Indians Sweep Sox, Ortiz Retires (10/10/16)

Well that's that. A season of redemption after two last place finishes for the Boston Red Sox comes to an end in short order in the 2016 ALDS at the hands of the advancing Cleveland Indians. The Sox dropped the game 4-3 and sent David Ortiz off into retirement without one last ring. A crushing end to what was a successful season less than two weeks ago when the Sox ripped off 11 straight wins to take control of the AL East Division crown. Good luck to Terry Francona, Coco Crisp and Andrew Miller in the ALCS.

                                               Good luck Indians against the Blue Jays

Clay Buchholz got the start for the Red Sox and immediately Carlos Santana greeted him with an infield single. Jason Kipnis struck out but Fransisco Lindor singled as well. Mike Napoli lined out and Jose Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning. Josh Tomlin got the start for Cleveland and the Sox offered little resistance in the bottom of the first inning. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third, Brock "Hitman" Holt grounded out to second and Mr. Mookie Betts lined out to right to end the inning.

Lonnie Chisenhall poked one into center for a leadoff single in the top of the second. Coco Crisp flied out and Tyler Naquin struck out. Roberto Perez grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning. The Sox blew their chance to take the lead in the bottom of the second. David Ortiz worked a walk but Hanley Ramirez flied out. Xander Bogaerts singled but Andrew Benintendi banged into a double play to end the inning.

Buchholz battled in the top of the third inning as Santana grounded out to start. Kipnis struck out but Lindor doubled into the gap. Napoli grounded out to end the inning. Once again the Sox mustered no offense in the bottom of the third. Sandy Leon and Jackie Bradley Jr both looked at strike three as Pedroia grounded out to end the frame.

The Indians struck first in the top of the fourth. Ramirez singled and Chisenhall walked. Crisp bunted both runners over and they both scored on the Naquin single. Perez grounded out and Santana whiffed but the damage was done, the Indians had a 2-0 lead. Could the Sox answer in the bottom of the fourth? Hell no! Hitman Holt struck out, Mr. Mookie flied out and David Ortiz grounded out to end the inning.

That was it for Buchholz as Drew Pomeranz came in to pitch the top of the fifth. Not a single Sox starter went past 5 innings in this series, nice going Buchholz.

                                                        Bye bye Buchholz

Kipnis struck out, Lindor popped out and Napoli whiffed in short order. The Sox finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Ramirez flied out but Bogaerts singled. Benny The Kid doubled home Bogaerts but Leon whiffed. JBJ grounded out but the Sox were back in it 2-1.

                                                Bogaerts slides in safely and its 2-0.

Just when the crowd was back in it, the Indians in the top of the sixth quieted it. Ramirez walked and Chisenhall bunted him over to second. Coco Crisp was benched for the 2007 World Series in favor of Jacoby Ellsbury and he finally got his revenge by launching a 2 run home run into the Monster seats to give the Indians a 4-1 lead.

                                              Crisp with one final F-U to the Red Sox

Rajai Davis pinch hit for Tyler Naquin and Sox manager John Farrell pulled Pomeranz for Joe Kelly. The big trade deadline acquisition had crapped himself one last time. Davis popped up and Perez grounded out to end the inning. Why Farrell decided to bring in Pomeranz and not Kelly the whole time just cost them 2 crucial runs.

                                                        "Thanks a lot you bum" - JF

 Indians manager Terry Francona wasted no time in bringing in Andrew Miller with a 3 run lead. Somehow the Sox tagged him. Pedroia singled and Aaron Hill pinch hit for Holt, only to strike out. Nice going Farrell. Mr. Mookie doubled and Ortiz drove in his final run with a sac fly to cut the lead in half 4-2. Ramirez struck out to end the inning.

                                                The last RBI for Big Papi

Kelly returned for the top of the seventh with Hill now at third base. Santana grounded out, Kipnis popped up and Lindor struck out to end the inning in short order. Miller came back for the bottom of the seventh and Bogaerts grounded out. Chris Young pinch hit for Benny The Kid and worked a walk. Leon lined out and JBJ struck out to end the inning.

Young stayed in left field as Koji Uehara came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning. Napoli struck out, Ramirez flied out and Chisenhall grounded out to end the inning. Bryan Shaw relieved Miller in the bottom of the eighth and got Pedroia to strike out. Travis Shaw pinch hit for Hill and singled but was erased on the Mr. Mookie fielder's choice. Ortiz walked and Ramirez singled home Mookie to pull within one. John Farrell made another stupid move by pinch running Marco Hernandez for David Ortiz. The crowd reigned down boo's as Ortiz was out of his possibly final game. Sure enough the move backfired as Bogaerts lined out to end the inning but the Sox had cut the lead to 4-3.

                                                      Regular season star, Postseason dud

Shaw stayed at third base as Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came on to pitch the top of the ninth. Michael Martinez pinch hit for Coco Crisp and struck out. Davis struck out and Perez hit one up the elevator shaft to end it. Indians closer Cody Allen took the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth. Young flied out and Leon struck out, but JBJ singled. Pedroia walked to put the tying run in scoring position but Shaw flied out to right to end the game. The Indians had won 4-3 and swept the Red Sox out of the ALDS. A pathetic end to a promising season.

                                                  Good luck Terry

Jackass of the Night is Clay Buchholz. Yes Drew Pomeranz gave up the deciding home run but Buchholz was about as ineffective as it got in 4 innings of work. He gave up 6 hits and a walk to go along with the 2 runs allowed.

                                           One last Jackass award for Buchholz


The Good:

In his final game, David Ortiz walked twice in 3 plate appearances before being lifted for Marco Hernandez

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 before being lifted for Chris Young

Joe Kelly tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th inning



The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Aaron Hill pinch hit for Holt and struck out

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a hat-trick of 3 strikeouts.

Drew Pomeranz gave up the two run bomb to Coco Crisp that ended up being the game decider.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a walk but scored a run.

Travis Shaw singled in his first at bat but made the final out of the season with 2 men on.

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Chris Young was 0 for 1 but walked.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.


Honorable Mention:

Marco Hernandez pinch ran for David Ortiz in the bottom of the eighth.



Final Thoughts:

All good things must come to and end and unfortunately the Red Sox got it two-fold. Not only is their season over but that's it for David Ortiz. Arguably the most clutch post-season hitter of all time retires with 540 home runs, 3 world series rings and 14 years of memories. It hurts to say goodbye but at least Ortiz went out with one of the best seasons of his career. Its better to go out on top than as a pinch hitter on a crappy team 20 games out of first in August. This Red Sox team is beginning to gell with budding stars such as Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr with Andrew Benintendi almost the odds on favorite to win Rookie of the Year next year. If they can secure another starter, get Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez back healthy and sign Edwin Encarnarcion, the Sox will be right back in the playoffs next year for sure. Christian Vazquez should be back to full strength next year and Sam Travis could be waiitng in the wings to take over first base if Hanley Ramirez has a down season or if Travis Shaw slumps. As for this year, it was a hell of a ride. After two last place finishes to come back and win the division was a step in the right direction. The sky is the limit for the young bats in the lineup, let's see what next year holds.

                                               Goodbye David Ortiz and thank you.

Price Pounded, Indians Push Sox to Brink in Game 2 (10/7/16)

The Boston Red Sox are in BIG, BIG trouble. David Price's post-season woes continued as he was smacked around by the Cleveland Indians in Game 2 of the American League Division Series. Meanwhile Cleveland ace Corey Kluber was outstanding as the Indians took the game 6-0 and are one game away from sweeping the Red Sox.

Dustin Pedroia led off the game with a meek chopper back to the mound but Brock "Hitman" Holt singled to right. The rally ended right there as Mr. Mookie Betts grounded into a double play to end the inning. What a wonderful start. David Price got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Rajai Davis hit one up the elevator shaft. Jason Kipnis popped up to short and Brock Holt made a great play to rob Fransisco Lindor of a hit to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing against Kluber in the top of the second as David Ortiz popped up to begin the inning. Hanley Ramirez took a 3-2 fastball right down the middle and Xander Bogaerts hit a weak ground ball on the first pitch to end the inning. The Indians iced the game early as Mike Napoli led off the bottom of the second with a ground out to short. The wheels fell off as Carlos Santana slashed a single to left, Brock Holt booted a ground ball hit by Jose Ramirez and Brandon Guyer singled home Santana to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Lonnie Chisenhall put the Indians up for good with a 3 run blast to make it 4-0 Cleveland. Roberto Perez walked. David struck out and Kipnis popped up to end the inning. 31 million dollar Price almost gets knocked out in the second inning, pathetic.

                                              Chisenhall's blast put the Sox down for good

The Sox offense didn't bother at this point in the top of the third. Andrew Benintendi flied out to right, Sandy Leon whiffed and Jackie Bradley Jr looked at strike three to end the inning. Price settled down in the bottom of the third but it didn't matter anymore. Lindor grounded out but Napoli singled. Santana whiffed but Napoli swiped second. Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

Could the Sox rally in the top of the fourth? Hell no. Pedroia walked but Holt looked at strike three. Mr. Mookie walked but Ortiz popped up. JBJ whiffed to end the inning. The Indians locked up the game in the bottom of the fourth. Guyer legged out an infield single but Chisenhall popped up. Perez walked and that was it for Price. The Indians had knocked out the ineffective "ace" after just 3 1/3 innings.

                                            Hanley's expression says it all. "We're screwed."

Matt Barnes came in to clean up the mess and got Guyer at third on a force by Davis, but Kipnis singled home Perez to make it 5-0. Lindor looked at strike three to end the inning.

As expected, the Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth against Kluber. Bogaerts legged out an infield single but Benny The Kid lined out, Leon popped up and JBJ struck out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the fifth and got Napoli to ground out. Santana grounded out but Ramirez singled. The alert Leon gunned down Ramirez trying to steal to end the inning.

Kluber remained red hot in the top of the sixth. Pedroia flied out and Holt grounded out but Mr. Mookie singled. Ortiz lined out to end the inning. Barnes came back for the bottom of the 6th but was lifted after allowing a leadoff single to Guyer. Robbie Ross Jr came in and got Chisenhall to strike out. That was it for Ross as Sox manager John Farrell lifted him for Brad Ziegler. Ziegler induced a picture perfect double play ball from Perez...under the glove of Pedroia for an error. Guyer scampered to third and scored on the sac fly by Davis. Kipnis walked and Lindor struck out to end the inning with the Indians leading 6-0. What a disaster.

                                            A microcosm of the ALDS, letting it slip away

Kluber returned for the top of the seventh and retired the Sox in short order. Ramirez grounded out, Bogaerts struck out and Benny The Kid flied out to end the inning. Joe Kelly relieved Ziegler in the bottom of the sixth. Napoli popped up, Santana grounded out and Ramirez flied out to end the inning.

Kluber returned for the top of the eighth inning but was quickly chased. Leon walked and JBJ was hit with a pitch to chase Kluber. Indians manager Terry Francona brought in Dan Otero to put the fire out. Pedroia whiffed and Holt lined out even though Leon moved to third. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning. Kelly returned for the bottom of the eighth and struck out Guyer. Chisenhall grounded out and Sox manager John Farrell brought in Craig Kimbrel for some reason. Kimbrel struck out Perez to end the inning.

Bryan Shaw came in to close out the ninth. Ortiz flied out, Ramirez grounded out and Bogaerts flied out to end the game. The Sox had been shut out 6-0 and are trailing 2-0 going back to Fenway for Game 3.

Jackass of the Night is an easy one, David Price hands down. The 31 million dollar man lasted just 3 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. For some reason Price can't pitch in the post-season.

                                                   31 million dollar jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Robbie Ross Jr struck out the only man he faced.

Brad Ziegler retired 2 of the 3 men he faced and would have gotten the third if it wasn't for Pedroia's error.

Joe Kelly tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Craig Kimbrel struck out the only man he faced.



The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 with a walk while committing a huge error.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 2 but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Matt Barnes was charged with an unearned run in 1 2/3 innings.



Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in deep doo-doo going back to Fenway for Game 3. You figured Kluber would be good but you could expect some offense by the Sox right? Wrong....the same Sox that were on cruise control at the end of the regular season never put it back in gear. They're going to have to do some major soul searching like the 2003 and 2004 Red Sox did if they want to make this respectable. Clay Buchholz gets the start in Game 3, may god have mercy on our souls.

Indians Pound Porcello, Take Game 1 (10/6/16)

The Boston Red Sox made their return to the post-season for the first time since 2013....and crapped their pants in Game 1 of the 2016 American League Division Series against the AL Central champion Cleveland Indians. Rick Porcello had an amazing regular season but he didn't have it and old friend Terry Francona managed his ass off in order for Cleveland to win it 5-4 at Progressive Field.

The Sox struck first in the top of the first. Dustin Pedroia led off with a double over the head of the right fielder against the fence. Brock "The Hitman" Holt then singled in the hole at second to move Dustin to third. Mr. Mookie Betts hadn't struck out in his last 78 at bats but sure enough, he swung and missed at 3 straight fastballs for out number one. David Ortiz popped up on the in field but then Hanley Ramirez doubled into the gap on a high fastball. Pedroia scored easily but Holt was tagged out at home to end the inning. Still, the Sox had the lead. Could "Slick Rick" hold the lead in the bottom of the first? Rick hit Carlo Santana in the foot on the very first pitch. Uh oh....but wait! Porcello struck out Jason Kipnis then Fransisco Lindor whiffed on a nasty curve. Porcello then whiffed old friend Mike Napoli to end the inning.

Bauer recovered in the top of the second. Xander Bogaerts was thrown out on a little nubber in front of the plate. Jackie Bradley Jr looked at strike three and Sandy Leon popped up to end the inning. The Indians wasted no time tagging Porcello in the bottom of the second. Jose Ramirez doubled into the gap and Lonnie Chisenhall singled to JBJ. Bradley's throw was off line allowing Ramirez to score but Chisenhall was out sliding past second base on the throw down. Coco Crisp lined out to second and Tyler Naquin struck out to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third. Andrew Benintendi ended his first post-season at-bat by launching a solo home run to right to give the Sox a 2-1 lead. Pedroia looked at strike three, Holt flied out to left and Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                     Benny The Kid gives the Sox a 2-1 lead

The Indians then pounded Porcello in the bottom of the third as .183 hitting Roberto Perez homered to right to lead off the bottom of the third. Santana grounded out into the shift but Kipnis and Lindor went back to back to make it 4-2. Porcello had never allowed 3 homers in an inning...until now. Napoli grounded out and JBJ made a leaping grab to rob Ramirez to end the inning. Porcello hadn't allowed 4 runs in a start since July 24 but he was trailing 4-2 here.

                                      Lindor put the exclamation point on with his home run

The Sox were deflated at that point and Bauer cruised in the top of the fourth. Ortiz grounded out although Ramirez doubled to right. Bogaerts and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. Porcello recovered in the bottom of the fourth, Chisenhall whiffed, Crisp flied out and Naquin struck out to end the inning.

Leon had slumped most of August and September but he made his contribution by homering off Bauer to lead off the top of the fifth to cut the lead 4-3. Benny the Kid lined out and Pedroia whiffed, suddenly Indians manager Terry Francona made the shocking decision to bring in closer Andrew Miller in the fifth inning to pitch to Holt. Somehow Hitman doubled to center and Mr. Mookie walked, but Ortiz whiffed to end the inning. Still, the Sox had knocked the starter out and made the closer work in the fifth inning, trailing 4-3.

King Leon brings the Sox within a run

Could Porcello hold the fort in the bottom of the fifth? NO! Turns out he wouldn't last long enough anyway. Perez singled and Santana took Benny The Kid to the wall, allowing Perez to reach second. Sox manager John Farrell then brought in Drew Pomeranz to face the lefty hitters. So much for the ace of the Sox, done after 4 1/3 innings. Pomeranz fared no better as Kipnis singled home Perez to up the lead 5-3. Lindor popped up but Napoli lined a ground rule double to put two runners in scoring position. Ramirez walked to load the bases but Chisenhall whiffed to end the inning. Still, the Indians still had a 2 run lead with 4 innings to go.

                                       5 runs allowed by the supposed ace, thanks for nothing

Could the Sox rally in the top of the sixth? Hell no! Miller shut down the Sox in order as Ramirez looked at a full count strike three, Bogaerts whiffed and JBJ popped up to end the inning. Pomeranz cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Crisp whiffed and Rajai Davis pinch hit for Naquin only to strike out as well. Perez looked at strike three to end the inning.

Francona tried to squeeze one more inning out of Miller in the top of the seventh. It worked as Miller got Leon to ground out and Benny The Kid to strikeout. Francona then brought in Bryan Shaw as Miller left to a standing ovation. Pedroia meekly grounded out to end the inning. Pomeranz returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Santana to ground out, but Kipnis singled. Lindor whiffed and that was it for Pomeranz. He kept the Sox in the game even if he did allow the insurance run to score. Joe Kelly came in and blew away Napoli on a 99 mph fastball to end the inning.

The insurance run allowed by Pomeranz became huge when Hitman Holt hit a solo shot to right to cut the lead 5-4. Mr. Mookie hit a weak pop up and that was it for Shaw. Francona was going to take no chances with Corey Kluber going tomorrow so he brought in closer Cody Allen for the final 5 outs. Ortiz then lined one into the gap and slid into second....safe! Not so fast! Francona challenged the call and the umpires ruled....SAFE! Marco Hernandez pinch ran for Ortiz and moved to third on the ground out by Ramirez. With the tying run 90 feet away.....Bogaerts was rung up on a check swing to end the inning. 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts for Bogaerts, way to go.

                                                     Hitman Holt puts the Sox back in it

Koji Uehara was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ramirez greeted him with a single...only to be erased on the Chisenhall double play. Crisp grounded out to end the inning.

The Indians were 82-1 when leading after 8 in the regular season. Allen returned for the top of the ninth and blew away JBJ easily. 0 for 4 with three strikeouts for JBJ, way to go. Leon whiffed badly but Benny The Kid singled to right. Pedroia then struck out on a check swing in the dirt to end the game. The Indians had taken Game 1.

Jackass of the night is Rick Porcello. Supposedly the shut-down ace, Porcello got blasted by the Indians, giving up 5 runs in just 4 1/3 innings, taking the Game 1 loss. The Cy Young Award candidate hardly pitched like one.

                                                        Not-So-Slick Rick is Jackass


The Good:

Brock Holt carried the Sox offense in this one. He was 3 for 4 with a home run.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Andrew Benintendi made a great playoff debut by going 2 for 4 with a solo home run.

Joe Kelly struck out the only man he faced.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th inning.


The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a hat trick.

Jackie Bradley Jr was also 0 for 4 with a hat trick.


The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but made the one hit count as it was a solo home run to lead off the top of the eighth.

Drew Pomeranz tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief but allowed the 5th and deciding run to score.


Honorable Mention:

Marco Hernandez pinch ran for Ortiz in the 8th. 


Final Thoughts:

That sucked. The Sox looked more like the team that took the rest of the year off after clinching in New York rather than the rabid bunch that found seven thousand ways to win during the 11 game winning streak. The Sox tried to claw their way back in the game but just couldn't get the clutch hit to pull off the rally. This is bad news because Corey Kluber goes tomorrow and the Sox could very easily be down 2-0 very quickly. Hopefully David Price can avoid a repeat of his past post-season failures to guide the Sox to victory in Game 2.

Jays Spoil Big Papi Day (10/2/16)

You know, this series between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays can easily be summed up. The Jays were fighting for their playoff lives while the Red Sox were coasting through the end of the regular season just waiting to play Cleveland.  When one team says "Ugh, let's go home" and the other side says "ATTACK!!!" ....that side usually wins.  The whole day was honoring the life and times of David Ortiz including bringing back almost every member of the 2004, 2007 and 2013 Red Sox not currently busy or with current teams to honor Big Papi. Alas, the Toronto Blue Jays had a playoff game in sight and weren't going to let Ortiz ruin it. They used more late inning magic to defeat the Red Sox 2-1 in the final regular season game at Fenway Park.

                                                   Two legends say goodbye to Ortiz

David Price took the mound in his final start before his Game 2 date with Corey Kluber. In the top of the first, Devon Travis popped up to first but Josh Donaldson walked. Edwin Encarnarcion bounced into a double play to end the inning. Aaron Sanchez pitched the game of his life with the season on the line. In the bottom of the first, Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt grounded out while Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to end the inning.

Price matched Sanchez in the top of the second. Jose Bautista walked but Russell Martin looked at strike three. Troy Tulowitzky doubled but the slow-footed Bautista was thrown out at home on a relay from Jackie Bradley Jr, to Xander Bogaerts to Sandy Leon. Melvin Upton grounded out to end the inning. The Sox failed to make the Jays pay in the bottom of the second. David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez struck out before Bogaerts grounded out in short order.

Price kept pace in the top of the third. Kevin Pillar lined out and Ezequiel Carrera watched strike three go by, but Travis singled. Donaldson lined out to end the inning. Sanchez stayed hot in the bottom of the third. JBJ popped up but Leon walked. Andrew Benintendi flied out and Pedroia grounded out to end the inning.

Price ran into trouble immediately in the top of the fourth. Encarnarcion walked and Bautista singled. Martin flied out and Tulowitzky popped up before Upton struck out to end the inning. The Sox still couldn't hit Sanchez in the bottom of the fourth. Holt whiffed, Mr. Mookie flied out and Ortiz whiffed to end the inning.

The Jays finally tagged Price in the top of the fifth. Pillar flied out and Carrera whiffed but Travis smashed a solo home run into the Monster seats to put the Jays up 1-0. Donaldson flied out to end the inning. Could the Sox answer in the bottom of the fifth? Hell no! Ramirez flied out and Bogaerts whiffed, but JBJ was hit with a pitch. Leon watched strike three go by to end the inning. Sanchez had tossed 5 no-hit innings.

That was it for Price since this game was meaningless and Heath Hembree was first out of the bullpen in the top of the sixth. Encarnarcion and Bautista grounded out but Martin singled. Tulowitzky lined out to end the inning. Benintendi worked a walk to lead off the bottom of the sixth but Pedroia banged into a double play. Holt flied out to end the inning. The Sox were getting no-hit on Big Papi Day, that's pre-curse Red Sox in a nutshell.

Robbie Ross Jr got the ball in the top of the seventh as Michael Saunders pinch hit for Upton. Ross got Saunders to ground out but Pillar doubled. Carrera grounded out and Matt Barnes was brought in to face Travis. Matt did his job by getting Travis to fly out to end the inning. Mr. Mookie lined out and Ortiz flied out to put Sanchez just 7 outs from a no-hitter....when Ramirez lit up the crowd with a solo blast over the Monster seats, his 30th of the year, to tie the game. Bogaerts singled but JBJ flied out to end the inning.

The normally reliable Brad Ziegler crapped himself in the top of the eighth.  Donaldson singled and Encarnarcion walked but Bautista grounded into a double play, moving Encarnarcion to second. Martin singled to put runners at the corners and Tulowitzky singled in Edwin with the go-ahead run.  That was it for Ziegler as Drew Pomeranz of all people came in to finish the inning. He blew away Saunders on a 96 mph fastball, which was faster than any ball he threw as a starter this season. Could the Sox answer against Brett Cecil? Chris Young pinch hit for Leon and singled off the lefty. Young swiped second but Benny The Kid looked at strike three. The righty Joe Biagini was brought in and Pedroia grounded out. Holt whiffed to end the inning.

Pomeranz returned for the top of the ninth with Bryan Holoday catching. Pillar looked at strike three but Carrera reached when Pomeranz went OLE! on a ground ball. Travis flied out and Donaldson lined out to end the inning. The Sox had one last chance against closer Roberto Osuna in the bottom of the ninth. Mr. Mookie grounded out and Ortiz hit a 10 foot dribbler before being thrown out. His last at bat ends with a whimper. Ramirez walked and Bogaerts singled to put the tying run at second...but JBJ grounded out to end the game. The Jays had made the playoffs and won the game 2-1.


Jackass of the Night is Brad Ziegler. The normally reliable set up man melted down in the eighth inning.

                                          Thanks for nothing Jackass

The Good:

Hanley Ramirez joined David Ortiz and Mookie Betts in the 30 homer, 100 rbi club with his 30th homer of the year in the 7th inning. He also walked. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4. Sandy Leon walked in 2 plate appearances. Chris Young pinch hit and got a single then a stolen base. David Price pitched well in his last tuneup before the playoffs. He allowed 1 run in 5 innings on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4. Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless sixth. Robbie Ross Jr retired 2 of the 3 men he faced. Matt Barnes got the final out of the seventh. Drew Pomeranz pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.



The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4. Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Mookie Betts was 0 for 4. David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts in his final home game. Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 but walked.


Honorable Mention:

Bryan Holoday caught the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Now the playoffs are set. The Jays host the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night and the Sox travel to Cleveland and play Game 1 Thursday night with Rick Porcello going up against Trevor Bauer. It is imperative that the Sox win Game 1 because Corey Kluber is going in Game 2 and winning Game 1 would give the Sox a chance to wipe out Cleveland at Fenway. Cleveland has a terrible road record so getting the series back to Fenway 1-1 with no Kluber for Game's 3 and 4 is the goal. Hell, maybe by miracle Price BEATS Kluber in Game 2. We won't know until then. In terms of this game, it would have been nice for Ortiz to go out a winner but hopefully his recent skid is more from fatigue from one ceremony after another. Now that the playoffs are here there will be no ceremonies to distract him. That's it for the regular season with the Sox finishing up at 93-69 and Eastern Division Champions. Game 1 is Thursday Night with Rick Porcello taking on Trevor Bauer....but you knew that already.

Kimbrel Blows Game, Homefield (10/1/16)

This is NOT what the Boston Red Sox needed 5 days before the start of the ALDS with the Cleveland Indians. The Sox had momentum going but thanks in part to Craig Kimbrel, the Sox have lost four of five including tonight's game against the surging Toronto Blue Jays, spoiling and amazing show of support from a pre-game ceremony for David Ortiz. The Jays knocked off Kimbrel to steal a 4-3 victory at Fenway Park.

                                           Number 4 says goodbye to Number 34

Eduardo Rodriguez had the dubious task of matching JA Happ again. In the top of the first, Devon Travis popped up, Josh Donaldson struck out and Edwin Encarnarcion flied out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first even though Dustin Pedroia grounded out. Xander Bogaerts and David Ortiz worked back to back walks but Ortiz was erased at second on a force by Mr. Mookie Betts. Hanley Ramirez walked to load the bases and Chris Young singled to score two runs to put the Sox on top. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.

                                                      Young makes it 2-0
Rodriguez immediately gave up the lead in the top of the second. Jose Bautista, Russell Martin and Troy Tulowitzky all walked to load the bases. Rodriguez recovered to strike out Melvin Upton but Kevin Pillar singled in two runs to tie the game. Rodriguez struck out Ezequiel Carrera and Travis to end the inning. 3 walks, 3 strikeouts and it was tied. The Sox almost answered in the bottom of the second. Aaron Hill flied out but Christian Vazquez singled. Pedroia lined out but Bogaerts walked. Ortiz grounded out to end the inning.

Rodriguez recovered in the top of the third. Donaldson whiffed but Encarnarcion walked. Bautista flied out and Martin grounded out to end the inning. Mr. Mookie singled to lead off the bottom of the third but was erased on the force by Ramirez. Carrera let a routine pop up drop in short left and Ramirez was thrown out at second, not much he could do there with less than two outs. JBJ grounded out to end the inning.

Eduardo hung tough in the top of the fourth. Tulowitzky grounded out but Upton singled. Pillar flied out and Upton swiped second. Carrera whiffed to end the inning. Happ then hit cruise control the rest of his outing. In the bottom of the fourth Hill popped up, Vazquez looked at strike three and Pedroia flied out to end the inning.

Rodriguez turned up the heat in the top of the fifth. Travis and Donaldson struck out but Encarnarcion singled. Bautista whiffed to end the inning.

                                      Rodriguez tried to match up with Happ the best he could
Bogaerts grounded out to begin the bottom of the fifth but Ortiz singled. Travis Shaw pinch ran for Ortiz to give David the rest of the night off. Mr. Mookie flied out and Ramirez grounded out to end the inning.

Rodriguez returned briefly in the top of the sixth only to walk Martin. If it wasn't for the 5 walks, Rodriguez would have been pitching a shut out. Matt Barnes was brought in and he got Tulowitzky to line out. Michael Saunders pinch hit for Upton and guess what he did....he walked. Pillar singled home Martin to give the Jays a 3-2 lead. Carrera banged into a double play to end the inning with the Jays back on top. The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the sixth. Young flied out, JBJ lined out and Hill grounded out to end the inning. That's twice now Happ got the better of Rodriguez 3-2.

Joe Kelly got the call in the top of the seventh. Travis grounded out, Donaldson lined out and Encarnarcion struck out in short order. Happ returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Vazquez to fly out, but Pedroia walked to chase him. Jason Grilli replaced Happ and got Bogaerts to fly out. Shaw whiffed to end the inning.

Kelly returned for the top of the eighth and turned up the heat. Bautista, Martin and Tulowitzky all struck out to end the inning. The Sox tied the game in bizarre fashion in the bottom of the eighth. Mr. Mookie doubled and Ramirez walked to lead off the inning. Needing the game, Jays manager John Gibbons went to closer Roberto Osuna right here and now. Rather than have Young drop a bunt down, Sox manager John Farrell let pinch hitter Brock Holt hit away.....bad idea. Holt grounded into a double play as the boo birds rained down. Then inexplicably Osuna balked in Betts to tie the game. Of all things...a balk. JBJ grounded out to end the inning but the Sox had probably denied Happ the Cy Young award.

The euphoria lasted very briefly as Craig Kimbrel took the mound in the top of the ninth. With balls flying everywhere, he walked Saunders. Dalton Pompey pinch ran for Saunders and he advanced to second on the sacrifice bunt by Pillar. A wild pitch by Kimbrel moved Pompey to third and Dalton scored on the sac fly by Carrera. Guess who Carrera hit it to that had no arm....Brock Holt. Travis flied out to end the inning but the Jays had the 4-3 lead back. Osuna came back for the ninth and the air was out of the tires so to speak. Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Hill and flied out. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Vazquez and grounded out. Pedroia grounded out to end the game. The Jays had won it 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is easy. Craig Kimbrel allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the ninth. As a closer he's been starting to suck lately.

                                              Nice going Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts walked twice and scored a run. David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with a walk. Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Hanley Ramirez walked twice. Chris Young was 1 for 3 with 2 rbi's. Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3. Joe Kelly struck out 4 of the 6 hitters he faced.



The Bad:

Travis Shaw struck out in his only plate appearance. Brock Holt would have been Jackass had the Sox not tied it in the eighth. He banged into a double play in his only plate appearance and his pop gun arm allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the ninth. Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4. Aaron Hill was 0 for 3. Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.


The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 but walked. Eduardo Rodriguez got knocked out in the 6th inning after allowing 3 runs on just 3 hits but FIVE walks. He did manage to strike out 9 so inconsistent is the word here. Matt Barnes allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the sixth but got through the rest of the inning.



Final Thoughts:

Well I guess the Sox are on cruise control the rest of the year. Luckily they only have one game left but they have two things going against them. Suddenly Craig Kimbrel can't find the plate and John Farrell's managerial decisions leave a lot to be desired. He usually pushes the right buttons when it comes to pitching changes but offensively he doesn't have a clue. The 2003 Red Sox went into the playoffs with a shaky bullpen and manager and it almost cost them the LDS and DID cost them the ALCS. Hopefully this is a temporary snag by Kimbrel and he'll be raring to go in the playoffs. As it is the loss puts the Sox at 93-68. If the Sox lose tomorrow they have to travel to Cleveland for the opening round of the playoffs. The Indians named their starters. Game 1 - Trevor Bauer, Game 2 - Corey Kluber, Game 3 - Mike Tomlin. The Sox counter with Rick Porcello, David Price and Clay Buchholz. The goal is to win Game 1 because even if you lose to Kluber, you got two more games to put the Indians away without seeing him again. The Sox end David Ortiz' regular season career tomorrow at 3 PM with David Price (17-9) taking on Aaron Sanchez (14-2) in the finale.