Basebawful Report of The Month

Matt Andriese - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Christian Arroyo - 4 Good, 3 Bad, 5 Ugly, 3 Hero

Matt Barnes - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Xander Bogaerts - 13 Good, 1 Bad, 11 Ugly, 1 Hero

Brandon Brennan - 1 Good

Michael Chavis - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 4 Ugly

Bobby Dalbec - 6 Good, 7 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rafael Devers - 12 Good, 5 Bad, 6 Ugly, 4 Hero

Nathan Eovaldi - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Marwin Gonzalez - 6 Good, 5 Bad, 9 Ugly

Darwinzon Hernandez - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly

Kike Hernandez - 11 Good, 4 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

JD Martinez - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 17 Ugly, 2 Hero

Adam Ottavino - 9 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Martin Perez - 2 Good, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass

Nick Pivetta - 2 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Kevin Plawecki - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Hunter Renfroe - 11 Good, 2 Bad, 12 Ugly, 2 Hero

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

Yacksel Rios - 5 Good, 1 Jackass

Eduardo Rodriguez - 2 Good, 3 Bad

Danny Santana - 5 Good, 6 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Hiro Sawamura - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Josh Taylor - 11 Good, 1 Ugly

Phillips Valdez - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Christian Vazquez - 9 Good, 6 Bad, 9 Ugly

Alex Verdugo - 9 Good, 3 Bad, 11 Ugly, 2 Hero

Ryan Weber - 1 Bad

Garrett Whitlock - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Connor Wong - 2 Good

Brandon Workman - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Ugly

Most Valuable Player is Xander Bogaerts with 13 Good

Least Valuable Player is Bobby Dalbec with 7 Bad

Ugliest Player of the Month is JD Martinez with 17 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Rafael Devers with 4 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Martin Perez with 2 Jackass

Honorable Players of the Month are Kevin Plawecki and Danny Santana with 1 Honorable Mention

Sox Win Sixth Straight in Rain (6/30/21)

It was a LONG night for the Boston Red Sox thanks to not one but two rain delays. After the first one delayed the start for a half hour, the Sox then proceeded to lay an ass whooping on the Kansas City Royals. Martin Perez (6-4, 4.04 ERA) held the Royals to just 2 runs after they made mincemeat out of Nick Pivetta and Garrett Richards the last few days. JD Martinez led the offensive charge with a 3 run home run and the red hot Hunter Renfroe added a dinger for good measure. The game was delayed for two hours but when play resumed, the bullpen once again was lights out. The B-Team ended up getting the last 11 outs without giving up a run. Brandon Workman, Darwinzon Hernandez, Josh Taylor and Matt Barnes slammed the door and the Sox won their 50th game of the season and sixth in a row 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Dorothy Mays approves of the win

Perez started strong in the top of the first inning as Whit Merrifield grounded out to second to start. Jorge Soler flied out to left and Carlos Santana lined out to center to end the inning. Minor cruised in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Alex Verdugo popped up to second and JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the second as Salvador Perez hit a home run all the way to Yugoslavia to start. Hunter Dozier struck out swinging, Ryan O'Hearn grounded out to second and Edward Olivares also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                                Perez launches one

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers was plunked but Hunter Renfroe popped up to second. Christian Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Perez cruised in the top of the third inning as Michael A Taylor grounded out to third to start. Hanser Alberto grounded out to first and Merrifield flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Marwin Gonzalez singled to left to start. Michael Chavis flied out to left and Hernandez walked, but Verdugo forced Gonzalez at second. Martinez then smashed his 16th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Bogaerts singled to center and Devers doubled him to third, but Renfroe flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                                 Martinez with the 3 run shot

Soler singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Santana banged into a double play. Perez singled in the hole at second but Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning. Vazquez popped up to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Gonzalez doubled to left. Gonzalez was foolishly caught in a run down on a grounder to short by Chavis. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning.

The Royals threatened in the top of the fifth when O'Hearn and Olivares stroked back to back singles to start. Taylor banged into a double play and Hernandez made a great diving catch to rob Alberto of a triple to end the inning.

                                                     Hernandez with a great catch

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo singled to center to start. Martinez walked and Bogaerts singled home Verdugo to increase the lead. Devers beat out a double play ball and Renfroe did as well to score Martinez. Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                      Bogaerts drives in a run

Perez was finally chased in the top of the sixth when Merrifield doubled to start. Soler singled him to third and he scored when Santana beat out a double play ball. Even though he was only at 86 pitches, once again Sox manager Alex Cora pulled a starter way too early, yanking Perez after allowing 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Brandon Workman got Dozier to bang into a double play to end the inning but now the bullpen had to throw more than 3 innings AGAIN with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                  Perez puts himself in position to win

After the top of the sixth inning a wicked rainstorm hit Boston and delayed the game for TWO hours. At 11:30 PM play resumed and Richard Lovelady replaced Minor for the bottom of the sixth. Gonzalez grounded out to third, Chavis lined out to center and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                     Watch out for Gozer!

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and O'Hearn popped up to third to start. Olivares struck out swinging and Taylor grounded out to third to end the inning. Lovelady cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Martinez grounded back to the mound and damn near killed Lovelady in the process. Lovelady had to be carried out on a stretcher and Anthony Swarzak came in to pitch to Bogaerts. Xander lined out to left to end the inning.

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Alberto flied out to left to start. Merrifield lined out to center and Soler struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox hit the killshot in the bottom of the eighth although Devers grounded out to second to start. Renfroe then mashed his 12th home run of the season to ice the game. Vazquez popped up to second and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                       "This game is OVER" - Renfroe

It was no longer a save situation but Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth. Santana flied out to center to start but Perez singled off the glove of Devers. Dozier struck out swinging and O'Hearn went down hacking to end the game. The Sox had won their sixth straight game, 6-2.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. His 3 run jack put the Sox up for good.

                                                        JD Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Marwin Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Martin Perez got the win with 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball.

Brandon Workman got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored 2 runs.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are rolling after six straight wins as both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are reeling. The Rays got crushed by the Washington Nationals and the LA Angels scored 7 runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Yankees. For all the talk from Yankee fans that the Red Sox would be in third place by June, it turns out Boston will be in first place heading into July. The Sox have done it with timely hitting and a lock down bullpen. Everyone with the exception of Matt Andriese has been a stopper and its the main reason by Cora yanks the starters early. It would be nice for the starters to go longer but the more guys Cora can trust to get outs, the more flexibility he has so the same guys don't get worn out. The Sox have played 81 games this season and have won 50 of them, who saw that coming after the first three games in April? Also for any Yankee fan that said the 9 game winning streak was fools gold, the Sox are 41-28 since that streak....not worldbeaters but not terrible either. The Sox still need to get Christian Arroyo and Chris Sale back from injuries, give Tanner Houck another shot and see if Jarren Duran is the real deal. That's all down the road. For now, the Sox and their fans should be happy that they end the month of June in first place. The win improved the Sox to 50-31, 3 games in front of the sliding Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their seventh in a row and sweep the Royals tomorrow afternoon when they send Nathan Eovaldi (8-4, 3.67 ERA) to the mound up against Kris Bubic of the Royals. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Royals Again (6/29/21)

The Kansas City Royals know how to put runs on the board against the Boston Red Sox but the good news is the Red Sox are responding this time around. The Royals and Red Sox traded the lead back and forth throughout the game and it looked like the Royals would come out on top when Ryan O'Hearn hit a 2 run home run off ineffective Nick Pivetta to make it 6-5 Kansas City in the fifth inning. Not to fret, JD Martinez delivered a 2 run double in the bottom of the sixth to put the Sox back on top. This time, the trio of Darwinzon Hernandez, Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes slammed the door shut on the Royals. The Sox had won their fifth straight game and second in a row against Kansas City with a 7-6 come from behind win at Fenway Park.

                                                     Donna Wilkes approves of the win

The Royals wasted no time getting to Pivetta in the top of the first inning. Whit Merrifield hit the fifth pitch of the game all the way to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to give the Royals the lead. Jorge Soler struck out swinging but Carlos Santana pounded a ground rule double to right. Salvador Perez struck out swinging but Ryan O'Hearn singled Santana to third. Emmanuel Rivera lined out to left to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                        Merrifield jacks one

The Sox got to Keller in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez was plunked to start. Alex Verdugo singled Hernandez to third and JD Martinez singled to left. Hernandez scored easily but Martinez was thrown out at second while Verdugo went to third. Xander Bogaerts hit a roller to Rivera who threw the ball away to score Verdugo and advance Xander to second. Rafael Devers singled Bogaerts to third but Hunter Renfroe banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                            Yerrrrr out!

The Royals got another run in the top of the second inning as Hunter Dozier doubled to left to start. Michael A Taylor singled home Dozier to tie the game and Pivetta threw a pickoff throw away for an error. Nicky Lopez struck out swinging but Merrifield walked. Soler flied out to left and Santana flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                      Taylor ties it up

Hanser Alberto took over for Rivera in the bottom of the second and Christian Vazquez singled to center to start. Danny Santana flied out to center and Bobby Dalbec forced Vazquez at second. Hernandez singled to center but Dalbec was thrown out at third to end the inning.

Pivetta cruised in the top of the third as Perez struck out swinging to start. O'Hearn popped up to short and Alberto took strike three to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Martinez, Bogaerts and Devers all walked to load the bases and Renfroe scored Martinez with a sac fly to give the Sox the lead. Vazquez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Martinez scores a run

The Royals pounced in the top of the fourth as Dozier doubled to center to start. Taylor hit a home run all the way to Fall River, Massachusettes to give the Royals the lead. Lopez singled to center but Merrifield flied out to center. Soler banged into a double play to end the inning but the Royals led 4-3.

                                                        Taylor gives the Royals the lead.

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Santana singled in the hole at short to start. Dalbec singled to right and Hernandez singled home Santana to tie the game. Verdugo walked to load the bases but all Martinez could do was score Santana with a sac fly to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                          Hernandez ties it up

The Royals finished off Pivetta in the top of the fifth as Santana walked to start. Perez hit one up the elevator shaft but O'Hearn hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to give the Royals the lead back. That was it for Pivetta who crapped himself by allowing 6 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Yacksel Rios came in and Alberto popped up to third. Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals back in front 6-5.

                                                            Not Pivetta's day

The Sox tried to rally again when Devers walked to start the bottom of the fifth and moved to second on a Renfroe grounder to the mound. The rally ended as Vazquez grounded out to third and Santana lined out to left to end the inning.

Rios returned for the top of the sixth and Taylor walked to start. Taylor moved to second on a grounder to second by Lopez but Merrifield flied out to center. Soler grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Dalbec lashed a base hit to left to chase Keller from the game. Jake Brentz came in to pitch and Michael Chavis pinch ran for Dalbec, but Hernandez struck out swinging. Verdugo walked and Martinez jacked a double to right to score both runners to put the Sox ahead again. Bogaerts and Devers both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                       Verdugo scores the go-ahead run

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Santana struck out swinging to start. Perez beat out a roller to third but was thrown out at third by Verdugo on a base hit to left by O'Hearn. Alberto popped up to second to end the inning.

                                                       YOU'RE OUT!

Greg Holland came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Renfroe singled to left to start. Merrifield dropped a pop up by Vazquez and forced Renfroe at second instead. Santana popped up to third but Vazquez stole second base. Chavis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Dozier flied out to center to start. Taylor singled in the hole at short but Lopez struck out swinging. Taylor stole second and moved to third when Merrifield singled in the hole at second. Merrifield stole second but Soler grounded out to third to end the inning. Hernandez struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo lined out to first. Martinez walked but Bogaerts forced JD at second to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and he froze Santana for strike three to start. Perez went down hacking and O'Hearn struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-6.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. He was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and 4 rbis including the go-ahead runs.

                                                       Martinez is Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch, rbi and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 runs scored and an outfield assist.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

\

Yacksel Rios got the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 18th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Pivetta allowed 6 runs in just 4 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

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

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Danny Santana was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 1 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are rolling heading into the month of July. They've won 5 in a row and put some distance between them and the New York Yankees for the division lead. The Tampa Bay Rays lost to the Washington Nationals so the Sox gained a game on them too. The Royals seem to play well against the Red Sox but the Sox have shown brass balls the last two games to come back and win both games. Tonight the Sox could have rolled over after going down 6-5 but Martinez put the Sox on top and the bullpen slammed the door. You can squawk all you want about Sox manager Alex Cora pulling starters too soon, but his pitching hunches have been coming up aces so far. Yacksel Rios has been another under the radar find by Sox GM Chaim Bloom. He throws 97 mph gas and hasn't allowed a run in 5 of his 6 appearances so far. If only the Sox had good starting pitching, this team could be a favorite to win the AL Pennant this season. There's still time to see what happens with Tanner Houck and Chris Sale, but for now the Sox are going to have to rely on the bats and the bullpen to carry them. The win improved the Sox to 49-31, 2 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 6 total wins in a row tomorrow night against the Royals when Martin Perez (5-4, 4.09 ERA) takes on Mike Minor of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Royals (6/28/21)

When the Kansas City Royals took a 5-1 lead on Garrett Richards and the Boston Red Sox, most fans were groaning thinking the Royals had their number. Turns out Richards, the Sox bullpen and the Sox bats said "not today young fella." The Sox clawed back with home runs from Bobby Dalbec and Hunter Renfroe along with and Michael Chavis rbi single. Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, Renfroe hit his second home run off the game to put the Sox on top. Richards, Hiro Sawamura (4-0, 2.56 ERA), Josh Taylor and Matt Barnes didn't allow a single run in the final 7 innings of the game as the Sox earned their 26th comeback win of the season 6-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Donna Speir approves of the win

The Royals ambushed Richards in the top of the first inning as Whit Merrifield singled to second to start. Jorge Soler singled to right and Carlos Santana hit a home run all the way to the Azores to put the Royals on top. Salvador Perez struck out swinging and Ryan O'Hearn grounded out to short, but Emmanuel Rivera made his MLB debut with a single to right. Hunter Dozier flied out to left to end the inning with the Royals ahead 3-0.

                                                           Santana jacks one gone

The Sox did manage to get to Royals starter Danny Duffy in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez clobbered his eighth home run of the season to begin. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but JD Martinez walked. Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                               Another leadoff homer for Hernandez

The Royals iced the game in the top of the second as Michael A Taylor smashed a home run all the way to Moscow, Russia to increase the lead. Nicky Lopez grounded back to the mound but Merrifield hit a home run all the way to Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Soler grounded out to first and Santana flied out to center to end the inning but the Royals led 5-1.

                                                    Merrifield goes deep

The Sox did get a run back in the bottom of the second as Hunter Renfroe grounded out to short to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to center but Bobby Dalbec whalloped his tenth home run of the season. Marwin Gonzalez lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                            Dalbec goes deep

Richards finally settled down in the top of the third as Perez grounded out to first to start. O'Hearn lined out to center but Rivera singled to left. Dozier grounded out to second to end the inning. Michael Chavis grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third but Hernandez ripped a base hit to left. Devers flied out to center and Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Taylor grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Chavis made a nice play to get Lopez at first. Merrifield lined a broken bat base hit to left but Soler grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts hit a ground rule double down the right field line to start. Renfroe bashed his tenth home run of the season to cut the lead but Vazquez struck out swinging to chase Duffy. Kyle Zimmer came in and Dalbec singled to center before moving to second on the grounder to third by Gonzalez. Dalbec took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Chavis base hit to left to tie the game. Chavis was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                     Chavis ties it up

Santana grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Perez struck out swinging. O'Hearn dumped a base hit to center but Rivera went down hacking to end the inning. Josh Staumont came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Hernandez walked to start. Devers flied out to left and Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Dozier hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who threw wide of first to start the top of the sixth. Taylor grounded into a double play but Lopez lined a base hit to right to chase Richards. Richards looked toast after the home runs in the second inning but rebounded to toss 3 2/3 scoreless innings after that. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch to Merrifield and got Whit to ground out to third on the first pitch to end the inning.

                                         Richards rebounds from a lousy first few innings

The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth although Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Renfroe smashed his second home run of the night to give the Sox the lead but Vazquez went down swinging. Dalbec lined out to center to end the inning with Boston ahead 6-5.

                                                   Renfroe puts Boston ahead

Sawamura returned for the top of the seventh but Soler ripped a base hit to right. Santana beat out a double play ball and.....WAIT! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Santana did NOT beat out the throw and sure enough, replays showed he was out for the double play. Perez struck out swinging to end the inning. Carlos Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez drag bunted for a single to start. Chavis hit into a double play and Hernandez popped up to third to end the inning.

Cora decided to give Adam Ottavino the night off by bringing in Josh Taylor to pitch the top of the eighth inning. Hanser Alberto pinch hit for O'Hearn and popped up to first. Rivera grounded out to third and Dozier popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the eighth as Devers walked to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Rivera booted a grounder by Bogaerts for an error. Renfroe struck out swinging but Vazquez walked to load the bases. On a full count....Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Taylor flied out to right to start. Lopez flied out to left and Merrifield popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had come back to win it 6-5.

                                                      Sox win

Hero of the Night is Hunter Renfroe. He hit two home runs and the second was the difference in the game.

                                                            Hero Renfroe

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Marwin Gonzalez was 1 for 3.

Michael Chavis was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Hiro Sawamura tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 17th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Garrett Richards allowed 5 runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

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

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

If Thursday's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays was the worst of the season then this one has to be one of the best. The Royals took 2 of 3 in Kansas City last time then took 2 of 3 from the New York Yankees as well. They had a 5-1 lead and Richards was getting pounded, all signs pointed to another tough loss. The Sox showed serious balls to bop their way back into the game and also not allow a run the final 7 innings. Richards picked himself off the mat and the bullpen slammed the door after he left. Cora may be frustrating in how he pulls starters too early, but he rarely has made a move that fatally backfired. The Sox are winning in every which way this season and the Yankees are falling further behind. Its way too early to count out the Yankees but the Sox look to be for real this season. Hernandez must be hearing the radio show grumblings about how the Sox need a leadoff hitter because he's been Johnny Damon-esque the last two days. Hopefully he can keep this up or else it could be Jarren Duran time sooner than later. Renfroe is turning into this season's 2013 Johnny Gomes where every home run he hits is a big one it seems. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum all the way into the all-star break. The win improved the Sox to 48-31, 1 game ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it five straight wins when Nick Pivetta (6-3, 4.00 ERA) takes on Brad Keller of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bash, Sweep Yankees (6/27/21)

Before the season started, New York Yankee fans were laughing at the Boston Red Sox fans for the sheer dominance of the Yankees over the Sox the past two seasons. Now its the Sox fans laughing as the Sox have beaten the Yankees in all six games they've played against each other this season, including today's game. Eduardo Rodriguez (6-4, 5.83 ERA) won his first game in almost two months by holding the once deadly Yankee offense to just 2 runs in 6 innings. The Sox made mincemeat out of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and the Yankees bullpen by clocking 4 home runs and putting 9 runs on the board. Kike Hernandez hit the first pitch of the game for a home run and four batters later Rafael Devers hit a 3 run bomb to effectively end it. JD Martinez and Christian Vazquez also went yard as Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock escaped a bases loaded jam in the seventh inning. Even better news was the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the LA Angels to put the Sox back into first place. The Sox have beaten the Yankees in all three phases of the game as Bill Belichick would say and swept them out of Fenway Park with a 9-2 win.

                                                            Donna Smith approves of the win

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and DJ LeMahieu lined out to right to start. Aaron Judge grounded out to first and Luke Voit took strike three to end the inning. The Sox bushwhacked Cole in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez led off with his seventh home run of the year on the first pitch of the game to give the Sox the lead. Alex Verdugo doubled to center and JD Martinez walked before both moved over on the fly ball to right by Xander Bogaerts. Rafael Devers shocked everyone by crushing his 19th home run of the season to increase the lead. Hunter Renfroe flied out to right but Christian Vazquez singled to center. A wild pitch moved Vazquez to second but Marwin Gonzalez lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                   Hernandez & Devers crush homers

Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging to start the top of the second. Gio Urshela grounded out to third but Gleyber Torres hit a bullet off the Monster. Miguel Andujar lined out to left to end the inning. Cole settled down in the bottom of the second as Danny Santana struck out swinging to start. Hernandez flied out to center and Verdugo went down hacking to end the inning.

Clint Frazier grounded out to third to start the top of the third but Kyle Higashioka lined one up the middle for a base hit. LeMahieu also lined a base hit to center but Judge took strike three. Gonzalez made a great diving stab to rob Voit of a hit to end the inning with Rodriguez up to 56 pitches. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third when Martinez clobbered his 15th home run of the season to increase the lead. Bogaerts hit a routine grounder to Torres who threw the ball away for an error. Bogaerts ended up on second and he moved to third on the Devers grounder to Voit. Renfroe walked to put runners at the corners and Vazquez hit a fly ball to right. Frazier threw home to nail Bogaerts but it bounced off the mound to allow Xander to score. Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                    Martinez goes deep

Rodriguez responded by striking out Stanton swinging to start the top of the fourth. Urshela went down hacking but Torres hit one off the ass off Rodriguez. Rodriguez waived off Santana to field the ball and threw to him to end the inning....but wait! Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged the call but the umpires upheld the call to end the inning. Santana reached on an error by Torres to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez flied out to center. Verdugo took strike three but Santana swiped second. Martinez lined out to right to end the inning.

Rodriguez cruised in the top of the fifth as Andujar flied out to right to start. Frazier took strike three and Higashioka watched strike three go by to end the inning. Bogaerts flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Devers singled to center. Renfroe and Vazquez both took strike three to end the inning.

The Yankees began their comeback in the top of the sixth as LeMahieu ripped a base hit to left to start. Judge hit a home run all the way to the Czech Republic to cut the lead. Voit struck out swinging, Renfroe made a tumbling catch to rob Stanton of a bloop single and Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 6-2. That was it for Rodriguez who pitched his best game in over a month by allowing just 2 runs in 6 innings while striking out 8.

                                                     Rodriguez gets it done

Yankees manager Aaron Boone pulled Cole in favor of Luis Cessa to start the bottom of the sixth and Gonzalez grounded out to short to start. Santana grounded out to LeMahieu and Hernandez popped up to Voit in foul territory to end the inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Torres took strike three to start. Andujar walked and Frazier blooped a single to center. That was it for Hernandez as Sox manager Alex Cora went to The A-Team to finish the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch and Gary Sanchez pinch hit for Higashioka. Naturally Sanchez walked to load the bases but LeMahieu took strike three on the outside corner. With the bases loaded...Judge popped up to Santana in shallow right to end the inning. Verdugo swung on a 3-0 count only to ground out to first to start the bottom of the seventh. Martinez flied out to Frazier but Bogaerts doubled down the left field corner. Devers also singled down the left field corner to score Bogaerts with another run. Renfroe grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-2.

                                                   Vazquez with the blast

Whitlock returned for the top of the eighth and naturally Voit singled to right to start. Stanton struck out swinging on a slider low and away and Urshela banged into a double play to end the inning. Sox radio broadacaster Joe Castiglione said Urshela was not a happy fella. Brooks Kriske came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez greeted him with his fourth home run of the season into the Monster Seats to increase the lead. Gonzalez was plunked and Santana singled to right. Gonzalez made it to third but Santana was thrown out at second. Hernandez hit an oopsie check swing double down the right field line to score Gonzalez with another run. Hernandez moved to third on the grounder by Verdugo to second but Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-2.

                                                         Everything's coming up Hernandez

With such a big lead, Cora told the rest of A-Team to take the day off and birthday boy Yacksel Rios was brought in to mop up the top of the ninth. Torres struck out swinging to start before Andujar grounded back to the mound. Frazier walked and took second on defensive indifference, but Sanchez went down hacking to end the game. The Sox had swept the Yankees out of Fenway with a 9-2 win.

                                                        Happy birthday Rios

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. He knocked in four runs including a 3 run homer to put the Sox up for good.

                                                  Rafael Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis including a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with 2 total rbis and a solo home run.

Danny Santana was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Eduardo Rodriguez got his first win in a month by pitching 6 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 8.

Garrett Whitlock tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None.

The Ugly:

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for with a strikeout but walked, hit a home run and scored 2 total runs.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Darwinzon Hernandez only retired one of the three men he faced.

Final Thoughts:

Its only June but the Yankees are reeling big time. If it wasn't for the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins the Yankees would be a sub .500 team. The Sox have dominated the season series so far and its been the complete opposite of last season. Its unreal how everyone on the Yankees offense is having their worst season all at once. As for the Sox, its nice to see the longballs make a comeback, especially from Devers and Martinez. Martinez usually puts up homers in bunches so this is a great time for him to get hot with the Sox right there with the Rays for the division lead. Rodriguez finally looked good for the first time in a month and The Lock continues to torture the Yankees by pitching his way out of high pressure jams against the New York's best hitters. Yankee fans can say letting Adam Ottavino go was the right thing to do considering the year he had last year and his age but they can't possibly excuse Brian Cashman for leaving Whitlock unprotected in the rule 5 draft. He throws a 97 mph fastball with a 95 mph sinker very accurately. The Sox are putting together the puzzle to get them over the hump in the AL East and its only a matter of time before they get their final two pieces, Chris Sale and Jarren Duran. Duran is lighting it up in Worcester and if Danny Santana can't pick up the pace, Durran will get a shot to prove he can be the next Jacoby Ellsbury. Sale has begun throwing to live hitters and it could be just about a month before he's ready. That's bad news for the AL East if the Sox are anywhere close to Tampa by then. As for this game, good work by Rodriguez, Whitlock and Rios to keep the Yankees off the board. As mentioned in the beginning, the LA Angels came back to beat the Rays so the win improved the Sox to 47-31, 1/2 game in front of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome the Kansas City Royals to Fenway Park who took 2 out of 3 from the Sox and Yankees last week. Tomorrow night Garrett Richards (4-5, 4.74 ERA) takes on Royals ace Danny Duffy at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Eovaldi, Sox Shut Down Yankees (6/26/21)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have a winning streak going against the once mighty New York Yankees. After getting the living daylights beaten out of them the last two seasons, the Sox have now won 5 straight games against the former "bombers". Nathan Eovaldi (8-4, 3.67 ERA) was outstanding, pitching 7 2/3 innings while surrendering just 1 run against the Yankees. Once again the Sox offense was more timely than it was dominant. The Sox benefited from 3 sac flies and a Hunter Renfroe rbi hit to put 4 runs on the board against Jordan Montgomery and Albert Abreu. After Eovaldi left, the A-Team struggled as Hiro Sawamura and Adam Ottavino gave up 4 walks, 2 hits and a run between them. Still, with the tying run at first, Ottavino struck out Aaron Judge swinging to win it for the Sox 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                Diane Keaton approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and DJ LeMahieu singled to cetner to start. Aaron Judge banged into a double play but Gary Sanchez singled to right. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning. Montgomery got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Michael Chavis grounded out to short to start. Alex Verdugo grounded back to the mound and JD Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second inning as Luke Voit grounded out to short to start. Gio Urshela grounded out to short and Gleyber Torres grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts lined one off Montgomery for a base hit to start. Rafael Devers walked and Hunter Renfroe lashed a base hit past Montgomery to load the bases. Kike Hernandez scored Bogaerts with a sac fly to put the Sox on top. Devers went to third on the play and he scored on the Bobby Dalbec sac fly to increase the lead. Connor Wong got his first MLB at-bat and lined a base hit to right to move Renfroe to third. Chavis grounded into a force to end the inning but the Sox led 2-0.

                                                       Sox take the lead

Eovaldi cruised in the top of the third inning as Miguel Andujar grounded out to short to start. Brett Gardner took strike three and LeMahieu grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third as Verdugo grounded out to first to start. Martinez grounded out to third but Bogaerts doubled to right. Devers grounded out to short to end the.....WAIT! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call and sure enough, Devers was ruled safe and the inning continued. Renfroe beat out a roller to second to score Bogaerts with another run and Hernandez walked to load the bases. With a chance to break the game open...Dalbec flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                          Renfroe drives in a run

Judge got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Sanchez hit one up the elevator shaft. Stanton struck out swinging and Voit grounded out to third to end the inning. Montgomery settled down in the bottom of the fourth as Wong struck out swinging to start. Chavis went down hacking and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.

Eovaldi cruised in the top of the fifth as Urshela lined out to left to begin. Torres flied out to center and Andjuhar also flied out to center to end the inning. Martinez lined out to second to start the bottom of the fifth but Bogaerts got a single to left. Devers hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Yankees mounted their first threat all night in the top of the sixth as Gardner struck out swinging to start. LeMahieu and Judge ripped back to back singles but Sanchez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Renfroe tried to start a rally in the bottom of the sixth with a single in the hole at second but Hernandez took strike three. Dalbec banged into a double play to end the inning.

Stanton singled to right to start the top of the seventh before Voit struck out swinging. Urshela forced Stanton at second and Hernandez made a great catch to rob Torres of extra bases to end the inning. Albert Abreu came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Chavis blooped a single to center to start. Verdugo went down hacking but Martinez doubled off the glove of a diving Judge. Bogaerts hit a sac fly to score Chavis but Andujar ran down a Devers liner to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                 X gon hit a sac fly

Eovaldi looked like he'd go all the way when he got Andujar swinging to start the top of the eighth. Gardner grounded out to second but LeMahieu hit a home run all the way to Fortuna, California to break up the shutout. Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout and immediately pulled Eovaldi just like Pivetta against Tampa. Cora summoned the A-Team but they didn't have it tonight. Hiro Sawamura walked Judge, Sanchez and Stanton in succession to load the bases with nobody out. Adam Ottavino came in with Tyler Wade pinch running for Stanton. Voit grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                             Eovaldi gets it done

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Renfroe grounded out to second to start. Hernandez flied out to left and Dalbec grounded out to first to end the inning.

Things got hairy in the top of the ninth when Ottavino returned to close out the game. Urshela flied out to center but Torres singled to right. Rougned Odor pinch hit for Andjuhar and forced Torres at second. Gardner walked and LeMahieu singled home Odor to cut the lead in half. With the most dangerous hitter at the plate....Ottavino struck out Judge swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He spun a beauty, allowing just 1 run in 7 2/3 innings to earn the win.

                                                     Eovaldi The Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 3 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

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

Hunter Renfroe was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hiro Sawamura walked all three men he faced.

The Ugly:

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Adam Ottavino earned the save but allowed a run in 1 1.3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Remember how Yankee fans were bragging how much they "owned" the Red Sox going back the last two seasons? The jokes on them because the Sox are a perfect 5-0 against the Yankees so far this season. The Yankees are truly a home run or nothing team and the pitching can't bail them out every game. Still, the Sox didn't exactly light up Montgomery or Abreu but they did just enough to get the win. Eovaldi was damn good and the Sox needed a start like that after the horrible starts the Sox have gotten lately. Its too bad Cora went to the well too many times as Sawamura and Ottavino struggled. Josh Taylor and Brandon Workman are perfectly capable of coming in and preserving a 3 run lead. Cora needs to learn how to trust the B-Team of Taylor, Workman and Hernandez in big time situations on days after the A-Team work. Renfroe has caught fire and Verdugo & Devers have slumped so badly that they're all within the same batting average which shouldn't be happening. Verdugo and Devers are too good to be hitting in the .270's and Renfroe is on a Tom Brunansky hot streak. Hopefully Verdugo and Devers pick up the pace soon because the Sox are still a half game behind the Tampa Bay Rays who slaughtered the Los Angeles Angels earlier this afternoon. The win improved the Sox to 46-31, 1/2 game behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for a series sweep tomorrow afternoon but it'll take a miracle. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole takes on the human batting practice known as Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 6.07 ERA) tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Pedroia Honored, Sox Beat Yankees (6/25/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox honored the career of the recently retired Dustin Pedroia by having a ceremony in front of a packed crowd at Fenway Park. Pedroia was the sparkplug of two championship winning teams (2007, 2013) before his career was cut short by injuries in the last couple of years. He will be missed.

                                                     3 time champ, number 15 for life

As for the game, what better way to honor the career of Dustin Pedroia by putting on a bullpen clinic to beat the New York Yankees? In a crucial series between the two teams a few weeks before the all-star break, the Sox drew first blood on the struggling Yankees. The Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Domingo German after the first inning but the Yankees knocked around Sox starter Martin Perez to tie the game. Christian Vazquez broke the deadlock with an rbi in the bottom of the third and Perez was lifted with 2 outs in the fourth inning. Hiro Sawamura, ex-Yankees Garrett Whitlock & Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes slammed the door with 5 1/3 innings of lights out pitching. The Sox needed to rebound after dropping 2 of 3 to the Tampa Bay Rays and they did by knocking off the Yankees 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Diana Rigg approves of the win

Perez got the ball in the top of the first inning and DJ LeMahieu grounded out to third to start. Aaron Judge flied out to right and Gary Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to German in the bottom of the first as Michael Chavis led off with a base hit to right. Alex Verdugo ripped a base hit to center but JD Martinez lined out to center. Chavis stole third and Xander Bogaerts cleared the bases with a double to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Hunter Renfroe doubled home Bogaerts to increase the lead. Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                         Sox strike first

The Yankees answered in the top of the second as Giancarlo Stanton walked to start. Luke Voit singled to center but Gleyber Torres took strike three. Gio Urshela hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who dove on the ball and punched at it for an error to load the bases. Somehow Perez froze Miguel Andujar for strike three but walked the .182 hitting Clint Frazier to score Stanton. Naturally LeMahieu effortlessly singled home both Voit and Urshela to tie the game. Judge grounded out to third to end the inning but the Yankees had tied it 3-3.

                                                   LeMahieu ties it up

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Christian Vazquez singled to center to start. Naturally Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging, Chavis flied out to right and Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Yankees almost finished off Perez in the top of the third although Sanchez grounded out to third to start. Stanton beat out an infield single to short and Voit easily singled to right. Somehow Torres banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Martinez walked to start. A wild pitch moved JD to second and took third when German booted a grounder by Bogaerts. Renfroe scored Martinez with a sac fly but Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                            Sac fly Renfroe

The Sox D stepped up big in the top of the fourth as Urshela doubled to left to begin. Andujar ripped a base hit to right and Urshela came around third. Renfroe fired home....OUT! Urshela was cut down and Hernandez had to make a jumping catch to rob Frazier of a triple. Sox manager Alex Cora had enough of Perez giving up rockets and pulled him for the A-Team. Hiro Sawamura came in and got LeMahieu to ground into a force to end the inning.

                                                    Yerrrr out!

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Vazquez flied out to right to start. Gonzalez tried to bunt his way on but German snuffed it out before Chavis lined out to left to end the inning.

Judge flied out to center to start the top of the fifth before Sanchez walked. Stanton and Voit both struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                           "I pity da fool who try to get a hit off me!" - HR

Lucas Luetge came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Verudgo grounded out to second to start. Martinez popped up to second and Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in for the top of the sixth and Torres grounded out to short to start. Urshela struck out swinging but Andujar singled to right. Frazier struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Devers whiffed to start. Renfroe walked but Hernandez went down hacking as well. Vazquez walked to chase Luetge. Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch and Gonzalez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Lock got the Yankees to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the seventh. LeMahieu grounded out to short, Judge grounded out to third and Sanchez also grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                "The Lock says know your damn role" - GW

The Sox managed to strike out four times in one inning as Chavis swung at a pitch headed to the backstop, making it to first base on the wild pitch. Verdugo, Martinez and Bogaerts all went down hacking to end the inning.

Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Stanton took strike three to start. Voit went down hacking and Torres lined out to center to end the inning.

                                                           The A-Team gets it done

Zack Britton came on for the bottom of the eighth and Devers popped up to second to start. All of a sudden Britton called for the trainer and sure enough, he had to come out of the game with an unknown injury. Luis Cessa came in and Renfroe walked to start the rally. Renfroe moved to second on the Hernandez grounder to third but Vazquez lashed a base hit to right to score Hunter. Gonzalez singled to left but Chavis struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                                 "Oh yeah, I'm the man. I'm the man!" - CV

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Urshela beat out a roller to short to start. Andujar singled to left and Tyler Wade pinch ran for him. Barnes struck out Frazier swinging on a nasty curve and Brett Gardner came in to run for Urshela. LeMahieu banged into a double play to end the game after an unsuccessful challenge by Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is Hunter Renfroe. He drove in 2 big runs and cut down Urshela at the plate to keep the Sox ahead.

                                                     Hero Renfroe

The Good:

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Hiro Sawamura tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Garrett Whitlock pitched 2 scoreless inning to get the win.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 16th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Martin Perez allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with an error and strikeout but drove in two runs, scoring one in the process.

Marwin Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout. 

Final Thoughts:

Yankee fans back in March were laughing at the Red Sox for signing Ottavino after he sucked last year and glad-handing each other saying Whitlock would turn out to be nothing. Ottavino has allowed just one run since May 9th and Whitlock is now 3-1 with a 1.49 ERA....bet the Yankees wish they could have that. The Sox are now 4-0 against the Yankees to start this season and they've done it with timely offense and shut down pitching. The A-Team stepped up with 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the Sox got big hits from Renfroe, Bogaerts and Vazquez. The Sox as a team only had 7 hits and hopefully the offense picks up as the summer goes on. Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez should be hitting balls to New Hampshire now that umpires are cracking down on illegal substances. Still, Yankee fans were guaranteeing the Sox would be way behind them and the Rays back in May and the Sox could very well go into July in first place if they play well enough. As good as the bullpen was, the Sox rotation has been hot garbage this month even before the crack down. The Sox are gonna need Tanner Houck to make a comeback because they need some help before Chris Sale returns. Still, that's a ways off and the Sox at least won tonight. The win improved the Sox to 45-31, 1/2 game behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Yankees tomorrow night when Nathan Eovaldi (7-4,3.90 ERA) takes on Jordan Montgomery of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.