Angels Blank Sox (5/23/23)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the Los Angeles Angels shut out the Boston Red Sox. For the second day in a row, the Boston bats went silent against Angels pitching. Struggling starter Griffin Canning looked like 1973 Nolan Ryan as he held the Sox to 2 measly hits in 7 innings. Brayan Bello (3-2, 4.08 ERA) was the hard luck loser allowing 2 runs in 7 strong innings. Any hope for a comeback ended when Joely Rodriguez gave up a two run bomb to Mike Trout in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox have now scored exactly 1 run in 18 innings as the Angels won this one 4-0 at Angels Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Canning got the ball in the top of the first and Alex Verdugo lined out to left to start. Masataka Yoshida flied out to left, but Justin Turner walked. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mickey Moniak hit a home run all the way to Mexico to put the Angels up for good just 1 batter into the first. Mike Trout struck out swinging but Shohei Ohtani singled inside the first base line. Hunter Renfroe forced Ohtani at second but Jared Walsh got a base hit to right. Brandon Drury struck out swinging to end the inning with the Angels up 1-0.

                                                       That didn't take long

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Kike Hernandez flied out to right. Triston Casas walked and Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to right, but Reese McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Thaiss grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second before Gio Urshela struck out looking. Zach Neto went down hacking to end the inning.

Verdugo grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Yoshida flied out to center. Turner took strike three to end the inning. Moniak flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Trout grounded out to second. Ohtani grounded out to first to end the inning.

Devers lined out to left to start the top of the fourth before Duran grounded out to first. Hernandez walked but Casas swung at air to end the inning. Renfroe grounded out to third to open the bottom of the fourth and Walsh took strike three. Drury grounded out to third to end the inning.

Valdez grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth before McGuire struck out swinging. Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Thaiss hit a home run all the way to the Baltic Sea to start the bottom of the fifth before Urshela grounded out to third. Neto got a base hit to center but Moniak flied out to center. Trout flied out to right to end the inning with the Angels up 2-0.

                                                        Thaiss hits one out

Yoshida flied out to left to start the top of the sixth before Turner grounded out to third. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Ohtani lined out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Renfroe lined out to left. Walsh flied out to right to end the inning.

Duran grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh before Hernandez lined out to right. Casas got a base hit to right but Valdez popped up to third to end the inning. Bello returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh and Drury grounded out to second to start. Thaiss struck out swinging but Urshela doubled to right. Neto grounded out to third to end the inning. Bello allowed 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 6.

                                                           Hard luck Bello

Matt Moore came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Rob Refsnyder pinch hitting for McGuire. Rob walked and Verdugo forced him at second. Yoshida grounded into a double play to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate with Joely Rodriguez now on the mound to start the bottom of the eighth. Taylor Ward pinch hit for Moniak and doubled to left. Trout hit a home run all the way into the Pacific Ocean to ice the game. Ohtani took strike three but Renfroe doubled to left. Walsh walked and that was it for the incompetent Rodriguez. Justin Garza got Drury lined out to right and Thaiss to strike out swinging to end the inning with the Angels up 4-0.

                                                                 This one's over

Jacob Webb came in to close out the top of the ninth and Turner flied out to center to start. Devers struck out swinging and Duran went down hacking to end the game. The Angels had won it 4-0.

                                                               Angels win

Jackass of the Night is Joely Rodriguez. Not that the Sox were going to score any runs, he eliminated any hope for a comeback when he served up a two run jack to Mike Trout.

                                                       Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Triston Casas was 1 for 2.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3.

Rob Refsnyder walked as a pinch hitter.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Brayan Bello held the Angels to two runs in 7 innings. He allowed 6 hits while striking out 6.

Justin Garza got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 2 but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Someone wake up the Boston Red Sox bats because they've gone completely asleep in two games against the Los Angeles Angels. Scoring one run last night and nothing tonight isn't going to get the job done. Trevor Story and Adam Duvall being out hurts but the offense shouldn't be THIS bad. Joely Rodriguez poured gas on the fire but the Sox weren't doing anything offensively anyway. Its one thing if it was an ace pitcher but Griffin Canning shut them down. It'll be a while before Duvall and Story come back so the Sox have to do something to score some runs, small ball, bunts....SOMETHING! Bello pitched a hell of a game and that's the only highlight really. If the bats can produce, Bello turning into an ace would help big time. The less said of this nonsense, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-23, 8.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow night when James Paxton (1-0) takes on Tyler Anderson of the Angels. The game begins at 9:30 PM at Anaheim Stadium.

Angels Edge Sox Late (5/22/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The struggling Richard Bleier was sent down to Worcester and lefty Brennan Bernardino was called up. This is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic but something had to be done.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, great pitcher's duel....too bad the Red Sox didn't win. Jaime Barria of the Los Angeles Angels and Tanner Houck of the Boston Red Sox locked into a duel for five innings with the only run scored on a Luis Rengifo rbi grounder. Masataka Yoshida tied it up in the sixth inning with an rbi single off Aaron Loup but the tide turned in the eighth inning. Mickey Moniak hit a back breaking home run off Kutter Crawford (1-2, 3.58 ERA) to put the Angels on top. The Sox did not have a base runner after Yoshida's single as the Angels bullpen locked it down to hand the Sox a 3-1 loss at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                          Jan's message to Kutter Crawford

Barria got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to first and Justin Turner struck out swinging to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mickey Moniak grounded out to first to start. Mike Trout struck out swinging but Shohei Ohtani walked. Old friend Hunter Renfroe lined out to third to end the inning.

Rafael Devers got a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Jarren Duran struck out swinging. Triston Casas popped up to third and Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to second to end the inning. The Angels struck first in the bottom of the second as Jared Walsh flied out to right to start. Brandon Drury walked but Matt Thaiss got a base hit to right to move Brandon to third. Luis Rengifo grounded out to first to score Drury. Zach Neto was hit with a pitch and Moniak got a base hit to right to load the bases, but Trout struck out swinging to end the inning with the Angels up 1-0.

                                                         Rengifo drives in a run

Pablo Reyes popped up to second to start the top of the third before Connor Wong popped up to third. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Renfroe took strike three. Walsh went down hacking to end the inning. 

Yoshida got a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth inning but Turner swung at air for strike three. Devers flied out to center and Duran went down hacking to end the inning. Drury singled in the hole at short to begin the bottom of the fourth but Thaiss grounded into a double play. Rengifo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. 

Casas struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth before Valdez lined out to first. Reyes lined out to center to end the inning. Neto grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Moniak struck out swinging. Trout grounded out to second to end the inning. 

The Sox fought back against Aaron Loup now on the mound for the top of the sixth. Wong doubled to left to start and moved to third on a grounder to short by Verdugo. Yoshida got a base hit to right to score Wong with the tying run. Chris Devenski came in to pitch to Turner and Justin banged into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Yoshida drives in a run

Houck returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Ohtani struck out swinging to start. Renfroe grounded back to the mound and Walsh took strike three to end the inning. Houck allowed just 1 run in 6 innings off 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                       Houck deserved better

Devers' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Devenski to begin the top of the seventh and Duran grounded out to third. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Kutter Crawford came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Drury doubled to left to start. Thaiss struck out swinging, Rengifo hit one up the elevator shaft and Zeto grounded out to short to end the inning.

Chase Silseth came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Valdez struck out swinging to start. Raimel Tapia pinch hit for Reyes and grounded out to third. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. The Angels struck in the bottom of the eighth with Kike Hernandez taking over at short. Moniak hit a home run all the way to Cuba to put the Angels up for good. Trout walked but Ohtani lined out to right. Renfroe and Walsh both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Angels up 2-1.

                                                                    Moniak ices it

Gio Urshela came in for Rengifo to start the top of the ninth and Verdugo grounded out to second to begin. Yoshida flied out to left and Turner grounded out to third to end the game. The Angels had won it 2-1.

                                                                   Angels win

Jackass of the Night is Kutter Crawford. He served up the meatball to Moniak that cost the Sox the game.

                                                              Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Tanner Houck tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 2.

Raimel Tapia was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

None

Honorable Mention:

Kike Hernandez played short in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That was a tough loss to swallow considering Houck pitched very well but when your offense is borderline useless, that's the breaks. The Sox had just 4 hits in the game and was held in check by everyone but Aaron Loup. Because of their inability to remain patient at the plate, they had just four baserunners in the game and that's not going to get the job done. Devers is hitting just .254 and Casas is hitting .176, that's why they're not scoring as many runs when two guys you depend on aren't hitting well. The less said of this game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-22, 8.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Angels when Brayan Bello (3-1) gets the start against Griffin Canning of the Angels. The game begins at 9:30 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Wacha, Padres Blank Sox (5/21/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Sox GM Chaim Bloom called Ryan Brasier into his office and shouted YOUURREEEEEEEEE.....FIREDDDDDDDDDDD!!!! Brasier was shot out of a cannon after getting off to a poor start and with the rise of John Schreiber, Brasier was deemed expendable. With the Sox having a tendency to overuse the bullpen, this might not have been the best move. Time will tell.

                                                                 Bye bye Brasier

As for the game,  it was bad news all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics lost Game 3 of their Eastern Finals series with the Miami Heat and the San Diego Padres blanked the Sox with the help of an old friend. Michael Wacha improved to 5-1 with the Padres and showed why Sox GM should be headed for the chopping block as the guy who replaced him, Corey Kluber (2-6, 6.26 ERA) got lit up for 5 runs in just 2 1/3 innings. Richard Bleier and Nick Pivetta also got tagged for a few runs. Meanwhile Wacha threw six shutout innings and the Red Sox as a team was held to just 7 hits. It all added up to an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the Padres at Petco Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Wacha got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo flied out to center to start. Masataka Yoshida walked but Triston Casas struck out swinging. Rafael Devers flied out to right to end the inning. Kluber got hammered in the bottom of the first as Fernando Tatis Jr walked to start. Kluber booted a grounder by Jake Cronenworth for an error and Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Juan Soto popped up to short but Matt Carpenter walked to score Tatis. Ha-Seong Kim struck out swinging but Rougned Odor doubled to right to clear the bases, icing the game in just the first inning. Trent Grisham flied out to right to end the inning with the Padres up 4-0.

                                                          Odor ices it

Soto made a great diving catch to rob Jarren Duran of a hit to start the top of the second but Raimel Tapia got a base hit to left. Kike Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Brett Sullivan doubled to center to start the bottom of the second but Tatis Jr grounded out to third. Cronenworth hit a bullet Enmanuel Valdez who tossed to Hernandez to double off Sullivan to end the inning.

Valdez popped up to short to start the top of the third but Reese McGuire lined out to center. Verdugo flied out to right to end the inning. The Padres knocked Kluber out in the bottom of the third although Devers made a great play to rob Bogaerts to start. Soto got a base hit to center and that was it for Kluber. Richard Bleier came in to pour gas on the fire as Carpenter hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to increase the lead. Kim grounded out to third and Odor flied out to left to end the inning with the Padres up 6-0.

                                                  "Yeah you're out, Kluber, now beat it!"

Yoshida got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth before Casas followed with a single to right. Devers grounded into a double play and Duran flied out to right to end the inning. Grisham grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Sullivan flied out to right. Nick Pivetta came in to pitch to Tatis Jr and Nick got him to fly out to right to end the inning.

Tapia got a base hit to center to start the top of the fifth but Hernandez struck out swinging. Valdez flied out to center but McGuire reached on a nubber in front of the plate. Verdugo lined out to right to end the inning. Cronenworth grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Bogaerts took strike three. Valdez threw a ball away by Soto for an error but Carpenter grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Yoshida struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Casas grounded out to first. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. The Padres struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Kim got a base hit to center to start. Odor doubled to left to score Kim but Grisham flied out to left. Sullivan took strike three and Tatis Jr went down hacking to end the inning.

                                                          Odor does it again

Tom Cosgrove came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran struck out swinging to start. Tapia struck out swinging and Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Pablo Reyes came in to play second with Joely Rodriguez now on the mound to start the bottom of the seventh. Cronenworth grounded out to second to start and Bogaerts went down hacking. Soto was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Nick Martinez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Reyes lined out to right to start. McGuire got a base hit to center but Verdugo forced him at second. Yoshida got a base hit to left but Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Justin Garza came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Carpenter was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to begin. Kim struck out swinging and Odor popped up to third to end the inning.

Josh Hader came in to close out the top of the ninth with Jose Azocar in for Soto in left. Devers and Duran both struck out swinging but Tapia walked. Hernandez walked as well but Reyes grounded out to second to end the game. The Padres had won it 7-0.

                                                                     Padres win

Jackass of The Night is Corey Kluber. He got charged with 5 runs in 2 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 3 walks to take the loss.

                                                         Field the ball Jackass

    

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Raimel Tapia was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 3.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning.

Justin Garza pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 2.

Richard Bleier allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Nick Pivetta allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

This is the kind of game that makes you hate to be a Sox fan. You got Michael Wacha dominating on the mound with Xander Bogaerts over his shoulder at short.....for San Diego. Meanwhile Trevor Story is out for half of the season and Corey Kluber is a shell of himself. Not only that, you got Richard Bleier giving up bombs and Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez going 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error combined. Its only May and there's a lot of baseball left but Bloom doesn't look good right now. Nothing went right in this game and its a miracle the Sox are only 8 games out of first place. There's still time to turn it around but swapping Wacha with Kluber looks awful right now. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-21, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow continuing their west coast trip in Los Angeles in a three game set with the Angels. Kutter Crawford (1-1) takes on Chase Silseth of the Angels tomorrow night at 9:30 PM Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Sale, Valdez Guide Sox Past Padres (5/20/23)

The Boston Red Sox might have offensive woes but at least Chris Sale (4-2, 5.01 ERA) looks like he's coming back to normal. Sale delivered one of his best starts of the season against the San Diego Padres, holding them to just 2 runs in 7 innings. Meanwhile Enmanuel Valdez launched a 3 run bomb against Padres starter Joe Musgrove to give the Sox a lead. Alex Verdugo added an insurance run as Sale survived a Juan Soto blast and a homer by Fernando Tatis Jr to finish his strong outing. Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen stepped up to lock down the win as the Sox made it four straight wins by beating the Padres 4-2 at Petco Park.

                                                         Ayla Aysel approves of the win

Musgrove got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo flied out to center to start. Masataka Yoshida doubled to right. Triston Casas grounded out to first to move Yoshida to third but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Sale got the ball in the bottom of the first and Fernando Tatis Jr flied out to left to start. Ha-Seong Kim took strike three and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second although Jarren Duran grounded out to second to begin. Raimel Tapia got a base hit to right and Kike Hernandez was hit with a pitch. It looked like Tapia was thrown out at third on a double steal...BUT WAIT! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged both men were safe and the umpires ruled they were. Enmanuel Valdez left no doubt with a 3 run home run to put the Sox on top. Connor Wong struck out swinging but Verdugo drew a walk. Yoshida swung at strike three but the ball got away allowing him to reach first. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                             Valdez with the bomb

The Padres answered in the bottom of the second when Juan Soto hit a home run all the way to Puerto Rico to cut the lead. Nelson Cruz flied out to right and Jake Cronenworth grounded out to second. Brandon Dixon popped up to first to end the inning with the Padres down 3-1.

                                                      That ball is gone

Devers flied out to center to start the top of the third before Duran grounded out to second. Tapia struck out swinging to end the inning. Jose Azocar grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Austin Nola watched strike three go by. Tatis Jr grounded out to short to end the inning.

It looked like Hernandez was out at second base trying leading off the top of the fourth to stretch a single into a double but once again Alex Cora challenged the call. Sure enough, the call was overturned but Valdez struck out swinging. Wong singled off the glove of Kim to put runners at the corners and Verdugo got a base hit to left to score Hernandez. Yoshida forced Verdugo at second and promptly stole second base. Casas lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                    "I'm the man, I'm the man!" - Verdugo

Kim grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Bogaerts popped up to second. Soto struck out swinging to end the inning.

Devers flied out to right to start the top of the fifth and Duran flied out to center. Tapia grounded out to short to end the inning. Cruz walked to start the bottom of the fifth before Cronenworth struck out swinging. Dixon was hit with a pitch but Azocar lined out to right. Nola took strike three to end the inning.

Luis Garcia came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Hernandez grounded out to third to begin. Valdez and Wong both watched strike three go by to end the inning. The Padres inched closer in the bottom of the sixth when Tatis Jr hit a home run all the way to Moscow to start. Kim doubled to right and moved to third on a liner to right by Bogaerts. Soto and Cruz both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Padres down 4-2.

                                                        Tatis brings San Diego closer

Tim Hill came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo took strike three to start. Yoshida grounded out to short but Casas walked. Devers forced Casas at second to end the inning. Sale returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as Cronenworth struck out swinging to start. Dixon flied out to center and Azocar grounded out to short to end the inning. Sale was great, allowing just 2 runs off 3 hits and a walk while striking out 8 in seven innings.

                                                             Vintage Sale

Duran grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth before Tapia grounded out to second. Steven Wilson came in to face Hernandez and Kike flied out to left to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rougned Odor pinch hit for Nola. Odor lined out to first, Tatis Jr flied out to right and Kim flied out to center to end the inning.

Brett Sullivan came in for Kim to start the top of the ninth and Valdez doubled to right to start. Wong popped up to short, Verdugo flied out to left and Yoshida popped up to third to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Soto walked and Matt Carpenter pinch hit for Cruz. Carpenter popped up to third but Soto swiped second base. Cronenworth walked but Dixon popped up to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Enmanuel Valdez. His three run home run outscored the Padres entire offensive output.

                                                      Enmanuel Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, stole a base and scored 2 runs.

Chris Sale tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball to earn the win. He allowed 3 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

Chris Martin tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 10th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but stole a base.

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

Raimel Tapia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Looks like Sale is starting to come around and its badly needed with all the holes in Boston's lineup due to injuries and ineffectiveness. He hadn't been right in a while so this was definitely a welcomed sight. The offense didn't really do much but did just enough when it counted. If the Sox can get clutch hits, sometimes that means more than someone going 3 for 4 with nobody on base. Valdez had a breakout game for sure and he was the centerpiece of the Christian Vazquez trade last August. He was a prolific power hitter in the minors and this is just a taste of what's to come if he can bring his power stroke to the majors. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum moving forward. The win improved the Sox to 26-20, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it five wins in a row and a series sweep against the Padres tomorrow afternoon when Corey Kluber (2-5) takes on old pal Michael Wacha of San Diego. The game begins at 4:10 PM Eastern time at Petco Park.

Paxton, Sox Shut Down Padres (5/19/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Kutter Crawford was activated from the Injured List as the corresponding move to Ryan Sherriff being sent to Worcester yesterday.

                                                                   IN

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat but the good news was THIS is the James Paxton (1-0, 2.45 ERA) that Sox GM Chaim Bloom envisioned when he signed him to a contract last off-season. It only took a year and two months but James got his first win with the Red Sox in a dominating effort against old friend Xander Bogaerts and the San Diego Padres. Paxton held San Diego to just 1 run in 6 solid innings while the Sox bats erupted for six runs against Blake Snell. Rafael Devers hit two home runs including a three run shot to pace the offense. Rob Refsnyder also drove in a few runs as well. Josh Winckowski tossed 3 shutout innings to earn the save and the Sox had won the game 6-1 at Petco Park.

                                                    Nikki Brooks approves of the win

Snell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Justin Turner took strike three and Rob Refsnyder grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Paxton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Fernando Tatis Jr got a base hit to left but was thrown out at second by Refsnyder trying to stretch a double. Ha-Seong Kim singled to right but old friend Xander Bogaerts flied out to right. Juan Soto walked but Nelson Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second when Rafael Devers mashed his 12th home run of the lead to put Boston in front. Masataka Yoshida singled to left but Kike Hernandez was frozen for strike three. Pablo Reyes flied out to left and Jarren Duran lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                           Devers hits one out

Jake Cronenworth struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Brandon Dixon popped up to first. Austin Nola lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Connor Wong doubled to left to start. Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner drew back to back walks to load the bases and Refsnyder doubled to center, scoring two runs. Devers then clobbered a three run blast to ice the game. Yoshida grounded out to second, Hernandez grounded out to first and Reyes flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                           That's two for Devers

The Padres struck back in the bottom of the third when Adam Engel popped up to third to start. Tatis Jr hit a home run all the way to Venezuela to cut the lead. Kim struck out swinging and Bogaerts took strike three to end the inning.

Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Wong went down hacking as well. Verdugo flied out to right to end the inning. Soto lined out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Cruz got a base hit to left. Cronenworth singled to left but Dixon struck out swinging. Nola walked to load the bases but Engel popped up to first to end the inning.

Brent Honeywell came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Triston Casas pinch hit for Turner. Casas took strike three before Refnsyder walked. Devers lined out to second and Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning. Tatis Jr grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Kim flied out to center. Verdugo made an outstanding catch to rob Bogaerts of a hit to end the inning.

                                                      "Sorry Bogey" - Verdugo

Hernandez took strike three to start the top of the sixth before Reyes grounded out to second. Dixon booted a grounder by Duran for an error but Wong lined out to center to end the inning. Soto grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth before Cruz lined out to third. Cronenworth popped up to third to end the inning. That was it for Paxton who allowed 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

                                                          Paxton gets the job done

Verdugo got a base hit to right to start the top of the seventh before Casas flied out to center. Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Dixon flied out to center to start. Nola walked and Trent Grisham pinch hit for Engel. Grisham grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Tom Cosgrove came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Devers struck out swinging to start. Yoshida grounded back to the mound but Hernandez singled to left. Reyes flied out to left to end the inning. Tatis Jr grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth and Kim lined out to center. Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

Duran singled in the hole at second to start the top of the ninth and moved to second on a wild pitch. Wong grounded out to short and Verdugo was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to move Jarren to third. Casas grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Winckowski returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Soto grounded back to the mound to start. Cruz struck out swinging and Cronenworth struck out swinging as well to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                    Winckowski saves it

Hero of The Night is James Paxton. He tossed six innings of 1 run ball holding the Padres to just 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out five batters.

                                                               Hero Paxton

The Good:

Justin Turner walked and scored a run before leaving the game.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with 2 home runs and 4 total rbis.

Josh Winckowski earned the save with 3 shutout innings.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run

Final Thoughts:

Big win by the Sox especially with Paxton on the mound. The offense was Rafael Devers and Rob Refsnyder but getting good pitching means not having to worry about scoring 8 runs a game to have to win it. Also kudos to Sox manager Alex Cora for sticking with Winckowski to finish it off, saving the rest of the bullpen for tomorrow's game. Paxton was damn good before he got hurt and this was definitely a sign of his old self by dominating a damn good Padres team. Too bad Bogaerts is on the other side of things now, thank you Chaim Bloom. If the Sox want to get back in the race they need to go on a nice winning streak, maybe this will be the catalyst. The win improved the Sox to 25-20, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Padres tomorrow night when Chris Sale (3-2) takes the hill against Joe Musgrove of San Diego. The game begins at 10:10 PM Eastern time at Petco Park.

Off-Day News (5/18/23)

The Boston Red Sox made a roster move during today's off-day. Ryan Sherriff was optioned down to Worcester. The rumor is Kutter Crawford is coming back tomorrow so Sherriff was the expendable one.

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On This Day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

2001 - Pedro Martinez dominates Royals

2013 - Ortiz, Sox drops Twins

2016 - Royals take Game 1 of Doubleheader

  

           Price, Sox win Game 2 against Kansas City

2017 - A's beat up Velazquez, Sox

2018 - Orioles beat Pomeranz, Sox

2019 - Astros defeat Velazquez, Sox

2021 - Blue Jays blank Sox

2022 - Pivetta's complete game beats Astros

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in San Diego to take on the Padres and old friend Xander Bogaerts. James Paxton gets the start for Boston against Blake Snell for San Diego. The game begins at 9:40 PM Eastern time at Petco Park.

Sox Bats Pound Mariners (5/17/23)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox laid waste to the Seattle Mariners. Pablo Reyes drove in 4 runs, Justin Turner hit a 2 run bomb while Rafael Devers and Kike Hernandez both drove in 2 runs apiece. On the other side of the ball, Brayan Bello (3-1, 4.45 ERA) held the Mariners to just 1 run despite throwing 107 pitches in 5 innings. The Sox bullpen didn't allow a run in the final three innings and the Sox got a much needed win, beating the Mariners 12-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                   Hayden Panettiere approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and JP Crawford grounded out to first to start. Ty France popped up to second and Julio Rodriguez took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first with Marco Gonzales on the mound. Alex Verdugo grounded out to second but Justin Turner singled to center. Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to left and Rafael Devers singled to center to score Turner. Masataka Yoshida walked to load the bases but Kike Hernandez flied out to center. Pablo Reyes doubled to left to score both Refsnyder and Devers to increase the lead. Jarren Duran took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                         Devers gets the party started

Jarred Kelenic struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Eugenio Suarez walked. Cal Raleigh walked but Teoscar Hernandez went down hacking. Taylor Trammell flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox tacked it on in the bottom of the second as Connor Wong popped up to second to start. Verdugo doubled to left and Turner launched his 5th home run of the season to increase the lead. Refsnyder walked but Devers flied out to right. Yoshida hit a grounder to short and Crawford threw the ball away to move Refsnyder to third. Hernandez singled to right to score Refsnyder and chase Gonzales. Trevor Gott came in to pitch and Reyes doubled to center to score Yoshida and Hernandez. Duran singled to center to score Reyes but Wong forced him at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                    Reyes is having a good day

Raimel Tapia took over for Verdugo to start the top of the third and Jose Caballero walked. Crawford was hit with a pitch but France struck out swinging. Rodriguez flied out to center but Kelenic walked. Suarez struck out swinging to end the inning. Tapia singled to center to start the top of the third before moving to second on a Turner grounder to first. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Mariners struck back in the top of the fourth as Raleigh hit a ground rule double down the right field line to begin. Hernandez went down hacking and Raleigh moved to third on a Trammell grounder to second. Caballero beat out a roller to Reyes to score Raleigh to put Seattle on the board. Crawford grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mariners down 9-1.

                                                               Mariners get one back

Matt Brash came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Yoshida lined out to Kelenic to start. Hernandez singled to left but Reyes went down hacking. Duran walked and Wong was hit with a pitch to load the bases, but Tapia struck out swinging to end the inning.

France grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Devers threw a ball hit by Rodriguez away for an error. Kelenic doubled to left but Suarez struck out swinging. Raleigh walked to load the bases but Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Bello who struggled with his command to throw 107 pitches but still allowed just 1 run in 5 innings off 3 hits and 5 walks.

                                                   Bello struggles but leaves with the lead

Gabe Speier came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Turner got a base hit to left to begin. Refsnyder got a base hit to right and Devers doubled to right to score Turner. Yoshida grounded out to second to score Refsnyder and move Devers to third. Hernandez hit a sac fly to center to score Devers and Reyes lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 12-1.

                                                             Another double for Devers

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Trammell grounded out to first to start. Caballero walked and Sam Haggerty pinch hit for Crawford. Haggerty walked and France singled to right to load the bases. Rodriguez hit a double play ball to short and Reyes threw the relay throw away for an error to allow Caballero and Haggerty to score. Kelenic lined out to left to end the inning with the Mariners down 12-3.

                                                          Mariners get two back

Chris Flexen came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Duran got a base hit to right. Wong flied out to left and Tapia grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Triston Casas came in for Turner with Chris Martin now on the mount for the top of the seventh. Suarez grounded out to third, Raleigh grounded out to first and Hernandez took strike three to end the inning. Casas lined out to first to start the bottom of the seventh before Refsnyder grounded out to short. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Enmanuel Valdez came in for Devers with Ryan Sherriff now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Trammell walked to start before Caballero popped up to second. Haggerty doubled to center but France lined out to short. Rodriguez grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida grounded out to third to start. Hernandez grounded back to the mound and Reyes grounded out to third to end the inning.

Justin Garza came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Kelenic flied out to left to start. Suarez struck out swinging and Raleigh flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-3.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Pablo Reyes. He was 2 for 5 with 4 total rbis to outscore the Mariners by himself.

                                                         Reyes El Heroe

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Raimel Tapia was 1 for 3.

Justin Turner was 3 for 4 with a 2 run homer and 3 total runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Brayan Bello tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball to earn the win. He allowed 3 hits and 5 walks while striking out seven.

Chris Martin tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Ryan Sherriff tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Justin Garza tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3.

Joely Rodriguez was charged with 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Enmanuel Valdez played second base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was more like it. After scoring just 5 runs in three games, the Boston bats put up 21 runs the past two games. Bello was all over the place today but he limited the damage to just 1 run. The bats came to play especially newcomer Pablo Reyes. With Trevor Story out with shoulder surgery, they need someone to step up and play short with Marcelo Mayer and Mikey Romero not ready yet down in the minors. The bullpen stepped up as well besides Joely Rodriguez but he should be okay moving forward. The win improved the Sox to 24-20, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night all the way out in San Diego to take on the Padres and old friend Xander Bogaerts. James Paxton gets the start for Boston against Blake Snell for San Diego. The game begins at 9:40 PM Eastern time at Petco Park.

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.