Mark Gonzales
The young and talented reliever could be just what the Cubs need, if they can make a solid trade offer.
The Sox are in an enviable position to seek upgrades at multiple positions by trading movable parts that won’t be featured in their current rebuild.
Grifol knows it’s a hot topic every time he starts veteran Martin Maldonado and his .083 batting average behind the plate. But Grifol emphasized the importance of giving Korey Lee a break from his catching duties.
‘‘It’s a different animal up here,‘‘ Thorpe, 23, said after allowing six hits and five walks. ’’It’s good to get it out of the way, move on and get better for the next one.‘‘
While Paul DeJong, Andrew Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa and Korey Lee homered, Erick Fedde worked out of trouble, all to navigate through six innings and provide one of the Sox’ most satisfying victories in an otherwise dismal first half.
From Garrett Crochet to Jake Eder, Bannister is watching a dominant development with the lefties in the organization.
It might be prudent for the Sox to start monitoring Crochet’s innings, even with the dominance he has shown.
‘‘That was a rough one,” said Flexen, who had posted a 3.00 ERA over his last three starts. “I thought my stuff was terrible. Terrible execution, especially in big moments. That’s one I’ll try to flush.”
‘‘It means the world,’’ said Kuhl, who nearly a year ago was designated for assignment by the Nationals after a rough outing.