Jays Blast, Blank Sox (9/30/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Because of Canada's strict Covid vaccination policy, Kaleb Ort was placed on the Restricted List for the final road series of the season. The Sox called up Jarren Duran for one final audition until the Sox return home for their final series.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the sooner this season ends the better. The Boston Red Sox just took 3 out of 4 against the Baltimore Orioles then ran right into their personal babayaga the Toronto Blue Jays. Alek Manoah took another step toward the AL Cy Young Award by tossing 6 shutout innings against the Sox offense. Meanwhile Nick Pivetta (10-12, 4.56 ERA) got hammered for 4 runs in just 5 innings. The Sox got no help from the bullpen as Tyler Danish and Franklin German got pounded for 5 runs combined. The Jays pounded out 13 hits and 9 runs as they blanked the Sox 9-0 at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Manoah got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers walked but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Alex Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning. The Jays wasted no time getting to Pivetta in the bottom of the first as George Springer got a base hit to center to start. Bo Bichette singled to left but Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to right. A wild pitch moved Springer to third and he scored on the Alejandro Kirk grounder to second. Matt Chapman flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                         Jays strike first

JD Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the second and Triston Casas struck out swinging. Abraham Almonte popped up to third to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the second as Teoscar Hernandez got a base hit to center to start. Raimel Tapia forced Hernandez at second but Danny Jansen walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Whit Merrifield hit a sac fly to right to score Tapia. Springer flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.

                                                           Tapia scores a run

Reese McGuire took strike three to start the top of the third and Christian Arroyo flied out to left. Duran grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Jays got another run in the bottom of the third as Bichette walked to start. Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to Ottawa to ice the game. Kirk walked but Chapman struck out swinging. Hernandez forced Kirk at second and Tapia lined out to first to end the inning with the Jays up 4-0.

                                                            Home run Vlad

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth but Bogaerts flied out to right. A wild pitch moved Devers to second but Verdugo flied out to left. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning. Jansen struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth but Merrifield got a base hit to left. Springer forced Merrifield at second then stole second base. Bichette flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas took strike three to start the top of the fifth but Almonte beat out a roller to first. McGuire flied out to center and Arroyo popped up to short to end the inning. Guerrero Jr lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Kirk beat out a roller to second. Chapman lined out to center and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta who allowed 4 runs in 5 innings but got no run support.

                                                             Not his best stuff

Duran got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth but Devers grounded into a double play. Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The Tigers iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Tapia hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to start. Jansen and Merrifield got back to back base hits and Springer hit a home run all the way to Edmonton to make this one a laugher. Bichette struck out swinging, Guerrero watched strike three go by and Kirk grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Jays up 8-0.

                                                              This got out of hand quickly

Yusei Kikuchi came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Casas walked. Almonte struck out swinging to end the inning. Chapman took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez grounded out to short. Tapia got a base hit to center but Jansen grounded out to second to end the inning.

McGuire beat out a roller to second to start the top of the eighth but Arroyo struck out swinging. Duran grounded out to short to move McGuire to second and Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Arroyo. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Franklin German came in to take a beating in the bottom of the eighth as Yu Chang took over at short for Bogaerts. Merrifield hit a ground rule double down the right field line and Bradley Zimmer pinch hit for Springer. Zimmer struck out looking but Bichette got a base hit to right to score Merrifield. Guerrero forced Bichette at second and Kirk lined out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 9-0.

                                                          What a rout

Otto Lopez took over for Bichette for the top of the ninth and Chang struck out swinging to start. Verdugo and Martinez both lined out to center to end the game. The Jays had won it 9-0.

                                                               Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Tyler Danish. He ended any hope of a comeback by allowing 4 runs in 2 innings to put the game out of reach.

                                                               Jackass Danish

The Good:

Rafael Devers walked twice in 3 plate appearances.

Abraham Almonte was 1 for 3.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec struck out as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Yu Chang struck out in his only plate appearance.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta took the loss allowing 4 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits and 3 walks.

Franklin German allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4.

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Five games left and this torture is over. The Jays have utterly dominated the Sox this season winning 14 out of 17 games and a lot of those games weren't even close. Not that the Sox have done much better against the other AL East teams but Toronto was their big bully this year. The Jays don't just beat them, they beat them badly. Every single hitter on the Jays are probably hitting 20 points higher due to their dominance of the Red Sox and thank goodness this year is almost over. Pivetta was a war horse this season as their only healthy starter wire to wire, its a shame that it was wasted on this year's team. As being mentioned, we're in the final stretch for JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Tommy Pham, Matt Barnes and Nathan Eovaldi. Enjoy them for the next five days. The loss dropped the Sox to 75-82, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Jays when Brayan Bello (2-7) makes his final start of the season against Ross Stripling of the Jays. The game begins at 3:05 PM at the Skydome.

Martinez, Sox Drop Orioles (9/29/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Nathan Eovaldi was activated from the Injured List to make two more starts before the season is over. The rumor is he won't be coming back so this is audition time. Connor Seabold was optioned to Worcester and his season is over after going 0-4 with a 11.29 ERA. Better luck next year Connor.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, its not only Nate Eovaldi that's auditioning for other teams. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez won't be coming back and Martinez was the hero in this one, breaking a 3-3 tie to put the Sox ahead with a home run. The returning Nathan Eovaldi lasted just 5 innings but only allowed 2 runs to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox tied the game against Mike Baumann with two rbis from Triston Casas and Kike Hernandez. The Sox took a 3-2 lead but Kyle Stowers hit a home run off Matt Strahm in the seventh. With one out in the eighth, JD Martinez took Dillon Tate deep for a two run home run. Kaleb Ort slammed the door in the ninth and the Sox had taken three in a row from the Orioles including this one 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                  1999 Pedro Martinez approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and Cedric Mullins struck out swinging to start. Adley Rutschman doubled to left but Anthony Santander lined out to second. Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning. Baumann got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers flied out to center but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Gunnar Henderson doubled to right to start the top of the second but Austin Hays popped up to second. Rougned Odor hit a bullet to Bogaerts who doubled off Gunnar to end the inning. Triston Casas grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Christian Arroyo doubled to left. Kike Hernandez and Connor Wong both grounded out to short to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third as Kyle Stowers got a base hit to right to start. Jorge Mateo got a base hit to left and both runners moved over on the swinging bunt by Mullins in front of the plate. Rutschman grounded out to first to score Stowers and Casas booted a grounder by Santander for an error to score Mateo. Mountcastle lined out to left to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                     "I don't got it" - Casas

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Pham grounded out to short to start. Devers also grounded out to short and Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.

Henderson got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Hays took strike three. Odor flied out to center and Stowers popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Martinez doubled to left and and Casas atoned for his error with a double to left to score him. Arroyo struck out swinging but Hernandez drilled a base hit to right to score Casas. Wong took strike three to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                             Hernandez ties it up

Mateo struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Mullins popped up to third. All of a sudden Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout to take the ball after just 72 pitches. Eovaldi shouted at him and left under protest. How do you take a guy out of his potential last start in Boston out after 72 pitches? Eduardo Bazardo walked Rutschman but got Santander to ground back to the mound to end the inning. Eovaldi lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on just 5 hits.

                                                              Eovaldi doesn't last long

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Pham flied out to right to start. Devers flied out to left and Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning.

Mountcastle struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth and Henderson also went down hacking. Hays flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox got to Cionel Perez in the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo got a base hit to right to start. A wild pitch moved Verdugo to second but Martinez struck out swinging. Casas beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners and Arroyo grounded out to third to score Verdugo. Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Casas scores a run

Matt Strahm came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Odor grounded out to second to start. Stowers then hit a home run all the way to Sri Lanka to tie the game. Mateo struck out swinging but Mullins beat out a roller to third. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                                Stowers jacks one

Logan Gillaspie came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Wong. Almonte struck out swinging, Pham lined out to right and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch with Reese McGuire behind the plate for the top of the eighth inning. Santander flied out to left to start and Mountcastle struck out swinging. Arroyo booted a grounder by Henderson for an error and Hays got a base hit to left. Odor forced Hays at second to end the inning. Dillon Tate came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts walked to start. Verdugo forced Xander at second but Martinez blasted his 14th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Casas walked but was forced at second by Arroyo. Hernandez forced Arroyo at second to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                                          Martinez puts Boston on top

Yu Chang came in to play second with Kaleb Ort in to close out the top of the ninth. Stowers struck out swinging and Terrin Vavra pinch hit for Mateo. Vavra grounded out to short but Mullins got a base hit to center. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His two run home run put the Sox up for good in the eighth.

                                                                      JD Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Triston Casas was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed just 1 earned run in 4 2/3 innings off 5 hits.

Eduard Bazardo tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Zack Kelly got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Kaleb Ort earned his first save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Matt Strahm allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and and error but drove in a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Yu Chang played second base in the top of the ninth.

Reese McGuire caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Six games remaining and this might have been the final home run for JD Martinez and start by Nathan Eovaldi. They might shut them both down or they may not. But if this was it, that was a hell of a goodbye by Martinez. Its too bad Triston Casas wasn't around all year, Jarren Duran regressed and Trevor Story wasn't healthy because a lineup of Duran, Verdugo, Bogaerts, Devers, Martinez, Story, Casas, Christian Vazquez and Kike Hernandez would have been great. Then again, the problem was four of the five starters got hurt and couldn't beat the AL East as a result. The Sox just took 3 out of 4 against Baltimore but its too little, too late. It would be funny if the Sox win their last 6 in a row to end the year on a 10 game win streak...but that's very unrealistic. The only thing left to do is enjoy all these guys that most likely won't be back for the next six games. The win improved the Sox to 75-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Toronto for their final road trip of the season against the Blue Jays, who's 13-3 against them this season. Nick Pivetta (10-11) goes for the Sox against Alek Manoah of Toronto.

Hill, Sox Shut Down Orioles (9/28/22)

With the season just about over its all about small victories and the third straight season of Alex Verdugo playing well, especially since he was traded for Mookie Betts, unfortunately was wasted on a bad pitching team. Verdugo is currently hitting .284 and he was a big reason for tonight's win against the Baltimore Orioles. Rich Hill (8-7, 4.41 ERA) tossed 6 shutout innings while striking out nine batters. Meanwhile Verdugo drove in a run in the bottom of the first against Dean Kremer and Abraham Almonte hit a home run in the bottom of the third. Verdugo then hit a home run in the sixth inning as well. The trio of Ryan Brasier, Kaleb Ort and Matt Barnes slammed the door and the Sox had beaten the Orioles 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                         TJ Jackson approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first and Ryan McKenna singled to right to start. Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander struck out swinging before Jesus Aguilar popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Kremer in the bottom of the first as Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers hit a ground rule double into the bullpen and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. Alex Verdugo ripped a base hit to center to score Devers and move Bogaerts to third, but JD Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Devers scores a run

Austin Hays grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Tyler Nevin popped up to short. Jorge Mateo struck out swinging to end the inning. Triston Casas walked to start the bottom of the second but Kike Hernandez popped up to short. Casas got picked off first and Reese McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning.

Terrin Vavra got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Robinson Chirinos  flied out to left but McKenna doubled to left. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third when Abraham Almonte struck his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Pham struck out swinging, Devers lined out to first and Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                           Home run Almonte

Santander grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Aguilar struck out swinging. Hays got a base hit to left and Nevin got a base hit to right, but Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. Verdugo hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the fourth and Martinez grounded out to short. Casas walked but Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning.

Vavra grounded out to second to open the top of the fifth and Chirinos struck out swinging. McKenna walked but Mountcastle struck out looking to end the inning. McGuire popped up to short to open the bottom of the fifth and Almonte popped up to third in foul territory. Pham doubled to right and Devers walked to load the bases, but Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.

Santander took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Aguilar flied out to center. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Hill who blanked the O's for 6 innings allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out 9.

                                                        Hill gets it done

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the sixth as Verdugo blasted his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Martinez doubled to to center to chase Kremer. Casas got a base hit to right to move Martinez to third but Hernandez struck out swinging. McGuire dropped down a bunt but Martinez stayed put, Casas getting thrown out at second on the play. Almonte grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                       Home run Verdugo

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gunnar Henderson pinch hit for Nevin. Henderson grounded out to second to start, Mateo took strike three and Vavra grounded out to second to end the inning. Pham flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Devers grounded out to third. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo came in for Almonte with Kaleb Ort now pitching the top of the eighth. Chirinos immediately hit a home run all the way to Mongolia and Kyle Stowers pinch hit for McKenna. Kyle grounded out to second and Mountcastle struck out swinging. Santander grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's down 3-1.

                                                          Chirinos goes yard

Verdugo lined out to second to open the bottom of the eighth and Martinez grounded out to short. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Aguilar got a base hit to left. Hays grounded into a double play but Henderson walked. Adley Rutschman pinch hit for Mateo and struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-1.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rich Hill. He tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out nine.

                                                                        Hero Hil

The Good:

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

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis and a home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Abraham Almonte was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 6th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3.

Kaleb Ort allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Christian Arroyo played center in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Seven more games of torture left but at least the Sox are playing a bit better. Rich Hill pitched well tonight and the bullpen held up for the most part. The offense wasn't much but it was just enough to win this one. Its too bad the Sox didn't have a healthy Rich Hill and Michael Wacha all season or else they might have done a heck of a lot better. The story of the season was the rotation decimated by injury and their AL East woes. Not having so many injuries would have helped. With JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Tommy Pham and Matt Barnes headed for free agency, may as well enjoy their final games while you still can. The win improved the Sox to 74-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the four game series tomorrow afternoon when Nathan Eovaldi makes his return from the Injured List to start for Boston. Mike Baumann goes for the Orioles tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Outslug Orioles (9/27/22)

Once again the Boston Red Sox starting pitching wasn't good enough to win a game. The normally reliable Michael Wacha was pounded for 6 runs and got knocked out in the fourth inning by the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles would get 2 runs against Matt Strahm (4-4, 3.80 ERA) as well to finish with 15 hits and 9 runs before the game was over. Only problem was....the Red Sox offense took advantage of bad Orioles defense to pound them into submission. Triston Casas hit a two run home run in the second inning and the Sox pushed 6 runs across the plate against Kyle Bradish in the bottom of the third. The Orioles rallied in the top of the fourth but the Sox scored 5 more times in the bottom of the frame. Both bullpens held the fort the rest of the way, but it was Boston that had the advantage. The quartet of Zack Kelly, John Schreiber, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier shut the door as the Sox won the game 13-9 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Janet Jackson approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Wacha in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins flied out to left to start. Adley Rutschman struck out swinging but Anthony Santander doubled to center. Ryan Mountcastle tripled into the right field corner to put Baltimore on top but Gunnar Henderson lined out to center to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                             O's strike first

Bradish got the ball in the bottom of the first inning as Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Alex Verdugo was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Ramon Urias tripled into the left field corner to start the top of the second but Rougned Odor grounded out to second. Austin Hays hit a grounder to third and Urias was thrown out at home. A wild pitch moved Hays to second and Kyle Stowers grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez got a base hit to right to start. Triston Casas launched his fifth home run of the month to put the Sox on top. Rob Refsnyder took strike three but Henderson booted a grounder by Enrique Hernandez. Connor Wong lined out to center but Pham walked. Devers struck out swinging but took first on the passed ball to load the bases. Bogaerts forced Devers at second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                             Casas hits another out

The O's took command in the top of the third as Mullins flied out to left to start. Suddenly Rutschman and Santander hit back to back jacks to put Baltimore back on top. Mountcastle struck out swinging and Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 3-2.

                                                             O's take the lead

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Martinez and Casas worked back to back walks to load the bases and Refsnyder was plunked to score Verdugo. Hernandez forced Martinez at home but Wong walked to score Casas to put the Sox on top. That was it for Kyle Bradish as Joey Krehbiel came in to pitch to Pham. Tommy got a base hit to center to score Refsnyder and Hernandez and Devers was intentionally walked to get to Bogaerts. The gamble failed as Bogaerts walked to score Wong and Verdugo hit a sac fly to center to score Pham. Martinez lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                          Pham scores the eighth run

The O's finished off Wacha in the top of the fourth as Urias hit a home run all the way to the North Pole to start. Odor got a base hit to right and Hays tripled into the right field corner to score Rougned. Stowers struck out swinging and finally Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on Wacha. He was charged with six runs in 3 1/3 innings off 8 hits. Matt Strahm came in to pitch and Mullins got a base hit to center to score Hays. Mullins stole second but Rutschman grounded out to short. Santander smashed yet another home run into the Charles River to tie the game. Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 8-8.

                                                      Wacha wasn't good enough

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Casas got a base hit to center to start. Jake Reed came in to pitch to Refsnyder and Rob got a base hit to right. Hernandez beat out a roller to third to load the bases and Odor failed to field a force play at second on a grounder by Wong to score Casas. Pham was hit with a pitch to score Refsnyder and chase Reed. DL Hall came in to pitch and Devers got a base hit to left to score both Hernandez and Wong. Pham moved to third on the hit and he scored on a force at second by Bogaerts. Verdugo took strike three and Martinez forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning with the Sox up 13-8.

                                                         Sox pour it on

Henderson grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Urias got a base hit to left. Odor got plunked and both runners moved over on a grounder to first by Hays. Jorge Mateo ran for Urias and Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Stowers. Aguilar flied out to left to end the inning. Casas singled in the hole at second to start the bottom of the fifth but Refsnyder took strike three. Hernandez struck out swinging and Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Mullins flied out to right to start. Rutschman grounded out to third and Santander hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Pham walked to start. Devers grounded into a double play and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Orioles tagged John Schreiber in the top of the seventh and Mountcastle took strike three to start. Henderson also watched strike three but Mateo doubled to center. Mateo stole third and Odor got a base hit to left to score him. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 13-9.

                                                           Odor drives in a run

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Verdugo walked to start. Martinez got a base hit to right but Casas grounded into a double play. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Aguilar got a base hit to center to start. Mullins flied out to center and Rutschman struck out swinging. Santander lined out to center to end the inning. Dillon Tate came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Pham grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mountcastle got a base hit to right to start. Henderson walked but Mateo struck out swinging. Odor walked to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate....but Hays grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-9.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tommy Pham. He was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, 3 rbis, 2 walks and 2 runs scored to pace the offense.

                                                                 Hero Pham

The Good:

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

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong walked, was hit with a pitch, drove in 2 runs and scored twice.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a walk.

Triston Casas was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 run home run and 3 runs scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Michael Wacha was pounded for 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits and 4 walks.

John Schreiber allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored 2 runs.

Matt Strahm got the win but allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Just eight games to go and it would be nice for the Sox to end on a high note. Casas had his best game of the month and Kelly looked good to. The Sox are going to look to the future because the rumor is that its all but assured Nathan Eovaldi, Bogaerts, Pham, Martinez and Barnes are long gone. Wacha and Strahm might not be back either and its a shame because Wacha pitched well....when he was healthy. He might of won 20 games this year with a full season and the Sox would be thinking playoffs instead of high draft pick. The offense did well but its too little too late, still good to see though. The win improved the Sox to 73-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Baltimore in the third game of the series tomorrow night. Rich Hill (7-7) takes on Dean Kremer of Baltimore at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Pound Seabold, Sox (9/26/22)

When the season ends in under two weeks there's going to be a lot of finger pointing as to why the season went as badly as it did. One of them is unquestionably the failure of the kids in the rotation. Connor Seabold (0-4, 11.29 ERA) was straight batting practice this year and a big part of why the Sox fell apart in July. He got rocked for 5 runs in just 2 innings by the relentless Baltimore Orioles in tonight's game. The Boston bullpen got rocked as well for NINE runs after Seabold was gone as the Orioles pounded out 14 hits and 14 runs. The sad part was the Boston offense plated 8 runs against Jordan Lyles and the Baltimore bullpen. If Kaleb Ort, Franklin German and Eduardo Bazardo didn't allow 6 runs in the final four innings, this game might have turned out different. As it was, the O's pounded the Sox 14-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                              Sox fans have had enough

Seabold got tagged immediately in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins hit the second pitch of the game out of the yard for a home run to put the Orioles up for good just like that. Adley Rutschman flied out to left and Anthony Santander flied out to right, but Ryan Mountcastle walked. Gunnar Henderson walked but Austin Hays forced Henderson at second to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            Mullins jacks one out

Lyles got the ball in the bottom of the first and Enrique Hernandez lined out to third to start. Rafael Devers doubled to left but Xander Bogaerts lined out to center. Alex Verdugo also flied out to center to end the inning.

The O's finished off Seabold in the top of the second as Rougned Odor hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Kyle Stowers got a base hit to left and Jorge Mateo doubled to right to score Odor. Mullins tripled into the centerfield triangle to clear the bases but Rutschman popped up to center. Seabold had Mullins picked off....but threw the ball away for an error to score Cedric. Santander and Mountcastle both struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 5-0. Due to rain later, that was it for Seabold who got rocked for 5 run in just 2 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                        "I sucked tonight" - Seabold

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez smashed his 13th home run of the season to start. Triston Casas walked and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to left, but Reese McGuire flied out to left. Abraham Almonte got a base hit to center to load the bases and Hernandez got a base hit to left to score Casas. With a chance to do damage....Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                            Martinez gets one back

The rains came and when play resumed, Tyler Danish came in to pitch the top of the third. Henderson walked to start but Hays forced him at second. Odor lined out to left but Stowers tripled into the left field corner to score Henderson. Mateo struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 6-2.

                                                                 O's pull away

Spencer Watkins came in to pitch the bottom of the third and Bogaerts lined out to short to start. Verdugo got a base hit to right but Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Mullins popped up to third to start the top of the fourth but Rutschman got a base hit to left. Santander grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Casas was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Refsnyder singled to center and took second on a passed ball. McGuire walked and Almonte got a base hit to center to load the bases. Hernandez singled inside the bag at third to score Refsnyder and McGuire but Almonte was thrown out at third on the play. Hernandez took second and Devers blooped a base hit to left to score him. Bogaerts got a base hit to left and with the tying run at second....Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 6-5.

                                                      Devers isn't ready to give up

Naturally the O's poured it on in the top of the fifth as Mountcastle and Henderson both walked to start. Hays beat out a grounder to third to load the bases with nobody out and Zack Kelly was summoned to stop the bleeding. Naturally he gave up back to back base hits to Odor and Stowers to drive in Mountcastle and Henderson. Mateo took strike three, Mullins popped up to left and Rutschman flied out to left to end the inning with the O's up 8-5.

                                                       O's pour it on

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Martinez struck out swinging to start. Casas got a base hit to right but Refsnyder forced Triston at second. McGuire walked but Almonte flied out to center to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to take a beating in the top of the sixth as Santander hit a home run all the way to Sweden to start. Mountcastle walked and Henderson hit a home run all the way to Norway to put the game out of reach. Hays struck out swinging, Odor flied out to center and Stowers lined out to center to end the inning with the O's ahead 11-5.

                                                          Henderson watches it go

Hernandez lined out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Devers lined out to left. Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning.

Franklin German came in to get tagged in the top of the seventh as Mateo grounded out to short to start. Mullins also grounded out to short but Rutschman walked. Santander hit another home run as everyone in Boston threw their hands up. Mountcastle grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 13-5.

                                                            This sucks

The Sox answered in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo took strike three to start. Martinez doubled to left and that was it for Watkins. Logan Gillaspie came in and Odor booted a grounder by Casas. Suddenly Refsnyder pounded his sixth home run of the year to cut the lead. McGuire flied out to center and Almonte struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 13-8.

                                                           Refsnyder doing his best

It was Eduardo Bazardo's turn to give up a run in the top of the eighth as Henderson struck out swinging to start. Hays launched Baltimore's fifth home run of the night to wrap up the scoring. Odor grounded out to second and Stowers popped up to second to end the inning with the O's up 14-8.

                                                           Bazardo knew it too

Ryan McKenna took over for Stowers in the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez flied out to right to start. Devers got a base hit to center but Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Mateo walked to start the top of the ninth but Mullins flied out to left. Rutschman struck out swinging. Santander grounded out to second to end the inning. Verdugo flied out to left to start the bottom of the ninth and Martinez grounded out to short. Casas took strike three right down the middle to end the game. The O's had won 14-8.

                                                                   O's win

Jackass of the Night is Connor Seabold. He put the Sox in a huge hole early by allowing 5 runs in just 2 innings.

                                                          Jackass Seabold

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

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

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 4 with a 3 run home run with 2 runs scored.

Abraham Almonte was 2 for 4.

Zack Kelly tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Tyler Danish allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

Kaleb Ort allowed 3 runs in an inning.

Franklin German allowed 2 runs in an inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored 2 runs.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with an error but walked twice and scored a run.

Eduardo Bazardo allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Nine more games of torture left and its easy to see where this season went wrong. The Sox rotation all got hurt and the rookies were not ready for prime time. Not that most teams would survive if they had to use their AAA rotation in crucial June and July games, but they got nothing out of the quartet of Josh Winckowski, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Seabold. That's an indictment of Sox GM Chaim Bloom as Wink and Seabold were his 2020 trade deadline pickups. The worst part is the offense responded by putting up 8 runs which should have won the game. Another problem was bullpen overuse due to the bad starts which is why the Sox bullpen faltered in the end, just like last year. At least this year Sox manager Alex Cora can say he had no rotation but its still a shame of how things turned out. If the Sox had held the fort after Seabold left, they might have won this one. As it is, we're almost done with this lost season. The Sox have a lot of work to do in the off-season in terms of getting starting pitching depth and potentially replacing Bogaerts and Martinez. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Orioles when Michael Wacha goes one on one with Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.