Basebawful Report of the Month (3/31/19)

Matt Barnes had 1 Good

Andrew Benintendi had 1 Good and 3 Ugly

Mookie Betts had 1 Good and 3 Ugly

Xander Bogaerts had 1 Good, 2 Ugly and 1 Jackass

Jackie Bradley Jr had 1 Good and 3 Ugly

Ryan Brasier had 1 Good

Colten Brewer had 2 Good

Rafael Devers had 3 Good and 1 Ugly

Nathan Eovaldi had 1 Bad

Heath Hembree had 1 Good and 1 Ugly

Brock Holt had 1 Ugly and 1 Honorable Mention

Brian Johnson had 2 Good and 1 Ugly

JD Martinez had 3 Good and 1 Ugly

Mitch Moreland had 3 Ugly and 1 Hero

Eduardo Nunez had 2 Bad and 2 Ugly

Rick Porcello had 1 Jackass

Eduardo Rodriguez had 1 Bad

Chris Sale had 1 Jackass

Blake Swihart had 2 Good and 1 Bad

Tyler Thornburg had 1 Good and 1 Bad

Sam Travis had 1 Good and 1 Bad

Christian Vazquez had 2 Good and 2 Ugly

Hector Velazquez had 1 Good and 1 Bad

Brandon Workman had 2 Good


The Co-MVP's are JD Martinez and Rafael Devers with 3 Good

The Least Valuable Player is Eduardo Nunez with 2 Bad

The Tri-Ugliest Players of the Month are Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr with 3 apiece

Hero of the Month is Mitch Moreland with 1 Hero

The Tri-Jackasses of the Month are Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts and Rick Porcello

Mariners Pound Sox, Take Three of Four (3/31/19)

Either the Seattle Mariners are winning 116 games again this season or the Boston Red Sox were caught in a rare perfect storm. For the fourth game in a row the Mariners effortlessly pounded the Red Sox pitching staff with Rick Porcello being the latest victim. The Mariners had 7 runs on the board in 2 2/3 innings before putting 10 total on the board. The Sox tried to fight back with 8 runs of their own but the deficit was just too much to overcome as the Mariners had taken 3 of 4 to start the season with a 10-8 victory at Safeco Field.

Wade LeBlanc got the ball to start the top of the first inning and the Sox tagged him. Mr. Mookie greeted him by grounding out to short to begin before Rafael Devers got a lucky double to left when the left fielder misjudged it. JD Martinez singled up the middle on the first pitch to score Devers with the first run. Xander Bogaerts drew a walk and Ryon Healy threw a double play ball by Sam Travis away to load the bases. Mitch Moreland popped up to left before Eduardo Nunez singled in the hole at third to score Martinez and Bogaerts. Christian Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox.

"Slick" Rick Porcello took the mound in the bottom of the first and struck out Mallex Smith to start. Bogaerts lost a pop up by Mitch Haniger in the sun but the alert Martinez caught it in time. Porcello froze Domingo Santana to end the inning.

Jackie Bradley Jr led off the top of the second by grounding out to first. Mr. Mookie hit a 401 foot fly out to the centerfield wall before Devers grounding out to first to end the inning. Jay Bruce started a rally with a double to right to start the bottom of the second before Omar Narvaez poked a single to center to put runners at the corners. Beckham had Porcello on the ropes by running the count full but Porcello froze him with a perfect pitch on the outside corner for strike three. Porcello got Healy to pop up to third before Daniel Vogelbach walked to load the bases. Gordon made Rick pay by stroking a single to score Bruce and Narvaez. Smith grounded out to first but Porcello was at 40 pitches and it was 3-2 Sox.

Martinez tried to start a rally by drawing a walk to open the top of the third but Bogaerts poked a piece of crap pop up to right. Travis hit a routine fly to center but Moreland doubled into the right field corner. Unfortunately Nunez popped up to right on the first pitch to end the inning. The Mariners took advantage of an error by Martinez to rally again. JD dropped a pop up by Haninger and it allowed him to reach second. Santana hit a rocket to the left field wall that Martinez grabbed but Haniger moved to third. Bruce walked on 4 pitches not even close and Narvaez smashed a 3 run bomb to put the Mariners up for good. Beckham drew a full count walk and Healy singled him to third. Porcello walked Vogelbach before Gordon hit a sac fly to score Beckham. Smith singled up the middle to score Healy to chase Porcello. Porcello was just the lastest starter to get his ass handed to him by allowing 9 earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Brian Johnson came in and the parade continued as Haniger doubled down the left field line to score Vogelbach and Smith. Santana flied out to center to end the inning but the game was over 9-3.

                                                     Another garbage start

The Sox tried to come back in the top of the fourth as Vazquez drew a walk to start. JBJ whiffed but Mr. Mookie beat out a double play ball. That was big as Devers singled and Martinez crushed a three run homer to inch the Sox closer. Bogaerts singled to center but Travis lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 9-6.

                                                            Sox aren't dead yet

The Mariners wasted no time getting the runs back as Bruce hit a home run into the Pacific Ocean to open the bottom of the fourth. Narvaez flied out to center and Beckham grounded out to short but Healy doubled down the left field line. Vogelbach flied out to left to end the inning but now it was over 10-6.

The Sox gave up after that as they went quietly in the top of the fifth. Moreland flied out to left, Nunez grounded out to short and Vazquez lined out to right to end the inning. Johnson almost got tagged in the bottom of the fifth as Gordon flied out to center to begin. Smith flied out to left but Haniger singled and Santana walked. Bruce whiffed on a full count to end the inning.

The Sox struck in the top of the sixth although JBJ grounded out to first to start. That was it for LeBlanc as Nick Rumbelow replaced him. Mr. Mookie greeted him with his first home run of the year to cut into the lead. Devers lined out to center and Martinez lined out to right to end the inning but it was 10-7.

                                                 First dinger of the year for Betts

Brandon Workman came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth inning and got Narvaez to line out to left to start. Beckham looked at strike three but Healy walked. Vogelbach whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly against Matt Festa in the top of the seventh as Bogaerts looked at strike three to start. Travis grounded out to second and Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Colten Brewer got the call to pitch the bottom of the seventh and crapped his pants. Gordon stuck his bat out, poking a single to center before Devers battled the sun to corral a pop up by Smith in foul territory. Gordon plowed into Nunez on a steal attempt and was safe before moving to third on a passed ball strikeout by Haniger. Santana walked on four pitches not even close to load the bases but Brewer somehow struck out both Bruce and Narvaez to end the inning. Good work Brewer!

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth as Nunez popped up to Gordon to start. Vazquez grounded out to third but JBJ doubled into the right field corner. Mr. Mookie walked to chase Festa and Roenis Elias got Devers to pop up to left to end the inning. Ryan Brasier made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth and naturally Beckham singled up the middle to start. Healy lined out to center and Vogelbach whiffed. Gordon whiffed to end the inning.

Cory Gearrin came in to finish off the Sox in the top of the ninth and Martinez got on with a walk. Bogaerts flied out to right and Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Travis. Benintendi and Moreland drew back to back walks to load the bases. That was it for Gearrin as Chasen Bradford was brought in to face Blake Swihart who was pinch hitting for Nunez. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch ran for Moreland and Swihart drew a full count walk to score Martinez, re-loading the bases. Naturally Vazquez pissed down his leg and whiffed before JBJ grounded out weakly to second to end the game. The Sox rallied in the ninth again but it was too much to overcome in the 10-8 loss.

Jackass of the Night is Rick Porcello. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and was charged with 9 runs (4 earned). He allowed 6 hits, an uncharacteristic 4 walks and one home run.

                                                   Slick Jackass


The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 3 total runs scored, 4 total rbis including a 3 run homer.

Andrew Benintendi walked as a pinch hitter.

Blake Swihart walked and drove in a run.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Colton Brewer pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Sam Travis was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but scored two runs, walked and the one hit was a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5.

Brian Johnson allowed 2 inherited runners to score but only one of his own in 2 1/3 innings.



Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt pinch ran for Moreland in the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

What more can be said apart from the Sox weren't ready to start the season. The Mariners hit everything a mile or simply stuck their bats out and the balls dropped in somewhere. This was a four game mugging with an audience. The Mariners scored 34 runs in four games and the Sox needed a miracle rally to win one game. The only bright side is the New York Yankees lost two of three at home against Baltimore, games they need to win. Hopefully the starters got their rust off and can come back this coming week after first game jitters are gone. The Sox look to bounce back in a four game set in Oakland starting tomorrow night. David Price makes his season debut opposite Aaron Brooks at 10:00 PM Eastern time at the Oakland Coliseum.

Sox Late Rally in Seattle Falls Short (3/30/19)

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora took it easy on the Sox in spring training hoping it would help them get into the season better after playing 14 post-season games last fall. The plan backfired as the Sox have been completely outclassed in three games thus far save for a miracle 9th inning home run. The Seattle Mariners have out-hit, outpitched and outhustled the Sox including tonight's game. Eduardo Rodriguez looked more like the nibbler he's always been, getting smacked around for 6 runs in less than 5 innings. The bats came alive late but it was too much to overcome as the Mariners defeated the Red Sox 6-5 at Safeco Field.

Mike Leake got the ball in the top of the first inning and Andrew Benintendi greeted him by grounding out to second to begin. Mr. Mookie Betts whiffed on a pitch in the dirt but Rafael Devers inside outed a single in the hole at third. JD Martinez flied out to the warning track in left to end the inning. Rodriguez got the ball in the bottom of the first and once again the Mariners struck first. Mitch Haniger lined a full count single up the middle to begin before Domingo Santana whiffed on a high fastball. Haniger moved to second on a grounder to third by Edwin Encarnacion before Jay Bruce walked on four pitched not even close. Tim Beckham blooped a single to center to score Haniger to give Seattle the lead before Ryon Healy effortlessly doubled down the left field line to score Haniger. Somehow Rodriguez struck out Tom Murphy to end the inning but had thrown 31 pitches and was down 2-0.

                                                   Here we go again

The Sox wasted no time responding against Leake in the top of the second although Xander Bogaerts popped up harmlessly to right to start. Mitch Moreland got a lucky double when Santana fell down trying to make a catch before moving to third on the grounder by Blake Swihart. Jackie Bradley Jr poked a single to center to score Moreland to cut the lead. Brock "The Hitman" Holt drew a walk but tragedy struck when Benintendi fouled a ball off his own knee. Benintendi stayed in the game but whiffed to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

Rodriguez blew away Dylan Moore to open the bottom of the second before Gordon grounded out to first without leaving the batter's box, believing he fouled the pitch off his foot. Home plate umpire Dan Bellino disagreed and the call stood. Haniger grounded out to second on a full count to end the inning.

The Sox tied it in the top of third inning although Mr. Mookie flied out to the left field warning track to start. Devers walked and stole second before scoring on the Martinez rocket into left. Bogaerts popped up to right and Moreland grounded out to third to end the inning but it was tied 2-2.

                                                         Devers contributes to the offense

Mr. Mookie made a highlight reel running catch off a Santana line drive to right to begin the bottom of the third. Encarnacion singled in the hole at short but Bruce popped up to Devers. Beckham whiffed on a full count to end the inning.

Leake cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Swihart whiffed on a foul tip into the mitt to start. JBJ flied out to the left field warning track and Holt whiffed to end the inning. The Mariners re-took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Healy doubled into the right field corner to start. Murphy walked but Moore banged into a double play to put Healy at third. Right on cue Gordon poked an opposite field single over the head of Devers to score Healy with the go-ahead run. Gordon swiped second and took third when Swihart's throw hit him and rolled into left. The Sox caught a break when Haniger was rung up for strike three on yet another full count to end the inning with the Mariners up 3-2.

Benintendi tried to start a rally in the top of the fifth when Gordon overran a ground ball to start the inning. Mr. Mookie hit one up the elevator shaft before Devers hit a ground ball in the hole at short. The throw came to first and.....OUT! Not so fast! Alert Red Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call at first and it was overturned, safe at first. The rally ended as Martinez popped up to center and Bogaerts whiffed badly to end the inning. Rodriguez returned with 86 pitches on his arm and got hammered. Santana hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts. Bogaerts threw to first but Moreland threw his glove at the ball rather than catch it for another error. Right on cue Encarnacion effortlessly singled to left and Bruce easily smashed a 4,000 foot home run for the kill shot. Beckham walked on 5 pitches but Rodriguez ended his outing by getting Healy to pop up to left. FINALLY Cora lifted his starter after he allowed 6 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Another garbage outing by a starter in this series. Heath Hembree came in and the attack continued as Murphy pounded a single to center. Moore was rung up on a questionable strike three call before Gordon lined out to Betts to end the inning with the Mariners up for good 6-2.

                                                 All smiles in Seattle

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Moreland grounded out weakly to short to begin. Swihart whiffed badly but JBJ poked a lucky single to right. Naturally Holt watched strike three go by to end the inning. Hembree came back for the bottom of the sixth and got Haniger to ground out to third but Santana smashed a single to right. Hembre didn't even bother to look and Santana walked to second base with a steal. Somehow Encarnacion whiffed and Betts made yet another great running catch to rob Bruce to end the inning.

Leake was done after 6 solid innings and Brandon Brennan came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning. Benintendi whiffed badly, Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Tyler Thornburg made a mad dash to the mound to begin the bottom of the seventh inning and whiffed Beckham to start. Healy popped up to first but Murphy walked after falling behind 1-2. Moore whiffed to end the inning and Thornburg sprinted into the dugout and up the runway.

Martinez tried to start a rally with a leadoff single in the hole at short to start the top of the eighth, but Bogaerts killed the momentum by striking out. Moreland banged into a double play to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and got Gordon to ground out to second to begin. Haniger whiffed and Santana grounded out to third to end the inning. Good for the bullpen to keep the Mariners off the board, if only the offense didn't fall asleep.

Zac Rosscup came in to finish off the Sox in the top of the ninth. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Swihart and did manage to line a base hit to left but naturally JBJ whiffed on 3 pitches in the dirt. Eduardo Nunez pinch hit for Holt only to ground out to short. Benintendi drew a walk and Mr. Mookie looked to have grounded out to third to end it...but the throw went over everything into the dugout for an error that scored Vazquez and put runners in scoring position. Devers then hit a routine grounder to third as well only Moore booted it for another error to score Benintendi, put runners at the corners, bring the go-ahead run to the plate and chase Rosscup. Nick Rumbelow was brought in to face Martinez with the game on the line and he also hit a routine grounder to Moore. For the third consecutive play Moore booted it and threw the ball away allowing Betts to score and put runners at the corners again. Unfortunately Bogaerts took three straight strikes down the middle to end it with the Mariners surviving the scare 6-5.

                                                     Mariners barely survive

Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. Not only was he 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts but he had the tying and go-ahead runs on in the ninth when he didn't take the bat off his shoulder to end it.

                                                 Swing the bat you Jackass


The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Christian Vazquez singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Heath Hembree tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Tyler Thornburg pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Blake Swihart was 0 for 3 with an error and 2 strikeouts.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter

Eduardo Rodriguez got shelled for 6 runs in just 4 1/3 innings givng up 8 hits and walking 3.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 but scored a run.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with an error but scored a run.

Brock Holt was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

This is NOT a good start to the season. There are consequences to sandbagging spring training and this is one of them. It doesn't help the Mariners are already game ready after starting the season in Japan so they're hitting every piece of junk the rusty starters are throwing at them. Hopefully the Sox can get in gear tomorrow when "Slick" Rick Porcello goes for the Sox up against Wade LeBlanc at 4:00 PM at Safeco Field.

Sox Stun Mariners Late (3/29/19)

For 8 innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were about to suffer their second straight ignominious defeat at the hands of the Seattle Mariners. After Nathan Eovaldi was unimpressive in his season debut and Eduardo Nunez made a little league baserunning blunder, all looked lost for the Sox. Trailing 6-4 and down to their last 2 outs, Mitch Moreland turned the clock back to October with a 3 run pinch hit home run to give the Sox the surprising lead. New closer Matt Barnes locked down the first win of the season as the Sox stunned the Mariners 7-6 at Safeco Field.

                                                       Arthur Morgan approves of the win

The impotent Sox offense did nothing in the top of the first inning as Andrew Benintendi flailed away for strike three to begin. Mr. Mookie Betts meekly popped up to right as well as JD Martinez to end the inning. Meanwhile the Mariners effortlessly tagged Eovaldi in the bottom of the first as Mallex Smith hit the second pitch he saw into the Pacific Ocean to give the Mariners the lead. Mitch Haniger somehow struck out but then Domingo Santana smashed a 540,000 foot bomb halfway to Tacoma to extend the lead. Somehow Jay Bruce popped up to third but Edwin Encarnacion lined out to third to end the inning with the M's ahead 2-0.

                                                      That didn't take long

The Sox did try to fight back in the top of the second when Xander Bogaerts hit the Sox first home run of the season to cut the lead. Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers both whiffed badly before somehow Sam Travis singled to right. Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

The Mariners poured it on in the bottom of the second as Benintendi had to jump over the wall to rob Tim Beckham of a home run before Omar Narvaez hit a 900 foot bomb to increase the lead. JBJ also had to leap the wall to rob Ryon Healy of a home run before Dee Gordon grounded out to short to end the inning with the M's up 3-1.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Christian Vazquez flied out to center to start. Benintendi flied out to left and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning. Benintendi had to climb the wall AGAIN to rob Smith of his second home run to start the bottom of the third. JBJ once again had to scale the centerfield wall to rob Haniger of a homer before Santana singled to right. Bruce walked but Encarnacion grounded into a force to end the inning.

More impotence in the top of the fourth as Martinez lined out to right to start. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Nunez popped up to second to end the inning. The Mariners iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Beckham doubled off the wall in left before Narvaez singled him to third. Healy doubled home Beckham and Narvaez scored on the sac fly by Gordon with Healy moving to third. Smith scored Healy with a sac fly before Haniger singled. Santana walked but Bruce grounded out to short to end the inning with the Ma's up for good 6-1.

The Sox caught a break in the top of the fifth as Beckham pulled the first baseman off the bag with a throw and Devers reached on the error. Travis singled Devers to third before JBJ grounded into a double play, scoring Sam on the play. Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning but it was 6-2.

Somehow Eovaldi came back for the bottom of the fifth and Encarnacion began by hitting a routine grounder to Devers. Rafael turned and threw the ball out of Safeco Field for an error although Beckham looked at strike three. Narvaez flied out to right and Healy whiffed to end the inning. That was it for Eovaldi who looked pathetic giving up 6 runs in just 5 innings.

                                                         Not his best stuff

The Sox refused to go quietly in the top of the sixth although Benintendi grounded out to second to begin. Mr. Mookie lined out to right but Martinez launched his first home run of the year to cut the lead in half. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning but it was 6-3 Mariners.

                                                     Martinez starts the comeback

Colten Brewer made his Red Sox debut in the bottom of the sixth and got Gordon to ground out to second to start. Smith walked and stole second although Haniger struck out on the steal.Santana walked but Bruce grounded out to second to end the inning.

Matt Festa came in for the top of the seventh inning and Nunez lined out to short to begin. Devers walked but was erased on the force by Travis. Zac Rosscup came in to face JBJ and uncorked a wild pitch to move Sam to second, but came back to punch out JBJ to end the inning. Brandon Workman made his season debut in the bottom of the seventh and got Encarnacion to line out to left to begin. Beckham flied out to right and Narvaez whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox squandered a huge chance to get back in the game in the top of the eighth inning. Dyan Moore came in to play third with Healy moving to first as Vazquez swatted his first home run of the year to cut the lead. Benintendi walked and Cory Gearrin came in to pitch to Mr. Mookie. Betts singled Benintendi to third but Martinez watched strike three go by. Bogaerts walked to load the bases for Nunez. Nunez grounded back to the mound and Bogaerts was thrown out, but Nunez stopped running to first because he stopped to check out a bird. Nunez was out on the 1-2-3 double play and it was 6-4 Mariners.

Brian Johnson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and struck out the side. Healy whiffed, Gordon was rung up and Smith whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox made a statement with a ninth inning rally off of Seattle closer Hunter Strickland. Devers doubled to start and Blake Swihart pinch hit for Travis, which caused a passed ball to move Devers to third. Swihart was plunked to put runners at the corners but Devers was thrown out at home on a grounder by JBJ. At least JBJ ran to first unlike Nunez. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Vazquez and turned the clock back to October by belting a three run bomb into the seats to put the Sox on top. Roenis Elias replaced the shaken Strickland and Benintendi flied out to center. Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning with the Sox somehow ahead 7-6.

                                                Shades of the World Series

New closer Matt Barnes was brought in to finish off the Mariners in the bottom of the ninth with Swihart behind the plate and Moreland at first. Haniger grounded out to short before Santana was rung up for strike three. Daniel Vogelbach pinch hit for Moore and whiffed to end the game. The Sox had stolen one 7-6.

                                 Swihart - "We won?"  Barnes "Bet your ass we did!"


Hero of the Night is Mitch Moreland. His pinch hit 3 run jack was the difference in the game.

                                                      Moreland the Hero



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Sam Travis was 2 for 3.

Blake Swihart was hit with a pitch and scored.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 including a solo home run.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Brian Johnson got the win with a scoreless 8th inning.

Matt Barnes earned the save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4 including a costly baserunning blunder.

Nathan Eovaldi got hammered for 6 runs in just 5 innings of work. He allowed 8 hits including 3 home runs and 2 walks.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 but drew a walk.

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was a solo home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Just when it looked like the Sox were headed to 0-2 on the season they flipped the switch back to last year to pull a win out of their collective ass. They looked half asleep for 5 innings and Nathan Eovaldi didn't have it, but the bullpen slammed the door and the offense woke up to steal this one. The injuries to Dustin Pedroia and Steve Pearce limit the bench but thank goodness Moreland was available tonight. The baserunning blunder by Nunez could have been the focal point but thankfully the Sox won anyway. This will be a big win down the road if the Sox are locked in a neck and neck struggle for post-season position. Tomorrow night Eduardo Rodriguez makes his season debut for the Red Sox opposite Mike Leake. The game begins at the ridiculous start time of 9:00 PM at Safeco Field.

Sox Massacred On Opening Day (3/28/19)

So much for leaving where last season left off. The 2019 Red Sox began their season by dropping a complete turd on Opening Day, getting bitch-slapped by the Seattle Mariners. Chris Sale (0-1, 21.00) got hammered and the weak Boston bullpen surrendered 5 runs as the Seattle offense pounded out 12 runs on 12 hits to beat the Sox 12-4 at Safeco Field.

Marco Gonzales got the ball for the Mariners and Andrew Benintendi began the Red Sox season with a routine grounder to first on the first pitch. Mr. Mookie Betts blooped a single to right for the first hit of the season before Rafael Devers stroked a single to right as well. JD Martinez lined a single to left to score Betts with the season's first run. Dee Gordon made a great sliding play on a hard Xander Bogaerts liner to nail Martinez at second to put runners at the corners. Mitch Moreland grounded into the shift to end the inning but the Sox had grabbed the lead 1-0.

Sale made his season debut in the bottom of the first and struck out Mitch Haniger on a slider. Domingo Santana whiffed on a high 3-2 changeup. Edwin Encarnacion hit a routine grounder to Devers at third who threw himself on the ball like it was a grenade for an error to extend the inning. Jay Bruce whiffed to end the inning.

Eduardo Nunez opened the top of the second by reaching first on a Jay Bruce fielding error. Jackie Bradley Jr singled up the middle and the Sox caught the Mariners napping with a double steal to move both runners into scoring position. Naturally Christian Vazquez whiffed on a full count pitch in the dirt before Benintendi popped one up to left. Third baseman Ryon Healy made the sliding catch and both runners took off. Healy's throw home hit Nunez and he scored to give Benintendi a sac fly. Mr. Mookie popped up to first to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.

                                                  Nunez kamikazes himself again

The Mariners exploded in the bottom of the second. Sale got Healy to pop up to right to start the bottom of the second but Tim Beckham smashed a 400,000 foot bomb to cut into the lead. Mallex Smith grounded out to short but Sale walked David Freitas. Gordon blooped a single to left before Sale hit Haniger in the gonads to load the bases. Santana crushed a double to right to score two runs before Haniger was thrown out at the plate to end the inning with Seattle up 3-2.

                                                           Yerrrrrr Out

The Sox threatened in the top of the third although Devers lined out to left to start. Martinez whiffed but Bogaerts hustled for a double when his line drive went off the glove of Healy at third. Moreland drew a walk but Nunez whiffed to end the inning. The Mariners iced the game in the bottom of the third as Encarnacion smashed a 7,000 foot blast to increase the lead. Bruce whiffed but Healy walked and Beckham launched a 700,000 foot blast to put the game away. Smith tripled to center and scored on the Freitas sac fly before Gordon grounded out to second to end the inning. Sale lasted just 3 innings, gave up three home runs and left trailing 7-2. Worst start by a Red Sox ace on Opening Day since Pedro Martinez in 2002.

                                                  "I suck" - Sale

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as JBJ flied out to right, Vazquez lined out to third and Benintendi flied out to right to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez took over for the bottom of the fourth and Haniger grounded out to third to begin. Santana whiffed but Encarnacion blooped a pop up over the head of Bogaerts. Bruce popped up to third to end the inning.

The Sox left more men on base in the top of the fifth as Mr. Mookie singled to start only to be erased on the Devers force. Martinez singled but Bogaerts lined out to center. Moreland grounded out to short to end the inning. The homer parade continued as Healy smashed a 970 foot bomb to left to extend the pain. Beckham grounded out to third, Smith whiffed and Freitas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Mariners up 8-2.

Somehow the Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Nunez doubled to start, but JBJ whiffed. Nunez moved to third on a balk and scored on the Vazquez double to left. That was it for Gonzales as old pal Roenis Elias came in for Seattle. Benintendi was so excited to see his ex-teammate he ripped an rbi single to right to score Vazquez. Mr. Mookie flied out to center and Devers somehow whiffed on a pitch that hit him in the elbow to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.

Velazquez came back for the bottom of the sixth and crapped his pants. Gordon popped up to third to star but Haniger singled to left. Santana singled to right and Encarnacion was plunked to load the bases. That was it for Velazquez as Heath Hembree was brought in to pour gas on the fire. Bruce walked on four pitches not even close to score Haniger but Healy popped up to first. Beckham hit a routine grounder to Nunez who decided to kick the ball over first before doing a cartwheel for an error to score Santana. Smith whiffed to end the inning but Seattle was up 10-4.

Dylan Moore came in for Bruce in the batting order but played third with Healy moving to first. Cory Gearrin came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Martinez lined out to center to start. Bogaerts whiffed and Moreland grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tyler Thornburg sprinted to the mound from the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the seventh and he took a beating too. Freitas flied out to center but Gordon whiffed. Haniger doubled and Santana hit a 800,000 foot home run to wrap up the scoring. Encarnacion flied out to right to end the inning but it was 12-4 Seattle.

                                                          Make it stop

Brandon Brennan came in for the top of the eighth and Nunez lined out to right although JBJ reached on an error by Beckham. Vazquez banged into a double play to end the inning. Brian Johnson had mop up duty in the bottom of the eighth and Moore walked to start. Healy looked at strike three before Beckham grounded out to third. Smith flied out to left to end the inning.

Benintendi whiffed to open the top of the ninth but Mr. Mookie singled to center. Devers whiffed and Martinez grounded out to second to end the game. The Mariners had crushed the Sox 12-4.

Jackass of the Night is Chris Sale. The incompetent lefty had no velocity and it showed as he allowed 7 runs with 3 long balls in just 3 innings.

                                                 Opening Day Jackass....Sale



The Good:

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless ninth.

Mookie Betts was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Hector Velazquez allowed 3 runs in just 2 1/3 innings.

Tyler Thornburg allowed 2 runs in an inning.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with an error.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 with an error but scored 2 runs.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Heath Hembree allowed 2 inherited runners scored but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.




Final Thoughts:

That was a complete ass kicking in every sense of the word. Chris Sale and the bullpen pitched like garbage and the Mariners made them pay for every mistake. This game showed you the advantage the Mariners had playing in Japan because they were game ready and clearly the Sox were not. Sale's diminished velocity reminds us all of Drew Pomeranz last year and if Sale can't get it back...uh oh. Still its only one game and there's 161 more to go but this leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night with Nathan Eovaldi making his season debut opposite Yusei Kikuchi at a ludicrous 10:00 PM Eastern Time start at Safeco Field.