Junichi Tazawa signs with Miami Marlins (12/15/16)

Its official, the Orient Express is now no more. With Koji Uehara going to the Cubs and now Junichi Tazawa is headed to Miami. This brings the end of an impressive tag-team that terrorized American League batters from 2013-2016.

                                                              So long Orient Express

Tazawa was undrafted out of high school in Japan before joining an independent league over there. At the end of the 2008 season he decided to try his luck in the USA. He signed with the Boston Red Sox and made his pro debut in 2009 with the Portland Sea Dogs.

                                              Portland's best pitcher in the first half of 09

Tazawa was quickly brought up to Pawtucket and then on August 7, he was sent to the majors to replace the ineffective John Smoltz....yeah, remember that? Tazawa had a very eventful rookie season. He was pressed into emergency service that night in extra innings against the eventual world champion New York Yankees. Alex Rodriguez hit a walkoff two run bomb against him. Welcome to the big leagues. 4 days later he got his first major league start against Detroit and it ignited a very famous brawl. Tazawa hit Miguel Cabrera on the hand and Tigers starter Rick Porcello started headhunting Kevin Youkilis, causing him to charge the mound and get both of them thrown out. Tazawa got his first pro win. He ended the season with a 2-3 record and a hideous 7.46 ERA in 4 starts and 2 relief appearances.

                                                    Giving up walkoffs and starting fights

It turns out Tazawa's arm was hanging at the end of the 2009 season and he ended up having Tommy John surgery in early 2010, wiping out not only his 2010 season but most of his 2011 season as well. He appeared in just 3 games at the end of 2011.  During the embarassing 2012 season, Tazawa came back to be one of the team's best relief pitchers, giving up just 7 runs and striking out 45 in 44 innings. This display of effectiveness led Taz to become a primary set up man for the next 4 seasons. His shining moments came in the 2013 playoffs where he absolutely dominated Miguel Cabrera, setting up the 6 game series win over the Detroit Tigers. He allowed just 1 run the entire post-season in 7 1/3 innings as the Sox won the World Series.

Tazawa had an even better 2014 season for a declining Red Sox team posting a 2.86 ERA. Then his arm started to fall off again. So many innings took their toll on Tazawa as he fatigued down the stretch in 2015 and parts of 2016. With the addition of Tyler Thornburg and the impending return of Carson Smith, the Sox felt that Tazawa was all washed up and let him go. Its a shame it had to end like this but that's the nature of the game. Hopefully he'll do well with Miami in 2017. Thanks for the memories Taz.

Anthony Vavaro joins police force (12/10/16)

Anthony Varvaro only pitched in 9 games for the Boston Red Sox and was primarily one of Pawtucket's primary relief pitchers from 2015-16, but he has retired from baseball to focus on a career in law enforcement.

                                                           So long Vavaro
He graduated from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey yesterday and was one of 79 graduates at the ceremony.

                                                      Congratulations
He spent years keeping enemy batters off base and now he'll try to keep the streets safe in an era where there's a lot of divided Americans.

Good luck and thank you for the last two years.

Koji Uehara leaves for Cubs (12/8/16)

The trade of Tyler Thornburg and the rise of Joe Kelly in the second half of the season signaled the end of Koji Uehara's time in Boston. One of the most popular players the last four years, Koji took the set-up job for the world champion Chicago Cubs.

                                                                    So long Koji
Apart from injuries, Koji had one of the most dominant 4 year stretches as a reliever since Jonathan Papelbon was borderline unhittable from 2006-09. His 2013 season was as good as ANY reliever in history including Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. Apart from one hiccup against Tampa Bay, he was automatic as it got, winning the 2013 ALCS MVP for saving the Sox bacon in Game's 3, 5 and 6 as well as keeping them in it in Game 2. He also closed out Game's 4, 5 and 6 of the World Series and one of the most iconic images of that season was him jumping into David Ross' arms and pointing his finger sky high. We're number 1!

He almost equaled his 2013 season a year later but the team fell apart so bad that his effort was wasted and probably will be forgotten

His 2015 season was cut short when he fractured his arm on a line drive, and his injury cost the Red Sox a playoff spot. The 2015 Red Sox went on a tear in August and September but blew about 7 games during that stretch because both Uehara and later Tazawa were out. For a team that went 78-84, add at least 5 more wins against certain teams and they win 83 games to salvage the season.

This year once again injuries crept up on the now 41 year old but when he was healthy, he was positively dominant in the set up role and as closer when Craig Kimbrel went down due to injury. He may have won only 1 ring in his four years here, but he put them in position to win almost every game he was in.

Not only his on field production but his bubbly, enthusiastic personality will be missed too. Him and the retiring David Ortiz made post-game celebrations hilarious comedy. The 2017 Red Sox won't be the same without either of them.

He joins the world champions as set-up to new closer Wade Davis. Hope he has another good year for the champs and if the Cubs are the dynasty in the making Theo built (without Larry Lucchino to ruin it) then hopefully we could see a Cubs/Sox world series (provided Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello are the real deal in 2017).

Thanks for the four years of service.

Sox Make Blockbuster Trades, get Thornburg, Sale, Moreland (12/6/16)

Say what you will about Dave Dombrowski, he certainly isn't taking the Boston Red Sox miserable postseason performance lying down. Today he dropped a bomb on Major League Baseball by wheeling and dealing to acquire all-star pitcher Chris Sale, top relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg and first baseman Mitch Moreland. The Sox parted with Travis Shaw along with top prospects Mauricio Dubon, Josh Pennington, Luis Basabe, Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz. This leaves the farm system gutted, but the point isn't to win Minor League championships, its to win the World Series. Just ask the Chicago Cubs who broke an 108 year curse to win the 2016 World Series.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                 IN

With the injury to Carson Smith and the overuse of The Orient Express, the Sox were a little thin in the bullpen until Dombrowski went and traded for Brad Ziegler. Ziegler stablized the bullpen and was a key element down the stretch as the Sox made their march to the American League East Division title. Ziegler was just a rental as he expressed his desire to close somewhere else. Thornburg was the Milwaukee Brewers' best pitcher which isn't saying much, but its a good start. The bullpen came together in September apart from Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly's meltdown in the Bronx but they're going to need help if Junichi Tazawa joins Ziegler in free agency and Koji Uehara retires. Carson Smith may never be the same again so Thornburg stabilizes the bullpen on paper with Heath Hembree, Kimbrel, Robbie Ross Jr, Kelly and Robbie Scott in the mix.

With David Ortiz riding off into the sunset, the addition of Moreland pretty much solififies Hanley Ramirez as the DH next year, which was the idea two years ago. The shocking solid play at first place was a bonus for Ramirez who now only has to concentrate on hitting without getting beat up in the field. Moreland has never been a spectacular hitter but his numbers are on par with the now departed Travis Shaw. Unfortunately, with Shaw and Moncada gone, that means the third base slot will now be a free for all between the 500 pound Pablo Sandoval, super utility man Brock "Hitman" Holt and the rehabbing prospect Sam Travis, who was headed for a breakout season last year before tearing a knee. If nothing else, Moreland could be a Doug Mientkiewicz type because he's a solid glove at first place.

Last and certainly not least was the gem of the trade, All-Star White Sox starter Chris Sale. It would be unfair to expect Rick Porcello to have another year like he had last year and David Price is another year older. We have no idea if Drew Pomeranz will be any good or if Steven Wright can stay healthy. The addition of Sale to an already formidble rotation could put the Sox back in front of the American League East.

As it stands now, check out this team (not counting free agents).

Sp - Chris Sale
Sp - David Price
Sp - Rick Porcello
Sp - Clay Buchholz
Sp - Steven Wright/Eduardo Rodriguez//Drew Pomeranz

Rp - Craig Kimbrel
Rp - Tyler Thornburg
Rp - Robbie Ross Jr
Rp - Heath Hembree
Rp - Joe Kelly
Rp - Robbie Scott

2B - Dustin Pedroia
LF - Andrew Benintendi
SS - Xander Bogaerts
RF - Mookie Betts
DH - Hanley Ramirez
3B - Pablo Sandoval
C - Christian Vazquez
1B - Mitch Moreland
CF - Jackie Bradley Jr

C- Sandy Leon
3B - Brock Holt
OF - Chris Young
OF - Blake Swihart
INF - Devin Marrero

Unless the Red Sox outbid everyone for Edwin Encarnarcion or Jose Bautista, the offense is going to have a definite dropoff with Travis Shaw and David Ortiz gone. Still, the name of the game is pitching and guys like Thornburg and Sale are going to help limit runs to aid the limited offense.

How does this effect the AL East? The other teams need to make some big moves to keep up. The Toronto Blue Jays can't expect JA Happ to have another year like he had last year where he damn near beat out Rick Porcello for the Cy Young award. They also have to contend with both Edwin Encarnarcion and Jose Bautista hitting free agency. The Red Sox are very interested in Encarnarcion which is going drive his price-tag up. The New York Yankees signed Matt Holiday but he can't carry an offense by himself. If either one of those two sluggers leave, that's a huge blow to Toronto's offense. The Baltimore Orioles had one of the most incredible seasons by having one of the worst rotations in baseball but had one of the best offenses and bullpens. Their offense can pound the ball but what if Mark Trumbo or Chris Davis has a down year? Unless they make a trade or outbid people, they're not gonna have the firepower to match Boston or Toronto for that matter. The Tampa Bay Rays...pfft, forget them. With Joe Maddon out the door this team lost the spark that kept them relevent from 2008-14. They don't have the money to sign guys like Encarnarcion and they aren't churning out prospects like they did in that timeframe.  That just leaves the Yankees...oh the Yankees. General Manager Brian Cashman is already shitting bricks as he's been quoting as saying Chris Sale going to Boston is like Kevin Durant going to Golden State. The Yankees refused to part with the prospects they got for Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran so they're going to gamble on a youth movement. They have a boatload of young talent but they need time to develop, which isn't going to be fun to suffer through.

Free agency hasn't kicked into high gear quite yet so there could still be some wheeling and dealing, but as it is right now having Sale, Price and Porcello is downright scary. Maybe David Ortiz should reconsider retirement.

Rick Porcello Wins Cy Young Award (11/16/16)

In a turn of events nobody saw coming in August of 2015, Rick Porcello was named the 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner. He beat out former teamate Justin Verlander, Indians ace Corey Kluber and Blue Jays ace JA Happ.  Porcello had the best numbers with his 22-4 record and 3.15 ERA although he fizzled in his only playoff start.

The folks in Toronto were upset seeing as Happ was a mediocre .500 pitcher his whole career before having an outstanding season but the one who was absolutely fuming was Verlander's girlfriend Kate Upton.

She does have a small point that Verlander got more first place votes but still, accept it with dignity will you?

All in all it is a hell of an accomplishment for Porcello who was being called PorcelBlow during and after his miserable 2015 season. It wasn't just that he won his games, after all Daisuke Matsuzaka won 18 games in 2008, but his rubber armed starts saved the bullpen and stopped losing streaks unlike Dice K who went 5 innings a start.

This also bodes well for David Price because he struggled this year going 17-9 but if Porcello needed a year to adjust to Boston, chances are Price will be okay next year as well. Even though the season ended badly, Mookie Betts in the running for MVP, Porcello winning the Cy Young and the heroics of David Ortiz made it a fun season. If they can only replace Ortiz, they have a shot to win the Division again.

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.