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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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