Despised Sox Melt To Royals (7/30/17)

Before the game, Boston Red Sox management did some damage control by organizing a special day to honor the 2007 Boston Red Sox world championship team. Bringing back some of the stars and personalities from 10 years ago was pretty much trying to save face for the absolute disgrace the team has become lately. The 2007 Sox had balls, talent and were on top from start to finish. Sure guys like Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and Julian Tavarez weren't the most pleasant of people at times, but they got the job done on the field and they earned that world title. This year's team has a lot of work to do on and off the field if they want to come anywhere close to the 2007. Ironic given Dustin Pedroia is the only one left from that team 10 years ago.

                                            The 2007 Red Sox, a team with actual balls

As the season progresses and the 2017 Red Sox become one of the most hated teams in Boston sports history, they are finding new ways to lose these days. After a brilliant start by Drew Pomeranz, the Sox carried a 3-1 lead into the top of the eighth when Matt Barnes imploded. 4 runs later the Sox were defeated 5-3 at Fenway Park as fans pelted the team with garbage after the final out.

                                                       Irate Sox fans have had enough

Things started out well in the top of the first when Pomeranz got Whit Merrifield to pop up to short to begin. Jorge Bonifacio struck out but Lorenzo Cain singled. Eric Hosmer struck out to end the inning. Royals starter Jason Hammel cruised in the bottom of the first inning. Mookie Betts grounded out to second, Eduardo Nunez grounded out to short and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning.

Salvador Perez singled to open the top of the second inning and moved to second on the Alcides Escobar sacrifice bunt. Alex Gordon lined out to center and Ramon Torres lined out to second inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second inning when Hanley Ramirez got it started with a base hit. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts lofted a sinking liner to right....DROPPED BY CAIN! Ramirez motored to third and he scored on the Mitch Moreland single. Christian Vazquez singled home Bogaerts and the Sox had Hammel on the ropes. Just like that the rally ended when Rafael Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning. Still, the Sox had 2-0 but they wasted a chance to deliver the knockout punch.

Pomeranz cruised in the top of the third inning when Drew Butera popped up to second to begin. Merrifield grounded out to short and Bonifacio grounded out to second to end the inning. Hammel turned up the heat in the bottom of the third by striking out Betts to begin the inning. Nunez was plunked and stole second on the Benintendi strikeout. Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

Pomeranz got tagged in the top of the fourth inning as Cain and Hosmer stroked back to back singles. Perez banged into a double play but Escobar doubled home Cain. Gordon was plunked but Torres grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                           Damn Escobar

Hammel got out of the bottom of the fourth with no damage as JBJ flied out to center to start. Bogaerts whiffed but Moreland doubled. Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning.

Butera singled to open the top of the fifth inning but Merrifield grounded into a double play. Bonifacio grounded out to end the inning. Devers lit up the crowd with a solo home run off the top of the Monster to increase the lead to open the bottom of the fifth. Betts and Nunez whiffed before Benintendi grounded out to end the inning. The rookie's homer made it 3-1 Sox.

                                                  Devers makes it 3-1

Pomeranz worked some Houdini magic in the top of the sixth when Cain led off with a triple. Devers dove to rob Hosmer of an rbi single before Perez whiffed. Escobar lined out to third to end the inning. Great effort by Pomeranz. The Sox failed to capitalize in the bottom of the sixth although Ramirez singled to start. JBJ banged into a double play to kill the rally and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Pomeranz returned for the top of the seventh and got Gordon to line out. Torres struck out but Butera walked. All of a sudden Sox manager John Farrell realized Pomeranz had a chance to go seven so he sprinted out of the dugout and threw a bag of sunflower seeds at Pomeranz, chasing him away. Brandon Workman materialized out of nowhere and gave up a double to Merrifield before striking out Bonifacio to end the inning. Pomeranz tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball to put the Sox in position to win.

                                               Outstanding start by Pomeranz

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the seventh as Moreland lined out to second, Vazquez flied out to center and Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

Things went south real fast in the top of the eighth with Matt Barnes on the mound. Cain lofted a playable ground ball to Bogaerts who decided to belly flop on the ball like a grenade for an error. Hosmer singled off the glove of Barnes and Perez singled to load the bases. Escobar hit a seeing eye single to right to score Cain and Hosmer. Betts inexplicably tried to throw to first to get Escobar and the throw sailed into the dugout, allowing Perez to move to third. That was it for Barnes as two errors and 3 singles had the game tied with nobody out. Robby Scott came in and immediately gave the game away with a triple to Gordon to give the Royals the lead. Torres whiffed and Butera grounded out to short as Sox manager John Farrell replaced Scott with Heath Hembree. Merrifield flied out to right to end the inning but THUNDEROUS boos rained down on the Sox as a 3-1 lead turned into a 5-3 sure loss.

                                                       The game slips away in the eighth

Brandon Maurer replaced Hammel in the bottom of the eighth although Betts greeted him with a single to bring the tying run to the plate. The Sox would get no further as Nunez hit one up the elevator shaft, Benintendi lined out to right and the big hitter Ramirez meekly popped up to second to end the inning to draw more boos from the crowd.

Hembree returned for the top of the ninth and got Bonifacio swinging to start. Cain flied out to center and Hosmer grounded out to second to end the inning. Kelvin Herrera replaced Maurer to close out the bottom of the ninth, although JBJ gave a glimmer of hope with a leadoff walk. Bogaerts flied out to center and Moreland struck out. Vazquez singled and both runners pulled off a double steal. Devers walked to load the bases with Brock Holt running for Devers. With a chance to tie or win the game....Betts flied out to center to end the game. The un-clutch, unlikable Sox had lost 5-3.

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He gave up 4 runs without even getting a single out in the top of the eighth

                                                   Nice going Jackass


The Good:

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a stolen base.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Drew Pomeranz threw 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball and deserved the win.

Brandon Workman got the final out of the seventh inning.

Heath Hembree pitched 1 1/3 scoreless inmings.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 3 but stole a base.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a run scored and his error led to the demise in the 8th inning.

Robby Scott gave up the go-ahead triple but got the next two guys out.



Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt pinch ran for Devers in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

As the season continues to spiral down the drain, it is a total shame considering this year started with so much promise. Then again, the signs for the demise were apparent early. Travis Shaw has become a superstar in Milwaukee while Dave Dombrowski put all his faith behind Pablo Sandoval, which ended miserably. Now the Red Sox have to rely on a 20 year old rookie when they could have had 30 home runs from Travis Shaw instead. If that wasn't bad enough, the guy Shae was traded for won't even throw a pitch this season. Rick Porcello reverted back to 2015 and David Price couldn't stay healthy. Steven Wright never got out of the box and Doug Fister has been a bust to this point. I don't think there is anything Dave debroski can do to salvage the season at this point. The loss drops the Sox to 57-49, percentage points ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Cleveland Indians come to town to beat up the Red Sox. Doug Fister will take the pounding while Mike Clevinger dominates beginning at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Outlast Royals in 10 (7/29/17)

For 6 innings it appeared the Boston Red Sox were headed toward another bitter loss to the Kansas City Royals with the fans already turning on them in record numbers. Then the Sox woke from their slumber, tied the game then went on to beat the Royals 9-8 on a 10th inning fielder's choice to send the Fan's home happy at Fenway Park.

                                                       Happy Fans

Eduardo Rodriguez got the start in the top of the first inning and gave up a leadoff hit to Whit Merrifield. Jorge Bonifacio struck out before Lorenzo Cain popped up to first. Eric Hosmer singled but Salvador Perez flied out to center to end the inning. The fact Rodriguez threw a ton of pitches meant he was not long for this game. Kansas City starter Trevor Cahill struck out Mookie Betts to start the bottom of the first inning. Eduardo Nunez singled and moved to second on the ground-out by Andrew Benintendi. Hanley Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

Rodriguez struggled in the top of the second inning although Mike Moustakas grounded out to second to start. Brandon Moss walked but Alcides Escobar struck out. Alex Gordon walked and Merrifield singled to load the bases. Rodriguez recovered to strike out Bonifacio to end the inning but he was not looking good. The Sox made another boneheaded blunder on the bases in the bottom of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr singled to start. Bogaerts walked but for some reason tried to tag up and run to second on a fly ball to center by Mitch Moreland, thinking the throw would go to third. It didn't and Bogaerts was tagged out at second. That lost runner was huge when Christian Vazquez tripled into the right field corner to score JBJ with the game's first run. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                       Vazquez is safe and its 1-0

Rodriguez pitched a better top of the third when Cain struck out but Hosmer walked. Hosmer was erased on a force by Perez and Rodriguez tried to pick him off, but bounced the ball like he was playing Cricket and Salvador moved to third. Moustakas flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second although Betts hit a comebacker to the mound to start. Nunez then lit up the crowd with a solo home run to center to increase the lead. Benintendi also hit a comebacker before Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                               Nunez quickly becomes a fan favorite

As expected, Rodriguez imploded in the top of the fourth inning. Moss beat out an infield single but Escobar flied out to right. Gordon and Merrifield hit back to back singles to score Moss, but Bonifacio struck out. Merrifield swiped second but Cain cleared the bases with a 3 run bomb to put Kansas City on top. Hosmer flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox desperately needed to win this game and Rodriguez crapped himself AGAIN. He left the game with the Sox trailing 4-2, nice going.

                                             Rodriguez suffers another mental meltdown

The Sox fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. JBJ grounded out to first but Bogaerts beat out an infield single. Suddenly Bogaerts ran to second base completely out of nowhere and he was thrown out by a mile. That's twice now he ended up costing the Sox a run as Moreland walked and Vazquez doubled him home. A wild pitch moved Vazquez to third and he scored to tie the game on the Devers single. Betts flied out to left to end the inning but it was tied 4-4.

                                       Bogaerts cost the team 2 runs so far

Fernando Abad came in to pitch the top of the fifth inning and Perez greeted him with a single, although Moustakas banged into a double play. Abad froze Moss for strike three to end the inning. The Sox took the lead when Nunez stepped up to swat his second home run of the game to put them back on top. That was it for Trevor Cahill as Scott Alexander came in to get Benintendi to ground out to first. Ramirez singled but was erased on the force by JBJ. Bogaerts singled and JBJ scored on a huge error by Moustakas at third. Moreland was at first but Vazquez grounded out to end the inning. The Sox had a 6-4 lead and things looked good.

                                                   Nunez does it again

Things went straight to hell in the top of the sixth inning as Devers fielded a routine ground ball by Escobar and threw it into the third base bleachers, allowing Alcides to reach on the error. Gordon walked to chase Abad and Blaine Boyer was brought in. A passed ball moved Escobar to third and he scored when Bogaerts couldn't make a play on an infield single by Merrifield. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and Bonifacio singled to tie the game and move Merrifield to third. Cain walked to load the bases with nobody out and Robby Scott was brought in to stop the bleeding. It didn't happen as Hosmer hit a perfect double play ball to Nunez who threw it 50 feet straight up in the air, allowing Merrifield to score the go-ahead run. Perez made the first out but it was a sac fly to score Bonifacio. Moustakas graciously grounded into a double play to end the inning but 2 errors, a passed ball, a wild pitch and a host of singles gave KC an 8-6 lead, Fenway Park was upset.

                                              Things looked bleak when it was 8-6

Neftali Feliz came in and the Sox offense went quiet as Devers whiffed, Betts flied out to right and Nunez looked at strike three to end the inning.

Scott returned for the top of the seventh inning and struck out Moss to start. Escobar singled but was erased on the force by Gordon. That was it for Scott as Heath Hembree came in to allow Gordon to steal second. Merrifield lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Ryan Buchter walked both Benintendi and Ramirez to start. A passed ball moved Benintendi to third and JBJ hit a sac fly to score him. Brandon Maurer came in and got Bogaerts to pop up to first. Moreland whiffed to end the inning but it was a one run game at 8-7.

                                          A scintillating sac fly makes it 8-7

Hembree returned for the top of the eighth inning and he struck out Bonifacio to begin. Cain singled but was gunned down trying to steal by Vazquez. Hosmer whiffed to end the inning. Joakim Soria got the ball in the bottom of the eighth and the Sox tied it, beginning with a Vazquez single. Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez and a wild pitch moved Brock to second. Devers singled Holt to third and he scored the tying run on a Betts sac fly. Nunez banged into a double play to end the inning but it was now 8-8.

                                           A herculean Sac Fly ties the game

Sandy Leon took over behind the plate with Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel now on the mound to start the top of the ninth inning. Perez singled and Terrance Gore pinch ran for Salvador. Gore was then gunned down at second trying to steal. Kimbrel blew away Moustakas and Moss to end the inning.

                                             Yerrrrrrr out!

Drew Butera was now behind the plate with Mike Minor now on the mound. The Sox had a chance to win it when Benintendi struck out but the ball got away, allowing him to reach first. Ramirez flied out to center but JBJ walked to put the winning one at second. Bogaerts whiffed but the ball got away again, moving the two runners over but Moreland grounded out to end the inning. The Sox were THAT close to winning it then but were headed for extra innings.

Matt Barnes (6-2, 3.06 ERA) took the mound in the top of the 10th inning and Escobar singled to start. Gordon popped up to short, Merrifield lined out to left and Bonifacio flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox looked to end it when Leon doubled to start the bottom of the 10th. Devers whiffed but for some reason Betts was intentionally walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Nunez grounded a ball to short. Escobar fired to first but Leon broke for home. Hosmer fired home....SAFE! LEON SCORED! THE RED SOX WIN!!!

                                                    RED SOX WIN!


Hero of The Night is Sandy Leon. He gunned down a crucial out trying to steal, then doubled and scored in the bottom of the 10th.

                                          The Hero is safe



The Good:

Eduardo Nunez was the unsung hero as he went 3 for 6 with 2 solo home runs and 3 rbi's.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was 3 for 4 with a run scored and 2 rbis.

Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez and scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Heath Hembree threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Matt Barnes got the win pitching a scoreless 10th inning.



The Bad:

Eduardo Rodriguez lasted just 4 innings and gave up 4 runs. Something has to be done about him because he can't mentally shake his knee problems even if its not a physical problem anymore.

Blaine Boyer allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk without recording am out.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a walk.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Fernando Abad was charged with 2 runs in 1 plus innings due to a huge error.

Robby Scott allowed 2 inherited runners to score but allowed none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

Not too many games played in July can be considered a "season saving win" but this sure felt like it. The Royals are not very good this year and the Sox have had a very bad week PR wise with the New York Yankees going all-out to win the Division and the Sox mirred in personnel controversies. So for the Sox to trail by 2 runs late and come back to win showed some serious balls they had been lacking virtually all month. The team still has a lot of work to do but if general manager Dave Dombrowski thinks just getting Eduardo Nunez and calling up Rafael Devers is going to save the offense, he's got another thing coming. Still, its not wise to look a gift horse in the mouth so the Sox will certainly take the big win. The win improves the Sox to 57-48, in a virtual percentage tie with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to win the series by sending Drew Pomeranz out against Jason Hammel at 1:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Royals Crush Sox (7/28/17)

Before the game Boston Red Sox management took away the irate fans chance to vent some much-needed anger when Dave Dombrowski announced David Price was placed on the 10-day disabled list. This injury is very suspicious considering the Red Sox fans were ready to riot tonight. Most likely this is damage control by Red Sox brass to save David from a lot of criticism he was about to receive. Who knows when we will ever see him again. In other news, the Red Sox activated Eduardo Nunez and called up Robby Scott for tonight's game. Deven Marrero was sent back to Pawtucket as well. Any offense Nunez brings to the table is a bonus because this team desperately needs to win report back from the fans.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                         IN


As for the game, the red hot Kansas City Royals came into Fenway Park facing a team in turmoil with fans ready to riot and a starting pitcher who backed out at the last second. The Royals had won 8 in a row coming in and made it 9 after their 4-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Emergency starter Rick Porcello (4-14, 4.55 ERA) was game but once again got almost no run support. This team is truly hated and it doesn't look like things will get any better.

Porcello was bumped up to take the start and he began by getting Whit Merrifield to line out to left Jorge Bonifacio walked then Lorenzo Cain grounded into a double play to end the inning. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first against Jason Vargas with a ground out to short. Eduardo Nunez walked in his first at-bat with the Sox but Dustin Pedroia flied out to center. Hanley Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the second inning although Eric Hosmer grounded out to second to begin. Salvador Perez crushed a solo home run to put the Royals on top. Porcello recovered to strike out Mike Moustakas and old pal Brandon Moss to end the inning, but it was 1-0 Royals.

                                                 Perez does it again, 1-0 KC

Jackie Bradley Jr tried to get the offense going in the bottom of the second with an infield single to first, but Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play. Chris Young lined out to short to end the inning.

Porcello cruised in the top of the third inning, striking out Alcides Escobar to start. Alex Gordon grounded out to second and Merrifield popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the third although Rafael Devers struck out to begin. Sandy Leon walked but Betts popped up to first. Nunez got his first base hit with the Sox to put the tying run at second but Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Royals iced the game in the top of the fourth inning as Bonifacio singled to open the inning. Jorge was erased on the force by Cain but Hosmer singled Lorenzo to third. Porcello struck out Perez and was one out away from getting out of this mess. It didn't happen as Hosmer stole second and Moustakas blasted a 3 run home run to put the game out of reach. Moss doubled but Escobar flied out to right to end the inning with the Royals up for good 4-0.

                                               Well this game's over

The Sox laid down and died in the bottom of the fourth inning as Ramirez lined out to center, JBJ flied out to left and Bogaerts lined out to short to end the inning.

Porcello recovered to throw a clean inning in the top of the fifth as Gordon flied out to left to start. Merrifield grounded out to first and Bonifacio popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox finally struck back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Young popped up to third but Devers doubled. Leon lined out to left but Betts singled home Devers. Nunez singled but Pedroia grounded out to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                               The kid is doing alright

Cain singled to start the top of the sixth inning but Hosmer grounded into a double play. Perez grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox offense went back to sleep in the bottom of the sixth as Ramirez whiffed, JBJ lined out to Vargas and Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning.

Porcello returned for the top of the seventh inning and cruised. Moustakas flied out to left, Moss flied out to right and Escobar struck out to end the inning. Apart from the Moustakas home run, Porcello did everything the Sox could have asked for in an emergency start, going 7 innings to keep the Sox in the game.

                                                Porcello deserved a better fate

The Sox had a golden chance to get back in the game when Young tripled to start the bottom of the seventh inning. The inning went quickly south when Devers struck out and Leon grounded out, although Young scored on the ground-out. That was it for Vargas as Peter Moylan came in to get Betts to ground out to first to end the inning although it was now 4-2.

                                               Young scores and its 4-2

Brandon Workman was first out of the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning. Gordon grounded out to second but Merrifield singled. Bonifacio grounded into a double play to end the inning. Joakim Soria was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and the Sox laid down. Nunez grounded out to short, Pedroia grounded out to first and Ramirez watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Workman returned for the top of the ninth inning and struck out Cain to start. Hosmer singled but Perez popped up. That was it for Workman as Robby Scott came in to get Moustakas popped up to short to end the inning. Royals closer Kelvin Herrera came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and JBJ popped up to short to start. Bogaerts watched strike three go by and Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Young. Benintendi singled to bring the tying run to the plate, but Devers grounded out to end the game. The lifeless Sox dropped another one to continue their slide 4-2.

Jackass of the Night is Dustin Pedroia. He was 0 for 4 and left 5 men on base by himself. One hit and the game could have been tied or closer.

                                                                 Thanks a lot Jackass



The Good:

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Chris Young was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Andrew Benintendi singled as a pinch hitter.

Brandon Workman tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Robby Scott got the final out of the 9th inning.



The Bad:

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

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

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 2 but walked and drove in a run.

Rick Porcello took the loss and gave up 4 runs, but this was an emergency start and he still went 7 innings to save the bullpen.




Final Thoughts:

Is this year over yet? The end can't come fast enough because this offense is offensive. At this point you have to wonder just what happened to these guys? Yes, losing David Ortiz hurt but the remaining guys are the same ones that was one of the top scoring offenses last year. What's happened to Betts Bogaerts, Bradley, Benintendi, Ramirez and Leon? Pedroia is still the .300 hitting on base machine but he can't do it alone. How has the entire offense regressed like this? What is Chili Davis doing wrong that perennial all-stars are playing like scrubs? Something has to be done because they can't go on like this. The loss drops the Sox to 57-48, virtually tied for first place with the New York Yankees. Tomorrow night Eduardo Rodriguez takes a beating while the offense gets shut down by Trevor Cahill. The misery begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

NESNGo Has Got To Go (7/27/17)

New England Sports Network is under heavy fire these days. The Boston Red Sox are currently fielding one of the most despised teams on and off the field since 2012 and ratings are down 20% across the board. Why is that? There are many logical reasons for the declining ratings including pace of play, the lack of production on the field and the fact games start way too late.

NESN also has another problem, it doesn't have a damned clue who its core audience is. Case in point today, its commercial. No, not the Southwest commercial that runs 128 times during the course of the day that leaves the audience wanting to bludgeon everyone involved in the making of it repeatedly with a frozen trout.  THIS commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXzeRbfwfwE

Where do I begin with this abortion? First of all the point of it is if you can't watch the game live in front of a TV, you can stream it on your phone. Wonderful, sounds good right? Unfortunately there are a few problems.

First of all the video clip they used is from Hanley Ramirez' walkoff home run off the New York Yankees last September. The commercial is depicting people watching in a daytime setting which is bizarre considering the game ended past 11 at night. So there's strike one. Now if you want to counter and say "Well they're just watching the highlights the next day because they missed it" then we have bigger issues. Look closely at the people depicted in this commercial. We got a pinhead in a suit at Logan Airport, a single mom and 3 daughters waiting on their tires to be rotated, a desk clerk at a proctology office and some maniacal lady in a dentist's chair........what?

Do people working at NESN have a clue as to who their audience is? You know who's watching baseball games? Tommy, Chuckie, Kevin, Sully, Murph and Stevie. The guys at the bar going "WHAT THE HELL MOOKIE, STOP POPPING UP ON PITCHES ON THE OUTSIDE CORNA!" The ones on the street saying "You catch the game last night?" "Oh yeah, Sale had a one hitta' goin' through seven!" The ones calling into WEEI 93.7 or Sports Hub 98.5 screaming about how useless Pablo Sandoval is. The guys working construction listening to the radio and saying "THROW STRIKES PRICE!" THAT is your core audience, NESN. I don't know who the people in the commercial are, but that's a pretty lousy representation of who's actually watching baseball games. There's strike two.

Then the worst part about the commercial is itself. The people listed earlier screaming "Go Red Sox. GOOOOOOOO!!!!" make the rest of us look like morons. Who does that? Who sits at Sullivan Tire or in a dentist's chair screaming gooooooooooo at their phone? I don't remember Yankee or Toronto Blue Jays fans screaming into their phones over day old highlights. What would have been better television is the aftermath where security pounces on the pinhead in the suit or the manager of Sullivan Tire telling the screaming lady and the kids to get the hell out of there before they call the cops. At least that would have been somewhat funny the first time you see it (before they replay it eleventeen times during the course of the game). So for making the rest of us real fans look bad, that's strike three....YERRRR OUT!

The bottom line is ratings are down 20% for a variety of reasons mostly having to do with the game itself. NESN's problem is that the pink hats are gone. Following the 2004 World Series win it became trendy to watch the Red Sox. The 04 team was everywhere from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy (Doug Mirabelli wants to strangle his agent to this day for putting him in it) to the god awful reality show Sox Appeal, cashing in after the 86 year championship drought ended. The term "pink hat" became a term to describe the incoming bandwagon fan hot off the Yankees wagon and because it was trendy. As the years went by and more World Series titles were won, the pink hats stayed......until recently. Finishing in last place 3 out of 4 years pretty much killed the trend and even though the team on the field in 2016 were fun to watch, the casual crowd was gone. NESN has been trying desperately to get the casual fan back that they make promotions specifically designed to cater to a crowd that's not there. This NESNGo commercial depicts Red Sox fans in such a bad light that its embarrassing to be a Sox fan. You know what we have to go through? Its bad enough we have to stay up for 10 PM start times, listen to Guerin Austin flap her gums about things we either already know or really don't care about, watch the Southwest Commercial playing 3,000 times a game during the broadcast, watch David Price take 35 minutes in between pitches and the offense swing at air against mediocre pitchers for 4 hours....but this commercial makes it even worse.

Hey NESN, you want the casual fan back? Put a world championship winning team on the field. Get guys that an actually hit the ball out of the yard and starting pitchers that care more about getting the next guy out then attacking the color commentator. Have a bullpen that doesn't vomit up their intestines in crucial situations and maybe, just maybe, that 20% will return. Until then, stop insulting our intelligence by making commercials designed for people that aren't going to be watching and making us look like fools in the process.

Sale Shuts Out Seattle (7/26/17)

Before the game it was announced that the Boston Red Sox had traded two prospects to the San Francisco Giants for Eduardo Nunez. Blaine Boyer was activated from the disabled list and Ben Taylor was placed on it. Nunez has always had the reputation as a good clubhouse guy with an average bat. This could solidify third base but obviously he is no Travis Shaw.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, this is just what the doctor ordered. After reeling from 4 straight losses to the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners, the Sox rebounded to salvage the west coast trip on the back of Chris Sale (13-4, 2.37 ERA). Sale was masterful, tossing 7 shutout innings while the rookie Rafael Devers and Sandy Leon both homered to give the Sox a 4-0 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field.

                                         The Mayor approves of the win

Andrew Moore took the mound in the top of the first inning and Brock Holt lined out to right to start. Andrew Benintendi struck out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Sale began his dominance in the bottom of the first by striking out Jean Segura to start. Ben Gamel flied out to right and Nelson Cruz popped up to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Hanley Ramirez worked a leadoff walk. Jackie Bradley Jr doubled Ramirez to third, and Hanley scored on the sac fly by Mitch Moreland to give the Sox the lead. Xander Bogaerts lined out to right and Sandy Leon struck out to end the inning but Boston was up 1-0.

                                             Ramirez sores to make it 1-0

The Mariners tried to fight back in the bottom of the second inning although Danny Valencia lined out to right to start. Kyle Seager hit one up the elevator shaft but Guillermo Heredia was plunked. Mitch Haniger walked but Carlos Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rafael Devers served notice to Major League Baseball that he was for real with a 400-foot bomb to open the top of the third inning for his first big league hit. Holt grounded out to third and Benintendi grounded out to short, but Pedroia singled. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning but Devers had his first major league hit and the Red Sox had a 2-0 lead.

                                           Devers first hit goes 400 feet into the stands

Sale responded by striking out Danny Espinosa to start the bottom of the third inning. Segura doubled but Sale struck out both Gamel and Cruz to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the fourth inning. JBJ doubled but Moreland popped up to first. Bogaerts flied out to center but Leon smashed a two-run bomb to put the game out of reach. Devers lined out to right but it was now 4-0 Sox.

                                          "Oh yeah, I'm the man!" - Leon

More than enough cushion for Sale in the bottom of the fourth. Valencia grounded out to second and Seager struck out, but Heredia doubled. Haniger popped up to first to end the inning.

Holt singled to open the top of the fifth but Benintendi flied out to center and Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the fifth inning as Ruiz struck out, Espinosa flied out to right and Segura struck out to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth inning as Ramirez flied out to center, JBJ struck out and Moreland popped up to short to end the inning. Gamel looked to get things going when he singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Sale recovered to strike out both Cruz and Valencia. Seager popped up to second to end the inning.

Bogaerts was retired on a liner back to Moore to open the top of the seventh before Leon grounded out to second. That was it for Moore as Marc Rzepczynski came in to get greeted by a Devers single. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. Sale returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh. Heredia tried to bunt his way on but the alert Sale gunned him down at first. Haniger and Ruiz struck out to end the inning. Sale had tossed 7 innings of shutout ball while striking out 11, outstanding.

                                               Sale was dominant today

Benintendi singled to open the top of the 8th inning and chase Rzepczynski. Emilio Pagan came in and Pedroia singled. Ramirez was plunked to load the bases but the Sox pissed away a chance for more runs. JBJ and Moreland struck out before Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. It's a good thing they were up by four runs because that sucked. Blaine Boyer came in for Sale and struck out Espinosa to start. Segura popped up to second but Gamel singled. Cruz fliedout to left to end the inning.

Steve Cishek had mop up duty in the top of the ninth inning. Leon flied out to left, Devers grounded out to first and Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. Boyer returned for the botton of the ninth and Valencia flied out to left to start. Seager singled and Heredia walked to chase Boyer. Sox manager John Farrell decided it was a good idea to bring in Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel in a 4 run game. Kimbrel blew away Haniger and Ruiz to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-0.

                  

Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. The 20 year old's first hit was a home run that turned out to be the only run needed.

                                                      The 20 year old hero



The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run in 4 plate appearances.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Chris Sale dazzled with 7 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11 while giving up just 3 hits.

Blaine Boyer threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Craig Kimbrel got the last two outs.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Brock Holt was just 1 for 5.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was the decisive 2 run homer.




Final Thoughts:

This road trip has been a complete disaster but finally it is over and at least they went out on a good note. Dropping 4 of 6 to the Angels and Mariners sucked but at least they are going home still in first place. Sale was dominant again to add to his growing Cy Young candidacy and Devers' raw power is for real. It will be interesting to see what Eduardo Nunez brings to the table because he is known as a good clubhouse guy, which is what this team needs to win rapport back from the irate fans. Still, the two big moves Dave Dombrowski has made is bringing up a rookie and trading for a journeyman? There better be something else in the works or else this team is in trouble. Still, the win improved the Sox to 56-47, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Red Sox return home to play the Kansas City Royals. Friday night public enemy number 1 David Price goes up against Jason Vargas. Fans are prepared to boo him off the field and the carnage begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Incompetent Sox Blow Game in 13 (7/25/17)

The Boston Red Sox are finding new ways to piss off their fans every single day it seems. One day after getting shut-out by the lowly Mariners and the story breaking that the team are a bunch of jerks, they turned what should have been a gutty 5-4 extra innings win into a shocking 6-5 defeat at Safeco Field against the Seattle Mariners. A wild pitch and an infield single was all it took to seal the doom of the Sox.

                                                      "This team SUCKS!"

Seattle ace King Felix Hernandez took the mound in the top of the first inning and Mookie Betts flied out to center. Andrew Benintendi singled and took second on a wild pitch, but Dustin Pedroia grounded out right to Hernandez. Hanley Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning. Sox starter Drew Pomeranz matched Hernandez in the bottom of the first. Jean Segura grounded out to second, Danny Valencia struck out and Robinson Cano grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the second inning as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first, Xander Bogaerts whiffed and Mitch Moreland struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mariners struck first in the bottom of the second although Nelson Cruz struck out to start. Kyle Seager beat out an infield single but Mitch Haniger flied out to right. Ben Gamel walked and Guillermo Heredia cleared the bases with a 3 run home run. Mike Zunino walked but Segura lined out to right to end the inning with the Mariners in command 3-0.

                                                 Vazquez sez "This sucks!"

The Sox failed to answer in the top of the third inning. Christian Vazquez flied out to center as Rafael Devers made his major league debut with a fly out to center. Betts flied out to center as well to end the inning. Pomeranz tried to settle down in the bottom of the third by striking out Valencia to start. Cano doubled but Cruz flied out to right. Seager walked but Haniger struck out to end the inning. Pomeranz was not long for this game.

The Sox got one back in the top of the fourth inning although Benintendi flied out to center to start. Pedroia struck out but Ramirez blasted a solo home run to cut the deficit. JBJ hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning but it was now 3-1.

                                                     Ramirez blasts one to make it 3-1

Pomeranz struggled again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gamel singled and took second on a wild pitch, moving to third on the fly out by Heredia. Pomeranz got a hufe out by striking out Zunino but Segura walked. Drew bore down to strike out Valencia to end the inning.

Hernandez dominated the top of the fifth as Bogaerts flied out to center, Moreland lined out to second and Vazquez lined out to third to end the inning in short order. Pomeranz finally had a clean inning in the bottom of the fifth, his last. Cano grounded out to third, Cruz whiffed and Seager flied out to left to end the inning. Pomeranz' failure to go deep cost the Sox big once the game went into extras.

The Sox exploded to take the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Devers walked but Betts struck out. Benintendi walked and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Pedroia stepped up to tie the game with a double, moving to third on the ground out by Ramirez. JBJ lashed a single to center to score Pedroia with the go-ahead run and chase Felix from the game. Steve Cishek replaced Hernandez and got Bogaerts to strike out to end the inning, but it was now 4-3 Sox.

                                             JBJ puts the Sox on top

Heath Hembree was first out of the pen in the bottom of the sixth and he cruised. Haniger grounded out to third, Gamel flied out to center and Heredia popped up to short to end the inning.

Moreland walked to open the top of the seventh inning but Vazquez lined out to right and Devers banged into a double play to end the inning. The lead evaporated in seconds in the botton of the seventh when Zunino blasted a solo home run to tie the game. Segura walked and that was it for Hembree. Matt Barnes came in and induced a double play by Valencia. Cano singled but Cruz struck out to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                    Shame on you Hembree

The Sox had a great chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth against David Phelps. Betts flied out but Benintendi and Pedroia stroked back to back singles. Ramirez beat out a double play ball to put the go-ahead run at third and that was it for Phelps. Marc Rzepczynski got JBJ to ground out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Seager struck out, Haniger grounded out to third and Gamel grounded out to first to end the inning.

Edwin Diaz came in to pitch the top of the ninth and the Sox squandered a chance to lead AGAIN. Bogaerts popped up to first and Moreland grounded out to second before Vazquez singled. Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez and Devers walkedto put the go-ahead run at second. Betts flailed away at the first pitch and flied out to end the inning, what a waste.

Sandy Leon took over behind the plate with Brandon Workman on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning. Heredia grounded out to third, Zunino struck out and Segura grounded out to second to end the inning. On to extra innings we went.

Nick Vincent was brought in to pitch the top of the tenth but the Sox offense was asleep. Benintendi grounded out to second, Pedroia popped up to second and Ramirez hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel got the ball in the bottom of the tenthand nearly gave it away when Valencia singled to start. Danny Espinosa pinch ran for Valencia and swiped second but Kimbrel blew away Cano and Cruz. Seager walked but Craig blew away Haniger to end the inning.

James Pazos came in to pitchthe top of the eleventh inning and Cano gave the Sox life by booting a ground ball hit by JBJ. Bogaerts walked to put 2 men on with no out and Sox manager John Farrell sent in Chris Young to pinch hit for Moreland rather than having Mitch drop a bunt down. Right on cue Young flied out to right, nice going Farrell. Leon beat out a double play ball to once again put the go-ahead run at third...but Devers struck out to end the inning. Another waste.

Doug Fister (0-5, 7.46 ERA) came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh inning as Deven Marrero took over at first. Fister froze Gamel for strike three to start. Heredia singled but was erased on a force by Zunino. Segura grounded to second to end the inning.

Tony Zych appeared out of thin air to pitch the top of the 12th inning. Betts struck out, Benintendi flied out to right and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Fister cruised in the bottom of the 12th inning. Espinosa and Cano flied out to center before Cruz struck out to end the inning.

The Sox FINALLY broke through in the top of the thirteenth inning. Ramirez singled but JBJ and Bogaerts struck out. A wild pitch moved Ramirez to second but Marrero walked. Leon slammed a single home to score Ramirez with the go-ahead run. Marrero swiped third but Devers flied out to end the inning. The Sox were 3 outs away from winning this damn thing 5-4.

                                                   Ramirez is safe and the Sox lead it

Fister returned to finish the job in the bottom of the thirteenth. He struck out Seager but Haniger walked. Gamel just beat out a double play ball and the Sox were one out away from victory. Then it all blew to hell as Heredia singled Gamel to third and Fister threw a pitch 700 feet out of Safeco field to score Gamel and advance Heredia to third. Zunino walked and Segura singled up the middle, scoring Heredia with the winning run. Just like that a 5-4 win was a 6-5 defeat. Unbelievable, another bitter loss in a season that's slipping away.

                                                    A bitter loss


Jackass of The Night is Mookie Betts. He went 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts and left the go-ahead run on second in the ninth inning.

                                            Looking the wrong way, Jackass


The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 6 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 6 with two total runs scored including a solo home run.

Deven Marrero walked and stole second in his only plate appearance.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Matt Barnes tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 10th inning.



The Bad:

Chris Young was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drew a walk.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked twice and scored a run in his ML debut.

Drew Pomeranz lasted only 5 innings and allowed 3 runs, getting in trouble the whole time he was in. The bullpen had to throw 8 innings because he only went 5.

Heath Hembree cruised in the 6th but allowed the tying run in the 7th.

Doug Fister took the loss but tossed 2 2/3 innings before things fell apart.



Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez in the 9th.



Final Thoughts:

The season began with so much promise and it appears to be blowing up in smoke right before our eyes. The 4 hour games, the lack of clutch hitting, the behavior of David Price, and now these unbelievable losses are too much for most fans to take. The Red Sox were supposed to be the best team in the American League this year on paper and things are rapidly going downhill. Losses like these happen every year, but the timing of it was just dreadful. The Sox had a chance to bury the New York Yankees but instead fell on their face against the LA Angels and Mariners. If the Red Sox are banking on Rafael Devers to lead them to the promised land, they are screwed. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-47, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox turn to Chris Sale to dig them out of their hole. The Mariners send out Andrew Moore as they look for the sweep at 3:40 PM at Safeco Field.