And the new guys are already paying off. . .
Didn’t take long for the trade deadline to bear fruit, huh? Both catcher Danny Jansen, recently acquired from the Blue Jays, and reliever Lucas Sims, recently acquired from the Cincinnati Reds, played keyed roles in last night’s win against the Seattle Mariners. New toys are fun. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Despite the positive contributions from the new guys last night, at least one writer thinks the Sox did worse at the trade deadline than every other AL East team. Fortunately for us, though, that writer is Jim Bowden. (Jim Bowden, The Athletic)
Lucas Sims could become an even more important part of the Red Sox bullpen than anticipated — but in a bad way, after closer Kenley Jansen tweaked his back during last night’s game. He remained on the mound and it’s likely not anything major, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. (Gayle Troiani, NESN)
The emphasis on relievers at the deadline is something both Craig Breslow and Alex Cora thought was extremely necessary, given the increasing workload the bullpen has faced as the season has progressed. (Adam London, NESN)
Zack Kelly’s second half slide is a big reason why the bullpen has been struggling of late, but he bounced back last night and called it one of his favorite appearances of the year. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
As for the offensive side of the ball, Danny Jansen will only improve the lineup so much. A bigger jolt could be provided by Triston Casas, who is currently rehabbing in Worcester. Casas’s pitch recognition is in mid-season form, as he worked a full count four times on Tuesday night, but his timing is clearly off. (Sarah Barber, Boston Globe)
Hopefully Trizzton can get it going soon, because it’s now officially August, the month when everything fell apart for the last two iterations of the Red Sox. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)