Sox Snap Streak, Beat Mariners (5/16/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Brennan Bernardino was sent down to Worcester after being straight batting practice the last couple of days and John Schreiber was put on the Injured List with a right teres strain. In their places, the Sox called up two minor league veterans in Justin Garza and Ryan Sherriff. Sherriff might give them something....we hope.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, the Sox bats finally woke up against a tough Seattle Mariners pitching staff. The Sox got to Luis Castillo for four runs in the bottom of the first although Nick Pivetta (3-3, 6.30 ERA) gave four runs back in the top of the fourth. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth with a Masataka Yoshida ground rule double rbi and a Jarren Duran home run to put the Sox up for good. This time the Sox bullpen held up as the new additions Ryan Sherriff and Justin Garza (along with Josh Winckowski) held the foot after Pivetta left the game. The Sox added two runs for insurance and broke their losing streak with a 9-4 win over the Mariners at Fenway Park.

                                                        Miguel Diaz approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and JP Crawford took strike three to start. Ty France lined out to first and Julio Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Castillo in the bottom of the first as Kolten Wong booted a grounder by Alex Verdugo to start. Masataka Yoshida tripled into the centerfield triangle to score Alex to put Boston on top. Justin Turner then mashed his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Rafael Devers grounded out to first before Jarren Duran struck out swinging. Suddenly Triston Casas belted his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead. Enmanuel Valdez walked but Reese McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                       Sox with a big inning

Jarred Kelenic lined out to first to start the top of the second before Eugenio Suarez walked. Cal Raleigh singled to right and both runners moved over on a nubber in front of the plate by Teoscar Hernandez. Taylor Trammell watched strike three go by to end the inning. Pablo Reyes was frozen for strike three to begin the bottom of the second before Verdugo lined out to right. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wong grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Crawford walked. France grounded into a double play to end the inning. Turner grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Devers struck out swinging. Duran also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Mariners roared back in the top of the fourth as Rodriguez flied out to center to start. Suarez got a base hit to left and Raleigh drew a walk. Hernandez tripled off the glove of Verdugo to cut the lead in half and Trammell hit a home run all the way into the Baltic Sea to tie the game just like that. Wong doubled to center but Crawford flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                           Mariners tie it up

Casas walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Valdez popped up to Suarez in foul territory. McGuire grounded out to first and Reyes grounded out to short to end the inning.

France doubled to left to start the top of the fifth before Rodriguez grounded out to third to move Ty to third. Pivetta got a big out by striking out Kelenic swinging but Suarez drew a walk. Raleigh struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox took control in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Yoshida pounded a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Alex. Turner flied out to right to move Yoshida to third and a wild pitch scored him. Devers struck out swinging but Duran clobbered his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Casas flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 7-4.

                                                          Duran hits one out

Hernandez flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Pivetta after 98 pitches. He battled back to allow four runs in 5 1/3 innings. Ryan Sherriff made his Red Sox debut facing pinch hitter AJ Pollock. Pollock struck out swinging and Sherriff snuffed out Wong's bunt attempt to end the inning.

                                                    New Sherriff in town

Tayler Saucedo came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and the Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Valdez grounded out to second to start before McGuire grounded out to second. Reyes grounded out to short to end the inning.

Crawford hit one up the elevator shaft to begin the top of the seventh and that was it for Sherriff. Josh Winckowski came in to get France to ground out to short. Rodriguez got a base hit to right but Kelenic struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the seventh with Paul Sewald on the mound. Verdugo walked before Yoshida flied out to center. Turner singled to right but Devers flied out to center. Duran ripped a base hit to center to score Verdugo and send Turner to third. Juan Then came in to pitch to Casas but Duran swiped second base first. Casas watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-4.

                                                       Duran drives in another run'

Suarez flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Raleigh grounded out to first. Hernandez got a base hit to right and took second on a wild pitch. Pollock grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Valdez flied out to center to start. McGuire, Reyes and Verdugo got three straight hits to load the bases and Yoshida scored McGuire with a grounder to first. Turner grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                         Yoshida drives in another run

Justin Garza made his Sox debut to finish the top of the ninth inning. Wong grounded out to second before Crawford grounded out to short. France flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Masataka Yoshida. He was 2 for 5 with 3 big rbis while scoring twice.

                                                              Masataka Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Justin Turner was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run, stolen base and 2 total rbis.

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Ryan Sherriff pitched a full scoreless inning.

Josh Winckowski tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Justin Garza pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Pablo Reyes was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta got the win but allowed 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 6.

Final Thoughts:

So that's what a win looks like. After four straight losses that were barely competitive, its about time the offense broke out. Duran, Verdugo, Turner and Yoshida picked it up on a day where Devers didn't get it done. After last year's dreadful performance, its good to see Duran's comeback this year so far. Pivetta got rocked early but held on to pitch into the sixth inning. Sherriff and Garza looked good in their debuts but time will tell if they can keep up the momentum. Its a shame the Sox got off to such a mediocre start because the Tampa Bay Rays have been red hot to start the season. Still, got to win games if they want to get back in the race, tonight was a good win. The win improved the Sox to 23-20, 9 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (2-1) gets the ball against Marco Gonzales of Seattle. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Mariners Pound Sox, Bullpen (5/15/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Ryan Brasier was mercifully sent down to Worcester while Joely Rodriguez was called up to take his spot. Talk about re-arranging the chairs of the Titanic. Then again, maybe Rodriguez will be good.

                                                                 OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster as the Sox dropped their fourth game in a row. The Sox bats were silenced by the Seattle Mariners and George Kirby. Kirby held the Sox to 8 hits and one measly run in 6 2/3 innings. Meanwhile Tanner Houck (3-3) allowed four runs in five innings but only threw 75 pitches. Naturally after he was out of the game, the Sox bullpen allowed five runs including four from Richard Bleier alone. The ultimate kick in the ass was served by catcher Cal Raleigh. Growing up a Jason Varitek fan, Raleigh hit two home runs in the house Varitek played in to guide the Mariners to a 10-1 victory over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                         Angry Sox fan

JP Crawford led off the top of the first with a grounder back to the mound. Ty France grounded out to second and Julio Rodriguez went down hacking to end the inning. Kirby got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran looked at strike three to start. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to center and Justin Turner slapped a base hit to left, but Rafael Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jarred Kelenic grounded out to second to start the top of the second inning before Eugenio Suarez grounded out to short. Cal Raleigh struck out swinging to end the inning. Triston Casas popped up to third to start the bottom of the second before Raimel Tapia grounded out to third. Pablo Reyes took strike three to end the inning.

Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging to open the top of the third inning before Taylor Trammell flied out to right. Kolten Wong grounded out to first to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Connor Wong grounded out to short. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning.

Crawford grounded out to first to start the top of the fourth before Reyes made a great leaping catch to rob France of a base hit. Rodriguez doubled to left but Kelenic grounded out to second to end the inning. Verdugo grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the fourth before Turner went down hacking. Devers got a base hit to right but Casas flied out to left to end the inning.

The Mariners struck first in the top of the fifth as Suarez singled to left to start. Raleigh then hit a home run all the way into the Rio Grande to put the Mariners up for good. Hernandez got a base hit to left but Trammell swung at air for strike three. Wong flied out to center and Crawford took strike three to end the inning with the Mariners up 2-0.

                                                               Raleigh jacks one

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Tapia flied out to left to begin. Reyes laid down a bunt down the third base line to reach first but was thrown out at second trying to steal. That proved costly as Valdez drew a walk. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Mariners knocked Houck out in the top of the sixth as France lined a base hit to left. Verdugo inexplicably turned a fired the ball into the Monster seats for an error to advance France to third. Rodriguez walked and that was it for Houck after just 75 pitches. Brennan Bernardino came in and Kelenic beat out a double play ball to score France. Suarez took strike three but Kelenic stole second on the throw. Raleigh highlighted the Red Sox incompetence with a home run to Neptune to ice the game. Hernandez singled to right but Trammell struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-0.

                                                        Houck disappointed tonight

The Sox did try to fight back in the bottom of the sixth as Duran doubled to left to start. Verdugo went down hacking and Turner grounded out to third, but Devers doubled to left to score Duran. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-1.

                                                        Devers drives in a run

Things went further south in the top of the seventh inning although Wong grounded out to first to start. Crawford pounded a ground rule double into the right field corner and that was it for Bernardino. John Schreiber came in and froze France for strike three but then started clutching his arm. Schreiber had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded onto an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU as Richard Bleier took his place. Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning but now Schreiber was gone.

                                                           Things get even worse

Tapia tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to start the bottom of the seventh, but Reyes hit one up the elevator shaft. Valdez got a base hit to left but Wong struck out swinging. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Duran and Gabe Speier came in to pitch to him. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Refsnyder was plunked to load the bases. Verdugo lined out to third to end the inning.

It looked like Kelenic grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth but Mariners manager Scott Servais challenged that Jarred was safe. Sure enough, the call was overturned and Kelenic was on first.  A wild pitch moved Kelenic to second and Suarez hit a home run into the Potomac River to add to the misery. Raleigh got a base hit to left and Hernandez hit a ground ball to Valdez. Enmanuel threw himself on the ball like a grenade for an error and AJ Pollock pinch hit for Trammell. Pollock got a base hit to left to score Raleigh but Wong beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Crawford popped up to first but France doubled off the Monster to score Hernandez. Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 9-1.

                                                           Mariners pour it on

Tayler Saucedo came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Turner struck out swinging to start. Devers grounded back to the mound and Casas went down swinging to end the inning.

Reese McGuire came in to catch with infielder Pablo Reyes coming in to pitch to save the bullpen. Kelenic singled to right and Suarez walked, both runners moving over on the grounder to first by Raleigh. Hernandez walked to load the bases and Pollock got a base hit to left to score Kelenic. Wong flied out to right and Jose Caballero pinch hit for Crawford. Caballero grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mariners up 10-1.

                                                       Infielders pitching games now

Sam Haggerty came in to play center with Chris Flexen in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning. Tapia grounded out to first to start, but Reyes singled to left. Valdez grounded into a double play to end the game. The Mariners had won it 10-1.

                                                               Mariners win

Jackass of The Night is Brennan Bernardino. He allowed two inherited runners to score and one of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                               Jackass Bernardino

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was hit with a pitch.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Pablo Reyes was 2 for 4 despite allowing a run in the ninth inning.

John Schreiber struck out the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Tanner Houck took the loss by getting charged with 4 runs in 5 plus innings. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Richard Bleier allowed 4 runs in 1 1/3 innings although only 2 were earned.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Raimel Tapia was just 1 for 4.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk but committed an error.

Honorable Mention:

Reese McGuire caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was an unimitgated disaster in a season that hasn't gone right at all so far. Houck continues to have problems the second time through the order, hence why he should be in the bullpen, but worse is Schreiber got hurt. He was one of the best surprises last year and if they lose him for an extended period, they're in big trouble. They haven't even been competitive on this losing streak. Its one thing to play hard and lose, its another to get neutered 6-1 or 10-1. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-20, 9 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to break their four game losing streak tomorrow night against Seattle when Nick Pivetta (2-3) takes on Luis Castillo of Seattle. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Cardinals Sweep Kluber, Sox (5/14/23)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Philadelphia Sixers in Game 7 of their second round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox got swept by the St. Louis Cardinals. THAT was embarrassing. Corey Kluber (2-5, 6.41 ERA) got hammered again as the Sox got swept by the lowly Cardinals in empathetic fashion. Kluber allowed 4 runs in just 5 innings while Miles Mikolas shut down the Sox bats, holding them to 1 run in 6 innings. Brennan Bernardino and Ryan Brasier also got hammered for 5 runs as the Cardinals swept the Sox out of Boston 9-1 at Fenway Park. 

                                                                "Kluber....again...."

The Cards wasted no time getting to Kluber in the top of the first inning as Lars Nootbaar doubled off the Monster to start. Paul Goldschmidt got a base hit to right to score Nootbaar and put the Cards up just two batters into the game. Nolan Gorman flied out to right, Nolan Arenado struck out swinging and Wilson Contreras went down hacking to end the inning with the Cardinals up 1-0.

                                                     Cards strike first

The Sox answered against Mikolas in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo doubled to center to start. Verdugo moved to third on the Masataka Yoshida grounder to second. Justin Turner flied out to right but Rafael dumped a base hit to right to score Verdugo. Jarren Duran lined out to first to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                Devers ties it up

Brendan Donovan took strike three to start the top of the second but Paul DeJong hit a home run all the way to Madagascar to put the Cards up for good. Dylan Carson singled to right but Andrew Knizner popped up to second. Nootbaar lined out to left to end the inning with the Cards up 2-1.

                                                              Cards end it early

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Triston Casas grounded out to second to start. Enmanuel Valdez walked but Reese McGuire flied out to left. Pablo Reyes made his Sox debut by popping up to shirt to end the inning.

Goldschmidt lined out to center to start the top of the third but Gorman walked. Arenado forced Gorman at second then swiped second base. Contreras and Donovan walked to load the bases but DeJong struck out swinging to end the inning. Alec Burleson took over for Carson to start the bottom of the third and Verdugo grounded out to short to start. Yoshida and Turner both grounded out to third to end the inning. 

The Cards struck again in the top of the fourth as Burleson caught Kluber asleep with a bunt single. Knizner then hit a home run all the way to Morocco to ice the game. Nootbaar grounded out to first but Goldschmidt doubled to right. Gorman flied out to right and Arenado struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cardinals ahead 4-1.

                                                     Another damn home run

Devers dumped a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Duran lined out to center but Casas singled to left. Valdez forced Casas at second to end the inning.

Contreras grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Donovan flied out to center. DeJong flied out to left to end the inning and that was it for Kluber. He got hammered again for 4 runs in just 5 innings of work. Just not good enough.

                                                      Another beating for Kluber

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire grounded out to third to begin. Reyes walked and moved to second on the Verdugo grounder to second. Yoshida also grounded out to second to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to take a beating in the top of the sixth as Burleson flied out to center to start. Knizner singled to center and Nootbaar singled to right, but Goldschmidt struck out swinging. Gorman walked to chase Bernardino and Ryan Brasier came in to face Arenado. Naturally Nolan ripped a base hit to center to score Knizner and Nootbaar. Contreras hit a bullet to Casas to end the inning but the Cards led 6-1.

                                                              Arenado drives in two

Turner flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Devers flied out to center. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Casas threw a grounder by Donovan away for an error to start the top of the seventh but DeJong lined out to short. Burleson flied out to left and Knizner struck out swinging to end the inning. Genesis Cabrera came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas walked to start. Valdez struck out swinging and McGuire went down hacking but Reyes blooped a base hit to right to move Casas to third. Verdugo walked and with a chance to do some damage....Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning. 

The Cards poured it on in the top of the eighth as Nootbaar doubled to left to start. A wild pitch moved Lars to third but Goldschmidt struck out swinging. Gorman pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Nootbaar and Arenado hit a home run all the way to London to wrap up the scoring. Contreras grounded out to short and Donovan grounded out to second to end the inning with the Cardinals up 9-1.

                                                        Arenado is number one

Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Turner took strike three to start. Devers whiffed but Duran walked. Casas watched strike three go by to end the inning. 

Richard Bleier came in to pitch the top of the ninth and DeJong grounded back to the mound to start. Burleson singled to right but was forced at second by Knizner. Nootbaar grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tommy Edman came in for Goldschmidt, Juan Yepez came in for Arenado and Chris Stratton took the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Valdez took strike three, McGuire grounded out to first and Reyes took strike three to end the game. The Cards had completed the sweep 9-1.

                                                                  Cardinals win

Jackass of The Night is Corey Kluber. He put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. 

                                                                    Jackass Kluber

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Pablo Reyes was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Richard Bleier tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brennan Bernardino allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning. 

Ryan Brasier allowed 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Triston Casas was just 1 for 3 with a strikeout and an error.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 but walked. 

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

This game and this series was a microcosm of ineptitude that's plaguing the Red Sox. How do you lose three straight at home to a team that bad? Kluber so far has been a 10 million dollar bust but the bullpen didn't do him or the Sox any favors by allowing 5 runs to put the game out of reach. Not that the bats were going to do much anyway. Then again, when you lose Trevor Story in spring training and lose two big bats in Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez in free agency, can't expect to have the same offense. I don't know what the Sox can do to fix anything, they may have to go with what they have for a while. Maybe they'll turn things around, who knows? The loss dropped the Sox to 22-19, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when they welcome in the Seattle Mariners in for a three game set. George Kirby goes for the Mariners against Tanner Houck (3-2) of the Sox. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Implode Again (5/13/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Bobby Dalbec was mercifully sent back to Worcester and newly acquired Pablo Reyes was called up to take his place. Reyes can't be any worse....right?

                                                                          OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, talk about Groundhog Day. The night after the Sox blew a ninth inning lead to the St. Louis Cardinals, they did it again in much more heartbreaking fashion. Chris Sale dazzled the Cardinals for 8 innings allowing just one run in a masterpiece. Rob Refsnyder and Rafael Devers provided 3 runs of offende that should have been enough. Then in the top of the ninth it all fell apart. Facing an exhausted Kenley Jansen (1-2, 4.26 ERA), the Cardinals rallied for a run and loaded the bases with one out. Alex Burleson hit a double play ball to Pablo Reyes but Kike Hernandez threw the ball away for a 2 run error. The Sox got the tying run on in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't get it done as they lost 4-3 to the Cardinals at Fenway Park. 

Sale got the ball in the top of the first and Tommy Edman grounded out to short to start. Paul Goldschmidt grounded out to first but Wilson Contreras doubled to left. Nolan Arenado flied out to right to end the inning. Steven Matz got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Alex Verdugo lined out to third to start. Justin Turner doubled to center then moved to third on a Rob Refsnyder fly out to right. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left to score Turner but was thrown out at second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                                       Yerrrrr out!

Juan Yepez struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Dylan Carson walked. Paul DeJong struck out swinging and Lars Nootbaar grounded out to first to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the second but Kike Hernandez dropped a base hit to right. Jarren Duran grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Andrew Knizner flied out to center to start the top of the third but Edman singled to right. Goldschmidt flied out to center and Contreras popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Connor Wong lined out to left to start. Pablo Reyes doubled to left and Verdugo was hit with a pitch, but Turner took strike three. A wild pitch moved both runners over and they scored on the Refsnyder double to center. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                      Refsnyder drives in a pair

Arenado flied out to left to open the top of the fourth and Yepez watched strike three go by. Carlson struck out swinging to end the inning. Yoshida got a seeing eye single into right to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez grounded into a double play. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. 

DeJong flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Nootbaar struck out swinging. Knizner grounded out to first to end the inning. Wong struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fifth but Reyes singled to left. Verdugo and Turner both took strike three to end the inning.

Edman flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Goldschmidt grounded out to first. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. Refsnyder singled to right to begin the bottom of the sixth before Devers popped up to second. Refsnyder stole second but Yoshida walked to chase Matz. Drew VerHagen got Hernandez to pop up to short to end the inning.

The Cards struck back in the top of the seventh as Arenado hit a home run all the way to San Jose to start. Yepez, Carlson and DeJong all struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cards down 3-1.

                                                             Home run Arenado

Carlson got to run around in the bottom of the seventh as Wong flied out to him to start. Reyes and Verdugo also flied out to center to end the inning.

Sale returned for one final inning in the top of the eighth as Nootbaar grounded out to third to start. Knizner flied out to right and Edman also flied out to right to end the inning. Sale was outstanding allowing just the 1 run in 8 masterful innings.

                                                                 Good work by Sale

Andrew Pallante came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Turner grounded out to short to start. Refsnyder singled to left before moving to second on the grounder to second by Devers. Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and walked Goldschmidt to start. Goldschmidt stole second and Contreras walked, but Arenado popped up to second. Nolan Gorman pinch hit for Yepez and doubled to right to score Goldschmidt. Brendan Donovan pinch hit for Carson and was intentionally walked. Alec Burleson pinch hit for DeJong and hit a double play ball to Reyes. He flipped to Hernandez for one...AND THREW THE BALL AWAY! Contreras and Gorman scored to put St. Louis on top. Nootbaar forced Burleson at third to end the inning with St. Louis ahead 4-3.

                                                          You gotta be kidding 

Giovanny Gallegos came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Raimel Tapia pinch hit for Hernandez. Tapia grounded out to short and Duran lined out to left, but Triston Casas pinch hit for Wong. Casas got a base hit to center and Enmanuel Valdez pinch ran for him. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Reyes and grounded out to third to end the game. The Cards had won it 4-3.

                                                                    Cardinals win

Jackass of the Night is Kike Hernandez. His error in the ninth led to the Cardinals victory.

                                                         Jackass Hernandez 

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Triston Casas got a hit as a pinch hitter. 

Pablo Reyes was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Chris Sale tossed 8 innings of 1 run ball allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out nine. 

The Bad:

Raimel Tapia was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. 

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Kenley Jansen took the loss by allowing 3 rubs in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

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

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

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

Honorable Mention:

Enmanuel Valdez ran for Casas in the ninth. 

Final Thoughts:

Words can't describe the frustration around Fenway. The Sox just lost two straight in the ninth inning against a terrible team. Jansen was horrible tonight again but he shouldn't have been out there after last night. Even so, he got the double play ball he wanted but Hernandez threw it away. Then for whatever reason Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Reese McGuire for Reyes who was 2 for 3 already. It seems like we're repeating last year where everything goes wrong. Chris Sale pitched his best game of the season and has nothing to show for it, otherwise he would have been the hero of this one. This is the kind of game that starts a losing streak so I hope it doesn't come to that. The less said of this game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-18, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid the sweep tomorrow night when Corey Kluber (2-4) takes on Miles Mikolas of the Cardinals. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Jansen Implodes, Cardinals Drop Sox (5/12/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox sent a sack full of money to the hapless Oakland A's for 29 year old utility infielder Pablo Reyes. With Adalberto Mondesi and Christian Arroyo out with injury, the Sox don't want to bring up David Hamilton to soon so they traded for an experienced veteran who can play the infield. Reyes was hitting .257 for Las Vegas when the A's sent him to Boston. Maybe he can at least field the ball.

                                                                          IN

As for the game, another kick in the ass in a season full of them. The St. Louis Cardinals tore a page out of the script from twenty years earlier when they rallied late to beat the Red Sox. The Sox took a 4-2 lead after five innings due to home runs from Enmanuel Valdez and Connor Wong. James Paxton made his long awaited Red Sox debut and delivered five gutty innings to keep the Sox in front. Then Josh Winckowski crapped his pants by allowing three runs in the sixth. The Sox scratched out two runs to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth but Kenley Jansen (1-1, 3.09 ERA) allowed three runs in the top of the ninth including a two run pinch hit home run by Nolan Gorman. The Sox went quietly in the ninth and the Cardinals had won the game 8-6 at Fenway Park.

Paxton made his Sox debut in the top of the first inning and the Cardinals wasted no time getting to him. Tommy Edman took strike three but Paul Goldschmidt singled to left. Willson Contreras took strike three but Nolan Arenado hit a home run all the way to Sweden to put the Cards up just four batters into the game. Juan Yepez grounded out to second to end the inning but the Cardinals led 2-0.

                                                            Cardinals strike first

Wainwright got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo watched strike three go by to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center but Justin Turner grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Dylan Carlson flied out to right to start the top of the second before Paul Dejong struck out swinging. Lars Nootbaar walked but Andrew Krizner flied out to right to end the inning. Rafael Devers flied out to left to start the bottom of the second but Jarren Duran drew a walk. Triston Casas banged into a double play to end the inning.

Edman flied out to right to start the top of the third but Goldschmidt singled to right. Contreras flied out to right but Arenado got a hit to left. Yepez struck out swinging to end the inning. Kike Hernandez flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Enmanuel Valdez took strike three. Connor Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Paxton dazzled in the top of the fourth as Carlson took strike three to start. Both Dejong and Nootbaar watched strike three go by to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Yoshida flied out to right but Turner walked. Both runners moved over on the Devers grounder to first and scored on the Duran single to right. Casas doubled to right but some idiot touched the ball for fan interference. Naturally Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Duran gets it done

Paxton returned for the top of the fifth and Knizner flied out to center to start. Edman took strike three and Goldschmidt went down hacking to end the inning. That was it for Paxton who who threw 87 pitches in his return allowing just 2 runs in 5 innings of work.

                                                          Welcome back Paxton

The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Valdez pounded his second home run of the season and Connor Wong smashed his fourth for back to back jacks. Verdugo lined out to first but Yoshida doubled to right. Turner flied out to right and Devers flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                  Back to back

The lead didn't last long as Josh Winckowski came in to blow it in the top of the sixth. Contreras hit a home run into the outer reaches of Mongolia to cut the lead then Arenado got a base hit to center. Brendan Donovan pinch hit for Yepez and singled to right before Carlson got a base hit to right to load the bases. De Jong grounded into a double play but Arenado scored to tie the game. That was it for Winckowski as Richard Bleier came in to face Nootbaar. Lars doubled to left to score Donovan to put the Cardinals on top but Knizner popped up to first to end the inning with the Cardinals up 5-4.

                                                              So much for that lead

Andrew Pallante came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Casas singled to center but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Edman grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh but Goldschmidt singled to center. Conteras grounded into a double play to end the inning. Valdez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh before Wong struck out swinging. Genesis Cabrera came in to pitch to Verdugo and Alex went down hacking to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the eighth as Arenado grounded out to short to start. Donovan grounded out to second and Carlson grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Yoshida walked to start. Turner walked and Devers hit a ground rule double into the bullpen to score Yoshida with the tying run. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Duran but Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol countered by bringing in Ryan Helsey to pitch to him. Sox manager Alex Cora countered that by having Railmel Tapia hit for Refsnyder and Bobby Dalbec in to run for Turner. Tapia grounded out to second but Dalbec scored to put the Sox on top. Casas flied out to right but it was 6-5 Sox.

                                                         Good work Devers

Kenley Jansen came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the ninth as DeJong walked to start. DeJong stole second, then scored on the Nootbaar single to center. Nootbaar took off for second and Wong threw the ball over the third baseman's head for no reason for an error to move Lars to third. Nolan Gorman pinch hit for Knizner and hot a home run to Cuba to ice the game. Edman doubled to left and that was it for Jansen. Ryan Brasier came in and Goldschmidt took strike three. Contreras grounded out to third but Arenado singled to left. Edman came around third but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning with the Cards up 8-6

                                                                 That'll do it

Tres Barrera came in to catch the bottom of the ninth and Valdez struck out swinging to start. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong and also went down hacking. Verdugo whiffed to end the game. The Cardinals had won it 8-6.

                                                                Cardinals win

Jackass of The Night is Kenley Jansen for blowing the save. He allowed 3 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                             Jackass Jansen

The Good:

Masataka Yohida was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Justin Turner walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Bobby Dalbec scored a run as a pinch runner.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Raimel Tapia drove in a run in his only plate appearance.

Triston Casas was 2 for 4.

James Paxton allowed 2 runs in 5 innings of work. He allowed 4 hits and a walk while striking out nine.

Richard Bleier tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless ninth inning after Jansen was out.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

Josh Winckowski allowed 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

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

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a home run but struck out and committed an error.

Honorable Mention:

Rob Refsnyder "pinch hit" in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox had this game in the bag but Jansen blew one of his only saves all season tonight. These are the games the Sox can't afford to lose in the era of the three wild cards because even as mediocre as they are, they're going to be in the hunt as long as they don't suffer any catastrophic injuries. The Cardinals are under .500 for a reason and this is a huge loss in the grand scheme of things. The Sox need to start winning these games to gain some ground on the other teams in the AL East. Paxton pitched well too so things may be looking up if he can rediscover his former form he had in New York and Seattle. Hopefully the Sox can put this loss in the rear view mirror because that was BAD. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-17, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the Cardinals when Chris Sale takes the mound against Steven Matz. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.