- 6 months ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Alex Cora, how are we doing today?
00:03Doing good, doing good. How are you guys?
00:05We're good.
00:06We watched a couple wins, and we've watched your top three pitchers.
00:12Really roll of late.
00:14Obviously, Giolito last night, but there's this stat making the rounds
00:17that since June 10th, Crochet, Bayo, and Giolito
00:21are all in the top five in the American League in ERA.
00:24I know you're an eternal optimist, but did you see this coming,
00:27this stretch that they're having from your top three starters?
00:31I mean, we trusted them, right?
00:35We've seen Bayo growing into a more mature pitcher.
00:40That transformation started halfway through the season last year.
00:45Gio, of course, been there, done that, right?
00:47It was just a matter of him getting to the rhythm of the season
00:51and Crochet, I think a lot of people thought that this was going to be the case.
00:56So, I mean, a lot of hard work, a lot of adjustments throughout, right?
01:01With Gio mechanically, with Bayo repertoire-wise,
01:04but we're in a good spot right now.
01:06We're throwing the ball well.
01:08So, Alex, obviously your plan for managing the innings
01:11and workload for Crochet has worked very well.
01:15Going down the stretch, considering how pivotal these three pitchers
01:19could and should be if and when the Red Sox make the postseason,
01:23will there be any sort of load management or workload plan
01:26for Bayo and Gio Alito as well?
01:30No, no, not as of now.
01:32We feel they're in a good spot physically.
01:35Health-wise, they've been great.
01:36They've been able to bounce back, and we've got work to do.
01:40You know, we've still got 29 more games,
01:42and a lot of teams are playing well around us.
01:45We still have our goals set in the division,
01:48so we've got to keep going.
01:49Alex, Trevor's story hits a home run last night,
01:52and every time he hits a home run, you guys seem to win.
01:54I think you're 18-1.
01:55Your patience with him has certainly paid off.
01:58He struggled to start the year, and now it just feels like when he's on,
02:03it's just the offense is on.
02:05What do you attribute Trevor's story turning things around
02:08from the beginning of the season?
02:09I think Trevor only has had one bad month, right?
02:15It was May.
02:16In April, he was really solid.
02:18In May, it didn't work out for him,
02:20and then since June 1st, he's been one of the best shortstops
02:23in the league, offensively and defensively.
02:26We joke around right in the beginning of the season
02:29with his walk-up song, right?
02:31Look who's back, or whatever it is, you know?
02:33The guy is, you know, first of all, physically, he's at another level.
02:41You know, he's one of the best athletes,
02:42if not the best athlete we have.
02:46And honestly, he has simplified his mechanics, you know?
02:51In May, it became very internal, you know?
02:55Everything, my hands, my leg kick, this and that.
02:59And then after that, he relaxed a little bit.
03:04I think he took one side of the plate,
03:06and he started catching up with the fastball.
03:08And now, he's hitting fastballs, he's hitting off-speed stuff,
03:12he's playing great defense, and base running-wise, he's the lead.
03:16So we're very happy he's playing at this level.
03:18Speaking of taking it to another level,
03:20your closer, Aroldis Chapman, usually we look at runs or blown saves.
03:25He's a guy that hasn't allowed a hit,
03:26and I think it's 13 appearances.
03:29Obviously, he's throwing strikes.
03:31How did we get to this Aroldis Chapman late in his first season
03:35with the Boston Red Sox, late in his career?
03:37Obviously, I've heard you talk about his work ethic,
03:40but, you know, is there something organizationally
03:43that has helped him get to where he's rolling along right now?
03:45I think it started with, he talked about last year,
03:52he lost around 20 to 25 pounds in the second part of the season
03:58because he felt that he was too rigid on the mound,
04:01and he wanted to be more athletic.
04:04He finished the season pretty well,
04:06worked in the offseason a few things mechanics-wise,
04:08and then, you know, we've been preaching first pitch strike from the get-go.
04:15Obviously, every organization, they do that,
04:18but I think Bells and the pitching group have done an amazing job with him.
04:24We've been able to take care of him as far as, like, innings and up-downs
04:29and all that, so he feels fresh,
04:31and right now he's in one of those runs that it's unbelievable what he's doing.
04:37You know, I played with Eric Gagne in 2004,
04:41from 2002 to 2004 with the Dodgers,
04:44and he was dominant,
04:47and, you know, what Chapman is doing right now reminds me a lot of Eric.
04:52Yeah, bullpen has been a very pleasant surprise, Alex,
04:55and this season seems to have been littered
04:57with so many different pleasant surprises,
04:59outfield, infield, bench, bullpen starters,
05:02and the latest one is Nathaniel Lowe,
05:05who you guys pick up and, out of nowhere,
05:07seems like he can't miss the baseball when he swings.
05:10Are you surprised by the success that he's had immediately with the Sox?
05:15First things first,
05:17very good credit to the front office and Bress and the group,
05:21because as soon as the Nationals made their move,
05:24they start talking about Nate,
05:27a guy that he's a World Series champion,
05:31and he was a good hitter before.
05:34He struggled with the Nationals,
05:36offensively and defensively,
05:38he hit homers and drove in runs,
05:40but hopefully we can get the good version,
05:43and so far so good,
05:45and he can help us win a lot of games
05:47and hopefully win the division.
05:49Alex, you were, you know,
05:51people were wondering how Roman Anthony would do,
05:53you know, going into Yankee Stadium,
05:55and he showed what he's all about.
05:59Just your thoughts on Roman Anthony,
06:01how he's playing,
06:03and just what you're seeing in that young man right now.
06:08Just consistency.
06:09Not only on the field,
06:11but in pregame,
06:14just on top of his work,
06:15trying to get better defensively,
06:18offensively.
06:20There's still a few things that he wants to improve.
06:23I think we have to solve the lefty part of it, right?
06:27But he will.
06:28I think he will.
06:28The more bets he gets against them,
06:30the better he's going to be.
06:32But so far, so good, man.
06:35And in the clubhouse,
06:36communication with the coaches,
06:38is just the presence.
06:41It's been a lot of fun.
06:43Red Sox manager Alex Cora here with us
06:45on WEI Afternoons.
06:48We've talked a lot about the mix
06:49between leaders and young players,
06:52and that's come together in the clubhouse
06:53to seemingly really work.
06:55You just talk about Roman Anthony.
06:56Seems like he has a really unique relationship
06:58with Alex Bregman.
07:00What have you seen between those two,
07:01the bond that maybe they're building,
07:03and why that maybe is at the forefront
07:05of what this whole clubhouse is?
07:08Yeah, it's just, with Alex,
07:10it's just different.
07:12He wants to win so bad that, you know,
07:15we just got here to the ballpark.
07:17He took the bus, and he's working, you know,
07:19and he studies himself.
07:21He studies the opposition,
07:22and he studies his teammates, you know,
07:24and he wants his teammates to be successful.
07:27He's not afraid to let them know, you know,
07:30where they end with their swing or defensively,
07:32and that's what you need, you know.
07:34You need people like that in the clubhouse.
07:35I think between him and Trevor,
07:38they took that baton,
07:39and they're doing an outstanding job for the group.
07:43Alex, how has Walker Buehler taken being moved
07:46from the starting rotation to the bullpen,
07:48and do you believe he can be a significant contributor
07:51for the team down the homestretch towards the postseason?
07:54Yeah, he's been okay, just getting used to the routine, right?
07:59You got to be available every single day,
08:01so his routine has changed.
08:03I thought he threw the ball well in New York,
08:06just one breaking ball that Jazz got down in the zone
08:08and hit a ballpark, but overall, the stuff was good.
08:12The bounce back is the thing that, you know,
08:15we have to pay attention.
08:16Obviously, with his injury pass, you know,
08:19we have to keep him healthy, but, you know,
08:21he was available yesterday, so that was good for us,
08:24and I do believe he's going to help us win a lot of games.
08:27You mentioned earlier with Nathaniel Lowe
08:29tipping your cap to the front office, bringing him in.
08:31A lot of us left the trade deadline maybe disappointed,
08:34but one of the guys they brought in, Stephen Matz,
08:37looks like he has become sort of a trusted part
08:39of your bullpen.
08:41What have you learned about him
08:42since you've spent some time with him
08:43and what he brings to your bullpen?
08:47First things first, man.
08:48He's a great athlete, which helps him
08:51to bounce back very quick.
08:53The other thing, he has a unique fastball.
08:57It's one very similar to Whitlock,
09:00but from the left side and little by little,
09:02we have to trust him in big situations.
09:06He's getting lefties out.
09:07I do believe he can get righties out.
09:09The other day, we let him face Goldschmidt in New York
09:12and got him out and helped us win the game.
09:15So, you know, he's having a lot of fun.
09:17He enjoys the environment.
09:19He understands, you know, what it takes to, you know,
09:23finish the season, which is the most important thing.
09:25And I'm very happy that he's here with us.
09:30And Alex, since nobody has,
09:32we've only seen a couple of bats.
09:34It was a recent call-up and whatnot.
09:36What are your first impressions of the password?
09:37What's the kid like?
09:40Yeah, he's a good kid, good athlete, good defender.
09:43I'd say some tough lefties, right?
09:45Hey, go ahead, kid.
09:47You're hitting fifth against Max Freed.
09:48Go get him.
09:49And then he was redone.
09:51But, you know, he was having a good season in AAA.
09:55We needed him to be here, right?
09:57Because of some roster stuff.
09:59And there's a good chance he'll start tomorrow against the lefties.
10:03Alex, we couldn't let you leave this interview without a question about
10:08who's the next pitcher coming up from the minor leagues.
10:10Peyton Tolley seems to be killing it.
10:12Lou Maloney calls him the piglet, is very excited.
10:15How soon do we see Peyton Tolley?
10:19We've got to be patient, you know.
10:21There's other stuff that has to happen, right?
10:24And we're in a good spot with the big league roster.
10:26But, obviously, like I always said, man, these kids, their job is to, you know,
10:32keep improving and keep showing us that they belong to the big leagues.
10:36And if we do believe they're ready, they're going to contribute here.
10:39Before we let you go, you said Steven Motz is having fun.
10:42How much fun is Alex Cora having?
10:44The last few Augusts seem like they haven't been a lot of fun for you.
10:46We talked about teams fading, falling out of contention.
10:49You must be having some fun.
10:50Yeah, yeah, especially because our fantasy football team is ranked number one
10:57with the draft.
11:00We had a great – I mean, it was amazing.
11:02We got Chase, Jacobs, Jackson, Walker, Metcalf, and some others.
11:08So we were ranked number one, the coaches.
11:09Now we've just got to put the work, and hopefully we can win the championship.
11:13And is this the league where Veritek decided the order with the BP session,
11:17the picks?
11:19Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:21It was not the order.
11:23It was the order to choose the order.
11:26So there was no – I mean, we didn't take advantage of the situation.
11:31But we were the number two pick, and we got – I think, you know,
11:36we got the best player in fantasy football, Jamar Chase,
11:39and we just got to go now and hopefully win the championship.
11:42That's the most important thing.
11:43All right, so we're angling for two championships, fantasy football
11:46and real-world baseball.
11:47We're just going to pull it all together this fall, right?
11:49Thanks, Alex.
11:50You imagine?
11:51Oh, you imagine if we do well, that'll be sick.
11:54All right.
11:54Thanks, Alex.
11:55We appreciate it a little bit.
11:56No, no, I'll keep it inside.
11:57I'll keep it inside.
11:58We're having fun.
11:59It's a good group of guys.
12:01In New York, a lot of fans from Boston.
12:04We're at the stadium here in Baltimore.
12:06The same thing.
12:07So hopefully we can continue and, you know, win the whole thing.
12:11Sounds good.
12:12All right, Alex.
12:12We'll talk to you next week.
12:14Good luck tonight.
12:15Later, guys.
12:16All right.
12:16See you.
12:17Thanks, Alex.
12:17That was Alex Cora, manager of the Boston Red Sox
12:20and the manager of a dominant fantasy football team.
Comments