Justin Slaten Falls Apart as Boston Red Sox Fall to Atlanta Braves

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It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Speaker 212.28s - 19.44s

Justin Slayton has his first real struggle of the season on the mound as the Boston Red Sox lost the first game of the series against the Braves.

Speaker 121.48s - 51.38s

You are Locked on Red Sox, your daily Boston Red Sox podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team, every day. Hello and welcome to Locked-on Red Sox, your daily Boston Red Sox podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Speaker 251.82s - 1420.98s

I'm your host, Gabby Herlba, former ESPN social media associate and current host of the Boston Balling Podcast. And I am here to bring you the latest in all things Boston Red Sox Monday through Friday straight to your favorite podcast feed. And I haven't even said the best part yet. Want to know what that best part is? It's free. That is right.You did hear that correctly. So might as well take advantage of it, right? Can't hurt. So start your day off the right way by tuning in to Lockdown Red Sox. Lockdown is your team every day. From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keepyour rider die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to bring home that big win. Keep your rider die alive at eBaymotors.com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Welcome to Locked on Red Sox.And if you're feeling very frustrated about last night's game, I am too. This is the show where my emotions likely match yours because I let a baseball team in Boston determine my mood for the day. Highly do not recommend that because it really stresses me out a lot and puts me in not the best mood when the Red Sox lose, which was exactly the case last night. The Red Sox opened up a two game series in Atlanta against the Braves and fell four to two.Now, heading into this series, there were definitely some intriguing storylines. The biggest storyline being Chris Sale, now being with the Atlanta Braves, and he is scheduled to pitch tonight. So a little bit later on in the show, I'm going to be previewing his pitching matchup and what we should expect from the Red Sox offense. previewing his pitching matchup and what we should expect from the Red Sox offense.And Von Grisham returning to Atlanta for the first time since being traded to the Red Sox was another big storyline. I'm going to be touching on that today as well. But first, what led to the Red Sox downfall on Tuesday? Now, they were coming off of a series loss against the twins in Minnesota. However, they won the last game of that series pretty handily in a 9 to 2 victory. So I really enjoyed what I saw from the offense that day on Sunday. And I was hopeful that they would carry that same offensive energy into the game on Tuesday night.And they certainly tried. They did record eight hits in the game, but the frustrating thing was that they could not cash in with runners on base. They stranded 13 base runners in the game, and it started in the first inning. They left two runners on base in the first inning to begin with, and they just could not cash in when they had runners on the bases. And that was the biggest problem was the fact that Carter Crawford was pitching, and he pissed very well, by the way. He went six strong innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs.He also struck out six. He made one mistake. He pitched to a hitter who was just completely ready for the pitch and absolutely crushed a home run. And that was like the one mistake that Cutter Crawford made in the entire start. And one thing about Cutter Crawford that we really have to talk about is just the fact that he was really able to develop that sweeper this year and add it to his pitching resumebecause that's helped him to be a lot more successful on the mound this year overall. And he did look good once again overall. He really did what he could. He held that Braves offense. And then he makes one mistake, but it seems like a more detrimental mistake than it should have because of the fact that the Red Sox couldn't convert offensively. So that was frustrating. They had opportunities. They stranded a lot of base runners. They could have won this game. If you would count for all the base runners that were left on base,they couldn't get that big hit at any point in the game. So that was definitely a frustration. But Justin Slayton ultimately took the loss in the game. He came in and pitched one inning. And I was riding a bit of a high because the Red Sox had just tied the game. So it was two, two. And I was like, okay, let's just hope we can keep this a tie so that we can eventually score some runs and allow ourselves to win this game. And then he came in and pitched the bottom of the eighth inning and gave up two hits and two earned runs. He did strike out one. but the biggest problem was that he walked the leadoff hitter in the inning.And over 70% of the time, a lead off walk will score. And that was the thing that I was worried about because if you walk the lead off hitter, that's already not starting the inning off great. And then there's so much more pressure on you to get those outs. And it's a lot harder to get those outs when you have a base runner there. So he gave up a walk and ultimately it backfired on him as he did give up two runs in thatinning to put the Braves up for two. And ultimately it led to them winning the game. So the problem is that you can't continue to run into problems with walks because the Red Sox pitching staff as a whole this year has seen multiple scenarios in which walks have come back to bite them. And this was one of those situations. I can't really rag on Justin Slayton too much because he's been absolutely dominant this year. His ERA right now is a 1.80, but prior to thisouting, he had a 0.95 ERA. So it's not like he isn't pitching well. He's actually pitching very well overall. And I'm glad the Red Sox got him really for not much of a return. So he definitely has the potential there, but it was just not his outing. And overall, he didn't look terrible. But to do all of that damage in one inning is definitely a tough look for him. So not his best outing, but overall, the pitching staff once again looked good. I mean, Brennan Bernardino and Greg Weiser came in.They shared the workload, neither of which gave up a run. So I definitely feel for Cutter Crawford. He did have about almost as good of a start as he could have had. And the Red Sox could not cash in for him on the offensive side of the ball. And then ultimately, Justin Slayton caused the Red Sox to lose the game. And what's frustrating about this game primarily is the fact that this felt like a winnable game. And these two game series a lot of times, yes, are hard to sweep. But we have to hope for at least a split.And going into the series, I didn't expect the Red Sox to win both games. I mean, the Braves are a very good baseball team with a ton of talent. And going into the series, I didn't expect the Red Sox to win both games. I mean, the Braves are a very good baseball team with a ton of talent. And I didn't go in there thinking that the Red Sox were going to win both games. But I did go in there saying, I hope we take at least one of two. And now it becomes a situation where this felt like the game that they could have and should have won. So then what happens if tonight, then they aren't hitting as well?They can't score again or their pitching staff decides to not pitch as well. So that's why I'm looking back at this game and feeling like this was when you really wanted to get. And it felt like in so many scenarios, the Red Sox were going to win the game. And when it got into the late innings, I said, okay, we're in the eighth inning now. Let's just hope things don't fall apart for the Red Sox. And sure enough, they did.Justin Slayton was due for a not so great outing because he's been so dominant on the mound. So it's almost like you had to kind of expect that it was going to be happening eventually. Unfortunately, it didn't happen in a great spot. But it happens to every pitcher. I still have a lot of confidence in Justin Slayton to continue to pitch well moving forward. He really has been a shutdown guy for this Boston Red Sox team so far.And I do think there are certain scenarios in which, yes, he has to clean up his command a little bit so that he isn't in a situation where he's walking the lead off hitter and then it's coming back to bite him. But overall, I think he has the recipe to be a very good pitcher. It's just a matter of putting everything together and getting more reps in for this Red Sox team. I'm glad they have him, though, just an unfortunate night for the Red Sox. I mean, the Braves just had a little moregas in their tank in this game and were able to finish the job in the late innings, which is something that the Red Sox sometimes do struggle with. And then I had no confidence in the ninth inning. I said this is likely going to be a one, two, three inning. I don't see us scoring. And sure enough, that did happen. So that bottom of the eighth really set the tone. That was the game right there. But Justin Slayton moving forward, hopefully he's able to still contribute in the same type of way that he was. And I have confidence that he will. It just was not his day. So tonight's game is going to be key for the Red Sox to guarantee a split in the series.And coming up, I'm going to be talking about a player who could help contribute to that split tonight. I actually just used DoorDash last night to order dinner. And they are so great because the service is quick. They keep you in the loop on where your dasher is with your food so that you know exactly when to go to your door and get it. But now DoorDash has expanded to even more things. And with Mother's Day being this upcoming weekend, you can utilize DoorDash to get her all different types of things.Moms are a gift, so give her the best this Mother's Day. Get gifts as thoughtful as she is with DoorDash. Select from hundreds of expertly crafted bouquets to the best of tech to self-care essentials and more. 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A free 24-7 sports streaming channel programmed for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all the streaming. Lockdown Sports today brings you can't miss analysis, opinions, and news streaming 24-7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app, part of the Lockdown podcast network your team every day. Lockdown sports today is certainly the place for you if you're looking to stay caught up on all things going on in sports.The Boston Red Sox took a tough 4- 2 loss against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night in a game that very much was competitive for the majority of it until the bottom of the eighth inning when the wheels kind of fell off the bus for Justin Slayton and he gave up a couple runs to the Braves and that was enough for them to win the game. But overall, a very back-and-forth game, the Red Sox offense showed disciplineand really worked there at bats, but they could not get that big hit to cash in with runners on base. And one thing about the Red Sox offense, that was an intriguing storyline that we were looking at heading into this series,was Vaughn Grissom's return to Atlanta. During the offseason, the Red Sox traded pitcher Chris Sale to the Braves looking at heading into this series was von Grissom's return to Atlanta. During the off season, the Red Sox traded pitcher Chris Sale to the Braves for Von Grissom, and the Braves organization spoke very highly of him. I don't know that they necessarily wanted to trade him, but they knew that in order to get a pitcher like Chris Sale,they had to give up some organizational depth. And they did exactly that with Grissom. He's expected to be a huge contributor for this Boston Red Sox team, especially offensively. His bat is definitely the most notable part of his game. So he did return to Atlanta on Tuesday night with the Red Sox as the second baseman.He did record a hit. He went one for five in the game. His batting average is a 154 now with a 154 on base percentage and 231 slugging. But he's only played in a few games so far for Boston. So we definitely need to be patient with him and let him really find his swing and figure out his place on this team and get himself settled. Because first of all, when you go to a new team to begin with, there's a transitional period involved.And second of all, with the fact that he was injured and didn't really get to participate in spring training with the Red Sox and he lost time there. Then he lost a few more games on the back end with the flu. And then he finally came back. And it's now been a few games. But he still very much is in that transition period of trying to navigate the Red Sox organization, figure out where he fits in. And what type of player he's going to be for this Red Sox team moving forward.So I feel like he's going to eventually start to go off. And it would be so great if he records a hit tonight against Chris Sale, have everything come full circle. But I do think that breakthrough for him is coming. I just don't think it's necessarily going to happen yet because there are still a lot of other things that he's working throughbefore he gets to be this dominant offensive asset for this Red Sox team. So I definitely liked the fact that he was able to get his at-bats in against the Braves. He seemed very excited to be back in Atlanta. And I think he's eager to show the Red Sox that they got a good guy and they got somebody who's going to work hard who's going to contribute on both sides of the ball, because defensively, he didn't have as high of a scouting report as he did on offense.The offense really is primarily what he's more known for, but he isn't the best defender. So I'm looking to see how his defense looks moving forward. Is he somebody who can be reliable at second base? Has his defense improved before coming to Boston? So is it something that the Red Sox don't need to view as a liability moving forward? Yes, he didn't make a lot of hard contact at the plate on Tuesday, but he definitely has that raw power and raw talent,which he's shown before previously before coming to Boston. And it's definitely promising for a team that's looking for hitters that can contribute in this lineup and be consistent. And we haven't seen that consistency yet from Grissom. Maybe his breakthrough game will be tonight. That would be pretty cool. But even if it's not, at least he's making his presence known in the Red Sox lineup. And he's letting people know I am here and I'm determined tobe an asset to this organization. So I'm hoping that he can walk out of this series in Atlanta feeling proud. And I'm hoping that he can have a productive day at the plate tonight because you know what'll happen. If he doesn't have a productive night at the plate tonight, Red Sox fans are going to say, oh, well, you know, the Red Sox shouldn't have made this trade, especially if Chris Sale pitch as well. So I'm hoping that that doesn't happen. I'm hoping Grissom has a good night at the plate. I'm not fully convinced yet that he will because I feel like he's still getting into the swing of things of being a regular piece of this Boston Red Sox lineup. Because you do have to keep in mind, too, that when a player is injured, they're not playing every day to the rigorous level that these players are when they are playing every day.So he has to get back used to that mode in that routine and he has to get his body reacclimated to being an everyday player because he is likely going to stay as the everyday second baseman for the foreseeable future. So his body has to readap to being able to play every day. So there's a lot that goes into a player's ability to perform right away when they come back from an injury or from being sick or just something that keeps them sideline for a relatively long period of time. And I think that doesn't always get talked about and the difficultiesthat can come with that. And that's why these guys do it professionally at the end of the day is because they know how to adapt to situations like that. And they can say, okay, I'm going to go back and maybe have a little bit of a adjustment period where I have to get back into the swing of things, but I'll be able to contribute. And that's what I feel Vaughn Grisham is. I feel like he's a type of player who will contribute offensively. He just needs a little bit more time to find himself, get back into the groove of where he wants to be and where the Red Sox want him to be.But the Braves did see him get a hit last night. And I'm sure there were Braves fans sitting there watching the game saying, I do miss him and I wish we still had him. But the trade kind of made sense for both teams at the time because the Red Sox are looking for a cornerstone piece that they can build around moving forward for the future to set the team up for success, whereas the Braves are at the point now where they are wanting to winnow. They have the talent to be able to win now. So adding somebody like Chris Sale in there who has the World Series experience and could have a bounce back year this year made sense to add to their rotation even if he's not a long-term piece. So at the time, it made sense to do the trade and ultimately the Red Sox adjusted a big need that was a position with a lot of platooning and a lot of question marks. So the fact that they were able to make that adjustment was huge.And I'm hoping for another big night from Grissom at some point soon that he can kind of mimic some of his numbers that he was putting up at the minor league level. So I'm sure that that's coming at some point soon. Maybe it'll be tonight and maybe he'll show those Braves fans, hey, I'm still here. I love playing here and shows the Red Sox fans.You have a good guy in me that you can look forward to moving forward. Speaking of people to look forward to, Nick Povetta is scheduled to be activated and pitch tonight against the Atlanta Braves. And he will be pitching against a very familiar face in Boston. So I'm going to be breaking that down next. If you're looking for a fun way to play daily fantasy sports, you should definitely check out prize picks today.Prize picks is America's number one fantasy sports app with more than 3 million members. 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Speaker 21453.08s - 2089.06s

The Red Sox have dealt with so many injuries this season. It's been pretty unfair. The baseball gods have not been in favor of the Red Sox. That's for sure. But one player is expected to come back from injury, and that is Nick Povetta supposed to be activated and scheduled to pitch tonight against the Braves.Now, Povetta really hasn't pitched a lot this year. He's only pitched in two games this year, but he has a 0.82 ERA. He was pitching great. He already has 13 strikeouts and a win and a loss. And he looked very good in those two starts that he did make. And he was looking like the dominant Nick Povetta that we saw last year out of the bullpen. And it was almost like he just completely carried over that success he had from last year back to this year. And one of the biggest question marks for me still is can he be a successful starter consistently or is he more meant to be in the pen?And his first two starts of the season definitely gave me some promise. But obviously we need to see more before we can jump to the conclusion of what he's truly going to be and what will be better for him. I do like the fact that Povetta has a nice variety of pitches that he throws and he looks confident out there, even when it seems like things aren't going as well. And I think he's worked so hard over the off season to prepare for this year. And he must be ready to come back and get back on the mound. That being said, I'm definitely interested in seeing if he's going to be rusty or notbecause of the fact that it's his first start back with the major league team. He did make a rehab start in Worcester last week and didn't look that great, not the best outing he could have had. But I'm not trying to read too much into that because it was his first game back from being injured for a whileand missing a lot of the season so far. And also the fact that it's just different. I mean, pitching in the majors versus pitching in AAA is different, different caliber of players that you're facing. And Povetta is so used to pitching at the major league level.So I wouldn't get too concerned about that start that he had in Worcester. If that was in July and he had been healthy all season long and they sent him down to AAA to pitch for a few games for whatever reason, and he had a bad outing like that, then sure, there's more cause for concern. But right now, due to the circumstances, especially in the fact that he hadn't been healthy for a while and is now coming back to pitch again, if he's rusty, don't be surprised by that, essentially.But if he's not rusty, he comes out meaning business and pitches the same way that he pitched in his first two starts of the year, then he could give Chris Sale a run for his money. And Chris Sale, obviously, is very familiar to the Red Sox and the fan base. He's pitched pretty well this year so far overall. He's made an appearance in six games for Atlanta and has a 344 ERA. The thing with Cressale is he's giving them length. He went seven innings in three straight starts on April 13th, 19th, and 26th. And in the other starts that he's made, he went either 5.0 or 5.1 innings.So he is pitching at least into the sixth inning a lot of the time. So that's something that's going to be key for the Red Sox here is, for one, having to figure him out early because they are not used to hitting against him. They are used to standing behind him in the field when he's pitching. So it's a new pitcher for a lot of this Red Sox offense to have to face. So that could be a challenge because they haven't really gotten the full picture of what he can really give. And second of all, the fact that he's come back from all of his injuries and was ableto still be effective, like last year after being injured, he was able to come back. And yes, he had some struggles, but overall he still looked like the Chris Sale that at least we have seen some of over the years and the guy who still has it. And he's not nearly as dominant Chris Sale as he was back in 2017 and 2018, but his stuff is certainly still there. And that's something that has helped the Braves this season. So how are the Red Sox going to adapt to the fact that he's feeling confident?He's in a new system now. He wants to win a World Series. And he wants to show that he can stay healthy and have a really good season. So he's definitely hungry this year. I think him being traded to the Braves was kind of a page turn for him, starting a new chapter in his baseball career, moving on from Boston and trying to showcase what he can really do in Atlanta to put his team in the best positionpossible to succeed this year. So I'm looking at how the Red Sox respond to that and how do the Red Sox get him out of the game earlier? They have to do what the Red Sox offense has been good at all season long and that's work his pitch count. Don't settle for pitches.Don't jump the gun and swing at everything that comes their way. Take some pitches. Don't be afraid to take walks if it makes sense. I mean, they did take their walks on Tuesday night. So I'd like to see more of that tonight. Chris Sale does tend to lose his command sometimes.And if he loses his command, the walks do become a problem for him. So maybe the Red Sox can throw him off a little bit from that standpoint or at least work his pitch count early so that he starts to lose some of that command later naturally due to arm fatigue. So either way, the Red Sox at the plate have to put pressure on him. Rafael Devers in his first couple at-bats in the game on Tuesday got super antsy and excited and swung at the first pitch. And that can be fine sometimes,especially if it works obviously and it turns into a hit. And sometimes it does because the hitter just is ready for it and prepared for whatever that pitch is. But a lot of the time, they shouldn't feel the need to swing at the first pitch. It's okay to take a strike and really work the at bat. And we've seen these Red Sox hitters be very good at that. Willier-Abreu notably, as of lately, has really matured a lot at the plate, and he's not afraid to take his balls and not shy away from holding upand not swinging at something unless it makes sense. So the Red Sox offense is very good at that as a whole. And in order to beat Chris Sale, they are going to have to maintain that identity. I do think this could be a challenge because we don't really know what we're going to get from Nick Pavetta in the game, especially with him coming back from his injury. We know that Sale can be good and he has been effective overall for this Atlanta team,so we can expect a good start from him. But Atlanta's offense has not been up to par with what they would expect it to be over the last couple of weeks. So the Red Sox do have a chance to sit them down relatively easily if Povetta goes out there and brings his best stuff because of the fact that a lot of Atlanta's guys are struggling at the plate. So I'd like to see the Red Sox play their version of baseball. And they can win this game. There are just more question marks in thisgame, I'd say, than there were with last night's game in terms of the pitchers and how they're going to look. But when it comes to the offense, the Red Sox offense can hits and they can score runs. They just were unable to get that big hit last night to put some more runs across the board. So hopefully that changes tonight and they are able to get some run support for Nick Povetta because if they can get some run support early, be aggressive like Jaron Durand does and aim for two bases on pretty much every hit to get himself into scoring position early, then the Red Sox can work with that and they can put less pressure on Pavetta to have to have a stellar start and his first start back from the aisle. So the Red Sox need to get the baths moving early work Chris Sails pitch count early so that the Braves are forced to pull him from the game earlier and then the Red Sox need to get the bats moving early, work Chris Sails pitch count early,so that the Braves are forced to pull him from the game earlier. And then the Red Sox have to deal with the Braves bullpen. But either way, lots of nostalgia with this series. It definitely looked a little bit weird on Tuesday night when the game was on and they panned to Chris Sail in the Braves dugout with that Atlanta hat. It just feels a little bit weird to see.But I'm sure he's happy to see his former teammates. He loved playing in Boston, and he definitely respects the Red Sox organization. So I'm sure it was a big, exciting thing for him to be reunited with his former Red Sox teammates. So that's got to be cool for him and Von Grisham,you know, getting reunited with some of the Braves teammates he had that he played with. So a big little reunion here for these Red Sox and Braves players. But the Red Sox are just going to have to do what they do. Be aggressive. Hope that Pavetta can go out there and throw strikes and look good even though it's his first start back. And he might look rusty in his first inning or two. But even if that is the case, then he can hopefully bounce back from that during the start because that would be huge if the Red Sox can get innings out of him. So we'll see what happens with him. I wouldn't be overly surprised if he's rusty. I also wouldn't be surprised if he's not. He had two great starts this year, remember, before he went on the IL. So it's just a matter of the time that's been in betweenwhen he got injured and now and how much that has changed him and where he's at in terms of his preparedness and readiness to come back out there and pitch again at the major league level. But a split of this series would be big. The Red Sox got a win tonight. Let's hope that they do. Let's hope the bats are alive. Let's hope the pitching can hold up their end of the bargain. And let's hope the defense continues to be as good as it has been as of late. So we'll find all of those answers out tonight. But whatyou can do in the meantime and always is keep the faith. Go Red Sox. And I will catch you on the flip side.