Its not very often the Boston Red Sox get their brains completely beat in but this was one of them. This was not a baseball game, this was a mugging with an audience. The Cleveland Indians ambushed Chris Sale (14-6, 2.88 ERA) and the Red Sox bullpen for 18 hits and 13 runs, demolishing the Sox 13-6 at Jacobs Field
Trevor Bauer took the mound in the top of the first inning and Eduardo Nunez greeted him with a single to left. Mookie Betts struck out on a check swing then Andrew Benintendi took a full count pitch right down the middle for strike three....and Nunez jogged to second thinking it was ball four, being thrown out by a mile. Way to pay attention Nunez. Sale got the start in the bottom of the first inning and Fransisco Lindor popped up to right to start. Austin Jackson looked at strike three but Jose Ramirez singled up the middle. Ramirez swiped second but Betts made a great diving catch to rob Encarnarcion of an rbi single to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing against Bauer in the top of the second as Hanley Ramirez looked at strike three to begin. Rafael Devers grounded out to first and Xander Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning. The Indians struck first in the bottom of the second as Jay Bruce poked a single to left and Guyer singled up the middle. Yandy Diaz walked to load the bases and Roberto Perez singled home Bruce. Giovanny Urshela beat out a double play ball to score Guyer and Lindor scored Diaz with a single to left. Jackson hit a picture perfect double play ball to Devers WHO THREW IT AWAY! Perez scored to increase the lead. Ramirez banged into a double play to end the inning but the game was over already 4-0.
The Sox did manage to get one back when Mitch Moreland blasted a solo home run to lead off the top of the third inning. Sandy Leon walked but Brock Holt whiffed and Nunez banged into a double play to end the inning. Still, the Sox would not be shut-out as they trailed 4-1.
Sale continued to suck in the bottom of the third inning when he walked Encarnarcion to start. He did strike out Bruce but Guyer walked as well. Diaz doubled home Encarnarcion to increase the lead although Perez hit a comebacker to Sale for the second out. Urshela iced the game with a 2 run single before Lindor struck out to end the inning. The Indians were up for good 7-1 and Sale was finished.
The Sox tried like hell to get back in the game after Betts doubled to lead off the top of the fourth. Benintendi watched strike three go by and Betts moved to third on the ground out by Ramirez. Devers worked a walk and Bogaerts tripled the runners home. Moreland slammed a single to score Bogaerts but Leon whiffed to end the inning. Still, it was now 7-4 Cleveland with Bauer on the ropes.
Heath Hembree replaced the incompetent Sale in the bottom of the fourth inning and struck out Jackson to start. Even more miraculous was that he got Ramirez to line out to first. Naturally he walked Encarcion. Somehow Bruce grounded out to end the inning.
The Sox failed to score in the top of the fifth inning although Holt walked to start the inning. Nunez and Betts both struck out but Benintendi singled. Representing the tying run.....Ramirez lined out to Bruce to end the inning on a 3-0 pitch. Hembree came back for the bottom of the fifth and struck out Guyer to start. Diaz singled up the middle and Perez walked. Suddenly Leon heaved the ball into center field for absolutely no reason, allowing Diaz to reach third. Urshela singled home Diaz and that was it for Hembree. Brandon Workman came in and Lindor singled to load the bases. Workman recovered to strike out Jackson as Ramirez grounded out toend the inning but the Indians now led 8-4.
Bauer returned for the top of the sixth and got Devers to pop up to short but Bogaerts singled to chase him. Tyler Olsen was brought in and Bogaerts was erased on the force by Moreland before Leon lined out to center to end the inning. The rout continued in the bottom of the sixth although Encarnarcion struck out to start. Bruce absolute crushed a moon shot to increase the lead. Guyer flied out to right but Diaz tripled and Perez doubled him home to chase Workman. Blaine Boyer was nextto be sacrificed although he got Urshela to pop up to end the inning with the Indians leading 10-4.
Bradley Zimmer took over in center for the Indians with Bryan Shaw now on the mound to begin the top of the seventh. Holt walked and Nunez singled but Eduardo was erased on the force by Betts. Benintendi and Ramirez whiffed to end the inning. The massacre continued in the bottom of the seventh as Lindor absolutely blasted a solo home run. Zimmer singled and Ramirez doubled before Encarnarcion walked to load the bases. That was it for Boyer as Fernando Abad came in. The rout was too much for Betts as he collapsed and had to be wheeled out on a gurney, being replaced by Rajai Davis. Bruce watched strike 3 go by but Guyer hit a sac fly to score Zimmer. Diaz hit a shot into the gap that scored Ramirez but was thrown out at third himself trying to stretch a triple. It was 13-4 and getting worse.
Erik Gonzalez replaced Lindor in the field with Nick Goody on the mound. Devers whiffed but Bogaerts walked. Moreland pissed off the fans a little by launching a 2 run hone run to cut the lead to a touchdown. Leon looked at strike three and Holt lined out to left to end the inning with the score 13-6.
Shockingly the Indians did not score in the bottom of the eighth. Perez singled and moved to second on a ground out by Urshela. Gonzalez struck out and Zimmer grounded out to second to end the inning.
Dan Otero got the ball in the top of the ninth and Nunez grounded out to short to start. Davis looked at strike three amd Benintendi flied out to left to end the game. The Indians had stomped a mudholein Sale amd the Sox with a 13-6 win.
Jackass of The Night is Chris Sale. The supposed ace lasted just 3 innings and gave up 7 runs. Terrible performance.
The Good:
Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 5.
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.
Mitch Moreland was 3 for 4 with 4 total rbis and 2 home runs.
Brock Holt walked twice in 4 plate appearances.
Fernando Abad tossed 2 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Rajai Davis pinch hit for Mookie Betts and struck out.
Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Heath Hembree served up a run in 1 1/3 innings.
Brandon Workman served up 2 runs in 1 1/3 imnings.
Brandon Boyer gave up 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
Remember when Pedro Martinez used to get beat by the Yankees after they figured him out? The Cleveland Indians seem to have Chris Sale's number which is terrifying for Red Sox fans. If your best pitcher can't beat the Indians in the playoffs, who can? David Price is not coming back, and you really cannot trust Rick Porcello or Eduardo Rodriguez. Then again the Sox offense is so bad, they may not even make the playoffs all together. Still, they took the first two games of the series so they should have a little bit of momentum going home against Baltimore. The loss dropped the Sox to 73-54, 4.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Rick Porcello (8-14) matches up against Jeremy Hellickson as the Baltimore Orioles come to town for a 3 game set. First pitch is at 7:05 PM.
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