Basebawful Report of the Month

Matt Andriese - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly

Christian Arroyo - 12 Good, 3 Bad, 4 Ugly

Matt Barnes - 11 Good, 2 Bad

Eduard Bazardo - 1 Good

Xander Bogaerts - 8 Good, 4 Bad, 10 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

Austin Brice - 5 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Michael Chavis - 1 Good

Franchy Cordero - 6 Good, 10 Bad, 4 Ugly

Bobby Dalbec - 8 Good, 9 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rafael Devers - 12 Good, 4 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Nathan Eovaldi - 3 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Marwin Gonzalez - 9 Good, 8 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Hero

Darwinzon Hernandez - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Kike Hernandez - 7 Good, 6 Bad, 10 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Tanner Houck - 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

JD Martinez - 12 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly, 3 Hero

Adam Ottavino - 6 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Martin Perez - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 2 Hero

Kevin Plawecki - 2 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Ugly

Hunter Renfroe - 5 Good, 6 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Garrett Richards - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Eduardo Rodriguez - 2 Good, 2 Hero

Hiro Sawamura - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Josh Taylor - 4 Good, 3 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Phillips Valdez - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Christian Vazquez - 6 Good, 6 Bad, 11 Ugly

Alex Verdugo - 11 Good, 3 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Honorable Mention

Garrett Whitlock - 6 Good

The Most Valuable Players of the Month are Rafael Devers and JD Martinez with 12 Good

Least Valuable Player is Bobby Dalbec with 9 Bad

The Ugliest Player of the Month is Christian Vazquez with 11 Ugly

Hero of the Month is JD Martinez with 3 Hero.

There are 10 Jackasses of the Month, not even going to bother.

The Honorable Player of the Month is Alex Verdugo with 2 Honorable Mention

Sox Crush Rangers (4/30/21)

It was a month of retribution for the Boston Red Sox and it ended on a high note. The Red Sox were picked by many to finish fourth in the AL East but as of right now they sit alone in first place. They were going into May in first to begin with but tonight's win against the Texas Rangers was a bonus. JD Martinez left last night's game with a bad headache and he took his frustrations out on the Texas pitchers. 3 batters into the first inning he put Boston on top with a 3 run bomb off Texas starter Kohei Arihara. Two innings later JD tagged Arihara again for a solo shot. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts also went yard as the top of the order carried the Sox for 6 hits and 6 runs. Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.63 ERA) earned the win with 6 solid innings of 1 run ball, matching his win total from last year. The B-Team of the bullpen tossed 3 scoreless innings and the Sox ended the month of April with a 6-1 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

                                                       Buffy Summers approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Arihara in the top of the first inning. Christian Arroyo and Alex Verdugo drew back to back walks and JD Martinez plastered his 8th homer of the season to put the Sox up for good three batters into the game. Xander Bogaerts made it back to back jacks with his fourth homer of the season to increase the lead. Rafael Devers lined out to right and but Christian Vazquez reached on an error but Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Bobby Dalbec popped up to second and Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                       Back to back jacks

Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Willie Calhoun lined out to his real life best friend Verdugo to start. Nick Solak lined out to right and Joey Gallo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Franchy Cordero led off the top of the second by flying out to left to start. Arroyo grounded out to short and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Rangers struck back in the bottom of the second as Nate Lowe took strike three to start. Adolis Garcia was plunked and moved to second on the David Dahl grounder, then Kiner walked. Old friend Brock "The Hitman" Holt lashed a base hit to right to score Garcia and send Kiner to third. Holt swiped second but Jonah Heim grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                       A familiar sight, a Holt base hit

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Martinez pounded another home run to increase the lead. Bogaerts flied out to center but Devers crushed his 7th home run of the season to ice the game. Vazquez flied out to right but Dalbec was plunked to chase Arihara. Hyeon-Jong Yang came in to pitch and Renfroe lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                      Devers goes yard

Calhoun lined out to short to start the bottom of the third and Solak struck out swinging. Gallo walked but Lowe flied out to left to end the inning.

Yang cruised in the top of the fourth as Cordero grounded out to first to start. Arroyo grounded out to second and Verdugo took strike three to end the inning. Garcia struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth but Dahl singled to center. Kiner singled to right but Dahl was doubled off second on a bullet to Renfroe hit by Holt to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Martinez got a base hit to center to start but was forced at second by Bogaerts. Devers walked and both runners moved over on the Vazquez grounder. Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. Heim popped up to third to open the bottom of the fifth but Calhoun singled to left. Solak and Gallo both flied out to right to end the inning.

Yang froze Renfroe for strike three to start the top of the sixth and Cordero flied out to right. Arroyo grounded out to short to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth as Lowe flied out to center to begin. Garcia grounded out to second and Dahl whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi pitched great, allowing just 1 run in 6 innings of work.

                                               Eovaldi gets it done

Verdugo popped up to short to begin the top of the seventh and Martinez struck out swinging. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. Josh Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Kiner grounded out to short to start. Holt singled to left but Heim struck out swinging. Calhoun hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Brett de Geus came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Devers grounded out to third to start. Vazquez grounded out to short and Dalbec flied out to left to end the inning. Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and blew away Solak with a 95 mph fastball to start. Gallo whiffed on a slider in the dirt but Lowe singled off the glove of Hernandez. Garcia took strike three to end the inning.

Renfroe flied out to center to start the top of the ninth and Cordero took strike three. Arroyo got Boston's first hit since the fifth inning with a single to center but Verdugo flied out to right to end the inning. Austin Brice came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Dahl flied out to right to start. Kiner struck out swinging but Holt walked. Holt took second and third on defensive indifference and Heim walked. Calhoun grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. His two home runs put the Sox up for good.

                                                  JD Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Nathan Eovaldi got the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

The good news is the Sox finished the month on a high note with a good win. The top of the order supplied the offense and got shut down pitching from the bullpen as well as Eovaldi. That's where the good news ends. Batters 6-9 went 0 for 15 with 3 strikeouts. Dalbec did get plunked but apart from that, the achillies heel of this year's Sox team is the bottom of the order. Vazquez, Dalbec, Renfroe, Cordero, Gonzalez and Kike Hernandez are all hitting under .240. That can't continue in the month of May if the Sox hope to keep their good season going. Eovaldi stepped up big tonight and so did the B-Team trio of Taylor, Hernandez and Brice. The Sox go into tomorrow night's game with the A-Team rested and a 17-10 record, good for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night is game 3 of this four game set and Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52 ERA) takes on Jordan Lyles of the Rangers at 7:05 PM Eastern time at Globe Life Field.

Sox Fall To Rangers (4/29/21)

It was said the Boston Red Sox didn't land in Texas until 3 AM this morning due to flight issue. It showed as the Red Sox looked sloppy on the field and at the plate. Kyle Gibson who shut down the Red Sox in 2016 and again in 2018 once again pitched a dominant game against the Sox. He tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball against the tired and struggling Red Sox offense. Sox starter Martin Perez (0-2, 4.70 ERA) held the Rangers in check until the 6th inning. A Xander Bogaerts error led to a backbreaking 2 run homer off Hiro Sawamura by Jose Trevino. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit another home run off Sawamura, the Rangers bullpen blanked the Sox the rest of the way and Texas beat Boston 4-1 at Globe Life Field.

                                                        "HOW ABOUT GETTING SOME HITS???"

Gibson got the ball in the top of the first inning Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to third. JD Martinez walked but Xander Bogaerts lined out to center to end the inning. Perez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to center to start. Nick Solak took strike three and Joey Gallo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rafael Devers grounded out to short to start the top of the second but Christian Vazquez singled to center. Marwin Gonzalez flied out to right and Hunter Renfroe lined out to center to end the inning. Adolis Garcia lined a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but was erased on the strike em out, throw em out double play by Nate Lowe. Jose Trevino singled to center but David Dahl flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec popped up to first to start. Hernandez took strike three but Verdugo and Martinez drew back to back walks. Bogaerts whiffed badly to end the inning. Perez cruised in the bottom of the third as Charlie Culberson took strike three to start. Eli White took strike three and Kiner popped up to first to end the inning.

Gibson cruised in the top of the fourth as Devers flied out to right to start the top of the fourth. Vazquez struck out swinging and Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rangers struck first in the bottom of the fourth although Solak grounded out to third to start. Gallo lashed a double to left that Verdugo threw to third but Devers was too busy checking out a girl in the stands and missed the throw. Gallo made it to third on the error and naturally scored on the sac fly by Garcia to put Texas on top. Lowe singled to right but Trevino flied out to left to end the inning with Texas up 1-0.

                                                       Dammit Devers

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth inning as Renfroe grounded out to second to start. Dalbec grounded back to the mound and Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rangers threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Dahl was plunked to start. Culberson singled to left but White popped up the bunt to Devers. Perez dug down and struck out Kiner swinging before getting Solak to ground out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the sixth as Verdugo doubled to center to start. Martinez grounded out to third and Bogaerts went down hacking, but Devers golfed a double to right to score Verdugo to tie the game. Vazquez lined out to center to end the inning but it was tied 1-1.

                                                           Devers golfs a double

Perez looked to be cruising in the bottom of the sixth when he struck out Gallo swinging to start. Garcia hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who danced and screamed OLE! for an error. Lowe lined out to left but Sox manager Alex Cora decided that Hiro Sawamura would have a better chance to get Trevino out than Perez. Once again Dr. Quick Hook pulled a starter out under 100 pitches before the end of the 6th inning. This time it cost Cora as Trevino smashed a 2 run bomb all the way to Denton, Texas to put the Rangers up for good. Dahl grounded out to third to end the inning with the Rangers up 3-1.

                                                                Perez deserved better

John King came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gonzalez grounded out to third to start. Renfroe grounded out to second and Dalbec lined out to first to end the inning. Sawamura looked strong striking out Culberson and White swinging to start the bottom of the seventh....but Kiner hit a home run all the way to Dallas to increase the lead. Solak grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 4-1.

                                                  Not Sawamura's best effort

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez grounded back to the mound to start. Verdugo grounded out to short but suddenly Martinez grabbed his head and keeled over in the dugout. He had to be carried out on a stretcher, shoved into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU. Christian Arroyo pinch hit for Martinez and took first on catcher's interference to extend the inning. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                    Bogaerts couldn't do anything right

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and blew away Gallo with a 96 mph fastball to start. Hernandez then blew away Garcia and Lowe with 96 mph fastballs to end the inning. Welcome back Darwinzon.

Ian Kennedy came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers whiffed to start. Vazquez flied out to right and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had just 3 hits as a team and lost 4-1.

                                                       Rangers win

Jackass of the Night is Hiro Sawamura. He gave up a 2 run homer and a solo shot to put the Rangers up for good.

                                                 Stop giving up home runs, Jackass!

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

JD Martinez walked twice in 3 times at the plate.

Christian Arroyo took first on catcher's interference in the eighth inning.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Martin Perez tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) on 82 pitches.

Darwin Hernandez struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and a costly error.

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but knocked in the only Boston run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

They looked like a team who didn't get any sleep last night and played like it too. Still, the warts on this team are showing as the bottom of the order just isn't getting it done. Hernandez is hitting .230, Dalbec .224, Cordero .191 Gonzalez .186 and Renfroe .179. You can't win games when 5 out of 9 hitters are an automatic out. They've only scored 4 runs in the past 3 games and have been held to 5 hits or fewer in the past 4 games. That's not a recipe for sustained success, just ask the 1992 Red Sox. The 92 Sox led the league in ERA with the worst offense in the league. Now, the good news is the issues are fixable so don't panic yet. Sawamura giving up the home run is more on Cora for pulling the plug on Perez one batter too early. Perez pitched well and Darwinzon was hitting 96 on the gun. Kyle Gibson has tossed good games against the Sox and this was another one. The Sox look to rebound and end the month of April with momentum when they send Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.77 ERA) up against Kohei Arihara of the Rangers tomorrow night. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Globe Life Field.

Pivetta Outduels deGrom, Sox Blank Mets (4/28/21)

Who would have ever imagined that the Boston Red Sox would got into New York with Nick Pivetta (3-0, 2.81 ERA) and beat the best pitcher in baseball? Well it happened! Pivetta tossed 5 shutout innings against the New York Mets and their ace Jacob deGrom allowed just a single run in 6 dominant innings. The trio of Garrett Whitlock, Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes allowed just 2 baserunners combined to slam the door on the incompetent Mets offense. The Sox offense were asleep but Christian Vazquez knocked in Xander Bogaerts for the only run of the game. As amazing as it sounds, Pivetta beat deGrom and the Red Sox blanked the Mets 1-0 at Citi Field.

                                                                Britt Linn approves of the win

deGrom got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to short and JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and gave up back to back walks to Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor. Pete Alonso struck out swinging, Michael Conforto flied out to left and JD Davis lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second when Xander Bogaerts doubled to left to start. Xander moved to third on the Rafael Devers grounder to second and scored on the Christian Vazquez double to center. Marwin Gonzalez moved Devers to third with a grounder to second but Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                        Vazquez strikes first

Dominic Smith took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Jeff McNeil dropped a base hit to center. James McCann banged into a double play to end the inning.

Pivetta himself struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Hernandez lined out to left. Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning. deGrom himself struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Nimmo grounded out to third. Lindor struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Bogaerts grounded out to second. Devers doubled to right but Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning. Alonso grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth and Conforto took strike three. Davis was plunked but Smith whiffed to end the inning. Pivetta had thrown 74 pitches but had allowed no runs to that point.

deGrom dominated the top of the fifth as Gonzalez, Dalbec and Pivetta all went down swinging in short order. Pivetta returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth and McNeil popped up to third to start. McCann walked but was forced at second by deGrom. Nimmo struck out swinging to end the inning. Somehow Pivetta threw 5 shutout innings while allowing just 1 hit.

                                                   Solid effort from Pivetta

deGrom came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth and Hernandez flied out to right to begin. Verdugo walked but Martinez went down hacking. Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in for the bottom of the sixth and Lindor struck out swinging to start. Alonso singled to right but Conforto took strike three. Davis walked but Smith was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Aaron Loup came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers got a base hit to right to start. Vazquez whiffed and Gonzalez banged into a double play to end the inning. The Lock returned for the bottom of the seventh and McNeil flied out to left to start. McCann struck out swinging and Jonathan Villar pinch hit for Loup. The Lock froze Villar for strike three to end the inning.

Trevor May came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Dalbec went down hacking to start. Franchy Cordero pinch hit for Whitlock and naturally struck out swinging. Hernandez also struck out swinging to end the inning. Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Nimmo struck out swinging to start. Lindor lined out to second and Alonso flied out to center to end the inning.

Edwin Diaz came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Verdugo went down swinging to start. Martinez struck out swinging and Bogaerts was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Its a good thing the Sox pitching was amazing because they did nothing the past two days. Hunter Renfroe replaced JD Martinez for defense and Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth. Barnes blew away Conforto, Davis and Smith all swinging in short order to end the game. The Sox had beaten deGrom and the Mets 1-0.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of the Night is Nick Pivetta. Facing the best pitcher in the game, Pivetta outpitched him by tossing 5 shutout innings while allowing just 1 hit to remain undefeated since coming to Boston.

                                                       Pivetta The Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 and drove in the game's only run.

Garrett Whitlock tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.

Franchy Cordero struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

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

Honorable Mention:

Hunter Renfroe played right field in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

This was without a doubt the best win of the season. The comeback against Tampa was nice but THIS was a statement game. The Sox were facing the best in the game in his own stadium and still won it. It took lights out pitching from Pivetta, Whitlock, Ottavino and Barnes but they got it done. deGrom is having a year similar to Pedro Martinez in 2000 and Pivetta pulled a Steve Traschel big time. Its a shame the offense isn't doing much lately because this run of pitching can't possibly be sustained the whole season. Sooner or later the bullpen is going to get tired if the starters are only going 5 innings a pop. Still, on a night like this they'll take Pivetta's effort ten times out of ten. You can squawk about the bottom of the rotation or the bottom of the batting order but the bottom line is the Sox are going to finish April in first place no matter what. Tomorrow night the Sox travel to Texas to close the month out with a set against the Texas Rangers. Martin Perez (0-1, 5.71 ERA) takes on old Sox killer Kyle Gibson of the Rangers at 8:05 PM at Globe Life Field.

Richards Dazzles, Sox Edge Mets (4/27/21)

So THAT'S the Garrett Richards (1-24.94 ERA) Boston Red Sox general manager Chaim Bloom wanted when he signed Garrett to a $10 million dollar contract this past off-season. Him and the analytic dorks were flapping their gums about "spin rates" and it all seemed like baloney....until tonight. Richards was masterful against the New York Mets, tossing the best game of any Sox starter this season. He struck out 10 batters, allowed just a home run and didn't walk anyone. The offense took the night off but Bobby Dalbec hit his first home run of the year and Rafael Devers put the Sox on top with an oopsie check swing rbi base hit. Matt Andriese and Matt Barnes shut down the Mets in the later innings and the Sox came away with the 2-1 victory at Citi Field.

                                                      Bobbie Brown approves of the win

Mets starter David Peterson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez took strike three to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to second and JD Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. Richards got the ball in the bottom of the first and Francisco Lindor grounded out to short to start. Dominic Smith lined out to right and Pete Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning.

Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to begin the top of the second inning before Christian Vazquez struck out swinging. Hunter Renfroe walked but Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. The Mets struck first in the bottom of the second inning although Michael Conforto struck out swinging to start. JD Davis struck out swinging but Jeff McNeil hit a home run into the Baltic Sea to give the Mets the lead. James McCann struck out swinging to end the inning but the Mets were up 1-0.

                                                                 McNeil golfs one out

The Sox tied the game instantly in the top of the third when Bobby Dalbec crushed his first home run of the season to start. Richards himself grounded out to short but Hernandez flied out to center. Devers singled to center but Martinez grounded into a force to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                     Dalbec finally hits a home run

Peterson grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and old pal Kevin Pillar flied out to center. Lindor grounded out to third to end the inning.

Bogaerts walked to start the top of the fourth but Vazquez struck out swinging. Renfroe banged into a double play to end the inning. Richards got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth although Smith struck out swinging to start. Alonso took strike three but Conforto doubled to left. Davis singled to left to put runners at the corners but McNeil struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez grounded out to first to start. Dalbec grounded out to first and Richards grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox defense stepped up in the bottom of the fifth as James McCann lined a base hit to left but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double by Martinez. Peterson took strike three but Pillar slapped a base hit to center. Pillar was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Vazquez to end the inning.

                                                            Yerrrr out!

The Sox took command in the top of the sixth inning when Hernandez lined a leadoff double to right to start. Devers accidentally check swinged a base hit into left to score Hernandez to give Boston the lead. The rally ended as Martinez banged into a double play and Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                       Hernandez scores the go-ahead run

Richards got in trouble in the bottom of the sixth as Lindor singled just out of the reach of him to start. Smith flied out to center and Alonso struck out swinging, but Conforto singled to right. Davis flied out to left to end the inning.

Jeurys Famillia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Vazquez struck out swinging to start. Renfroe doubled to center but was caught off second on the bullet hit to Lindor by Gonzalez to end the inning. Richards returned for one more inning in the bottom of the seventh and McNeil grounded out to second to start. McCann grounded out to first and Brandon Nimmo pinch hit for Familia. Richards blew him away with a 94 mph fastball to end the inning. Richards was outstanding, allowing 1 run on 7 hits while striking out 10. The best part was he didn't walk anyone.

                                                    Richards gets it done

Trevor May came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Franchy Cordero pinch hit for Richards and struck out swinging. Hernandez lined out to third to end the inning. Matt Andriese came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Pillar struck out swinging to start. Lindor grounded out to first and Smith grounded out to second to end the inning.

Miguel Castro came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Martinez and Bogaerts both whiffed to end the inning. Its a good thing Richards stepped up because the Sox bats only had 5 hits all game. Matt Barnes came in to close the bottom of the ninth with Alex Verdugo now in left. Alonso struck outn swinging to start and Conforto flied out to third. Davis struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-1.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is Garrett Richards. He spun a 7 inning beauty, scattering 7 hits while striking out 10.

                                                         Hero Richards

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a solo home run.

Matt Andriese pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 5th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Franchy Cordero struck out as a pinch hitter.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but gunned down McCann at second base.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Alex Verdugo played left field in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Welcome back Garrett Richards. In a career marred by injury, the 2014 Richards showed up tonight. He had command of all his pitches and in the past, that's what made him one of the better pitchers in baseball 7 years ago. He may never get back to that point consistently but for one night, that was the old Richards. The Mets never had a chance apart from the one homer to McNeil. It was a good thing him, Andries and Barnes showed up because the offense didn't. Apart from Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez, nobody is hitting over 280 and that's going to sustain any success moving forward. The good news is they started to come around as Renfroe got a big hit and Dalbec finally hit one out. The Sox are gonna need these guys to pick up the pace going forward but tonight, the offense did just enough to win. The Sox are gonna need all the luck and timely hitting they can get tomorrow night because they run smack into the best pitcher in the game, Jacob deGrom. The undefeated Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.48 ERA) puts his undefeated streak on the line against the best in the game at 6:40 PM at Citi Field.

Off-Day News (4/26/21)

The Red Sox have been on a releasing spree lately, cutting a lot of minor league talent that didn't develop or were the odd men out with the Lowell Spinners gone. Since Friday the Red Sox have released Jagger Rusconi, Hunter Haworth, Richardson Jimenez, Reed Harrington, Kevin Biondic, Yoelvis Guedez, Caleb Ramsey, Casey Sutherland, Everlouis Lozada, Kervin Suarez, Dylan Hardy, Lane Milligan, Collin Willis and Mike Shawaryn. With Salem, Greenville, Portland and Worcester the only survivors until the rookie Gulf Coast League starts, most of the lower level guys that weren't panning out got the boot. The only one who reached the majors was Shawaryn who had a hideous 9.74 ERA back in 2019 for allowing 22 runs in 20 innings.

                                                 Bye bye Shawaryn.

Like mentioned previously, these are the guys that were already 23-25 years old and/or stunk the joint out in the lower levels. With one fewer minor league team to work with, the dregs of the minors are going to be weeded out. The only one that was surprising was Casey Sutherland, an undrafted player out of Davidson U that allowed 2 runs in 27 innings back in 2019 for the Gulf Coast Red Sox. You would think he would be worth taking a look at in Portland this year after 2020 got wiped out but oh well. Hopefully he doesn't come back to bite the Sox down the road.

                                                    So long Sutherland

On this day in Red Sox Basebawful history:

1915 - Sox beat A's in rain

1981 - Sox beat Orioles

1983 - Mariners beat Red Sox in empty Kingdome

1984 - Mariners beat Sox in 10 innings

1991 - Royals beat Sox

2000 - Sox get 21 hits against Rangers

2011 - O's beat Sox

2013 - Red Sox beat Astros

2015 - Orioles beat Sox into submission

2016 - Price, Sox beat Braves

2017 - Yankees shut down Red Sox

2018 - Sox beat Jays

Tomorrow night the Sox are back in action against the New York Mets. Garrett Richards (0-2, 6.48 ERA) looks for his first win with Boston against David Peterson of the Mets. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Citi Field.

Rodriguez, Sox Beat Mariners (4/25/21)

What a day for the Boston Red Sox. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0. 3.52 ERA) stepped up for the struggling Red Sox rotation to beat the Seattle Mariners in the final game of the homestand. Offensively the Sox didn't do much after the second inning but took advantage of wild Seattle starter Nick Margevicius for 4 runs in the first. The Sox added a run in the fifth inning and it was the Eduardo Rodriguez show from there on. Marwin Gonzalez started at short and made several good defensive plays to secure the lead and the Red Sox A-Team relievers shut down the Mariners in the end. The Sox go into the New York Mets series with a 5-3 win at Fenway Park.

                                                  Bettie Bondage approves of the win

The Mariners picked up where they left off yesterday by tagging Rodriguez in the top of the first. Mitch Haniger and Ty France smacked back to back doubles to left to put the Mariners up early again. Rodriguez recovered to get Kyle Seager to fly out to right and Kyle Lewis popped up to second. Evan White struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0. 

                                                          France doubles in a run

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the first against Margevicius as Kike Hernandez singled to right to start. Rafael Devers and JD Martinez drew back to back walks to load the bases. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging but Christian Vazquez blooped a base hit to right to score Hernandez. Hunter Renfroe walked to score Devers and Marwin Gonzalez walked to score Martinez. That was it for Margevicius as Drew Steckenrider came in to pitch to Christian Arroyo. Arroyo got hit in the wrist to drive in Renfroe and hopped to first in pain. Bobby Dalbec banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                 Vazquez drives in a run

The Mariners tried to rally in the top of the second as Dylan Moore doubled off the centerfield wall to start. Sam Haggerty grounded out to third and Tom Murphy struck out swinging on a good changeup. JP Crawford took strike three to end the inning. The Sox rallied again in the bottom of the second as Hernandez and Devers drew back to back walks to start. Martinez swung and missed at ball four but Bogaerts lashed a double to left. Hernandez scored easily but Devers missed the stop sign by third base coach Carlos Febles. Devers got caught in a rundown for the second out but Bogaerts made it to third on the play. Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox led 5-1.

                                                           Yerrrrr out!

Gonzalez made a great throw to rob Haniger of a base hit to start the top of the third and France struck out swinging. Seager hit a fly ball that Hernandez had to run half a mile to catch to end the inning. Casey Sadler came in to pitch the bottom of the third and Renfroe swung one handed and flied out to left to begin. Gonzalez walked but Arroyo banged into a double play to end the inning.

Rodriguez froze Lewis for strike three with a curveball on the outside corner to start the top of the fourth. White struck out swinging on a high fastball and Moore was retired on a squibber to end the inning. Dalbec grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth. Hernandez flied out to the left field warning track and Devers grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Mariners rallied due to bad defense in the top of the fifth. Gonzalez made a great stab on a Haggerty grounder but Dalbec missed the throw for an error to start and Devers muffed a grounder by Murphy for an rbi "double". Crawford doubled down the first base line to score Murphy but Haniger flied out to right. France took strike three on the inside corner and Seager flied out to right to end the inning with the Mariners down 5-3.

                                                            Crawford inches the Mariners closer

Martinez doubled off the Monster to start the bottom of the fifth but Bogaerts hit one up the elevator shaft. Vazquez moved Martinez to third with a grounder to short and Renfroe whiffed on a straight fastball down the middle to end the inning.

Rodriguez cruised in the top of the sixth as Lewis flied out to left to start on 2 pitches. White grounded out to short on 2 pitches and Moore grounded back to the mound also on 2 pitches to end the inning. Gonzalez flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth. Arroyo struck out swinging and Dalbec lined out to right to end the inning.

Rodriguez returned for the top of the seventh and Haggerty flied out to left to start. Murphy went down hacking and Gonzalez made a great leaping catch of a Crawford liner to end the inning. Rodriguez didn't have his best stuff but battled for 7 innings, allowing 3 runs on just 4 hits.

                                                            Rodriguez is all smiles

Hernandez flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Devers struck out swinging on a straight fastball right down the middle. Martinez doubled to the left field wall but Bogaerts popped up to left to end the inning.

Adam Ottavino was brought in for the top of the eighth and naturally walked Haniger. Gonzalez made an outstanding play on a France grounder to turn a double play. Seager whiffed to end the inning, good work Adam and Marwin. The Sox failed to do anything in the bottom of the eighth as Vazquez grounded out to short to start. Renfroe struck out swinging and Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox had done nothing since the second inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Lewis took strike three to start. White popped up to first and Moore was frozen for strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. He went 7 strong innings and allowed just 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 8 batters.

                                                          Rodriguez The Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Marwin Gonzalez walked twice, scored a run and made several good defensive plays.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 with a mental error but walked twice and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

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

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch to drive in a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a good win pitching and defensive wise, but this offense is in big trouble. The Sox needed Margevicius to have a meltdown in order to pull off that fist inning rally and they did nothing after that. Still, the positives are Rodriguez shut down the Mariners without his velocity, Ottavino rebounded to throw well and Barnes had a good outing. Marwin Gonzalez stepped up big at short and as a whole, a win is better than a loss. The offensive woes continued as Bogaerts and Martinez are keeping them alive right now. Like mentioned yesterday, Vazquez, Devers and Alex Verdugo are too good to get hot at some point. The Sox are overachieving right now and its good for the fans to have some hope for a good future after the last 2 years of let downs. The good news is the Sox have major flaws but unlike the last two years, they're fixable. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night in New York against the Mets. Garrett Richards (0-2, 6.48 ERA) looks for his first Sox win against David Peterson of the Mets on Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Citi Field.

Mariners Beat Down Red Sox (4/24/21)

If there was ever a game the Boston Red Sox didn't want to play, it was today against the Seattle Mariners. Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.77 ERA) didn't have it as he was knocked out after allowing 5 runs in 5 innings by the Mariners. The offense was shut down by Seattle starter Chris Flexen who held the Sox to just one run in seven innings. The Mariners attacked relievers Josh Taylor and Phillips Valdez for 3 more runs and cruised to an easy 8-2 win over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                "PLAY BETTER AT HOME WILL YA?"

The Mariners wasted no time getting to Eovaldi in the top of the first inning as Mitch Haniger flied out to right to start. Ty France doubled to right and scored on the Kyle Seager single to right. Jose Marmolejos flied out to center but Evan White singled to right. Taylor Trammell was plunked to load the bases bit Luis Torrens grounded into a force to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0. 

                                                       Mariners strike first

Chris Flexen dominated the bottom of the first as Christian Arroyo grounded out to second to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first and JD Martinez lined out to first to end the inning.

The Mariners iced the game in the top of the second as Sam Haggerty singled to left to begin. JP Crawford lined out to left but Haggerty stole second. Haniger struck out swinging but France singled to third. Seager tripled over the head of Verdugo to ice the game and scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead. Marmolejos struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 4-0.

                                                       Verdugo can't get it

Xander Bogaerts tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second, then took second on a Rafael Devers grounder back to the mound. Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging but Bobby Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eovaldi got White to ground out to short to start the top of the third but Trammell popped up to third. Torrens struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Franchy Cordero struck out swinging to start. Kevin Plawecki took strike three and Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Haggerty lined out to center to start the top of the fourth and Crawford grounded out to second. Haniger grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo singled to left to start. Martinez walked but Bogaerts flied out to left and Devers banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Mariners struck again in the top of the fifth as France lined out to first to start. Seager doubled to center but Marmolejos popped up to short. A wild pitch moved Seager to third but White walked. Trammell hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who picked the ball up and fell backwards with his feet up in the air for an error to score Seager. Torrens popped up to second to end the inning with Seattle up 5-0. That was it for Eovaldi who didn't have it, allowing 5 runs in 5 innings.

                                                       Eovaldi wasn't good enough

Gonzalez grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth and Dalbec took strike three. Cordero whiffed to end the inning.

Austin Brice came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Haggerty struck out swinging to start. Crawford lined out to center and Haniger lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Plawecki struck out swinging to start. Arroyo grounded out to third and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.

France doubled to center to chase Brice in the top of the seventh and Josh Taylor came in to pitch. Seager whiffed and Marmolejos popped up to third, but a passed ball moved France to third. White took strike three to end the inning. The Sox finally got a run back in the bottom of the seventh as Martinez was plunked to start. Bogaerts banged into a double play but Devers doubled to center. Gonzalez lashed a base hit to center to score Devers and break up the shutout. Dalbec grounded into a force to end the inning but it was now 5-1 Mariners.

                                                         Gonzalez drives in a run

The Mariners tagged Taylor in the top of the eighth inning Trammell struck out swinging to start and Torrens grounded out to second, but Haggerty pounded a home run to the Moon to increase the lead. Crawford singled to left to chase Taylor. Phillips Valdez came in and got Haniger to ground out to third to end the inning but it was 6-1 Mariners.

                                                Home run Haggerty

Keynan Middleton came in for the bottom of the fifth and Cordero earned the hat trick by striking out swinging. Plawecki flied out to right and Arroyo whiffed to end the inning.

Valdez got tagged in the top of the ninth as France walked to start. Seager popped up to third but Marmolejas walked. Both runners moved over on the wild pitch and White got a base hit to left to score France. Trammell struck out swinging but Torrens was plunked. Haggerty singled past the diving Dalbec to score Marmolejos but Crawford whiffed to end the inning with the Mariners up 8-1.

                                                        White drives in a run

Will Vest came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Verdugo doubled to right to start. Martinez grounded back to the mound and Bogaerts lined out to right, but Devers doubled home Verdugo. Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the game. The Mariners had won it 8-2.

                                                           Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He got hammered for 5 runs in 5 innings.

                                                     Eovaldi the Jackass

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

JD Martinez walked and was hit with a pitch in four plate appearances.

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

Austin Brice pitched a full scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Josh Taylor allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Phillips Valdez allowed 2 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Marwin Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That nine game winning streak covered up a lot of warts that are showing now. The bottom of the batting order is borderline useless and they're struggling trying to adjust to Fenway Park defensively to boot. Eovaldi was mortal today and the Mariners took advantage of that. With the Sox struggling offensively, it was imperative for the pitching to hold up but it hasn't. Not just Eovaldi but Valdez and Taylor got tagged too. The bottom line is the Sox are an average team right now but can be fixed. The Sox are waiting for the minor league season to start so they can evaluate a few prospects. Boston just has to survive until June or so and help will be on the way. As of now, if Bogaerts and Martinez aren't cooking, they're not scoring. That's not a recipe for success moving forward. Devers, Vazquez and Verdugo are too good not to heat up at some point but as of right now its looking ugly. Tomorrow is a new day and the Sox look to even this series when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0) to the mound against Nick Margevicius of the Mariners. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.