Basebawful Report of The Month

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

Christian Arroyo - 3 Good, 6 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero

Matt Barnes - 4 Good, 3 Bad, 2 Jackass

Xander Bogaerts - 10 Good, 5 Bad, 6 Ugly

Jackie Bradley Jr - 6 Good, 9 Bad, 4 Ugly

Ryan Brasier - 4 Good, 1 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Franchy Cordero - 1 Bad

Kutter Crawford - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Jackass

Bobby Dalbec - 3 Good, 5 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Tyler Danish - 3 Good, 1 Jackass

Austin Davis - 8 Good, 2 Bad

Jaylin Davis - 1 Honorable Mention

Rafael Devers - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 12 Ugly, 1 Hero

Jake Diekman - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Nathan Eovaldi - 5 Good

Kike Hernandez - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 10 Ugly

Rich Hill - 2 Good, 2 Bad

Tanner Houck - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

JD Martinez - 4 Good, 10 Ugly, 1 Hero

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Kevin Plawecki - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Rob Refsnyder - 3 Good

Hansel Robles - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Hero

Hiro Sawamura - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

John Schreiber - 2 Good

Travis Shaw - 7 Bad

Trevor Story - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Matt Strahm - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly

Phillips Valdez - 6 Good, 1 Jackass

Christian Vazquez - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

Alex Verdugo - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 10 Ugly, 1 Hero

Michael Wacha - 3 Good, 1 Hero

Garrett Whitlock - 4 Good, 2 Ugly

Connor Wong - 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Most Valuable Player is Xander Bogaerts with 10 Good

Least Valuable Player is Jackie Bradley Jr with 9 Bad

Ugliest Player of The Month is Rafael Devers with 12 Ugly

There were 6 Heroes of the Month

The Co-Jackasses of the Month are Matt Barnes and Kutter Crawford with 2 Jackass

There were 4 Honorable Players of the Month

Orioles Walkoff Sox in 10 Innings (4/30/22)

The miserable month of April for the Boston Red Sox concluded with one final "you gotta be kidding me" loss to the lowly Baltimore Orioles. The historically bad offense continued its downward trend by scoring just 1 run on just 7 hits against a team more suited for AAA than MLB. Spenser Watkins gave up a run on two hits in the first inning before he and the Orioles bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the game. Nathan Eovaldi did what he could by tossing 7 shutout innings but as usual the Sox bullpen blew it as Matt Barnes coughed up the lead in the bottom of the eighth. 2 innings later Hiro Sawamura threw a sacrifice bunt away for an error to win the game for the Orioles. The Sox are now the official laughingstock of baseball as they dropped the game 2-1 to the Orioles in 10 innings at Camden Yards.

Watkins got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off with a double to right. Story moved to third on the grounder to second by Rafael Devers. Xander Bogaerts ripped a base hit to center to score Story to put the Sox on top. Alex Verdugo lined out to right but Kike Hernandez walked. Christian Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Sox strike first

Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins struck out swinging to start. Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging to begin the top of the second inning but Bobby Dalbec was hit with a pitch. Kevin Plawecki struck out swinging and Story popped up to third to end the inning. Bogaerts threw a grounder by Austin Hays away for an error to start the bottom of the second but Rougned Odor popped up to third. Ramon Urias flied out to left and Tyler Nevin flied out to center to end the inning. 

Devers grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Bogaerts lined out to left. Verdugo singled to left but Hernandez forced him at second to end the inning. Robinson Chirinos struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Chris Owings grounded out to short. Mullins popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Arroyo grounded out to second to begin. JBJ flied out to right and Dalbec whiffed to end the inning. Santander struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Mountcastle grounded out to second and Hays lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Plawecki singled to center to start, but Story banged into a double play. Devers singled to right to chase Watkins. Felix Bautista came in to pitch to Bogaerts and Xander walked. Verdugo popped up to short to end the inning. Odor flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Urias took strike three. Nevin grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Hernandez took strike three to start. Arroyo lined out to right and JBJ lined out to short to end the inning. Chirinos grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth before Owings struck out swinging. Mullins broke up the no-hitter with a ground rule double to left but Santander grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Joey Krehbiel came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Plawecki grounded out to third but Story got a base hit to center to chase Krehbiel. Cionel Perez came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael singled in the hole at second to move Story to third. Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for the bottom of the seventh but Mountcastle singled to left to start. Hays singled to left but Eovaldi recovered to get Odor to fly out to center. Urias lined out to right but a wild pitch moved both runners over. Nevin struck out swinging to end the inning and Eovaldi was finished after 7 shutout innings and 95 pitches. He was outstanding.

                                                             Eovaldi gets it done

Verdugo grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth but Dillon Tate came in to pitch to Hernandez.  Kike flied out to center and Arroyo  grounded out to third to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Chirinos flied out to center to begin. Owings flied out to left but Mullins doubled to center. Naturally Santander ripped a base hit to center to score Mullins with the tying run, ruining Eovaldi's work. Mountcastle lined out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Santander ties it

Jorge Lopez cruised in the top of the ninth as JBJ lined out to first to start. Dalbec grounded out to first and Plawecki flied out to left to end the inning. The bottom 5 through 9 were 0 for 18 with a walk and 5 strikeouts, pathetic. Ryan Brasier came in for the bottom of the ninth and Hays flied out to center to start. Odor grounded out to second and Urias struck out swinging to send the game to extras. 

Kevin Plawecki was supposed to start at second to begin the top of the tenth but Jaylin Davis made his Sox debut by running for him. Naturally Story struck out swinging and Davis only moved to third on the grounder to short by Devers. Bogaerts walked but Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.  The O's walked it off in the bottom of the tenth with Christian Vazquez behind the plate, Hiro Sawamura on the mound, Jorge Mateo pinch running for Urias and Ryan McKenna pinch hitting for Nevin. Sox manager Alex Cora had Sawamura intentionally walk McKenna and Chirinos dropped down a bunt. Sawamura ended up throwing the ball 100 feet into left field for an error to score Mateo to win the game. The last place Os defeated the Sox 2-1 in 10 innings.

                                                        O's win

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. It wouldn't have come to Sawamura in the tenth if he didn't cough up the game in the eighth inning.

                                                          Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Trevor Story was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Nathan Eovaldi shut out the Orioles and allowed just 3 hits in 7 innings.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hiro Sawamura took the loss by throwing the game away in the tenth.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Jaylin Davis pinch ran in the top of the tenth.

Christian Vazquez caught the bottom of the tenth.

Final Thoughts:

The 1992 Red Sox are murderer's row compared to this group. They are dead last in the league in home runs, batting average and runs scored and the worst part is its entirely their fault. They made the decision to trade Hunter Renfroe for Jackie Bradley and Bradley is hitting his usual 100 while Renfroe has 5 home runs for the Brewers. It should be noted that the Sox as a team has 12 home runs while Renfroe has 5 by himself. JD Martinez being out doesn't help but literally apart from him, Devers and Bogaerts the ENTIRE TEAM is hitting under .239. Bobby Dalbec, Christian Arroyo, Kike Hernandez and Christian Vazquez have completely evaporated and we all knew JBJ wasn't going to hit. The real shame is Alex Verdugo and Trevor Story falling off cliffs when there's really no explanation why. Compunding this is the bullpen that Alex Cora destroyed last year never recovered. For once he finally let a starter go seven innings but Barnes blew it anyway. Its too early in the season to blow it all up and go with Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Jeter Downs, but something has to be done. They've scored just four runs in the past three games and fans are upset. The only good thing you can say about the Sox is their rotation appears to be headed in the right direction. Eovaldi and Wacha have been pitching well and the trio of Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Rich Hill (apart from the one game where his dad had just died) have been solid. Once James Paxton and Chris Sale come back, the Sox may move some of those guys to the bullpen and it'll be interesting to see who does what. The Sox need to make a stand soon before they fall out of contention early. The loss dropped the Sox to 6-13, 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon when they send Nick Pivetta (0-3, 8.27 ERA) to the mound against Jordan Lyles of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Sox Hang On To Beat O's (4/29/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves. Tyler Danish, John Schreiber and Rob Refsnyder were all sent back to Worcester and Travis Shaw was mercifully designated for assignment. In their places Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck were reinstated from the "restricted" list, the Sox brought back Franchy Cordero from Worcester and the Sox claimed outfielder Jaylin Davis from the San Francisco Giants. As we all know Cordero hits it out or not at all and apparently Davis doesn't even do that with a career .159 batting average. Sox brass aren't convinced Jarren Duran and Triston Casas are ready yet so they're gonna go with Cordero and Davis for the time being. Even if Davis gets one hit that's still more than Shaw did this season.

                                                                               OUT

                                                                               IN

As for the game, the frustrating season continues for the Red Sox as they once again were offensively challenged against the worst team in the American League. The Baltimore Orioles held the Sox to just 3 runs and 6 hits, two of them after the second inning. Luckily the Orioles offense is even more miserable than the Sox and were held to just one run by the Sox. Rich Hill tossed four perfect innings before Tanner Houck (2-1, 2.41 ERA) tossed 3 shutout innings to earn the win. Christian Arroyo belted a 2 run home run off Orioles starter Kyle Brandish and Jackie Bradley Jr scored on an error for all the offense the Sox needed. Hansel Robles allowed a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth but Matt Strahm saved the day to give the Sox a 3-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

                                               Cole Strange approves of the win

Brandish got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off by reaching first on a strike three wild pitch....only for Alex Verdugo to bang into a double play. Xander Bogaerts walked but Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins struck out swinging to start. Trey Mancini flied out to right and Ryan Mountcastle lined out to second to end the inning. 

Somehow the Sox exploded in the top of the second inning as Kike Hernandez dropped a base hit to center to start. Franchy Cordero made his season debut with a fly out to center but Christian Arroyo blasted his first home run of the season to put Boston on top. Jackie Bradley Jr beat out a roller to second and Christian Vazquez dumped a base hit to right that was muffed by Mancini. JBJ came all the way around to score but Vazquez was thrown out at third. Story grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                  Arroyo finally hits one out

Hill cruised in the bottom of the second as Austin Hays grounded out to second to start. Ramon Urias grounded out to short and Tyler Nevin popped up to third to end the inning. 

Verdugo lined out to right to start the top of the third inning before Bogaerts flied out to right as well. Devers smacked a doubled to right but Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Hill froze Robinson Chirinos for strike three to start the bottom of the third before Jorge Mateo foul tipped into the mitt for strike three. Ryan McKenna grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Cordero flied out to left to start. Arroyo struck out swinging and JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning. Mullins struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Mancini lined out to left. Mountcastle flied out to center to end the inning.

Vazquez grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth before Story lined out to center. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. Hays broke up the perfect game in the bottom of the fifth with a base hit in the hole at short.....and Sox manager Alex Cora pulled him right then and there after just 50 pitches. If Cora is terrified to have Hill throw more than 5 innings then why is he starting? The returning Tanner Houck took over for Hill and Urias got a base hit to left. Nevin banged into a double play but Chirinos walked to put runners at the corners. Mateo struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                          Hill was perfect through four

Bogaerts flied out to left to start the top of the sixth before Devers grounded out to second. Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. Houck cruised in the bottom of the seventh as McKenna struck out swinging to start. Mullins flied out to left and Mancini flied out to right to end the inning. 

Keegan Akin came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cordero grounded out to short to start. Arroyo flied out to right and JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning.  The O's nearly stormed back in the bottom of the seventh as Mountcastle dropped a base hit to right to start. Hays walked and both runners moved over on the Urias grounder to third. Houck got a big out by striking out Nevin swinging but Anthony Santander pinch hit for Chirinos. Santander walked to load the bases and Rougned Odor pinch hit for Mateo but was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

                                                              Houck is back

Anthony Bemboom took over behind the plate to begin the top of the eighth and Vazquez lined out to right. Story flied out to left but Odor booted a grounder by Verdugo for an error. Bogaerts took strike three to end the inning. Jake Diekman came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Benboom was rung up for strike three to start. Mullins and Mancini both flied out to center to end the inning.

Devers tried to start a rally in the top of the ninth with a base hit to center but Hernandez flied out to right. Devers moved to second on the grounder to third by Cordero and Jorge Lopez came in to pitch. Arroyo walked but JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox had just 2 hits after the second inning. Bobby Dalbec took over at first for Cordero with Hansel Robles coming in to close out the bottom of the ninth. Naturally Mountcastle hit a home run to San Diego to cut the lead before Hays effortlessly singled to left. Hays moved to second on a balk but JBJ climbed the wall to rob Urias of a game tying home run. JBJ had to climb the wall AGAIN to rob Nevin of the game tying hone run and none other than Santander came up to bat. Sox manager Alex Cora decided to bring in lefty Matt Strahm to pitch to him and naturally Matt walked him. Old pal Chris Owings pinch hit for Odor and struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had held on to win the game 3-1.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is Christian Arroyo. His 2 run home run was the difference in the game. 

                                                          Hero Arroyo

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.

Rich Hill threw four no-hit innings.

Tanner Houck got the win with 3 scoreless innings.

Jake Diekman pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Strahm got the save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 4.

Hansel Robles allowed a home run in the bottom of the ninth.

The Ugly:

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

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec played first base in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

This season is eerily similar to the 1992 Red Sox that finished first in the league in Team ERA but dead last in offense. This game was a microcosm of that as the Sox had just 6 hits in the game and two of them after the second inning but held the O's to just a single run. The pitching as been Jekyll and Hyde this month but the offense has been just Hyde. Getting rid of Travis Shaw was a necessity but Cordero and Jaylin Harris are most likely stopgaps until Jarren Duran and Triston Casas are ready. Duran had a big game in Worcester tonight and if Bradley continues to stink up the plate, they may cut their losses and go with Duran moving forward. On the pitching side, Hill looked great and Sox manager Alex Cora claimed they took him out because the plan was to ease Houck back into things after he missed the Toronto series. Ignominious Sox fans have turned on Houck so any time he does well from here on out is going to be fun. The Sox still need a closer because Robles failed and it took the sheer incompetence of O's manager Brandon Hyde's bizarre pinch hit decisions for the Sox to win this one. If the Sox are hellbent on making Garrett Whitlock a starter, they better start shopping around for a closer. Unfortunately the Sox pitchers in the minors haven't shown much promise as all four teams from Worcester to Salem are around or below .500. But, no sense squawking about that because a win is a win and it doesn't matter who its against. The Sox have one game left in the month of April and its tomorrow night against the Orioles. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.32 ERA) goes for the Sox against Spenser Watkins of the Orioles. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Jays Blank Sox, Take Three of Four (4/28/22)

What more can be said about the incompetence of the Boston Red Sox offense? The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff isn't that good but they looked like the 1970 Baltimore Orioles in this series. If the walkoff losses and grand slams weren't enough, today the Sox scored NO runs against the Jays. Alek Manoah tossed a 7 inning shutout allowing just 3 hits and a walk. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock (1-1, 0.54 ERA) lasted just three innings and allowed the game's only run. The Boston bullpen stepped up by tossing five scoreless innings but the bats couldn't generate any offense. Number 5 through 9 in the order were a combined 1 for 15 with 4 strikeouts and fans want changes immediately. It all added up to a 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Manoah got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off by flying out to right. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to right but Rafael Devers flied out to right. Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Jays almost pounced on The Lock in the bottom of the first although George Springer popped up to first to start. Bo Bichette and Lourdes Gurriel Jr stroked back to back base hits before Raimel Tapia flied out to center to move Bo to third. Matt Chapman struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Christian Arroyo popped up to second. Bobby Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. Alejandro Kirk grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the second but Santiago Espinal singled to right. Espinal swiped second and Gosuke Katoh drew a walk but Bradley Zimmer forced Katoh at second. Springer popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Travis Shaw popped up to third to start. Christian Vazquez and Trevor Story both struck out swinging to end the inning. The  Jays caught a break in the bottom of the third although Bichette grounded out to short to start. Gurriel Jr hit a routine grounder to short but Arroyo tried to catch the ball in his hat for an error. Tapia walked but Chapman struck out swinging...only for Kirk to get a base hit to left to score Gurriel. Espinal grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0. That was it for Whitlock who only lasted three innings but only gave up the one run.

                                                                Jays strike first

Verdugo struck out swinging after a ten pitch at bat to begin the top of the fourth before Devers was rung up for strike three. Hernandez flied out to right after a ten pitch at-bat to end the inning. If nothing else they made Manoah throw 26 pitches in one inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Katoh flied out to right to start. Zimmer grounded out to short but Springer walked to chase Davis. John Schreiber came in and got Bichette to ground out to second to end the inning.

JBJ flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Arroro somehow singled up the middle. Arroyo stole second but both Dalbec and Shaw struck out swinging to end the inning. Gurriel Jr flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Tapia did the same. Chapman doubled to left but Kirk popped up to third to end the inning.

Vazquez flied out to the right field wall to start the top of the fifth but Story drew a walk. Verdugo flied out to left and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Espinal lines out to center to start. Katoh grounded out to second and Zimmer struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the seventh as Hernandez doubled to right to start. Hernandez moved to third on the JBJ grounder to the mound but Arroyo lined out to short and Dalbec popped up to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Springer flied out to right to start. Bichette struck out swinging and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Adam Cimber came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for Shaw. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound, Vazquez grounded out to second and Story lined out to right to end the inning. Hansel Robles came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning and Tapia flied out to center to start. Chapman flied out to center but Kirk singled off the glove of Robles but Espinal struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Jordan Romano came in to close out the top of the ninth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Devers singled to center to put the tying run on but Hernandez lined out to left. JBJ took strike three to end the game. The Jays had shutout the Sox 1-0.

                                                                      Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including leaving the tying run on in the ninth.

                                                        Swing the bat next time, Jackass

The Good:

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

John Schreiber tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Hansel Robles tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with a stolen base but his error led to the only run scoring.

Garrett Whitlock took the loss by allowing an unearned run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble if the bats don't improve. It doesn't matter how good your pitching is if you can't score runs, the 1992 Red Sox are proof of that. JD Martinez and Xander Bogaerts getting most or all of the day off didn't help but the bottom of the order is a bonafide black hole. Arroyo, Vazquez, JBJ, Shaw, Hernandez and Dalbec are all hitting under .210 and Story isn't much better at .224. Fans are screaming at Chaim Bloom for trading Hunter Renfroe for JBJ and keeping Shaw over Jose Iglesias. Fans want Triston Casas and Jarren Duran called up and Brock "The Hitman" Holt signed off the street. Arroyo had a good run last year but if the magic ran out on him then maybe bringing back The Hitman could spark this team. Then again NOBODY is hitting so it doesn't matter. The Sox are at the bottom of the league in runs scored and home runs and the slump has gone on too long to just ignore it. Casas and Duran aren't ready but something has to be done soon or else they'll be too far behind to keep up in the division or wild card race. The Sox held the Jays to 2 runs in the last 18 innings and only one win to show for it. The Sox now travel to Baltimore to end the month and the first game is tomorrow night. Rich Hill (0-1, 4.85 ERA) takes the mound against Captain TBD of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Wacha, Sox Bash Jays (4/27/22)

Better late than never for the Boston Red Sox. Through five innings it looked like the inept Red Sox offense would once again do nothing against the Toronto Blue Jays. Not this time! The Sox bats woke up to score six runs in the final four innings. Xander Bogaerts went 4 for 4 to lead the charge on offense as Kike Hernandez, JD Martinez and a big pinch hit rbi double by Rob Refsnyder all aided the cause. On the other side of the ball, Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.77 ERA) tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball to put the Sox in position to win. The much maligned Boston bullpen pulled together to slam the door in the final three innings as the Sox broke their 4 game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Jays at the Skydome.

                                                    Johnny Depp approves of the win

Stripling got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story struck out swinging on 3 pitches not even close to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out weakly to short but somehow Xander Bogaerts beat out a roller to Bo Bichette. Rafael Devers doubled into the gap in center to score Bogaerts to give the Sox the unlikely lead. JD Martinez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning but the Sox led 1-0. 

                                                                 Bogaerts is safe

Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and George Springer flied out to center to start. Bo Bichette ripped a base hit to left but Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging after a nine pitch battle. Bichette stole second on the strikeout but Zack Collins struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Kike Hernandez flied out to center to start. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second and Bobby Dalbec lined out to right to end the inning. Lourdes Gurriel Jr grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second before Raimel Tapia flied out to right. Matt Chapman walked but Gosuke Katoh popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third inning as Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to left to start. Story singled to right but Verdugo flied out to left. Bogaerts ripped a base hit to left but Devers and Martinez both struck out swinging to end the inning. Naturally the Jays pounced after the Sox failed to score as Tyler Heineman got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third. Springer singled to left and Bichette beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Guerero Jr beat out a double play ball to score Heineman and tie the game. Collins walked but Gurriel Jr struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                Guerrero Jr ties it up

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Hernandez struck out swinging to start. JBJ hit one up the elevator shaft and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Tapia grounded out to second to open the bottom of the fourth but Chapman struck out swinging. Katoh doubled to center but Heineman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Once again the Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Plawecki struck out swinging to start. Story struck out swinging and Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning. Springer grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Bichette grounded out to third. Guerrero Jr lined out to right to end the inning.

Trent Thornton came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Bogaerts got a base hit to right to start. Devers seeing eye singled to right to move Bogaerts to third and Xander scored on the base hit to right by Martinez. Devers moved to third on the play and he scored onnthe sac fly to center by Hernandez to increase the lead. JBJ lined out to right and Dalbec popped up to short to end the inning but the Sox led 3-1.

                                                          Martinez drives in a run

Shockingly Wacha was allowed to start the bottom of the sixth and Collins flied out to right to start. Gurriel Jr lined out to right and Tapia struck out swinging to end the inning. Wacha was outstanding, holding the Jays to 1 run in 6 innings to put the Sox in position to win.

                                                                Wacha gets it done

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the seventh with Trevor Richards now on the mound. Plawecki struck out swinging but Story drew a walk. Verdugo lined out to left but Bogaerts walked to chase Richards. Tayler Saucedo came in to get Devers to force Bogaerts at second to end the inning. Curiously returning Sox manager Alex Cora turned to last night's goat Jake Diekman to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Chapman flied out to center to start. Santiago Espinal pinch hit for Katoh and walked but Heineman struck out swinging.  That was it for Diekman as Hiro Sawamura was brought in to face Springer. Naturally George ripped a base hit to center to move Espinal to third but Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Julian Merryweather came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Martinez greeted him with a double to center to begin. Hernandez doubled to left to score JD then moved to third on the sacrifice bunt by JBJ. Dalbec hit a sac fly to right to score Hernandez to increase the lead. Plawecki grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                            Martinez scores a run

John Schreiber made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth and Guerrero Jr lined out to second to start. Collins struck out swinging and Gurriel Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Andrew Vazquez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Story was plunked to start. Verdugo ripped a base hit to center and Bogaerts singled off the glove of Chapman to score Story. Devers beat out a double play ball and that was it for Vazquez. Bowden Francis came in to pitch and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Martinez and doubled down the left field line to score Verdugo. Hernandez struck out swinging and JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                       Refsnyder drives in a run

Tyler Danish came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and JBJ made a great jumping catch to rob Tapia of a hit to start. Chapman grounded out to third and Espinal popped up to Dalbec to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-1.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of The Night is Michael Wacha. He held the Jays to just 1 run in 6 innings of work. He allowed just 4 hits and struck out 5.

                                                          Wacha Hero

The Good:

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and a hit by pitch.

Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored

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

Rob Refsnyder hit an rbi double as a pinch hitter.

Jake Diekman got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Hiro Sawamura got the final out of the seventh inning.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless eighth inning. 

Tyler Danish pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

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

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs and scores a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox still have trouble scoring runs early but better late than never. The Jays bullpen is a weakness and the Sox took advantage of it multiple times in the last few days. The key to the game was another great start by Michael Wacha who's been Boston's best pitcher in the month of April. Who saw that coming when he was signed to essentially replace Eduardo Rodriguez? The bullpen looked shaky but managed to hold on to nail it down. Bogaerts has continued to stay hot and Sox fans are practically screaming at management to re-sign Bogaerts to a contract extension. The Sox have one game left in Toronto before heading back to the United States and the Sox will have some decisions to make regarding the roster. We'll find out in the next few days who stays and who goes. The Sox can't afford to fall too far behind in the AL East race and a win like this was much needed. The Sox look to split the series with the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon when they send Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock (1-0, 0.66 ERA) up against Alex Manoah of the Jays. The game begins at 3:05 PM at the Skydome.

Jays Stun Sox, Walkoff in 10 Innings (4/26/22)

In a case of "this can't possibly get worse" the Boston Red Sox seem to top themselves every single time. Tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays was like a mirror image of last night's game only more cruel. Nick Pivetta held the Jays to just 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings before acting Sox manager Will Venable went to the bullpen. The Sox managed to scratch out just one measly run against Jays starter Kevin Gausman for 6 innings. Somehow the Sox exploded for four runs in the top of the eighth to take a commanding lead. What happened? With two outs in the bottom of the ninth Jake Diekman served up a three run home run to George Springer and Matt Barnes served up the game ending sac fly in the bottom of the tenth to lose the game. The "closer by committee" approach has now cost the Sox three of the last four games including this one 6-5 in 10 innings at the Skydome.

                                                  "IVE HAD IT WITH THIS TEAM!"

Gausman got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to center and Xander Bogaerts went down hacking to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and George Springer popped up to third to start. Bo Bichette flied out to center and Vladimir Guerrero Jr popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

JD Martinez tried to start a rally with a double to left to start the top of the second inning but Kike Hernandez struck out swinging. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left and Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Collins struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second before Matt Chapman went down hacking as well. Raimel Tapia flied out to left to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo flied out to right to start the top of the third but Christian Vazquez singled to left. Vazquez moved to second on the grounder to third by Story but Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Jays struck first in the bottom of the third as Santiago Espinal walked to start. Gosuke Katoh forced Espinal at second before he stole second base. Bradley Zimmer walked and it looked like they pulled off a double steal, but acting Sox manager Will Venable challenged that Katoh was out at third. Turns out he was right and Katoh was called out....only for Springer to single to left to score Zimmer anyway to put the Jays on top. Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                                Springer ties it up

Bogaerts looked to start a rally with a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth then took off for second on the swinging strikeout by Martinez. Collins ended up throwing the ball away which allowed Bogaerts to make it all the way to third and he scored on the sac fly by Hernandez, which was actually a great catch by Springer. JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Great catch by Springer

The Jays got the run right back as Guerrero Jr walked to start the bottom of the fourth.  Collins singled to right but Chapman struck out swinging. Tapia flied out to center but Espinal singled to center to score Guerrero. Katoh struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 2-1.

                                                          Espinal drives in a run

Gausman dominated the top of the fifth as Dalbec took strike three to start. Arroyo took strike three and Vazquez struck out swinging. Zimmer took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Springer grounded out to third. Naturally after Bichette walked Will Venable came out of the dugout to take out Pivetta. Nathan Eovaldi was pulled after 72 pitches last night but Pivetta had thrown 98 and allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Hiro Sawamura got Guerrero Jr to ground out on a dribbler in front of the plate to end the inning.

                                       98 pitches to get 14 outs, yeah great job Pivetta

Story flied out to left to start the top of the sixth but Verdugo grounded out to third. Bogaerts got a base hit to center but Martinez lined out to first to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Collins struck out swinging to start. Chapman grounded out to short and Tapia flied out to left to end the inning.

Tyler Heineman came in to catch and Trevor Richards came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Hernandez grounded out to short to start before JBJ struck out swinging. Dalbec earned the hat trick with a swinging strikeout to end the inning. Espinal singled to right to start the bottom of the second and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Katoh. Espinal moved to third on the grounder to first by Zimmer and Ryan Brasier came in to pitch to Springer. Brasier got George to fly out to right to end the inning.

Yimi Garcia came in to pitch the top of the eighth but Rafael Devers pinch hit for Arroyo. Devers got a base hit in the hole at second and Vazquez dropped a base hit to right. Somehow ripped a doubled into the centerfield gap to score Devers to tie the game. Verdugo hit a sac fly to not only score Vazquez but move Story to third. Bogaerts doubled home Story to increase the lead and chase Garcia. David Phelps came in and Martinez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate. Bogaerts moved to third on the play and Hernandez beat out a roller to third to score Xander with another run. Hernandez was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                             Story drives in a run

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bichette flied out to center to start. Guerrero Jr lined out to center and Alejandro Kirk pinch hit for Heineman. Kirk singled to right but Chapman flied out to left to end the inning.

Ryan Borucki came in to pitch the top of the ninth and the Sox blew another rally. JBJ grounded out to short but Dalbec walked. Devers struck out swinging but Vazquez walked. Story struck out swinging to end the inning. All hell broke lose when Jake Diekman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Tapia doubled to left to begin. Espinal doubled home Tapia and Gurriel Jr pinch hit for Katoh. Gurriel Jr struck out swinging and Zimmer took strike three. On a 2-1 count to Springer....George clobbered a home run all the way to Quebec to tie the game. Matt Barnes relieved Diekman and got Bichette to ground out to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                        Springer ties it up

Jordan Romano came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Story on second base. Story moved to third on the grounder to short by Verdugo but Bogaerts lined back to the mound. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. Bichette started at second for the bottom of the tenth and for some dumb reason Guerrero Jr was intentionally walked to start. Kirk walked to load the bases but Chapman was rung up for strike three. Matt Strahm was brought in to face Tapia and Naturally Raimel hit a sac fly to left to score Bichette to win the game. The Jays had shocked the Sox and won the game 6-5.

                                                         Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Jake Diekman. He served up a 3 run bomb with 2 outs in the ninth.

                                                        Diekman The Jackass

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with an rbi, stolen base and a run scored.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Nick Pivetta allowed just 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Hiro Sawamura retired the only man he faced/

Austin Davis tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier got the only guy he faced out.

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Matt Barnes was charged with the loss and the losing run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

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

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Matt Strahm allowed the game ending sac fly in the tenth inning.

Final Thoughts:

What can you say at this point? The closer by committee approach isn't working, the offense isn't working, nothing is working. Even when the offense shows some balls to rally to take the lead the bullpen blows it AGAIN. Now fans are panicking and blaming just about everyone and everything. One fan had the valid criticism of trading Hunter Renfroe for Bradley coming back to haunt them, another is asking why the Sox kept Shaw over Jose Iglesias and on and on. The problem is Sox brass is relying on "analytics" and that no starter can face the lineup three times. The problem is that approach only worked because the A-Team was so dominant from April to June. Once their arms fell off one by one, the 30-31 record to finish the season should have been a clue that pulling starters early DOESN'T WORK! Now Cora and Will Venable are pulling guys early and they don't have the bullpen to compensate. Even if Strahm, Robles and Garrett Whitlock were to combine to be formidable, their arms wouldn't be able to handle pitching every day because Cora is pulling guys early. As mentioned earlier, Eovaldi was pulled after 72 pitches and Venable let Pivetta throw 98. The worst excuse of all comes from the fans and media haveing the audacity to blame Tanner Houck for not being vaccinated. That's one of the laziest excuses because he's not part of the offense that does nothing for 7 innings every game and the bullpen that's blown three of the last four games. Bottom line is things aren't working right now and the AL East is too stacked to fall too far behind. Look at the Jays last year missing the playoffs by a single game. Speaking of the Jays, they're loose, having fun and are shown in the dugout having a great time every game. You know who that used to be, the Red Sox in 2018. Take a good look Sox fans because those days are going to be gone unless the Sox turn the ship around. The Sox look to break their losing streak tomorrow night against the Jays. Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.88 ERA) takes on Ross Stripling of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Bichette, Jays Slam Sox (4/25/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford were placed on the "restricted" list for being unvaccinated and Connor Wong was sent back to Worcester. The Sox activated Kevin Plawecki from the Covid list, brought back Tyler Danish and brought up 28 year old pitcher John Schreiber from Worcester. Schreiber is Worcester's set-up man and could be used in late inning situations this coming series.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                IN

The good news was the Boston Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets out of the first round of their NBA playoff series with a Game 4 win. The bad news was once again the Red Sox found a new way to lose. If you thought things couldn't get worse for the Red Sox....think again! Once again the anemic Red Sox offense were held to just two runs by mediocre pitching. Jose Berrios held the Red Sox scoreless for seven innings before an eighth inning rally tied the game. Nathan Eovaldi had the Red Sox best start of the season by holding the Jays to two runs in 7 innings on just 72 pitches. Incompetent acting manager Will Venable decided that Matt Strahm should pitch the eighth inning and the gamble failed. With two men on, Venable defied all logic by spurning 8th inning stalwarts Hansel Robles, Hiro Sawamura and Matt Barnes in favor of TYLER DANISH. Naturally George Springer singled to load the bases and Bo Bichette hit one of the most effortless grand slams in history to effectively end the game. The offense continues to struggle, Venable has no idea what he's doing and the Sox tumbled closer to last place with a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Jays at the Skydome.

                                             Morty hates opposing teams hitting grand slams

Berrios got the ball in the top of the first and Kike Hernandez led off with a fly out to left. Alex Verdugo lined out to right and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and George Springer beat out a roller to third to begin. Bo Bichette banged into a double play and Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Rafael Devers flied out to left to start the top of the second inning before the returning JD Martinez doubled to center. Jackie Bradley Jr walked and Bobby Dalbec dropped a base hit to right to load the bases. Naturally Christian Arroyo grounded into a double play to end the inning. Lourdes Gurriel Jr struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Matt Chapman flied out to center. Alejandro Kirk grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Kevin Plawecki led off the top of the third with a ground out to third. Hernandez struck out swinging and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Raimel Tapia flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Santiago Espinal struck out swinging. Bradley Zimmer went down hacking to end the inning. 

Bogaerts singled to left to open the top of the fourth before moving to second on the grounder to second by Devers. Bogaerts moved to third on the fly out to right by Martinez but JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. Springer popped up to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Bichette grounded out to second. Guerrero Jr lined out to center to end the inning.

The lifeless Sox offense did nothing in the top of the fifth as Dalbec flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Arroyo flied out to center. Plawecki hit an absolute rocket to center but Springer made a great diving catch to end the inning. The Jays struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Gurriel Jr hit a home run all the way to Vancouver to put the Jays up for good. Chapman flied out to right and Kirk grounded out to third but Tapia singled off the glove of Dalbec. Espinal struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                           Gurriel Jr hits one out

Berrios dominated the top of the sixth as Hernandez struck out swinging again to start. Verdugo struck out swinging and Bogaerts lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox have been held scoreless in 28 of the last 30 innings. Eovaldi did the best he could in the bottom of the sixth as Zimmer flied out to center to start. Springer flied out to right and Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning with Eovaldi at just 61 pitches.

The Sox rolled over and died in the top of the seventh as Devers lined out to short to start. Martinez struck out swinging and JBJ lined out to left to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Guerrero Jr got a base hit in the hole at second to begin. Guerriel Jr banged into a double play but Chapman hit a home run to Pluto to ice the game. Kirk grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0. Eovaldi held the Hays to 2 runs in 7 innings on 72 pitches but the bats did nothing.

                                                           Eovaldi deserved better

Somehow Dalbec singled to left to start the top of the eighth before Arroyo got a base hit to center to chase Berrios. Adam Cimber came in to face Plawecki and Kevin dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. Hernandez stepped up with a seeing eye single to left to score Dalbec and put runners at the corners. Verdugo hit a sac fly to center to score Arroyo to tie the game but Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                      Hernandez with an rbi

Defying all logic, not only did acting Sox manager Will Venable pull Eovaldi after 72 pitches, he wanted Matt Strahm to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Tapia grounded out to second but Espinal singled to right and Zimmer dropped down a bunt back to Strahm. Strahm fired to first but Dalbec dropped it for a "single" that should have been an error. Rather than bring in Hansel Robles or Hiro Sawamura, for some reason Venable pulled Strahm for Tyler Danish. Naturally Springer singled to center and Bichette hit a grand slam to Asia to put the Sox out of their misery. Guerrero Jr lined out to Hernandez but Gurriel Jr doubled to left. Gosuke Katoh pinch ran for Gurriel and Chapman went down hacking to end the inning with the Jays up 6-2.

                                       Just like his father used to, Bo hits a grand slam

Julian Merryweather came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers doubled to left to start after a review. Martinez struck out swinging, JBJ grounded out to short to move Devers to third and Dalbec grounded out to second to end the game. The Jays had won it 6-2.

                                                                 Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Tyler Danish. He allowed the grand slam to Bo Bichette to lose the game.

                                                            Danish Jackass

The Good:

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 7 innings and allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 5.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

Matt Strahm was charged with 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are imploding early this season. The offense is underwhelming, the bullpen blows more games than they save and the starters are being pulled way too early which goes much deeper than Sox manager Alex Cora or Will Venable. Analytics moseyed into baseball, adjusted their glasses and said "well ackshually statistics show starters are less effective three times through the order". Now Cora, Venable, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and teams across baseball are going with the analytics despite all evidence pointing otherwise. Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck were pulled with no-hitters last year, Clayton Kershaw was denied a perfect game by Dave Roberts this year and fans are fed up with the product on the field. What does this have to do with the Red Sox? By taking out the starters in the fifth inning or at really low pitch counts, that forces your bullpen to throw 3-4 innings a night and we all saw when the A-Team disintegrated last July what the results of that is. This time they're not waiting around to July, they're imploding already. Its bad enough the quartet of Martinez, Devers, Bogaerts and Story are rapidly falling to the bottom of the offensive standings, but the bullpen coughing up one game after another inspires no confidence at all. If you're a Sox starter, what's the point if you're just going to get yanked after five innings or so? Is there someone in the Sox front office willing to put their foot down and say "Alright, screw the analaytics"? Did they not see the second half of last season or Game 4 against the Houston Astros? What they're doing is NOT WORKING! The news gets even worse tomorrow night as Kevin Gausman looks to blind them two starts in a row and Nick Pivetta (0-3, 10.03 ERA) goes for the Sox. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.