red Sox roster are JD Martinez and Rafael Devers.  Both players are the veterans in the team that have not quite had a great spring training.   Franchy Cordero made his debut Saturday going 1-2 in the game. Hunter Renfroe has demonstrated a big presence for the Red Sox.  He was interviewed by Peter Abraham from the Boston Globe and stated that he was very optimistic.  He knows he struggled last season and is looking forward to making a comeback. Renfroe was released by the Rays following the World Series loss.  The Red Sox AAA farm team, the Worcester Red Sox and AA farm team Portland Sea Dogs, will begin their season on May 4.  The schedule games will be in one-week intervals.  Meaning, they will play their opponents home or away from Tuesday to Sunday.   Check the teams website for ticket sales Major League Baseball is scheduled to kick off the 2021 regular season on April 1st.  This season will mark the development of having normalcy as our world has faced ambitious challenges with the pandemic and playing the game.  While our nation is on the verge to combat the coronavirus, the games will begin with baseball fans.  And that is good news for baseball.  April 1st is the game opener.  The last time the Red Sox opened at Fenway park on this date was 2002.  The Red Sox had Pedro Martinez for the game opener who went 3 innings pitched and gave up 7 Earned Runs in a 12-11 loss from the Toronto Blue Jays.  The lineup that season had Johnny Damon, Jose Offerman, Nomar Garciapparra, Manny Ramirez, Trot Nixon, Rickey Henderson.  Pitchers that season were Derek Lowe, John Burckett, Frank Castillo, Tim Wakefield, and closer Ugueth Urbina.  The Red Sox finished 93-69 that season, second to the New York Yankees, which had a 103-58 record. The Anaheim Angels won the world series pennant over the San Francisco Giants four games from the best of 7.   This year, the Red Sox will open at FenWay park in a three game series versus the Baltimore Orioles.  Eduardo Rodriguez receives the nod to become the Red Sox ace.  The Orioles will have John Means as their ace.  Rodriguez has been successful against the Orioles in his career.  Orioles are batting .177 and the on base percentage is .225.  Rodriguez had success against batter Chris Davis and a toss up with Trey Mancini.  On the other side, Means has struggled allowing the Red Sox to bat .311, 5 HRs and 12 RBIs.  Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez have made it difficult for Means to stay on the mound.  Most of the games will be televised on NESN, the New England Sports Network.  NESN is adding three former red sox players, Ellis Burks, Mo Vaughn, and Kevin Youkilis as part of the network's coverage this season.  Jonathon Papelbon will also be a special contributor on a weekly basis.  Play by play callers will be Dave O'Brien, Jeremy Remy, and Dennis Eckersly.  IN the studio, Jim Rice, Tim Wakefield, and Lenny DiNardo.

Red Sox completed their second week of Pre Season Baseball. Many prospects move down to the farm systems, hot and struggling performers identified. Johnny Damon in trouble with the law and we give respect to the late and former Red Sox Pitcher, Rheal Cormier.

Jackie Bradley signs with the Milwaukee Brewers.  Does he leave a legacy of being the best outfielder in Red Sox history?  Latest news on a top prospect pitcher shutting down, more players added to the 40-man roster.  Plus, MLB 2021 season is set for a record milestone season.  Which players will be making history.  

Introducing Ovi Muniz and Sean Scanlon, the host of the podcast. Outlook to the start of preseason baseball and the expectation of Red Sox baseball.

Ovi Muniz is the host of this podcast