Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Multiple relief innings Friday
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Winckowski allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four over two relief innings in Friday's 1-0 loss to the Mariners.
Winckowski breezed through the seventh inning but ran into trouble in the eighth when he loaded the bases with two outs. Triston Casas made a nice defensive play to prevent any damage to Winckowski's line. Winckowski projects as a multi-inning reliever that can enter at any point during a game.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Pitching through bone chip in ankle
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Winckowski has revealed that he's been pitching with a bone chip in his right ankle since last season, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
By the time Winckowski discovered the issue, he wouldn't have been able to have surgery and be ready in time for Opening Day, so he's putting it off for now. It's possible it could affect his performance, although he's had a decent-enough spring. Winckowski will be used in middle relief for the Red Sox.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Winckowski will begin the season working out of the bullpen, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
The 25-year-old was attempting to secure a spot in Boston's Opening Day rotation and pitched well this spring with just one run allowed over 7.2 innings, but the club apparently feels he's better suited to help the big club as a bullpen piece. Winckowski pitched well in that role last season, as he recorded three saves and 18 holds with a 2.88 ERA in 60 appearances.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Runs into trouble
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Winckowski allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out two over 3.2 innings in Thursday's spring game against the Phillies.
Winckowski, making his fourth Grapefruit League start, breezed through the first inning then hit a road bump in the second, which included a Triston Casas throwing error. The right-hander was sharp over his first three appearances before Thursday's effort. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe notes that Tanner Houck and Cooper Criswell have positioned themselves for the final two rotation spots ahead of Winckowski and Garrett Whitlock; however, manager Alex Cora has not indicated which two pitchers will follow Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford in the rotation. Winckowski was a revelation out of the bullpen in 2023 and could be headed there again this year, per Abraham.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Makes second spring start
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Winckowski allowed one run on two hits and struck out two over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Tigers.
Winckowski made his second Grapefruit League start in a bid for the final spot in the rotation. He was pulled after 41 pitches (28 strikes) and has allowed one run over 4.2 innings. The competition includes Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Makes rotation bid
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Winckowski walked one and struck out one over two hitless and scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against Washington.
Winckowski, making his Grapefruit League debut, walked the first batter he faced then retired six in a row, submitting his first piece of evidence that he should be Boston's fifth starter. The right-hander is transitioning from the bullpen -- he excelled in relief last season -- so Winckowski needs to show he can sustain through longer outings. His main competition for the final rotation spot is Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Working as starter
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Winckowski will compete for a rotation spot this spring, Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe reports.
Winckowski had a strong season as a reliever in 2023, but the Red Sox feel his stuff can hold up over longer outings. The right-hander is in the mix for Boston's final rotation spot along with Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. Winckowski came up through the system as a starter, so pitching multiple innings is familiar.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Could get look in rotation
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Winckowski could be an option for the rotation in 2024, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Winckowski had a terrific 2023 season out of Boston's bullpen, posting a 2.88 ERA and 82:31 K:BB over 84.1 innings. He was used almost exclusively as a starter throughout his pro career prior to that, though, and it sounds like the Red Sox will stretch him back out during spring training. Ultimately, whether Winckowski receives a legitimate look in the rotation could depend on how many starters the Red Sox acquire this offseason.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Snags third save
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Winckowski allowed an unearned run on three hits and struck out two without walking a batter to earn the save in Wednesday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Astros.
Winckowski struggled a bit in the 10th inning, but he ultimately limited the damage to a Yainer Diaz RBI single. Kenley Jansen (hamstring) exited the game in the ninth inning after retiring one batter, while top setup men Chris Martin and Garrett Whitlock had pitched earlier in the contest. Winckowski has filled a versatile relief role this year, tallying three saves, 15 holds and four blown saves while posting a 3.06 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 63:20 K:BB over 67.2 innings. The right-hander could see more high-leverage opportunities if Jansen is out for any extended length of time.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Serving as opener Sunday
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Winckowski will serve as the Red Sox's opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
After making 14 starts for Boston as a rookie in 2022, Winckowski has worked exclusively as a reliever for the Red Sox thus far in his second season in the majors. Though he'll be serving as a starter for the first time in 45 appearances, Winckowski is unlikely to cover more than 1-to-3 innings before turning the game over to Nick Pivetta, whom manager Alex Cora said will work the bulk of the innings in relief. Winckowski enters Sunday's contest with a 3.20 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 57:18 K:BB in 64.2 innings to go with three wins, two saves and 15 holds.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Gets important outs
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Winckowski struck out two over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning and earned a hold in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Mets.
Winckowski was summoned with one out in the sixth inning at a high-leverage moment. The Mets had scored to make it a 5-1 ballgame and had two runners on with Pete Alonso up. The right-hander squelched the threat while showing improved velocity, which had dipped during June. Winckowski hit 97 and 98 mph and looked like the pitcher that was so vital to the Red Sox in the early months. He's tied for the league lead with 55.1 relief innings and maintains a 2.93 ERA.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Cedes three homers
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Winckowski allowed three runs on five hits and one walk over two innings in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the White Sox.
Winckowski wasn't tagged with the loss, but one can argue he was the main reason for it. He allowed three solo home runs during his time on the mound, including a pair of homers in the bottom of the sixth inning after Boston had taken a 3-2 lead in the top half of the frame. It was a shocking result for Winckowski, who has been one of Boston's most trusted bullpen arms and had given up just three home runs over 42.1 innings (0.6 HR/9) prior to Saturday.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Victimized by defense
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Winckowski (2-1) was tagged with Wednesday's loss to the Reds, allowing three unearned runs on three hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings.
Boston's shoddy infield defense reared itself once again when Rafael Devers' throwing error triggered a three-run inning for the Reds. The previous night, Enrique Hernandez committed a pair of throwing errors, one that led to a run in a 9-8 loss. "We're not a good defensive team," manager Alex Cora bluntly told Chad Jennings of The Athletic. "We have a pitching staff that doesn't have swing-and-miss stuff. When we get to two strikes and induce weak contact, we've got to make the plays. When we're really good, we're making plays. When we're not, we struggle." Winckowski, who's pitched well this season, put an end to an uprising in the sixth inning before the seventh went awry. The right-hander maintains a 2.14 ERA over 33.2 innings with 25 strikeouts and six walks.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Records three-inning save
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Winckowski picked up the save in Friday's 6-1 win over the Padres. He allowed one walk while striking out two over three scoreless innings.
Winckowski's lone walk in the seventh inning was the only baserunner he allowed in this near-perfect outing. The right-hander has now tossed scoreless appearances in five of his last six games. The second-year hurler is pitching well as a multi-inning reliever this year, and he has a 2.15 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 29.1 innings.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Has first clunker
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Winckowski allowed three runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 8-6 loss to St. Louis.
It was a blown save for Winckowski, who came on in the sixth inning after Boston took a 4-2 lead. Winckowski has been dominant out of the bullpen; the right-hander entered Friday's game with a 1.50 ERA over 24 innings.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Collects first save
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Winckowski allowed one hit over a scoreless inning to pick up the save in Tuesday's 7-6 win over Toronto.
The Red Sox were working with a short bullpen Tuesday. Kenley Jansen (back spasms) was unavailable, Kutter Crawford threw four innings Friday, Chris Martin was just off the injured list and wasn't going to be used on back-to-back nights, and Brennan Bernardino had pitched three days in a row. As such, manager Alex Cora turned to Winckowski to close out the game. He recorded the save on seven pitches, which was needed after the right-hander threw 30 pitches to record a win the night before. It was the first save in the majors for Winckowski, who was used mostly as a starter in the minors and majors until assuming a multi-inning relief role for Boston in 2023.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Picks up win
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Winckowski (2-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk while striking out one over two innings to record Monday's win over Toronto.
Winckowski was victimized in the eighth inning by shortstop Enrique Hernandez, whose two throwing errors contributed to the Blue Jays knotting the game at 5-5. The right-hander came back out to throw the ninth and was the pitcher of record when Alex Verdugo walked off Toronto. Boston manager Alex Cora would have had the pitcher come back out for a third inning if Verdugo hadn't ended the game, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Winckowski has been valuable out of the bullpen and gets a lot of chances to pitch in support of a starting staff that ranks 27th with a 6.01 ERA. Monday's outing was the eighth multi-inning relief effort for the 24-year-old starter-turned-reliever, who is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA, 17 strikeouts and five walks over 21.1 innings (11 appearances).
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Proving value in 'pen
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Winckowski allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four over 2.1 scoreless relief innings to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over the Brewers.
Winckowski stranded a runner in the sixth inning and bridged the gap to closer Kenley Jansen. Winckowski has been outstanding out of the bullpen to start the season. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.65 and has gobbled up 16.1 innings over eight appearances. The Red Sox currently carry six starters, so his effectiveness in a multi-inning relief role has been valuable.
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Red Sox's Josh Winckowski: Earns win Friday
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Winckowski (1-0) allowed one run on four hits, one walk and a hit batsman over three innings Friday, earning a win over the Angels.
Winckowski has been stellar out of the Boston's heavily used bullpen. The 24-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs in 12 innings over six relief appearances. He came through the system as a starter but is expected to remain in a multi-inning relief role for now. Winckowski's a strike-thrower and not afraid to pitch to contact.
