Jansen (hamstring) throws live BP, ready to go
Kenley Jansen didn’t want to throw a bullpen. Instead, he preferred a live batting practice Saturday.
Throwing to a couple of hitters at Fenway Park before the Red Sox played the Dodgers, the closer felt, would give him a good gauge on just how well he felt after leaving Wednesday’s contest in Houston because of right hamstring tightness.
Jansen finished his live BP session without incident and said he would be ready to pitch Sunday.
“We checked all the boxes,” Jansen said before the Sox’ 8-5 win. “I was sitting 92-94 [miles per hour] with no adrenaline. I’m pretty wrapped up right now. They also gave me some medication to relieve the stress in that [hamstring] area.
“I’m feeling great.”
The Sox certainly could use Jamsen.
After Jansen was removed from the contest against the Astros, Nick Pivetta had to pick up that ninth inning after having pitched five innings in relief three days earlier. The inevitable fatigue for Pivetta came Friday against the Dodgers when the reliever squandered a 3-0 lead in the sixth, allowing Los Angeles to tie the contest.
Considering how Jansen walked (hobbled) off the field in Houston, the fact he will avoid the injured list — a scenario that very much felt like a possibility — is good news for the Red Sox.
“We checked this box today and everything felt great,” Jansen reiterated. “I feel great and we’ll be ready for tomorrow. I just wanted to let it go at game speed to see if the hamstring would grab again. Thank God it didn’t grab.
“We’ll be ready.”
Good to see Dodger Blue
Jansen was on the field early to greet some of his former Dodgers teammates and members of the staff. He spent 12 seasons in the majors with Los Angeles and 17 years in the organization after signing out of Curacao as a free agent catcher in November 2004.
“It’s definitely emotional still,” Jansen said. “You watch a team you played with for so long. It’s great. But life is on the other side. I love being here in Boston. The fans are great.
“Everybody here is great. I just can’t wait for us to just keep playing well and see the winning side and see the fans on the winning side. I think we just have to keep chipping away.”
Yoshida sits one out
Masataka Yoshida was not in the lineup against Dodgers lefthander Julio Urias. Yoshida hit just .219 with a homer and a .524 OPS in his last 16 games.
“He’s been off mechanically,” manager Alex Cora said. “If you take a look at his walk rate, right? He’s only walked once in August and that’s not him. There was an at-bat Friday where [Justin Turner] made an out on two pitches and [then Yoshida] swung at the first pitch. We want him to be more aggressive but the at-bat is a lot different lately than early in the season. [Back then] he was able to take two strikes, backtrack the baseball and hit it the other way like in his last at-bat Friday [for a lineout]. That was more him than we’ve seen [as of late].
“It’s just one of those things where you keep working with him.”
With Yoshida sitting, Rob Refsnyder (2 for 4) started in left field.
Reyes exits after swing
Pablo Reyes exited after the fifth inning because of left elbow pain, the team said. Reyes, in the lineup at shortstop, struck out on a changeup from Urias and looked uncomfortable following the swing. The Sox will have more details Sunday, but Cora did say Reyes was in a lot of pain . . . Trevor Story started the game as the DH but eventually took over at shortstop following Reyes’s injury. Cora said he feels as though Story is getting close to playing shortstop on a daily basis . . . There’s a very strong chance righthander Corey Kluber (shoulder) is done for the season. Kluber began playing catch, but Cora noted the team is running out of games and days.