It was a good day for Boston sports as the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros in 12 innings. A horrendous start by Henry Owens, a meltdown by Craig Kimbrel and some shoddy fielding were roadblocks but the 2016 Boston Red Sox showed some serious balls by overcoming it all, stealing a 7-5 win away from the Houston Astros in the finale of their 3 game set in Houston.
Amir Johnson approves of the win
The Red Sox wasted no time scoring against Houston starter Scott Feldman. Mr. Mookie Betts led the game off with a single. Dustin Pedroia doubled but Xander Bogaerts failed to get anyone home with a ground out. Jose Altuve helped the cause by chucking the ball away on a ground ball by Hanley Ramirez, scoring Betts. Travis Shaw worked a bases loaded walk and Brock "The Hitman" Holt hit a sac fly to score Ortiz. Ryan Hanigan grounded out but the Sox had a 3-0 lead. They would need more as Sox starter Henry Owens, making his season debut, didn't have it. Altuve doubled to lead off the bottom of the first. George Springer worked a walk and Altuve stole third. Owens recovered to strike out Carlos Correa, get Colby Rasmus to fly out to short right and Tyler White to pop up to third. Owens was playing with fire and would soon get burned.
Jackie Bradley Jr began the top of the second with a strikeout. Mr. Mookie popped up but Pedroia hit a scintillating triple. Bogaerts walked but Ortiz flied out to end the inning. Owens got tagged in the bottom of the second inning. Carlos Gomez flied out and Evan Gattis flied out. Marwin Gonzalez then swatted a 359 home run to cut the lead 3-1. Jason Castro walked but Altuve struck out to end the inning.
The Sox tacked it on in the top of the third. Both Ramirez and Shaw looked at strike three but Holt took advantage of another throwing error by Altuve to reach second. Hanigan doubled home Holt and JBJ doubled in Hanigan. Correa then made Houston's third error in 3 innings as Mr. Mookie was safe at first and JBJ moved to third. Pedroia grounded out but the lead was now 5-1. Sadly, the Sox would not score for the next 8 innings. The Astros refused to go quietly and rallied in the bottom of the third. Springer doubled and Correa walked. Ramus walked to load the bases and White brought home Springer with a sac fly. Gomez struck out but Gattis singled in Correa and Gonzalez grounded out to end the inning. Owens was handed a 5-1 lead and dropped it to 5-3, brutal.
Feldman settled down in the top of the fourth. Bogaerts popped up but Ortiz singled. Ramirez banged into a double play to end that. Owens returned for the bottom of the fourth looking to go at least one more inning. Castro struck out but Altuve singled. Red Sox manager John Farrell had enough and replaced the incompetent Owens with Matt Barnes. Another horrible start by a Red Sox starter. Springer popped up but Altuve stole second. Correa struck out to end the inning with the 5-3 lead intact. The Sox bullpen had to get the next 15 outs to win it.
The Sox threatened again in the top of the fifth inning. Shaw flied out but Holt walked. Hanigan singled to chase Feldman. Astros manager AJ Hinch brought in Chris Devenski who struck out JBJ. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the fifth and got Rasmus to ground out. White and Gomez flied out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth as Pedroia lined out, Bogaerts grounded out and Ortiz flied out to end the frame. Farrell tried to squeeze one more inning out of Barnes but it failed. Gattis doubled to begin the bottom of the 6th, Gonzalez lined out but Castro walked to chase Barnes. Junichi Tazawa was brought in and he got Altuve to ground out and Springer to fly out to end the inning.
Ramirez was a mystery meal on the bases in the top of the 7th. Ramirez singled and defied odds by swiping second. Shaw moved him over to third with a ground out. Holt then lofted a ball to short right and Ramirez somehow thought he should break for home. The throw beat him by a mile and Ramirez was tagged standing up to add insult to injury. Tazawa returned for the bottom of the 7th and was greeted by a Correa single. Rasmus flied out and White struck out. Taz punched out Gomez to end the inning. Six outs to go and the game was theirs.
The Sox once again failed with a runner on third in the top of the 8th inning. Hanigan struck out and JBJ popped up but Mr. Mookie singled. Betts swiped second and Pedroia singled him to third to chase Devenski. Pat Neshek replaced Chris and got Bogaerts to ground out to end the inning. Another run would have been huge. It was Koji Time in the bottom of the eighth. Gattis popped up, Gonzalez struck out and Preston Tucker pinch hit for Castro. Koji punched him out to end the inning. Just 3 more outs to go.
Erik Kratz took over at catcher for the top of the ninth. Tony Sipp came in to pitch and Ortiz greeted him with a single but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it. Ramirez grounded out and Shaw popped up to end the inning. Sox closer Craig Kimbrel came in to finish it off in the bottom of the ninth. Altuve popped up and Springer whiffed. Just one more out...that didn't come. Correa doubled and took third on defensive indifference. In stepped Colby Rasmus who belted a grand slam yesterday on a straight fastball by Clay Buchholz. Kimbrel must not have watched the game because he threw Rasmus a straight fastball and Rasmus crushed it 433 feet for a game tying home run. Kimbrel has blown yet another save on the young season. White struck out but the damage was done. Thanks a lot Kimbrel. Barnes deserved that win.
Luke Gregerson came on to pitch for the rejuvenated Astros in the top of the tenth. Holt struck out, Hanigan grounded out and JBj grounded out to end the inning. It was now up to Heath Hembree to save the day in the bottom of the 10th. Gomez struck out and Gattis grounded out. Gonzalez singled but Kratz lined out to end the inning.
Gregerson came back for the top of the 11th inning. Mr. Mookie grounded out, Pedroia did the same but Bogaerts singled. Ortiz grounded out to end the inning. Hembree returned for the bottom of the 11th. At this point the only relievers left were Robby Ross Jr, Tommy Layne and Pat Light. Altuve flied out, Springer flied out and Correa struck out. Great work by Hembree.
The Sox hadn't scored since the third inning, could this finally be the breakout? Ken Giles relieved Gregerson and Ramirez greeted him with a single. Shaw singled as well and Holt dropped down a bunt to move both runners over. Hanigan then put on the at-bat of the night, falling behind 0-2 and working it full for a 13 pitch masterpiece....and walked. Inspired by Hanigan's effort, JBJ broke through with a single that scored the fired up Ramirez from third. Unfortunately Mr. Mookie grounded into a force and Shaw was out at home. The Astros shoddy defense pitched in as a wild pitch scored Shaw and advanced the runners into scoring position. Pedroia whiffed but the Sox now had the 7-5 lead. Farrell rolled the dice by leaving Hembree out for the bottom of the 12th. Ross Jr had worked the night before, Light had never pitched in the majors before, Layne was never a closer and Heath was Pawtucket's closer the year before. Could he get the job done? Rasmus grounded out but Shaw booted a ground ball and White was safe at first. Gomez made him pay with a single and now the tying run was at the plate. Sox fans groaned but then cheered as Gattis struck out. On the 49th pitch of his outing, Hembree struck out Gonzalez to win the game. It took a lot of guts and determination, but the Sox had won 7-5.
Tonight there are 3 Heroes of the Night. Hero number 1 is the walking man, Ryan Hanigan. Ryan was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an rbi, then drew the critical walk in the 12th inning.
Hero Number 1: Ryan Hanigan
Hero number 2 is Jackie Bradley Jr. JBJ was 2 for 6 with 2 rbi's including the go-ahead single in the top of the 12th.
Hero Number 2: Jackie Bradley Jr
Hero number 3 is Heath Hembree. He tossed 3 innings of scoreless relief including nailing down the win in the bottom of the 12th.
Hero of the Night 3: Heath Hembree
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 2 for 7 with a run scored and a stolen base. Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 7 with a run scored. David Ortiz was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored. Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 6 with an rbi, run scored and stolen base. Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and run batted in. Matt Barnes pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Junichi Tazawa pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th.
The Bad:
Henry Owens had zero command on his pitches and got lit up. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks although he did strike out 4. Craig Kimbrel blew another save by giving up a 2 out, 2 run bomb to Rasmus.
The Ugly:
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a walk. Travis Shaw was just 1 for 5 but walked and drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
I'll take the win but there are two major concerns. Once again the starting pitching was horrible which caused the bullpen to toss almost 9 full innings. Kimbrel blew yet another save and concerns are already starting to pop up about him being able to pitch in or for Boston. If guys like Henry Owens, Brian Johnson, William Cuevas and others are brought up from AAA to stink up the place, Eduardo Rodriguez can't come back fast enough. The encouraging signs is the Sox showed some serious balls to win this game when they could have easily crumbled. Another sign is Heath Hembree has been pitching great lately. If Carson Smith comes back and pitches well, Hembree would give them an added dimension for sure. Tomorrow night Rick Porcello pitches against the Atlanta Braves at 7:05 PM.
Jackie Bradley Jr began the top of the second with a strikeout. Mr. Mookie popped up but Pedroia hit a scintillating triple. Bogaerts walked but Ortiz flied out to end the inning. Owens got tagged in the bottom of the second inning. Carlos Gomez flied out and Evan Gattis flied out. Marwin Gonzalez then swatted a 359 home run to cut the lead 3-1. Jason Castro walked but Altuve struck out to end the inning.
The Sox tacked it on in the top of the third. Both Ramirez and Shaw looked at strike three but Holt took advantage of another throwing error by Altuve to reach second. Hanigan doubled home Holt and JBJ doubled in Hanigan. Correa then made Houston's third error in 3 innings as Mr. Mookie was safe at first and JBJ moved to third. Pedroia grounded out but the lead was now 5-1. Sadly, the Sox would not score for the next 8 innings. The Astros refused to go quietly and rallied in the bottom of the third. Springer doubled and Correa walked. Ramus walked to load the bases and White brought home Springer with a sac fly. Gomez struck out but Gattis singled in Correa and Gonzalez grounded out to end the inning. Owens was handed a 5-1 lead and dropped it to 5-3, brutal.
Feldman settled down in the top of the fourth. Bogaerts popped up but Ortiz singled. Ramirez banged into a double play to end that. Owens returned for the bottom of the fourth looking to go at least one more inning. Castro struck out but Altuve singled. Red Sox manager John Farrell had enough and replaced the incompetent Owens with Matt Barnes. Another horrible start by a Red Sox starter. Springer popped up but Altuve stole second. Correa struck out to end the inning with the 5-3 lead intact. The Sox bullpen had to get the next 15 outs to win it.
The Sox threatened again in the top of the fifth inning. Shaw flied out but Holt walked. Hanigan singled to chase Feldman. Astros manager AJ Hinch brought in Chris Devenski who struck out JBJ. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the fifth and got Rasmus to ground out. White and Gomez flied out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth as Pedroia lined out, Bogaerts grounded out and Ortiz flied out to end the frame. Farrell tried to squeeze one more inning out of Barnes but it failed. Gattis doubled to begin the bottom of the 6th, Gonzalez lined out but Castro walked to chase Barnes. Junichi Tazawa was brought in and he got Altuve to ground out and Springer to fly out to end the inning.
Ramirez was a mystery meal on the bases in the top of the 7th. Ramirez singled and defied odds by swiping second. Shaw moved him over to third with a ground out. Holt then lofted a ball to short right and Ramirez somehow thought he should break for home. The throw beat him by a mile and Ramirez was tagged standing up to add insult to injury. Tazawa returned for the bottom of the 7th and was greeted by a Correa single. Rasmus flied out and White struck out. Taz punched out Gomez to end the inning. Six outs to go and the game was theirs.
The Sox once again failed with a runner on third in the top of the 8th inning. Hanigan struck out and JBJ popped up but Mr. Mookie singled. Betts swiped second and Pedroia singled him to third to chase Devenski. Pat Neshek replaced Chris and got Bogaerts to ground out to end the inning. Another run would have been huge. It was Koji Time in the bottom of the eighth. Gattis popped up, Gonzalez struck out and Preston Tucker pinch hit for Castro. Koji punched him out to end the inning. Just 3 more outs to go.
Erik Kratz took over at catcher for the top of the ninth. Tony Sipp came in to pitch and Ortiz greeted him with a single but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it. Ramirez grounded out and Shaw popped up to end the inning. Sox closer Craig Kimbrel came in to finish it off in the bottom of the ninth. Altuve popped up and Springer whiffed. Just one more out...that didn't come. Correa doubled and took third on defensive indifference. In stepped Colby Rasmus who belted a grand slam yesterday on a straight fastball by Clay Buchholz. Kimbrel must not have watched the game because he threw Rasmus a straight fastball and Rasmus crushed it 433 feet for a game tying home run. Kimbrel has blown yet another save on the young season. White struck out but the damage was done. Thanks a lot Kimbrel. Barnes deserved that win.
Luke Gregerson came on to pitch for the rejuvenated Astros in the top of the tenth. Holt struck out, Hanigan grounded out and JBj grounded out to end the inning. It was now up to Heath Hembree to save the day in the bottom of the 10th. Gomez struck out and Gattis grounded out. Gonzalez singled but Kratz lined out to end the inning.
Gregerson came back for the top of the 11th inning. Mr. Mookie grounded out, Pedroia did the same but Bogaerts singled. Ortiz grounded out to end the inning. Hembree returned for the bottom of the 11th. At this point the only relievers left were Robby Ross Jr, Tommy Layne and Pat Light. Altuve flied out, Springer flied out and Correa struck out. Great work by Hembree.
The Sox hadn't scored since the third inning, could this finally be the breakout? Ken Giles relieved Gregerson and Ramirez greeted him with a single. Shaw singled as well and Holt dropped down a bunt to move both runners over. Hanigan then put on the at-bat of the night, falling behind 0-2 and working it full for a 13 pitch masterpiece....and walked. Inspired by Hanigan's effort, JBJ broke through with a single that scored the fired up Ramirez from third. Unfortunately Mr. Mookie grounded into a force and Shaw was out at home. The Astros shoddy defense pitched in as a wild pitch scored Shaw and advanced the runners into scoring position. Pedroia whiffed but the Sox now had the 7-5 lead. Farrell rolled the dice by leaving Hembree out for the bottom of the 12th. Ross Jr had worked the night before, Light had never pitched in the majors before, Layne was never a closer and Heath was Pawtucket's closer the year before. Could he get the job done? Rasmus grounded out but Shaw booted a ground ball and White was safe at first. Gomez made him pay with a single and now the tying run was at the plate. Sox fans groaned but then cheered as Gattis struck out. On the 49th pitch of his outing, Hembree struck out Gonzalez to win the game. It took a lot of guts and determination, but the Sox had won 7-5.
Tonight there are 3 Heroes of the Night. Hero number 1 is the walking man, Ryan Hanigan. Ryan was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and an rbi, then drew the critical walk in the 12th inning.
Hero number 2 is Jackie Bradley Jr. JBJ was 2 for 6 with 2 rbi's including the go-ahead single in the top of the 12th.
Hero number 3 is Heath Hembree. He tossed 3 innings of scoreless relief including nailing down the win in the bottom of the 12th.
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 2 for 7 with a run scored and a stolen base. Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 7 with a run scored. David Ortiz was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored. Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 6 with an rbi, run scored and stolen base. Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and run batted in. Matt Barnes pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Junichi Tazawa pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th.
The Bad:
Henry Owens had zero command on his pitches and got lit up. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks although he did strike out 4. Craig Kimbrel blew another save by giving up a 2 out, 2 run bomb to Rasmus.
The Ugly:
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a walk. Travis Shaw was just 1 for 5 but walked and drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
I'll take the win but there are two major concerns. Once again the starting pitching was horrible which caused the bullpen to toss almost 9 full innings. Kimbrel blew yet another save and concerns are already starting to pop up about him being able to pitch in or for Boston. If guys like Henry Owens, Brian Johnson, William Cuevas and others are brought up from AAA to stink up the place, Eduardo Rodriguez can't come back fast enough. The encouraging signs is the Sox showed some serious balls to win this game when they could have easily crumbled. Another sign is Heath Hembree has been pitching great lately. If Carson Smith comes back and pitches well, Hembree would give them an added dimension for sure. Tomorrow night Rick Porcello pitches against the Atlanta Braves at 7:05 PM.
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