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