Betts, Price Back Sox over Twins (6/29/17)

After the top of the fourth inning it looked like the Minnesota Twins would split the four game set with the Red Sox and hand David Price (3-2, 4.61 ERA) the loss. Then Mookie Betts said "Not so fast!" and Price turned up the heat to guide the Sox past the Twins 6-3 to take 3 out of 4 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Doug Funnie approves of the win

Price took the hill in the top of the first inning and was immediately tagged. Brian Dozier led off with a double to center. Dozier moved to third on the fly out by Robbie Grossman and scored on the Joe Mauer ground out. Miguel Sano flied out to right but it was 1-0 Twins early.

                                                         1-0 Twins, nice going Price

It would stay 1-0 as Kyle Gibson continued his hot pitching against the Red Sox in the bottom of the first. Mr. Mookie Betts led off with a ground out to second but Andrew Benintendi singled. Xander Bogaerts then banged into a double play to end the inning.

Price recovered to have a better top of the second inning. Eduardo Escobar flied out to right and Jorge Polanco struck out. Max Kepler struck out to end the inning. Gibson remained hot in the bottom of the second inning as Mitch Moreland grounded out and Hanley Ramirez popped up. Jackie Bradley Jr hit a bullet....right to first for out number three to end the inning.

Price cruised in the top of the third inning as Chris Giminez grounded out to third to begin the inning. Byron Buxton grounded out to short and Dozier flied out to center to end the inning. It was more of the same in the bottom of the third when Christian Vazquez grounded out but Tzu-Wei Lin singled up the middle. Unfortunately Deven Marrero grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Twins tagged Price again in the top of the fourth inning. Grossman hit a ground rule double down the left field line and Mauer reached on an infield single to first, although there was no advancement. Sano whiffed again but Grossman moved to third on the fly out by Escobar. Polanco then doubled home both runners to increase the Twins lead. Kepler lined out to Bogaerts to end the inning but things looked bleak at 3-0.

                                           That's right look away you stiff-inski

Somehow the Sox showed some life in the bottom of the fourth inning when Mr. Mookie led off with his 13th home run of the year into the Monster Seats to cut the lead. Benny The Kid popped up to second, Bogaerts struck out and Moreland grounded out to end the inning, but the Sox were on the board 3-1.

                                       "Show of hands, who loves Orange Soda?" -MB

Price recovered to have a strong top of the fifth inning. Giminez grounded out to third and Buxton flied out to center, but Dozier hit a swinging bunt to Price. Price picked the ball up and spiked it like a football, doing the Tweeter end-zone dance as Dozier reached second. Grossman grounded out to end the inning so the bizarre error meant nothing. The Sox exploded to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ramirez walked and JBJ doubled him home. Vazquez hit a routine ground ball but Polanco threw it away, allowing Vaz to reach first. Lin moved the runners into scoring position with a ground out and Marrero scored JBJ to tie the game. Mr. Mookie slammed a single to center to score Vazquez with the go-ahead run. Benny The Kid struck out but the Sox had taken the lead against a starter who had their number.

                                      "Here come the weekend!" - Ramirez

Could Price pitch with the lead? At first it looked like a hell no when Mauer singled. David recovered to strike out Sano, get Escobar to pup up and strike out Polanco to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth inning although Bogaerts grounded out to start. Moreland lined out but Ramirez blasted his 11th home run of the year to center. That was it for Kyle Gibson as Buddy Boshers replaced him and JBJ greeted him with a single. Vazquez flied out to end the inning but it was now 5-3 after the home run.

                                           "SULLIVAN MY SONNNNNNNNNNN!" - HR

Price came back for one more inning and he struck out Kepler to open the top of the seventh. Gimenez flied out to center an Buxton struck out to end the inning. Price recovered from his shaky beginning to toss 7 innings of 3 run ball, putting them in position to win.

                                            Slow start, good finish

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh when Lin electrified the crowd with a triple to open the inning. Marrero doubled down the left field line to score Lin but was stranded when Mr. Mookie flied out. Benny The Kid drew a walk to chase Boshers and old nemesis Phil Hughes was brought in. Bogaerts struck out and Moreland flied out to end the inning but it was a 6-3 game.

                                                     Way to go Lin

The first one out of the bullpen in the top of the 8th was Joe Kelly. Dozier, Grossman and Mauer all grounded out in short order. Nice work Kelly. Meanwhile Hughes kept the Sox in check in the bottom of the eighth. Ramirez grounded out but JBJ got another base hit. Vazquez flied out and Lin struck out to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel took the mound in the top of the ninth to close it out. Kimbrel blew away Sano but Escobar singled. Polanco flied out to right as Escobar took second on defensive indifference. Craig blew away Kepler to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3 and taken 3 of 4 from the Twins.

                                      "WE WON! WE WON CRAIG WE WON!" - CV


Hero of The Night is Mookie Betts. He got the offense started in the fourth and he drove in the go-ahead run in the 5th.

                                                     Hero of the Night: Mookie Betts


The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk, a solo home run and 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Deven Marrero as 1 for 3 with rbi's.

David Price got the win by going 7 strong innings giving up 3 runs while striking out 7.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 8th.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 22nd save by pitching a scoreless ninth.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Nice to see David Price step up for once. Also nice to see the offense score more than 4 runs for once. The win moved the Sox to 44-35, 1 1/2 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox travel to Toronto for a 3 game set with the Blue Jays. Doug Fister gets the start for the Sox opposite Marco Estrada. Game 1 will be at 7:05 PM.

Porcello Routed, Offense Falters vs Twins (6/28/17)

Stop me if you've heard this....Rick Porcello (4-10, 5.06 ERA) stunk and the offense didn't score for him. This has been the theme all year for a typical Porcello start. Its bad enough he's completely fell apart but it doesn't make a difference anyway because the Sox got shut down AGAIN by a mediocre starting pitcher. The immortal Adalberto Meija, who came into the game with an ERA near 5 and walked the ballpark his last 2 starts, blinded the Sox with a 6 inning shut-out. It all led to a 4-1 Minnesota Twins victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

                                            "That darn Porcello is awful!" - Rocko

Things went south right from the start in the top of the first inning. Brian Dozier flied out to left and Robbie Grossman looked at strike three, but the wheels fell off when Joe Mauer doubled. Miguel Sano doubled home Mauer and Max Kepler singled in Sano. Kennys Vargas struck out but it was 2-0 Twins.

                                             "I suck again" - Porcello

The indomitable Adalberto Meija took the mound in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out. Dustin Pedroia flied out but somehow Xander Bogaerts singled. Mitch Moreland lined out to end the inning.

Porcello recovered in the top of the second inning as Eddie Rosario struck out and Jorge Polanco grounded out, but Jason Castro walked. Dozier struck out to end the inning. Chris Young led off the bottom of the second with a ground out but shockingly Jackie Bradley Jr doubled. Naturally Sam Travis flied out to right and Sandy Leon popped up to end the inning.

Rick pitched a clean inning in the top of the third. Grossman watched strike three go by, Mauer grounded out and Sano also grounded out to end the inning. Porcello was favoring his thumb in the bottom in the dug-out of the third inning as Marrero led off with a single to the Monster. Mr. Mookie singled up the middle to put the tying runs on....but naturally Pedroia popped up and Bogaerts whiffed. How many times this year did the Sox have a runner on second with one out and the batter struck out swinging? Also naturally Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Yet another mediocre starter was blinding them.

                                           Hit the ball with the bat, not yourself!

Porcello returned for the top of the fourth and battled. Kepler did manage to ground out to Pedroia on the first pitch but Vargas singled to center. Rosario grounded sharply to Moreland for the force but Vargas moved to second. Polanco took a borderline pitch for strike three to end the inning. The pathetic offense remained asleep in the bottom of the fourth as Young popped up and JBJ squibbed a dribbler in front of the catcher for an easy out. Travis somehow was hit with a pitch but Leon flied out to left to end the inning.

Porcello came back for the top of the fifth and nearly crapped his pants again. Castro singled to left to beat the shift but Dozier popped up. Grossman flied out to left and Mauer grounded out to end the inning. It didn't matter if it was Porcello or Cy Young on the mound because nobody was getting a run against Meija in the bottom of the fifth inning. Marrero struck out and Mr. Mookie grounded out but FINALLY Meija walked somebody, Pedroia. It didn't matter as Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. 5 shut-out innings for Meija.

The Twins iced the game in the top of the sixth inning. Sano drew a four pitch walk then Kepler blasted a 2 run line drive home run into the Sox bullpen for a commanding lead. Porcello did manage to get Vargas to ground out, Rosario to pop up and Polanco to line out, but the game was over. Porcello had once again given up over 10 hits and 4 runs in just 6 innings, some Cy Young hero.

                                           Kepler "Cy Young my foot!"

Then again, it didnt matter because this awful offense wasn't scoring off Meija in the bottom of the sixth. Moreland found a way to scratch out a single but Young said "oh no you don't" and popped up. JBJ grounded out and that was it for Meija. The Sox should be ashamed of themselves for getting shut out by HIM. Tyler Duffy came in and struck out Travis to end the inning.

Heath Hembree took over on the mound in the top of the seventh inning. Castro struck out, Dozier grounded out and Grossman looked at strike three to end the inning. Byron Buxton took over in center for Grossman in the bottom of the seventh with Kapler now in right. Somehow the Sox got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Leon got a lucky single to right. Tzu-Wei Lin pinch hit for Marrero and flied out but Mr. Mookie walked. Pedroia walked to load the bases....only for Bogaerts to ground out. Leon scored and the runners moved into scoring position but there were now 2 out. Taylor Rodgers replaced Tyler Duffy and Moreland swung at air to end the rally. It was now 4-1 Twins and the game was all abut over.

Hembree ran into trouble literally in the top of the eighth inning. Mauer hit a roller toward Hembree and Mauer cleaned him out on his way to first for a single. Mauer stole second but Sano struck out. That was it for Hembree before he got himself killed.

                                       "Why don't you look where I'm going Joe?" - HH

Robby Scott came in and got Kepler to ground out. Eduardo Escobar pinch hit for Vargas and Scott intentionally walked him. Rosario walked to load the bases but Scott struck out Polanco to end the inning. The Sox had one last chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the eighth although Young flied out to start. JBJ was hit with a pitch but Travis looked at strike three. Leon nearly hit one out of the yard but it died at the left field wall to end the inning.

                                               Close but no cigar

Matt Barnes had the top of the ninth inning and he struck out Castro to start. Dozier and Buxton grounded out to end the inning. Brandon Kintzler came in to close out the bottom of the 9th, getting Lin to ground out to start. Mr. Mookie doubled but Pedroia grounded out. Bogaerts whiffed to end the game. The Sox had lost 4-1. Another pathetic showing by the offense.

Jackass of the Night is Rick Porcello. He allowed 4 runs including a 2 run homer to a normally punchless Twins offense to take his 10th loss of the year.

                                             Porcello....Jackass again.



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Deven Marrero was 1 for 2.

Heath Hembree tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Robby Scott pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Chris Young was 0 for 4.

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 but walked twice.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but drove in the only run.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.



Final Thoughts:

Yet another game where the offense couldn't hit a ball out of their hands when Porcello is on the mound. Being 4-10 means you're not getting the job done but its hard to get many wins when the offense scores literally no runs. Its an epidemic at this point of how bad the offense is and a lot of that has to do with the carefree attitudes of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. They're in the middle of a pennant race they have a shot to win, don't they have any pride? Its one thing if they run smack into Felix Hernandez or Clayton Kershaw, but ADALBERTO MEIJA is shutting them down these days. The Sox need to do something about third base or else things are going to get worse. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-35, 1/2 game in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow's finale features David Price (2-2, 4.76 ERA) taking on Kyle Gibson, the same guy who blinded the Sox in Fenway last June. Hopefully there won't be a repeat.

Lightning Strikes as Sox Pound Twins (6/27/17)

On a night where rain and incredible lightning made it seem like Gozer the Gozarian was attacking Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox put on a thunderous display of their own. They pounded out 10 hits and 9 runs to back Drew Pomeranz (7-4, 3.81 ERA) and put themselves back in first place with a 9-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

                                  Hope the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man doesn't attack

Pomeranz got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brian Dozier grounded out to third to start the ballgame. Eduardo Escobar grounded out to first and Joe Mauer whiffed to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom half of the first against Hector Santiago but as usual couldn't capitalize. Mr. Mookie Betts watched strike three go by but Dustin Pedroia walked. Xander Bogaerts was hit with a pitch but Chris Young and Jackie Bradley Jr both popped up to end the inning.

Pomeranz cruised in the top of the second inning, striking out Miguel Sano to start. Max Kepler struck out and Jorge Polanco grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Sam Travis worked a walk but Andrew Benintendi watched strike 3 go by. Christian Vazquez stepped up and swatted a two run home run to give the Sox the lead early. Deven Marrero popped up and so did Mr Mookie to end the inning, but it was 2-0 Boston.

                                                 Vazquez blast makes it 2-0

Vazquez then helped with his arm after his at bat when Eddie Rosario stroked a lead-off double in the top of the third. Rosario tried for third and Christian gunned him down. Pomeranz punched out Byron Buxton and Jason Castro to end the inning.

                                               "I don't got it" - AB

After a huge rain delay chased away most of the crowd, The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third inning against Alan Busenitz. Pedroia and Bogaerts stroked back to back singles but Chris Young popped up. JBJ lined one into center and Buxton's throw home got away, Pedroia scoring while the others moved into scoring position. As usual lady luck was not on the Sox side as Travis hit an absolute bullet but snared by the shortstop, tagging out Bogaerts for the double play to end the inning. Still, it was 3-0 Red Sox.

The Twins tried to fight back in the top of the fourth when Dozier singled to start. Marrero snared a liner by Escobar and Mauer flied out. Sano flied out to end the inning. Old pal Craig Breslow came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and struck out Benny The Kid to start. Marrero then lined one just out of reach of Buxton. Vazquez had to stop to see if the ball was caught so he only advanced to third base. Deven ended up on second with a double and Mr. Mookie scored Vazquez with a sac fly. Pedroia slashed a single to score Marrero but was thrown out at second trying to stretch. Bad baserunning aside, it was now 5-0 Sox.

                                               "Its 5 to nothing you sons of pansies!" - DP

The Twins struck back in the top of the fifth although Kepler grounded out to start the frame. Polanco then hit a routine grounder to Marrero who bizarrely screamed, threw his glove high in the air and pounced on the ball like it was a live grenade. Polanco reached on the error and took second on a wild pitch by Pomeranz. Rosario then hit a ball down the first base line snared by Travis but couldn't make the play, putting runners at the corners. Buxton atoned for his error with a run scoring single to cut the lead. Pomeranz recovered to strike out both Castro and Dozier to end the inning but it was now 5-1.

                                      Pomeranz tosses 5 gutty innings through the storm

The Sox got that run right back in the bottom of the fifth. Bogaerts singled and Young worked a walk before JBJ stepped in. He lashed one to second and Dozier tried to blow the ball out of bounds to make it a foul ball.....from second base. Obviously that failed and Bogaerts scored on the play. That was it for Craig Breslow as Matt Belisle replaced him to strike out Sam Travis. Young and JBJ pulled off a double steal so Benny The Kid was intentionally waked. The gamble worked as Vazquez banged into a double play to end the inning but it was now 6-1.

                                                Dozier sez "Dis sucks!"

After more rain, drought, snow and tornadoes ripped through Boston, Blaine Boyer replaced Pomeranz for the top of the sixth inning. Escobar grounded out to second but Mauer singled. Boyer recovered to get Sano and Kepler to fly out to end the inning.

                                            The scoreboard tells the story

The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the sixth inning. Marrero and Mr. Mookie grounded out but Pedroia singled. The Twins made another boo-boo when Escobar booted Bogaerts' grounder at third. Young iced the game with a 3 run blast to left to light up the crowd as much as the lightning did. JBJ grounded out to end the inning but it was now 9-1 Sox.

                                                        Young ices this one

With the game out of reach, Pedroia was given the rest of the night off as Tzu-Wei Lin came in to play second in the top of the seventh inning. Polanco greeted Boyer with a base hit and Rosario followed with one of his own. Boyer got Buxton to bang into a double play but Castro walked. Dozier grounded into a force to end the inning. Good work Boyer. Trevor Hildenberger was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning. Travis and Benny The Kid grounded out but Vazquez walked. A wild pitch moved Vaz to second but Marrero struck out to end the inning.

Fernando Abad came on to pitch the top of the eighth and was rudely greeted with a lead-off home run by Escobar to center. Abad recovered to get Mauer to ground out, Sano to pop up and Kepler to fly out to end the inning. Kennys Vargas came in to play first for Mauer in the bottom of the eighth as Mr. Mookie led off with a single. Lin beat out a double play ball but Bogaerts struck out. Young walked but JBJ grounded out to end the inning.

Abad returned to close it out in the top of the ninth. Polanco and Rosario grounded out and Buxton flied out to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-2.

                                                  Red Sox win


Hero of the Night is Christian Vazquez. His 2 run homer set the tone for the offensive explosion that was about to commence.

                                          Vazquez the hero of the Gozer The Gozarian game


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Chris Young was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a 3 run home run.

Drew Pomeranz earned his 7th win with 5 gutty innings during and after a huge rainstorm.

Blaine Boyer tossed two scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 1 after replacing Pedroia.



The Ugly:

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

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5.

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked.

Deven Marrero was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Fernando Abad gave up a run in 2 innings of work.



Final Thoughts:

Now see what happens when you score runs for once? You actually win the game! What a concept! Its too bad they scored 9 runs in just one game, they'll be lucky to score 2 tomorrow. Still, a win is a win and every single one of them counts. Big props to Pomeranz to pitch through the rain and kudos to Blaine Boyer for getting out of his own jam. Good to see guys like Vazquez and Young come up with homers to make things easier. If the rest of the team could hit, that would be nice. The win improved the Sox to 43-34, 1/2 game in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Rick Porcello (4-9, 5.00 ERA) looks for his second win in a row as he goes up against Adalberto Meija. First pitch is at 7:10 PM so don't miss it, or else.

Sale Dominates, Sox Beat Twins (6/26/17)

As expected the punchless Boston Red Sox offense failed to put up more than 4 runs but luckily Chris Sale (10-3) was on the mound to save the day. Sale dazzled, pitching into the 7th, striking out 9 as the Sox held on to a 4-1 victory at Fenway Park over the Minnesota Twins.

                                               Grover Cleveland approves of the win

Sale started out red hot in the top of the first inning. Brian Dozier grounded out to third, Eduardo Escobar lined out to center and Miguel Sano whiffed to end the inning. Jose Berrios got tagged in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Bettts singled to center to start. Dustin Pedroia singled Mookie to third but Xander Bogaerts grounded into a double play. Betts did score to give the Sox a quick lead. The run lost was huge as Mitch Moreland blasted a solo shot to center to light up the crowd. Andrew Benintendi joined the hit parade with a single as they had Berrios on the ropes. Benny swiped second and Chris Young walked....but Jackie Bradley Jr lined out to end the inning. Still, a 2-0 lead was better than a tie game.

                                "Yes fellas I know. I'm the man, I'm the man." - Moreland

The Twins threw up on themselves in the top of the second inning. Robbie Grossman popped up to second and Kennys Vargas flied out to right, but Jorge Polanco singled. The alert Sandy Leon gunned down Polano trying to steal to end the inning.  The Sox didn't score in the bottom of the second but had a special moment. After Leon struck out, Tzu-Wei Lin singled to center for his first big league hit. Mr. Mookie lined out and Pedroia struck out but congratulations Lin.

                                                   Congrats to Lin

The Twin struck back in the top of the third inning when Chris Gimenez blasted a solo home run to cut the lead in half off Sale. Eddie Rosario struck out and Byron Buxton lined out to right. Dozier whiffed to end the inning but it was now 2-1 Sox. As expected, after they let Berrios off the hook he began to dominate in the bottom of the third inning. Bogaerts and Moreland both struck out before Benny The Kid lined out to end the inning.

Sale nearly cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Escobar flied out to start. Sano grounded out but Grossman worked a walk. Sale recovered to strike out Vargas to end the inning. The hapless offense went quietly in the bottom of the fourth as Young grounded out, JBJ struck out and Leon grounded out to end the inning.

Sale turned up the heat in the top of the fifth by striking out Polanco to begin. Gimenez lined out to center and Sale whiffed Rosario to end the inning. There would be no back to back hits for Lin as he struck out to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Mr. Mookie grounded out and Pedroia lined out to end the inning.

Sale protected the one run lead in the top of the sixth by striking out Buxton to start. Dozier managed to single but Escobar flied out to right. Sano whiffed to end the inning. The pathetic offense reared its head in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bogaerts grounded out but Moreland singled. A wild pitch moved Moreland to second as Benny The Kid walked. With 2 men on, Young struck out and JBJ flied out to end the inning.

Sale returned for the top of the seventh inning but trouble brewed. Grossman singled and Vargas walked, prompting Max Kepler to pinch run for Vargas. Sale recovered to strike out Polanco and that was it for him. Sale had gone 6 1/3 innings giving up the only run while striking out 9.

                                             Sale pitches into the seventh and does well

Heath Hembree replaced Sale and got Gimenez to bang into a double play to end the inning just like that. Joe Mauer came into the game, batting for Grossman while playing first base in the bottom of the seventh. Leon got the rally started with a single and he moved to second on the Lin ground out. Mr. Mookie singled Sandy to third and that was it for Berrios. After getting smacked around early, he pitched well to this point. Matt Belisle got the call and Pedroia knocked in an insurance run with a single. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position and for some reason Bogaerts was intentionally walked to load the bases. Buddy Boshers came in to pitch to Moreland and Mitch responded with a sac fly to score Betts to increase the lead. Benny The Kid flied out to end the inning but it was now 4-1.

                                                 Pedroia gets it done in the 7th.

6 outs from victory, Sox manager John Farrell brought in Matt Barnes for the top of the eighth. Barnes responded by blowing away Rosario, Buxton and Dozier bing bang boom just like that. Great work Barnes. Alan Busenitz pitched the bottom of the eighth and Young flied out to start. JBJ struck out and Leon lined out to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the top of the ninth inning. Escobar flied out to left, Sano struck out and Mauer flied out to end the game. The Sox had beaten the Twins 4-1 and Sale earned his 10th win of the year.

                                           Good work Lin


Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. He earned his 10th win by pitching 6 1/3 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 9

                                                 Sale the Hero again



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 3 with 2 rbis and a home run

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Tzu-Wei Lin got his first hit and went 1 for 3.

Heath Hembree got the double play in the top of the 7th.

Matt Barnes struck out the side in the 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel got his 21st save with a scoreless 9th.



The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chris Young was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

The offense looks like complete crap again but this time were bailed out by Chris Sale. He is something else this year and he's keeping the Sox close to first place virtually by himself. It would be nice for the offense to wake up but I guess that's asking for too much. Still a win is a win and it improves their record to 42-34, 1/2 game back of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Drew Pomeranz (6-4, 4.07 ERA) goes up against Hector Santiago in Game 2 of this series at 7:05 PM.

Awful Offense Fails Fister's Debut in Loss to Angels (6/25/17)

Its become an epidemic at this point as ANYONE who starts against the Boston Red Sox can shut them down. It doesn't matter if its a single A scrub, Dennis Eckersley in the booth or today's starter Parker Bridwell of the Los Angeles Angels. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball to spoil the Red Sox debut of Doug Fister (0-1). The Angels took the series and the game 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                            Randy Quaid is angry again

At first Fister pitched well in the top of the first inning. Cameron Maybin led off by watching strike three go by. Kole Calhoun flied out to center and Albert Pujols flied out to right. The Sox made Bridwell look like a future Hall of Famer in the bottom of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to second, Dustin Pedroia lined out to right and Xander Bogaerts struck out to end the inning.

The wheels fell off in the top of the second inning after a judgement call broke the team's psyche.  Luis Valbuena struck out but Andrelton Simmons and Ben Revere stroked back to back singles, Simmons advancing to third on the play. Danny Espinosa smacked one to Moreland who fired to second for the out and back to first...DOUBLE PLAY! The Sox jogged off the field congratulating themselves but the devious Angels manager Mike Scisosia had other ideas. He had the call challenged at first and the umpires ruled Espinosa SAFE! Simmons scored to give the Angels a 1-0 lead, the Sox returned to the field, and all hell broke lose. Naturally with a second chance, Kaleb Cowart doubled home Espinosa and Juan Graterol singled him in only to be gunned down at second trying to stretch to end the inning. Rather than being in the dugout tied, it was now 3-0 and the game was all but over already.

                                              Get used to this sight

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the second inning when Mitch Moreland led off with a solo blast to center, his 11th of the year, to cut the lead. Andrew Benintendi flied out but Hanley Ramirez was hit with a pitch. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out but Christian Vazquez singled. With the tying runs on, Deven Marrero whiffed to end the inning. Still, the Sox showed some life to trail 3-1.

                                             Moreland trying to keep the team in the game

Fister settled down in the top of the third inning. Maybin flied out to right but Calhoun walked. Pujols banged into a double play to end the inning. Unfortunately Bridwell settled down too in the bottom of the third inning. Mr. Mookie grounded out, Pedroia flied out and Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.

Fister put up a goose egg in the top of the fourth inning. Valbuena struck out, Simmons grounded out and Revere lined out to end the inning. The Sox made a boo-boo in the bottom of the fourth inning. Moreland grounded out but Benny The Kid singled....only to be thrown out at second trying to stretch. Ramirez popped up to end the inning.

                                         You're out you dummy, Simon didn't say go to second

Fister battled in the top of the 5th as Espinosa grounded out but Cowart walked. Cowart was gunned down trying to steal and Graterol struck out to end the inning. JBJ electrified the crowd by blasting his 10th home run of the year to center to cut the lead to 1 leading off the bottom of the fifth. Then the Sox shot themselves in the foot AGAIN as Vazquez singled to put the tying run on base...only to get thrown out trying to steal. Marrero whiffed and Mr. Mookie flied out to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                            JBJ inches the Sox closer

Fister did his part in the top of the sixth inning as Maybin was rung up on strike three. Calhoun singled but Pujols walked strike three go by. Valbuena singled but Simmons grounded out to end the inning. The Sox failed to hit Bridwell in the bottom of the sixth inning as Pedroia flied out and Bogaerts grounded out. Moreland singled to put the tying run on but Benny The Kid lined out to end the inning.

Sox manager John Farrell tried to squeeze one more inning out of Fister but it failed as Revere singled and Espinosa walked to lead-off the top of the seventh inning. Still, it was a solid debut for Fister, too bad his offense is incompetent.

                                              6 innings of 3 run ball for Fister

Robby Scott came in and got Cowart to line out before Graterol flied out. Heath Hembree was brought in to face Maybin and he got him to ground out to end the inning. Good work by the bullpen to keep it a one run game.

Ramirez did his part by lashing a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh but JBJ lined out and Vazquez flied out. Farrell sent out Sam Travis to pinch hit for Marrero and Scisosia countered by lifting Parker Bridwell for Blake Parker. Travis whiffed to end the inning. The immortal Parker Bridwell had pitched 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball, shameful.

Tzu-Wei Lin replaced Travis at third with Joe Kelly now in the game in the top of the eighth. Calhoun grounded out and Pujols grounded out. Valbuena singled but Simmons grounded out to end the inning. Yusmeriro Petit came in to blank the Sox in the bottom of the eighth. Mr. Mookie popped up, Pedroia grounded out and Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was brought in to pitch the top of the ninth and curiously crapped his pants. Revere singled and Espinosa damn near hit one out, only it was foul by inches. Revere stole second but Espinosa struck out. Cowart singled home Revere to give the Angels a huge insurance run. Graterol and Maybin grounded out to end the inning but it was now 4-2 Angels. Petit returned for the bottom of the ninth and got Moreland to pop up. Benny The Kid singled to bring the tying run to the plate but Ramirez popped up. JBJ grounded out to end the game. The Angels had won 4-2, more pathetic offense.

                                              Kimbrel gives up the insurance run


Jackass of the Night is real tough because not one person stood out as the cause of the downfall. I'll have to go with Craig Kimbrel. Fister battled after the first inning and the whole team sucked with men on base. Kimbrel's insurance run allowed was huge.

                                             Thanks a lot Jackass


The Good:

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3.

Robby Scott retired the two men he faced.

Heath Hembree got the only guy he faced.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts

Deven Marrero was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Sam Travis struck out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 but the hit was a solo home run.

Doug Fister took the loss but recovered from a bad first inning to toss 6 innings of 3 run ball in his debut while striking out 6.



Honorable Mention:

Tzu-Wei Lin played third base in the top of the ninth



Final Thoughts:

Thank god this series is over. It exposed the Red Sox offense as completely pathetic and they need help big time. Doug Fister did the best he could but it doesn't help when you don't score. Betts, Bogaerts and Pedroia going 0 for 12 is the primary culprit. The loss dropped the Sox to 41-34, percentage points behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox start a 4 game series with the Minnesota Twins. Chris Sale will be the hard luck loser as Jose Berrios most likely shuts down the Sox at 7:05 PM.

Angels Shut Down Sox, Farrell Ejected (6/24/17)

Before the game it was announced that Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez has been sent down to Pawtucket and in his place is....Doug Fister. Yes, the same Fister that defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of the 2013 ALCS. Doug hasn't pitched this year in the majors but was 12-13 with a 4.64 ERA last year for the Houston Astros. Also Josh Rutledge has been placed on the DL with a bad hip, replacing him is Portland Sea Dogs infielder Tzu-Wei Lin.....yes things have gotten so bad at third that they're bringing up guys from Double A. Brock Holt was transferred to the 60 day DL to make these possible. Also the Sox signed infielder Jhonny Peralta to a minor league contract. We may see him soon as well. Looks like Dave Dombrowski is trying to put together the 2012 Tigers piece by piece.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                           IN


As for the game, yet another one where the Sox failed to show up against a mediocre starting pitcher. David Price (2-2) was game but the immortal JC Ramirez of the Los Angeles Angels held the Sox to one measly run in 6 innings. Meanwhile the Angels had no problem hitting Red Sox pitching as they came away with a 6-3 victory at Fenway Park. To top it off, Sox manager John Farrell blew his top and may be suspended for bumping an umpire.

              This lady is about to blow a big one out of her ass as the Sox blow the game against LA

Things went bad right from the start for the Red Sox with Price on the mound. Cameron Maybin grounded out to short but Kole Calhoun singled. Albert Pujols followed with a single but Andrelton Simmons struck out. One out away from getting out of it, Martin Maldonado singled home Calhoun. Danny Espinosa lined out to end the inning but it was 1-0 Angels.

                                           "I really don't want to be here" Price

Could the Sox answer in the bottom of the first against the immortal JC Ramirez? Hell no. Mr. Mookie Betts lined out although Dustin Pedroia got a lucky single. Naturally Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning.

Price recovered to pitch a good top of the second inning. Luis Valbuena grounded out, Eric Young Jr flied out and Cliff Pennington struck out to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the second when Mitch Moreland blasted his 10th homer of the year to center. The Sox caught a break when Benny The Kid singled but Calhoun booted it, allowing Benintendi to reach second. Ramirez whiffed but JBJ was hit with a pitch. With 2 men on...Vazquez and Marrero both grounded out to end the inning. Still, the Sox had tied it up 1-1.

                                    Moreland with one of the few highlights of the day

Price nearly had a clean top of the third inning when Maybin grounded out to start. Calhoun also grounded out but Pujols doubled. Simmons grounded out to end the inning. The Sox did nothing against Ramirez in the bottom of the third. Mr. Mookie watched strike three go by, Pedroia grounded out and Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.

The Angels took command in the top of the fourth although Maldonado struck out to begin the inning. Espinosa grounded a ball to Bogaerts who suddenly turned around and threw it 300 feet away into the Monster Seats for an error. Espinosa then stole second although Valbuena lined out to Marrero, One out away from getting out of it, Young Jr doubled home the go-ahead run. Pennington struck out to end the inning but bad defense led to a 2-1 Angels lead.

                                      Young "Do the Electric Slide with me" Bogaerts "No"

Could the Sox claw back in it in the bottom of the fourth? Hell no. Moreland grounded out then both Benny The Kid and Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

Price rebounded in the top of the fifth as Maybin grounded out, Calhoun grounded out and Pujols whiffed to end the inning. Ramirez dominated the bottom of the fifth as JBJ grounded out to start. Vazquez grounded out and Marrero struck out to end the inning.

The Angels tagged Price in the top of the sixth as Simmons led off with a double. Maldonado grounded out but Simmons moved to third. Espinosa walked and Valbuena scored Simmons with a sac fly. Espinosa was picked off first to end the inning but it was now 3-1 Angels. Price had gone 6 and given up 3 runs, not the worst but not good enough today.

                                     Not exactly ace like stuff but not the worst either

The Sox tried to fight back when Mr. Mookie struck a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth but Pedroia popped up. Bogaerts and Moreland both grounded out to end the inning.

Things imploded in the top of the seventh with Abad on the mound. Young Jr lined out but Pennington singled and scored on the double by Maybin. Things went from bad to worse as Maybin stole third on a sleeping Vazquez and scored on a questionable balk by Abad. Furious manager John Farrell stormed out of the dugout and threw a roundhouse right at the umpire, luckily the umpire ducked under it but Farrell dropped him with a Haystacks Calhoun like belly bump. As the crowd roared, Farrell was thrown out of the game and nearly had to be escorted out by police. When action resumed, Calhoun struck out only for Blaine Boyer to magically appear out of nowhere, chasing Abad away. Pujols flied out to end the inning but it was now 5-1.

                                             Farrell goes completely berserk

David Hernandez took over for Ramirez who had thrown 6 innings of 1 run ball. Benny The Kid led off the bottom of the seventh by striking out before Ramirez flied out. JBJ whiffed to end the inning...absolutely brutal.

Boyer returned for the top of the 8th and Simmons grounded out. Maldonado grounded out and Espinosa struck out to end the inning. Kenyan Middleton got the ball in the bottom of the eighth and the offense was still asleep. Vazquez popped up, Marrero looked at strike three and Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning.

Matt Barnes got the ball in the top of the ninth just to get some work in and the Angels tagged him too. Valbuena struck out but Young Jr was plunked. Young stole second off a sleeping Vazquez and Pennington walked. Maybin grounded out but both men moved over. Young scored on the single by Calhoun but Pujols flied out to end the inning. The Angels now led 6-1.

All those insurance runs came into play when the Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the ninth against Cam Bedrosian. Pedroia grounded out but Bogaerts doubled. Moreland struck out but Benintendi walked. Ramirez doubled home Boagerts to cut the lead. JBJ walked to load the bases and Vazquez struck out to en.....WAIT! The ball got away from the catcher and Benintendi scored, everyone else moving up. Suddenly it was a 6-3 game with the bases loaded. How big were the bullpen runs allowed now? Tzu-Wei Lin made his major league debut pinch ranning for Vazquez but closer Blake Parker came in to pitch to pinch hitter Chris Young. Young whiffed to end the game, the Angels had won it 6-3.

Jackass of the Night is once again Christian Vazquez. Guys were stealing bases off him all night which led to crucial runs scoring and he was near useless at the plate.

                                                     Keep bobbling Jackass


The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked and was hit with a pitch in 4 plate appearances.

Blaine Boyer threw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.



The Bad:

Deven Marrero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Chris Young struck out as a pinch hitter.

Fernando Abad gave up 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Matt Barnes gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4.

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

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 but made it count with his 10th home run.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

David Price took the loss but got no run support as he tossed 6 innings of 3 run ball. Normally that would be good.



Honorable Mention.

Tzu-Wei Lin made his major league debut by pinch running for Vazquez.



Final Thoughts:

I'm pretty sure Red Sox fans have seen enough of this garbage offense. How many times do they have runners on second and third with no or one out only to strike out or pop up? How many outs are they going to run into? How many more errors are they going to make? This has got to be one of the worst first place teams in MLB history. If the New York Yankees weren't in a free fall, everyone in Baltimore getting hurt at once and everyone in Toronto getting old at once, they'd be 5 games out at least by now. Hell even the Tampa Bay Rays are only a few games back. If the Sox don't find a way to hit mediocre pitching then this season is going to get ugly real quick. Its not as if David Price pitched bad, he didn't. It will be interesting to see if the Sox respond after John Farrell's outburst in this game....nah, they have no chance. Our next defeat is tomorrow afternoon. The immortal Parker Bridwell shuts down the Sox and Doug Fister will be the hard luck loser in his Red Sox debut at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.