The Red Sox entered play Saturday with the majors’ best record (17-2), the majors’ most runs (123) and the majors’ top triple-slash line (.293/.361/.497). None of that fazed Athletics left-hander Sean Manaea, who no-hit the Red Sox over nine innings of 10-strikeout, two-walk ball to become the first hurler to accomplish the feat this year. It’s the seventh no-hitter in Athletics history and the first for the franchise since Dallas Braden tossed a perfect game against Tampa Bay in May 2010. And remarkably, it occurred on nearly the 25th-year anniversary of the last time the Red Sox were on the wrong end of a no-hitter. Back on April 22, 1993, Chris Bosio of the Mariners held the Sox out of the hit column.
- In better news for the Red Sox, shortstop Xander Bogaerts could return as early as Friday, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com was among those to report (Twitter link). Bogaerts, who went on the disabled list April 9 with a cracked bone in his left ankle, is set to play a pair of rehab games with Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Red Sox have won nine of 11 without Bogaerts, which is all the more impressive when considering he got off to an otherworldly start (.368/.400/.711 in 40 plate appearances) before landing on the DL.
- Meanwhile, teammate Tyler Thornburg is “still a ways away from the majors,” Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets. But the reliever, who has been pitching in extended spring training, will rejoin the Red Sox during their upcoming homestand (beginning April 27) and could throw batting practice, per Abraham. Thornburg remains on the mend from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent last summer. The righty hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2016, when he was among the game’s premier relievers as a member of the Brewers.
- Rays righty Yonny Chirinos is now a full-fledged member of their rotation, manager Kevin Cash told Bill Chastain of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday. Tampa Bay opened the season with an unconventional three-man starting staff (Chris Archer, Blake Snell and Jake Faria), with Chirinos among those working as a “Bullpen Day” starter, but it saw enough from him during his first few outings to officially make it a four-man group. The 24-year-old has tallied 20 innings of 2.70 ERA/3.49 FIP ball in four appearances thus far. After throwing 50-some pitches in each of his first two games, Chiirnos racked up 75 and 89, respectively, in the previous two. He’s now stretched out enough to get into the 100 range, per Cash, and will start Sunday against Minnesota.
- Chirinos will face Twins righty Phil Hughes, whom the team has reinstated from the disabled list. The Twins optioned pitcher Gabriel Moya to Triple-A to make room for Hughes, who had been on the shelf with a strained oblique. The 31-year-old Hughes hasn’t pitched in a big league game since July 14, 2017, thanks to the thoracic outlet syndrome revision surgery he underwent in August. At $13.2MM per year through next season, Hughes is one of the Twins’ highest-paid players, though he has struggled mightily since a sensational 2014 with the team. When he was healthy enough to pitch last season, Hughes logged a 5.87 ERA with a meager 30.7 percent groundball rate over 53 2/3 innings (14 appearances, seven starts).
Manaea tossed a beauty, n the Sox swung at balls in the dirt, but he had great stuff.
Congrats to Sean Manaea! Beautiful performance.
So how long until A’s trade him for someone like Brett Lawrie? I give it 2 years.
Let’s not dampen the mood. Let the man have his moment.
How did anything I say take away anything this man has done tonight? Im saying the pitcher is good and thats why the A’s will trade him. If you can remember the Brett Lawrie trade, it was for Josh Donaldson. You know, who went on to win a MVP award.
You all are so sensitive. Im sure even if I had nothing but mean and negative things about the guy who just threw the no-no he’ll be just fine and will be in good spirits.
Define sensitive. Wait, you just did
If your gonna be a troll on mlbtr at least know what tf ur talkin about. The JD trade was for a package headlined by Franklin Barreto (our #1 prospect) and Jesse Hahn who we flipped for Buchter. Lawrie was a throw in/place-holder.
+claude
Cry more:)
+Rooted
the point was Oaklands good players get traded, you seem to have missed it.
Hey dumbass, Franklin Barreto was who Donaldson was traded for, Lawrie was the throw in.
I just can’t take someone seriously when they use terms like “who we flipped” you obviously don’t work for the A’s.
Brett Lawrie is untouchable.
– Alex Anthopoulos, 2011-2014
Franklin Barreto was the key piece in the Donaldson trade.
– Nobody until 2017
A’s Franchise was much higher on Kendall Graveman.
SMH the A’s go through a rebuild couple years ago and everyone here goes crazy like they given up. Who is one of the upcoming teams in the AL? Oakland. Who has the most young talent this year? Oakland. Face it with Donaldson they would not have won very many more games than they did. A GM that has guts to rebuild is better than a GM that is better than a GM that only cares to be a .500 team and never make the playoffs. Who is Bengamin’s favorite team so we can show his GM made many bad trades. Who is it?
Barreto was always considered the #1 prospect in that trade.
I have a feeling Manaea is not reading this board. So he won’t feel dampened.
As only trade for prospects and in numbers. They’d never make a run on an old guy. Personally I think they trade too quick. Donaldson is an example. But there are many more to prove their decision making right.
Let’s not forget the A’s got Manaea for Zobrist
Excellent job by the young fella.
I guess someone has to point it out: Gabriel Moya is not an outfielder, but a relief pitcher.
yeah, i noticed that too. maybe they had a brainfart and mixed him up with outfielder Steven Moya.
I remember he Cubs were checking in on manea. Man I wish they had him
Moya is a lefty reliever not an outfielder. You mixed him up with Steven Moya
Phenomenal job! Secret is out for how to beat the Sox in ’18. Pretty simple. No hits normally equates to no runs. No runs “normally” equates to no wins.
Isn’t that the “secret” to beating any team?
Of course. it was sarcasm.
Sarcasm doesn’t always work in writing and texting. Ask my wife LOL
He forgot to use the sarcasm font !
Didn’t forget, don’t know it if there is one.
isn’t that the truth…
The “secret” is Manaea is the new Maddux. Boston is still insanely good, but Maddux and Maddux-types can beat anyone, and did. Simple.
Hahaha,good one. Not as good as the NFL is dead but funny Sh*#
“Maddux-type” or “Maddux-like” is thrown around so much is has become cliché. “Maddux-like” means you have photographic memory; you remember every pitch you’ve ever thrown and every batter you have ever faced. If somebody painted a dot the size of a dime on a wall, you could hit it from 60.5 feet 10 times in a row. Maddux was a right-handed sinker-baller who threw 92 with pinpoint control. Manaea is a left-handed fireballer with a nasty slider. What is your comparison based on?
I’ll correct myself before somebody else does. Manaea’s fastball has come down a lot in the last few years, but he can still top out at 94.
Just seems like every time a pitcher who can “pitch” shows signs of decent control, he’s “Maddux-like”. My favorite is when Dan Plesac calls somebody “Maddux-like with better stuff”.
I would really like people to quit bandying about terms like “Maddux-like” every time a pitcher wins a game without throwing 109 MPH. It’s really getting tiresome.
This kid hardly has the track record to be calling him the next Maddux. Lol
That was the 12th no hitter in Athletics franchise history. It was the 7th if you are just counting the Oakland years, but the 5 in Philly are part of the franchise history as well.
I really hope this ends the moronic “Manaea has lower velo this year that MUST mean he sucks now or needs TJ” – nope, he did this thing called “sacrificing velo for excellent control” which is what pitchers like, oh, I dunno, this guy named Greg Maddux did?
I swear, some of the worst takes Ive ever seen about baseball players comes from the A’s SB Nation site. Just infuriatingly stupid. Manaea is an ace now everyone, this is what breaking out looks like. Accept it and move on. Draft him early in fantasy you will clean up. A’s going to maybe make the WC this year, put $10 or $20 on it and thank me later :)
I’ll jump the gun..
You cost a lot of DA $20
1. he is not an ace
2. the A’s not going anywhere
1. He is THEIR ace.
2. You have no clue what is going to happen over the next 5 months.
don’t jump the gun
Oh Yeah…. Prove it…
The kid pitched a gem!
Sean Manaea is a god.
The location and movement was great, but there must have been something more. I’ve been watching a lot of Sox games and they’ve been clubbing plenty of great pitches. Manaea must also have some kind of great deception and been making some really smart pitch selection decisions with Lecroy (plus there was a gigantic strike zone, fairly called for both sides), because he was making the Sox look terrible. That wasn’t a great defense no-hitter, there were barely any hard hit balls.
The twins option outfielder Gabriel Moya, clicks on link to see what I already know which is, he’s a pitcher not an outfielder. I mean come on how hard is it to get something that basic right.
You’re right. Apologies for the error (pretty sure I was thinking of former Tigers outfielder Steven Moya at the time). Thanks for pointing it out.