Matt Barnes had 2 Good appearances.
Andrew Benintendi had 2 Bad appearances and 1 Ugly.
Mookie Betts had 3 Ugly appearances.
Xander Bogaerts had 2 Good appearances and 1 Hero.
Jackie Bradley Jr had 2 Bad appearances.
Rafael Devers had 2 Ugly appearances.
Heath Hembree had 1 Good appearance.
Brock Holt had 1 Good appearance.
Joe Kelly had 1 Bad appearance.
Craig Kimbrel had 2 Good appearances.
Sandy Leon had 1 Bad appearance.
JD Martinez had 1 Good appearances and 2 Ugly.
Mitch Moreland had 1 Ugly appearance and 2 Honorable Mentions.
Eduardo Nunez had 1 Good, 1 Bad and 1 Ugly appearance apiece.
Rick Porcello had 1 Good appearance.
Bobby Poyner had 1 Ugly appearance.
David Price was Hero one time.
Hanley Ramirez had 1 Good appearance and 2 Ugly.
Chris Sale had 1 Good appearance.
Carson Smith had 1 Good and 1 Jackass.
Christian Vazquez had 2 Good appearances.
Jackass of the Month is Carson Smith with 1
The Co-Heroes of the Month are David Price and Xander Bogaerts
Most Valuable Player of the Month due to a tiebreaker is Xander Bogaerts
Least Valuable Player of the Month due to a tiebreaker is Jackie Bradley Jr
Ugliest Player of the Month is Mookie Betts with 3
The Most Honorable Player of the Month is Mitch Moreland with 2.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Sox Edge Rays (3/31/18)
Before the game the Tampa Bay Rays made a salute to their inaugural 1998 team which played their first game 20 years ago today. Among the dignitaries was old friends Wade Boggs and Rolando Arrojo. The team even wore throwback Tampa Bay Devil Rays uniforms as well.
Good to see Wade and Rolando again
As for the game, good grief this offense is bad. The Rays came into the game with no starter and was going to live or die with the bullpen. The Rays bullpen limited the incompetent Boston Red Sox to just 3 runs but the vaunted pitching of Boston kept them in the game. Rick Porcello (1-0, 1.69 ERA) kept the Rays off the board and the Boston bullpen held the fort long enough to take a 3-2 win to spoil Devil Rays day at Tropicana Field.
Snake Plissken approves of the win
Tampa Bay reliever Andrew Kittredge, making his first major league start, got the ball to start the game. Mookie Betts greeted him by grounding out to short. Andrew Benintendi somehow walked but Hanley Ramirez naturally banged into a double play to end the inning. Rick Porcello got the start for the Sox and retired Dernard Span to start the bottom of the first by getting him to into the shift. Kevin Kiermaier lined out to left and Carlos Gomez grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the second although JD Martinez grounded out to third to begin. A now healthy Bogaerts smashed a solo home run to left to put the Sox on the board. Mitch Moreland flied out to center and Eduardo Nunez whiffed but the Sox led 1-0.
Xander makes it 1-0
Porcello froze Brad Miller with a 2-2 change for strike three to begin the bottom of the second. Matt Duffy popped up to center as NESN showed old pal Wade Boggs hitting the first Rays home run 20 years ago to the day. Analyst Jerry Remy told a story how Boggs would crush balls during batting practice but was a slap hitter during real games to get on base. Joey Wendle watched strike three go by to end the inning.
Brock "The Hitman" Holt began the top of the third inning by harmlessly flying out to left to start. Sandy Leon lined out to center but somehow Betts hit a ground-rule double. Naturally Benny The Kid grounded out to second to end the inning. The relief pitcher held the Sox to just 1 run in 3 innings, the New York Yankees would be up 5-0 right now. Pathetic. Porcello trudged on in the bottom of the third, getting Adeiny Hechavarria to fly out to center to start. Mallex Smith popped up to center but Porcello walked the number nine hitter Jesus Sucre. Span sliced a single down the third base line but Kiermaier grounded into a force at second to end the inning.
Rays manager Kevin Cash left Kittredge in for too long and it showed as Ramirez doubled down the left field line to open the top of the fourth inning. JD Martinez continued to prove to be a waste as he failed to advance Ramirez to third by grounded out to short. That was it for Kittredge and the Sox offense should be ashamed of themselves, he went 3 1/3 and allowed just 1 run. Ryan Yarbrough came in and Miller made a great diving catch in foul territory to retire Bogaerts. Ramirez swiped third on a ball four pitch to Mitch Moreland to put runners at the corners. The Sox caught a break when Nunez hit a routine grounder to third, Duffy spiked the throw to Miller and it came out of his glove at the last second, allowing Ramirez to score on the error. Holt watched strike three go by to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.
Ramirez hits then scores
Porcello did what he could in the bottom of the fourth as both Gomez and Miller flied out to center to begin. Duffy beat out an infield single to short but Wendle flied out to center to end the inning.
The miserable Red Sox offense did nothing in the top of the fifth against Yarbrough as Vazquez popped up to right to begin. Betts flied out to right but Benny The Kid miraculously drew a walk. Ramirez grounded into a force to end the inning. The Rays bullpen had held the Sox to two measly runs in 5 innings, bawful. The Rays almost broke Porcello in the bottom of the fifth although Nunez made a great play to rob Hechavarria of a hit. Smith beat the infield coming in with a single past Bogaerts and Sucre flummoxed Holt with a liner to him to put the tying run on first. Porcello got a huge out by whiffing Span and Kiermaier popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox starting pitching had tossed 18 shut-out innings against the Rays to this point.
The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth inning a Martinez got his first hit with the Red Sox with a leadoff double to the wall. Bogaerts kept up his hot streak with an rbi double down the left field line before advancing to third on the ground out by Moreland. Unfortunately Nunez popped up to third but Holt walked to put runners at the corners. Leon whiffed badly on a 3-2 fastball down the middle to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 3-0 against the Rays bullpen.
Bogaerts does it again
Could Porcello hold the lead in the bottom of the sixth? NO! Gomez started the rally with a double to the center-field wall but Porcello froze Miller on an inside fastball for strike three. Duffy singled past Nunez to advance Gomez to third to chase Porcello. Sox manager Alex Cora stuck to his guns about not having his starters go too long too early and brought in Heath Hembree with runners at the corners. Wendle got the run in with a sac fly to left and a wild pitch moved Duffy to second. Hembree did manage to strike out Hechavarria to end the inning. Porcello had gone 5 1/3 and was charged with just 1 run, not bad and the Sox led 3-1 after 6.
Porcello goes 5 1/3
The miserable Sox offense was done for the night in the top of the seventh inning as Betts lined out to left to begin. Benny The Kid whiffed badly and Ramirez lined out softly to first to end the inning. Another horrible performance by a horrible offense. Hembree returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Smith to line out to left to start. Sucre whiffed but Span walked to chase Hembree from the game. Sox manager Alex Cora gave rookie lefty Bobby Poyner a chance to make his major league debut in a high leverage situation with the tying run coming to the plate. The 15th round pick in 2015 got Kiermaier to pop up to third to end the inning, good work kid!
Welcome to the big leagues
Yarbrough returned for the top of the eighth inning and Martinez greeted him with a bloop single to right. The red hot Bogaerts sliced a single to right but once again the Sox failed to get anyone in. Moreland flied out harmlessly to center to end Yarbrough's night. Sergio Romo came in and got Nunez to fly out to center. Somehow Holt walked but Leon left the bases loaded by watching strike three go by to end the inning. The Yankees would be winning this game 10-1 right about now.
For some reason Cora left Poyner in to start the bottom of the eighth and Gomez blasted a 9,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Miller popped up to first to end the inning and Cora finally took Bobby out in favor of Carson Smith. Smith managed to strike out Wendle but Duffy swiped second. With the walls crashing down, Smith got Hechavarria to fly out to center to end the inning but it was down to 3-2 Sox.
Rays inch closer
The Sox completed their embarrassing offensive performance with a garbage top of the ninth inning with Chaz Roe now on the mound. Somehow Betts drew a leadoff walk but Benny The Kid flied out to center. Betts looked to have swiped second but alert Rays manager Kevin Cash wanted the play reviewed because Wendle's foot blocked Mookie's hand. Sure enough the call was reversed and Mookie was out. Ramirez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The putrid Red Sox offense was held to just 3 runs in 9 innings by the Tampa Bay bullpen. The Yankees would have won this game going away. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was tasked to lock down the game in the bottom of the ninth. Smith drew a leadoff walk but was foolishly doubled off first after pinch hitter CJ Cron lined out to Bogaerts for the double play. Span popped up to short to end the game. The Sox hung on to win the game 3-2.
Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 3 for 4 with a run scored and 2 rbi's which ended up being the difference in the game.
Xander the Hero
The Good:
JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Brock Holt walked twice in four plate appearances.
Rick Porcello got the win by pitching 5 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He looked sharp for the most part.
Heath Hembree pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Carson Smith got the final two outs of the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Bad:
Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 4.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked.
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked twice.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.
Bobby Poyner got a big out to escape the 7th but gave up a bomb in the eighth.
Final Thoughts:
The offense may be abysmal but the pitching is going to win a lot of games this year. The Sox have a lot of injuries on the pitching side with Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez and Tyler Thornberg all sidelined but when they all come back, this is going to be a deadly staff. Offensively JD Martinez hasn't made a damn bit of difference so far but its only been 3 games. Apart from Bogaerts, no one is lighting up at the plate yet. Still, just like yesterday a win is a win. Its also nice to see Alex Cora pulling the plug on Chris Sale, David Price and Porcello early rather than leave them in to throw 170 pitches apiece in March. Tomorrow is the series finale where Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velasquez takes the mound opposite Jake Faria at 1:10 PM at Tropicana Field.
As for the game, good grief this offense is bad. The Rays came into the game with no starter and was going to live or die with the bullpen. The Rays bullpen limited the incompetent Boston Red Sox to just 3 runs but the vaunted pitching of Boston kept them in the game. Rick Porcello (1-0, 1.69 ERA) kept the Rays off the board and the Boston bullpen held the fort long enough to take a 3-2 win to spoil Devil Rays day at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay reliever Andrew Kittredge, making his first major league start, got the ball to start the game. Mookie Betts greeted him by grounding out to short. Andrew Benintendi somehow walked but Hanley Ramirez naturally banged into a double play to end the inning. Rick Porcello got the start for the Sox and retired Dernard Span to start the bottom of the first by getting him to into the shift. Kevin Kiermaier lined out to left and Carlos Gomez grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the second although JD Martinez grounded out to third to begin. A now healthy Bogaerts smashed a solo home run to left to put the Sox on the board. Mitch Moreland flied out to center and Eduardo Nunez whiffed but the Sox led 1-0.
Porcello froze Brad Miller with a 2-2 change for strike three to begin the bottom of the second. Matt Duffy popped up to center as NESN showed old pal Wade Boggs hitting the first Rays home run 20 years ago to the day. Analyst Jerry Remy told a story how Boggs would crush balls during batting practice but was a slap hitter during real games to get on base. Joey Wendle watched strike three go by to end the inning.
Brock "The Hitman" Holt began the top of the third inning by harmlessly flying out to left to start. Sandy Leon lined out to center but somehow Betts hit a ground-rule double. Naturally Benny The Kid grounded out to second to end the inning. The relief pitcher held the Sox to just 1 run in 3 innings, the New York Yankees would be up 5-0 right now. Pathetic. Porcello trudged on in the bottom of the third, getting Adeiny Hechavarria to fly out to center to start. Mallex Smith popped up to center but Porcello walked the number nine hitter Jesus Sucre. Span sliced a single down the third base line but Kiermaier grounded into a force at second to end the inning.
Rays manager Kevin Cash left Kittredge in for too long and it showed as Ramirez doubled down the left field line to open the top of the fourth inning. JD Martinez continued to prove to be a waste as he failed to advance Ramirez to third by grounded out to short. That was it for Kittredge and the Sox offense should be ashamed of themselves, he went 3 1/3 and allowed just 1 run. Ryan Yarbrough came in and Miller made a great diving catch in foul territory to retire Bogaerts. Ramirez swiped third on a ball four pitch to Mitch Moreland to put runners at the corners. The Sox caught a break when Nunez hit a routine grounder to third, Duffy spiked the throw to Miller and it came out of his glove at the last second, allowing Ramirez to score on the error. Holt watched strike three go by to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.
Porcello did what he could in the bottom of the fourth as both Gomez and Miller flied out to center to begin. Duffy beat out an infield single to short but Wendle flied out to center to end the inning.
The miserable Red Sox offense did nothing in the top of the fifth against Yarbrough as Vazquez popped up to right to begin. Betts flied out to right but Benny The Kid miraculously drew a walk. Ramirez grounded into a force to end the inning. The Rays bullpen had held the Sox to two measly runs in 5 innings, bawful. The Rays almost broke Porcello in the bottom of the fifth although Nunez made a great play to rob Hechavarria of a hit. Smith beat the infield coming in with a single past Bogaerts and Sucre flummoxed Holt with a liner to him to put the tying run on first. Porcello got a huge out by whiffing Span and Kiermaier popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox starting pitching had tossed 18 shut-out innings against the Rays to this point.
The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth inning a Martinez got his first hit with the Red Sox with a leadoff double to the wall. Bogaerts kept up his hot streak with an rbi double down the left field line before advancing to third on the ground out by Moreland. Unfortunately Nunez popped up to third but Holt walked to put runners at the corners. Leon whiffed badly on a 3-2 fastball down the middle to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 3-0 against the Rays bullpen.
Could Porcello hold the lead in the bottom of the sixth? NO! Gomez started the rally with a double to the center-field wall but Porcello froze Miller on an inside fastball for strike three. Duffy singled past Nunez to advance Gomez to third to chase Porcello. Sox manager Alex Cora stuck to his guns about not having his starters go too long too early and brought in Heath Hembree with runners at the corners. Wendle got the run in with a sac fly to left and a wild pitch moved Duffy to second. Hembree did manage to strike out Hechavarria to end the inning. Porcello had gone 5 1/3 and was charged with just 1 run, not bad and the Sox led 3-1 after 6.
The miserable Sox offense was done for the night in the top of the seventh inning as Betts lined out to left to begin. Benny The Kid whiffed badly and Ramirez lined out softly to first to end the inning. Another horrible performance by a horrible offense. Hembree returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Smith to line out to left to start. Sucre whiffed but Span walked to chase Hembree from the game. Sox manager Alex Cora gave rookie lefty Bobby Poyner a chance to make his major league debut in a high leverage situation with the tying run coming to the plate. The 15th round pick in 2015 got Kiermaier to pop up to third to end the inning, good work kid!
Yarbrough returned for the top of the eighth inning and Martinez greeted him with a bloop single to right. The red hot Bogaerts sliced a single to right but once again the Sox failed to get anyone in. Moreland flied out harmlessly to center to end Yarbrough's night. Sergio Romo came in and got Nunez to fly out to center. Somehow Holt walked but Leon left the bases loaded by watching strike three go by to end the inning. The Yankees would be winning this game 10-1 right about now.
For some reason Cora left Poyner in to start the bottom of the eighth and Gomez blasted a 9,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Miller popped up to first to end the inning and Cora finally took Bobby out in favor of Carson Smith. Smith managed to strike out Wendle but Duffy swiped second. With the walls crashing down, Smith got Hechavarria to fly out to center to end the inning but it was down to 3-2 Sox.
The Sox completed their embarrassing offensive performance with a garbage top of the ninth inning with Chaz Roe now on the mound. Somehow Betts drew a leadoff walk but Benny The Kid flied out to center. Betts looked to have swiped second but alert Rays manager Kevin Cash wanted the play reviewed because Wendle's foot blocked Mookie's hand. Sure enough the call was reversed and Mookie was out. Ramirez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The putrid Red Sox offense was held to just 3 runs in 9 innings by the Tampa Bay bullpen. The Yankees would have won this game going away. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was tasked to lock down the game in the bottom of the ninth. Smith drew a leadoff walk but was foolishly doubled off first after pinch hitter CJ Cron lined out to Bogaerts for the double play. Span popped up to short to end the game. The Sox hung on to win the game 3-2.
Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 3 for 4 with a run scored and 2 rbi's which ended up being the difference in the game.
The Good:
JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Brock Holt walked twice in four plate appearances.
Rick Porcello got the win by pitching 5 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He looked sharp for the most part.
Heath Hembree pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Carson Smith got the final two outs of the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Bad:
Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 4.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked.
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked twice.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.
Bobby Poyner got a big out to escape the 7th but gave up a bomb in the eighth.
Final Thoughts:
The offense may be abysmal but the pitching is going to win a lot of games this year. The Sox have a lot of injuries on the pitching side with Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez and Tyler Thornberg all sidelined but when they all come back, this is going to be a deadly staff. Offensively JD Martinez hasn't made a damn bit of difference so far but its only been 3 games. Apart from Bogaerts, no one is lighting up at the plate yet. Still, just like yesterday a win is a win. Its also nice to see Alex Cora pulling the plug on Chris Sale, David Price and Porcello early rather than leave them in to throw 170 pitches apiece in March. Tomorrow is the series finale where Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velasquez takes the mound opposite Jake Faria at 1:10 PM at Tropicana Field.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Price's Gem Lifts Sox (3/30/18)
In a game eerily similar to last season, the Boston Red Sox overcame some horrible offense to squeak out their first win of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. David Price (1-0, 0.00 ERA) tossed 7 dominating shutout innings before Matt Barnes and Craig Kimbel nailed down the narrow 1-0 win at Tropicana Field.
Billy Hargrove approves of the win
Snell got the ball in the top of the first and Mookie Betts greeted him by popping up to first. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and Hanley Ramirez whiffed to end the inning. Price came out for the bottom of the first and Matt Duffy grounded out to firat to begin. Kevin Kiermaier grounded back to the mound and Carlos Gomez was rung up for strike three to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as JD Martinez flied out to the right field wall, Xander Bogaerts flied out to left and Rafael Devers struck out in a high fastball to end the inning. Price began the bottom of the second by getting CJ Cron to pop up to second. Wilson Ramos flied out to a running Betts in right and Brad Miller flied out to center to end the inning.
Once again the Sox failed to score in the top of the third. Eduardo Nunez popped up to short and Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second. Christian Vazquez somehow lined a base hit but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. NOTHING has changed from last year, they still cant hit and still run into outs. Price came back for the bottom of the third and froze Adeiny Hechavarria for strike 3 to begin. Daniel Robertson flied out to left and Rob Refsnyder whiffed to end the inning. The game was 40 minutes in and already done with the third inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fourth as Betts flied out to the left field wall. Benny The Kid grounded out to short but somehow Ramirez singled. Martinez miraculously drew a walk but Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning. Price ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth although Duffy grounded out to third to start. Kiermaier singled but Gomez hit one up the elevator shaft. Cron singled to left but Ramos flied out to right to end the inning.
"Get out of the way jackass!" - CV
Snell was unhittable in the top of the fifth as Devers flied out to the right field wall, Nunez was thrown out on a squibber in front of the mound and JBJ popped up to third to end the inning. The Rays got the leadoff man on in the bottom of the fifth as Miller sliced a single to left but was erased on the Hechavarria force. Robertson banged into a double play to end the inning.
The Sox failed to score in the top of the sixth as Vazquez lined out to a running Gomez in right. Betts somehow walked but Benny The Kid flied out to left. The Sox played hit and run as Ramirez blooped a single to right and Betts made it to third. That was it for Snell as Rays manager Kevin Cash came out with the quick hook after 5 2/3 shutout innings. Chaz Roe came in and Martinez froze on a 3-2 curve right down the middle to end the inning, some clutch hitter huh? The Rays also had trouble being clutch against Price in the bottom of the sixth as Refsnyder was frozen on a cutter on the outside corner to start. Price froze Duffy as well before Kiermaier lined out to left to end the inning. 6 innings, 3 hits and 5 k's for Price.
The Sox somehow scored in the top of the seventh as Bogaerts doubled off the left field wall to start. That was it for Roe as Cash lifted him for lefty Jose Alvarado. Devers hit a seeing eye single up the middle that scored Bogaerts with the game's first run. Nunez hit a high chopper that Miller fielder but nobody covered the bag and Eduardo slid into first safely for a hit. Unfortunately Nunez was kicked in the face as he slid, causing the trainer to sprint out of the dugout like a madman to check on him. Nunez stayed in the game as JBJ botched the bunt attempt before banging into a double play. Vazquez whiffed on a pitch that bounced in the dirt to end the inning. Absolutely pathetic offense but somehow the Sox led 1-0.
Well done Red Sox
Price had one last good inning in the bottom of the seventh. Devers dropped a pop up by Gomez down the left field line but Carlos popped up the next one to center. Cron also popped up to center then Ramos singled up the middle. Miller popped up to left to end the inning. 7 innings, 4 hits and no runs allowed by Price. He was outstanding.
Outstanding start by Price
Matt Andriese cruised in the top of the eighth as Betts grounded out to short, Benintendi popped up in foul terrirory to third and Ramirez whiffed badly to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in after Price tossed 76 pitches and froze Hechavarria for strike three to begin. Dernard Span pinch hit for Robertson and walked. Joey Wendle pinch hit for Refsnyder and lined out to third. Duffy popped up to first to end the inning.
Span and Wendle remained in the game in the top of the ninth as Martinez led off by grounding out to short to begin. Bogaerts resumed his quest to set a major league record for doubles with one to center, moving to third on the groundout by Devers. Nunez swung at a pitch in the dirt that was flubbed at home, Nunez made a mad dash to first....OUT! Oh wait, Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Bogaerts had crossed home plate but in record time, the umps said no dice. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was brought in to lock down the first win of the year for the Sox. Mitch Moreland took over at first as Kiermaier whiffed to start. Kimbrel caught Gomez looking for strike three and blew away Cron to end the game. The Sox had won it by the skin of their teeth 1-0.
Hero of the Night is David Price. He tossed 7 shut-out innings, scattering 4hits while striking out 5.
Hero of the Night: Price
The Good:
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4.
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
Craig Kimbrel earned his first save of the season by striking out the side in the 9th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked.
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but drove a run.
Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4.
Honorable Mention:
Mitch Moreland played first base in the bottom of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Well that was a win shades of 2017. Once again the incompetent Red Sox offense failed to produce time and time again while the pitching was lights out. The Tampa Bay Rays offense is terrible and so far both Price and Chris Sale have looked outstanding. A few insane fans have already written off JD Martinez as a bust but apart from Xander Bogaerts, the entire team hasn't done much the first two games. Matt Barnes has looked good the first two games but other relievers need to earn Cora's trust or else he's going to burn out just like Junichi Tazawa would. Still, whether its 1-0 or 10-0 every win counts and this was a win. Fans don't have to like Price but they have to respect the effort tonight. Tomorrow evening the Sox look to take the three game set with Rick Porcello set to make his season debut against.....not a damn a clue. Tampa's scheduled starter was supposed to be Chaz Roe but since he was used tonight, nobody knows who's pitching. Either way the game starts at 6:00 PM at Tropicana Field.
Snell got the ball in the top of the first and Mookie Betts greeted him by popping up to first. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and Hanley Ramirez whiffed to end the inning. Price came out for the bottom of the first and Matt Duffy grounded out to firat to begin. Kevin Kiermaier grounded back to the mound and Carlos Gomez was rung up for strike three to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as JD Martinez flied out to the right field wall, Xander Bogaerts flied out to left and Rafael Devers struck out in a high fastball to end the inning. Price began the bottom of the second by getting CJ Cron to pop up to second. Wilson Ramos flied out to a running Betts in right and Brad Miller flied out to center to end the inning.
Once again the Sox failed to score in the top of the third. Eduardo Nunez popped up to short and Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second. Christian Vazquez somehow lined a base hit but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. NOTHING has changed from last year, they still cant hit and still run into outs. Price came back for the bottom of the third and froze Adeiny Hechavarria for strike 3 to begin. Daniel Robertson flied out to left and Rob Refsnyder whiffed to end the inning. The game was 40 minutes in and already done with the third inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fourth as Betts flied out to the left field wall. Benny The Kid grounded out to short but somehow Ramirez singled. Martinez miraculously drew a walk but Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning. Price ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth although Duffy grounded out to third to start. Kiermaier singled but Gomez hit one up the elevator shaft. Cron singled to left but Ramos flied out to right to end the inning.
Snell was unhittable in the top of the fifth as Devers flied out to the right field wall, Nunez was thrown out on a squibber in front of the mound and JBJ popped up to third to end the inning. The Rays got the leadoff man on in the bottom of the fifth as Miller sliced a single to left but was erased on the Hechavarria force. Robertson banged into a double play to end the inning.
The Sox failed to score in the top of the sixth as Vazquez lined out to a running Gomez in right. Betts somehow walked but Benny The Kid flied out to left. The Sox played hit and run as Ramirez blooped a single to right and Betts made it to third. That was it for Snell as Rays manager Kevin Cash came out with the quick hook after 5 2/3 shutout innings. Chaz Roe came in and Martinez froze on a 3-2 curve right down the middle to end the inning, some clutch hitter huh? The Rays also had trouble being clutch against Price in the bottom of the sixth as Refsnyder was frozen on a cutter on the outside corner to start. Price froze Duffy as well before Kiermaier lined out to left to end the inning. 6 innings, 3 hits and 5 k's for Price.
The Sox somehow scored in the top of the seventh as Bogaerts doubled off the left field wall to start. That was it for Roe as Cash lifted him for lefty Jose Alvarado. Devers hit a seeing eye single up the middle that scored Bogaerts with the game's first run. Nunez hit a high chopper that Miller fielder but nobody covered the bag and Eduardo slid into first safely for a hit. Unfortunately Nunez was kicked in the face as he slid, causing the trainer to sprint out of the dugout like a madman to check on him. Nunez stayed in the game as JBJ botched the bunt attempt before banging into a double play. Vazquez whiffed on a pitch that bounced in the dirt to end the inning. Absolutely pathetic offense but somehow the Sox led 1-0.
Price had one last good inning in the bottom of the seventh. Devers dropped a pop up by Gomez down the left field line but Carlos popped up the next one to center. Cron also popped up to center then Ramos singled up the middle. Miller popped up to left to end the inning. 7 innings, 4 hits and no runs allowed by Price. He was outstanding.
Matt Andriese cruised in the top of the eighth as Betts grounded out to short, Benintendi popped up in foul terrirory to third and Ramirez whiffed badly to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in after Price tossed 76 pitches and froze Hechavarria for strike three to begin. Dernard Span pinch hit for Robertson and walked. Joey Wendle pinch hit for Refsnyder and lined out to third. Duffy popped up to first to end the inning.
Span and Wendle remained in the game in the top of the ninth as Martinez led off by grounding out to short to begin. Bogaerts resumed his quest to set a major league record for doubles with one to center, moving to third on the groundout by Devers. Nunez swung at a pitch in the dirt that was flubbed at home, Nunez made a mad dash to first....OUT! Oh wait, Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Bogaerts had crossed home plate but in record time, the umps said no dice. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was brought in to lock down the first win of the year for the Sox. Mitch Moreland took over at first as Kiermaier whiffed to start. Kimbrel caught Gomez looking for strike three and blew away Cron to end the game. The Sox had won it by the skin of their teeth 1-0.
Hero of the Night is David Price. He tossed 7 shut-out innings, scattering 4hits while striking out 5.
The Good:
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4.
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
Craig Kimbrel earned his first save of the season by striking out the side in the 9th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked.
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but drove a run.
Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4.
Honorable Mention:
Mitch Moreland played first base in the bottom of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Well that was a win shades of 2017. Once again the incompetent Red Sox offense failed to produce time and time again while the pitching was lights out. The Tampa Bay Rays offense is terrible and so far both Price and Chris Sale have looked outstanding. A few insane fans have already written off JD Martinez as a bust but apart from Xander Bogaerts, the entire team hasn't done much the first two games. Matt Barnes has looked good the first two games but other relievers need to earn Cora's trust or else he's going to burn out just like Junichi Tazawa would. Still, whether its 1-0 or 10-0 every win counts and this was a win. Fans don't have to like Price but they have to respect the effort tonight. Tomorrow evening the Sox look to take the three game set with Rick Porcello set to make his season debut against.....not a damn a clue. Tampa's scheduled starter was supposed to be Chaz Roe but since he was used tonight, nobody knows who's pitching. Either way the game starts at 6:00 PM at Tropicana Field.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Sox Blow Opening Day (3/29/18)
After the 2017 Boston Red Sox ended their season with a thud, the 2018 Sox started with one. Almost a repeat of the 2003 opener, the Sox had a commanding lead over the Tampa Bay Rays only to blow it late due to a shoddy bullpen effort. The Rays had exactly 1 hit through 7 innings but exploded in the eighth to deal a 6-4 Opening Day defeat to the Red Sox in front of a paltry crowd at Tropicana Field.
Tampa starter Chris Archer got the ball to open the season and Mookie Betts led off by hitting a 400 foot out to center on the first pitch. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and Hanley Ramirez whiffed on a 3-2 slider to end the inning. Chris Sale got the opening day start for the Red Sox and struck out Matt Duffy on a check swing to open the bottom of the first. Sale blew away Kevin Kiermaier before Carlos Gomez popped up to short to end the inning.
JD Martinez made his Sox debut by drawing a walk to begin the top of the second. Xander Bogaerts doubled off the left field wall and Martinez scored the first run off a Rafael Devers ground out that advanced Xander to third. Eduardo Nunez lit up the paltry crowd with a scintillating inside the park home run when Kiermaier and Dernard Spamln both dove and missed on a ball to center. Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to short but Christian Vazquez singled up the middle. Betts popped up to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-0.
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" - Nunez
Sale began the bottom of the second by striking out CJ Cron. Wilson Ramos grounded out to short but Span walked. Adeiny Hechavarria singled past Nunez at second and a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Daniel Robertson froze on a pitch at the knees for strike three to end the inning.
Benny The Kid led off the top of the third by popping up to first before Ramirez grounded out to second. Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Rob Refsnyder drew a leadoff walk to begin the bottom of the third but Duffy popped up to center. Kiermaier whiffed again and Gomez lined out to center to end the inning but Sale had already thrown 55 pitches.
Bogaerts led off the top of the fourth with a bloop to left but was doubled off first on a sinking line drive out by Devers. Nunez whiffed badly to end the inning. Sale whiffed Cron to start the bottom of the fourth and got Ramos to fly out to center. Span lined out to Bogaerts to end the inning.
JBJ grounded out to first to open the top of the fifth, Vazquez grounded out to third and Betts struck out to end the inning. Hechavarria grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Sale blew away Robertson. Refsnyder drew a walk but Duffy grounded out to second, Numez almost pulling Ramirez off the bag, to end the inning.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKIN AT?" - CS
Benny The Kid grounded out to second to begin the top of the sixth before Ramirez struck out at a pitch up in his eyes. Martinez watched strike three at his knees to end the inning. Sale returned for the bottom of the sixth and got Kiermaier grounding out to short to start. Gomez and Cron both whiffed to end the inning. That's 9 strikeouts and one hit with no runs allowed for Sale, outstanding.
Sale with 6 innings of 1 hit ball
Archer returned for the top of the seventh inning and Bogaerts doubled off the centerfield wall to start. Devers doubled down the right field line to score Bogaerts and chase Archer from the game. Austin Pruitt came in and Nunez failed to advance Bogaerts with a ground out to third. JBJ popped up to third and Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning, but the Sox were up 4-0.
Matt Barnes took over for the bottom of the seventh and got Ramos to ground out to third to start. Span lined out to right amd Hechavarria flied out to center to end the inning.
Pruitt came back for the top of the eighth and Betts singled up the middle. Benny The Kid flied out to left and Betts was foolishly picked off, shades of last year. Ramirez walked but Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Joe Kelly got the call to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Mitch Moreland coming in to play first. Kelly crapped his pants as Robertson drew a leadoff walk but Joe somehow froze Refsnyder for strike three. Duffy got the Rays on the board with a double that scored Robertson and Kiermaier walked. Vomez walked to load the bases and that was it for the incompetent Kelly. He came in with a 4-0 lead and left the bases loaded, a run in with only one out.
Terrible
Carson Smith came in to blow the game as pinch hitter Brad Miller walked on 5 pitches not even close. Somehow Smith managed to strike out Ranos on a nasty slider but Span finished off the comeback with a 3 run triple to give the Rays the lead. The comedy continued as Hechavarria singled on a chopper over the head of Smith and fumbled by Bogaerts to increase the lead. Joey Wendle pinch hit for Robertson and grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rays entered the inning down 4-0 and left up 6-0.
"I sucked today" - CS
Rays closer Alex Colome took over to close it out in the top of the ninth and Bogaerts lined out to center to start. Devers grounded out to second but Nunez somehow doubled to bring the tying run to the plate. JBJ grounded out to second to end the game, the Rays pulled a miracle 15 years later to win it 6-4.
Jackass of the Night is Carson Smith. He took the loss by giving up the go-ahead runs and allowing all 3 inherited runners to score.
Opening Day Jackass
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 including a 2 run inside the park home run.
Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.
Chris Sale was outstanding. He tossed 6 innings of 1 hit shutout ball while striking out 9. He deserved better.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.
Joe Kelly was charged with 4 runs in just 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and 3 walks.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 and got picked off.
Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 with a walk.
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.
Honorable Mention:
Mitch Moreland played first base in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Final Thoughts:
Flashbacks to 2003 anyone? Bullpen by committee never works but then again, new manager Alex Cora has to get a feel on who he can trust or not. Say what you will about John Farrell last year, but he new how to coax pitchers. Keeping Sale on a short leash cost them this game but it will pay dividends down the road if this team is a playoff contender. What makes this loss extra tough is Giancarlo Stanton smashed two home runs for the New York Yankees while JD Martinez barely worked a walk. Its only one game but that was tough to watch. Tomorrow night the Sox look to have more offensive output against Blake Snell of the Rays. David Price makes his season debut for the Sox for the 7:05 PM game at Tropicana Field.
Tampa starter Chris Archer got the ball to open the season and Mookie Betts led off by hitting a 400 foot out to center on the first pitch. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and Hanley Ramirez whiffed on a 3-2 slider to end the inning. Chris Sale got the opening day start for the Red Sox and struck out Matt Duffy on a check swing to open the bottom of the first. Sale blew away Kevin Kiermaier before Carlos Gomez popped up to short to end the inning.
JD Martinez made his Sox debut by drawing a walk to begin the top of the second. Xander Bogaerts doubled off the left field wall and Martinez scored the first run off a Rafael Devers ground out that advanced Xander to third. Eduardo Nunez lit up the paltry crowd with a scintillating inside the park home run when Kiermaier and Dernard Spamln both dove and missed on a ball to center. Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to short but Christian Vazquez singled up the middle. Betts popped up to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-0.
Sale began the bottom of the second by striking out CJ Cron. Wilson Ramos grounded out to short but Span walked. Adeiny Hechavarria singled past Nunez at second and a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Daniel Robertson froze on a pitch at the knees for strike three to end the inning.
Benny The Kid led off the top of the third by popping up to first before Ramirez grounded out to second. Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Rob Refsnyder drew a leadoff walk to begin the bottom of the third but Duffy popped up to center. Kiermaier whiffed again and Gomez lined out to center to end the inning but Sale had already thrown 55 pitches.
Bogaerts led off the top of the fourth with a bloop to left but was doubled off first on a sinking line drive out by Devers. Nunez whiffed badly to end the inning. Sale whiffed Cron to start the bottom of the fourth and got Ramos to fly out to center. Span lined out to Bogaerts to end the inning.
JBJ grounded out to first to open the top of the fifth, Vazquez grounded out to third and Betts struck out to end the inning. Hechavarria grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Sale blew away Robertson. Refsnyder drew a walk but Duffy grounded out to second, Numez almost pulling Ramirez off the bag, to end the inning.
Benny The Kid grounded out to second to begin the top of the sixth before Ramirez struck out at a pitch up in his eyes. Martinez watched strike three at his knees to end the inning. Sale returned for the bottom of the sixth and got Kiermaier grounding out to short to start. Gomez and Cron both whiffed to end the inning. That's 9 strikeouts and one hit with no runs allowed for Sale, outstanding.
Archer returned for the top of the seventh inning and Bogaerts doubled off the centerfield wall to start. Devers doubled down the right field line to score Bogaerts and chase Archer from the game. Austin Pruitt came in and Nunez failed to advance Bogaerts with a ground out to third. JBJ popped up to third and Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning, but the Sox were up 4-0.
Matt Barnes took over for the bottom of the seventh and got Ramos to ground out to third to start. Span lined out to right amd Hechavarria flied out to center to end the inning.
Pruitt came back for the top of the eighth and Betts singled up the middle. Benny The Kid flied out to left and Betts was foolishly picked off, shades of last year. Ramirez walked but Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Joe Kelly got the call to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Mitch Moreland coming in to play first. Kelly crapped his pants as Robertson drew a leadoff walk but Joe somehow froze Refsnyder for strike three. Duffy got the Rays on the board with a double that scored Robertson and Kiermaier walked. Vomez walked to load the bases and that was it for the incompetent Kelly. He came in with a 4-0 lead and left the bases loaded, a run in with only one out.
Carson Smith came in to blow the game as pinch hitter Brad Miller walked on 5 pitches not even close. Somehow Smith managed to strike out Ranos on a nasty slider but Span finished off the comeback with a 3 run triple to give the Rays the lead. The comedy continued as Hechavarria singled on a chopper over the head of Smith and fumbled by Bogaerts to increase the lead. Joey Wendle pinch hit for Robertson and grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rays entered the inning down 4-0 and left up 6-0.
Rays closer Alex Colome took over to close it out in the top of the ninth and Bogaerts lined out to center to start. Devers grounded out to second but Nunez somehow doubled to bring the tying run to the plate. JBJ grounded out to second to end the game, the Rays pulled a miracle 15 years later to win it 6-4.
Jackass of the Night is Carson Smith. He took the loss by giving up the go-ahead runs and allowing all 3 inherited runners to score.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 including a 2 run inside the park home run.
Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.
Chris Sale was outstanding. He tossed 6 innings of 1 hit shutout ball while striking out 9. He deserved better.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.
Joe Kelly was charged with 4 runs in just 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and 3 walks.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 and got picked off.
Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 with a walk.
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.
Honorable Mention:
Mitch Moreland played first base in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Final Thoughts:
Flashbacks to 2003 anyone? Bullpen by committee never works but then again, new manager Alex Cora has to get a feel on who he can trust or not. Say what you will about John Farrell last year, but he new how to coax pitchers. Keeping Sale on a short leash cost them this game but it will pay dividends down the road if this team is a playoff contender. What makes this loss extra tough is Giancarlo Stanton smashed two home runs for the New York Yankees while JD Martinez barely worked a walk. Its only one game but that was tough to watch. Tomorrow night the Sox look to have more offensive output against Blake Snell of the Rays. David Price makes his season debut for the Sox for the 7:05 PM game at Tropicana Field.