Red Sox Rally Past Royals (9/16/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox outright released Jeurys Familia. With Worcester's season ending in two weeks, he didn't want to stick around to see it through to the end. Oh well, better luck next year.

                                                            So long Familia

As for the game, just as long as the Red Sox aren't facing the AL East, they're a good team. Tonight the Sox locked into a pitcher's duel with the Kansas City Royals. Jonathan Heasley held the Sox scoreless for 6 2/3 innings while Michael Wacha held the Royals to just 1 run in 7 strong innings. Things looked bleak until the bottom of the eighth when Alex Verdugo worked a two out bases loaded walk against Scott Barlow. JD Martinez followed with a base hit to score Abraham Almonte with the go-ahead run. Matt Strahm slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox had stolen a 2-1 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                  Hayden Panettiere approves of the win

Wacha got the ball in the top of the first inning and MJ Melendez popped up to right to start. Bobby Witt Jr grounded out to third and Salvador Perez grounded out to second to end the inning. Heasley got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to third to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center but was doubled off first on a bullet to short hit by Xander Bogaerts to end the inning.

Vinnie Pasquantino struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Michael Taylor popped up to first. Michael Massey struck out swinging to end the inning. Alex Verdugo grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and JD Martinez struck out swinging. Triston Casas also went down hacking to end the inning.

Hunter Dozier got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Nicky Lopez grounded back to the mound but Nate Eaton got a base hit to center. Eaton stole second but Melendez grounded out to short to end the inning. Christian Arroyo grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Kike Hernandez did the same. Kevin Plawecki grounded out to short to end the inning.

Witt Jr flied out to center to begin the top of the fourth before Perez grounded out to second. Pasquantino got a base hit to center and took second on a wild pitch, but Taylor grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Pham struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Devers grounded out to second. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Massey got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth but Dozier popped up to second. Lopez grounded out to short to move Massey to second but Eaton flied out to center to end the inning. Verdugo walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Martinez struck out swinging. Casas walked and Arroyo singled to left to load the bases, but Arroyo banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the sixth as Melendez tripled into the left field corner to start. Witt struck out swinging but Perez poked a base hit to right to score Melendez. Pasquantino grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                        Royals strike first

Plawecki flied out to center to begin the bottom of the sixth and Pham did the same. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wacha returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Taylor beat out a roller to third to start. Massey grounded out to second to move Taylor to second but Dozier struck out swinging. Lopez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Wacha was outstanding by holding the Royals to just 1 run in 7 innings off 7 hits.

                                                      Wacha deserved better

The Sox failed to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts popped up to left to start. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez walked to chase Heasley. Amir Garrett came in and promptly walked Casas. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Eaton took strike three to start. Melendez grounded out to short but Witt Jr singled to center. Perez grounded out to short to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the eighth with Dylan Coleman now on the mound. Hernandez walked and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Plawecki. Almonte walked but Pham popped up to second. Scott Barlow came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael walked to load the bases. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Verdugo walked to score Hernandez to tie the game. Martinez ripped a base hit to left to score Almonte to give the Sox the lead. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                        Clutch hit for JD

Matt Strahm came in to close out the top of the ninth with Connor Wong behind the plate. Pasquantino popped up to short and Taylor watched strike three go by, but Massey walked. Dozier flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had stolen the game 2-1.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His rbi single in the eighth put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 JD Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Alex Verdugo walked twice in four plate appearances and drove in the tying run.

Triston Casas walked twice in four plate appearances.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

Abraham Almonte walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Michael Wacha tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 4.

Garrett Whitlock earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Strahm earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the supposedly good Red Sox offense was held to almost nothing the entire game. Not only that, it cost Wacha a potential 17 win season since he didn't get the decision. In lost seasons like this you go for moral victories like that and the Sox couldn't even get THAT right. Trevor Story didn't play but still, needing a last second hit by Martinez to win against the Royals is pathetic. Still, a win is a win even if its not impressive. A shame that Wacha didn't get the win but kudos to Strahm and Whitlock for locking it down. With how bad the pitching was during the summer, better late than never to turn it around. The win improved the Sox to 70-74, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two wins in a row against the Royals tomorrow afternoon when Rich Hill (7-6) takes on Brady Singer of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

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.

Yanks Win Due To Costly Sox Errors (9/14/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made a bunch of roster moves. The Sox mercifully pulled the plug on the Jeurys Familia experiment, designating him for assignment. Also Jaylin Davis was sent back to Worcester as recent acquisition Yu Chang was activated to replace Davis. In more important matters, the complexion of the Portland Sea Dogs in their march to the playoffs changed. Nick Northcutt was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds as the PTBNL in the Tommy Pham trade. They couldn't have waited 2 weeks to do that? Also Thad Ward's comeback from Tommy John surgery hit a set back as he was placed on the Injured List by the Sea Dogs. To take the departed Hiro Sawamura's spot in Worcester, Ricardo Cubillian was called up from Portland. To replace those three, Will Dalton was activated from the Development List, Tyreque Reed was activated from the Injured List and last years 14th round pick Jacob Webb was called up from Greenville to take Ward's spot. Let's see how Portland does in the playoffs now.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, the New York Yankees pounded another nail in the 2022 Red Sox coffin by completing their two game sweep at Fenway due to a comedy of errors and a lack of offense. Rookie Brayan Bello (1-6, 5.10 ERA) was charged with 3 runs in 5 innings but none of the runs were earned due to a terrible fifth inning. Xander Bogaerts booted a routine grounder and Connor Wong threw a ball away to allow the Yankees to score three runs in the top of the fifth. Wong atoned for his error with an rbi double but Jose Trevino and Torres drove in two more runs to back Nestor Cortes. The Sox got a run off Clay Holmes in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn't enough as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                               This says its all

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Aaron Judge grounded out to third to start. Giancarlo Stanton took strike three but Gleyber Torres got a base hit to center. Josh Donaldson flied out to center to end the inning. Cortes got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Alex Verdugo lined out to center and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

Oswaldo Cabrera struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded back to the mound. Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning. Rafael Devers doubled to right to start the bottom of the second and JD Martinez walked. Rob Refsnyder flied out to right, Christian Arroyo struck out swinging and Kike Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning.

Jose Trevino flied out to right to start the top of the third and Aaron Hicks grounded out to third. Judge walked but Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning. Connor Wong struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the third and Pham grounded out to short. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.

Torres singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Donaldson flied out to center. Cabrera reached first on a pop up in no man's land before both runners pulled off a double steal. Kiner struck out swinging and Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Bogaerts took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Devers struck out swinging, Martinez also swung at air for strike three to end the inning.

The Yankees took command in the top of the fifth as Trevino struck out swinging to start. Hicks hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who dove on top of the ball and flailed his arms for an error. Judge singled in the hole at short but Stanton took strike three. Torres got a base hit to center to score Hicks and Refsnyder threw home. Judge slid in safe and Wong inexplicably turned and threw the ball into the Monster seats for an error to score Torres for a little league inside the park home run. Donaldson got a a base hit to center but Cabrera grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

                                                       Yankees are all smiles

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the fifth as Refsnyder got a base hit to right to begin. Arroyo struck out swinging and Hernandez lined out to center, but Wong atoned for his error with a double to left to score Rob. Pham flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were still down 3-1.

                                                           That's more like it

That was it for Brayan Bello who lasted just 5 innings throwing 98 pitches. He was charged with 3 runs but none of them were earned. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Kiner walked to start. Kiner stole second but Gonzalez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate. Trevino doubled to center to score Kiner, icing the game. Judge took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-1.

                                                         Bello deserved better

Verdugo walked to start the bottom of the sixth to chase Cortes from the game. Clarke Schmidt came in to strike out Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez all swinging. Wonderful performance from the heart of the order.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Stanton struck out swinging to start. Torre struck out swinging and Donaldson lined out to right to end the inning. Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Refsnyder to start the bottom of the seventh and grounded out to first. Triston Casas pinch hit for Arroyo and grounded out to third. Hernandez also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Cabrera lined out to right to start. Kiner got a base hit to right and once again stole second. Gonzalez walked but Trevino struck out swinging. Hicks grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong and got a base hit to left. Pham also got a base hit to left but Verdugo forced McGuire at third. Bogaerts blooped a base hit to right to load the bases and Devers hit a routine grounder to first.....booted by Gonzalez for an error to score Pham. It looked like Martinez beat out a double play ball to score Verdugo but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged that he was out. Sure enough, the call was overturned and the inning was over with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                               Thanks Gonzalez

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Judge struck out swinging to start. Stanton doubled to center and Tim Locastro pinch ran for him. Torres doubled to center to score Locastro and moved to third on a fly ball to center by Donaldson. Cabrera struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-2.

                                                             Another rbi for Torres

Clay Holmes came in close out the bottom of the ninth and Almonte doubled to left to start. Casas grounded out to third to move Almonte to third and Abraham scored on the Hernandez grounder to second. McGuire struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won it 5-3.

                                                            Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is JD Martinez. His double play killed the rally in the eighth inning.

                                                         You're out you jackass!

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2.

Abraham Almonte was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Triston Casas was 0 for 2.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in an inning of work.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Connor Wong was 1 for 2 with an rbi but his error led to two crucial runs scoring.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed no earned runs in 5 innings of work. He allowed 6 hits and a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Pop the champagne corks, the Portland Sea Dogs are second half division champs! Their victory over the Somerset Patriots tonight locked up the division crown with 4 games left to play. After those four games against the Patriots are over, they play a best of three series against...the Patriots. Cedanne Rafaela hit a backbreaking grand slam for the champs. What does this have to do with the Red Sox? Absolutely nothing, but who cares about them at this point? The Sox are pretty much dead in the water after another series loss to an AL East team. Errors and lack of clutch hitting cost them but that's old hat at this point. No sense wasting time squawking about it. The loss dropped the Sox to 69-74, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox welcome in the Kansas City Royals for a three game set beginning Friday night. Michael Wacha (11-1) takes on Jonathan Heasley of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Knock Out Sox in 10 Innings (9/13/22)

Just when you thought the Boston Red Sox couldn't get more inept against the AL East, they do. The Red Sox bolted out to a 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees but the Yankees tied it with 2 runs off Boston starter Nick Pivetta. Tied at 3, the Sox surged ahead on a Xander Bogaerts home run in the bottom of the sixth. Just six outs from victory, Garrett Whitlock served up a game tying home run to Aaron Judge in the top of the eighth. In the top of the tenth, Gleyber Torres hit a bases clearing, bases loaded double of Jeurys Familia (2-3, 6.09 ERA) to put the Yankees up for good. The Sox did get two runs back in the bottom of the frame, but Rafael Devers struck out to end the game. The Yankees had beaten the Red Sox 7-6 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                      Angry Sox fan

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Aaron Judge grounded out to third to start. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging and Gleyber Torres grounded out to short to end the inning. Cole got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to left and Xander Boggaerts flied out to center to end the inning.

Josh Donaldson struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Oswaldo Cabrera walked. Miguel Andujar popped up to right and Sox manager Alex Cora saw that Cabrera left the bag early so they threw to first...out to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers walked to start. Devers stole second but JD Martinez struck out swinging. Christian Arroyo grounded out to second to move Devers to third and Triston Casas launched his second career home run to put the Sox on top. Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                      Home run Casas

The Yankees answered in the top of the third as Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a base hit to center to start. Jose Trevino flied out to right but old pal Marwin Gonzalez hit a home run all the way to the Galapagos Islands to tie the game. Judge got a base hit to center but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                        Tie game

The Sox retook the lead in the bottom of the third as Reese McGuire pounded his first home run with the Red Sox to put Boston back on top. Pham took strike three, Verdugo flied out to left and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                        First for Reese

Torres grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth and Donaldson flied out to right. Cabrera struck out swinging to end the inning. Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Martinez flied out to center. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Andujar grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Kiner grounded out to short. Trevino beat out a roller to third but Gonzalez was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Casas walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Hernandez struck out swinging. Casas stole second but McGuire and Pham both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees tied it in the top of the sixth as Judge hit a home run all the way to Minnesota to start. Stanton got a base hit to right but Torres forced him at second. Donaldson walked and that was it for Pivetta. With the season on the line, Pivetta lasted just 5 1/3 innings and allowed 3 runs. Ryan Brasier came in and Cabrera beat out a double play ball, but Andujar flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                    Needed a better effort

The Sox went back on top in the bottom of the sixth although Verdugo lined out to left to start. Bogaerts bashed his 14th home run of the season to give Boston the lead. Devers struck out swinging but Martinez lined a base hit to left. Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-3.

                                                  X gonna give it to ya

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Kiner grounded out to third to start. Trevino grounded back to the mound and Gonzalez flied out to center to end the inning. Lucas Luetge came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas flied out to right to start. Hernandez struck out swinging but McGuire drilled a base hit to right to chase Luetge. Lou Trivino came in to pitch and Pham was hit with a pitch, but Verdugo lined out to right to end the inning.

Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and right on cue Judge hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to tie the game. Stanton grounded out to short, Torres struck out swinging and Donaldson lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                            Home run 57 for Judge

Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts lined out to third to start. Devers and Martinez both flied out to center to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Cabrera struck out swinging to start. Andujar flied out to center and Kiner grounded out to short to end the inning. Clay Holmes came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Arroyo grounded out to third to start. Casas grounded back to the mound and Hernandez lined out to right to end the inning.

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Kiner starting the inning at second base. Aaron Hicks pinch hit for Trevino and grounded into a double play, but Judge was intentionally walked. Stanton walked to load the bases and Estevan Florial pinch ran for Giancarlo. Naturally Torres hit a bases clearing double to center to ice the game. Torres stole third but Donaldson flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 7-4.

                                                       Torres with the killshot

Kyle Higashioka took over behind the plate with Hernandez starting the bottom of the tenth at second base. McGuire was hit with a pitch and Connor Wong ran for him. Pham struck out swinging to earn the golden sombrero and Wandy Peralta came in to face Verdugo. Alex singled to center to score Hernandez and move Wong to third but Bogaerts popped up to left. Suddenly Peralta threw a wild pitch that scored Wong and made Verdugo the tying run. Unfortunately Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won it 7-6 in 10 innings.

                                                          Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Jeurys Familia. He served up the bases loaded double to Torres to lose the game.

                                                             Jackass Familia

The Good:

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a 2 run home run.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a home run.

Connor Wong scored a run as a pinch runner.

Ryan Brasier got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts to earn the golden sombrero but was hit with a pitch. 

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked, stole a base and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Nick Pivetta was yanked after allowing 3 runs in just 5 1/3 innings on 6 hits and 2 walks.

Final Thoughts:

What else can be said about this disappointing season apart from its almost over? The Sox had three leads in the game and blew all three of them. The Sox just absolutely cannot beat the Yankees or the Toronto Blue Jays this season. It doesn't matter who pitches or hits, they just find a way. Even with all the injuries on the Red Sox, they shouldn't have been THIS bad against New York and Toronto all season. Judge lighting it up is par for the course but what was Familia doing pitching the tenth? Cora yanks Pivetta out of there early AGAIN and this is the end result almost every time. Maybe he'll be gone after the season with Chaim Bloom too. All in all we got 20 games left of this torture before its over. The loss dropped the Sox to 69-73, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound against the Yankees tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (1-5) takes on Nestor Cortes of New York. 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.