Sox Win Weird Game Against Chicago (5/30/17)

Before the game it was announced that Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 10 day disabled list with a bad left wrist. Luckily the x-rays and MRI showed no structural damage, but he's out for 2 weeks. Taking his place will be the returning Pablo Sandoval, fresh off his rehab stint in Pawtucket. This is a huge blow because Pedroia's OBP can't possibly be replicated by Sandoval.

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As for the game, this was by far the weirdest game of the year. It was supposed to be a monster match of aces between Chris Sale (6-2, 2.77 ERA) and Chicago White Sox ace Jose Quintana. Instead both aces got blasted by each team's worst hitters, leading to an unlikely home run derby. Still, Boston had enough firepower to top the Bears...errr White Sox by a score of 13-7 at Commiskey Park.

                                             Tom Brady approves of the 13-7 win

Quintana got the ball in the top of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts whiffed badly to begin the game. Josh Rutledge grounded out to second but Xander Bogaerts blooped a single to left center. Hanley Ramirez froze on a pitch right down the middle to end the inning. Sale got the start in the bottom of the first and struck out Leury Garcia to begin the game although Melky Carbera beat out an infield single. Jose Abreu walked but Todd Frazier whiffed. Asivail Garcia struck out to end the inning.

The Sox somehow exploded in the top of the second. Chris Young lined out but Sam Travis hit a line drive to center that Garcia bobbled, allowing Sam to reach second. The scorer's ruled it a double but Sandy Leon whiffed on a curve at the shoetops. Jackie Bradley Jr doubled into the gap to score Travis to take the lead. Suddenly Deven Marrero launched a no doubt 2 run home run to left to increase the lead. Mr. Mookie joined the homer parade with a solo shot to left and Rutledge doubled to left field wall as well. The Sox had more hits in this inning than all of yesterday's total. Bogaerts then hit a swinging bunt down the third base line to advance Rutledge to third. Ramirez ended the rally with a ground out but the Sox now led 4-0.

                    "Nice homer Deven" - JBJ  "Awww you ain't seen nothin yet!" - DM

                                                 "Hey guys, wait for me!" MB

Suddenly Sale started pitching like garbage. Matt Davidson and Tim Anderson struck out but Kevan Smith blooped a single. Somehow Yolmer Sanchez walked and Garcia singled home Smith. Cabrera tapped a soft liner to Bogaerts who couldn't make the play and the bases were loaded. Abreu then cut the lead to 1 with a 2 run single. Frazier flied out but the damage was done, Boston only led 4-3 with all the runs coming with 2 outs for Chicago.

                                              "Sale......................"

Not to worry, it turns out Quintana was just as incompetent as Sale in the top of the third inning. Young and Travis hit back to back single and Travis moved to third on the Leon fly out. JBJ struck out but the unlikely hero Marrero swatted a 3 run blast to light up the dug-out and increase the lead. That was it for Quintana as Michael Ynoa relieved him and got Mr. Mookie to strike out to end the inning. The Sox exploded for a 7-3 lead.

                                         Talk about bizzaro world, Sale sucks, Marrero rules

Right on cue the White Sox fought back in the bottom of the third inning. Garcia hit one to Bogaerts to short who inexplicably tried to run all the way to first base to tag him out rather than simply throw it, falling on his face making a last second lunge. This allowed Garcia to scamper all the way to third since Marrero had to come over and pick Bogaerts off the ground. Davidson struck out but Anderson singled home Garcia. Smith struck out and Sanchez grounded out to end the inning.

Ynoa settled down matters in the top of the fourth inning. Rutledge watched strike three go by and Bogaerts hit one up the elevator shaft. Somehow Ramirez was hit with a pitch but he made up for it by getting thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Sale nearly gave up the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Garcia beat out an infield single but Cabrera lined out to center and Abreu lined out to right. This brought up Frazier who was hitting .179 at that point so naturally he belted a 2 run home run to cut the lead 7-6. Garcia doubled and with Sale on the ropes, he came back to strike out Davidson for the third time to end the inning.

                               "Vaz I suck tonight" -CS   "Aww there there fathead its ok" - CV

Luckily the offense was there to pick him up in the top of the fifth. Young flied out but Travis doubled. Leon walked to chase Ynoa as Dan Jennings came in. Travis swiped third and JBJ cleared the bases with a 3 run homer. What a bizarre game, the worst hitters on each team produced and both aces stunk. Marrero and Mr. Mookie grounded out but the Sox now led 10-6.

                                           "We got this one fellas" - JBJ

With 99 pitches on his arm, Sale DEMANDED to go back out for the fifth inning. Sox manager John Farrell pulled Vazquez aside and said "Watch him." pointing to Sale. Chris responded by striking out Anderson, getting Smith to fly out and Sanchez to ground out to end the inning. He didn't have his best stuff but he put his money where his mouth was, going 5 to earn the decision if the score held up. He rewarded Farrell's faith by lasting this long.

                                               Sale did his best with lousy stuff

Jennings settled down in the top of the sixth by getting Rutledge to ground out. Bogaerts singled and moved to second on the Ramirez ground out. Young grounded out to end the inning. Heath Hembree got the ball in the bottom of the sixth and cruised. Garcia whiffed, Cabrera flied out to right and Abreu lined out to end the inning.

Jennings came back for the top of the seventh and got Travis looking to begin the inning. Leon lined out but JBJ walked. Marrero whiffed to end the inning. Hembree came back for the bottom of the seventh with Mitch Moreland taking over at first for Travis. Frazier took strike three, Garcia grounded out and Davidson earned the golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth. Mr. Mookie grounded out and Rutledge struck out but Bogaerts joined the homer parade with a 413 foot bomb to dead center. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning but it was now 11-6.

                                            Bogaerts joins the home run derby

Things got a little dicey in the bottom of the eighth with Blaine Boyer on the mound on his third consecutive day. Anderson crushed a home run to dead center and Smith singled, only for Sanchez to hit one to Moreland. Moreland stepped on the bag for the out then threw to second for the tag-out double play. Great play by Mitch. Garcia doubled and Cabrera beat out another infield single to put runners at the corners. That was it for Boyer and it meant having to summon Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel into the game for the four out save. Abreu grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the White Sox now down 11-7.

Boston wasn't done scoring yet, no sirree Bob. Juan Minaya took over in the top of the ninth and Young worked a walk. Moreland than crushed a 421 foot 2 run home run to right to increase the lead. Leon struck out but JBJ walked. Marrero whiffed but Mr. Mookie doubled. Rutledge flied out to end the inning with the Patriots in front of the Bears 13-7....wait, what?

                                          "Don't forget about me guys" - MM

With a 6 run lead, Kimbrel returned for the bottom of the ninth still in life for the save if you can believe it. Kimbrel somehow walked Frazier but Garcia whiffed. Frazier took second on defensive indifference and then third on a wild pitch. He was stranded as Davidson earned the platinum plunger with his 5th strikeout and Anderson flied out to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 13-7.

                                              The unlikely heroes celebrate the win

Hero of the Night is Deven Marrero. He hit not only a 2 run bomb but a 3 run jack as well.

                                            Deven Marrero: Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 6 with a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 5 with a solo home run.

Sam Travis was 3 for 4 with a stolen base and 3 runs scored.

Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Travis and blasted a 2 run home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a 3 run home run, 2 total runs scored and 4 total rbi's.

Heath Hembree tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Craig Kimbrel got his 14th save by getting the final four outs.



The Bad:

Blaine Boyer gave up a solo home run and 3 other hits in just 2/3 of an inning.




The Ugly:

Josh Rutledge was just 1 for 6

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 but was hit with a pitch.

Chris Young was just 1 for 4 with a walk but scored twice.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Chris Sale stunk the joint out by giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks, but he demanded to go 5 to give the team a lift and he did, earning the win.



Final Thoughts:

What a weird one. The worst hitters stepped up and it came at a big time. Sale had his first real stinker of the year but he battled through and the offense picked him up big time. Marrero and JBJ combined for 3 home runs and 9 rbi's to lead the team to victory. Give credit to Heath Hembree who shut the White Sox down in the 6th and 7th as Boston continued to add to the lead. Sale was due for a stinker so no sense squawking about him going forward. The more pressing matter is the loss of Pedroia, there's no way Marrero, Rutledge and Sandoval can duplicate his success at the plate or defense in the field. Luckily there was no structural damage to Pedroia's wrist so he could be back in a few weeks. Still, the Sox have his big road trip and they need everyone in order to get back in the race for first place. The win propelled the Bosox to 28-23, 3 games behind the New York Yankees. Tomorrow night is the rubber game as the much maligned Drew Pomeranz (4-3, 4.70 ERA) takes on Mike Pelfrey in the finale at 8:10 PM.

Melky Cabrera Spoils Price's Debut (5/29/17)

Before the game it was announced that Brandon Workman had been sent down to AAA in favor of today's starting pitcher David Price. It was curious as why Workman got the axe and not Blaine Boyer given Workman's experience, but no matter.

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As for the game, another tough loss for the Boston Red Sox but this one was a true sucker punch to the gonads as they were done in by just one man. The washed up, juiceless, Melky Cabrera hit a 3 run home run and drove in the winning run for 4 total rbi's, spoiling David Price's season debut and guiding the Chicago White Sox to a 5-4 come from behind win at Commiskey Park. On top of that, the Sox lost Dustin Pedroia to a sprained wrist, possibly for weeks.

                                                  "Melky Cabrera....."

David Holmberg got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a lead-off double off the left field wall. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to first and cleaned out Jose Abreu who had to slide to get Dustin at first, advancing Betts to third. Luckily both men were ok. Xander Bogaerts popped up to Abreu who had to run and dive to catch it, allowing Betts to scamper home to give the Sox a quick 1-0 lead. Hanley Ramirez worked a full count walk but Chris Young also popped up to Abreu to end the inning with the Sox ahead.

                                                          Down goes Pedroia

On to the mound was Price making his season debut in the bottom of the first. Tm Anderson whiffed to begin then Melky Cabrera grounded out to first. Abreu grounded out to short to end the inning, good start for Price.

Sam Travis led off the top of the second by whiffing on a 2-2 count. Christian Vazquez lined out to left but Jackie Bradley Jr was hit with a pitch. Deven Marrero grounded out to end the inning. Turns out Dustin Pedroia was NOT okay and he was replaced by Josh Rutledge in the bottom of the second inning. Todd Frazier struck out, Avisail Garcia lined out to Travis but Matt Davidson blooped a single to center. It was revealed Pedroia sprained his wrist as Yolmer Sanchez popped up to end the inning. It was great to see Price have his command and velocity, but disheartening to lose Pedroia.

Mr. Mookie popped up to begin the top of the third, Rutledge grounded out and Bogaerts was retired on a swinging bunt to end the inning. The White Sox roared back in the bottom of the third. Kevan Smith grounded out to third but Adam Engel walked and stole second on a botched pickoff by Travis. Anderson walked and Cabrera cleared the bases with a 3 run bomb to left to give Chicago the lead. Abreu lined out to a jumping Betts and Frazier flied out to center but the damage was done, 3-1 White Sox.

                                           "That damn Cabrera!" - DP

The Sox struck back against Holmberg in the top of the fourth. Ramirez worked a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth but Young flied out. Travis walked and that brought out Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper to waddle to the mound to tell Holmberg to switch to Geico. Vazquez then doubled into the left field corner to score Ramirez to cut the lead to 1. JBJ grounded out to first but it was enough to score Travis to tie the game and advance Vaz to third. Marrero whiffed on a full count but the Sox had tied it 3-3.

Could Price have a bounceback inning in the bottom of the fourth? YES! He took forever but he struck out Garcia with a 3-2 pitch that bounced in front of home plate. Davidson whiffed and Sanchez popped up to end the inning.

That was it for Holmberg as Gregory Infante took over in the top of the fifth inning and Mr. Mookie hit a line drive home run just over the left field wall to give the Sox the lead. Rutledge singled up the middle and Bogaerts was robbed of a hit by Frazier, snaring the line drive. Ramirez jacked one deep to right but it died at the wall. Young flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-3 lead.

                                                            Mr. Mookie puts the Sox on top

Could Price pitch with the lead? YES! He hit Smith on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth and plunked Engel as well. Anderson hit a ground ball to Bogaerts but they could only get Engel at second. Price got a huge double play ball after Bogaerts stabbed a ground ball by Cabrera, flipped to second, on to first to end the inning. It helped that Cabrera foolishly tried to slide into first base. That was it for Price who was on a 90 pitch, pitch count. He made one mistake to Cabrera but otherwise pitched reasonably well.

                                                  Welcome back Price

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the sixth as Travis grounded out, Vazquez struck out and JBJ popped up on a 3-2 pitch right down the middle to end the inning. Joe Kelly came on to pitch the top of the sixth as Mitch Moreland took over at first base for Travis. Abreu grounded out to second on a full count and Kelly froze Frazier. Sox analyst Dave O'Brien brought up how someone in the Red Sox bullpen put up everyone's senior year high school pictures. The main suspect was *drumroll*....Joe Kelly. There was no pranks as Kelly walked Garcia but he recovered to whiff Davidson to end the inning with the lead intact.

Juan Minaya got the call to pitch the top of the seventh and he nearly took Marrero's head off with a fastball. Marrero eventually struck out and so did Mr. Mookie. Rutledge walked but Bogaerts looked at strike three to end the inning,

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the seventh and crapped himself. Sanchez tripled and Smith doubled to tie the game just like that. Engel then foolishly bunted foul with 2 strikes for the strikeout. They don't even do that in little league. Anderson grounded out to third but Chicago took the lead on a single by Cabrera to Rutledge, who threw to first only for Vazquez to run away from the ball with his arms flailing over his head. Smith scored and Cabrera had put the ChiSox on top 5-4. Abreu looked at strike three but the White Sox had the lead 5-4.

                                       "Did I just poop my pants, I think I did" - MB

The Sox offense gave up after that, going quietly in the top of the eighth against Tommy Kahnle. Ramirez just watched strike three go by as Andrew Benintendi pitch hit for Chris Young and flied out to the wall. Moreland crushed a ball just foul then looked at strike three to end the inning. Blaine Boyer got the call in the bottom of the eighth inning. Frazier and Garcia whiffed then Davidson flied out to end the inning.

David Robertson put the Sox out of their misery in the top of the ninth inning. Vazquez whiffed on 3 pitches, JBJ grounded out meekly and Sandy Leon pinch hit for Marrero. Leon struck out to end the game as the Sox didn't have a hit after the 5th inning. The White Sox had won 5-4.

Jackass of the Night is an easy one. Matt Barnes came in with a 4-3 lead and left losing 5-4 giving up a triple, double and single.

                                                Matt Barnes: Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Josh Rutledge was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Hanley Ramirez walked twice in four plate appearances plus scored a run.

David Price was on a 90 pitch, pitch count but still put the Sox in position to win by tossing 5 innings of 3 run ball. He made one mistake to Cabrera but otherwise did well.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Blaine Boyer pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Chris Young was 0 for 3.

Andrew Benintendi failed in his only plate appearance.

Mitch Moreland struck out in his only plate appearance.

Deven Marrero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Sandy Leon struck out to end the game.




The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 1 but it was a productive out that led to the game's first run before he left with an injury.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but walked and was hit with a pitch.



Final Thoughts:

Another garbage loss to a garbage team in what's turning out to be a truly miserable season that started out with so much promise. The Sox are completely snakebit with injuries as Pedroia goes down just as Price comes back. So the Sox lost today's game to a host of relievers, not getting a hit after the 5th inning AND Pedroia. Dustin may miss time and the Sox can't afford to lose him. It was a tough loss but the good news is Chris Sale is pitching tomorrow night opposite Jose Quintana in Game 2 of this series at 8:10 PM at Commiskey Park.

Mariners Avoid Sweep, Shutout Sox (5/28/17)

Before the game it was announced that yesterday's hero Brian Johnson was sent down to Pawtucket and in his place will be 35 year old journeyman reliever Blaine Boyer. David Price is scheduled to start tomorrow's game in Chicago so just in case they need an extra arm, they have Boyer for today's game.

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They ended up needing Boyer as the Seattle Mariners avoided a sweep by turning the tables on the Boston Red Sox. The Sox had shut out the Mariners the past two games but this time it was the Mariners that shut-out the Red Sox, taking the game 5-0 at Fenway Park and ending the Sox 6 game win streak. How many runs did the Red Sox score Dean Wormer?

Porcello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jean Segura greeted him with a single....only to be thrown out trying to steal by the alert Sandy Leon. Ben Gamel popped up to the banged up Dustin Pedroia, wearing a compression sleeve after getting plunked yesterday. Robinson Cano doubled off the Monster but Nelson Cruz flied out to end the inning. M's starter Christian Bergman matched Porcello as Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out but Dustin Pedroia doubled off the Monster. Xander Bogaerts singled to left and Pedroia just barely beat the tag at third. Right on schedule Andrew Benintendi banged into a double play to end the inning.

Porcello got some help from his defense in the top of the second although Kyle Seager hit a single over the head of Porcello. Danny Valencia flied out to right and Guillermo Heredia grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox couldn't score in the bottom of the second as Hanley Ramirez was hit with a pitch but erased on the Mitch Moreland force. Jackie Bradley Jr hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Mariners nearly struck first in the top of the third as Jarrod Dyson and Carlos Ruiz stroked back to back singles. Ruiz was erased at second on the force by Segura but now there were runners at the corners. Porcello recovered to strike out Gamel and got Cano to ground out to second to end the inning. As usual the Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third. Sandy Leon walked but Deven Marrero grounded into a double play. Mr. Mookie struck out to end the inning.

The Mariners finally struck first in the top of the fourth although Cruz flied out. Seager doubled off the Monster and Valencia singled him to third. Porcello bounced a pitch in the dirt that got by Leon that scored Seager and advanced Valencia to second. Heredia walked but Dyson whiffed. Ruiz singled to right to load the bases. Somehow Porcello struck out Segura to end the inning but the Mariners were up 1-0. The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the fourth as Pedroia lined a leadoff single to right. Bogaerts beat out a double play ball but guess what Benny The Kid did? He hit into a double play to end the inning.

Porcello returned for the top of the fifth inning and Moreland caught a pop up hit by Gamel by the tarp. Cano flied out to center but Cruz singled off the Monster. Seager whiffed to end the inning. More of the same happenedin the bottom of the fifth as Ramirez popped up, but Moreland walked. To try to stay out of the double play Moreland took off for second...but JBJ swung and missed and Moreland was easily tagged out at second. JBJ looked at strike three to end the inning, brutal.

Porcello finally had a quick inning in the top of the sixth inning. Valencia whiffed, Heredia grounded out and Dyson popped up to end the inning. About time Rick! Still, Bergman continued to dominate the bottom of the sixth as Leon lined out to center, Marrero did inside out a single to right but Mr. Mookie popped up and Pedroia flied out to end the inning.

The Mariners struck again in the top of the seventh as Ruiz doubled off the wall but Segura whiffed. Gamel singled Ruiz to third to chase Porcello. He gave up 11 hits and had to Houdini his way out of trouble time and time again, not good. It also didnt help that once again he got ZERO run support again.

                                "Are these jerks ever going to score for me?" - RP

Robby Scott came in to pitch to Cano and got him to pop up for a big second out. That was all for Scott as Heath Hembree came in to pitch to Cruz. Hembree got Cruz to ground to Bogaerts, but Xander decided to spike the ball and do the boogie woogie, allowing Ruiz to score and advance Gamel to third. Seager flied out to deep center to end the inning but it was now 2-0 Seattle.

2-0 may as well been 200-0 the way Bergman was pitching in the bottom of the seventh. Bogaerts and Benny The Kid popped up and Ramirez flied out to end the inning.

The Mariners iced the game in the top of the eighth inning. Valencia grounded out but Heredia blasted a home run onto Landsdowne Street to increase the lead. Dyson doubled off the Monster but was thrown out trying to steal third.....but wait! Seattle manager Scott Servais challenged the call but he was still called out. Ruiz grounded back to Hembree but it was now 3-0 Seattle.

                                              "You're outta here!" - XB

James Pazos relieved Bergman as Sam Travis pinch hit for Moreland to start the bottom of the eighth. Travis popped up and Chris Young pinch hit for Jackie Bradley Jr but Servais countered by bringing in Nick Vincent. Young singled down the left field line but Leon popped up on the first pitch. Marrero hit for himself and grounded out to end the inning.

Fernando Abad came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Segura greeted him with a ground rule double. Abad recovered to freeze Gamel on a full count but Cano blasted a 2 run bomb to center to make it 5-0. That was it for the incompetent Abad as Blaine Boyer, today's call-up made his season debut. Cruz hit one up the elevator shaft and Seager popped up to end the inning with the M's up 5-0. Edwin Diaz had mop up duty in the ninth inning and Mr. Mookie reached on an error at third. Pedroia whiffed and Bogaerts hit a picture perfect double play ball to Segura....through his legs for an error. Ramirez whiffed to end the game. The M's had snapped the streak and had won 5-0.

Jackass of the Night is Heath Hembree. Not only did he allow an inherited runner to score, he gave up one of his own to put the game out of reach.


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4.

Mitch Moreland walked in 2 plate appearances.

Chris Young pinch hit for JBJ and singled.

Deven Marrero was 1 for 3.

Robby Scott got Cano to pop up in the 7th

Blaine Boyer got the final two outs of the ninth inning.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis pinch hit for Moreland and popped up.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and a double play.

Fernando Abad allowed a 2 run bomb to Cano



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 2 but walked.

Rick Porcello took the loss but tossed 6 1/3 innings of 2 run ball, once again he got literally no run support.



Final Thoughts:

All good things must come to an end and the 6 game win streak is over. The Sox deserved to lose for being incompetent at the plate and even Sox manager John Farrell deserves part of the blame. He tried a hit and run with slow Moreland on base and the strikeout prone JBJ at bat. He had Fernando Abad pitch to Robinson Cano the only lefty Abad can't get out, he pinch hit for Moreland and Bradley but had no one left for Marrero. Not a good day all around. Still, these games happen but two things are frightening. They still are getting shut down or completely out by mediocre starting pitching and haven't scored a single run in SEVEN of Porcello's starts this year. I know he's given up a ton of hits but you can't win if you don't score. The loss drops the Sox to 27-22, 3 games behind the victorious New York Yankees for 1st place in the AL East. Tomorrow David Price make his season debut on Memorial Day Monday against the Chicago White Sox opposite David Holmberg at 2:05 PM.

Johnson Shuts Out Seattle (5/27/17)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox optioned Ben Taylor to Pawtucket in order to call up today's starter Brian Johnson. Taylor was the odd man out with Matt Barnes, Fernando Abad, Robby Scott and Craig Kimbrel were pitching great lately.

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Talk about a good spot start. Johnson was called up to make today's start and he made it a memorable one. Pitching like his life depended on it, Johnson outwitted the Seattle Mariners with junk not seen since Bill Lee in a complete game, 5 hit shutout. The Sox offense picked up Brian and the Sox had won their 6th in a row, beating Seattle 6-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                   Willie Jack Degel approves of the win

Johnson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jean Segura grounded to Moreland who flipped to Johnson for the out although he nearly got steamrolled by Segura. Danny Valencia singled but Robinson Cano lifted a fly ball to Mookie Betts who lost it in the sun. He then took his cap off and stuck it out, luckily the ball fell in for the out. Johnson struck out Cruz on an 89 mph fastball to end the inning. Rob Whalen made his season debut in the bottom of the first inning and walked Mr. Mookie on 4 straight pitches. Mr. Mookie stole second but Dustin Pedroia got drilled. It hurt like hell and the trainer made a gold medal sprint out of the dug-out but luckily Dustin was ok. Xander Bogaerts singled to left and Mookie beat the throw home but Pedroia cannonballed into third but fell off, allowing himself to be tagged out, although Bogaerts tiptoed to second base un-noticed. Andrew Benintendi singled past the second basemen to score Bogaerts to make it 2-0. The wild Whalen then plunked Hanley Ramirez on the top of the helmet. Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley said Whalen had mediocre salad as Mitch Moreland flied out to right, but Benintendi cartwheeled over to third. Hanley then swiped second as the ball fell out of Zunino's hand and Ramirez' helmet bounced into left field. Alert secret service agents seized the helmet and wrestled it to the ground. The wild Whalen walked Jackie Bradley Jr to load the bases as Eckersley said "This is an absolutely awful appearance". Sandy Leon singled home Benintendi but Ramirez practically walked home and was thrown out for a mile to end the inning. The Sox did lead 3-0 but Ramirez' loafing cost them more runs against a struggling starter.

                                                            Yeeeoooouchhhhhh!

Johnson whiffed Kyle Seager to open the top of the second inning. Taylor Motter lined out softly to Pedroia at second. Johnson struck out Guillermo Heredia to end the inning, good work Brian. As expected Whalen settled down in the bottom of the second as Deven Marrero grounded out to third to begin. Mr. Mookie lined out and Whalen nearly cleaned out Pedroia again. Eckersley "This guy's dangerous."  Pedroia lined out to right to end the inning.

Johnson's old roomate in college Mike Zunino led off the top of the third. Zunino famously knocked Brian unconscious in the SEC tournament with an errant throw. Johnson got his revenge by striking him out. Jarrod Dyson singled and Segura grounded a picture perfect double play ball to Pedroia....who decided to grab it and stare at it, just barely getting Dyson at second base when he snapped out of it. Valencia popped up to end the inning. The M's defense came up big in the bottom of the third when Bogaerts lined one just above the pitcher but snared by Cano. Segura then robbed Benny The Kid of a hit with a slick throw to first. Eckersley was not amused by Benintendi's kamikaze slide into first base. Ramirez singled up the middle but Moreland was robbed of extra bases by a diving Valencia to end the inning.

The top of the fourth was almost completely missed due to an interview by faceless goon with Billy Johnson, Brian's dad. Cano flied out to left but Mr. Mookie put his life at risk by nearly diving into the bullpen to rob Cruz of a home run. Seager whiffed to end the inning with Billy cheering on. Whalen started to dominate the bottom of the fourth by getting JBJ to ground into the shift to begin. Leon lined out to a diving Valencia and Heredia made a running catch to rob Marrero of a hit to end the inning. Its not like the offense suddenly went cold, the M's were making great plays.

Johnson returned for the top of the fifth and Bogaerts killed some earthworms with a bad throw but Moreland put life and limb at risk to scoop it to rob Motter of a hit. Heredia blooped a single to right as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien brought up how Zunino and Johnson won the national title by defeating none other than Jackie Bradley Jr, playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Zunino flied out to center but Dyson blooped a single to left that advanced Heredia to third. Dyson swiped second and with the walls crumbling around him, Johnson retired Segura on a pop up to end the inning.'' After the annoying Southwest commercial aired for the third time since 4 pm, Whalen returned for the bottom of the fifth to retire Mr. Mookie on a ground out. Pedroia singled to left but Bogaerts popped up. Benny The Kid nearly hit one out but it died at the wall in the right field corner to end the inning.

Johnson returned for the top of the sixth and got Valencia to ground out as Dave O'Brien revealed Johnson's mother was a former Doublemint gum twin. Heredia then crushed one to the centerfield wall and JBJ made another spectacular catch, imitating Spiderman to grab it. Johnson whiffed Cruz to end the inning and somehow he was pitching a shut-out through six innings.

                                                          Another great JBJ catch

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Whalen got Ramirez on a smoked a grounder to third. Moreland singled into the shift as the fans started doing The Wave much to Eck's chagrin. Speaking of Eck, he had been calling all game that someone was going to go deep eventually and that man was Jackie Bradley Jr. JBJ crushed a 2 run bomb over the bullpen to chase Whalen and increase the lead. Casey Lawrence came in and struck out Leon. Eck then told a story that he pitched a 1-0 shut-out against Ferguson Jenkins that his manager called "the worst shut-out I've ever seen". Marrero struck out to end the inning but the Sox were up 5-0.

                                                                JBJ ices it in the 6th

Johnson came back for the top of the seventh and Seager grounded into a shift that Eck called "a beautiful thing." Motter popped up to left but Heredia singled. Brian struck out his old friend Zunino with a big sweeping curve to end the inning, 7 shut-out innings for Johnson. Lawrence came back for the bottom of the seventh and Mr. Mookie grounded out to begin. Pedroia saw a guy dressed like Slippo The Clown in the front row and was so distracted that he struck out looking. Segura flashed the leather again to rob Bogaerts of a hit to end the inning.

With 87 pitches on his arm, Johnson came out for the eighth inning. Dyson lifted a sure single but Bogaerts made a flying catch to snare the ball. Mr. Mookie made a mad dash to chase down a fly ball by Segura and on Brian's 100th pitch, he got Valencia to ground out to end the inning. 8 shut out innings by Johnson, who saw that coming?

                                             Brian "Magic" Johnson dealing through 8

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the eighth inning. Benny The Kid grounded out on a bang bang play at first but Ramirez singled and took second on a wild pitch. Moreland singled off the Monster to score Ramirez but JBJ popped up. Leon flied out to end the inning but the Sox were up 6-0.

With 100 pitches on his arm, Johnson went for the complete game shut-out in the top of the ninth. The crowd went wild when Cano was rung up on a 1-2 fastball at the knees. JBJ preserved the shut-out with an amazing diving catch to rob Cruz as the crowd went wild again. Not to be out-done, Jackie sprinted down a long drive by Seager to end the game. Johnson had thrown a complete game 5 hit shut-out in his 3rd major league start.

                                           Johnson gets the hero shower after the game


Hero of the Night is easy. Brian Johnson pitched a complete game 5 hit shutout, walking nobody and striking out 8.

                                          Johnson's a Hero for the ages


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with an HBP.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 with an HBP,  run scored and a stolen base.

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.



The Bad:

Deven Marrero was 0 for 3



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked, stole a base and scored.

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

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.



Final Thoughts:

This was definitely one of the best days at Fenway this season. It was a fun day from start to finish with the offense giving Johnson an early lead and he pitched his ass off. He was Portland's best pitcher in 2014 and bizarre injuries and off-field incidents held him back for so long, not today! With his parents in the crowd, he dominated the Mariners to make the Sox the winners. It gave the bullpen a rest and the running Red Sox scored early due to aggressiveness. Sox manager John Farrell figured if the long ball isn't coming then they need to run in order to score. So far its worked as the Sox have won 6 in a row. The win moved the Sox to 27-21, still 2 games back of the New York Yankees. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox go for the series sweep when "Slick" Rick Porcello (3-5, 4.35 ERA) takes on Christian Bergman in the finale at 1:05 PM.

Sox Shutout Mariners, Streak Hits Five (5/26/17)

It was another messy, rainy night at Fenway Park but the home team sent the fans home happy. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-1, 2.77 ERA) combined with 3 relievers to shut out the visiting Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of this 3 game set. The Sox benefited from a comedy of errors by Seattle to win the game 3-0.

                                              Detective Fish approves of the win

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first and Jean Segura flied out to right. Guillermo Heredia singled but Robinson Cano grounded out to third, advancing Heredia to third. Nelson Cruz grounded back to Rodriguez to end the inning. Seattle starter Yovani Gallardo retired Mr. Mookie Betts on a liner to center to begin the bottom of the first inning. Andrew Benintendi popped up and Xander Bogaerts struck out to end the inning.

Rodriguez nearly got tagged in the top of the second inning when he walked Kyle Seager to start the top of the second inning. Old friend Danny Valencia singled off the Monster but tried to stretch it into a double. Jackie Bradley Jr fired to second and Josh Rutledge applied the tag...OUT! Turns out he was safe but Seattle didn't challenge so the Sox got away with one, although Seager moved to third. Seager couldn't score on the sharp liner by Taylor Motter. Ben Gamel struck out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second inning as Hanley Ramirez snapped an 0 for 9 slump with a double down the left field line. Mitch Moreland grounded out but Hanley moved to third. Rutledge grounded out but Ramirez scored to make it 1-0 Sox. Jackie Bradley Jr hustled to second on a double and Christan Vazquez worked a rare walk, but Deven Marrero struck out on a full count to end the inning.

                                         "Way to go Hanley" - Vaz   "Meh" - Hanley

Mike Zunino popped up to begin the top of the third inning but Segura doubled. Heredia whiffed but Segura stole third. Cano grounded out to end the inning with the Sox still ahead. Gallardo barely got through the bottom of the third by getting Mr. Mookie and Benny The Kid to ground out, but Bogaerts singled off the foot of Gallardo. Ramirez and Moreland worked back to back walks to load the bases. Rutledge popped up to end the inning, a huge chance wasted.

Rodriguez labored through the top of the fourth as Cruz grounded out but Seager singled. Valencia hit into a double play to end the inning. Gallardo matched Rodriguez in the bottom of the fourth. JBJ grounded out but Vazquez singled. Marrero singled to Gamel who muffed the ball on the ground, allowing Vazquez to reach third on the error. The Sox failed to capitalize as Mr. Mookie banged into a double play to end the inning.

Rodriguez battled in the top of the fifth, getting Motter to fly out to start the inning. Gamel took strike three down the middle but Zunino walked. Segura legged out an infield single but Heredia flied out to end the inning. The M's played some bad defense in the bottom of the fifth although Benny The Kid and Bogaerts struck out. Ramirez singled to center and Heredia bobbled the ball, allowing Hanley to take second. Moreland whiffed to end the inning.

Rodriguez returned for one last inning in the top of the sixth. Cano flied out and Cruz grounded out but Seager walked. On his 112th pitch, Rodriguez froze Valencia to end the inning. He had tossed 6 innings of shut-out ball, good work.

The Sox added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth without really having to do anything. Rutledge got it started with a single and JBJ walked. Vazquez grounded out to advance the runners although JBJ pulled up lame at second, the same leg he hurt last month. He did stay in the game as Marrero walked to load the bases. A wild pitch by Gallardo scored Rutledge and advanced the others. Mr. Mookie walked to re-load the bases and that was it for Gallardo. Dan Altavilla came in and Zunino muffed a pitch allowing JBJ to score and advance the others. Benny The Kid whiffed but Bogaerts walked to re-load the bases again. The gifts were over as Ramirez flied out to end the inning. The Sox scored 2 runs on 3 walks, a single, a wild pitch and a passed ball. Go team.

                                          Rutledge and JBJ score the big insurance runs.

Heath Hembree got the call in the top of the seventh inning. Motter flied out to right, Gamel flied out to left and Zunino looked at strike three to end the inning.  The Sox offense shut it down in the bottom of the seventh as Moreland struck out, Rutledge lined out and JBJ whiffed to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and immediately Segura singled passed Marrero at third. Heredia flied out to Betts and Cano struck out before Cruz grounded out to end the inning.

                                                  "I got it...I got it...I GOT IT!" - MB

Steve Cishek had the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez greeted him with a single but was erased on the force by Marrero. Deven was erased on the force by Mr. Mookie and Benny The Kid lined out to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came on to pitch the top of the ninth looking for the save. Right handed batters hadn't gotten a hit off him yet this season and this continued. Seager, Valencia and Motter all grounded out in short order to end the game. The Sox had gotten the shut-out 3-0 at a rainy Fenway.

Hero of the night is Eduardo Rodriguez. The offense was basically gifted by the Mariners incompetence but Rodriguez kept them in the game with 6 innings of shut out ball.

                                              Hero of the Night: Eduardo Rodriguez


The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Deven Marrero was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 13th save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 5



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 but walked.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.

Josh Rutledge was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.



Final Thoughts:

Wow, a 5 game winning streak...this is what it feels like? It was a long time coming because the Sox were too talented to suck for this long. Even though they didn't exactly light up the sky tonight, they pitched well enough to win. They're going to have to score runs tomorrow with Brian Johnson rumored to be the scheduled starter. Rodriguez has emerged as a bonafide 3rd starter and you can argue he's out performed Rick Porcello this year. If only David Price was healthy then the Sox would have a scary four man rotation. The offense was off tonight but it was worse for Seattle. The win moved the Sox to 26-21, 2 games behind the New York Yankees, who lost to Oakland tonight, for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow Brian Johnson (1-0, 7.20 ERA) takes on call-up Rob Whalen at 4.05 PM.

Sox Pitchers Strike Out 20 Rangers, Sweep Series (5/25/17)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their NBA East Finals series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers. In a soggy game marred by rain and cold weather, the Boston Red Sox sent the fans home happy by unofficially striking out 20 Texas Rangers during the 9 inning game. The Sox got a big lift from starter Drew Pomeranz (4-3, ) and the first home runs of the year by Xander Bogaerts and Deven Marrero to sweep the Rangers 6-2.

                                                    Robert Irvine approves of the win

Pomeranz got the ball in the top of the first inning after a 28 minute rain delay and Delino DeShields Jr struck out on a big curveball to start. Elvis Andrus struck out on another curveball but Nomar Mazara singled. Jonathan Lucroy grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the first off Texas starter Nick Martinez. Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out and Dustin Pedroia popped up, but Xander Bogaerts singled down the left field line. Bogaerts swiped second and scored on the Andrew Benintendi single to center to give the Sox the lead. Benintendi swiped second and Hanley Ramirez walked. Mitch Moreland singled home Benintendi and advanced Ramirez to third. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded into a force but the Sox had a 2-0 lead.

                                             The runnin' Red Sox lead 2-0

Pomeranz turned up the heat in the top of the second inning. Rougned Odor struck out swinging, Mike Napoli took strike three and Ryan Rua struck out swinging to end the inning. Christian Vazquez led off the bottom of the second with a single to right. Deven Marrero struck out and Mr. Mookie banged into a double play to end the inning.

Joey Gallo whiffed to start the top of the third and Vazquez ran off the field after Pete Kozma struck out looking, not knowing there were only two outs. DeShields Jr popped up to a falling Pedroia to end the inning. Yes, for real this time Vazquez. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Pedroia led off with a walk. Bogaerts blasted his first home run of the year to increase the lead. Benny The Kid flied out and Ramirez struck out, but Moreland singled. JBJ singled but Vazquez struck out to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                         "I finally got one" - XB  "About damn time!" - AB

The Rangers struck back in the top of the fourth when Andrus homered to left to break up the shutout. Pomeranz recovered to get Mazara to ground out and Lucroy to line out. Odor singled and Napoli hit one completely out of Fenway Park....foul. Napoli struck out to end the inning with the Rangers now down 4-1. Marrero whiffed to start the bottom of the fourth before both Mr. Mookie and Pedroia grounded out to end the inning.

Pomeranz returned for the top of the fifth and Marrero nearly ran into the 3rd base wall fielding a pop up from Rua. Gallo lined out to Betts and Kozma struck out to end the inning, that's 9 K's for Pomeranz. Bogaerts popped up to begin the bottom of the fifth. Benny The Kid flied out to left and Ramirez flied out to center to end the inning.

There was concern in the top of the sixth when Pedroia left the game with a leg injury, Josh Rutledge came in to replace him. Pomeranz made a boo-boo when he walked Deshields Jr. He did manage to strike out Andrus but DeShields Jr took second when Pomeranz was too slow on a pickoff throw. Right on cue Mazara singled home DeShields Jr. Lucroy flied out to center and Pomeranz earned his 11th strikeout by getting Odor to end the sixth inning. Good bounce back game for Drew.

                                            "I showed that bastard Farrell, didn't I?" DP

Dario Alvarez took over in the bottom of the sixth and was all over the place. Moreland was plunked and JBJ walked on four pitches that wasn't even close. That was it for Alvarez as Tony Barnette replaced him and got Vazquez to ground into a double play after Vaz messed up a bunt attempt. Bogaerts whiffed badly to end the inning, terrible clutch hitting.

Heath Hembree relieved Pomeranz in the top of the seventh and struck out Napoli on a full count. Hembree struck out Rua and that was it for him. Sox manager John Farrell brought in Robby Scott for the lefty/lefty matchup with Gallo. Scott won the matchup with a strikeout to end the inning. Keone Kela came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning. He was wild too as Mr. Mookie worked a walk on four pitches. Rutledge struck out but Betts stole second on the throw. Bogaerts struck out but Andrew Benintendi was intentionally walked. Ramirez failed to make them pay by grounding out to end the inning.

Matt Barnes got the ball in the top of the eighth inning and Kozma fought for 11 pitches but eventually took the full count pitch at the knees for strike three. DeShields Jr flied out to right but Andrus whiffed to end the inning. That's 16 strikeouts for Red Sox pitching. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the eighth off Alex Claudio, Moreland and JBJ grounded out but Vazquez doubled off the Monster. Marrero then hit a 2 run home run into the Monster Seats to give the Sox a 4 run lead. Mr. Mookie singled but Rutledge lined out to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                  Marrero sings and dances in the rain after his 2 run homer

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel hadn't pitched in 5 days so he came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Mazara swung and missed at strike three but the ball hit Nomar's leg and he ran to first. He should have been called out but he was shockingly ruled safe. Sox manager John Farrell screamed at the umpire but stayed in the game, ruled as a strikeout and a passed ball.

                                         "You people are complete idiots!" -JF

Kimbrel recovered to strike out Lucroy and Odor in short order. Napoli struck out for the fourth time tonight to end the game. The Sox had won 6-2.

     "We're the rain warriorrssssss...ain't gonna rain no more"

Hero of the Night is Drew Pomeranz. He put together his best start of the season, pitching 6 innings of one run ball and striking out 11 batters.

                                            Drew Pomeranz: Hero



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, a stolen base and a 2 run home run, his first.

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi, stolen base and a run scored.

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 3 with an rbi and was hit with a pitch.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Heath Hembree struck out the only 2 men he faced.

Robby Scott struck out the only man he faced.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel ultimately struck out 4 men in the ninth inning.



The Bad:

Josh Rutledge was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 2 but walked and a scored a run before leaving with an injury.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Deven Marrero was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts, but hit his first home run and drove in another.



Final Thoughts:

After all the criticism Pomeranz took, this was a great way to bounce back. He still didn't go 7 innings but he struck out 11 and kept the Sox in the game. Its nice to see the offense continue to produce which led to the Sox 4th straight win. Amazingly the Sox struck out 20 batters, nice stat to have every once in a while. The Sox also got some news that David Price will start next Monday in Chicago rather than make another rehab start. He'll probably be rusty as hell so get the bullpen rested the night before. The win propelled the Sox to 25-21, 3 games behind the rained out New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Seattle Mariners come to town for a 3 game set at Fenway Park. Eduardo Rodriguez (3-1, 3.10 ERA) takes the hill opposite Yovani Gallardo in Game 1 at 7:05.