Boston, MA
All Eyes on Merrill Kelly as Diamondbacks go for Sweep in Boston
![All Eyes on Merrill Kelly as Diamondbacks go for Sweep in Boston All Eyes on Merrill Kelly as Diamondbacks go for Sweep in Boston](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5085,h_2860,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_diamondbacks/01j64zwjz530t5sq47p2.jpg)
The Arizona Diamondbacks (74-56) will go for the three game sweep against the Boston Red Sox (67-61) Sunday at historic Fenway Park in Boston. First pitch is 10:35 A.M. Arizona time, 1:35 P.M. EST. The D-backs won the first two games 12-2 and 4-1, holding the normally excellent Boston lineup in check.
The Diamondbacks are 3.0 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West and currently hold the top NL Wild Card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Padres and 3.5 games ahead of the Braves. The Mets, who Arizona plays in their next series, are six games back of Arizona.
The Red Sox are 4.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third AL Wild Spot with 34 games remaining.
Pavin Smith gets a start in left field, spelling Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Smith has played sparingly since getting recalled to replace the injured Ketel Marte on the roster. He’s 0-8 with two walks in two prior starts on August 19th and 21st.
Tyler O’neil is back in the lineup at left field for the Red Sox. He missed the first two games of the series with left fourth finger inflammation, an injury suffered during batting practice. He’s faced D-backs starter Merrill Kelly 17 times in his career, but has just one hit. That was a homer back in 2019.
Merrill Kelly RHP, 3-0, 3.63 ERA, 4.07 FIP in 34.2 IP
Kelly is making his third start since missing nearly four months with a left shoulder strain in the Teres Major muscle. He looked sharp in his first game back, going five innings against the Phillies, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks.
It was a different story in his second game. With his velocity all the way down to 89.6 MPH on his fastball, and his command not as sharp as usual, he gave up six runs on eight hits, two walks and a homer to the Rays on August 18th.
Speaking afterwards Kelly said the velocity loss wasn’t a big concern for him, as long as it does not stay down in that range. Velocity loss is often associated with shoulder injuries, but he has not reported any undue discomfort in the shoulder since coming back.
Tanner Houck RHP, 8-8, 3.01 ERA, 3.19 FIP in 152.2 IP
The 28 year old won’t wow you with velocity, as his sinker averages a solid but unspectacular 93.4 MPH. He throws his sweeper more than any other pitch (42%) compared to the sinker (31.6%). His out pitch against lefties is a splitter, with well above average vertical break.
Houck was a first round draft pick, 24th overall, by the Red Sox in 2017. He made his major league debut during the Pandemic 2020 season. A down year last year has been followed by the best season of his career so far. He’s thrown 18.2 innings over his last three outings, allowing six runs, five earned, 2.41 ERA.
Houck has a large reverse split, allowing just a .213 B.A. and .576 OPS against left-hand batters compared to a .255 B.A. and .659 OPS against right-hand batters.
Crawford has the fourth highest ground ball percentage in MLB, 55.8%. He keeps the ball in the yard, allowing just nine homers. His 0.53 home run per nine innings is also the fourth best in MLB. Houck’s 72% Quality Start percentage (18-25) ranks sixth best in MLB.
The D-backs bullpen has been very good this series. The only run allowed in six innings of work over the last two games came against Paul Sewald in the ninth on Saturday. That forced Torey Lovullo to get Justin Martinez warmed up during the inning, but he did not need to enter the game. Martinez has had a heavy workload of late and it would have been preferable if he did not need to warm up at all.
The Red Sox bullpen has been the worst in MLB since the All-Star break, with s 6.70 ERA. They have not pitched well this series, giving up nine runs in 7.2 innings pitched.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Boston, MA
Boston College Alum Joe Tessitore Calls Week 0 Game in Dublin, The Rundown: August 25, 2024
![Boston College Alum Joe Tessitore Calls Week 0 Game in Dublin, The Rundown: August 25, 2024 Boston College Alum Joe Tessitore Calls Week 0 Game in Dublin, The Rundown: August 25, 2024](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_8256,h_4644,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/bc_bulletin/01j63s0qdn08s3ygb20m.jpg)
Boston College alumnus Joe Tessitore was on the call alongside Jesse Palmer and Katie George for the Week 0 game against Georgia Tech and No. 10 Florida State at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
During the broadcast, Tessitore had multiple moments that went viral on social media including drinking a Guinness at halftime, handing a Guinness to an ESPN cameraman, and called the game-winning play.
Georgia Tech defeated Florida State 24-21 after kicking a 44-yard field goal as time expired to pull the first upset of the year.
“They found themselves a pot of gold at the end of their Irish rainbow,” said Tessitore during the call. “No. 10 goes down in Dublin. Welcome back to college football.”
Women’s Soccer: LIU at Boston College | 1 p.m. ET | Live Video | Live Stats
8 days.
Varsity Football — Mark the Shark (@coachmark_48) August 24, 2024 Finals bound! 🇸🇳
9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block for NeNe in Senegal’s 68-65 victory over Rwanda. pic.twitter.com/ORDHECkZTm
— Boston College Women’s Basketball (@BC_WBB) August 24, 2024 Went crazy second game 4 touchdowns ⏰ @RecruitJCFball @CConnerdc @coachchastain @CoachTrentCook @Bdrumm_Rivals @CoachBrentKeyGT @RecruitGeorgia pic.twitter.com/VAserVwx8v
— Zacari (@thomas_zacari) August 24, 2024
Canyon 6
Charter Oak 44
Final
Great game for Boston College commit @corincberry finished the game with 4 total TD’s 3 passing 1 running. Charter Oak will see Chino Hills next week @SGVNSports @tspeterson40 @GabrielNDuarte_ @Tarek_Fattal @latsondheimer
Check out our…
Joe Tessitore being a bro and handing a Guinness to the camera man 🇮🇪❤️ pic.twitter.com/haW6y0W9kC
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) August 24, 2024
Boston, MA
Boston’s Caribbean Carnival returns a year after mass shooting: ‘I always feel safe’
![Boston’s Caribbean Carnival returns a year after mass shooting: ‘I always feel safe’ Boston’s Caribbean Carnival returns a year after mass shooting: ‘I always feel safe’](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/caribbeanfestpc11.jpg?w=1024&h=717)
Boston’s Caribbean community, donning bright, exquisite costumes of crowns, feathers, masks, and rhinestones danced and sang along the streets of Roxbury and Dorchester as a strong police presence kept watch over the celebration.
“I always feel safe,” Montserrat native Jadine Greenaway told the Herald Saturday afternoon as she prepared for the city’s annual Caribbean parade. “The Boston police officers do a wonderful job, they are out here, they’re smiling like they’re confident. The Boston EMS are out here. Everyone is here to make sure we have a wonderful day.”
“Boston is my second home,” Greenaway said. “Why wouldn’t I feel safe here?”
Last year’s Caribbean Carnival was marred by a mass shooting that left eight people injured, leading to concerns and calls for an increased police presence to ensure the safety of all participants, spectators, and the community at large.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox responded to those concerns, changing the route for the morning J’ouvert parade, where last year’s shooting took place, and pledging aggressive enforcement and support from state police.
The J’ouvert parade, which started at 6 a.m. and took place exclusively on Circuit Drive in Franklin Park, went off without a hitch, said Shirley Shillingford, who has served as president of Boston Caribbean Carnival for 34 years.
“So far, it has started out good, and we are hoping it continues,” Shillingford, a Jamaican native, told the Herald. “All of the police have been wonderful. We could have never asked better of them.”
Boston Police made at least 15 arrests and recovered about nine firearms during the day’s festivities, Sgt. Det. John Boyle told the Herald Saturday evening.
Addressing the issues that have occurred at the Caribbean Carnival celebrations in past years, Cox said Friday there would be “zero-tolerance for any kind of violence whatsoever.”
The Carnival celebration is considered to be “family-friendly,” he said, meaning that no weapons, including permitted guns, would be allowed. Cox also urged residents to call police to report any neighbors holding late- or overnight parties, which the commissioner said have led to problems in past years.
Greenaway, 46, has come to the Carnival ever since she was a 16-year-old, having immigrated from Montserrat at age 8. This year, she helped design costumes for the Boston Socaholics, a band that plays music she described as the “R&B of the West Indies.”
“It’s my ability, and our ability, as Caribbean people,” said Greenaway, wearing rhinestones and a purple-and-gold costume, “to showcase our artistry, to showcase our culture, our music, and really show how much spirit we have, how free we are, how we embrace life as it is, and we take time to truly enjoy life.”
Last Sunday evening, five people were shot inside Franklin Park, an incident that Cox described as a “heinous act” that marred the end of the Dominican festival. All of the injuries appear to be non-life-threatening, police said.
Tito Jackson, a former city councilor for Roxbury and Dorchester named the grand marshal for this year’s Caribbean Carnival, pointed out how BPD has told him the city’s “had the safest year so far.”
“We will not allow one person or one incident to cast a shadow on the wonderful people, on the wonderful community,” Jackson told the Herald, adding he looked forward to feasting on jerk chicken during the day’s festivities. “We will not allow any news outlet to tell who and what we are. We know we are this city, we make up this city, we work hard every day to live here.”
City Councilor Ed Flynn sent a letter to the police commissioner in the days before the Carnival, urging Cox to request “law enforcement assistance of neighboring cities and towns for this weekend with many events taking place across the city, including the Caribbean parade.”
“Everything is going well,” Flynn told the Herald as he arrived to Martin Luther King Boulevard before the main parade started in the afternoon. “It’s about working together and respecting each other. That’s a critical part of it.”
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-MA 7th District, called the Caribbean Carnival the “perfect capstone” on the heels of having just returned from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Let us not forget that this is an incredible contributor to our economy, it makes this a destination location,” she told reporters. “It’s a family-friendly event, a tradition that people who’ve grown up in the city their entire lives look forward to.”
Photo by Paul Connors/Boston Herald
Anaya Neblett, 14, of Boston, dances in foam shot from a float during the Caribbean Festival Parade Saturday. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)
![Revelers from Socaholics dance troupe parade along Warren Avenue during the Caribbean Festival Parade Saturday. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)](https://i0.wp.com/www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/caribbeanfestpc05.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
Photo by Paul Connors/Boston Herald
Revelers from Socaholics dance troupe parade along Warren Avenue during the Caribbean Festival Parade Saturday. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)
![A Boston Police officer scans the crowd during the Caribbean Festival Parade Saturday. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)](https://i0.wp.com/www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/caribbeanfestpc14.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
Photo by Paul Connors/Boston Herald
A Boston Police officer scans the crowd during the Caribbean Festival Parade Saturday. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA
Zac Gallen Aims to Win Series in Fenway Park against Boston Red Sox
![Zac Gallen Aims to Win Series in Fenway Park against Boston Red Sox Zac Gallen Aims to Win Series in Fenway Park against Boston Red Sox](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2048,h_1152,x_0,y_170/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_diamondbacks/01j62p1mg5f07hcsr758.jpg)
The Arizona Diamondbacks are on a four-game winning streak after beating the Boston Red Sox 12-2 last night. Now, they go for the series win with the first pitch at 1:10 PM local AZ time. The D-backs are 7-3 in their last ten games.
The D-backs are now 73-56, 17 games over .500, their most games over .500 since 2017 when they won 93 games and advanced to the NLDS. Every game right now is a must-win as they are just 0.5 games above the Padres for the first NL Wild Card spot.
Plus, they are 3.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves and six games ahead of the Mets, their top two contenders for a Wild Card spot aside from San Diego.
Arizona is looking to win their second series in a row and start a new streak of consecutive series won along with ending this nine game road trip with an above-.500 record after starting it off by being swept by the Rays.
If they win today, they’ll go at least 5-4 on this road trip and will have won just their second series versus the AL East this year.
RHP Zac Gallen, 9-6, 3.85 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 102 Strikeouts in 110 Innings
The Diamondbacks need Zac Gallen to be the ace of the staff. Aside from a couple of starts, Gallen has struggled since coming off the Injured List in late June. Since he came back June 29th, he has a 4.64 ERA and has given up 57 hits and 22 walks in just 52.1 innings.
Those numbers are very uncommon for Gallen. He’s never been one to walk a lot of batters, but he’s struggled with his command of late which has allowed too many baserunners and created plenty of situations where teams can score runs.
Gallen has to locate his fastball as it has been hit hard this year. Opponents are hitting .318 against it and slugging .503. That simply can’t continue if Arizona and Gallen want to get deep into the playoffs.
His knuckle-curve has continued to be a lethal wipe-out pitch and he will have to rely on it and his other off-speed pitches to keep hitters off of waiting for his fastball. Opponents have hit his knuckle-curve for an average of just .155 while slugging just .239.
Today, Gallen has to overcome his road woes as he’s struggled more on the road than at home this season. On the road, he has a 4.69 ERA in 48 innings with 20 walks and 44 strikeouts.
If the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to win today, they need Zac Gallen to be at his best and set the tone for the game and team while pitching like the Postseason ace that the D-backs will rely upon in October.
RHP Kutter Crawford, 8-10, 4.25 ERA, 4.77 FIP, 133 Strikeouts in 142 Innings
Crawford was a revelation for the Red Sox earlier this year as he pitched far better than expected, but as with the rest of the Red Sox pitching staff, he’s struggled of late.
Crawford has been hit hard and far as he leads MLB in homers given up with 28. That equates to 1.8 home runs allowed per nine innings. While it hasn’t been easy to get a hit off of him with just 119 given up, when batters make contact, the ball soars.
He’s had a rough go of it since July 21st. Over those six starts and 29.1 innings, he’s averaging under five innings a start with an ERA of 8.90 and a FIP of 8.62.
He’s allowed 31 hits, 29 runs, seven walks, and an eye-popping 14 home runs. Five times, he’s allowed four or more runs during this span of starts.
Crawford excels at getting hitters to chase pitches, particularly his cutter and sweeper along with his split-finger. If Arizona hitters can stay patient at the plate and avoid chasing, they can make plenty of contact and perhaps even get a few home runs or at least drive up his pitch count.
Corbin Carroll has reached base safely in 32 straight starts and will look to make it 33. Plus, he has scored a run in 14 straight starts and will strive to again make it 15. He’s been hitting the ball hard and far of late with a .582 slugging percentage and .910 OPS since July 5th.
Jake McCarthy recorded two more hits last night and is now hitting .385 since July 27th over 25 games. He has 37 hits over that span.
Eugenio Suarez hit his second grand slam of the season last night and had five RBI and now has 42 RBI since July 3rd including four different games with five RBI.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will need to stay patient at the plate and pick their pitches as they can do plenty of damage against Crawford and the Boston Red Sox. Gallen will have to pitch sharp and avoid leaving his fastball out over the plate. If he can, he will be in great shape to win today’s game.
-
Minnesota1 week ago
Readers and writers: Plenty of thrills and danger in these Minnesota author’s mysteries
-
Fitness1 week ago
A Guide to Pottruck Health and Fitness Center
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump assassination attempt: Secret Service makes big change to former president's outdoor rally security
-
News1 week ago
Video: Biden and Harris Announce Deal to Lower Drug Prices
-
Technology3 days ago
Breakthrough robo-glove gives you superhuman grip
-
Politics1 week ago
Youngkin takes victory lap against 'losing states' as Virginia marks $1B surplus: 'The playbook works'
-
Politics1 week ago
House Oversight investigating Walz over 'longstanding connections' to China
-
News1 week ago
Over 100 of Donald Trump’s companies make no money: Financial disclosures