Red Sox Links: Confident Casas is a “Difference-Maker”

Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Garrett Whitlock aren’t just four starters in the Red Sox rotation, they represent something that has weirdly become incredibly rare over the last decade and-a-half: homegrown pitching (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Of course, while Kutter Crawford is currently a starter, he hasn’t exactly excelled in that role. But he’s in the rotation for now, thanks to injuries to Chris Sale and Tanner Houck, is schedule to see a specialist for his facial fracture. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

But who will start Thursday? We still don’t know, though Alex Cora said it will be someone on the current 40-man roster. Narrowing it down from there, it looks likely to be a bullpen game, Corey Kluber, or Brandon Walter, who would be making his Major League debut (and who, frankly, has not been good in Worcester this year.) (Chris Cotillo, Boston Globe)

No matter who starts Thursday, Alex Cora will likely have some tricky bullpen management to perform that day. Luckily, he just got his 400th win. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

As for the Red Sox young hitting, Triston Casas had a huge night last night, as his bat haltingly adjusts to big league baseball. Through it all, he never lost confidence, calling himself “a difference-maker” following the series sweep against the Yankees. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)

How is the Jarren Duran-Adam Duvall timeshare in the outfield working out? So far so good, as Duvall slowly tries to regain his hitting form and Duran fights out of a prolonged slump. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)