Off-Day News: Portland Sea Dogs Clinch Division (9/15/22)

Today is an off-day for the Boston Red Sox which means its time to take a look at the Portland Sea Dog's playoff push. A few days ago I said the Sea Dogs had a 6 game death match with the Somerset Patriots to decide who faces the Patriots next week in the playoffs. The Sea Dogs needed to win 2 of the 6 games to win the division and they happened to win both games. They beat the Patriots in a thrilling 10 inning 10-9 extra inning victory on Tuesday and clinched with a 12-7 slugfest win last night. They have four games remaining with the Patriots but they're just a formality. As of now the Sea Dogs are your second half Double A Northeast Division champs!

                                                    Dave Eid approves of the clinching

So how did it happen? In Tuesday's game the Sea Dogs wasted no time getting to Somerset starter Yoendrys Gomez in the first inning. David Hamilton doubled and Wilyer Abreu walked before they pulled off a double steal. Ceddanne Rafaela did the honors with a base hit to score Hamilton. After "Boss" Christian Koss and Stephen Scott struck out, Niko Kavadas ripped a base hit into the right to score both runners to put the Sea Dogs up big early. Tyler Dearden struck his seventh home run of the season in the top of the second but the Patriots got a run back in the bottom of the second against Portland starter Shane Drohan when Andres Chaparro hit his 17th home run. The Patriots took command in the bottom of the third when Elijah Dunham scored Harrison Bader and Chaparro hit a three run bomb to put Somerset ahead. After Hamilton stole his third base of the day (number 69), Rafaela drove him in with a hit to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Ryan Zeferjahn was brought in for the bottom of the fifth and Austin Wells hit his 11th home run of the season to put the Patriots back on top. The Sea Dogs tied it in the top of the seventh against Steven Jennings when Dearden drove in Alex Binelas who had doubled. In the top of the eighth, Stephen Scott belted his seventh home run of the season to put the Dogs six outs away from victory. Unfortunately with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Broadway gave up Brandon Lockridge's 14th home run of the season to tie the game. In the top of the 10th, Rafaela drove in Hamilton to take the lead but the Patriots answered in the bottom of the tenth. Oliver Dunn singled off Brendan Nail to score Jasson Dominguez. The Dogs rallied in the top of the 11th when Scott drilled a base hit to score Rafaela and Binelas drove in Stephen. Michael Gettys allowed a run in the bottom of the 11th on two straight groundouts but Lockridge flied out to center to end the game. The only drawbacks to this game was Shane Drohan got tagged for 5 runs in 4 innings and Koss went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts and an error. Can't really fault Nail and Gettys for the extra inning ghost runners scoring too much but Broadway allowing the home run to Lockridge in the ninth and Zeferjahn allowing a run in the fifth sucked. Kudos to Oddanier Mosqueda for pitching a clean sixth inning.

                                                 Drohan gives up a bomb to Chapparo

The Sea Dogs got some bad news following that game as Thad Ward was placed on the injured list. Ricardo Cubillan was called up to Worcester and Nick Northcutt was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds in the Tommy Pham trade last month. They couldn't have waited two more weeks? The Sea Dogs welcomed back Will Dalton from the Development List, Tyreque Reed from the Injured List and Jacob Webb from the Greenville Drive for last night's slugfest. In last night's game it was Somerset who scored first against Brian Van Belle when Austin Wells drove in Harrison Bader after errors by Hamilton and Izzy Wilson. The Sea Dogs struck in the top of the third against Somerset starter Randy Vasquez when Wilyer Abreu smashed a two run home run and Kavadas singled off Carlos Espinal to score Rafaela. Bader hit a home run in the bottom of the third but the Sea Dogs took command in the top of the fourth. Dearden hit another home run, Abreu singled home Wilson, a wild pitch scored Abreu and Koss hit his 17th home run of the season all in that inning. The Patriots answered in the bottom of the fourth when old buddy Jeisson Rosario hit a two run home run off Van Belle. Dearden drove in Binelas against Miguel Castro in the top of the fifth and Jacob Wallace came in to shut down the Patriots in the bottom of the frame. Jacob Webb pitched a scoreless sixth and the Dogs iced it in the top of the seventh when Rafaela belted a grand slam off Nick Ernst. Trey Sweeney hit a two run home run off Webb in the bottom of the seventh but Brett Kennedy pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Wells hit a home run off Kennedy in the bottom of the ninth but Sweeney grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sea Dogs are your second half Northeast Division champs. The bad news was Ban Belle got smacked around for 4 runs, Webb gave up the home run to Sweeney, Kennedy gave up the jack to Wells and Hudson Potts went 0 for 2 after coming in for Binelas. Other than that, everybody contributed on offense for a total of 22 runs in two games. The Sea Dogs have won 7 in a row and 11 out of 12 in September to clinch with four games still to go. 

                                                           Grand slam Rafaela
                   

The next four games should be jockeying for position and setting the rotation up. With Thad Ward gone its going to be up to Shane Drohan and Kyle Hart to carry the load against Somerset this Tuesday night in Portland. It would be unfair to expect the Sea Dogs to score 10 runs a game like they have been but unless Somerset's pitching improves in the next four days, its going to be hard to beat this offense. Hamilton has become the second coming of Tommy Harper right before our eyes while Abreu has fit in nicely after coming over from the Houston organization. Rafaela is turning into a stud before our eyes and Koss has been the defacto leader of the bunch. Kavadas has been a shooting star, going from Salem to Grenville to Portland in one year and shows no sign of slowing down. Scott could be somewhere else next season but he hit a big home run in Tuesday night's game. Binelas was hitting .133 but is up to .166, better late than never for him. Dearden and Wilson have been stepping up lately as well. As good as the hitting's been, the pitching has been disappointing. Giving up 16 runs in two games isn't good and if the offense doesn't produce, they're in trouble. Still, as mentioned earlier, unless the New York Yankees want to send down Gerrit Cole as a ringer this Tuesday, there should be no reason the offense lets up. As long as they don't suffer anymore injuries or callups to Worcester, they have as good a chance as any in the Double A playoffs. Its been a long 8 years for the Sea Dog fans but we're back!

                                                   Slugger will see everyone on Tuesday

Not that anyone gives a rats ass about the Red Sox at this point but they return to action tomorrow night at home against the Kansas City Royals. Michael Wacha (11-1, 2.69 ERA) goes for the Sox against Jonathan Heasley of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News: Portland's March to the Playoffs (9/12/22)

Today is an off-day and rather than write about the horrible Boston Red Sox season, may as well write about a team that actually has a chance at something special. Beginning tomorrow evening, the Double A Portland Seadogs have 6 games to end the regular season against the New York Yankees affiliate Somerset Patriots. Since the Eastern League went to a split season format, currently the Sea Dogs are 41-22 with a 3 game lead over the Patriots with 6 to play. If the Sea Dogs win the first two, they're the second half champs. Guess who they'd play in the Eastern League semi-finals if they pull it off? The Patriots, who were the first half champs.

                                    A six game deathmatch to decide the second half champs

So how did a team that started 30-39 and in fourth place in the first half finish 41-20? A combination of call-ups and improvement. The Sea Dogs got an influx of speed, power and contact on the offensive side of the ball. Second baseman David Hamilton only hit .240 during the season but hit 12 home runs and stole a franchise record 65 bases so far this season. On the basepaths he's become a certified Ricky Henderson type threat. If he gets on base more frequently he could be a future leadoff hitter for the Red Sox. As of now, they're going to need his speed and stolen base ability against the Patriots.

                                                      Hamilton has been a speed demon

When the Red Sox traded Christian Vazquez, they got two prospects for him. Enmanuel Valdez has been a power hitting threat for the Worcester Red Sox but the other guy in the trade was 23 year old outfielder Wilyer Abreu. He's only hitting .231 but he's driven in 15 runs and drew 32 walks for a ,396 On-Base Percentage. If Hamilton is already on its a good chance Abreu can at least move him over if not get himself on. The Sea Dogs need their number two guy to get something done against the Patriots this coming week.

                       If he can get his average above .231 the Sea Dogs are the champs

One of the bright spots of the season has been 21 year old Dominican outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. He's currently the 6th ranked prospect in the entire system. At the plate he's been Alex Verdugo good hitting .277 with 11 home runs and 13 steals and in the field he's made some great Jackie Bradley Jr catches in centerfield. With the Sox pretty much foolishly trading Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts, the Sox are desperate for young outfield talent. If Enmanuel Valdez continues to hit home runs and Rafaela continues to hit solidly and field the way he has, there's your new outfield in 2024. As for this coming series, Rafaela needs to step up big time.

                                                       Rafaela could be a future star

Usually batting cleanup now is their rising star, 23 year old first baseman Niko Kavadas. Kavadas was drafted in the 11th round last year and had 11 hits in 15 games for the Florida Complex and Salem to end 2021. This year he's been an absolute beast, hitting 14 home runs, drove in 48 runs and batted .286 before moving up to Greenville. There he hit .308 with 10 home runs and 28 rbis before going to Portland. Since his callup he's hit .200 with 2 home runs and 7 rbis. He may have hit the wall this season but this his only his second professional season. He could be a difference maker against Somerset if he can hit some balls out of the yard this coming week.

                                             Kavadas blew through 3 levels in one year

The true heart and soul of the team is their 24 year old second baseman/shortstop "Boss" Christian Koss. After coming to the franchise by an off-season trade before last season, he's emerged as the most dependable player on the Sea Dogs. He's hit .266 with 16 home runs and 82 rbis. When guys like Rafaela, Abreu, Kavadas and Hamilton are on base, Koss usually is the one driving them in. He's going to have to stay at the top of his game if they hope to topple the Patriots this week.

                                                                      The Boss

One of the underperforming members of the team has been 25 year old infielder Stephen Scott. He's only hitting .213 with 9 home runs and 41 rbis. He may not be in the organization much longer when younger and better players come up from Greenville so this could be his swan song. It would be nice to see him have the week of his life to make up for the season of disappointment.

                                                             One last hurrah for Scott?

Speaking of underperforming, 22 year old third baseman Alex Binelas is really struggling. After coming over in the Hunter Renfroe trade, he's hitting just .153 for Portland. The only silver lining is he's hit 11 home runs after already hitting 14 for Greenville earlier in the year. Hitting 25 home runs normally would be a good thing but not with a batting average THAT bad. Still, he may hit a few balls out of the yard this week and that's not a bad thing.

                                                          Gonna have to do better than .153

Rounding out the underperforming trio is 23 year old third baseman Hudson Potts. He came over in the Mitch Moreland trade in August of 2020 and struggled ever since. He hit just .217 last year and just .230 this season although he hit 11 home runs this year. With the rise of Niko Kavadas and Tyreque Reed due back from injury next year, Potts could be expendable. Like with Scott, hopefully he can belt a few home runs in the next week to help the Sea Dogs make the playoffs.

                                                             Potts needs to step up

Another infielder doing not much of anything is 23 year old Nick Northcut. He hit .223 in Greenville and is hitting .208 this season for Portland. What got him to Portland was hitting 26 home runs for the Drive, but he only has 4 in the 26 games he's played for Portland. If his number is called, he better step his game up in the next week.

                                                       Nice pic, Northcut

One of the members of the 2018 draft class still around is 24 year old outfielder Tyler Dearden. He's hitting just .262 with 6 home runs and 42 runs batted in. He's probably going to be in a rotation with Abreu, Rafaela and others this coming week. Hopefully he can get a few clutch hits in the next few games to help the Sea Dogs win.

                                                     One of the last of the Lowell Spinners

One of the last outfielders on the team is 24 year old Izzy Wilson. He's only hitting .207 but has 12 home runs. If he can hit one out a few times this coming week, good. If not, oh well.

                                                      Can Wilson hit a few home home runs?

Rounding out the group is catcher Elih Marrero. The son of former Major Leaguer Eli Marrero, Elih is hitting just .211 with just 2 home runs. He does have 18 steals but a catcher shouldn't be a stolen base threat. Still, the Sox are going to need him to call good games behind the plate if nothing else against the Patriots.

                                       Is there anyone that can hit for average on this team?

On the other side of the ball the Sea Dog pitching staff has had their ups and downs but have settled into a rhythm to end the regular season. One of the reasons has been their starting pitching going 5 or 6 innings consistently. 23 year old left handed Shane Drohan has emerged as one of the top starters. Drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 draft, Shane is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA with a real string of quality innings heading into the showdown with Somerset. The junkballer is going to have to outwit the Patriots at some point in this series if the Sea Dogs hope to win the Division.

                                  Drohan needs to send a statement by beating Somerset

Drohan's partner at the top of the rotation is the returning 25 year old right handed pitcher Thad Ward. Ward was on a fast track to the majors but his 2020 season was wiped out by Covid and had to have Tommy John surgery just two starts into last year. He's on the comeback trail now and has posted a 2.43 ERA in 7 starts with Portland. They're treating him with kid gloves by only having him go 4-6 innings a whack but if he can keep his ERA down against the Patriots, Ward may be an integral part in locking up the Division.

                                               Ward's comeback trail goes through Somerset

The third starter behind these two is the elder statesman 26 year old right handed pitcher Brian Van Belle. He's been perfectly mediocre as he's gone 6-4 with a 4.58 ERA. He's going to have to pitch at least once in this series and what better time to make a great start than with the season hanging in the balance?

                                                          Van Belle better be ready

The fourth starter is actually a sad story. 29 year old Kyle Hart made his Major League debut for the Red Sox in 2020 but fell flat on his face. He was straight up batting practice for the Worcester Red Sox and got demoted to Portland where he hasn't been much better. With other pitchers scheduled to work their way up, Hart is definitely on the way out. If he has one last win in him for Portland, hope its this week when the Sea Dogs really need it.

                                                       Can Hart win one last game for Portland?

One of the spot starters for the Sea Dogs is 27 year old journeyman Sterling Sharp. He got cut by the Minnesota Twins organization and signed with the Sea Dogs in August. He's 1-1 with a 3.41 ERA in  6 starts in Portland and this could be a good cap to an underwhelming career to help the Dogs beat the Patriots when it matters.

                                                         From Rochester to Portland

The long reliever on the team is the 27 year old Rio Gomez. Quite frankly the only reason he's still in the organization as he's pushing 28 and struggling in AA is his father was the late Pedro Gomez who began his career in Boston. He's 2-0 with a hideous 5.91 ERA and could be on his way out. Still, like with some of the others, he has one shot at a moment of glory if he can stone the Patriots cold this week.

                                                    One last moment to shine for Gomez

For the relief pitchers, first is newcomer Taylor Broadway. The 25 year old righthander was the player to be named in the Jake Diekman trade. He was chosen 19 picks after the Sox took Daniel McElveny in the 6th round last year and so far he's struck out 7 batters in 3 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Having a guy like him come in and toss zeroes at the end of the season is a nice bonus to have, hope he keeps it up.

                                                           Broadway is a nice ringer

Another late edition to the Sea Dogs is 24 year old righthander Ryan Zeferjahn. He was a late call up from Greenville and so far he's 2-0 without allowing a run in 7 1/3 innings. If he and Broadway can lock down the middle innings after guys like Drohan, Hart and Ward, the Sea Dogs may have a chance against the Patriots in this coming week.

                                                Let's go Zeferjahn, let's see what you got

One of the most durable relievers Portland has had this season is 26 year old lefthander Brendan Nail. He's 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 38 innings this season. As long as he doesn't walk anyone this coming week, he should be an integral piece of the puzzle against Somerset.

                                                        Nail better be tough

23 year old lefthander Oddanier Mosqueda needs to step this week big time. The kid is 5-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 56 innings. He's been hit or miss this season but one good week coming up would make up for the misses. Who knows, maybe some clutch performances could lead to a call up to Worcester next season.

                                                            Time to step up Mosqueda 

The defacto leader of the middle relievers is 28 year old former San Diego Padres right hander Brett Kennedy. He had a cup of coffee in the big leagues in 2018 for the Padres and now he's 3-6 and 3.93 ERA for Portland. He has the experience to get minor league batters out so hopefully he can step up this week to guide the Sea Dogs to the playoffs.

                                                       Kennedy has to be a leader

One of the disappointments for Portland the second half of the season has been 2019 9th round pick Cody Scroggins, the 26 year old right hander. He's allowed 8 runs in 7 innings since being called up from Greenville although he can make a difference by dominating the Patriots in this series. A week of good pitching would make up of 7 innings of crap for sure.

                                                 Just don't suck for one week, Scroggins

Now for the trio of late relievers, first up is 24 year old right handed pitcher Dylan Spacke. Mr. Spacke has been a complete disappointment going 1-5 with a 5.95 ERA in 62 innings this year. Just like with Scroggins, all he has to do is not suck for one week and the Sea Dogs are going to the playoffs. Maybe he's just having an off-year, who knows?

                                                           Live long and prosper

Next us is a familiar face, 24 year old right handed pitcher Jacob Wallace. UConn's closer in 2019 was drafted by the Colorado Rockies and came over in the Kevin Pillar trade in September of 2020. This year he's 7-2 with a 3.95 ERA. He usually comes in after the starters are done to vulture wins and he can make a statement that he can be a difference maker this week against Somerset. He may not be the closer for Portland right now but he could be for Worcester next year.

                                                         Wallace may get the job done

Last but not least is the team's closer, 26 year old right handed pitcher Michael Gettys. Drafted in the second round in 2014 by the San Diego Padres as an outfielder, he signed with the Red Sox after the 2020 season. He was hitting .200 in Worcester last year before being converted into a pitcher. He pitched reasonably well in Greenville and has gone 2-0 with 6 saves while allowing just 2 earned runs in 16 innings. If he can continue to dominate batters like he has, if the Sea Dogs have a lead in some of the games against Somerset, the games are as good as over. He doesn't have to be Mariano Rivera, but just for one week a real string of dominance would be nice.

                                                   From hitting .200 to being a closer

There's been others this season that's been called up to Worcester like Brayan Bello, Nick Sogard, Jake Thompson, Caleb Simpson, Chris Murphy, Bryan Mata, Devlin Granberg, Pedro Castellanos and Brandon Walter along with guys on the injured list like Ryan Fernandez, Tyreque Reed and Zach Bryant, plus guys on the "Developmental List" like Will Dalton and Oscar Rangel that's contributed but this is what they have now. Also shoutout to all the Boston Red Sox players that came through in rehab appearances like Tyler Danish, Chris Sale, Josh Taylor among others. There's six games to go in the regular season and if the Sea Dogs can beat the Patriots in 2 of the next six games, they're the second half champs. Then they'd play a best of three game series with.....the Patriots....again to decide who faces the Southeast champion in a best of five game series to crown the Double A champion. Good luck to the Sea Dogs. Lord knows the Boston Red Sox got nothing to play for so may as well jump on the Portland bandwagon.

                            Portland goes into enemy territory to decide the Division

The Boston Red Sox are back in action tomorrow night against the New York Yankees. Nick Pivetta (9-11, 4.29 ERA) takes on Gerrit Cole of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Bullpen Blows 24th Save to Rays (9/5/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Zack Kelly returned from the paternity list and Josh Winckowski was sent back down to Worcester. Get out AND STAY OUT!!!!

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, what more can be said about the Boston bullpen? They have officially blown 24 saves this season and even if they blew just 15, they'd be in the playoffs picture right about now. Not only that, the Sox bats have the ML worst batting average with men in scoring position including the last place teams. Michael Wacha held the Tampa Bay Rays to just 2 runs in 6 innings of work while the Sox scratched out three measly runs against Luis Patino. The in the bottom of the seventh Jeurys Familia coughed up the lead and Zack Kelly allowed the go-ahead run to score. The Sox had a chance to tie the game in the top of the ninth but failed miserably as the Rays continued their season long dominance over the Red Sox with a 4-3 win at Tropicana Field.

                                                   Red Sox vs the AL East this year

The Sox wasted no time getting to Luis Patino in the top of the first inning although Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo launched his ninth home run of the season to put Boston on top and Xander Bogaerts followed with a base hit to left. Rafael Devers flied out to center and Trevor Story grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                         Verdugo strikes first

The Rays wasted no time pounding Wacha in the bottom of the first as old pal Manny Margot effortlessly ripped a base hit to center to start. Somehow Randy Arozarena popped up to first but David Peralta easily singled to center to move Margot to third. Harold Ramirez laughed as he stuck his bat out and singled to right to score Margot with the tying run before Isaac Parades struck out swinging. Christian Bethancourt somehow forced Ramirez at second to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                            Ramirez ties it up

Patino effortlessly shut down the Sox in the top of the second as Triston Casas grounded weakly back to the mound, Kike Hernandez grounded out to shot and Franchy Cordero literally took strike three right down the middle to end the inning. Wacha got a lucky strikeout of Taylor Walls swinging to begin the bottom of the second but naturally Yu Chang absolutely smashed a double over the head of Cordero. Joe Siri moved Chang to third with a grounder to first and Margot...somehow struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Kevin Plawecki hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Somehow Pham and Verdugo drew back to back walks but Bogaerts struck out swinging on a pitch that would have been ball four. Devers got a lucky bloop single to center to score Pham to put the Sox back on top. Verdugo went to third on the play and Story worked an 8 pitch at bat before doubling to left to score Alex with another run. Casas popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                     Pham scores the go-ahead run

Somehow Arozarena flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Peralta also shockingly flied out to right. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning as Sox fans were completely confused at how the Sox didn't give up a run after scoring their own.

The bottom of the order did nothing as usual in the top of the fourth as Hernandez popped up weakly to second to start. Cordero struck out swinging on a pitch that bounced five feet in front of home plate and Plawecki grounded weakly back to the mound to end the inning. Shockingly Parades struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth but naturally Bethancourt effortlessly doubled to right. The Rays made a rare mental error when Bethancourt was thrown out at third on a grounder to the mound by Walls and Chang grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pham flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Verdugo got a lucky single to right. Verdugo moved to second on the grounder to short by Bogaerts and Devers was intentionally walked to get to Story. Once again every move an AL East opponent makes against the Red Sox worked out as Story forced Devers at second to end the inning. That would have been a double play too if there was only one out to boot. The Rays finally got to Wacha in the bottom of the fifth as Siri easily singled in the hole at short to start. The umps felt sorry for Wacha and rung up Margot for strike three but Arozarena worked a 9 pitch double off the wall that Cordero crashed into the wall trying to get. Siri scored and Cordero had to be carted off with what looked to be a broken ankle, never want to see guys get hurt. Rob Refsnyder came in to play left and robbed Peralta of a home run immediately after he came in. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning but the Rays were back in it down 3-2.

                                                       Get well soon Franchy 

Old pal Jalen "Twin" Beeks came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas did what every other prospect did when they were called up....take strike three right down the middle to start. Hernandez struck out swinging on a pitch up at his eyes and Refsnyder lined out weakly to center to end the inning. Wacha returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Parades grounded out to first to start. Bethancourt grounded out to third and Walls struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Wacha who tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 2 runs.

                                                                Wacha deserved better

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the seventh and somehow walked Plawecki to start. Naturally Pham struck out swinging and Verdugo forced Plawecki at second, but Bogaerts got a lucky single to right. Devers was unintentionally intentionally walked to load the bases and naturally Story struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays laughed as Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh as Vidal Brujan pinch hit for Chang. Brujan was hit with a pitch and swiped second before moving to third on the grounder to second by Siri. Margot effortlessly doubled to left to score Brujan to tie the game and chase Familia. Sox GM Chaim Bloom refusing to get bullpen help at the deadline led to this. Zack Kelly came in and Margot moved to third on the Arozarena grounder to short. Peralta did the honors by effortlessly doubling to right to score Margot and put the Rays up for good. Ramirez lined out to left to end the inning with the game all but over, 4-3 Rays.

                                                        Rays go up for good

The Sox rolled over in the top of the eighth against Colin Poche as Casas once AGAIN took strike three right down the middle to start. Hernandez struck out swinging and Refsnyder  went down hacking to end the inning. Say what you will about the useless bullpen but the Sox had just 6 hits in the game, pathetic. Kelly cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Parades grounded out to third to start. Bethancourt struck out swinging and Walls lined out to second to end the inning. 

Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the top of the ninth and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Plawecki. Reese got a lucky single up the middle before Connor Wong ran for him. Naturally with a man on base Pham struck out swinging on a pitch three feet outside. Verdugo hit a double play ball to short to force Wong but Brujan threw the ball away to allow Verdugo to reach second on the error. Brujan was hurt on the play and Yandy Diaz took over for him as Bogaerts came to the plate with the game on the line. Guess what happened? Of course Bogaerts looked at a straight fastball right down the middle to end the game. A graphic showed the 2022 Red Sox officially have the WORST batting average in MLB with men in scoring which includes the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers. They deserved this 4-3 defeat by the Rays.

                                                          Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Jeurys Familia. He came in with a one run lead and blew it, taking the loss.

                                                             Jackass Familia

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk, home run and 2 total runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Reese McGuire got a base hit as a pinch hitter.

Michael Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing 7 hits and 2 runs while striking out 7.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts before leaving the game.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2 but walked.

Zack Kelly allowed the go-ahead run to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for McGuire in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That was the 24th blown save of the season for the Red Sox and if Chaim Bloom still has a job this November, hell has frozen over. Back in 2020 all the Sox needed was a decent rotation and they might have made the playoffs, Bloom said nah. In 2021 all the Sox needed was a better rotation and they might have won the World Series, Bloom said nah. In 2022 all the Sox needed was a good bullpen and rotation depth, Bloom said nah. Sox manager Alex Cora isn't infallible for his decisions this season but he's been given very little to work with by Bloom. That's only the half of it, even with the bullpen woes the Sox bats managed just 6 hits in the game. Once they get men on, especially in scoring position, very rarely do they get a hit when it matters. Trevor Story coming up empty with the bases loaded in the seventh pretty much sealed their fate. Not to mention Triston Casas is supposedly the savior at first base but is refusing to swing the bat. Hopefully its just first week jitters but he looks completely lost so far. Then again, most everyone looks lost as soon as there is a runner at second base. If the bullpen only blew half of the leads they'd be 79-57 right now, right there in the thick of things. As it is, they're one step closer to elimination in a season that can't end fast enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-69, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox next defeat at the hands of an AL East team comes tomorrow night against the Rays. Garrett Cleavinger goes for Tampa against Rich Hill (6-5) of the Red Sox. The humiliation begins at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Story, Sox Sweep Rangers (9/4/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Today's starter Kutter Crawford was placed on the Injured List with a bad shoulder and perennial punching bag Josh Winckowski was brought up to make today's start. In a much needed move, Bobby Dalbec was FINALLY sent down to Worcester and top prospect Triston Casas was called up. Dalbec has been a monumental, rally killing disappointment this season and its time to see if Casas can bring something to the table in the final few weeks of the season. Can't be any worse than Dalbec....right?

                                                                     OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, don't look now but the Sox have won five straight games including a four game sweep of the hapless Texas Rangers. Today the Sox had to call up Josh Winckowski as an emergency after Kutter Crawford was scratched with a bad shoulder. The Rangers scored two first inning runs off Winckowski but that was all they got. Trevor Story belted a go-ahead 3 run homer in the bottom of the first and Xander Bogaerts drove in a run in the bottom of the second. The amounted for all of the scoring the whole game. The much maligned Sox defense played their best game all season by making several great defensive plays, most notably rookie Triston Casas and Trevor Story. Casas got his first big league hit and the Sox bullpen stepped up. The quartet of Kaleb Ort, Jeurys Familia, Matt Strahm and John Schreiber locked it down the rest of the game. Kaleb Ort earned his first big league victory as the Sox beat the Rangers 5-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                            Happy fans

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first and walked Marcus Semien on four pitches not even close to start. Corey Seager popped up to left but Semien swiped second. Nathaniel Lowe effortlessly singled to right to put runners at the corners and Adolis Garcia pounded a ground rule double into the right field corner to score Semien. Rookie Triston Casas made a great play to rob Jonah Heim of a hit but Lowe scored to increase the lead. Leody Tavares grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rangers up 2-0.

                                                          The Rangers strike first

Dane Dunning got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham got a base hit to center to start. Alex Verdugo followed with a seeing eye single to right and Xander Bogaerts hit a ground rule double into the bullpen to score Pham. Rafael Devers popped up to third in foul territory but Trevor Story smashed his 16th home run of the season into the Monster Seats to put Boston on top. Casas made his Sox debut at the plate by flying out to the right field warning track and Rob Refsnyder drew a walk. Refsnyder swiped second but Franchy Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                        Story finds the Monster Seats

Kole Calhoun flied out to right to start the top of the second before Ezequiel Duran grounded back to the mound. Bubba Thompson struck out swinging to end the inning. Connor Wong led off the bottom of the second by drawing a walk before Pham got hit on the elbow. Verdugo ripped a fly out to center to move Wong to third and Bogaerts ripped a base hit to right to score Connor. Devers popped up to first in foul territory and Story struck out swinging on a pitch down and away to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                          Sox score another run

Semien led off the top of the third by grounding out to third but Seager drew a walk. Lowe grounded back to the mound to move Seager to second but Casas made a great play to rob Garcia of a single to end the inning. Casas grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Refsnyder dumped a base hit to left. Cordero beat out a double play ball to keep the inning going and Wong worked a walk. Pham forced Wong at second to end the inning.

Winckowski struck out Heim swinging to start the top of the fourth but Tavares singled to left. Calhoun walked on four pitches not even close but Duran struck out swinging on a nasty sinker. Thompson grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Winckowski as he lasted just 4 innings while allowing 2 runs. He struggled to last this long but kept the damage to a minimum.

                                                         Winckowski doesn't last long

Verdugo singled to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Bogaerts beat out a double play ball....BUT WAIT! Twins manager Rocco Baldelli challenged the call and Bogaerts was out on the double play. Devers popped up weakly to left to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Semien flied out to left to start. Naturally Ort walked Seager but Corey only made it to second on the grounder to third by Lowe. Garcia flied out to right to end the inning. Story singled past the lunging Semien and somehow stretched a double as he beat Seager's tag by a hair. Rangers interim manager Tony Beasley finally took out Dunning and John King came in to pitch. Casas got his first major league hit off the glove of Seager but was doubled off second on a bullet to Corey by Refsnyder. Naturally Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning, another failure by Sox manager Alex Cora to move runners over.

Ort returned for the top of the sixth and Story made a great jumping catch to rob Heim of a hit to start. Tavares lined a base hit to right but Ort blew away Calhoun with a 97 mph fastball. That was it for Ort as Jeurys Familia was brought in but Tavares was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Wong grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Pham also grounded out to short. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning.

Familia returned for the top of the seventh and Duran grounded out to short to start. Thompson struck out swinging and Semien lined out to third to end the inning. Bogaerts singled down the right field line to start the bottom of the seventh but once AGAIN Devers banged into a double play. Story lined a base hit to center but Casas grounded out to short to end the inning.

Matt Strahm came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Seager grounded out to short to start. Bogaerts made a great play to rob Lowe of a hit and Garcia popped up to center to end the inning. Jonathan Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder ripped a base hit to center to start. Rob moved to second on the grounder to second by Cordero but Wong drew a walk. A wild pitch moved the runners over but naturally Pham struck out swinging. Verdugo swung at ball four in the dirt for strike three to end the inning. Once again the Sox did absolutely nothing after the second inning.

John Schreiber came in to close out the top the of the ninth and Heim took strike three on the inside corner to start. Tavares lined out to right and Calhoun took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-2.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Trevor Story. His 3 run homer put the Sox up for good and he made several defensive gems.

                                                           Hero Story

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong walked 3 times and scored a run.

Kaleb Ort got his first big league victory by tossing 1 1/2 scoreless innings.

Jeurys Familia tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4.

Josh Winckowski lasted just 4 innings allowing 3 hits and 3 walks but allowed just 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have no chance in hell to get back into playoff contention but if they finish September strong, at least there will be hope for the future. The Sox may have something if Casas can hit as well as he can field but there's a lot of holes to fill, primarily on the pitching side. Things worked out today but the rag-tags aren't going to get it done the whole month. Tanner Houck being out for the season gives them no hope of going on a run but they'll try to finish strong anyway. Bogaerts seems to have woken up now that the pressure is off and Story is back too little too late. Still, now all they can hope for is to get above .500 and stay there. The Sox may have a decent bench if they can hang on to Reese McGuire, Refsnyder and Christian Arroyo and would have a good starting nine if certain players perform better next year, but the pitching is dreadful. The only question now is will the Yankees continue to collapse? Unfortunately the Sox may hurt that cause because they just happen to be going to Tampa Bay tomorrow. The win improved the Sox to 67-68, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Tampa for a three game set with the Rays. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox play a Labor Day matinee with Michael Wacha (10-1, 2.56 ERA) going against Captain TBD of Tampa. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Tropicana Field.