Sox Trade Chris Sale to Atlanta (12/30/23)

What started out promising for the Boston Red Sox has become yet another embarrassing off-season no different than the past two.

On December 12th, the Los Angeles Dodgers fleeced the entire league by signing Shohei Ohtani to a 10 year, 700 million dollar deal. The kicker is that they will pay Shohei 2 million a year until he retires then backload his contract so it doesn't count against the Luxury Tax. MLB will probably investigate and make a future ruling to prevent such chicanery but this move gave the Dodgers the financial ability to sign free agent prize Yoshinobu Yamamoto on December 22nd. If that's not all, the Dodgers pulled off a trade the Red Sox should have made and got Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow and old pal Manny Margot for prospects Ryan Pepiot and Johnny DeLecua. All in all the Dodgers within the span of two weeks got three potential ace pitchers (when Ohtani pitches again in 2025 anyway) and a good outfielder in Margot for money and two prospects. The Sox could have done all of that......or not.

                                                   Even New York is pissed

Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy went on national television that the Red Sox are going "full throttle" and so far its been a lot of hot air. The rumors swirling is that not only were these guys "too expensive" but the Sox are looking to shed payroll. Those rumors turned out to be true as the Sox made another salary dump when they traded fading former ace Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for 22 year old shortstop prospect Vaughn Grissom.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                       IN

The rise and fall of Chris Sale is pretty much a microcosm of the Boston Red Sox fortunes the last seven years. Sale was the second coming of Pedro Martinez the first half of the 2017 but began to fade in the second half, still finishing with a 17-8 record. In 2018 he was on track for 20 wins when he suffered an arm injury in August and barely pitched again the rest of the regular season. He was a shell of himself in October but did manage to close out the World Series in Game 5. In 2019 he was batting practice, going 6-11 before shutting down in August. Then it all went to hell as he got Tommy John surgery in February of 2020 and didn't return until August of 2021. He did go 5-1 at the end of 2021 but once again was a shell of himself in October. He pitched in just two games in 2022 and missed most of 2023 but finished strong going 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA. He's 34 years old and there's no way in hell he pitches a full year again so it makes sense to get something out of him. The problem is by failing to sign Yamamoto, Ohtani and trading for Glasnow, who the hell replaces him?

                                                     Sale's shining moment

Oh it gets worse, the guy they got has no power and can't play the field. Grissom is a great contact hitter, hitting above .300 every year from 2021-23 in the minors and .280 in 23 games for Atlanta this season. The drawbacks is he only hit 9 big league home runs in 64 games and 216 at-bats and he is a horrendous short-stop. Now the rumor is they're going to move him to second base which is actually one of Boston's needs this year. Like I said, he can hit for contact then he's the modern day Marty Barrett. Problem is the team doesn't have many power threats besides Devers.

                                           Grissom made his ML debut against Boston

Now if you want to take the Boston media's "everything stinks" side, the Sox just gave up their former ace to save money for a guy who can't play defense or hit home runs. The Sox now have to rely on a rotation of Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck. Obviously the off-season is far from over with Lucas Giolito, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still available but the Sox have done nothing but trade talent for prospects going back to the Alex Verdugo trade. Combine that with the spending spree by the Dodgers and the New York Yankees trading for Verdugo and Juan Soto, the Sox are in the exact same position they were a year ago.

                                                        Boston media

Now if you want to take the Boston twitter "everything is awesome" side, the Sox finally got rid of Sale and they addressed a need by getting a proven infielder that at least can hit. The Sox have no idea if Nick Yorke, Mikey Romero or Marcelo Mayer is going to develop so to see someone like Grissom being able to hit in the majors is encouraging. If you put Grissom at second, now you have Casas at first, Story at short, Devers at third, Duran in center, Abreu in right, O'Neil in left, Wong behind the plate and Yoshida at DH. The Sox are rumored to be interested in Teoscar Hernandez as a free agent but even if they don't get him, the lineup is starting to take shape. Another thing is Grissom may never see the Sox. You could package him, Rich Fitts and others to get a Dylan Cease or Jesus Luzardo. Sale was never going to be the same again so this is definitely a win for Boston Twitter.

                                                              Boston Twitter

Now if you're a realist, the Sox are definitely not better than last year at the moment with the losses of Verdugo & Sale but the off-season isn't over yet. There's still time to make some moves but they better hurry. Getting a Blake Snell and trading for a potential ace could change the complexion of the team instantly. Either way, Sox GM Craig Breslow better do something.

Red Sox Trade For Tyler O'Neill (12/8/23)

Okay....didn't see THAT one coming. With the trade of Alex Verdugo and the departures of Adam Duvall and Justin Turner, the Boston Red Sox outfield was looking a bit thin. Yes they still had Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida but they didn't have that "veteran" presence that Duvall and Turner brought, until now. Last night Sox GM Chaim Bloom traded minor league right handed pitcher Victor Santos and Sox reliever Nick Robertson to the St. Louis Cardinals for the jacked up outfielder Tyler O'Neill.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

So who did the Sox give up? Robertson was the centerpiece of the Kike Hernandez trade this past season and naturally he allowed 9 runs in 12 innings when he got to Boston. Santos was considered a steal when ex-Sox GM Chaim Bloom traded CJ Chatam for him in July of 2021 going 4-2 in 8 starts with a 2.58 ERA down the stretch in Portland. He just hasn't developed since, putting mediocre numbers in Portland & Worcester in 2022 and not pitching at all in 2023 due to injury. The trades for Greg Weissert and Justin Slaten made Robertson expendable and getting Rich Fitts signaled the end for Santos. Good luck in St. Louis to both.

                                                             Bye bye Robertson & Santos

Now the question is, who did they get? Right handed hitting Tyler O'Neill is the modern day Gabe Kapler, backup outfielder with a bodybuilder physique. He had a breakout year in 2021 slamming 34 home runs, driving in 80 while hitting .286 but regressed after that. He's hit just 33 home runs since and hit .228 in 22 and .231 in 23. 

                                                           Gabe Kapler 2.0

The rumor is they're going to shift Yoshida to DH and need someone to take his spot in left, which is where O'Neill had been playing for the Cardinals. The drawbacks are not only did he regress in the last two seasons but he too, like Verdugo, clashed with his manager Oliver Marmol in St. Louis. Why Breslow would trade a headache and then trade for another headache is a headscratcher indeed. Still, he's only making about $5 million which is half of what Verdugo was making and less than both Duvall & Turner. Why is that significant? The Sox unloaded enough aging talent to possibly sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto and getting O'Neill at least fills the holes left by Duvall, Turner & Verdugo. Hopefully it all works out, otherwise, all you're stuck with is another headcase that puts up half the numbers Verdugo did. God help us!

Sox Lose Drohan, Yankees Get Soto (12/6/23)

Its early in the hot stove season but the New York Yankees put a cigarette out on the heads of the Boston Red Sox as they acquired superstar outfielder Juan Soto and gold glove outfielder Trent Gresham from the San Diego Padres for essentially flotsam and jetsam. The Yankees sent mediocre reliever Michael King, mediocre catcher Kyle Higashioka, young pitchers Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez and number 2 ranked pitching prospect Drew Thorpe who went 11-2 between Hudson Valley and Somerset last season. With the Alex Verdugo trade yesterday, the Yankees added three quality bats and defenders while giving up essentially pitching prospects, King, Weissert and Higashioka. The only concern in New York is Rich Fitts and Drew Thorpe were supposed to be their future stars on the mound and now they're gone. But their need was offense after finishing 29th out of 30 teams in batting average, even worse than the Red Sox.

                                                            Yankees get stronger

And what did the Red Sox do at the winter meetings? Get weaker of course. For the second year in a row the Sox got plundered in the Rule 5 draft. Number 3 ranked pitching prospect Shane Drohan, who dominated Portland last year before flopping in Worcester, went to the Chicago White Sox. 22 year old Salem Red Sox pitcher Jose Ramirez also went to the White Sox with Drohan. Brock Bell of the SAL Champion Greenville Drive went to the Cincinnati Reds, Ryan Fernandez of the Worcester Red Sox went to the St. Louis Cardinals, Ryan Miller of the Portland Sea Dogs went to the Los Angeles Angels, 22 year old right handed pitcher Railin Perez went to the Houston Astros, 21 year old first baseman Alexis Hernandez went to the Toronto Blue Jays and 20 year old Dominican prospect Johnfrank Salazar also went to the Cardinals. The biggest loss was Worcester fan favorite Ryan Fitzgerald going to the Kansas City Royals, he was their unofficial franchise player. So after the Sox lost 9 guys, who did they get? Just one...28 year old backup catcher Mickey Gasper of the New York Yankees. They lost one of their best pitching prospects and their most popular triple A player and got just a backup catcher closer to retirement than prospect status. Not good.

                                                     Breslow's one pick.....a backup catcher

Not all was lost though. The Sox did make one move that might work out. They traded 10th round pick, left handed pitcher Ryan Ammons to the New York Mets for 26 year old right handed pitcher Justin Slaten. Slaten was picked up in the Rule 5 draft by the Mets from the Texas Rangers. He put up good numbers for Round Rock in AAA and he's closer to ML ready than Ammons was coming off an injury. If nothing else, he could be Worcester's closer this coming season. Ammons becomes the first casualty of the 2023 draft class that actually signed.

                                                                    OUT

                                                                       IN

All in all this was a bad day for the Red Sox. The Yankees got a generational talent in Soto and the Sox got a triple A backup catcher and a triple A relief pitcher. Combined with losing 9 guys in the Rule 5 draft....fans are getting impatient. They have every right to be after the franchise steered right into the toilet after the 2019 season and totally sucked the last two years. Still, if the endgame of getting pitchers like Fitts and Slaten is to get Dylan Cease or unloading Alex Verdugo's contract means more money for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, go for it. The only difference is with the Yankees reloaded on offense, the Sox now HAVE to make a move. If Breslow fails to make a splash, its going to be another long year in Boston.

Red Sox Trade Verdugo To The Yankees (12/5/23)

It was bound to happen but the feud between Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo and manager Alex Cora has come to an end as the enigmatic outfielder has been traded to none other than the New York Yankees. The Yankees were looking for a left handed bat that can take advantage of the short porch in right field and the Red Sox needed pitching depth. It looked like both teams got what they wanted.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                 IN

So who did the Sox get in return? 23 year old right handed pitcher Rich Fitts was taken by the Yankees in the 6th round of the 2021 draft 17 slots after the Red Sox picked Daniel McElveny. He was 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA for Double A Somerset, which is better numbers than Portland's Hunter Dobbins (another 2021 draft pick) put up when Hunter went 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA. The Sox needed pitching depth and getting a guy like that who can start the year in Worcester is part of what they need. This was definitely the centerpiece of the trade so new Sox GM Craig Breslow better be right about this.

                                              11 wins and a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts

The Sox also got a proven major leaguer as they also got 28 year old right handed relief pitcher Greg Weissert. Weissert pitched in 29 games for the Yankees the last two years posting a combined 4.60 ERA. Best case scenario is he's a reliable bullpen option for a bullpen that's broken down three years in a row due to overuse of starters.

                                                    Major league experience

The final piece is the Yankees 2023 8th round pick, right handed pitcher Nicholas Judice out of Louisanna-Monroe University. Judice is a 6 foot 8 monster but only throws in the low 90's. Worst case scenario is he's the right handed version of Henry Owens but you never know. He did strike out 66 batters in 53 innings so this is definitely a crap shot pick. The Red Sox selected Trennor O'Donnell in the 8th round and he hasn't pitched since he got drafted either. 

                                                             6'8 soft tosser.....like Henry Owens

Now if the Sox choose to keep these guys, they got themselves a potential future starter, a proven major league bullpen piece and a wild card that may or may not be good. They may not keep them though. One of the moves Breslow could make is trade for a stud starter just like how Jed Hoyer traded for Josh Beckett and Dave Dombrowski traded for Chris Sale. Sacrificing Fitts, Judice and other prospects to get a Dylan Cease could be on the table. Verdugo was also due to make 9 million dollars this year and now that comes off the books. The Sox are now free of Corey Kluber's 10 million, James Paxton's 4 million and Adalberto Mondesi's 3 million so that's a grand total of 26 million with those four gone. The prospects could help land them Cease in a trade and the 26 million could help land Yoshinobu Yamamoto if the Sox can outbid other teams. If that's Breslow's endgame, I'm all for it.

                                                     Wheelin and dealin'

In other news, the Boston Red Sox landed the 12th overall pick in the MLB draft lottery tonight. Two notable selections the Sox have picked at number 12 in the past were Jay Groome back in 2016 and a fella out of Georgia Tech in the 1994 draft named Nomar Garciaparra. Not saying the Sox are going to draft a future major leaguer like Groome or a stud like Nomah' but its possible.

                                                          12th overall in 1994

As it stands right now the Sox lineup looks like this:

CF - Duran

RF - Abreu

1B - Casas

3B - Devers

LF - Yoshida

SS - Story

2B - Rafaella

DH - ???

C - Wong

Bench - McGuire, Valdez, Refsnyder

I'd love to see the Sox sign a good defensive third baseman and shift Devers over to DH to cut down on errors but it doesn't seem likely. Still, as it stands now the Sox have some pop and speed in their lineup, money freed up to sign a top flight starter and plenty of prospects to trade for a top flight starter. Get it done Breslow.

Blue Jays Spank Sox (8/6/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Joe Jacques was sent back to the Worcester Red Sox and Nick Robertson was called up to replace him. Robertson was the centerpiece of the Kike Hernandez deal and now we see if he's worth anything. Christian Arroyo also was outrighted to Worcester so he's not going anywhere yet. In other moves, the Greenville drive released 24 year old catcher Jonathan Diaz and the Salem Red Sox released right handed pitcher Matt Litwicki. Diaz played in just 36 games the last 3 years and wasn't really improving. Litwicki was Boston's 10th round pick in 2021 as an injury risk pick and couldn't stay healthy. He pitched in just 6 games between the Florida Complex and Salem before being released. He becomes the second member of the Class of 2021 (that signed anyway) to be released after BJ Vela.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, what an unmitigated disaster. The Red Sox had been 7-0 against the Jays this year and the Jays offense had been utter trash....and they knock the Sox around for 16 hits and 13 runs. Rookie Davis Schneider had 4 hits and 4 rbis, the big one being a two run bomb off Chris Murphy (1-1, 3.23 ERA). The Sox once again had a "bullpen" game thinking they're the Tampa Bay Rays and the duo of Murphy and Mauricio Llovera gave up 10 hits, 11 runs, and 4 walks in 4 innings combined. Richard Bleier and Nick Robertson each got tagged for a run and things got so bad that Pablo Reyes had to pitch the ninth inning. Meanwhile Chris Bassitt held the Sox to one measly run in 7 strong innings. Apart from Alex Verdugo, the anemic Red Sox offense had just 5 hits as the Jays routed the Sox 13-1 at Fenway Park.

Brennan Bernardino got the "start" for the Red Sox in the top of the first inning and Whit Merrifield struck out swinging to start. Brandon Belt took strike three but David Schneider singled to center. George Springer doubled to left but Matt Chapman flied out to right to end the inning. Bassitt got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second but Justin Turner singled to right. Rafael Devers hit a ground rule double down the left field line and Triston Casas walked to load the bases. Naturally Alex Verdugo forced Casas at second to end the inning.

Chris Murphy came in to pitch the top of the second and Cavan Biggio grounded out to second. Alejandro Kirk singled to left but Kevin Kiermaier popped up to short. Paul DeJong struck out swinging to end the inning. Luis Urias beat out a roller to third to start the bottom of the second but Reese McGuire lined out to center. Pablo Reyes walked but Duran banged into a double play to end the inning.

The floodgates opened in the top of the third as Merrifield grounded out to short to start. Belt caught Murphy asleep with a bunt single but Schneider struck out swinging. One out away from getting out of it....Springer hit a ground rule double into the bullpen and Chapman doubled to left to score both runners to ice the game already. Biggio doubled in Chapman, Kirk walked and Kiermaier singled to left to score Biggio. DeJong forced Kiemaier at second to end the inning with the Jays up 4-0.

                                                  Biggio about to drive in a run

Yoshida took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Turner grounded out to short. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Defying all logic, Sox manager Alex Cora brought Murphy back for the top of the fourth and Merrifield walked to start. Belt took strike three and Schneider hit a home run all the way to Cancun to increase the lead. FINALLY that was it for Murphy and Mauricio Llovera came in to pitch. Springer popped up to first but Chapman flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                               He's having fun

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Casas launched his 17th home run of the season to inch the Sox closer. Verdugo got a base hit to left but Urias flied out to center. McGuire struck out swinging but Reyes walked. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                       Sox won't get shut out

The Jays poured it on in the top of the fifth as Biggio walked to start. Kirk was hit with a pitch and Kiermaier got a base hit to center to score Biggio. DeJong got a base hit to left to load the bases and Merrifield beat out a double play ball to score Kirk. Belt walked to reload the bases and Schneider was hit with a pitch to score Kiermaier. Springer hit a sac fly to left to score DeJong and Chapman got a base hit to right to score Belt. Once again Sox manager Alex Cora waited too long to take his pitcher out and Richard Bleier came in with the game out of reach. Biggio lined back to Bleier to end the inning with the Sox down 11-1.

                                                         "GADZOOKS!" - Llovera

Yoshida doubled to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Connor Wong pinch hit for Turner. Wong flied out to left and Yu Chang pinch hit for Devers. Chang grounded out to second to move Yoshida to third and Casas grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Kirk popped up to first to start the top of the sixth before Kiermaier struck out swinging. DeJong grounded out to short to end the inning. Verdugo got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Kiermaier crashed into the centerfield garage door to rob Urias of a double. Kiermaier had to leave the game and Daulton Varsho came in to replace him. McGuire and Reyes both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays poured it on in the top of the seventh as Merrifield grounded out to first to start. Belt doubled to left and Schneider got a base hit to left to score Belt. Springer grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Jays up 12-1.

                                                           Another RBI for Schneider

Santiago Espinal took over for Chapman to start the bottom of the seventh and Duran flied out to left to start. Yoshida flied out to center and Wong grounded out to first to end the inning.

Nick Robertson came in to take a beating in the top of the eighth and Espinal grounded out to third to start. Biggio grounded out to second but Kirk walked. Varsho tripled to right to score Kirk and DeJong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 13-1.

                                                             Varsho drives in the final run

Bowden Francis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Chang lined out to center to start. Casas struck out swinging but Verdugo singled in the hole at short. A wild pitch moved Verdugo to second but Urias grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pablo Reyes the infielder took the mound to start the top of the ninth and Merrifield grounded out to second to start. Belt walked and Schneider singled to center. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Springer grounded back to the mound. Espinal walked to load the bases and Biggio flied out to left to end the inning. Sad that an infielder had a better outing than four relief pitchers.

                                                   Should just keep Reyes in the bullpen

Jay Jackson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and McGuire grounded out to second to start. Reyes flied out to right and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The Jays had won it 13-1.

                                                                 Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Chris Murphy. He allowed 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings to put the game out of reach.

                                                                Jackass Murphy

The Good:

Justin Turner was 1 for 2.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2.

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

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless first inning.

Pablo Reyes walked twice and pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mauricio Llovera allowed 5 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Nick Robertson allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Luis Urias was just 1 for 4.

Richard Bleier allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

That's four losses in a row after Chaim Bloom sat on his hands at the trade deadline. The Sox desperately miss Trevor Story, Chris Sale and James Paxton and refused to trade for another starter or a big bat. Basically Bloom pulled a 2019 Dave Dombrowski and time will tell if he gets fired in September or not just like Dave did. This game was pure trash and maybe Bloom should get fired for these "bullpen" games that clearly don't work. Rather than spend money or trade prospects for an ace, we're down to bullpen games and mediocre starting pitching. This is going to backfire big time, the only question is how bad are things going to get? They got pulverized in this one and have lost four in a row. It doesn't look like they have the high end talent to get back in the race and that's entirely on the front office. The loss dropped the Sox to 57-54, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Kansas City Royals when Brayan Bello takes the mound against Cole Ragans of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Drop Embarrassing Game to A's (7/19/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Jake Faria cleared waivers and returned to Worcester. Yippie.....

                                                                 Back to Worcester

As for the game, talk about taking two giant steps backward. After winning 8 of 9, the Sox fell flat on their face against the worst team in baseball. After getting blanked yesterday, Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.60 ERA) got hammered by the A's for three 2 run home runs in today's game. Meanwhile the Sox offense put up 5 runs on the board through six innings but couldn't get a clutch hit when it counted the rest of the way. With Connor Wong at second base, Rob Refsnyder hit a measly pop up to end the game to give the A's a 6-5 win at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                     "Can't get a clutch it!"

Ken Waldichuk got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox immediately struck. Rob Refnsyder walked to start but Masataka Yoshida flied out to center. Justin Turner then belted his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Rafael Devers flied out to right but Adam Duvall got a base hit to left. Duvall took off for second and Shea Langeliers threw the ball away, allowing Duvall to reach third on an error. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                               Home run Turner

The A's answered against Bello in the bottom of the first as Tony Kemp got a base hit to center and JJ Bleday hit a home run all the way to San Jose just like that. Jordan Diaz struck out swinging, Seth Brown popped up to third and Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                     Kiss that one goodbye

Kike Hernandez tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to start the top of the second. Connor Wong forced Hernandez at second but Yu Chang flied out to right. Wong got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Langeliers grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second but Jace Peterson walked. Cody Thomas then hit his first home run of the season to put the A's up for good. Nick Allen struck out swinging but Kemp was plunked. Bleday forced Kemp at second to end the inning with the A's up 4-2.

                                                             That one is gone

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Refsnyder grounded out to short to start. Yoshida struck out swinging and Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Diaz grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third but Brown walked. Soderstrom banged into a double play to end the inning.

Devers took strike three right down the middle to start the top of the fourth before Duvall did the same. Verdugo drew a walk but Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. The A's iced it in the bottom of the fourth as Langeliers doubled to right and Peterson hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Mongolia to put the game out of reach. Thomas struck out swinging, Allen grounded out to third and Kemp grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 6-2. That was it for Bello who got beat up by the worst team in baseball, allowing 6 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                      "I sucked today" - Bello

The Sox did fight back in the top of the fifth as Wong walked to start. Chang struck out swinging and Wong scored all the way around on a base hit to center by Refsnyder. Yoshida doubled to right to chase Waldichuk and Lucas Erceg came in to face Turner. Turner grounded out to second but Refsnyder scored to cut the lead. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                       Refsnyder brings the Sox closer

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and it was the A's turn for stupidity. Bleday doubled to right and Diaz beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners. Brent Rooker pinch hit for Brown and hit a grounder to second. For some reason Bleday hesitated going home so after Rooker was thrown out at first, Bleday was gunned down at home by Turner for the double play. Solderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning. Had the Sox come back to win, that would have been the play of the game.

It looked like the Sox would come back when Duvall singled to left to pen the top of the sixth. Verdugo struck out but Peterson threw Hernandez' grounder into the stands to score Duvall. Angel Felipe came in to pitch and Wong struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by having Triston Casas pinch hit for Chang but he too struck out swinging to end the inning with the A's ahead 6-5.

                                                                       Whoooooops!!!

Josh Winckwoski came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Langeliers struck out swinging to start. Peterson grounded out to short but Thomas hit a seeing eye single to left. Allen took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox failed to tie the game in the top of the seventh as Refsnyder lined out to center to start. Yoshida popped up to third and Turner lined out to short to end the inning. Kemp singled to center to start the bottom of the seventh but Bleday flied out to center. Diaz singled to left but Rooker struck out swinging. Soderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning.

The ineptitude continued in the top of the eighth with Sam Long now on the mound. Devers flied out to left, Duvall also flied out to left and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Just to get him some work, Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Langeliers popped up to third to begin. Peterson walked but Thomas flied out to center. Allen struck out swinging to end the inning. Valiant effort by the bullpen to shut the door after Bello left the game.

Aledmys Diaz came in for Soderstrom with Trevor May in to close out the top of the ninth. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Hernandez and flied out to left, but Wong walked to put the tying run on. Casas struck out swinging again but Wong stole second. With the tying run in scoring postion......Refsnyder lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had lost 2 of 3 to the worst team in baseball 6-5.

                                                          A's win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He got lit up by the worst team in baseball, allowing 6 runs off three home runs in just 4 innings.

                                                            Jackass Bello

The Good:

Adam Duvall was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth inning

Josh Winckowski tossed two scoreless innings

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2 with a strikeout

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base, drove in a run and scored twice

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 but drove in 3 total runs including a two run homer.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drew a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Its been that kind of season for the Sox who have lost series to all three of the last place teams in baseball this year. Unlike last year where they beat up the bad teams but were completely incompetent against AL East teams, this year is the total opposite. If the Sox end up missing the playoffs this year by a few games when all is said and done, look at all these losses to bottom feeding teams as to the reason why. Losing two of three to a team that's not even trying to hide the fact they're tanking is inexcusable. The worst part is Paxton and Bello got beat up and they've been their best starters this season. They desperately need another starter since Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and Chris Sale remain out. They got plenty of talent in the minors to make a move so its up to Sox GM Chaim Bloom whether he wants to blow it up or add in a few weeks. As of right now they're an incomplete team due to injuries. The loss dropped the Sox to 51-46, 9 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox have an off-day tomorrow and they come back home Friday night to play the enigmatic New York Mets. James Paxton (5-2, 3.51 ERA) looks to rebound the Sox against Kodai Senga of the Mets. The game begins Friday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.