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.

O's Edge Sox (9/9/22)

The Boston Red Sox woes with the AL East continued in tonight's game against the Baltimore Orioles. After getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox dropped their fourth straight game against the Orioles by being unable to get a clutch hit. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead on a two run Xander Bogaerts home run as Brayan Bello (1-5, 5.79 ERA) tossed 5 shutout innings. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Bello got yanked after loading the bases and Kaleb Ort allowed all 3 runs to score. The Sox had chances in the later innings but couldn't cash in. It all added up to yet another AL East defeat as the O's took the game 3-2 at Camden Yards.

Voth got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to third to start. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins got a base hit to center to start. Mullins was thrown out trying to steal second and Adley Rutschman grounded out to short. Anthony Santander grounded out to second to end the inning.

Trevor Story took strike three to start the top of the second but JD Martinez singled to right. Triston Casas took strike three but Kike Hernandez forced Martinez at second to end the inning. Ryan Mountcastle flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Gunnar Henderson struck out swinging. Ramon Urias grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Connor Wong doubled to center to start. Pham struck out swinging but Verdugo lined out to left to move Wong to third. Bogaerts then clobbered his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Devers walked but Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                              Home run Bogaerts

Rougned Odor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third to start. Austin Hays and Kyle Stowers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez walked to start the top of the fourth but Casas flied out to center. Hernandez flied out to center and Wong forced Martinez at second to end the inning. Mullins got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but was thrown out second trying to stretch a double. Rutschman grounded out to short and Santander struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pham got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth and that was it for Voth. DL Hall came in to pitch and Verdugo grounded out to first. Bogaerts singled to right but Devers popped up to third in foul territory. Story forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning. Mountcastle popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth and Henderson walked. Urias walked and Odor popped up to short. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the sixth before Casas walked. Jake Reed came in to face Hernandez and Kike grounded into a double play to end the inning. Suddenly Baltimore sprang to life in the bottom of the sixth as Stowers took strike three to start. Mullins singled to left before Rutschman walked. Santander walked and that was it for Bello. He'd be charged with 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits and 4 walks. Sox manager Alex Cora poured gas on the fire by bringing in Kaleb Ort. A wild pitch scored Mullins and moved the runners over. Mountcastle walked to re-load the bases and Henderson drilled a base hit to right to score Rutschman and Santander. Urias popped up to first and Odor flied out to left to end the inning with the O's up 3-2.

                                                               Bello deserved better

Wong popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the seventh and Pham grounded out to third. Cionel Perez came in to pitch to Verdugo and Alex walked. Bogaerts singled to right but Devers popped up to short to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hays grounded back to the mound to start. Stowers walked but Mullins struck out swinging. Rutschman popped up to third to end the inning.

Bryan Baker to start the top of the eighth and Story flied out to right to start. Martinez got a base hit to center and Rob Refsnyder ran for him. Casas grounded out to first to move Refsnyder to second and Dillon Tate came in to face Hernandez. Tate booted a grounder by Hernandez for an error and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Santander flied out to center to start. Mountcastle flied out to right But Henderson doubled to center. Urias was hit by a pitch and Odor flied out to center to end the inning.

Tate came back to pitch the top of the ninth and Pham grounded out to short to start. Verdugo singled in the hole at second but Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the game. The O's had won it 3-2.

                                                                      O's win

Jackass of the Night is Kaleb Ort. He came in to a 2-0 game and allowed 3 inherited runners to score to put the O's in front.

                                                              Jackass Ort

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Brayan Bello took the loss but only allowed 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 4 walks.

Honorable Mention:

Rob Refsnyder pinch ran for Martinez in the 8th inning.

Final Thoughts:

Once again it doesn't matter which team in the AL East it is, the Sox just cannot compete against them. The Orioles aren't lighting the world on fire but they still can't beat them. The Sox with this offense shouldn't be scoring just 2 runs against a team like that. Its all a sign that this year was an unmitigated disaster. Too many injuries, too inconsistent on offense and an inability to beat the AL East was a recipe for a disaster. The Sox better invest in an ace pitcher in the off-season because what they have isn't going to cut it. The worst part is JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi are pretty much as good as gone, they should have been sold at the deadline. Instead, they walk for nothing. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-72, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to get beat again tomorrow afternoon against the Orioles when Michael Wacha (10-1) takes on Jordan Lyles of Baltimore. The game begins at 5:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Off-Day News (9/8/22)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful history:

2017 - Sox pound Archer, Rays

2018 - Astros crush Rodriguez, Sox

2019 - Dombrowski fired, Yankees beat Sox

2020 - Phillies walkoff Sox in Game 1

            Sox outlast Phillies in Game 2

2021 - Sox rally past Rays

The Sox now travel to Baltimore for a three game set with the Orioles. Brayan Bello (1-3) takes on Austin Voth of Baltimore tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Rays Blank, Sweep Sox (9/7/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Franchy Cordero was placed on the Injured List with a sprained ankle and considering how few games are left in the season, that might be it for him. Eric Hosmer is also not coming back so Sox GM Chaim Bloom's trades are not working out at all. Abraham Almonte was called up to take Cordero's place.

                                                                    OUT

                                                                        IN

As the nails continue to be pounded into the Boston Red Sox coffin, you just have to shake your head and laugh at this point. Nick Pivetta (9-11, 4.29 ERA) and the Red Sox bullpen held the Tampa Bay Rays to just four hits and a run the entire game....great right? Well old pal Jeffrey Springs and the Tampa bullpen held the Sox to just 6 hits and NO runs. The Sox had runners on base including two at a time in several innings but couldn't deliver a single clutch hit. The only run of the game was Taylor Walls driving in Francisco Mejia in the top of the fifth inning. The Sox got the tying run on in the ninth inning but Pete Fairbanks slammed the door. The Sox continued their September slide by dropping this game 1-0 at Tropicana Field. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Springs got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez doubled to left to start. Tommy Pham and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging, but Trevor Story walked. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Yandy Diaz walked to start. Brandon Lowe flied out to left and Diaz swiped second. Harold Ramirez struck out swinging but Randy Arozarena walked. David Peralta struck out swinging to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo grounded out to third to begin the top of the second before Rob Refsnyder lined out to right. Triston Casas grounded out to short to end the inning. Manny Margot lined out to second to start the bottom of the second and Francisco Mejia did the same. Ji-Man Choi walked but Taylor Walls flied out to right to end the inning.

Connor Wong flied out to right to start the top of the third before Hernandez lined out to short. Pham flied out to right to end the inning. Diaz flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Lowe struck out swinging. Ramirez lined out to center to end the inning.

Yonny Chirinos came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Verdugo flied out to left to start. Story got a base hit to left and Martinez walked, but Arroyo struck out swinging. Refsnyder also struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Arozarena grounded out to short to start. Peralta grounded out to first and Margot grounded out to short to end the inning.

Casas lined out to center to begin the top of the fifth and Wong struck out swinging. Hernandez and Pham stroked back to back singles but Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rays struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Mejia doubled to center to start. Choi flied out to center to move Mejia to third and he scored on the Walls infield roller to short. Walls stole second and took third on the Diaz grounder to short, but Lowe grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                       Mejia is all smiles

Story grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Martinez grounded out to short. Arroyo doubled to left and Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta as John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth. Ramirez struck out swinging but Arozarena got a base hit to right. Peralta grounded out to short to move Randy to second but Margot grounded out to first to end the inning. Pivetta went five innings allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks before Schreiber got the job done here.

                                                      Pivetta deserved better

Colin Poche came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Casas struck out swinging to start. Wong grounded out to second and Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Mejia flied out to left to start. Isaac Parades pinch hit for Choi and flied out to right, but Walls doubled to left. Diaz was intentionally walked and Christian Bethancourt pinch hit for Lowe. Strahm's pitch went to the backstop and Walls tried to score, getting thrown out at home to end the inning.

Jason Adam came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pham got a base hit to right to start. Pham took second on a wild pitch and Verdugo walked to put the go-ahead run on. Story beat out a double play ball and promptly stole second. Martinez flied out to right and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bethancourt flied out to left to start. Ramirez grounded out to second and Arozarena did the same to end the inning.

Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the top of the ninth with Jose Siri taking over for Arozarena. Abraham Almonte made his Sox debut by pinch hitting for Refsnyder....and striking out swinging. Casas walked and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. McGuire took strike three and Hernandez popped up to right to end the game. The Rays had won the game 1-0.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Christian Arroyo. He had 2 men in scoring position in the eighth and failed to get them in.

                                                           Jackass Arroyo

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5.

Tommy Pham was 2 for 4.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

One of the few times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Nick Pivetta held the Rays to just 1 run in 5 innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Straham pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said about this season other than they lost it by being unable to beat their own division. All season long they lost series or got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rays, the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. Subsequently, 4 of the top 6 teams in the American League are the four teams previously mentioned. The Sox walked into a buzzsaw this season and injuries to their rotation in June and July sealed their fate. They had plenty of chances to win this one but couldn't push a run across. Even taking Pivetta out after 5 seemed like a bad idea but the bullpen held it down. Its been a lost season and with both Franchy Cordero and Eric Hosmer not coming back, the pressure is on Chaim Bloom. Every move he made backfired big time beginning in the off-season and the team has suffered because of it. There's only 24 games of torture remaining but it won't be painless. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-71, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox now travel to Baltimore to get their brains beat in by the Orioles for three games. Brayan Bello (1-4) goes for the Sox against Austin Voth. The game begins at 7:05 PM on Friday night at Camden Yards.

Rays Crush Hill, Sox (9/6/22)

When the gravestone for the 2022 Boston Red Sox is finally cemented in a week or so, let it be known the primary cause of death was the AL East. The Sox absolutely could not beat any team in the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays made it two in a row against the Sox to take the series by bashing around Rich Hill (6-6, 4.79 ERA) for 5 runs in just 4 innings. Randy Arozarena hit a 3 run first inning home run but rookie Triston Casas answered with his first career homer in the top of the second. The Rays got two more runs off hill and two more home runs off Eduard Bazardo. Francisco Mejia provided the final run for the Rays as they knocked out the Red Sox 8-4 at Tropicana Field.

                                                 Sox fans realizing they can't beat the AL East

JT Chargois got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to center and Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. The Rays pounced on Hill in the bottom of the first as Yandy Diaz doubled to right to start. Old pal Manny Margot beat out a roller to second and Randy Arozarena hit a three run home run to end the game just like that. Harold Ramirez walked but Isaac Parades struck out swinging. Francisco Mejia lined out to right and Christian Bethancourt grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                            Rays jump ahead early

The Sox fought back in the top of the second as Rafael Devers popped up to third to start. Trevor Story lined out to left but Christian Arroyo singled to right. Triston Casas belted his first career home run to cut the lead, but Kike Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                  First of the year for Casas

Yu Chang singled to left to start the bottom of the second before Jose Siri flied out to center. Yandy Diaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the top of the third and Reese McGuire singled to left to start. Pham forced Reese at second and Verdugo flied out to left. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third as Margo dropped down a bunt to catch the Sox asleep to start. Arozarena doubled to left and Ramirez dropped a base hit to left. Both runners scored but Ramirez was thrown out at second. Paredes grounded out to third but Mejia beat out a roller to first. Bethancourt beat out a roller to third but Chang struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2.

                                                      Rays pour it on

Devers flied out to center to open the top of the fourth but Story walked. Arroyo and Casas both struck out swinging to end the inning. Siri took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Diaz flied out to right. Margot grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Hill who allowed 5 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                           Hill wasn't good enough

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Hernandez lined out to center. McGuire grounded out to third and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning. Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Arozarena flied out to center to start. Ramirez struck out swinging and Parades took strike three to end the inning.

Brooks Raley came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Verdugo got a base hit to center to start. Bogaerts grounded into a double play and Devers grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays poured it on in the bottom of the sixth as Mejia grounded out to second to start. Bethancourt hit a home run all the way to Santo Domingo and then Chang hit a home run off the roof of the dome. Siri flied out to right but Diaz was hit with a pitch. Diaz took second on a wild pitch and Margot struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 7-2.

                                                              Rays are all smiles

Story took strike three to start the top of the seventh before Arroyo lined out to right. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Tyler Danish came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Rob Refsnyder taking over for Bogaerts. Arozarena doubled to center to start before Ramirez grounded out to short. A wild pitch moved Arozarena to third but Paredes struck out swinging. Mejia doubled to center to score Arozarena but Bethancourt grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 8-2.

                                                              Rays get another run

The Sox had one last gasp against old pal Jalen "Twin" Beeks in the top of the eighth. Hernandez flied out to center to begin but McGuire walked. Pham then blasted a home run to cut the lead in half. Verdugo singled past the pitcher but Refsnyder forced him at second. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.

                                                            Home run Pham

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Chang walked to start. Siri struck out swinging and Diaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jason Adam came in to close out the top of the ninth and Story went down hacking to start. Arroyo popped up to left and Casas struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-4.

                                                                  Rays win

Jackass of The Night is Rich Hill. He allowed 5 early runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                             Jackass Hill

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3.

Eduard Bazardo allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

Tyler Danish allowed a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

All it took was two games against the Tampa Bay Rays to send the Sox back to reality and pretty much out of the playoffs. When push came to shove against the AL East, the Sox just couldn't get it done. The sad part was they have a winning record against any other division but just couldn't beat Tampa, Toronto, New York or Baltimore. Hill got hammered in this game but so did the bullpen. The Sox bats were silenced by a bullpen game by Tampa and that's pretty embarrassing. The Sox need their offense to stay hot but its too little, too late. Sox GM Craig Breslow bargain bin shopping for starting pitchers didn't work but can't predict the entire rotation getting hurt. The bad news is the rumors are getting louder of Nathan Eovaldi, JD Martinez and Bogaerts are as good as gone in free agency. Hopefully they can keep them, but its doubtful. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-70, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the season tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta takes on old pal Jeffrey Springs of Tampa. The game begins at 6:30 PM at Tropicana Field.