Basebawful Report of the Month

Matt Barnes - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Mookie Betts - 9 Good, 1 Bad, 14 Ugly, 2 Hero

Xander Bogaerts - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 11 Ugly, 3 Hero

Jackie Bradley Jr - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 12 Ugly

Bryce Brentz - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 3 Ugly

Clay Buchholz - 3 Good, 1 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Rusney Castillo - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Honorable Mention

William Cuevas - 1 Good, 1 Ugly

Roenis Elias - 1 Jackass

Ryan Hanigan - 1 Good, 

Heath Hembree - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Marco Hernandez - 4 Good, 7 Bad, 1 Ugly, 3 Honorable Mention

Joe Kelly - 1 Bad

Craig Kimbrel - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Ryan LaMarre - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Honorable Mention

Tommy Layne - 4 Good, 3 Bad

Sandy Leon - 9 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Deven Marrero - 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Mike Miller - 1 Bad

David Ortiz - 16 Good, 9 Ugly

Dustin Pedroia - 13 Good, 3 Bad, 9 Ugly

Rick Porcello - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

David Price - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Hero

Hanley Ramirez - 9 Good, 4 Bad, 10 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass

Noe Ramirez - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Eduardo Rodriguez - 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Robbie Ross Jr - 4 Good, 3 Bad

Josh Rutledge - 4 Bad, 2 Honorable Mention

Travis Shaw - 11 Good, 7 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass

Blake Swihart - 2 Good, 2 Ugly

Junichi Tazawa - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Koji Uehara - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Christian Vazquez - 7 Good, 10 Bad, 2 Ugly

Steven Wright - 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Chris Young - 8 Good, 4 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Most Valuable Player is David Ortiz with 16 Good

Least Valuable Player is Christian Vazquez with 10 Bad

Ugliest Player of the Month is Mookie Betts with 14 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Xander Bogaerts with 3 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Eduardo Rodriguez with 3 Jackass

The Honorable Players of the Month are Rusney Castillo and Marco Hernandez with 3 Honorable Mention

Rays Shut Out Sox (6/29/16)

The June swoon for the Boston Red Sox is complete. The Sox went from 3 games ahead in the division race to down 5 after tonight's disaster against the Tampa Bay Rays. Once again David Price (8-5, 4.74 ERA) failed to match another team's good pitching as he was average in this one. It didn't matter if Price gave up 1 run or 4 because the Sox offense were shut out by Matt Moore of the Rays. Moore held the Sox to just 3 hits and the Rays bullpen slammed the door. The Sox finished the month of June with a record of 10-16 as they were shutout by the Rays 5-0 at Tropicana Field. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Moore got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts led off with a pop up to left to begin. Dustin Pedroia hit a line drive off the glove of Logan Forsythe for an error but Xander Bogaerts was frozen for strike three. David Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning. Price got the ball in the bottom of the first and Forsythe hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to start. Forsythe moved to third on the fly out to center by Brad Miller but Evan Longoria popped up to first. Desmond Jennings grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Hanley Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to center and Travis Shaw took strike three to end the inning. The Rays struck first as Brandon Guyer hit a home run to Saturn in his first at-bat off the disabled list to begin the bottom of the second. Nick Franklin and Curt Casali both took strike three before Tim Beckham whiffed to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                  Guyer hits a home run

Bryce Brentz began the top of the third inning by taking strike three and Christian Vazquez popped up to left. Mr. Mookie popped up to second to end the inning. The Rays pounded Price in the bottom of the third although Taylor Motter took strike three to start. Forsythe singled to center, Miller singled to left and Longoria doubled down the left field line to score Forsythe. Jennings grounded out to second but Miller scored another run. Guyer doubled into the left field corner to score Longoria to ice the game. Franklin whiffed to end the inning but the Rays were on top 4-0.

                                                          Guyer does it again

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Pedroia grounded out to third to start. Bogaerts whiffed on a nasty changeup and Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning. Price got mad in the bottom of the fourth as Casali and Beckham both went down hacking. Motter took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth and Ramirez flied out to center to start. JBJ walked but Shaw took strike three. Brentz walked but JBJ was foolishly thrown out at third trying to steal to end the inning. What a dumb mistake to make when you're down 4 with 2 men on.

                                                         YERRRR OUT!

Price returned for the bottom of the fifth and got Forsythe to fly out to right to start. Miller walked but Longoria popped up to Shaw. Jennings went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox blew their last chance to get a run in the top of the sixth when Vazquez lined a base hit up the middle to start. Mr. Mookie dropped a base hit to right but Pedroia popped up to Franklin. Bogaerts singled to left to load the bases but Ortiz popped up to third. Ramirez almost killed himself trying to hit a grand slam and ended up popping up to right to end the inning.

Price came back for the bottom of the sixth and Guyer popped up to right to start. Franklin dumped a base hit to right and Casali doubled down the left field line. Sox pitching coach Carl Willis came out to tell Price that good tickets were still available if you use 1-800 MY SEATS. Price got so excited that he froze Beckham for strike three and got Motter to ground out to third to end the inning.

Moore returned for the top of the seventh and JBJ went down hacking to start. Shaw popped up to left and Brentz popped up to second to end the inning. Price was chased in the bottom of the seventh although Forsythe lined out to a running JBJ to start. Miller dropped in a base hit to center and that was it for Price. He got absolutely no help from his bats although he allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings. Heath Hembree came in and got Longoria to fly out to center and Jennings flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                     Not the best outcome for Price

The Rays got a scare in the top of the eighth as Erasmo Ramirez took over on the mound. Sandy Leon pinch hit for Vazquez and struck out swinging to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to center but Pedroia lined one off the boo-tocks of Ramirez for a base hit causing Eramo to go "OWWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!" Bogaerts took strike three at the knees for the hat trick to end the inning.

                                                    Erasmo turning the other cheek

Marco Hernandez took over for Ramirez in the lineup but played third with Shaw moving to third to start the bottom of the eighth. Guyer took strike three before Franklin grounded out to second. Casali took strike three to end the inning.

Xavier Cedeno came in to close out the top of the ninth with Logan Morrison in for Franklin in the lineup but at first with Motter moving to left. Ortiz singled to center to start but Hernandez struck out swinging. JBJ flied out to center and Shaw grounded into a force to end the game. The Sox were shut out by Tampa 4-0.

                                                   Back to the drawing board for Farrell

 

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with Hanley Ramirez. He was 0 for 3 including leaving the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.

                                                              Hanley The Jackass

The Good:

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 2.

Heath Hembree tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Marco Hernandez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Sandy Leon struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Bryce Brentz was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

David Price took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings. He was dominant after the third inning and struck out 10 batters.

Final Thoughts:

Thank god this month is over. The Sox went from up 3 games in the division to go 5.5 back after tonight's loss. They went 10-16 on the month and that's not going to cut it. The Sox still have some time to make some moves before the trade deadline and snap out of their funk, but they have hit rock bottom for sure. The Rays had lost 11 in a row going into this series and they took 2 of 3 from the Sox. Moore looked like the pitcher he was in 2013 and Price continued to struggle when facing another good pitcher. Hopefully the Sox will use their upcoming homestand to get back on track because this past month was horrible. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-36, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action back home Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels. Steven Wright (8-5, 2.18 ERA) takes on Jhoulys Chacin of the Angels and the game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bounce Back, Porcello Downs Rays (6/28/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Eduardo Rodriguez was finally sent packing down to Pawtucket after stinking up the joint the entire month of June. I don't know if its physical or mental at this point but Rodriguez is beyond broken. Hopefully Pawtucket can fix him because he looks awful lately. Pat Light was called up to take his spot on the roster in the meantime.

                                                                    OUT

                                                                IN

As for the game, its about time the Boston Red Sox looked good. Granted, it was against the lowly Tampa Bay Rays but at least its a start. "Slick" Rick Porcello (9-2, 3.78 ERA) tossed 6 solid innings and allowed just 1 run. Travis Shaw was a man possessed with a home run and 5 total runs driven in as the Sox beat up Rays ace Chris Archer for 4 runs and another 4 off the Tampa bullpen. Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Matt Barnes slammed the door as the Sox finally put one in the win column with an 8-2 win at Tropicana Field.

                                                            Asa Akira approves of the win

Archer got the ball in the top of the first and Desmond Jennings jumped into the centerfield wall to rob Mr. Mookie Betts of an extra base hit to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third but David Ortiz walked. Hanley Ramirez lined a base hit to right but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. Porcello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Logan Forsythe led off with a ground out to short to start. Brad Miller also grounded out to short but Evan Longoria doubled into the left field corner. Logan Morrison took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Travis Shaw clobbered his 8th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Bryce Brentz took strike three and Christian Vazquez went down hacking before Marco Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                    Shaw hits one out

Jennings dumped a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Oswaldo Arcia went down swinging. Taylor Motter broke his bat on a liner to Shaw and Nick Franklin took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Mr. Mookie led off with a double to the left field wall to start. Pedroia took a slider on the outsider corner for strike three and Ortiz hit a routine pop up to right, but Arcia fell down trying to make the catch. The ball bounced away for a "double" to score Betts to increase the lead and Ramirez walked. JBJ dropped a base hit to right to load the bases but Shaw whiffed. Brentz hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                               "I got it, I got it....I don't got it" - Arcia

Hank Conger grounded out into the shift to start the bottom of the third as Sox analyst Jerry Remy said Brock "The Hitman" Holt was close to returning. Forsythe hit a bullet off the glove of Hernandez for a base hit but Miller whiffed on a high 92 mph fastball. Longoria singled down the left field line but Morrison went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Vazquez grounded back to the mound to start. Hernandez whiffed and Mr. Mookie grounded out to second to end the inning. The Rays damn near blew it open in the bottom of the fourth as Jennings walked to start. Arcia blooped a single to center and Motter walked to load the bases with nobody out. Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Porcello he had Dr. Dre's The Chronic playing in the clubhouse. Porcello didn't seem to care as he walked Franklin to cut the lead. Somehow Rick managed to strike out Conger swinging and Forsythe to pop up to shallow right. Miller took strike three to end the inning and Porcello managed to escape with a 2-1 lead.

                                             "Ain't nothing but a g thang bay-bay" - CW

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Pedroia walked to start. Ortiz banged into a double play but Hanley walked. JBJ doubled into the left field corner and Ramirez made a mad dash home to score the run to increase the lead. Shaw whiffed on a high fastball to end the inning but it was 3-1 Red Sox.

                                                   A run and a cloud of dust

Porcello cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Longoria grounded out to third to start. Morrison grounded out to second and Jennings popped up to Betts to end the inning.

Brentz took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Vazquez went down hacking as well. Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Porcello came back for the bottom of the sixth and got Arcia to pop up to Vazquez over by first base to start. Motter took strike three and Brentz made a running grab off a Franklin liner to end the inning. Porcello survived the bad fourth inning to go 6 innings while allowing just 1 run.

                                                            Good outing for Porcello

The Sox poured it on in the top of the seventh as Mr. Mookie lined out to right to start. Pedroia lashed a base hit to right to chase Archer from the game. Enny Romero came in to pitch and Ortiz singled down the right field line to put runners at the corners. Ramirez dropped a base hit to right to score Pedroia with another run. JBJ out a double play ball but Shaw doubled home both runners with a double into the left field corner. Brentz whiffed to end the inning but the Sox led 6-1.

                                                                  JBJ scores

Junichi Tazawa got tagged in the bottom of the seventh although Conger flied out to left to start. Forsythe grounded out to third but Miller smashed a home run all the way to the moon. Longoria whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were up 6-2.

                                "CALL JG WENTWORTH...877 CASH NOWWW" - Taz

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth as Vazquez popped up to first to start. Hernandez whiffed and Mr. Mookie popped up to Jennings to end the inning. Koji Uehara came in for the bottom of the eighth and Morrison flied out to center to start. Jennings took strike three and Arcia flied out to center to end the inning.

Boston wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth with Dana Eveland on the mound. Pedroia walked and swiped second, but Ortiz popped up to left. Ramirez was intentionally walked but was erased on the force by JBJ. Bradley swiped second and both runners scored on the Shaw base hit to left. Brentz grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 8-2.

                                                          Sox tack it on

Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Motter grounded out to second to start. Franklin flied out to left and Conger whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-2.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Travis Shaw. He hit a home run and drove in 5 runs by himself.

                                                              Shaw the Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 2 with 3 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley was 2 for 5 with an rbi, stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Rick Porcello got the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks.

Koji Uehara tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bryce Brentz was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Junichi Tazawa allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That's more like it. The Sox have looked like garbage this month but this was the kind of win they needed to hopefully get back on track. Porcello pitched himself out of a major jam and that turned out to be the difference in the game. Travis Shaw was a one man wrecking crew and they needed that out of him after the slumps he's been in. Everybody from 1-6 pitched in to help win this game and they needed all 6 of them. Beating the Rays is nothing special but for a team on the slide like the Red Sox, they'll take any win they can get at this point. There's only one more game left this month and the All-Star break is coming. Hopefully this will launch the Sox on a nice winning streak to take them to the break. The win improves the Sox to 42-35, 4.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to win the rubber game of this set with the Rays when they send David Price (8-4, 4.68 ERA) out against Matt Moore of the Rays. The game begins at 12:10 PM at Tropicana Field

Rays Outslug Sox (6/27/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. William Cuevas was sent back to Pawtucket and in his place is veteran minor league infielder Mike Miller. Cuevas was basically only here to give the tired Sox bullpen a rest the last few days and he did just that. Anything Miller gives until Chris Young comes back is a bonus.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, the Red Sox have officially hit rock bottom. If going 9-14 on the month wasn't bad enough, the Tampa Bay Rays came into tonight's game having lost 11 in a row. The Sox turned out to be the tonic the Rays needed as they pounded the daylights out of the Red Sox for 18 hits and 13 runs. Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 8.59 ERA) needs to go back to Pawtucket because he looks worse than ever. He looked timid and couldn't do anything right as the Rays pounded him for 11 hits and 9 runs. Surprisingly the Boston bats woke up to try to bop their way back in the game, scoring 7 runs off 12 hits of their own. Unfortunately the hole was too much to climb out of as the Rays snapped their 11 game losing streak and pasted the Sox 13-7 at Tropicana Field.

Blake Snell got the start for the Rays and he dominated the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie hit a bullet but right to Taylor Motter to begin. Dustin Pedroia flied out to right and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The Rays smacked Rodriguez around in the bottom of the first as Logan Forsythe effortlessly singled to left to start. Mookie Betts had to climb the wall to rob Tim Beckham of a home run and Evan Longoria dumped a base hit to left. Marco Hernandez missed the relay throw completely and there were runners at second and third after the error. Logan Morrison made Hernandez pay by lashing a single to right to score both runners to put the Rays up. Desmond Jennings popped up to Hanley Ramirez but Oswaldo Arcia singled into the shift to move Morrison to third. Motter effortlessly doubled home Morrison and Nick Franklin doubled into the right field corner to score both runners. Curt Casali whiffed to end the inning but the Rays had blown the doors off Rodriguez to lead 5-0.

                                                           Rays jump in front big time

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second inning when David Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Hanley Ramirez popped up to second and Jackie Bradley Jr went down hacking to end the inning. Rodriguez tried to settle down in the bottom of the second as Forsythe was rung up for strike three to start. Beckham walked but Longoria lined out to center. Morrison reached on a nubber to short but Beckham was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Bryce Brentz beat the shift with a base hit but Sandy Leon popped up to center. Marco Hernandez hit a tapper to Morrison but Snell was out of position and everyone was safe on the hit. Mr. Mookie hit a liner to a running Jennings and Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning. The Rays finished off Rodriguez in the bottom of the third as Jennings hit a line drive home run into left on the first pitch. Arcia doubled to the left field wall and moved to third on the deep fly to center by Motter. Franklin lined a base hit past a diving Bogaerts to score Arcia with another run. Pedroia dropped a pop up by Casali and Franklin was forced at second as a result. Forsythe then smashed a home run all the way to Disney World to increase the lead. Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough and pulled the incompetent Rodriguez from the game. He was shelled for NINE runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Robbie Ross Jr came in and struck out Beckham swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 9-0.

                                                          Not E-Rod's day

The Sox did try to fight back in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Ortiz walked and Ramirez hit a grounder up the middle for a base hit. JBJ took strike three that was actually outside but Brentz hit a gap shot to right. Ramirez and Ortiz scored but Brentz was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                        Yerrrrrr out!

Longoria flied out to the right field wall to open the bottom of the fourth and Morrison grounded out to second. Jennings walked but Arcia grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox blew a major rally in the top of the fifth as Leon took strike three to start. Hernandez singled up the middle but was forced at second by Mr. Mookie. Pedroia singled to center to send Betts to third and Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Ortiz walked home Betts to cut the lead and re-load the bases...but Hanley took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 9-3.

                                                 Dammit Hanley!

The Rays tagged Tommy Layne in the bottom of the fifth as Layne threw a grounder by Motter all the way to Miami for an error. Franklin grounded out to short and Casali struck out swinging, but Forsythe doubled off the left field wall to score Motter. Pedroia leaped to snare a line drive by Beckham to end the inning with the Rays up 10-3.

                                                Layne airmails everyone

The Sox blew another  rally in the top of the sixth as JBJ drew a walk to start. Brentz flied out to left but Leon dumped a single to right to advance Bradley to third. Hernandez hit a roller to Morrison and the Rays were out of position again, allowing JBJ to score. That was it for Blake Snell as Ryan Garton came in to pitch. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Pedroia popped up to Arcia to end the inning with the Sox down 10-4.

                                                     JBJ scores a run

Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Longoria dumped a base hit to left to start. Morrison lined out to Betts and Jennings struck out swinging before Arcia also went down hacking to end the inning.

Danny Farquhar came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Ortiz flied out to the right field wall and Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. The Rays tagged Koji Uehara in the bottom of the seventh as Motter walked to start. Franklin launched his first home run of the season to right to put the Sox further behind. Uehara struck out Casali and Forsythe swinging and got Beckham to fly out to left to end the inning but the Rays were up 12-4.

                                                        Dammit

The Sox did manage to tag Farquhar in the top of the eighth although JBJ earned a hat trick with a swinging strikeout to start. Brentz doubled down the left field line and Leon pulverized his first home run of the season to cut the lead. Hernandez flied out to the centerfield wall and Mr. Mookie also flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 12-6.

                                               First homer for Leon this year

Sox manager John Farrell emptied the bench in the bottom of the eighth as Travis Shaw came in for Hanley, Ryan LaMarre came in for Betts and Mike Miller made his Sox debut by taking over for Pedroia. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch and Longoria hit a chopper off the glove of Hernandez for a "single" to start. Morrison struck the catwalk with a pop up but eventually struck out swinging. Jennings took strike three but Arcia singled Longoria to third. Motter hit one in the hole at short to score Longoria to increase the lead. Franklin needed a triple to hit for the cycle but watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Rays up 13-6.

                                              "I got it...I got it....I don't got it" - Hernandez

Xavier Cedeno had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Miller ended his first ML at-bat with a ground out to short to start. Bogaerts beat out an infield single to second and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Ortiz. Vazquez dumped a base hit to center that send Bogaerts to third and Shaw scored Bogaerts with a sac fly to wrap up the scoring. Vazquez moved to second on defensive indifference but JBJ earned the golden sombrero with a swinging strikeout to end the game. The Rays had won it 13-7.

                                                         Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. E-Rod got lit up for NINE runs in just 2 2/3 innings to take the loss.

                                                    E-Jackass

The Good:

David Ortiz walked twice, scored a run and drove in a run in four plate appearances.

Christian Vazquez singled as a pinch hitter.

Travis Shaw drove in a run in his only plate appearance.

Bryce Brentz was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Marco Hernandez was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Robbie Ross tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Junichi Tazawa tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Mike Miller was 0 for 1 in his ML debut.

Tommy Layne allowed a run in the fifth inning.

Koji Uehara allowed 2 runs in the seventh inning.

Craig Kimbrel allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 but scored a run.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Ryan LaMarre played right field in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing went right for the Boston Red Sox this month. Bad pitching, lack of offense, bad relief pitching, bad defense. You name it, it was all bad. The Sox can't get out of the month of June fast enough now that they're 9-15 on the month with two games left. The Sox are spiraling down the drain and the Sox are going to need some major pitching help if they're to get back in the AL East race. They're falling behind the Baltimore Orioles big time but at least they have a month before the trade deadline to pull off a winning streak or two. Rodriguez needs to go back to Pawtucket or back on the Disabled List because he looks completely lost out there. He's been a liability since he came off the DL and it may be time to put him back on it. Not only Rodriguez but the normally reliable Kimbrel and Uehara got tagged today too. The Rays had lost 11 in a row coming in so naturally they score a weeks worth of runs in one game. Hopefully the Sox can send them back to their losing ways in the next game. The loss dropped the Sox to 41-35, 4.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to break their three game losing streak when they send "Slick" Rick Porcello (8-2) up against Tampa ace Chris Archer. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Texas Downs Slumping Sox (6/26/16)

Another game, another frustrating loss for the Boston Red Sox. The Sox haven't looked good at all since the beginning of June and today's loss to the Texas Rangers was just another potential nail in the Sox coffin this season if they can't turn it around. Clay Buchholz (3-8, 5.90 ERA) turned in yet another miserable performance as a starter. He got lit up for 3 runs in the first inning and never recovered. The Texas bats knocked around the Boston bullpen for another run while Rangers starter Martin Perez held the supposedly good offense to just 1 run through six. The Sox managed just 2 runs and 8 hits as the Rangers laughed at them 6-2 at Arlington Park.

                                                           Sox fans sentiments exactly

Perez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts singled under the glove of Perez to start. Pedroia hit a bullet but right to Nomar Mazara and Xander Bogaerts hit a little roller to third. Adrian Beltre threw low to Mitch Moreland for the out...but wait! Sox manager John Farrell bolted out of the dugout to argue that Moreland didn't have control of the ball when Bogaerts hit the bag. The call stood and Farrell had to to be escorted back to the dugout by armed security. Hanley Ramirez drew a walk which would have loaded the bases but Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to Beltre to end the inning.

                                             "HE NEVER HAD THE BALL!" - JF

The Sox needed a good start from Buchholz and instead he crapped his pants in the bottom of the first inning. Shin-Soo Choo singled in the hole at second and Ian Desmond dumped a base hit to center. Mazara dumped a base hit to right and Choo raced around to score the first run. Adrian Beltre singled up the middle to score Desmond and Prince Fielder walked to load the bases. Rougned Odor then dropped a pop up in no man's land to score Mazara. Just like that a switch was flipped as Elvis Andrus grounded into a 5-2-3 double play and Mitch Moreland was intentionally walked to re-load the bases. Bryan Holloday popped up to left to end the inning but the game was over already 3-0.

                                                   Odor laughs at the Red Sox

Bryce Brentz tried to start a rally with a base hit to center to start the top of the second but Travis Shaw banged into a double play off the hand of Perez. Sandy Leon walked but Ryan LaMarre sliced a line out to right to end the inning. Choo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Desmond walked. Mazara grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to start. Pedroia flied out to center and Bogaerts hit a swinging bunt back to Perez to end the inning. Buchholz cruised in the bottom of the third as Sox analyst Jerry Remy said when Nolan Ryan was with the California Angels, he was nice to rookies. Beltre struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third before Fielder grounded into the shift in shallow right. Odor went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance to get back in the game in the top of the fourth although Ramirez dropped a base hit to right. JBJ forced Ramirez at second then advanced on the grounder to third by Brentz. JBJ swiped third but Shaw went down hacking to end the inning. Andrus began the bottom of the fourth by grounding one to Shaw. Shaw's throw pulled Hanley off the bag for an error....BUT WAIT! Eagle eyed Red Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call saying Hanley got the foot back in time since Andrus wasn't hustling. Sure enough, the call was reversed and Andrus was out. Moreland flied out to left but Holoday worked a walk. Holoday was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

                                              "No no no, he was out!" - HR

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the fifth as Leon flied out to deep center to start. LaMarre went down hacking but Mr. Mookie grounded a base hit up the middle. Pedroia also hit a single up the middle to move Betts to third....but Bogaerts popped up to right to end the inning. Choo opened the bottom of the fifth by slapping a single past the shift to start, but was thrown out at second when Desmond watched strike three go by. Mazara flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

The Sox finally broke through in the top of the sixth although Ramirez popped up to right to start. JBJ grounded out to first but Brentz clobbered his first ML home run to left to cut the lead. Shaw flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were on the board down 3-1.

                                                  First homer for Brentz

All Buchholz needed to do was hold the fort for one more inning but he failed in the bottom of the sixth. Beltre hit a routine grounder to short but Bogaerts threw high that pulled Ramirez off the bag for an error. Fielder made Bogaerts pay by hitting a line drive home run into the right field corner to ice the game. Sox manager John Farrell himself came out to tell Buchholz to get his head out of his rear and Clay responded by getting Odor to ground out to second. Andrus walked and that was it for Buchholz. He got lit up in the first inning, settled down, then served up the backbreaking homer to Fielder. Tommy Layne came in to pitch to Moreland and got him to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 5-1.

                                                 Sad Clay

Matt Bush came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox went quietly. Leon looked at strike three, LaMarre grounded out to third as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien told how Arlington security had to wrestle the Brentz home run ball away from a young kid who caught the ball. Mr. Mookie grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Heath Hembree came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh although he punched out Holaday swinging to start. Choo doubled over the head of LaMarre and took third on a passed ball by Leon. Desmond grounded out to second but Mazara was intentionally walked to set up a double play. The gamble failed as Beltre grounded a single to the left side to score Choo. Fielder lined out to a running JBJ to end the inning but the Rangers led it 6-1.

                                                 Choo scores another run

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the eighth as Pedroia walked to start. Bogaerts lined a base hit through the hole at short but Hanley forced Pedroia at third. JBJ popped up to left and Sox manager John Farrell pinch hit David Ortiz for Brentz. Rangers manager Jeff Banister countered by bringing in lefty Jake Diekman to pitch to him. Ortiz singled through the shift into right to score Bogaerts. With a chance to get the Sox back in the game....Shaw flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                  Ortiz drives in a run

William Cuevas came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Odor lined a base hit to center to start. Andrus hit a bullet to Shaw who doubled off Odor at first for the double play. Moreland walked and Jurickson Profar pinch hit for Holaday. Cuevas struck out Profar swinging to end the inning.

Shawn Tolleson came in to close out the top of the ninth and Leon grounded out to Odor to start. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for LaMarre and popped up to Odor. Mr. Mookie grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Rangers had won it 6-2.

                                                          Rangers win

Jackass of the Night is Clay Buchholz. He allowed 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                               Carl Willis telling Clay he's a Jackass

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5.

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bryce Brentz was 2 for 3 with his first ML home run.

David Ortiz singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Tommy Layne got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

William Cuevas pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan LaMarre was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Heath Hembree allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with an error but scored a run.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a passed ball and a strikeout, but walked.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have gone an abysmal 9-14 in June so far and are plummeting out of the division race. The pitching has completely fallen apart and even the bats have gone quiet. The rotation has been god awful besides Rick Porcello and even Steven Wright got lit up in his last start. The Red Sox usually go through a June swoon so maybe getting out of this month will get them back on track. Even Sox analyst Jerry Remy mentioned during the game the Sox need to make a move immediately because they don't want to fall to far behind the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the standings. You never know when the New York Yankees will make a surge too so the Sox better get with the program quick or else this season is going to turn out like the last two. If Buchholz didn't give up that home run to Fielder, he actually would have had a quality start after that terrible first inning. Hopefully the Sox can rebound in the next series. The loss dropped the Sox to 41-34, 4 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Tampa Bay to play a three game set with the Rays who have lost 11 games in a row. Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2) takes on Blake Snell of the Rays tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Rangers Rout Sox in Texas (6/25/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Deven Marrero was sent down to Pawtucket for more seasoning and the Sox called up pitcher William Cuevas to take his place. The Sox are thin at bullpen due to the shoddy starting pitching and they may need Cuevas to eat some innings sooner rather than later.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, what an unmitigated disaster for the Boston Red Sox. After falling behind the last two games only to come back and win, there was no comeback this time. Steven Wright (8-5, 2.18 ERA) got hammered for only the second time all season as he allowed 8 runs (3 earned) while getting knocked out in the 5th inning. Robbie Ross Jr also got tagged for a few runs as the Rangers put 10 runs off 11 hits on the board. AJ Griffin, Luke Jackson and Cesar Ramos held the Sox offense to just 3 runs as the Rangers evened this series with a 10-3 victory at Arlington Park.

Griffin started strong in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts took strike three on the inside corner to start. Dustin Pedroia whiffed on a big curveball and Xander Bogaerts whiffed on an 89 mph fastball to end the inning. Wright got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shin-Soo Choo grounded out to short to start. Ian Desmond also grounded out to short and Nomar Mazara whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second although David Ortiz lined out to first on a 3-0 count. Hanley Ramirez waffled his 8th home run of the season to the right field stands to put Boston on top. Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to third in foul territory and Travis Shaw did the same to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                           Ramirez with his eighth

Adrian Beltre led off the bottom of the second by grounding out to third. Prince Fielder dumped a base hit to left but was forced at second by Rougned Odor. Odor swiped second but JBJ made a great shoestring grab off an Elvis Andrus liner to end the inning.

Bryce Brentz led off the top of the third by striking out swinging. Christian Vazquez grounded out to third and Mr. Mookie popped up to second to end the inning. Wright cruised in the bottom of the third as Brentz made a great running catch to rob Mitch Moreland of a double to start. Brentz then made another running catch to rob Robinson Chirinos of extra bases and Choo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pedroia dumped a single to center to open the top of the fourth but Bogaerts popped up to second. Ortiz hit a broken back fly out to right and Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

                                                          RIP to that bat

The Rangers charged back in the bottom of the fourth as Desmond led off with a home run into the Gulf of Mexico to tie the game. Mazara hit a comebacker to the mound but Beltre walked. Fielder was caught looking for strike three but Odor caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single. Andrus walked and Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound, said nothing and sprinted back to the dugout. Moreland then cracked a base hit to right to score Beltre and Odor. Chirinos hit a rocket but JBJ sprinted to run it down to end the inning with the Rangers up 3-1.

                                                 Moreland gives the Rangers the lead

The Sox answered in the top of the fifth as JBJ hit a grounder up the middle for a base hit to start. Shaw struck out swinging but Brentz singled past the diving Andrus. Vazquex walked to chase Griffin from the game. Luke Jackson came in and Mr. Mookie blooped a single to right to score JBJ to cut the lead. Pedroia missed a double by 5 feet down the right field line and ended up banging into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                       JBJ scores a run

The Rangers blew the door off the Sox in the bottom of the fifth and it started with Choo hitting a routine grounder to Bogaerts. Bogaerts kicked the ball over to first and screamed GOALLLL for an error. Choo swiped second but Desmond went down hacking. Choo took third on a passed ball but Mazara hit a bullet right to Pedroia. Beltre made Bogaerts pay with a base hit in the hole at short to score Choo with another run. Fielder dumped a base hit to left and Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Steven that 2 plus 2 is four. Odor hit a routine grounder to Hanley who dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error to load the bases. Andrus settled matters with a bases clearing triple over the head of JBJ to ice the game. That was it for Wright who got no help from his defense but still got knocked out in the fifth inning after being charged with 8 runs (only 3 earned).

                                                  Not Wright's best stuff

Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch and the first thing he did was fire a pitch to the backstop to score Andrus with another run. Moreland whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were out of it 8-2.

                                                  Andrus hits the killshot

The Sox did try to fight back in the top of the sixth as Bogaerts drew a leadoff walk. Ortiz walked but Hanley flied out to right. JBJ atoned for missing the Andrus triple by hitting a ground ball over the first base bag into the right field corner for a double to score Ortiz and chase Johnson from the game. Cesar Ramos came in and struck out Shaw swinging on a big slow curveball. Brentz whiffed to end the inning as the Sox were down 8-3.

                                                 JBJ doubles down the line

Chirinos whiffed to start the bottom of the sixth but Choo singled to center. Desmond banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Vazquez took a walk to start. Mr. Mookie got rung up for strike three on a pitch at the knees and Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. The Rangers poured it on in the bottom of the seventh as Mazara and Beltre stroked back to back singles to left to start. Fielder walked to load the bases and Ryan Rua pinch ran for him. Odor hit a deep fly to JBJ to score Mazara and advance the runners over. That was it for Ross as William Cuevas, just called up today, came in to pitch. Andrus walked on a questionable ball four to reload the bases and Moreland beat out a double play ball to score Beltre to wrap up the scoring for Texas.

                                                      The score says it all

Bogaerts popped up to right to start the top of the eighth before Ortiz grounded out to second. Hanley doubled into the left field corner but JBJ popped up to Choo to end the inning. Cuevas returned for the bottom of the eighth with Marco Hernandez taking over at second. Mr. Mookie made a great running catch on a bloop by Choo to start but Desmond dumped a base hit to center. Mazara walked but Beltre lined out to JBJ. Rua walked to load the bases but Odor whiffed to end the inning.

Shawn Tolleson came on to end the game in the top of the ninth. Shaw grounded out to second, Brentz flied out to center and Vazquez hit a comebacker to the mound to end the game. The Rangers knocked out the Sox 10-3.

                                                           What a disaster

Jackass of the Night is Steven Wright. He got no help from his defense with passed balls and errors but he still allowed 8 runs (3 earned) in just 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 7 hits and walked two guys.

                                                     Tough day for the Jackass

The Good:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed an inherited runner to score and 2 of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with an error and a strikeout, but walked and scored a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but walked.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a home run but his error led to a bases clearing triple to put the game out of reach.

Bryce Brentz was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 with a passed ball but walked twice.

William Cuevas allowed an inherited runner to score in 1 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Marco Hernandez played second base in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

This game sucked all around. The Sox couldn't play defense worth a damn in this one. In the bottom of the fifth there was a passed ball and two errors that led to the huge rally. The bats pretty much gave up at that point and it was embarrassing as a whole. Wright was due for a stinker but even so, a lot of the runs could have been avoided if the defense was better. The Sox haven't looked good as a team in the last few weeks and tonight could be rock bottom. The Sox desperately need a good start and unfortunately they got the struggling Clay Buchholz going tomorrow. God help us. The Sox still have a month before the trade deadline to make some moves but it would be helpful not to fall too far behind the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays by that point. As for this game, file this under the disasters that should never be mentioned again column. The loss dropped the Sox to 41-33, 3 games behind the red hot Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Rangers when Clay Buchholz (3-7) looks to right himself against Martin Perez of Texas. The game begins at 4:10 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.