Off-Day News (9/20/21)

In today's off-day news, the Oakland Athletics claimed Michael Feliz off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. He had three good games and one bad before he was claimed. Guess he was expendable with the roster expansion.

                                                                            Bye bye Feliz

On this day in Red Sox history:

2016 - Rodriguez pitches Sox past Orioles

2017 - Sale guides Sox in sweep of the Orioles

2018 - Sox beat Yankees, clinch AL East

2019 - Rays walkoff, eliminate Red Sox

2020 - Rookie Houck dazzles Yankees

The Sox now play a two game set with the New York Mets. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox against Marcus Stroman of the Mets. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sweep Orioles With Rally (9/19/21)

Once again Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora failed to let a starter pitch into the sixth inning but also once again, they won anyway. The Sox completed a 3 game sweep of the hapless Baltimore Orioles and won their 5th straight game with a seven inning rally. The Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Alex Wells but the O's got three runs in the top of the third off Nathan Eovaldi. JD Martinez made it 5-3 Sox but the Os rallied for 3 runs in the top of the seventh. Rafael Devers capped off a 3 run rally in the bottom of the seventh and Garrett Richards slammed the door in the top of the ninth. The Sox stole one from the worst team in baseball to win the game 8-6 at Fenway Park. 

                                                          Julie Strain approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and Cedric Mullins led off by striking out swinging to begin. Ryan Mountcastle got a base hit to left but Anthony Santander struck out swinging. Trey Mancini went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Wells in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez walked to start. Hunter Renfroe got a base hit to right and Rafael Devers singled to left to load the bases with nobody out. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging and JD Martinez took strike three, but Bobby Dalbec got hit with a pitch to score Hernandez. Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to right to score Renfroe and Devers, but Dalbec was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                     Sox take the lead

Austin Hays grounded out to short to start the top of the second but Pedro Severino singled to center. Pat Valaika took strike three and Kelvin Gutierrez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo doubled to center to start. Jose Iglesias grounded out to first to move Verdugo to third and Alex scored on the double down the left field line by Hernandez. Renfroe popped up to right and Devers flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-0.

                                                      Hernandez drives in a run

The O's struck back in the top of the third although Richie Martin went down hacking to open. Mullins singled to right, Mountcastle walked and Santander doubled to left to score Mullins. Mancini grounded out to third but Hays got a base hit to center to score both runners. Hays stole second but Severino grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 4-3.

                                                            O's are back in it

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Martinez blasted his 27th home run of the season to increase the lead but Dalbec lined out to center. Plawecki flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                           Home run for JD

Valaika grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Gutierrez took strike three. Martin singled to center but Mullins popped up to third to end the inning. Verdugo lined out to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Iglesias popped up to short. Hernandez took strike three to end the inning. 

Mountcastle got a base hit to right to begin the top of the fifth but was forced at second by Santander. Mancini whiffed and Hays flied out to center to end the inning. Foolishly that was it for Eovaldi after just 78 pitches as he allowed 3 runs in 5 innings off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                          Short and sweet for Eovaldi

Renfroe hit one up the elevator shaft to open the bottom of the fifth and Devers popped up to left. Bogaerts was retired on a nubber to the mound to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Severino lined out to right to start. Valaika grounded out to short but Gutierrez doubled to left. Martin grounded out to second to end the inning. Eric Hanhold came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Martinez struck out swinging to open. Dalbec grounded out to third and Plawecki flied out to right to end the inning. 

The O's sprang to life in the top of the seventh as Mullins walked to start. All of a sudden Whitlock keeled over clutching his arm. He had to be hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Hiro Sawamaura poured gas on the fire as Mountcastle and Santander drew back to back walks to load the bases. Mancini cleared the bases with a double to left to give the O's the lead but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Hays and Severino both struck out swinging to end the inning but the O's now led 6-5.

                                                               Poor Whitlock

Boston rallied against Connor Greene in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo popped up to third to start. Iglesias doubled to left and Hernandez got a base hit to center to score Jose with the tying run. Renfroe doubled to left to score Hernandez with the go-ahead run and chase Greene. Cole Sulser came in to face Devers and Rafael singled to center to score Renfroe. Bogaerts walked but Martinez popped up to second to end Sulser's night. Dillon Tate got Dalbec to ground out to third to end the inning but the Sox were back on top 8-6.

                                                                Sox take the lead back

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Valaika popped up to first to start. Gutierrez struck out swinging but Martin singled to left. Mullins popped up to first to end the inning. Plawecki took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo grounded out to short. Iglesias grounded out to third to end the inning.

Garrett Richards came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mountcastle took strike three to start. Santander grounded out to short and Mancini grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-6.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of The Night is Hunter Renfroe. His go-ahead rbi single in the seventh but the Sox up for good.

                                                           Hero Renfroe

The Good:

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

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

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Garrett Richards earned his third save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Garrett Whitlock was charged with a run in one inning of work.

Hiro Sawamura allowed an inherited runner to score and two of his own in an inning of work to vulture the win.

The Ugly:

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

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

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

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit drove in 2 runs.

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

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 3 runs in 5 innings off 7 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

Final Thoughts:

Once again if the Sox bullpen runs out of gas before or during October they have no one to blame but Cora. Eovaldi had just one bad inning and had only thrown 78 pitches but Cora yanked him anyway. What if he got through the sixth and then you got Whitlock, Robles & Richards for 7-8-9? As it is, they nearly blew the game but kudos to the bats for rallying. Sawamura, Adam Ottavino, Matt Barnes and Whitlock carried them all season and they all look or already are toast. Still, Robles & Richards shut the door and the bats did enough to get the win. The Sox needed to win to stay in front of the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees while keeping their very slim AL East hopes alive with just 11 games remaining. The win improved the Sox to 86-65, 6.5 games behind the Rays for 1st place in the AL East and 1 game in front of the Blue Jays for the 1st Wild Card. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action against the New York Mets this Tuesday night. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox against Marcus Stroman of the Mets. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park. 

Bogaerts, Sox Crush Orioles (9/18/21)

If the Boston Red Sox go down in flames at the end of the season, they have no one to blame but manager Alex Cora for the reason why. His overuse of the bullpen sank the team out of the AL East race and might have just sacrificed future games to win this one. The good news was the Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles for their fourth straight win but the bad news was the bullpen had to throw nearly 6 full innings. Nick Pivetta was yanked in the top of the fourth inning with 2 outs and a man on third in a 3-3 game. Darwinzon Hernandez got out of it and the bullpen held the fort the rest of the way. Xander Bogaerts broke the tie in the fifth inning then slammed the door with a 3 run bomb in the sixth. Tanner Houck (1-4, 3.58 ERA) earned his first win of the season as the Sox knocked off the Orioles 9-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Julie Clarke approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Pivetta in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins doubled off the Monster to start. Ryan Mountcastle hit a home run all the way to El Salvador to put the O's on top. Anthony Santander got a base hit to center and Austin Hays walked, but DJ Stewart struck out swinging. Pat Valaika flied out to right and Gutierrez forced Hays at second to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                              Mountcastle's 30th

The Sox struck back against O's starter Zac Lowther in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez doubled off the Monster to start. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to short but Rafael Devers singled in the hole at short to score Hernandez. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez stroked back to back base hits to load the bases but Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging. Bobby Dalbec then pounded a double off the Monster to score Devers and Bogaerts. Christian Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                       Hernandez starts the rally

The O's answered in the top of the second as Richie Martin took strike three to start. Austin Wynns then hit a home run all the way to Detroit to tie the game. Mullins singled to left and stole second but Mountcastle grounded out to short. Mullins stole third but Santander grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                    Wynns ties it

Jose Iglesias lined out to third to start the bottom of the second before Hernandez flied out to center. Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hays lined out to right to start the top of the third before Stewart was frozen for strike three. Valaika grounded out to short to end the inning. Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Bogaerts lined out to left. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Gutierrez got a base hit in the hole at short to start the top of the fourth before Martin blooped a base hit in shallow right. Wynns banged into a double play and suddenly Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout. Apparently he was managing this game like it was game 7 of the world series but that was it for Pivetta after allowing 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Darwinzon Hernandez got Mullins to line out to left to end the inning but Cora was asking the bullpen to toss 5 full innings AGAIN.

                                                  Pivetta gets yanked in the fourth

Schwarber flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Dalbec drew a walk. Vazquez walked to chase Lowther. Conner Greene got Iglesias to pop up to short and Hernandez to fly out to right to end the inning.

Mountcastle walked to start the top of the fifth but Santander took strike three. Hays got a base hit to right and once again Cora ran out of the dugout in record time at the first sign of trouble. Tanner Houck came in to pitch but Ryan McKenna pinch hit for Stewart. McKenna lined out to left and Valaika took strike three to end the inning. Mike Baumann came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Renfroe flied out to right to start. Devers doubled off the Monster and Bogaerts ripped a base hit to center to score Rafael. Martinez walked but Schwarber flied out to right to move Xander to third. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                            Bogaerts drives in a run

Gutierrez grounded out to short to begin the top of the sixth before Martin flied out to right. Wynns struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez struck out swinging to start. Iglesias grounded out to third but Hernandez got a base hit to left. Renfroe doubled to center to score Enrique and Devers got a base hit to left to put runners at the corners. Bogaerts settled matters with a three run home run to put the game away. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-3.

                                                         Bogaerts ices it

Mullins grounded out to second to begin the top of the seventh before Mountcastle got a base hit to right. Santander popped up to third and Hays struck out swinging to end the inning. Old friend Fernando Abad came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Schwarber lined one by the mound for a base hit. Dalbec got a base hit to right to move Schwarber to third, and Kyle scored on the double play hit by Vazquez. Iglesias beat out a roller to short but Hernandez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

                                                        Vazquez could have done better

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McKenna struck out swinging to start. Valaika lined out to right and Gutierrez took strike three to end the inning. Dusten Knight came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Renfroe took strike three to start. Devers grounded out to second and Bogaerts lined out to short to end the inning.

Garrett Richards came in to close out the top of the ninth and Martin struck out swinging to start. Wynns grounded out to first but Mullins walked. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won the game 9-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Xander Bogaerts He hit a three run home run and drove in four total runs to outscore Baltimore by himself.

                                                             Hero Bogaerts

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 3 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Tanner Houck earned his first win of the year by tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Hansel Robles tossed a scoreless inning.

Garrett Richards pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Pivetta allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 7 hits and a walk while striking out 3.

The Ugly:

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Kyle Schwarber was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox to keep pace in the wild card hunt but good grief what the hell is wrong with Cora? He pulled Pivetta after 68 pitches after he had just gotten a big double play. If he had gotten one more batter then you can bring in a fresh Hernandez in the fifth inning or let him start another. Nope, had to yank him right then and there huh? Now the bullpen is going to be tired going into tomorrow's game but at least they won. Bogaerts carried the load offensively but Devers was scoring runs left and right. Kudos to Tanner Houck who FINALLY earned his first win of the year after going 3-0 in three starts last September. Too bad there are only 12 games left in the season but you never know, he may get another somewhere. Its too bad Jose Iglesias is ineligible for the post-season because the Sox seem to have been sparked by his return. The Sox now lead the wild card by one game over the Toronto Blue Jays and 1.5 ahead of the New York Yankees and the Sox need to keep winning if they hope to lock it up. This was four wins in a row, hopefully they can win at least four more to keep the pressure on the others. The win improved the Sox to 85-65, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. Boston looks to make it five wins in a row and a series sweep against the Orioles tomorrow when Nathan Eovaldi goes for the Sox against Alex Wells of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sale, Sox Bash Orioles (9/17/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Chris Sale and Matt Barnes were removed from the Covid List while Ryan Brasier was optioned to Worcester and Michael Feliz was designated for assignment. Brasier just hasn't looked good since he came off the Injured List while Feliz was just a stopgap until Sale was healthy again. Feliz may go to Worcester, he may not. Either way Barnes and Sale are back.

                                                                       IN

                                                                      OUT

As for the game, looks like Chris Sale (4-0, 2.40 ERA) is ready for an October run for the Boston Red Sox. The ace dominated the hapless Baltimore Orioles for five innings, surrendering one run to the O's. Meanwhile the Sox bats got to Baltimore starter Keegan Akin for two runs in the bottom of the second to go up for good. Bobby Dalbec hit a home run, JD Martinez drove in a run and Hunter Renfroe hit a bases loaded double to put the game out of reach. The Boston bullpen didn't allow a single run as Martin Perez slammed the door in the top of the ninth. The Sox needed to make a statement against a last place team and they did, beating the O's 7-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Julie Bowen approves of the win

Sale got the ball in the top of the first and Cedric Mullins led off with a base hit to center. Ryan Mountcastle grounded into a double play and Trey Mancini popped up to second to end the inning. Akin got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to center to start. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to short but Xander Bogaerts walked. Rafael Devers doubled to center but JD Martinez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the second when Austin Hays hit a home run all the way to South Dakota to put the O's on top. Ramon Urias struck out swinging, Pedro Severino flied out to right and Ryan McKenna grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                               Home run Hays

The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Bobby Dalbec lined out to right to start. Christian Vazquez doubled off the Monster and Alex Verdugo singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners. Jose Iglesias smacked a ground rule double down the right field line to score Vazquez and Hernandez hit a sac fly to center to score Verdugo. Renfroe pooped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                         Iglesias pounds a double

Pat Valaika grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Kelvin Gutierrez grounded back to the mound. Mullins grounded out to short to end the inning. Bogaerts grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Devers lined out to center. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Mountcastle grounded out to short to begin the top of the fourth before Mancini grounded out to third. Hays lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Dalbec clocked his 23rd home run of the season to increase the lead. Vazquez grounded out to third but Verdugo singled in the hole at second. Iglesias walked but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

 

                                                          Home run Dalbec

Sale returned for one final inning in the top of the fifth and Urias grounded out to short to start. Severino also grounded out to short but McKenna was hit by a pitch. Valaika flied out to left to end the inning. Sale didn't last long but held the O's to just 1 run off 2 hits in five strong innings.

                                                               Sale got it done

Renfroe walked to begin the bottom of the fifth and that was it for Akin. Marcos Diplan came in to pitch and Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Renfoe took second on a wild pitch and took third on Devers' grounder to second. Martinez doubled to right to score Renfroe and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                          Martinez drives in a run

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Gutierrez grounded out to second to start. Mullins grounded out to first and Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the sixth with Dusten Knight now on the mound. Vazquez and Verdugo stroked back to back base hits but Iglesias struck out swinging. Hernandez walked to load the bases and Renfroe cleared the bases with a double off the Monster. Eric Hanhold came in to pitch to Bogaerts and Xander forced Renfroe at third with a grounder back to the mound. A wild pitch moved Bogaerts to second but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                        Renfroe breaks it open

Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mancini flied out to center to start. Hays flied out to left but Urias singled in the hole at short. Severino struck out swinging to end the inning. Richie Martin came in for Urias with Spenser Watkins now on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Martinez grounded a base hit down the first base line to start and Dalbec walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over but Vazquez grounded out to short. Verdugo grounded out to short and Iglesias flied out to right to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McKenna walked to start. Valaika struck out swinging but Gutierrez got a base hit to right. Mullins popped up to third and Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning. Hernandez flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth before Renfroe took strike three. Bogaerts got a base hit to left and Devers hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Martin Perez came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mancini grounded out to third to start. Hays grounded out to first and Martin flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-1.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Hunter Renfroe. His bases clearing double put the game out of reach.

                                                                Hunter Hero

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

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

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Chris Sale got the win by tossing 5 innings of one run ball allowing 2 hits and a hit batsmen.

Garrett Whitlock tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Hiro Sawamura tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Martin Perez tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win and badly needed with the season coming to a close. Almost every game is now must win with the AL East race all but locked up and the log jam for the wild card. Sale looked great for five innings and now he needs to be stretched out in case the Sox get to play in October. Renfroe had a big hit tonight and so did Martinez. If the Sox get good starting pitching they might pull this off. There's only 11 games left in the season with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees breathing down their neck. They need to make a stand now if they want to create some separation in the wild card run. The win improved the Sox to 84-65, 8.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East and a half game ahead of the Yankees for the wild card. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Orioles and four wins straight tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta takes on Zac Lowther of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News (9/16/21)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful history:

1976 - Sox beat Brewers after big rally

1984 - Sox beat Yankees in season series finale

1990 - White Sox sweep Red Sox

1993 - Viola, Sox beat Yankees

2016 - Buchholz, Sox drop Yankees

2017 - Porcello, Sox shut down Rays

2018 - Sox hold off Mets

2020 - Marlins beat up Kickham, Sox

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night when they return home to face the Baltimore Orioles. Chris Sale (3-0) goes for the Sox against Keegan Akin of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Explode in 10th, Beat Mariners (9/15/21)

Well that was interesting. The Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners battled to a 3-3 tie from the third inning all the way to the end of the ninth. Hunter Renfroe hit a first inning home run against Marco Gonzalez and the Sox got two more runs in the top of the second. The Mariners rallied for three runs against Sox starter Tanner Houck in the bottom of the third and then it became a slog the rest of the game. Then in the tenth inning the Sox bats rallied for six runs against the Mariners bullpen highlighted by a two run Kyle Schwarber single and a two run Christian Vazquez double. Adam Ottavino (7-3, 3.68) continued his march to 10 relief wins and Martin Perez finished off the Mariners in the bottom of the tenth. The Sox needed a win to keep pace in the wild card race and they knocked off the Mariners 9-4 in 10 innings at T-Mobile Park.

                                                  Julia Styles approves of the win

Gonzalez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Hunter Renfroe launched his 28th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts flied out to left and Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                     28th jack for Renfroe

Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and JP Crawford grounded out to second to start. Mitch Haniger lined out to right and Kyle Seager grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as JD Martinez flied out to right to start. Kyle Schwarber walked and Bobby Dalbec pounded a ground rule double into the stands. Kevin Plawecki grounded out to first to score Schwarber and Jose Iglesias smacked a double to center to score Dalbec. Hernandez lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Iglesias drives in a run

Ty France struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second before Abraham Toro grounded back to Houck. Jake Fraley grounded out to second to end the inning.

Gonzalez turned up the heat for the top of the third as Renfroe struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts and Devers also went down hacking to end the inning. The Mariners fought back in the bottom of the third as Luke Torrens struck out swinging to start. Jarred Kelenic got a base hit to center and Tom Murphy got a base hit to right. Kelenic tried for third and Renfroe threw the ball away for an error to score Jarred. Crawford walked and a wild pitch moved the runners over. Haniger lined out to short but Seager doubled to left to score both runners and tie the game. France whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                               Mariners tie it up

Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Schwarber struck out swinging. Dalbec also went down hacking to end the inning. Toro struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Fraley watched strike three go by. Torrens swung at air to end the inning.

Plawecki grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Iglesias drew a walk. Hernandez flied out to left and Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning. Dr. Quick Hook struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Kelenic got a base hit to center to start. Kelenic stole second but Murphy was rung up for strike three. Rather than let Houck finish the inning, Sox manager Alex Cora pulled him after just 4 1/3 innings forcing the bullpen to throw more than four innings AGAIN. Houck allowed 3 runs before getting the hook. Josh Taylor got Crawford to ground out to second but Kelenic moved to third. Haniger was intentionally walked and Seager grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                    Another short outing for Houck

Bogaerts took strike three to start the top of the sixth before Devers grounded out to second. Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Garrett Richards came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and France lined a ball off of him for a single. Toro grounded into a double play and Fraley struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally against Casey Sadler to start the top of the seventh as Schwarber flied out to right to start. Dalbec walked but Plawecki took strike three. Dalbec stole second and Iglesias beat out a roller to first to put runners at the corners. Paul Sewald came in to face Hernandez but Alex Verdugo pinch hit for him. Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Torrens singled in the hole at short to start the bottom of the seventh but Kelenic flied out to center. Dylan More pinch ran for Torrens and Murphy grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Renfroe grounded back to the mound to start the top of the eighth before Bogaerts took strike three. Devers walked and Martinez reached on catcher's interference. Schwarber flied out to center to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Crawford flied out to right to start. Devers threw a grounder by Haniger away for an error but Seager popped up to first. Sox manager Alex Cora wanted Adam Ottavino to face France and Adam struck him out swinging to end the inning.

Diego Castillo came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Dalbec went down hacking to start. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Plawecki and struck out swinging as well. Travis Shaw pinch hit for Iglesias and popped up to short to end the inning. Jack Lopez took over for Shaw at second to start the bottom of the ninth and Toro popped up to short to start. Fraley lined out to short and Jake Bauers pinch hit for Moore. Bauers was hit with a pitch and stole second, but Kelenic struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the tenth with Erik Swanson on the mound and Lopez starting at second base. Verdugo got a base hit to left and Lopez scored on a passed ball, moving Verdugo to second. Renfroe walked and Bogaerts got a base hit to center to load the bases. Justus Sheffield came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael forced Verdugo at home. Martinez singled in the hole at short to score Renfroe and Schwarber got a base hit to right to score Bogaerts and Devers. Yohan Ramirez came in and Dalbec walked to once again re-load the bases. Vazquez doubled to right to Martinez and Schwarber to ice the game. Lopez struck out swinging and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

                                                             Sox take the lead

Martin Perez came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Kelenic on second to start. Murphy struck out swinging but Kelenic took third on a balk. Crawford grounded out to short but Kelenic scored to cut the lead. Haniger struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4 in 10 innings.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Kyle Schwarber. His two run single put the game out of reach for Seattle.

                                                                Hero Schwarber

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 2 with 2 rbis.

Jose Iglesias was 2 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

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

Garrett Richards tossed 2 scoreless innings.

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

Adam Ottavino got the win with 1 1/3 scoreles innings.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Tanner Houck allowed 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings off 4 hits and a walk.

Martin Perez allowed a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but walked, hit a home run and scored two runs.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but walked and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Jack Lopez was 0 for 1 at the plate but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a huge win for the Sox to keep pace in the wild card chase with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. The Sox have just 14 games remaining and they need to win every game they can to make the playoffs. Its very unlikely they win the AL East but they're right in the thick of things in the wild card hunt. This win pushed the Mariners to four games behind them so they might be out of it. The Sox blew the game open in the 10th but hats off to the bullpen to keep the game tied to get to that point after Houck left the game. Once again Alex Cora pulled a starter too early but it worked out this time. The bullpen is going to have nothing left for October but they have to get there first. Its too bad Jose Iglesias is ineligible for the post-season roster because he's been a godsend since they got him back after eight years away. The Sox need to go on a win streak if they want to lock up October or else they may be on the outside looking in. The win improved the Sox to 83-65, 8 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night when they return home to face the Baltimore Orioles. Chris Sale (3-0) goes for the Sox against Keegan Akin of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Late Rally Sinks Mariners (9/14/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Martin Perez was removed from the Covid List and Kaleb Ort was sent back to Worcester. The Sox need some quality starts from Perez if the Sox hope to make it to the playoffs.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                           IN

As mentioned in the past, this series against the Seattle Mariners is very important because they're right in the thick of things for the AL wild card. For five innings it looked like the Mariners were going to win their second straight when they took a 2-1 lead against Nathan Eovaldi. Bobby Dalbec tied the game up with a home run in the sixth and the Sox had a furious rally in the eighth. Kyle Schwarber hit a pinch hit bases loaded double and Alex Verdugo followed with a two run home run. JD Martinez drove in another run but the Mariners rallied in the ninth off Hiro Sawamura and Austin Davis. Davis struck out Kyle Seager to preserve the 8-4 win for the Sox at T-Mobile Park.

                                                      Josie Canseco approves of the win

Tyler Anderson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Hunter Renfroe flied out to right and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and JP Crawford got a base hit to right. Mitch Haniger, Kyle Seager and Ty France all struck out swinging in order to end the inning.

Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to start the top of the second before JD Martinez went down hacking. Bobby Dalbec flied out to left and Kevin Plawecki grounded out to short to end the inning. Abraham Toro hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the second before Jarred Kelenic flied out to left. Jake Fraley struck out swinging to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third before Jose Iglesias popped up to short. Jake Bauers flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Cal Raleigh struck out swinging. Crawford went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Devers went down hacking to start but Martinez clobbered his 26th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Dalbec and Plawecki both grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                    Martinez puts Boston on top

The Mariners answered in the bottom of the fourth as Haniger got a base hit to left to start. Seager beat out a roller to third and France got a base hit to center to score Haniger. Toro hit a routine fly to Renfroe who dropped it for an error to load the bases. Kelenic struck out swinging but Fraley hit a sac fly to center to score Seager. Bauers watched strike three go by to end the inning but the Mariners were up 2-1.

                                                           Mariners take the lead

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Verdugo singled to right to start. Iglesias singled to left but Hernandez lined out to right to chase Anderson. Casey Sadler came in to pitch and Renfroe took strike three. Bogaerts forced Iglesias at second to end the inning. The Mariners threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Raleigh doubled to right to start. Crawford flied out to center and Haniger struck out swinging, but Seager was intentionally walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over but France grounded out to first to end the inning. Once again Sox manager Alex Cora pulled a starter early as Eovaldi was done after just five innings, allowing 2 runs off 5 hits and a walk.

                                                         Eovaldi didn't last long

Anthony Misiewicz came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Devers grounded out to first to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Dalbec cracked his 22nd home run of the season to tie the game. Plawecki lined one off the pitcher for a single but Verdugo flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                             Dalbec ties it

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Toro grounded out to third to start. Kelenic took strike three and Fraley grounded out to short to end the inning.

Joe Smith came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Iglesias struck out swinging to start. Hernandez grounded out to short and Renfroe took strike three to end the inning. Luis Torrens pinch hit for Bauers to start the bottom of the seventh and popped up to right. Raleigh was frozen for strike three but Crawford walked. Hernandez was finished and Adam Ottavino came in to face Haniger. Mitch grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the eighth as Bogaerts tripled into the right field corner to start. Drew Steckenrider came in to pitch to Devers and walked him. Martinez grounded out to third but Devers moved up to second. Travis Shaw pinch hit for Dalbec and walked to load the bases. Kyle Schwarber pinch hit for Plawecki and hit a gap shot into right field. Bogaerts and Devers scored easily but Shaw tried for home as well. Toro fired home but Raleigh couldn't field it for an error. Shaw was safe and Schwarber ended up on third. Christian Vazquez ran for Schwarber and Yohan Ramirez was brought in to face Verdugo. Alex stepped up by belting his 13th home run of the season to ice the game. Iglesias was hit with a pitch but Hernandez flied out to center. Iglesias moved to second on a wild pitch but Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-2.

                                                           Sox explode in the eighth

Michael Feliz came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Seager walked to start. France flied out to left and Toro banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the ninth with old pal Matt Andriese now on the mound. Bogaerts singled to right and Devers was hit with a pitch. Martinez got a base hit to center to score Bogaerts. Shaw hit one up the elevator shaft and Vazquez grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 8-2.

                                                   Martinez adds to the lead

Suddenly the Mariners woke up against Hiro Sawamura in the bottom of the ninth. Kelenc struck out swinging and Fraley hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts. He threw to first.....and Shaw dropped it for an error. Torrens and Raleigh hit back to back base hits to load the bases and Sox manager Alex Cora yanked Sawamura. Austin Davis came in and Crawford hit a sac fly to left to score Fraley, but now there were two outs. Haniger got a base hit to left to score Torrens and cut the lead in half. Seager struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-4.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Kyle Schwarber. His pinch hit bases clearing double put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Hero Schwarber

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored.

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

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 2 runs in 5 innings of work allowing 5 hits and a walk, he also struck out nine.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Adam Ottavino got the win by getting the final out of the seventh inning.

Michael Feliz pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Hiro Sawamura allowed 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Travis Shaw walked and scored as a pinch hitter but committed an error.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 1 but scored a run as a pinch runner.

Austin Davis allowed 2 inherited runners to score but got the final two outs of the game.

Final Thoughts:

That was the most clutch pinch hit of the season so far by Schwarber. The Sox were in a tie game with the season hanging in the balance with every game remaining and Schwarber got the job done. Hats off to Verdugo too for the insurance home run and to both JD Martinez and Bobby Dalbec for driving in runs. Once again Cora pulled a starter early and if the Sox don't make the playoffs, the bullpen wearing down is the biggest reason why. Sawamura looked awful but he was out for weeks with Covid so maybe he just wasn't feeling well. If Cora let his starters pitch longer, maybe they wouldn't have to rely on the bullpen EVERY SINGLE GAME. Still, the bats got it done in this one and they needed the victory to keep pace with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. The win improved the Sox to 82-65, 9 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East and tied with Toronto for the wild card. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Mariners tomorrow afternoon when Tanner Houck takes on Marco Gonzales of Seattle. The game begins at 4:05 PM Eastern time at T-Mobile Park.