{"id":50018,"date":"2025-04-22T06:55:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T06:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=50018"},"modified":"2025-04-22T06:55:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T06:55:02","slug":"red-sox-have-two-headed-monster-at-closer-including-righty-who-has-retired-21-straight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=50018","title":{"rendered":"Red Sox have two-headed monster at closer, including righty who has retired 21 straight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BOSTON \u2014 Entering the season, Alex Cora identified Aroldis Chapman as the Red Sox\u2019 closer while noting that there were some days when matchups would lead to someone else taking the ninth. So far, a two-headed monster has emerged in the role.<\/p>\n

Justin Slaten notched his third save of 2025 with a 1-2-3 ninth on Marathon Monday, putting him one save behind Chapman through 24 games. Combined, the two pitchers are 7-for-7 in save chances.<\/p>\n

While Chapman\u2019s dominance has been well-documented \u2014 after allowing an Andrew Benintendi solo homer Monday, he has a 1.93 ERA while striking out 14 batters in 9 \u2153 innings \u2014 Slaten\u2019s strong start to the year has flown a bit under-the-radar. But the second-year righty has now retired the last 21 batters he has faced over seven outings and even threw the hardest pitch of his big league career Monday, topping out at 98.5 mph. The Red Sox expected a second-year leap from Slaten, who posted a 2.93 ERA in 44 games last year, but couldn\u2019t have expected this type of dominance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s healthy,\u201d said Cora. \u201cThat\u2019s the most important thing. Last year, he was a little bit banged up and he wasn\u2019t honest with us. He wanted to keep grinding. We paid the price. Just keep him fresh. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to accomplish. Usage-wise, it\u2019s been solid with him but also a lot of off days. If we continue to do that, those guys are going to be pitching at 98-100 (mph) and that\u2019s bad news for the opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slaten\u2019s season got off to something of a rough start when he allowed three earned runs and four hits without recording an out in Baltimore on March 31, his third appearance of the year. Outside of that day, though, he has had nine perfect innings. His 4.00 ERA doesn\u2019t come close to telling the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel great,\u201d Slaten said. \u201cI try to keep the same mindset the entire time. I feel really good about the way I\u2019ve thrown the ball the entire time. I had one blow-up outing in Baltimore but I still really liked the way I threw the ball that day. I haven\u2019t tried to change anything all year, really, from last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was good to have an outing like that in Baltimore at the beginning of the season because you get the monkey off your back … just get that out of the way and get back to business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like on Opening Day in Texas and Wednesday in Tampa, the game dictated Cora turning to Slaten for the ninth. With a 4-1 lead after seven, Cora turned to Chapman with two lefties (Nick Maton and Andrew Benintendi) due up in the eighth. That set up a save opportunity for Slaten against the bottom of the lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had two lefties up there,\u201d Cora said. \u201cObviously, they pinch-hit with Bobby (Dalbec) but it felt like that was a pocket for him and we used him there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The setup has required a certain level of buy-in from Chapman, he of 339 saves, and Slaten, who is nearly a decade younger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked to them before spring training was over,\u201d Cora said. \u201cThere\u2019s certain teams we\u2019re going to circle that have lefties on top of the lineup. We\u2019re going to use them in the eighth. It\u2019s very simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Chappy, it\u2019s very simple: \u2018Let me know when, in advance, and I\u2019ll do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Red Sox entered the winter with some uncertainty at the back end of their bullpen after Kenley Jansen\u2019s two-year tenure ended. Liam Hendriks\u2019 spring struggles and minor elbow injury removed him from that mix, though he could factor back in now that he\u2019s healthy. Garrett Whitlock also has a bit of closing experience lefties Brennan Bernardino and Justin Wilson are capable left-handed arms. Asked if he thought he had two closers, Cora said the Red Sox have \u201cgot more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a good thing going right now but it\u2019s not just me and him,\u201d Slaten added. \u201cWe\u2019ve got eight guys out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In front of a big crowd on Marathon Monday, though, Slaten was all they needed in the ninth inning to finish off a 4-2 win over the White Sox.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you\u2019ve got a crowd like that in the stadium, it\u2019s hard to not get a little bit of extra juice in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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