Just when you think things can't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, it does. The 34-44 White Sox were doing a bullpen game against Kutter Crawford (2-4, 4.01 ERA). Naturally Chicago scored four runs off Crawford on the back of Luis Robert's two home runs and an rbi from...you guessed it....Andrew Benintendi. Meanwhile the White Sox bullpen allowed just one measly run to Boston on an Adam Duvall rbi double. Brennan Bernardino and Kaleb Ort didn't allow any runs in relief, but the anemic Red Sox offense were held to just 5 hits as Chicago took the game 4-1 at Comiskey Park.
Tanner Banks got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner grounded out to second and Rafael Devers struck out swinging on a pitch not even close to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second to start. Andrew Vaughn flied out to right and Luis Robert Jr popped up to center to end the inning.
The BoSox tried to rally in the top of the second inning as Adam Duvall doubled to right to start. Masataka Yoshida then got drilled in the right hand. Naturally Bobby Dalbec and Christian Arroyo struck out swinging but Kike Hernandez beat out a roller off the glove of Banks to load the bases. Caleb Hamilton took a curveball right down the middle for strike three to end the inning. Elroy Jimenez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Yasmani Grandal lined out to center. Jake Burger flied out to center to end the inning.
The BoSox struck first but Refsnyder lined out to right to start the top of the third inning. Turner and Devers both walked and Duvall somehow doubled off the left field wall to score Turner. Naturally Yoshida popped up to left and that was it for Banks. Jesse Scholtens came in to pitch and Sox manager Alex Cora countered by bringing in Triston Casas to hit for Dalbec. As usual, Casas popped up to left to end the inning with Boston up 1-0.
Gavin Sheets struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third inning but Elvis Andrus got hit with a pitch. Zach Remillard grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Arroyo flied out to right to start. Hernandez popped up to short and Hamilton struck out swinging again to end the inning. Benintendi ripped a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Vaughn struck out swinging. Robert then hit a home run all the way to Indonesia to put the ChiSox up for good. Jimenez grounded out to short but Grandal hit a swinging bunt down the third base line. Burger forced Grandal at second to end the inning but the White Sox up for good, 2-1.
The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the fifth inning as Refsnyder grounded out to short to start before Turner took strike three. Devers walked but Duvall popped up to right to end the inning. Sheets walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Andrus lined out to right. Remillard flied out to center but Benintendi iced the game with a triple down the right field line to score Sheets. Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning with the ChiSox icing it 3-1.
Once again the BoSox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Seby Zavala took over for Grandal. Yoshida grounded out to short, Casas popped up to center and Arroyo lined out to second to end the inning. Naturally Robert hit a home run to the moon to start the bottom of the sixth. Jimenez flied out to center, Zavala flied out to center as well and Burger took strike three to end the inning with Chicago up 4-1. That was it for Crawford who made essentially three mistakes, two of them to Robert to allow 4 runs in 6 innings of work.
The BoSox left more men on base in the top of the seventh as Hernandez lined out to center to start. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Hamilton and got a base hit to left. Refsnyder took strike three right down the middle but Turner moved Duran to third with a single in the hole at third. The ChiSox brought in Aaron Bummer to pitch to Devers and naturally he hit a pop up to right to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate in Refsnyder's spot with Brennan Bernardino coming in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Clint Frazier pinch hit for Sheets and struck out swinging before Andrus also took strike three. Remillard singled to center but Bernardino picked him off to end the inning.
Duvall hit a bullet right to Bummer's face to start the top of the eighth before Yoshida took strike three right down the middle. Casas also struck out swinging to end the inning, pathetic. Benintendi grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and that was it for Bernardino. Kaleb Ort came in and Vaughn popped up to short. Robert Jr then dumped a base hit to left but Jimenez struck out swinging to end the inning.
Keynan Middleton effortlessly closed the door in the top of the ninth as Arroyo lined out to second to start. Hernandez grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The White Sox had won the game 4-1.
Jackass of The Night is Triston Casas. He allowed Benintendi to score the third run and went 0 for 3 at the plate
The Good:
Justin Turner was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances.
Adam Duvall was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
Jarren Duran was 1 for 2.
Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Kaleb Ort tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.
The Bad:
Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only plate appearance.
Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Caleb Hamilton was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.
Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in just 6 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out four.
The Ugly:
Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.
Honorable Mention:
Connor Wong caught the final two innings.
Final Thoughts:
Can things get any worse for the Red Sox? Its bad enough they penny pinched in the off-season and now the product on the field is suffering. With Chris Sale on the downside of his career, the Red Sox don't have a legitimate ace anymore. Trotting out Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta isn't going to cut it. Not to mention the real cataclysm was not scoring runs in a bullpen game against a team 10 games under .500. To say Chaim Bloom's tenure as GM has been a disaster class is an understatement. Apart from 3 months in 2021, they've been a sub .500 team since he took over. Not resigning ANY of their free agents and signing a washed up Kluber + unproven commodity in Yoshida would have most GM's on the unemployment line. Let's see how long Chaim lasts at this rate. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-39, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action at home against the Miami Marlins. Garrett Whitlock (4-2) takes on Sandy Alcantara of Miami this Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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