Basebawful Report of The Month

Fernando Abad had 4 Good appearances, 1 Bad appearance and 1 Ugly appearance.

Matt Barnes had 8 Good appearances, 1 Bad appearance, 1 Ugly appearance and was Hero 1 time.

Andrew Benintendi had 7 Good appearances, 6 Bad appearances, 9 Ugly appearances and was Hero 3 times.

Mookie Betts had 7 Good appearances, 4 Bad appearances, 12 Ugly appearances, 1 Hero and 1 Jackass.

Xander Bogaerts had 4 Good appearances, 3 Bad appearances, 10 Ugly appearances, 2 Jackass and 1 Honorable Mention

Blaine Boyer had 4 Good appearances, 1 Bad appearance and 1 Ugly appearance.

Jackie Bradley Jr had 10 Good appearances, 6 Bad appearances and 10 Ugly appearances.

Rafael Devers had 3 Good appearances, 2 Ugly appearances and 1 Hero.

Doug Fister had 1 Good appearance, 1 Bad appearance, 1 Ugly appearance, 1 Hero and 2 Jackass.

Heath Hembree had 6 Good appearances, 2 Bad appearances, 1 Ugly appearance and 1 Jackass.

Brock Holt had 5 Good appearances, 3 Bad appearances, 5 Ugly appearances and 1 Honorable Mention

Brian Johnson had 1 Ugly appearance.

Joe Kelly had 1 Ugly appearance and 1 Jackass.

Craig Kimbrel had 6 Good appearances, 1 Bad and 1 Jackass.

Sandy Leon had 6 Good appearances, 3 Bad appearances, 5 Ugly appearances and 1 Hero.

Tzu-Wei Lin had 5 Good appearances, 4 Bad appearances and 3 Ugly appearances.

Austin Maddox had 1 Good appearance.

Deven Marrero had 8 Good appearances, 4 Bad appearances, 3 Ugly appearances and 1 Honorable Mention.

Kyle Martin had 1 Good appearance and 1 Ugly.

Mitch Moreland had 5 Good appearances, 5 Bad appearances, 13 Ugly appearances and 1 Honorable Mention.

Eduardo Nunez had 3 Good appearances and 1 Ugly.

Dustin Pedroia had 11 Good appearances, 4 Bad appearances, 4 Ugly appearances, 1 Hero and 1 Jackass.

Drew Pomeranz had 3 Good appearances, 2 Ugly appearances and 1 Hero.

Rick Porcello had 4 Good appearances and 1 Ugly.

David Price had 2 Good appearances, 1 Hero and 1 Jackass

Hanley Ramirez had 10 Good appearances, 5 Bad appearances, 8 Ugly appearances, 1 Hero and 2 Jackass.

Eduardo Rodriguez had 1 Bad appearance, 1 Ugly appearance and 1 Jackass.

Chris Sale had 2 Good appearances, 1 Bad appearance and was Hero 2 times.

Robby Scott had 3 Good appearances, 4 Bad appearances and 3 Ugly appearances.

Ben Taylor had 2 Good appearances and 1 Ugly.

Sam Travis had 2 Good appearances, 4 Bad appearances and 1 Honorable Mention.

Christian Vazquez had 7 Good appearances, 5 Bad appearances, 5 Ugly appearances and 2 Honorable Mention.

Hector Velazquez was Hero 1 time.

Brandon Workman had 7 Good appearances and 2 Ugly.

Chris Young had 5 Good appearances, 6 Bad appearances and 1 Ugly appearance.



Hero of The Month is Andrew Benintendi with 3.

                                                   Hero of The Month

The Tri-Jackasses of The Month are Xander Bogaerts, Doug Fister and Hanley Ramirez all with 2 apiece.

The Most Valuable Player of the Month is Dustin Pedroia with 11 Good appearances.

                                                                      MVP

The Least Valuable Player of the Month due to a tie-breaker is Chris Young with 6 Bad appearances.

                                                                              LVP

The Ugliest Player of the Month is Mitch Moreland with 13.

                                                                Ugliest Player of The Month

The Most Honorable Player of the Month is Christian Vazquez with 2

                                                           The Honorable One

Fister's Gem Leads Sox Over Indians (7/31/17)

The Boston Red Sox made some trade deadline news as they traded three prospects including Jamie Callahan to the New York Mets for their closer Addison Reed. The Sox have had eighth inning issues all year no matter who they put out on the mound, so they believe this will fortify the setup role down the stretch. The Sox never did go out and get a bat besides Eduardo Nunez, and fans are very upset. In a smaller move, struggling lefty Robby Scott was sent down to Pawtucket and Austin Maddox was called up to take his place.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                       IN

Meanwhile everyone in New York and Boston radio personality Jimmy Stewart declared the New York Yankees the 2017 AL East division champions because they traded for Oakland ace Sonny Gray. Combined with Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman ditched the rebuild for the future to try to win now. The Red Sox are considerably weaker than last year offensively and the Yankees feel they can catch them this year. It's a huge roll of the dice by the Yankees because if this fails, they gave up their prospects for essentially nothing. Still, most everyone in baseball are picking the Yankees to win the division now, and with the way the Red Sox have hit this season, it's hard to counter that. Games are not won on paper though, so we will see how this turns out.

                                       The New York media are popping corks already

As for the game, its about time Doug Fister (1-5, 6.27) contributed. The one-time All-Star finally pitched how he used to and threw nearly 8 solid innings. The offense did just enough and the Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians by a score of 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Happy Fans

Fister took the mound in the top of the first and got the Indians to beat the ball in the dirt. Bradley Zimmer grounded out to second, Fransisco Lindor grounded out to first and Michael Brantley grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox blew a chance to take the lead early in the bottom of the first against Mike Clevinger. Mookie Betts struck out but Brock Holt walked. Eduardo Nunez hit one up the elevator shaft but Hanley Ramirez walked. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to center to end the inning.

Jose Ramirez singled to open the top of the second inning but was erased on the force by Edwin Encarnarcion. Carlos Santana walked but Fister froze Austin Jackson for strike 3. Yan Gomes grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second inning as Rafael Devers singled. Xander Bogaerts lined out to center and Devers was erased on a force by Mitch Moreland. Christian Vazquez doubled and Betts singled both men home to put the Red Sox on top. Holt walked and Gomes mysteriously tried to pick Betts off at second base, but nobody was expecting the throw and it went into center field, advancing Mookie to third. Nunez doubled home Betts but Holt was foolishly thrown out at home to end the inning. Still, it was 3-0 Sox.

                                              Betts puts the Sox on top

More than enough cushion for Fister in the top of the third inning. Erik Gonalez hit a comebacker to Fister, Zimmer grounded out to first and Lindor was retired on a tapper in front of home plate to end the inning. Ramirez struck out to open the bottom of the third before JBJ grounded out to second. Devers doubled and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

Fister breezed through the top of the fourth as he struck out Brantley to start. Ramirez walked but Encarnarcion grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland walked and Vazquez singled to start. Betts singled home Moreland and took second on the throw to chase Clevinger. Zach McAllister got Holt to hit a comebacker but Nunez singled home Vazquez. Ramirez grounded into a double play to end the inning, but it was 5-0 Boston.

Santana singled to open the top of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Jackson struck out and Gomes flied out to right to end the inning. JBJ was rung up to start the bottom of the fifth but Devers got his 3rd hit of the day with a single. Bogaerts lined out to short and Moreland flied out to left to end the inning.

Fister hung tough in the top of the sixth inning, retiring Gonzalez with a line out to right. Zimmer singled but was erased on the force by Lindor. Brantley lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox offense was asleep in the bottom of the sixth. Vazquez lined out to right, Betts struck out and Holt lined out to left to end the inning.

Fister was on fire in the top of the seventh as he got Ramirez to fly out to right before striking out Encarnarcion. Santana whiffed to end the inning. What a show by Fister. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh against Shawn Armstrong. Nunez doubled but Ramirez flied out to center. Nunez stole third but JBJ struck out. Devers singled home Nunez with his fourth hit of the day before Bogaerts singled as well. Moreland walked to load the bases but Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                 Devers goes 4 for 4

Fister returned for the top of the eighth but was greeted with a Jackson single. Austin was erased on the force by Gomes before Gonzalez lined out to right. Zimmer then ended the party with a 2 run home run to chase Fister after 7 2/3 outstanding innings. Brandon Workman came in and struggled, giving up back-to-back singles to Lindor. and Brantley. Ramirez flied out to left to end the inning with the score now 6-2. What a performance by Fister tonight.

                                                  Fister the unlikely hero tonight

Betts flied out to right to open the bottom of the eighth but Holt singled to chase Armstrong. Tyler Olson came in and got Nunez to ground out before Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

Brandon Workman returned for the top of the ninth inning to close out the game. Encarnarcion grounded out to third, Santana struck out and Jackson flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had rode the rejuvenated Fister to a 6-2 win.

                                               Holt is happy for the win


Hero of The Night is Doug Fister. He pitched 7 2/3 innings of 2 run ball, making one mistake to Zimmer. He allowed 5 total hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

                                                        Fister the Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored and 3 rbis.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

Eduardo Nunez was 3 for 5 with a stolen base, run scored and 2 rbis.

Rafael Devers was 4 for 4 with an rbi.

Mitch Moreland walked twice in four plate appearances, scoring both times.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Brandon Workman threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

So that was the Doug Fister that won 16 games for Washington 3 years ago. Maybe he just needed some time to get his wind back after not really having spring training. Either way the good start was a shot in the arm for this team that needed a win like this. Hopefully Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers can keeps off their hot streaks, but that's asking for too much. There are two months left in the season and it will be interesting to see how the deadline acquisitions work out for the Red Sox and the Yankees. As of right now it looks like the Yankees won the trade deadline. The win propelled the Sox to 58-49, tied in percentage points with the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Chris Sale takes on the Indians with Carlos Carrasco on the mound for them. The game starts at 7:10 PM.

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.