Sore spot for J.D.
Gimpy Martinez iffy for an outfield start
LOS ANGELES -- Less than five hours after Mookie Betts was named a finalist for his third straight Gold Glove Award in right field, manager Alex Cora announced that Betts would not be playing second base when the Red Sox take the field tonight at Dodger Stadium. “Well, he’s not starting at second base,” Cora said with a wink. Betts will either start in right or center tonight for Game 3 of the World Series as the Red Sox look to take a 3-0 lead against Walker Buehler and the Dodgers. In Game 2 on Wednesday, J.D. Martinez was running gingerly on his sore ankle, which he twisted rounding second base in Game 1. Cora said he wasn’t certain if Martinez will healthy enough to start in the outfield tonight for Game 3. “We’ll see,” the manager said. “Actually he felt better today walking around, he got treatment on the way here. He’s going to get treatment tomorrow. He’ll get treatment tomorrow morning. In the afternoon we’ll make a decision. “It looked bad early in the game but then it seemed like it was moving better towards the end. We’ll make a decision whenever -- he’ll let us know.”
Gold rush
Rawlings announced Gold Glove Award finalists yesterday afternoon and the Red Sox have five players, including all three outfielders, among the final three at their position in the American League. Mitch Moreland, the 2016 winner, will be up against Matt Olson and Justin Smoak for the award at first base. Ian Kinsler, also a 2016 winner, is a finalist at second base with Rougned Odor and Jed Lowrie. Jackie Bradley Jr. is looking for his first Gold Glove in center field, but so is Mike Trout and Adam Engel. Betts, one of the best defenders in baseball at any position, is the favorite in right field against Kole Calhoun and Aaron Judge. Betts has won each of the last two Gold Gloves at the position. And Andrew Benintendi earned his first career Gold Glove finalist nomination, though it’d be a longshot for him to beat five-time winner Alex Gordon and one-time winner Brett Gardner. “There was one that didn’t make it that I thought he should have - Sandy Leon,” Cora said. “He did an outstanding job behind the plate all season. But that’s another topic.” Gold Glove Awards are voted on by managers and coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players and only vote on players in their own league. There’s also some numbers at play, with the SABR Defensive Index counting for 25 percent of the weight. The number is calculated with a variety of defensive stats. SABR’s final 2018 numbers have not been listed online, but they were posted as of Aug. 19, when Kinsler and Betts were leading the league at their positions, Moreland ranked third, Benintendi ranked sixth and Bradley ranked fourth. Benintendi might’ve been the biggest surprise of the group “And that’s one part of the game that we’re pushing him to be better,” Cora said. “And he did an outstanding job throwing to the right bases, cutting off balls in the gap, going to his right, being able to push them out in Fenway, push them to left-center and knowing that he can make that play like yesterday down the line. That’s something in the beginning he didn’t feel too comfortable, and little by little you can see that he’s actually playing in the left-center gap now, and he’s been making plays.” Winners will be announced after the World Series in early November.
Eovaldi again?
The Red Sox have no Game 4 starter announced and they’re considering using Nathan Eovaldi out of relief again if they have a chance to win Game 3. Cora didn’t mention who might start Game 4, but Eduardo Rodriguez and Drew Pomeranz are the most likely candidates. Pomeranz might be the most stretched out of the group. “Yeah, I can do anything,” he said. Rodriguez has been pitching out of relief consistently over the last month, but Pomeranz was pushing himself as if he was a starting pitcher. He didn’t make the playoff roster for the first two rounds but was a late addition to the World Series roster. “I’ve felt a lot better,” he said. “I’ve been feeling good for a while now. I’m excited if I get an opportunity and hopefully help us win. “I pretty much came in everyday and acted like I had to pitch that night. I threw off the mound a lot. I threw a lot. I had time and I wanted to work on stuff and I was feeling good. I was finally feeling like myself again.”