Boston Stuns Chicago Late (8/30/18)

For the third game in a row the Boston Red Sox fell behind by multiple runs to a bottom dwelling team. For the third game in a row the Red Sox came back to win against the same bottom dwelling teams. This time the Chicago White Sox were enjoying a 4-0 lead when the Red Sox roared back scoring 4 in the 7th and 5 in the 9th to stun the palehosers 9-4 in the opening game of this four game set at Commiskey Park.

                                                   Ned Martin approves of the win

The game got off to a bad start when Mr. Mookie Betts walked to open the top of the first but was immediately picked off. Andrew Benintendi looked at strike three and JD Martinez lined out to short to end the inning. Meanwhile the ChiSox pounced on Porcello in the bottom of the first inning. Yolmer Sanchez took strike three but Nicky Delmonico walked. Avisail Garcia smashed a 30,000 foot bomb to give the White Sox the lead 3 batters into it. Daniel Palka singled but Tim Anderson whiffed. old friend Yoan Moncada and Matt Davidson hit back to back singles to increase the lead. Kevan Smith grounded into a force to end the inning but the ChiSox were up big already 3-0.

                                                      That didn't take long

The BoSox didn't even hit the ball hard in the top of the second inning as Xander Bogaerts whiffed, Eduardo Nunez grounded out to second and Brock "The Hitman" Holt whiffed to end the inning. The White Sox struck again in the bottom of the second although Adam Engel swung and missed for strike three to start. Sanchez singled, Delmonico doubled and Garcia hit a sac fly to increase the lead. Palka whiffed to end the inning but it was 4-0 Chicago.

                                                          Porcello struggling early

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the third as Ian Kinsler grounded out to third to begin. Sandy Leon and Jackie Bradley Jr both whiffed to end the inning. The White Sox looked to pour it on when Anderson singled and Moncada walked to open the bottom of the third. Davidson looked at strike three before Smith banged into a double play to end the inning.

Mr. Mookie grounded out to first to begin the top of the fourth before Benintendi flied out to left. Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Porcello still couldn't pitch a clean inning in the bottom of the fourth as Engel grounded out to short to start. Sanchez singled but Delmonico flied out to center. Garcia whiffed to end the inning.

The BoSox caught a break when Sanchez threw a ground ball by Bogaerts away for an error. They couldn't capitalize as Nunez grounded out to third before Kinsler singled Bogaerts to third. Leon was plunked to load the bases but JBJ grounded out to first to end the Sox only threat of the game. Porcello found his groove by striking out Palka to begin the bottom of the fifth. Anderson grounded out to short before Moncada flied out to left to end the inning.

Mr. Mookie singled to open the top of the sixth but was stranded as Benintendi whiffed, Martinez flied out to right and Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. Davidson walked to open the bottom of the sixth and that was it for Porcello. He recovered after the second inning but still pitched below average leaving trailing 4-0.

                                              Another lousy start by Porcello

Brandon Workman came in and immediately got Smith to bang into a double play. Engel whiffed to end the inning.

The BoSox finally rallied in the top of the seventh inning as Nunez popped up to third to begin, but Holt walked to chase Giolito. The floodgates opened on Jeanmar Gomez as Kinsler singled Holt to third and Blake Swihart pinch hit for Leon, singling home Holt and moving Kinsler to third. JBJ drove home Kinsler with a sac fly and Mr. Mookie tied up the game with a 2 run bomb just like that. Benintendi whiffed to end the inning but the BoSox finally showed some life to tie it up 4-4.

                                                          Mr. Mookie ties it up

Joe Kelly came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Sanchez singled, but Delmonico flied out to right. Sanchez swiped second but Garcia was rung up for strike three. Palka whiffed to end the inning.

The BoSox failed to take the lead in the top of the eighth as Ryan Burr got Martinez to fly out to right. Bogaerts and Nunez popped up to second to end the inning. Ryan Brasier was called upon to keep it tied in the bottom of the eighth and he did strike out Anderson to start. Moncada popped up to third and Davidson grounded out to short to end the inning.

The BoSox finally took the lead off Tyago Vieira in the top of the ninth and Holt looked at strike three to start. Kinsler singled and Swihart walked to put the go-ahead run at second. JBJ pounded a single to right to score Kinsler with the go-ahead run, sending Swihart to third. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Benintendi pitched in with a single to score Swihart with the insurance run. Martinez broke his home run drought with a 2 run bomb to ice it. Bogaerts walked to chase Vierira. Hector Santiago came in and uncorked a wild pitch to move Bogaerts to second before Holt grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                       Boston takes the lead

Heath Hembree had mop up duty in the bottom of the ninth and Smith grounded out to second to start. Engel singled but was erased on the force by Sanchez. Sanchez took second on defensive indifference and Delmonico whiffed to end the game. The Red Sox beat the White Sox 9-4.

                                                   Another victory


Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. His rbi single in the ninth was the difference in the game.

                                               Hero Bradley



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

Ian Kinsler was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Blake Swihart was 1 for 1 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Ryan Brasier got the win with a scoreless 8th inning.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but drove in 3 runs including a 3 run home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 but walked.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4 but walked.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 1 but was hit with a pitch.

Rick Porcello lasted just 5 innings and allowed 4 runs. He got rocked in the first two innings but finished strong.




Final Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty but a win is a win. Even though its against bad teams, the fact that Ian Kinsler, Blake Swihart and Jackie Bradley Jr are stepping up big is a welcome sign and they're gonna need their production. Dustin Pedroia isn't coming back so Kinsler must give them something at second. Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez are or were struggling so Swihart getting hot would help the catcher production and anything JBJ gives them offensively is a bonus to his defense. Betts and Martinez both homered and getting them hot would help for sure. Give a lot of credit to the much maligned bullpen who slammed the door following Porcello's exit. Porcello sucked again, maybe he needs to look at his mechanics because he's back to where he was last year giving up the long ball frequently. The win improved the Sox to 93-42, 8.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees who gagged to the Detroit Tigers tonight at home. It should be noted the last two Boston Red Sox teams finished with 93 wins while this year's team has 93 on August 30th. Tomorrow night Nathan Eovaldi (5-6, 4.15 ERA) looks to right the ship against former Red Sox farmhand Michael Kopech. Kopech is still steaming mad the Boston media turned on him for his PED suspension so this is going to be interesting. It should be noted that none other than Pedro Martinez himself has asked to work with Eovaldi leading up to this start claiming he found something wrong with Nathan's mechanics. If Pedro fixed Luis Severino then hopefully he fixed Eovaldi in time for the game at 8:10 PM at Commiskey Park.

Sox Lose Price, Win Game & Ground (8/29/18)

The good news is the Boston Red Sox came from behind to smack around the Miami Marlins, scoring 11 runs in one inning to win in a laughter. In other good news, former Red Sox farmhand Ryan LaMarre almost singlehandedly beat the New York Yankees as a member of the Chicago White Sox. The bad news was David Price took a line drive off his wrist and had to be carried out on a stretcher. If the Sox lose Price while already missing Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale, then just forget this season. Still, the Sox did manage to win 14-6 at Fenway Park but this is not good.

                                                  "Price is hurt? Oh hamburgers!"

The carnage began in the top of the first inning when Rafael Ortega led off by grounding out to second. Somehow Price froze Brian Anderson but JT Realmuto singled. Starlin Castro flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox did nothing against Marlins starter Trevor Richards in the bottom of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts lined out to right before Andrew Benintendi whiffed. Steve Pearce was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

The Marlins struck first in the top of the second inning when Derek Dietrich blasted a 50,000 foot home run to give Miami the lead. Austin Dean whiffed before Miguel Rojas grounded out to first. JT Riddle popped up to short to end the inning with the Marlins up 1-0.

                                              "Damn you Dietrich!" - Price

The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez whiffed to start. Xander Bogaerts lined out to second but Eduardo Nunez smashed his 9th home run of the year to tie the game. Ian Kinsler lined out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Nunez is all smiles

The Marlins took command and knocked Price out in the top of the third inning. Isaac Galloway was frozen for strike three but Ortega singled. Ortega was erased on the Anderson force but Realmuto doubled to score Anderson to give Miami the leat. Castro singled home Realmuto and Dietrich was plunked. Dean then shattered Price's wrist with a line drive. Price heroically threw to first to get him out but had to be carried out on a stretcher and loaded onto an ambulance headed to Mass General. It was 3-1 Marlins and Price was done for the season.

                                                   There goes Price

The Sox did manage to get one back in the bottom of the third although Sandy Leon flied out to left. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left but Mr. Mookie smashed a towering home run to cut into the lead. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 3-2 Miami.

                                                   Betts gets the Sox back in it

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez took over for the top of the fourth and Rojas grounded out to short to begin. Riddle single but was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Leon. Galloway whiffed to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Pearce whiffed to start. Martinez lined out to second before Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

The Marlins got a huge insurance run in the top of the fifth inning although Ortega grounded out to first to start. Anderson was plunked but Realmuto whiffed. Anderson moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on the Castro single. Dietrich flied out to center to end the inning but it was 4-2 Marlins.

                                             Castro increased the lead

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fifth as Nunez grounded out to short to start. Kinsler lined out to short and Leon popped up to short to end the inning.

Velazquez came back for the top of the sixth and Dean grounded out to third to start. Rojas grounded out to short and Riddle whiffed to end the inning. The Sox wasted a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth as JBJ grounded out to second to begin. Mr. Mookie and Benintendi drew back to back walks but Pearce looked at strike three. Martinez singled home Betts to inch closer and chase Richards from the game. Drew Rucinski came in but Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                              Martinez brings the Sox closer

Naturally once the Sox inched closer the Marlins broke it open in the top of the seventh. Galloway walked and Ortega singled to chase Velazquez. Tyler Thornburg sprinted from the bullpen to the mound and got Anderson to fly out but Galloway moved to third. Naturally Realmuto grounded out but Galloway scored for another insurance run. Castro lined out to center to end the inning but the Marlins led 5-3.

                                              Game looked over after Galloway scored

All of a sudden the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the seventh with an offensive explosion. Nunez got it started with a single before Kinsler doubled him to third. Blake Swihart pinch hit for Leon and Adam Conley relieved Drew Rucinski. Swihart singled Nunez home and JBJ doubled home Kinsler to tie the game. Mr. Mookie doubled both runners in to give the Sox the lead. Benintendi dropped down a bunt to advance Mr. Mookie to third and Drew Steckenrider came in to face Pearce. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Pearce and tripled home Betts. Martinez was intentionally walked and Bogaerts made the Marlins pay with a base hit to score Holt. Javy Guerra came in to pitch and the guy who started the inning, Nunez, kept it going with another single. Kinsler singled home Bogaerts and Swihart doubled home both runners then took third on an error. JBj singled home Blake and Mr. Mookie singled JBJ to third. The inning ended when Benintendi banged into a double play but the Sox put up 11 runs on 11 hits to take a 14-5 lead. Wow!

                                                     The scoreboard says it all

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth but not even he could pitch a clean inning. Dietrich flied out to right but Dean crushed a 4,000 foot home run to cut into the lead. Rojas popped up to first and Riddle flied out to center to end the inning with the Marlins down 14-6.

                                                    Dean homers just to piss us off

Bryan Holaday came in to catch the bottom of the eighth with Brett Graves on the mound. Holt singled but Martinez banged into a double play. Bogaerts lined out to second to end the inning.

Drew Pomeranz came in to pitch the top of the ninth and promptly walked Galloway. Ortega whiffed and Anderson banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had came back to win a laughter 14-6 and gain ground in the AL East.

Hero of the Night is Mookie Betts. His double in the 7th inning broke the tie and gave the Sox the lead for good.

                                                   Mookie the Hero tonight



The Good:

Brock Holt was 2 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 3 for 4 with 2 total rbis, 3 total runs scored and a home run.

Ian Kinsler was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Blake Swihart was 2 for 2 with 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 rbi's and a run scored.

Tyler Thornburg pitched a scoreless inning.

Drew Pomeranz pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 2.

Hector Velazquez allowed 2 runs in 3 innings.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the top of the eighth.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored.

David Price lasted just 3 innings and allowed 3 runs but left with an injury.




Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox had to scratch and claw to beat the damn Miami Marlins. Again a win is a win but it shouldn't be this hard to beat these guys. The Sox are praying to the baseball gods David Price is alright after getting a line drive off the wrist. If he's hurt badly you can just forget about the season with Eduardo Rodrigue, Chris Sale and Steven Wright all out. The good news is Wright, Christian Vazquez and Rafael Devers are rehabbing and should be back soon. The Sox are gonna need fresh troops on September 1st, that's for sure. This game reminds me of the game in 2003 where the Sox beat the Marlins 25-8. In that game they scored 14 runs in the first inning and they scored 11 in the 7th tonight. The win improved the Sox to 92-42, 7.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. It should be noted the 1998 Red Sox with Mo Vaughn, Nomar, Pedro Martinez and Bret Saberhagen won 92 total games and the AL Wild Card. This year's Sox team has won 92 total games....on August 29th. Tomorrw night the Sox travel to Chicago for a four game set with the Chicago White Sox. "Slick" Rick Porcello (15-7) goes for Boston with Lucas Giolito going for Chicago at 8:10 PM at Commiskey Park.

Season Saving Rally Shocks Marlins (8/28/18)

That was one of the most unnecessary walkoff wins in Boston Red Sox history. For seven innings the Sox were in the middle of a pedestrian 4-1 lead until the top of the eighth inning against the last place Miami Marlins. The miserable Red Sox bullpen led by Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree allowed FIVE runs to put the Sox in a 6-4 hole. The Sox pulled off a huge rally to lead 7-6 when the now unreliable Craig Kimbrel blew the save only for Eduardo Nunez to hit the game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Marlins. Not many games could be categorized as "season saving" in August but this one definitely was. A loss to the last place Marlins would have meant their AL East lead shrinking due to the New York Yankees putting up their own rally to beat the Chicago White Sox. As it is, when all was said and done the Sox walked off 8-7 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Happy Sox fans

Brian Johnson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rafael Ortega flied out to center to begin. Brian Anderson grounded out to second and JT Realmuto grounded out to third to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts greeted Miami starter Jose Urena with a base hit to left but Andrew Benintendi flied out to left. Mitch Moreland lined out to right and JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning.

Johnson got Starlin Castro to ground out to short to begin the top of the second before Derek Dietrich was frozen for strike three. Austin Dean flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts led off with a double. Xander moved to third on the Eduardo Nunez grounder then scored on the Ian Kinsler single to give the Sox the lead. Blake Swihart banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                     Kinsler makes it 1-0

The lead lasted approximately 30 seconds as Miguel Rojas grounded out to third but Isaac Galloway smashed a 50,000 foot home run to tie the game. Old pal Bryan Holaday singled but Ortega looked at strike three. Anderson doubled Holaday to third but Johnson got a key out when he got Realmuto to lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                 Galloway ties it up

The Sox wasted no time getting the lead back in the bottom of the third as Jackie Bradley Jr singled to start. Mr. Mookie walked and Andrew Benintendi hit a ground ball double to the right center gap to score JBJ. Moreland whiffed but Martinez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Bogaerts scored Betts with a sac fly for some insurance before Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                               Good work Benintendi

Things looked bleak when Castro tripled to lead off the top of the fourth but Johnson put on his big boy pants to freeze Dietrich for strike three. Dean walked but Rojas popped up to first and Galloway popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Kinsler grounded out to short to start. Swihart flied out to left and JBJ whiffed to end the inning.

Johnson returned briefly for the top of the fifth to get Holaday to fly out to center but an Ortega single chased him after 4 1/3 inning of one run ball.

                                                        Nice try Johnson

The much maligned Boston bullpen had to pitch the rest of the game and Brandon Workman was brought in first. The alert Swihart gunned down Ortega trying to steal before Anderson walked. Realmuto singled but Castro grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Mr. Mookie flied out to center to begin before Benintendi grounded back to the mound. Moreland walked but Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Workman returned for the top of the sixth and Dietrich popped up to short to begin. Dean lined out to center and Rojas grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning although Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Nunez pitched in by swatting a solo home run off the top of the Monster over the line to increase the lead. Kinsler grounded out to short and Swihart grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                Nunez goes yard

Joe Kelly came in to pitch the top of the seventh and froze Galloway to start. Holaday popped up to first before Ortega lined out to center to end the inning. Kyle Barraclough replaced Urena for the bottom of the seventh and JBJ walked to start. JBJ made a mad dash for second....OUT! BUT WAIT! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call and sure enough JBJ was ruled safe. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi grounded into a third to first double play. Moreland flied out to right to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to blow the game in the top of the eighth. Anderson singled and Realmuto crushed a 25,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Castro then blasted a 90,000 foot bomb to tie the game just like that. Dietrich struck out but Dean singled to chase the incompetent Barnes. Heath Hembree came in to pour gas on the fire and Magneuris Sierra pinch ran for Dean. Rojas singled before Galloway flied out to center only for pinch hitter JT Riddle (for Holaday) walked to load the bases. Ortega blooped a single to left to score two runners to give the Marlins the lead. Anderson grounded out to end the inning but the Marlins took a 4-1 deficit and turned it into a 6-4 lead. Pathetic!

                                               "I sucked tonight!" - Matt Barnes

Down to their last 6 outs the Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the eighth. Ortega moved to left field, Realmuto took over behind the plate, Sierra was in center, Rojas went to first, Galloway moved to right and Riddle went to short with Tayron Guerrero now on the mound. Martinez started with a single but Bogaerts lined out to right. Nunez and Kinsler stroked back to back singles to load the bases but Swihart whiffed. One out away from a blown rally, JBJ stepped up big with a seeing eye single to right to score Martinez and Nunez to tie the game. On a 3-1 count, Guerrero threw the next pitch away that not only walked Bogaerts but Kinsler made a mad dash home to give the Sox the lead. The stunned Marlins pulled Guerrero for Adam Conley and Benintendi grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox somehow ahead 7-6.

                                                   Kinsler scores the go-ahead run

All Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel needed was 3 outs and it was over but he sucked tonight too. Realmuto lined out to short but Castro walked. Yadiel Rivera pinch ran for Castro and Dietrich walked. Naturally Sierra singled to tie the game when Rivera scored earned well deserved boo's from the crowd. Rojas lined out to second but a wild pitch moved both runners up. Kimbrel blew away Galloway to end the inning but it was tied 7-7.

                                               Kimbrel blows it

Once again the Sox put on their big boy pants in the bottom of the ninth inning. Drew Steckenrider took over on the mound and Steve Pearce pinch hit for Moreland...only to fly out to right. Martinez and Bogaerts singled to bring up Nunez. Nunez hit a high chopper to short and Riddle stepped on second and fired to first.....NOWHERE CLOSE! The ball went into the stands, Martinez scored and the Red Sox somehow won this crazy game after everything. How about that?

                                                     RED SOX WIN!!!


Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. Yes, Nunez got the walkoff but that should have been a double play. Bradley and the Sox were down to their last out of the eighth and he stepped in with the clutch single to tie the game.

                                                Jackie the Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Ian Kinsler was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Brian Johnson allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings.

Brandon Workman pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Holy moly that was almost a complete disaster and in many ways it was. The Sox came within an eyelash of not only dropping this game but falling to 5.5 games in front of the New York Yankees. This bullpen is their achillies heel and something has to be done before the August 31st deadline or they're in deep trouble come October. Not one reliever has looked good lately and it overshadows the tremendous display of balls by the offense to come back and win this game. You can't outslug everyone in the playoffs and the Sox are gonna need a lights out bullpen if they have any chance in October. Until then, this was a hell of a win against a garbage team but every win counts. The win improved the Sox to 91-42, 6.5 games ahead of the Yankees who erased a 4-0 deficit to beat the Sox 5-4. It should be noted that the 1979 Red Sox that featured a murder's row lineup of Fred Lynn, Yaz, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Bob Watson, Butch Hobson and Carlton Fisk finished with 91 wins. This year's team has 91 wins....on August 28th. Tomorrow night the Sox look to finish the season sweep of the Marlins with David Price (14-6, 3.50 ERA) taking on Trevor Richards at 6:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News (8/27/18)

 On This Day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

2010 - Lester outduels Price, Sox beat Rays

2016 - Sox snap streak, beat Royals

2017 - Orioles Sweep Sox

Tomorrow night the Sox come home to face the Miami Marlins with Brian Johnson on the mound opposite Jose Urena. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Sweep Sox (8/26/18)

Well this isn't good. The red hot Tampa Bay Rays just made a statement as they pounded the Boston Red Sox out of Tampa with a never-in-doubt 3 game sweep where not one of the games came remotely close to being competitive. In today's game, Rays ace Blake Snell took another step toward the AL Cy Young award by taking down the high powered Red Sox offense. The red hot Rays offense pounded Nathan Eovaldi (5-6, 4.15 ERA) and the beleaguered Boston bullpen to take a 9-1 game winning series sweep to knock the Sox just 6 ahead of the New York Yankees for first place.

The Sox did absolutely nothing in the top of the first inning against Snell as Mr. Mookie Betts looked at strike three to begin. Eduardo Nunez flied out to center and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The Rays jumped all over Eovaldi in the bottom of the first inning as Joey Wendle began with a double before moving to third on the Matt Duffy single. Ji-Man Choi singled home Wendle and advance Duffy to third just like that. Tommy Pham looked at strike three but Jake Bauers scored Duffy with a sac fly to ice the game early. Kiermaier popped up to first to end the inng with the Rays up 2-0.

                                                           Choi does it again

Nothing good happened in the top of the second as Steve Pearce walked to start but Mitch Moreland flied out to left. Pearce randomly took off for second and he was easily thrown out at second before Ian Kinsler took strike three to end the inning. Somehow Eovaldi had a strong bottom of the second as Willy Adames and Brandon Lowe grounded out to second before Michael Perez whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Brock "The Hitman" Holt whiffed to start. Sandy Leon grounded out to short before Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third although Wendle looked at strike three to start. Duffy and Choi stroked back to back singles before Pham singled hme Duffy. Bauers lined out to right but Kiermaier tripled home everyone to put the game out of reach. Adames looked at strike three but it was 5-0 Rays.

                                                     Kiermaier ends it early

Mr. Mookie tried to fight back with a leadoff single to open the top of the fourth but Nunez whiffed. Betts swiped second but Bogaerts whiffed too. Pearce flied out to center to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for another beating in the bottom of the fourth. Lowe hit a routine grounder to Moreland who decided to dive on the ball and swim on it for an error. Lowe was erased on the force by Perez but Wendle singled. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Lowe scored on the sac fly by Duffy. Choi was finally struck out to end the inning but that was it for Eovaldi. He lasted just 4 innings and allowed 6 runs to trail 6-0.

                                                       Not the best start for Nathan

Still nothing in the top of the fifth inning as Moreland popped up to third to begin. Kinsler flied out to center before Holt whiffed to end the inning. Joe Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Pham greeted him with a base hit. Kelly managed to pick him off and Bauers grounded out to first, but Kiermaier walked. Adames grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox finally broke through briefly in the top of the sixth inning when Leon walked to start. JBJ doubled Leon to third but all Mr. Mookie could do was score Leon with a sac fly. Nunez moved JBJ to third with a groundr but Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                            "We got one!" - Nunez

The Rays were personally offended the Sox had the unmitigated audacity to score a run so they pounded Heath Hembree in the bottom of the sixth inning. Lowe singled then took second on the Perez strike out. Wendle whiffed but Duffy doubled home Lowe. Choi walked but Pham flied out to right to end the inning with the Rays up 7-1.

                                                   Duffy can't miss today

That was it for Snell after 6 solid innings and Diego Castillo got the ball for the top of the seventh. Pearce grounded out to third, Moreland flied out to center and Kinsler popped up to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes got the bottom of the seventh and they smacked him around too. Bauers walked but Kiermaier and Adames whiffed. Lowe walked and Perez doubled home both runners to increase the lead. Wendle grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 9-1.

                                                Barnes says "Make it stop!"

Andrew Kittredge got the ball in the top of the eighth an Holt popped up to third to begin. Leon also popped up to third before JBJ whiffed to end the inning. Blake Swihart came in to spell Betts and Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. Duffy and Choi watched strike three go by before Kimbrel blew away Pham to end the inning. Guess that was the lone highlight of the game for Boston.

                                                  Kimbrel mows them down

The game mercifully ended in the top of the ninth inning as Swihart grounded out to first to start. Nunez singled and took second on defensive indifference but Bogaerts grounded out to third. Pearce grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had swept the Sox out of Tampa with a 9-1 win.

                                                       Swept by the Rays


Jackass of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He lasted just 4 innings and gave up 6 runs for yet another defeat. He's clearly broken.

                                                       Jackass Eovaldi



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 2 with a steal and drove in the only run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 5th inning.

Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.



The Bad:

Blake Swihart was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 with an error.

Ian Kinsler was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Heath Hembree allowed a run in the sixth.

Matt Barnes allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the seventh.



The Ugly:

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 3 but walked.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 2 but walked and scored.




Final Thoughts:

That totally sucked. Not only did the Rays dominate the Sox but none of the games were even close. The Rays controlled from start to finish and battered the Sox for 24 runs in 3 games. That was a mugging with an audience and tip your cap to the Rays for earning that sweep. Compounding this disaster was the New York Yankees sweeping the Baltimore Orioles four straight to erase the 9.5 game deficit in the standings they had. Now this is no time to panic if you're a Sox fan. They have 6 games coming with the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox plus the Yankees have a tougher September than they had in August. Realistically the Yankees could win about 104 games and the Sox just need to win 14 games to reach that mark. If the Sox stumble, bumble and fall to Chicago and Miami, THEN its time to panic. The loss dropped the Sox to 90-42, 6 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day the Sox return home to face the Miami Marlins with Brian Johnson on the mound opposite Jose Urena. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Shut Down Sox (8/25/18)

Looks like the Boston Red Sox ran smack into a buzzsaw known as the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa had won 5 games in a row going into this series and they made it 7 after this evening's game against the Sox. Rick Porcello (15-7, 4.18 ERA) got smacked around as potential American League rookie of the year Ryan Yarbrough and the Tampa bullpen held the non-existent Sox offense to just one run. When it was over the Rays ran over the Sox with a 5-1 win.

Mr. Mookie Betts led off the game with a lazy fly to center before Andrew Benintendi whiffed badly. Steve Pearce hit a dinky squibber in front of the mound to end the inning, pathetic. Porcello got the ball in the bottom of the first and right on cue Joey Wendle singled to center. Wendle easily stole second although somehow Porcello whiffed Matt Duffy. Somehow Ji-Man Choi was retired by a running Betts in center but Tommy Pham took a nasty 93 mph fastball on the corner to end the inning.

JD Martinez lined one up the middle and caught everyone napping by motoring to second for a rare ground ball double to begin the top of the second. Xander Bogaerts roped a single to left to advance JD but Mitch Moreland banged into a double play. Martinez scored on the DP to give the Sox the lead and Ian Kinsler popped up to center with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Sox strike first

Could Porcello pitch with the lead? He got CJ Cron to ground out to third and whiffed Kevin Kiermaier to begin the bottom of the second. Willy Adames was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Eduardo Nunez led off the top of the third with a laser to left for a single but Sandy Leon poked a fly out to right. The slumping Mr. Mookie somehow beat out a picture perfect double play ball and swiped second to boot. Benintendi whiffed badly again to end the inning. The Rays almost took control in the bottom of the third when Porcello walked the .179 hitting Brandon Lowe to start. Michael Perez hit a perfect double play ball to Bogaerts....who muffed it and was only able to get the out at second. Naturally Wendle walked and Duffy smoked a single to left to load the bases. Somehow Porcello froze Choi for strike three and Pham on the exact same lollipop curve to end the inning.

The Sox squandered a chance for insurance in the top of the fourth as Pearce began by lining out to center to start. Martinez smacked a double but Bogaerts grounded out to third. Moreland popped up to third to end the inning. The Rays struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Cron was plunked to start. Kiermaier sacrificed Cron to second but Adames whiffed. Lowe then singled to left to tie the game. Perez popped up to third to end the inning but the Rays had tied it 1-1.

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Kinsler popped up to third to begin. Nunez singled to right but Leon flied out to center. Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning. The Rays threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Wendle and Duffy stroked back to back singles to start. Choi popped up to short but Pham grounded out. Cron whiffed to end the inning.

Benintendi drew a walk to open the top of the sixth and chase Yarbrough from the game. Ryan Stanek relieved Yarbrough and got Pearce to fly out to right. Benintendi was picked off and Martinez whiffed to end the inning. The Rays took command in the bottom of the sixth when Kiermaier tripled and Adames was plunked, chasing Porcello from the game. Rick lasted just 5 innings in a game the Sox needed a long start, damn.

                                                       Nice going Rick

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch and immediately uncorked a wild pitch that scored Kiermaier with the go-ahead run. Lowe walked and Perez tried to bunt for a hit but was thrown out, although he advanced the runners. Wendle scored Adames with a sac fly to ice the game. Duffy flied out to center to end the inning but it was 3-1 Rays.

                                                     That's game

Chaz Roe came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bogaerts popped up to second to begin. Moreland grounded out ti first and Kinsler popped up to second to end the inning. Brandon Workman came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and the Rays struck again. Choi hit one up the elevator shaft but Pham blasted a 589,000 foot blast to increase the lead. Cron walked and Kiermaier singled him to third before swiping second. Adames whiffed and Lowe grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1.

                                                      Dammit

Jose Alvarado had the eighth for the Rays and Nunez looked at strike three to begin. Leon grounded out to second and Mr. Mookie flied out to right to end the inning. Tyler Thornburg made a mad dash to the mound for the bottom of the eighth and froze Perez to start. Wendle grounded out but Duffy walked and Choi tripled him home. Pham lined out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 5-1.

                                                         Rays pour it on

Sergio Romo had the top of the ninth and Benintendi whiffed to start. Pearce flied out to center before Martinez whiffed to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-1.

                                                               Barf


Jackass of the Night is Rick Porcello. He lasted just 5 innings and gave up 3 runs to take the loss in this one.

                                                        Slick Jackass tonight



The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 3.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 6th inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce was 0 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3.

Ian Kinsler was 0 for 3.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3.

Brandon Workman gave up a run in the 7th inning.

Tyler Thornburg gave up a run in the 8th inning.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 but stole a base.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Things aren't looking good for the Sox lately. Losing 2 straight to the Rays while the New York Yankees sweep a doubleheader from the Baltimore Orioles shrunk the Sox lead to just 7 games. The Rays bullpen tossed 4 more scoreless innings to go with their performance yesterday, continuing to embarrass Red Sox hitters. The less said of this disaster the better, especially since Mookie Betts is in a complete slump. The loss dropped the Sox to 90-41, 7 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to avoid the sweep with Nathan Eovaldi (5-5, 3.81 ERA) taking on Rays ace Blake Snell at 1:05 PM at Tropicana Field.