Basebawful Report of The Month

Jonathan Arauz - 1 Good, 8 Bad, 1 Ugly, 2 Hero, 2 Honorable Mention

Christian Arroyo - 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Matt Barnes - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Xander Bogaerts - 11 Good, 5 Bad, 11 Ugly

Franchy Cordero - 2 Good, 5 Bad, 2 Ugly

Bobby Dalbec - 12 Good, 6 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Austin Davis - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Rafael Devers - 12 Good, 8 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jarren Duran - 7 Good, 5 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

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

Raynel Espinal - 1 Bad

Steven Gonsalves - 1 Bad

Marwin Gonzalez - 1 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Ugly

Tanner Houck - 1 Good, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Kike Hernandez - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 10 Ugly, 1 Hero

JD Martinez - 8 Good, 7 Bad, 6 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

Yairo Munoz - 1 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Honorable Mention

Adam Ottavino - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Brad Peacock - 1 Jackass

Martin Perez - 4 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Jackass

Nick Pivetta - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Jackass

Kevin Plawecki - 6 Good, 3 Bad, 4 Ugly, 3 Honorable Mention

Hunter Renfroe - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 11 Ugly, 1 Hero

Garrett Richards - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Yacksel Rios - 1 Good, 2 Bad

Hansel Robles - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Ugly 1 Jackass

Eduardo Rodriguez - 2 Good, 1 Jackass

Chris Sale - 2 Good, 1 Hero

Hiro Sawamura - 8 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Kyle Schwarber - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 4 Ugly

Travis Shaw - 1 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

Josh Taylor - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Phillips Valdez - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Christian Vazquez - 11 Good, 5 Bad, 6 Ugly

Alex Verdugo - 14 Good, 5 Bad, 5 Ugly

Garrett Whitlock - 6 Good, 2 Bad

Connor Wong - 1 Good

Most Valuable Player is Alex Verdugo with 14 Good

Least Valuable Player is Rafael Devers with 8 Bad

The Ugliest Players of the Month are Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfroe with 11 Ugly

Heroes of the Month are Jonathan Arauz and JD Martinez with 2 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Matt Barnes with 3 Jackass

The Honorable Player of the Month is Kevin Plawecki with 3 Honorable Mention

Rays Crush Peacock, Sox (8/31/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves. Josh Taylor and Hiro Sawamura were placed on the Covid List and Raynel Espinal was sent back to Worcester. The Sox called up veteran starter Brad Peacock to make today's start along with journeyman minor leaguer Steven Gonsalves to replace Taylor. Hunter Renfroe was activated off the Bereavement List so its nice to see him back.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, ever notice that every bum and reclamation project the Tampa Bay Rays bring up works out while everyone the Red Sox sign falls flat on their face? Brad Peacock was picked up off the scrap heap to pitch tonight's game and he got swatted like a fly. After allowing a run in the second inning, he got knocked out in the third, allowing 6 runs total. New pitcher Steven Gonsalves allowed another two and shoddy defense allowed the Rays to score one off Phillips Valdez. Meanwhile the Sox did put up 5 runs against Ryan Yarbrough and the Tampa bullpen. To add insult to injury, Xander Bogaerts left the game with a positive Covid test. It was all bad news as the Rays won their ninth straight game and pretty much ended the AL East race with an 8-5 win over the Sox at Tropicana Field.

                                          Both the Sox and John Cena lose....this sucks

The Sox did rally in the top of the first against Yarbrough although Hunter Renfroe took strike three to start. Kyle Schwarber flied out to right but JD Martinez doubled to left. Xander Bogaerts dropped a base hit to right to score JD but Rafael Devers hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                       Bogaerts puts Boston on top

Peacock got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brandon Lowe flied out to center to start. Nelson Cruz popped up to first and Wander Franco grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Alex Verdugo struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning. All of a sudden Xander Bogaerts keeled over in the dugout and had to be rushed to a local ICU with Covid. Yairo Munoz took his spot in the batting order at second base with Jonathan Arauz moving to short. Austin Meadows flied out to center but Randy Arozarena hit a home run all the way to the deepest part of Finland to tie the game. Joey Wendle flied out to center and Yandy Diaz flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Rays tie it up

Arauz lined out to right to open the top of the third but Renfroe doubled to left. Renfroe moved to third on the grounder by Schwarber but Martinez popped up to second to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the bottom of the third as Kevin Kiermaier walked to start. Francisco Mejia was hit with a pitch and both runners moved over on the Lowe fly out to center. Cruz walked to load the bases and Franco dumped a base hit to right. Renfroe threw the ball into Dalbec who turned and heaved the ball into the left field stands for an error to score Kiermaier and Mejia. That was it for Peacock who Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on after just 2 1/3 innings. Stephen Gonsalves made his Sox debut by pouring gas on the fire. A wild pitch scored Cruz and Meadows singled in the hole at second to score Franco. Arozarena was hit with a pitch but Wendle flied out to left. Diaz doubled to right to score both runners to ice the game. Kiermaier struck out swinging but the game was basically over with the Sox down 7-1.

                                                              Gonsalves was not the answer

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Munoz flied out to left to start. Devers grounded out to short and Dalbec went down hacking to end the inning. Mejia popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth before Lowe struck out swinging. Cruz grounded out to third to end the inning.

Verdugo grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Vazquez got a base hit to right. Arauz flied out to left and Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning. Franco walked to start the bottom of the fifth before Meadows flied out to center. Franco took second on a wild pitch but Arozarena struck out swinging. Wendle flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did manage a run back when Schwarber belted his 28th home run of the season to cut the lead to start the top of the sixth. Martinez flied out to right, Munoz lined out to right and Devers lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox still down 7-2.

                                                     Schwarber hits one out

The Rays got to Phillips Valdez in the bottom of the sixth as Diaz was hit with a pitch to start. Kiermaier hit a routine grounder to Dalbec who threw himself on the ball and swam on it for another error to move Diaz to third. Diaz scored on the sac fly by Mejia to increase the lead. Lowe struck out swinging but Cruz walked. Franco grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays up 8-2.

                                                           Rays pour it on

Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec tried to atone for his error with a base hit to right. Verdugo flied out to center but Vazquez drew a walk. Arauz grounded out to second to move both runners over but Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning. Valdez returned for the bottom of the seventh and Meadows flied out to left to begin. Arozarena struck out looking and Wendle grounded out to first to end the inning.

Dietrich Enns came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Schwarber walked to start. Martinez took strike three and Munoz hit a routine grounder to third...thrown away by Wendle to move both runners into scoring position. Devers ripped a base hit to left to score Schwarber but Munoz remained at third. Dalbec struck out swinging and Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 8-3.

                                                     Devers drives in a run

Valdez returned for the bottom of the eighth and Diaz grounded out to third to start. Kiermaier lined out to third but Mejia doubled to center. Lowe flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the ninth as Vazquez flied out to left to start. Arauz walked, Renfroe doubled to left and Schwarber ripped a base hit to center to score Arauz. Martinez ripped a base hit to right to score Renfroe and bring the tying run to the plate. Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in Andrew Kittredge to face Munoz so Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Travis Shaw to pinch hit for Yairo. Shaw struck out swinging and so did Devers to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-5.

                                                              Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Brad Peacock. He got hammered for 5 runs in just 2 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't get out of.

                                                        Peacock Jackass

The Good:

Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts singled and drove in a run before leaving with illness.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

Stephen Gonsalves allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Yairo Munoz was 0 for 3 at the plate.

Travis Shaw struck out as a pinch hitter.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Phillips Valdez allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Another game, another loss to the Rays. Once again the starting pitching leaves a lot to be desired as starting Brad Peacock during a crucial game against your division rival failed big time. The sins of the spring are biting the Sox in the summer as the bullpen is worn down and they're not beating the red hot Rays. It may come down to the Sox having to fight the New York Yankees for the wild card and currently they're two games behind them as well. Its a shame after how this year was supposed to be redemption for last year's abortion but things are going down fast. Losing Bogaerts to a positive Covid test doesn't help either, especially if he infects anyone else on the team. The less said about this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-59, 10 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back in the third game of this series when Chris Sale takes on Drew Rasmussen of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Patino, Rays Shut Down Sox (8/30/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a series of roster moves. Matt Barnes and Martin Perez were placed on the Covid List and the Sox countered by bringing up pitchers Phillips Valdez and Raynel Espinal. Espinal is a 29 year old career minor leaguer for the New York Yankees system before being picked up in the Rule 5 draft in 2019. Also the Sox sent a bag of cash to the Cleveland Indians for former Houston Astros pitcher Brad Peacock. Brad went 13-2 for the World Series winning Astros in 2017 before shifting to the bullpen in 2018. He's been horrible ever since and Sox GM Chaim Bloom is hoping he has something left in the tank. If not, oh well, money can be replaced.

                                                                  OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, so much for the American League East. The Tampa Bay Rays came into this series riding a 7 game win streak and 12 out of 13 and they blitzed right through the Red Sox in this one. Luis Patino held the incompetent Red Sox to just one measly run through 5 2/3 innings. Of course a guy with an ERA over 4 would blind the fading Sox. Meanwhile Brandon Lowe blasted the first pitch he saw from Nick Pivetta (9-7, 4.67 ERA) into the stands to set the tone early. After a Bobby Dalbec home run in the second, the Sox didn't score again while the Rays knocked Pivetta out in the sixth inning after four runs allowed. The Rays added two more runs against new call up Raynel Espinal and took the game and pretty much the AL East 6-1 at Tropicana Field.

                                                                  Sad Jerry

Patino began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers lined out to left but JD Martinez singled to right. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays set the tone in the bottom of the first as Brandon Lowe hit the first pitch Pivetta through out of the yard to put the Rays up just like that. Nelson Cruz flied out to right, Wander Franco grounded out to first and Austin Meadows grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                        Lowe blasts the Rays ahead

Somehow the Sox answered in the top of the second although Alex Verdugo popped up to short to start. Bobby Dalbec clobbered his 18th home run of the season to tie the game but Christian Vazquez grounded out to second. Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                  Dalbec ties it up

Yandy Diaz walked to start the bottom of the second but Joey Wendle flied out to left. Old friend Manny Margot walked but Kevin Kiermaier struck out swinging. Mike Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yairo Munoz popped up to first to start the top of the third before Schwarber struck out swinging. Devers lined out to left to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third as Lowe walked on four pitches not even close to start. A wild pitch moved Lowe to second but Cruz struck out swinging. Franco grounded out to second to move Lowe to third and Brandon scored on the Meadows single to right. Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning but the Rays were up for good 2-1.

                                                     Meadows ends it early

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Martinez flied out to right to start. Bogaerts and Verdugo ripped back to back base hits but Dalbec forced Alex at second. Vazquez grounded out to second to end the inning. The Rays iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Wendle flied out to center to start. Margot struck out swinging but Kiermaier doubled to left. Zunino swung and missed at strike three but the ball got away from Vazquez to allow Zunino to reach first. Sure enough, the Rays made Pivetta pay as Lowe effortlessly singled in the hole at second to score Kiermaier to ice the game. Cruz popped up to third to end the inning but the game was over, 3-1 Rays.

                                                   Lowe does it again

Duran lined out to center to start the top of the fifth and Munoz flied out to center. Schwarber walked but Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Franco popped up to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Meadows grounded out to second. Diaz hit a ground rule double into the centerfield stands and Wendle was intentionally walked to get to Margot. Manny flied out to right to end the inning.

Martinez struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Bogaerts grounded out to third. Verdugo singled to right to chase Patino from the game. Luis held the Sox to just 1 run, pathetic. JP Feyereisen came in and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. The Rays finished off Pivetta in the bottom of the sixth as Kiermaier effortlessly singled to center before Zunino walked on Nick's 108th pitch. That was it for Pivetta as he struggled to get 15 outs before Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug. Hansel Robles came in to pour gas on the fire as Lowe walked to load the bases and Cruz hit a double play ball to Devers....BOOTED FOR AN ERROR! Kiermaier scored and Franco flied out to left on the next at-bat. Meadows struck out swinging as did Diaz to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1.

                          "Gimmie that ball...AND...AND GET OUTTA HERE!" - Cora

Vazquez watched strike three go by to start the top of the seventh before Duran struck out swinging on a pitch way over his head. Munoz singled to left and Schwarber flied out to center to end the inning. Raynel Espinal made his Sox debut in the bottom of the seventh as Wendle grounded out to first to start. Margot popped up to second and Kiemaier popped up to third to end the inning.

Pete Fairbanks dominated the top of the eighth as Devers took strike three to start. Martinez and Bogaerts both went down hacking to end the inning. The Rays wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh as Zunino walked to start. Lowe lined out to short but Cruz doubled to left. Franco ripped a base hit to left to score both runners but Espinal threw out Franco at second trying to stretch a double. Meadows lined out to right to end the inning with the Rays up 6-1.

                                                        Better luck next time Espinal

Adam Conley came in to close out the top of the ninth and Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Dalbec walked but Vazquez banged into a double play to end the game. The Rays had won it 6-1.

                                                     Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Nick Pivetta. Not that the Sox were going to score much but in a game that's pretty much deciding the division, Pivetta threw 108 pitches while getting just 15 outs. He took the loss by allowing 4 runs.

                                                        Screaming Jackass

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Yairo Munoz was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Christian was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Raynel Espinal allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Kyle Schwarber was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hansel Robles allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

That should officially end the AL East race with the Rays up 9 games on the Sox with just 29 left to play. Its amazing how the great the Sox played from April to June but the Rays have been on fire July and August. That's 13 out of 14 for the Rays and 8 in a row for them. Patino has been mediocre all season but blinded the Sox in this one. Pivetta battled and grinded to just make it to the sixth inning in comparison. The bats looked lifeless and the errors sealed their doom. Vazquez not hanging on to Zunino's third strike and Devers booting an easy grounder cost them crucial runs that put the game out of reach. The Rays don't make brutal plays like that which is why they may end up with over 100 wins when this season is over. All the Sox can hope for now is sneak into the wild card, which is highly unlikely with the New York Yankees in front of them and the Oakland A's about to pass them. Its all adding up to a lost season which started with so much promise but crashed and burned before our eyes. The loss dropped the Sox to75-58, 2 games behind the New York Yankees for the first wild card spot. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Brad Peacock...yes, you heard me, makes his Red Sox debut against Ryan Yarbrough of the Rays. Peacock will be replacing Martin Perez who was placed on the Covid List today. The game begins at 7:10 PM tomorrow night at Tropicana Field.

Sox Bullpen Melts In Cleveland (8/29/21)

For three months most Boston Red Sox fans squawked that while the team was doing well, manager Alex Cora was killing the bullpen by making them toss 4 plus innings a game. Sure enough the bullpen did wear down and the Sox have fallen apart since the all-star break. Tonight's game the Sox bullpen surrendered FIVE runs (and one inherited) against the mediocre Cleveland Indians, robbing the Sox of their fourth straight win. Tanner Houck and the Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Eli Morgan and the Indians on the back of home runs from Rafael Devers and Bobby Dalbec. Then Houck fell apart in the sixth inning and the Indians scored a run off Hansel Robles in the bottom of the seventh. Still leading 5-4, Austin Davis and Matt Barnes completed the meltdown by allowing 3 runs to the Indians to put the Sox behind. The Sox went quietly in the ninth inning and the Indians avoided a sweep with a 7-5 win at Progressive Field.

                                             Ratso and Joe can't stand the bullpen anymore

Morgan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging to start. Suddenly Rafael Devers swung on a 3-0 count and hit his 31st home run of the season to put the Sox on top. JD Martinez struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Devers puts Boston on top

Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Myles Straw walked to start. Straw stole second but Amed Rosario struck out swinging. Jose Ramirez hit one up the elevator shaft and Franmil Reyes popped up to first to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo walked to start the top of the second inning but Kevin Plawecki grounded into a double play. Bobby Dalbec then launched his 17th home run of the season to increase the lead but Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-0.

                                                      Dalbec hits one out

Bradley Zimmer struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second inning before Bobby Bradley also went down hacking. Wilson Ramos grounded out to third to end the inning.

Jonathan Arauz popped up to third to start the top of the third before Schwarber flied out to left. Devers flied out to right to end the inning. Daniel Johnson walked to start the bottom of the third and Andres Gimenez was hit with a pitch, but Straw hit into a double play. Rosario grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox blew their chance to bust the game open in the top of the fourth against new pitcher Justin Garza. Martinez took strike three but Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Verdugo singled to center to move Xander to third but Plawecki struck out swinging. Verdugo stole second on the strikeout and Dalbec walked to load the bases. Duran walked to score Bogaerts and with a chance to break the game open....Arauz struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox only ahead 3-0.

                                                       Duran draws a walk to drive in a run

Sox manager Alex Cora was so upset with Arauz leaving the bases loaded that he yanked him out of the game and put Yairo Munoz at second base to start the bottom of the fourth. Ramirez and Reyes drew back to back walks but Zimmer beat out a double play ball. Zimmer stole second but Bradley popped up to short. Ramos flied out to center to end the inning.

Trevor Stephan came in to pitch the top of the fifth inning and Schwarber walked to start. Devers lined out to center but Martinez doubled to center to score Schwarber. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Verdugo took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                       Martinez drives in a run

Johnson flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Gimenez grounded out to short. Straw lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox blew another chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth as Plawecki doubled to left to start. Dalbec struck out swinging but Duran got a base hit to center to move Plawecki to third. Duran swiped second and.....Munoz struck out swinging. Schwarber took strike three to end the inning. The failure to do damage cost the Sox the game in the bottom of the sixth although Rosario flied out to right to start. Ramirez then hit a home run all the way to Brazil before Reyes was plunked. Zimmer was plunked as well and that was it for Houck. His control went out the window in the sixth as he lasted 5 1/3 innings before being charged with 3 runs. Josh Taylor came in and Bradley grounded out to third to move both runners over. Ramos then got a two strike base hit to left to score both runners before Oscar Mercado pinch hit for Johnson. Mercado struck out swinging to end the inning but the Indians were back in it down 4-3.

                                                           Ramos drives in a pair

Blake Parker came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning and Devers greeted him with his second home run of the day to increase the lead. Martinez got a base hit in the hole at second but Bogaerts took strike three. Verdugo forced Martinez at second but Ramos was hurt on the play, putting Austin Hedges behind the plate. Naturally the first thing he did was throw out Verdugo trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                     Devers hits another one out

Hansel Robles came in to get tagged in the bottom of the seventh as Yu Chang pinch hit for Gimenez to start. Chang struck out swinging and Straw grounded out to first but Rosario singled to center. Ramirez doubled to center to score Rosario but Reyes took strike three to end the inning with the Indians down 5-4.

                                                           Ramirez drives in a run

Bryan Shaw came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Plawecki flied out to right to start. Dalbec flied out to center and Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth although Zimmer struck out swinging to start. Bradley popped up to third but Hedges hit a home run all the way to Lake Michigan to tie the game. Davis fell apart as Mercado singled to center and Chang doubled him home. Matt Barnes came in to stop the bleeding and Straw singled in the hole at short to score Chang with the insurance run. All these runs came with two outs and Rosario grounded out to second to end the inning with the Indians up 7-5.

                                                              Straw completes the comeback

Emmanuel Chase came in to close out the top of the ninth as Sox manager Alex Cora sent Travis Shaw to pinch hit for Munoz. Shaw lined out to right, Schwarber struck out swinging and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. The Indians scored 7 runs in three innings to steal the game 7-5.

                                                           Indians win

Jackass of the Night is Austin Davis. He got two outs then allowed 3 runs to lose the game.

                                                            Jackass Davis

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with two home runs.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

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

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a stolen base.

The Bad:

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Yairo Munoz struck out in his only at-bat.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 1 in his only at-bat.

Hansel Robles allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Kyle Schwarber was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tanner Houck was charged with 3 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. He allowed just 1 hit but walked 4 and hit 3 batters.

Josh Taylor allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning.

Matt Barnes allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! This was a great chance for the Sox to bring some momentum into their showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays that would pretty much decide if the Sox should go for the AL East or the wild card with 30 games left in the season. The Sox had their chance to win today but the bullpen blew it. The trade deadline acquisitions both got hammered and it all goes back to Cora continuing to pull starters early. One of these days its going to haunt him when it counts and the way things are going, there may not be games that count by the end. The Sox can't afford to lose games to mediocre teams with the Rays and the New York Yankees in front of them, especially since the Yankees are definitely not as formidable as recent years. There were some bright spots such as Dalbec playing with a fire under his ass now that Schwarber and Shaw are here. Still, the Sox losing a game like this leaves a bad taste in the fans mouth heading into a very important series that may decide the division. The loss dropped the Sox to 75-57, 2 games behind the Yankees for the first wild card spot. Tomorrow night the Sox head to Tampa with a big showdown with the Rays. Nick Pivetta (9-6) takes on Luis Patino of the Rays. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Beat Indians in 10 Innings (8/28/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox added some depth when they signed 28 year old free agent pitcher Michael Feliz who was released from the Cincinnati Reds organization. Michael's best year was when he was one of the top relievers for the Pittsburgh Pirates two years ago so the Sox are hoping he's got something left in the tank. If not? Oh well.

                                                               Welcome to Boston, Feliz

As for the game, hey the Sox won again! After squeaking by the Cleveland Indians on the back of an unlikely Jonathan Arauz home run last night, the Sox won another game by the skin of their teeth against Cleveland. Nathan Eovaldi of the Sox and Cal Quantrill of the Indians locked to a 2-2 tie into the sixth inning and the score remained until extra innings. JD Martinez clobbered a three run home run off Nick Wittgren to put Boston up big but Martin Perez loaded the bases with nobody out. Perez got the first out before giving way to Adam Ottavino. Adam got the second out but Oscar Mercado's base hit cut the lead to two. With the game on the line, Ottavino got Andres Gimenez to ground out to end the game. The Sox had survived to win their third game in a row 5-3 over the Indians in 10 innings.

                                                        Jeannine Taylor approves of the win

Quantrill got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran popped up a bunt to Jose Ramirez to begin. Kyle Schwarber then jacked his 27th home run of the season to put Boston on top. JD Martinez singled to center and Bogaerts doubled to left. Johnson booted the ball which allowed Martinez to score and Bogaerts to take third. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                  Schwarber puts the Sox on top

Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Myles Straw led off with a liner to left. Amed Rosario struck out swinging and Ramirez flied out to center to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo took strike three to start the top of the second before Christian Vazquez flied out to right. Travis Shaw grounded out to first to end the inning. The Indians fought back in the bottom of the second as Franmil Reyes hit a home run all the way to Saudi Arabia to start. Bradley Zimmer doubled to right and Bobby Bradley ripped a base hit to center to score Zimmer, tying the game. Austin Hedges popped up to short and Daniel Johnson took strike three, but Andres Gimenez doubled to left to move Bradley to third. Straw struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Home run Reyes

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third inning as Jonathan Arauz took strike three to start. Duran struck out swinging and Schwarber grounded out to short to end the inning. Eovaldi made quick work of the Indians in the bottom of the third as Rosario, Ramirez and Reyes all struck out swinging in short order.

Martinez grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth and Bogaerts took strike three. Devers walked and Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning. Zimmer grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth but Bradley singled to left. Hedges forced Bradley at second and Johnson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Vazquez tried to start a rally in the top of the fifth with a base hit to left but Shaw popped up to third. Arauz forced Vazquez at second and Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Gimenez lined out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Straw popped up to second. Rosario grounded out to short to end the inning.

Schwarber struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Martinez singled to left. Bogaerts flied out to center and Devers took strike three to end the inning. Ramirez popped up to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Reyes doubled to center. As usual rather than let Eovaldi get out of the inning, Sox manager Alex Cora yanked Eovaldi after 5 1/3 innings and 2 runs allowed. He did strike out seven though. Josh Taylor came in and walked Zimmer but Bradley struck out swinging. Hedges lined out to short to end the inning.

                                                    Eovaldi only gets 16 outs

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Verdugo beat out a roller to second to start. Vazquez walked and both runners moved over on the Shaw sacrifice bunt. The rally ended as Arauz popped up to second and Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Oscar Mercado pinch hit for Johnson to begin. Mercado beat out a roller to short and Gimenez walked, but Straw popped the bunt up to Sawamura. Both runners moved over on the grounder to the mound by Rosario and Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Sawamura struck out Reyes swinging on a full count to end the inning.

Bryan Shaw came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Schwarber singled to right to start. Martinez lined out to center and Boagerts flied out to center, but Devers got a base hit to right to move Kyle to third. Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Zimmer walked to start. Zimmer moved to second on the grounder to short by Bradley and to third on the grounder to the mound by Hedges. That was it for Davis as Garrett Richards came in to face Mercado. Mercado flied out to right to end the inning.

Emmanuel Clase came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Vazquez doubled to left to start. Yairo Munoz pinch ran for Vazquez but Shaw lined out to first and Arauz struck out swinging. Duran grounded out to third to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth with Kevin Plawecki now behind the plate and Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Straw singled to right but Rosario struck out swinging. Ramirez flied out to left to end the inning to send the game to extras.

Nick Wittgren came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Duran starting at second. Schwarber dropped a base hit to left to move Duran to third and Martinez clubbed his 24th home run of the season to put the Sox up big. Bogaerts lined out to first and that was it for Wittgren. Alex Younbg came in to face Devers and he singled to right. Verdugo banged into a double play to end the inning with Boston ahead 5-2.

                                                 Home run Martinez

Martin Perez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Ramirez starting at second. Perez imploded as Reyes walked and Zimmer was plunked to load the bases. Somehow he got Bradley to strike out swinging and that was it for Martin. Adam Ottavino came in to clean up the mess and managed to strike out Hedges swinging. Mercado then got a seeing eye single to right that scored Ramirez but Gimenez grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had survived and won the game 5-3 in 10 innings.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez, His three run home run put the Sox up for good in the tenth inning.

                                                       Schwarber salutes our Hero

The Good:

Kyle Schwarber was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed just 6 hits and struck out 7.

Josh Taylor got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Hiro Sawamura pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Austin Davis got the first two outs of the eighth inning.

Garrett Richards got the last out of the eighth inning.

Garrett Whitlock got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3.

Martin Perez was charged with a run in the tenth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Adam Ottavino got the save but allowed an inherited runner to score in the tenth.

Honorable Mention:

Yairo Munoz ran for Vazquez in the top of the ninth.

Kevin Plawecki caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Wow, don't look now but the Sox are back in playoff contention. The New York Yankees lost tonight so the Sox are just 2 back of them with 31 games left to play. That's not impossible but the Sox are going to have to keep winning since its unlikely the Yankees or the Tampa Bay Rays are going to lose much in September. The Sox desperately needed to win this series with Cleveland considering their last chance to get back in the AL East race begins on Monday against the Rays. Winning tomorrow's game would help too but just making it this far is good enough. The Sox were essentially shut down after the first inning until JD's blast in the tenth but the pitching held up....until the end anyway. Martin Perez should never pitch in a high leverage situation like that, especially if the Sox get to the playoffs. That would be disastrous if he had to hold a lead in the later innings for sure. Still, a win is a win and they earned this one for sure. The win improved the Sox to 75-56, 2 games behind the Yankees for the first wild card spot. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Indians when they send Tanner Houck to the mound against Eli Morgan of Cleveland. The game begins at 2:20 PM eastern time at Progressive Field.

Arauz, Rodriguez Guide Sox Past Indians (8/27/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Kike Hernandez and Christian Arroyo was placed on the Covid List and the Sox had to bus Jonathan Arauz and Yairo Munoz 200 miles to Cleveland to play tonight's game against the Cleveland Indians. One of them turned out to be very important indeed.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, thank goodness Jonathan Arauz made the 200 mile trip. The emergency replacement for Kike Hernandez was slotted to play second and hit ninth at the last second. Eduardo Rodriguez (10-7, 5.12 ERA) tossed 7 solid innings but had allowed 3 runs. The Sox bats were held to just 1 run by Logan Allen through six innings. In the top of the eighth with two on against Jaames Karinchak, Arauz aided the cause with a towering 3 run bomb to put the Sox on top. Garrett Richards and Adam Ottavino slammed the door in the final two innings to preserve the win. The Sox had been reeling since the all-star break but this was one of those wins that could catapault a team back into contention as the Sox beat the Indians 4-3 at Progressive Field.

                                                                Janet Jackson approves of the win

Allen got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yairo Munoz made his season debut by flying out to left to start. Kyle Schwarber grounded out to short and Xander Bogaerts also grounded out to short to end the inning. Rodriguez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Myles Straw lined out to center to start. Amed Rosario lined out to right and Jose Ramirez got a base hit to right. Verdugo gunned down Ramirez trying to stretch a double to end the inning.

Rafael Devers popped up to third to start the top of the second before Alex Verdugo grounded out to second. Bobby Dalbec ripped a double to left but Christian Vazquez lined out to third to end the inning. Franmil Reyes flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Wilson Ramos grounded back to the mound. Bradley Zimmer hit a routine grounder to third and Dalbec threw the ball into the left field bleachers to advance Zimmer to second. Owen Miller grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Jonathan Arauz took strike three. Munoz struck out swinging to end the inning. The Indians beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Yu Chang grounded out to short to start. Oscar Mercado also grounded out to short and Straw grounded out to third to end the inning.

Schwarber took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Bogaerts also watched strike three go by. Devers grounded out to third to end the inning. The Indians struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Rosario got a base hit to center and Ramirez hit a home run all the way to Central America to put Cleveland on top.

                                              Home run number 30 this year for Ramirez

The Sox rallied in the top of the fifth as Verdugo was plunked to start before a wild pitch moved him to second. Dalbec hit a grounder to short but Rosario missed the tag on Verdugo going to third. Christian Vazquez banged into a double play but Verdugo scored to cut the lead. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                     Verdugo scores a run

Miller popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Chang grounded out to short. Mercado hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Arauz walked to start the top of the sixth but Munoz forced him at second. Schwarber lined out to left and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Straw struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Rosario lined out to center. Ramirez got a base hit to center and Reyes walked, but Ramos grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alex Young came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers grounded out to second to start. Verdugo popped up to first and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. The Indians struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Zimmer got a base hit to right to start. Miller banged into a double play but Chang hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Quebec to increase the lead. Mercado flied out to right to end the inning with the Indians up 3-1. That was it for Rodriguez who tossed 7 solid innings but allowed 3 runs on 8 hits and a walk.

                                                       Rodriguez goes 7

James Karinchak took over for the top of the eighth but Vazquez walked to start. Duran got a base hit to left and Arauz shocked everyone by launching his first home run of the season to put Boston on top. That was it for Karinchak as Blake Parker came in to get Munoz to ground out to third. Schwarber grounded out to short and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                        Arauz saves the day

Garrett Richards came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Straw took strike three to start. Rosario struck out swinging and Ramirez popped up to first to end the inning. Good work Richards!

Devers lined out to Parker to start the top of the ninth before Verdugo grounded out to first. Dalbec walked but Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning. Adam Ottavino came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Travis Shaw taking over for Schwarber at first. Reyes walked to start and Andres Gimenez ran for him. Gimenez stole second but Ramos struck out swinging. Zimmer struck out swinging and Miller grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jonathan Arauz. His 3 run home run was the difference in the game.

                                                         Hero Arauz

The Good:

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Eduardo Rodriguez earned the win by tossing 7 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 8 hits and struck out 2 batters.

Garrett Richards pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Adam Ottavino earned his ninth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Yairo Munoz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kyle Schwarber was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Travis Shaw played first base in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Thank goodness for Arauz because the rest of the offense was virtually non-existent. The top of the order was 0 for 16 with 5 strikeouts in particular. Rodriguez gave up a few bombs but otherwise pitched well and ate up 7 innings. Richards hopefully can find life in the bullpen now that Chris Sale is back and Ottavino stepped up big tonight in the ninth. The season still looks to be a wash but the Sox have won a few games lately, that's good for something right? The Sox are still behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees and its a shame because if they didn't fall off a cliff after the All-Star break they'd be neck and neck with Tampa instead of hopelessly behind with just over a month left in the season. Still, a win is a win and they all count in the end. The win improved the Sox to74-56, 3 games behind the New York Yankees for the first wild card spot. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Indians tomorrow afternoon when Nathan Eovaldi takes on Cal Quantrill of Cleveland. The game begins at 5:05 PM eastern time at Progressive Field.