Rays Edge Sox (5/15/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their second round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox once again failed to score more than four runs in a defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays. Taj Bradley held the punchless Sox to just 2 runs in 5 innings while the Rays bullpen surrendered just 1 run the rest of the way. The Sox were leading 2-1 when Tanner Houck (3-5, 2.17 ERA) was yanked in the sixth inning only for Greg Weissert and yet another fielding error gave the Rays a three run lead. Rafael Devers hit a home run to cut the lead but the Sox offense failed to generate any baserunners in the final two innings. The Sox have now gone 10 days without scoring more than four runs in regulation as the Rays won the game 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                            Al Horford scores more than the Red Sox

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and Yandy Diaz took strike three to start. Josh Lowe grounded out to second and Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first against Bradley as Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. Duran moved to third on the Wilyer Abreu fly ball to center and scored on the Connor Wong sac fly to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                                Sac fly for Wong

Jonathan Aranda grounded out to first to start the top of the second and Isaac Parades flied out to center. Richie Palacios was hit with a pitch but Jose Caballero struck out swinging to end the inning. Tyler O'Neill led off the bottom of the second by watching strike three go by then Dominic Smith went down hacking. Garrett Cooper lined out to second to end the inning.

The Rays almost struck back in the top of the third as Ben Rortvedt walked to start and Jose Siri got a base hit to center. Diaz grounded into a double play and Lowe grounded out to short to end the inning. David Hamilton grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third and Ceddane Rafaela did the same. Duran flied out to center to end the inning.

Arozarena flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Aranda walked. Parades got a base hit down the third base line and Garrett Cooper booted a grounder by Palacios for an error that scored Parades. Caballero struck out swinging and Rortvedt grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                              Rays tie it on an error

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu launched his fourth home run of the year to put the Sox back on top. Wong got a seeing eye single into left but Devers grounded into a double play. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                          Abreu goes yard

Siri took strike three to start the top of the fifth but Diaz drew a walk. Lowe got a base hit to left but Arozarena lined out to center. Aranda lined out to second to end the inning. Smith lined out to Bradley to start the bottom of the fifth before Cooper struck out swinging. Hamilton got a base hit in the hole at short, Rafaela walked and Duran was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Naturally Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Houck came back for the top of the sixth and froze Parades for strike three to start. Palacios got a base hit to center and Calaberro got base hit to left, but Rortvedt struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora finally had enough of Houck as Tanner struggled big time allowing 5 hits and 3 walks in 5 2/3 innings. Greg Weissert came in and Siri immediately gave up a base hit to Siri that scored Palacios to tie the game. The Rays pulled off a double steal when Wong threw another ball away for an error and Diaz hit the kill shot with a base hit to left to clear the bases. Lowe struck out swinging but the Rays were up for good 4-2

                                                           Houck deserved better

The Sox did get one back in the bottom of the sixth against Phil Maton although Wong popped up to second to start. Devers clobbered his fifth home run of the season but O'Neill struck out swinging. Smith got a base hit to right and Cooper got a base hit to center, hut Hamilton grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                        Home run Devers

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Arozarena struck out swinging to start. Aranda took strike three and Parades went down hacking to end the inning. Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh Rafaela lined out to center to start. Duran doubled off the Monster but Abreu struck out swinging. Wong flied out to right to end the inning.

Palacios grounded out to short to begin the top of the eighth and Caballero struck out swinging. Rortvedt lined out to center to end the inning. Jonny DeLuca took over for Aranda and Pete Fairbanks came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Devers grounded out to second, O'Neill went down hacking and Smith struck out swinging to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Siri flied out to center to start. Diaz grounded out to short and Lowe lined out to center to end the inning. Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Cooper struck out swinging to start. Hamilton took strike three and Rafaela grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had won it 4-3.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of The Night is Greg Weissert. He inherited a 2-1 lead and turned it into 4-3 in no time flat

                                                        Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Cam Booser tossed two scoreless innings.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but the one hit was a home run.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeout and an error.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 but walked.

Tanner Houck took the loss as he was charged with 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings but only 1 run was earned due to errors. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out seven.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said about this rancid Red Sox offense that hasn't already been said? Its been 10 days since they scored more than four runs in regulation and failing with the bases loaded was a microcosm of this run of ineptitude. They do enough to get men on base but once they're on, nobody can drive them in. Sure they can hit solo home runs but when there's men on base, they just swing at air. Can't even blame Cora for this one because Houck went further than he's ever gone in terms of pitch count and Wong threw the ball away on the double steal attempt with Weissert on the mound. Weissert was in the game because all the other relievers had to pitch in the 12 inning marathon last night. What can be done to fix the offense? For starters, Niko Kavadas is hitting .310 with 9 homers and 25 rbis in Worcester but the concern is none of the home runs came on pitches above 92 mph and he's a lousy first baseman. At this point its worth a try because Cooper is hitting .235 and he made a crucial error tonight while Dominic Smith is hitting .167. We all know Bobby Dalbec can't get it done so may as well go with Kavadas. This year is starting to remind us of 2017, 2014 and 1992 where the offense was tragic compared to the pitching. Hopefully the Sox can get their act together before they fall further behind in the standings. The loss drops the Sox to 22-21, 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to tie up the series tomorrow night against the Rays when Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.10 ERA) takes on Zack Littell of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Walkoff Rays in 12 Innings (5/14/24)

It was good news all around as the Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox knocked off the Tampa Bay Rays in 12 innings. The Rays took a quick 1-0 lead off Nick Pivetta but a Dominic Smith double put the Sox ahead 2-1 after four. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a home run to increase the lead but the Rays rallied for two runs against Pivetta and Justin Slaten. In the top of the 11th, Rafaela's throwing error put the Rays on top but the Sox answered in the bottom of the inning on a Rob Refsnyder rbi. In the bottom of the 12th, Romy Gonzalez drove home Connor Wong to win the game. The Sox had won it 5-4 in 12 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                        Morgan Geekie approves of the win

The Rays tagged Pivetta immediately in the top of the first although Yandy Diaz popped up to first to start. Randy Arozarena struck out swinging but Josh Lowe hit a home run all the way to Maine to put the Rays up just three batters into the game. Isaac Prades flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                                Lowe jacks one

The Sox did nothing against Civale in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran took strike three to start. Wilyer Abreu watched strike three go by and Connor Wong lined out to center to end the inning.

Amed Rosario grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Jonny DeLuca went down hacking. Richie Palacios lined out to left to end the inning. Rafael Devers got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Tyler O'Neill froze for strike three and Dominic Smith popped up to third. Vaughn Grissom flied out to center to end the inning.

Jose Caballero popped up to short to start the top of the third before Alex Jackson struck out swinging. Diaz took strike three to end the inning. Reese McGuire grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second. Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Arozarena grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Lowe took strike three. Parades got a base hit in the hole at short but Rosario went down hacking to end the inning. Abreu flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fourth but Wong got a base hit to right. Devers forced Wong at second with a pop up but O'Neill got a base hit to left. Somehow Smith doubled to center to score both runners to put the Sox on top. Grissom took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                             Smith drives in a pair

Deluca singled to left to start the top of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Palacios took strike three and Caballero flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire struck out swinging to start. Rafaela clobbered his fourth home run of the year to increase the lead but Duran grounded out to second. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                         Home run Rafaela

The Rays chased Pivetta in the top of the sixth although Jackson took strike three to start. Diaz grounded out to third but Arozarena hit a home run all the way to Cleveland to cut the lead. Despite being just one out away from finishing the inning at 81 pitches, Sox manager Alex Cora came out to yank Pivetta at the first sign of trouble. Nick tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits. Justin Slaten came in and immediately allowed a double to center by Lowe. Parades got a base hit to right to score Lowe to tie the game. Way to go Cora! Rosario got a base hit to short but DeLuca grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                       Pivetta deserved better

Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Wong struck out swinging to start. Devers struck out swinging and O'Neill went down hacking to end the inning.

Palacios struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Caballero also went down hacking. Jackson lined out to right to end the inning. Phil Maton came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Smith got plunked to start. Grissom grounded into a double play and McGuire took strike three to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Diaz took strike three. Arozarena went down hacking and Lowe almost took Martin's head off with a line drive, thankfully Chris caught it to end the inning.

                                                             "Im okay....I think" - Martin

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Duran struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu, Refsnyder got a base hit to right but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Parades popped up to third to start. Rosario singled to center but DeLuca flied out to center. Rosario was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Pete Fairbanks came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth as Devers grounded out to second to start. O'Neill and Smith both took strike three to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the tenth with DeLuca on second to start. Palacios struck out swinging and Jonathan Aranda pinch hit for Caballero. Aranda grounded back to the mound to move DeLuca to third and Harold Ramirez pinch hit for Jackson. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ben Rortvedt came in to catch with Jason Adam now on the mound for the bottom of the tenth. Romy Gonzalez pinch ran for Smith at second and was immediately doubled off on a liner to Adam by Grissom. McGuire was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning.

The Rays struck in the top of the eleventh with Rortvedt starting at second. Diaz grounded out to first to move Rortvedt to third and Arozarena hit a ground ball to third. Rortvedt was thrown out at home in a rundown but Arozarena moved to second on the play. Lowe was intentionally walked and Parades hit a routine grounder to Rafaela. Ceddanne threw the ball away for an error to score Arozarena. Rosario flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-3.

                                                            Yerrrrr out!

Manuel Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh with David Hamilton pinch running for McGuire at second to start. Rafaela dropped down a bunt to move Hamilton to third and Duran walked. Refsnyder grounded back to the mound to score Hamilton to tie the game. Wong was hit with a pitch but Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

 

                                                               Sox tie it up

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the 12th inning with Rosario starting at second base. DeLuca walked to start but Palacios lined out to left. Aranda beat out a double play ball and Rortvedt took strike three to end the inning. Wong started the bottom of the 12th at second and O'Neill was intentionally walked to get to Gonzalez. Romy made them pay with a base hit to right to score Wong to win the game. The Sox had won it 5-4 in 12 innings.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Romy Gonzalez. His rbi base hit to right in the bottom of the 12th won the game.

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs batted in.

David Hamilton scored a run as a pinch runner.

Nick Pivetta tossed 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball as he allowed 4 hits while striking out 8.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Brennan Bernardino got the win with a scoreless 12th inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a home run but committed a costly error.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Zack Kelly allowed an unearned run in two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about a good news/bad news game. The bad news was once again they were held to less than 4 runs in regulation and Rafaela threw yet another ball away. They couldn't hit in the clutch for most of the game and Cora pulled a starter early AGAIN. The good news was they found away to win. Dominic Smith got his first big hit with the Sox and they held the fort in extra innings apart from the Rafaela error. After Slaten allowed the tying run, the bullpen didn't give an inch. Pivetta not getting yanked might have prevented all of that and they win 3-2, who knows. Bottom line is they won anyway and against an AL East opponent, which has been their achillies heel for two years now. With the pitching staff beginning to work itself out, Sox brass needs to find a way to generate some offense until Triston Casas gets back. Otherwise they're going to have to win low scoring games every night and that's damn near impossible. Still, a win is a win and hopefully this sparks them to go on a streak. The win improved the Sox to 22-20, 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take game three of this four game set tomorrow night when Tanner Houck (3-4, 2.24 ERA) takes on Taj Bradley of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Down Crawford, Sox (5/13/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their second round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays once again asserted their dominance over the Red Sox by holding the pathetic Sox offense to just one big hit the entire game. The Rays pounced on Kutter Crawford (2-2, 2.24 ERA) for three runs in the top of the first but the Sox answered with a three run bomb by Tyler O'Neill off Zach Eflin in the bottom of the first. The Sox would be held scoreless the rest of the game while the Rays would get another run off Crawford and one more against Greg Weissert. Eflin and the Rays bullpen would allow just 5 hits and a walk after the first while winning the game 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                         "SCORE SOME RUNS!!!"

The Rays jumped on Crawford in the top of the first inning as Yandy Diaz got a base hit to center to start. Randy Arozarena lined out to center and Josh Lowe did the same, but Harold Ramirez walked. Amed Rosario tripled off the glove of a diving Ceddanne Rafaela and scored on the Richie Palacios base hit to center.  Jose Caballlero got a base hit to right to move Palacios to third then promptly stole second. Alex Jackson took strike three to end the inning with the Rays up 3-0.

                                                      "I don't got it" - Rafaela

The Sox answered against Eflin in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran took strike three to start. Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to left but Connor Wong lined out to short. Rafael Devers doubled down the right field line and Tyler O'Neill belted his 10th home run of the season to tie the game. Dominic Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Sox tie it up

Jose Siri grounded out to first to start the top of the second but Diaz doubled to center. Arozarena grounded out to first and Lowe lined out to left to end the inning. Vaughn Grissom grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the second but Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to right. Rafaela flied out to center but Gonzalez stole second. Duran lined out to first to end the inning.

Ramirez struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Rosario flied out to center. Palacios popped up to third to end the inning. Abreu doubled to center to start the bottom of the third but Wong flied out to left. Devers popped up to short and O'Neill flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rays took command in the top of the fourth as Smith let a pop up by Callabero drop in for a double then Jose stole third. Jackson took strike three but Siri hit a sac fly to left to score Jose. Diaz got a base hit to right but Arozarena flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-3. 

                                                         Rays take the lead

Smith grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Grissom grounded out to third. Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning.

Lowe flied out to center to start the top of the fifth before Ramirez took strike three. Rosario grounded out to third to end the inning. Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Duran got a base hit to left. Duran was thrown out at second trying to steal and Abreu hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Crawford returned for the top of the sixth and Palacios flied out to right to start. Caballero took strike three and Jackson struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford battled but allowed 4 runs in 6 innings of work off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                               Crawford went six

Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wong hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Devers was retired on a nubber in front of the plate and O'Neill lined out to left to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Siri grounded out to first to start. Diaz grounded out to short but Arozarena singled to center. Arozarena was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Smith grounded out to first to start the bottom of the seventh but Grissom got a base hit to right. Grissom moved to second on the grounder to first by Gonzalez but Rafaela lined out to second to end the inning.

The Rays struck again in the top of the eighth as Lowe doubled to left to start. Austin Shenton pinch hit for Ramirez and walked before Rosario doubled to left to score Lowe. Palacios struck out swinging and Jonny DeLuca pinch ran for Shenton. Caballero struck out swinging and Jackson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 5-3.

                                                         Another rbi for Rosario

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and somehow Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Rob Refsnyder for Duran. Refsnyder struck out swinging and even more inexplicable, Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Abreu and also struck out swinging. Wong got a base hit to left but Devers took strike three to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Siri popped up to first to start. Diaz flied out to right and Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. Jason Adam came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and O'Neill walked to put the tying run on. Naturally Smtih struck out swinging, Grissom took strike three and Gonzalez whiffed to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-3.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Dominic Smith. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including the ninth inning with a man on base.

                                                                   Jackass Smith

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper struck out as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 innings on 7 hits and a walk. He also struck out six.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in two innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox HAVE to do something to create some offense. Either call up Niko Kavadas, make a trade, anything. The Sox offense hasn't scored more than 4 runs in eight days now and its not getting any better. Vaughn Grissom looks completely lost along with Rafaela, Cooper and Smith. Apart from Refsnyder and Abreu, nobody is hitting well and Devers isn't jacking the ball anymore. Who knew losing 2 of your 3 best hitters would cause this to happen? The problem is Trevior Story has an injury history but nobody thought Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas would go down. Apart from the first inning, the Rays won the game 2-0 meaning the Sox pitching did the best they could. Crawford looked mortal and Weissert gave up a run but the Sox bats were silent apart from one lucky hit in the first inning. The Sox have no chance to compete if they can't score. The loss dropped the Sox to 21-20, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Rays when Nick Pivetta (1-2, 3.60 ERA) takes on Aaron Civale of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Edge Nationals on Mother's Day (5/12/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Josh Winckowski was sent back to Worcester to stretch him out as a starter. Brayan Bello was activated to make today's start against the Washington Nationals. It was definitely a shock to see Winckowski go but if they want him to be an emergency starter, it makes perfect sense since they already have a crowded bullpen. With all the injuries the Sox have suffered, its better to have depth.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                        IN

The bad news was the Boston Bruins lost to the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their second round NHL playoff series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox narrowly defeated the Washington Nationals. Brayan Bello (4-1, 3.13 ERA) came off the Injured List to throw five gutty innings, holding the Nationals bats to just two runs. Meanwhile the anemic Red Sox offense only scored in one inning but they made the runs count. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a lucky ground rule double off Nats starter MacKenzie Gore to drive in a pair and a wild pitch and Jarren Duran scored on a wild pitch. As usual the Boston bats were silent otherwise, but Bello and the Boston bullpen held the fort for the second straight day. Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox had beaten the Nationals 3-2 at Fenway Park.

                                     The Voorhees family approves of the Mother's Day win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and CJ Abrams got a base hit to center to start. It looked like Abrams had stolen second but Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was out. The call was overturned and Abrams was out. Luis Garcia Jr flied out to left and Joey Meneses lined out to short. Gore got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to center to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Gonzalez took off for second base. The catcher's throw sailed into center and Gonzalez made it to third. Naturally Tyler O'Neill took strike three and Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jesse Winker grounded out to second to begin the top of the second before Nick Senzel lined out to center. Eddie Rosario walked but was picked off to end the inning. Connor Wong walked to begin the bottom of the first and Garrett Cooper got a base hit to center. Victor Robles dropped a pop up by Vaughn Grissom for an error to load the bases but Jarren Duran forced Wong at home. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up down the right field line but it dropped in for a ground rule double to score both Cooper and Grissom. A wild pitch scored Duran and moved Rafaela to third but Gonzalez took strike three. Refsnyder lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                            Rafaela gets the double

Ildemaro Vargas grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Riley Adams singled to center. Robles hit a routine grounder to third but Cooper dropped the throw for an error. Abrams got a base hit to right but Robles was thrown out at third. Garcia grounded out to second to end the inning. O'Neill walked to start the bottom of the third before Devers struck out swinging. Wong flied out to center but Cooper doubled to left. Grissom struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Nationals struck back in the top of the fourth as Meneses struck out swinging to start. Winker flied out to center but Senzel walked. Rosario hit a home run all the way to Alabama to cut the lead. Vargas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Nats down 3-2.

                                                            Nats fight back

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Duran grounded back to the mound to start. Rafaela grounded out to short and Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning.

Adams grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth before Robles flied out to center. Adams grounded out to second to end the inning. As usual that was it for Bello after just 5 innings and 68 pitches. Bello allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in his outing.

                                                                Welcome back Bello

Refsnyder singled to left to start the bottom of the fifth before O'Neill struck out swinging. Devers forced Refsnyder at second and WOngs truck out swinging to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Garcia Jr flied out to center to begin. Meneses flied out to center and Trey Lipscomb pinch hit to Winker. Lipscomb struck out swinging to end the inning. Cooper grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Grissom got a base hit to right. A wild pitch moved Grissom to second and he moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Duran. Rafaela struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in for the top of the seventh as Senzel walked to start. Senzel was picked off but Rosario walked as well. Vargas grounded out to second to move Rosario to second but Adams was hit with a pitch. The Nats pulled off a double steal but Robles flied out to left to end the inning. Derek Law came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Gonzalez. Abreu struck out swinging, Refsnyder popped up to first and O'Neill struck out swinging again to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Abrams grounded out to first to start. Garcia Jr was called out on strikes and Meneses flied out to center to end the inning. Dylan Floro came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Devers clubbed a double off the Monster to start. Naturally Wong popped up a bunt to Floro and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Cooper. Smith popped up to third and Grissom flied out to right to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Lipscomb grounded out to third to start. Senzel ripped a base hit to left and Jacob Young ran for him at first. Rosario flied out to the right field warning track but Young was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the game.....but wait! Nationals manager Dave Martinez challenged that Young was safe. The umps looked at the replay and determined he was out. The Red Sox had won the game 3-2.

                                                Young is out and the Sox have won

Hero of The Night is Connor Wong. He somehow gunned down Young who had a huge lead to end the game.

                                                  "You saved my ass, Hero" - Jansen

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Garrett Cooper was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 5 innings and allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks.

Cam Booser tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his seventh save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox can barely score runs but the pitching bailed them out again. Bello came off the Injured List to throw 5 innings and looked pretty good all things considered. He made one mistake to Rosario that Rafaela could have caught with a better angle. The bullpen slammed the door the rest of the way and the Sox won it. The Nationals ran into five outs during the game, Rafaela's double was lucky and the wild pitch was lucky as well. Sometimes you have to be lucky and good and the Sox were both today. The bats once again failed again and again in the clutch and its going to be a problem moving forward. The Sox haven't scored more than four runs in a game since May 5th and that needs to change pretty soon. The pitching is working itself out with Nick Pivetta and Bello back, but SOMEBODY needs to step up on offense or they're going to be a .500 team all season. The win improved the Sox to 21-19, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have their toughest test of the season so far when they face the incoming Tampa Bay Rays in a four game set beginning tomorrow night. Kutter Crawford (2-1, 1.75 ERA) gets the start against Zach Eflin of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Washington Late (5/11/24)

It was good news all around as the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of their second round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Washington Nationals. It wasn't pretty but the Red Sox outlasted the Nationals with a late rally. The Nationals took a 1-0 lead on a Joey Meneses home run but Wilyer Abreu hit a home run of his own. Eddie Rosario hit a home run off Sox starter Cooper Criswell but Jarren Duran drove David Hamilton in against Nationals starter Jake Irvin. Chris Martin (2-1, 4.40 ERA) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Rafael Devers pounded a two run double in the bottom of the frame to put Boston on top. Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox had won the game 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Jayson Tatum approves of the win

Criswell got the ball in the top of the first and Jacob Young struck out swinging to start. CJ Abrams lined out to right and Luis Garcia Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. Irvin got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center but Trey Lipscomb booted an error by Tyler O'Neill for an error. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center but as usual, Vaughn Grissom grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Nationals took the lead in the top of the second as Joey Meneses hit a home run all the way to Halifax, Nova Scotia to give the Nats the lead. Jesse Winker walked but Keibert Ruiz struck out swinging. Eddie Rosario grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Nats up 1-0.

                                                          Nats strike first

Dominic Smith struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Reese McGuire popped up to short. David Hamilton lined out to right to end the inning.

Lipscomb struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Victor Robles went down hacking. Hamilton booted a grounder by Young for an error and Abrams got a base hit to right, but Garcia Jr lined out to second to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Duran grounded back to the mound. Suddenly Abreu pounded his third home run of the season to tie the game. O'Neill grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                     Home run Abreu

Meneses went down hacking to start the top of the fourth before Winker took strike three. Ruiz flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                       Criswell was pitching good

Devers took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Grissom lined out to second. Smith took strike three to end the inning.

The Nats took the lead in the top of the fifth as Rosario hit a home run all the way to Florida to put Washington ahead. Lipscomb flied out to right, Robles struck out swinging and Young took strike three to end the inning with the Nationals ahead 2-1. That was it for Criswell who threw just 79 pitches in 5 innings

                                                     Rosario jacks one

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire got a base hit to right to start. Hamilton botched the bunt and got McGuire forced at second, but he did steal second base himself. Rafaela flied out to right to move Hamilton to third and Duran doubled to the wall to score him. Abreu flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                    Duran ties it up

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Abrams singled to left to start. Garcia bunted so hard, that it turned into a double play. Meneses grounded back to the mound to end the inning. O'Neill struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth and Devers went down hacking. Grissom popped up to second to end the inning.

Winker took strike three to begin the top of the seventh and Sox manager Alex Cora figured Bernardino had done enough. Justin Slaten came in to pitch and Ruiz lined out to first. Rosario walked but Lipscomb forced him at second to end the inning, Smith grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh before McGuire grounded out to second. Hamilton also grounded out to second to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and hit Robles with a pitch to start. Robles got picked off and Young grounded back to the mound. Abrams lined out to Martin to end the inning. Robert Garcia came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela popped up to second to start. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Duran and got a base hit down the third base line. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and hit a double play ball to short. Abrams got Rob at second but threw the ball away for an error. Nationals manager Dave Martinez made people scratch their heads when he had O'Neill intentionally walked to get to Devers. Rafael responded with a double off the Monster to score Gonzalez and O'Neill to put the Sox on top. Grissom struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                            Devers gets it done

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Garcia Jr grounded out to second to start. Meneses struck out swinging and Winker took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. His double in the eighth drove in the winning runs.

                                                          Hero Devers

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Rob Refsnyder got a base hit as a pinch hitter.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Romy Gonzalez scored a run in a plate appearance.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

Cooper Criswell allowed just 2 runs in 5 innings with 3 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 9.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Justin Slaten tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Chris Martin got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with an error but stole a base and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Once again it wasn't pretty but a win is a win. The encouraging sign despite the awful offense is that they kept the game close enough for the Nationals to make a mistake. Walking O'Neill to get to Devers was like walking someone to get to David Ortiz or JD Martinez in the old days, what was Dave Martinez thinking? Its a shame Cora pulls his guys after 5 innings every time because it would save their bullpen's arms if he allows them to go longer. Did he learn nothing from the collapse of 2021? Still, with the offense as bad as it is, its nice to see Devers finally get a clutch hit and the rise of Abreu. Another thing on display was Hamilton's speed, that's going to come in handy for late game situations like Dave Roberts in 2004. The key to the game was the bullpen shutting down the Nationals after the fifth inning. They're doing a great job but how much longer can they hold out with Cora pulling guys after 5 innings every single game? We all saw The A-Team disintegrate in 2021, it'll be a shame if it happens this year as well. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the team can start hitting soon. The win improved the Sox to 20-19, 6.5 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take two of three from the Nationals tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello comes off the Injured List to take on MacKenzie Gore. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Fail With Men On Base, Lose To Nationals (5/10/24)

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 3 of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Washington Nationals. Once again the Red Sox couldn't get a clutch hit when it counted as they actually outhit the Nationals in this one 9 hits to 8. Unfortunately Patrick Corbin of Washington held the Sox to one measly run in 5 innings of work. Tanner Houck (3-4, 2.24 ERA) allowed 3 runs in 7 innings of work that normally would be enough to win a game. The Nationals bullpen pitched a shutout the rest of the way, the bats pounded Kenley Jansen for another 2 runs, and won the game 5-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Bawful all around

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning as Jacob Young grounded out to third to start. CJ Abrams struck out swinging and Luis Garcia Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox scoring woes continued in the bottom of the first with Corbin on the mound. Jarren Duran grounded out to first before Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second. Tyler O'Neill doubled off the Monster and Devers walked, but Connor Wong got a base hit to right. O'Neill motored around third but was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Joey Meneses grounded out to second to open the top of the second and Jesse Winker lined out to center. Keibert Ruiz got a base hit to right and Eddie Rosario doubled to right and Trey Lipscomb got a bases clearing base hit to right to put the Nationals up for good just two innings into the game. Lipscomb swiped second and Victor Robles got a base hit to left. Lipscomb tried to score but was thrown out at home by Duran to end the inning with the game already over, 2-0 Nationals.

                                                           Nationals ended it early

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Vaughn Grissom popped up to second to start. Garrett Cooper lined out to second but Romy Gonzalez singled to left. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning.

Young's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Devers to start the top of the third and Abrams grounded out to second. Garcia Jr doubled to center and Meneses got a base hit past Grissom to score Garcia to ice the game. Winker grounded out to second to end the inning with the Nationals up 3-0.

                                                              Game iced

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Duran grounded out to second to start. Refsnyder took strike three and O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ruiz grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Rosario flied out to left. Lipscomb walked but Robles flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox broke through in the bottom of the fourth although Devers grounded out to second to start. Wong caught Lipscomb asleep with a bunt single but Grissom struck out swinging. Cooper doubled off the Monster to score Wong but Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                          Sox get on the board

Young was hit with a pitch to start the top of the fifth before he stole second. Abrams flied out to center to move Young to third but Garcia Jr took strike three. Meneses grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fifth as Rafaela got a base hit to short to begin. Duran got another base hit in the hole at short but Refsnyder flied out to right to move Rafaela to third. O'Neill took strike three and Devers forced Duran at second to end the inning.

Winker grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth before Ruiz struck out swinging. Rosario grounded out to second to end the inning. Derek Law came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and the Sox blew another rally. Wong flied out to right but Grissom got a base hit to right. Cooper flied out to right but Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Gonzalez. Abreu and Rafaela drew back to back walks to load the bases and Robert Garcia came in to face Duran. Duran took strike three to end the inning as the misery continued.

Houck returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Lipscomb grounded out to second to start. Robles lined out to left and Young struck out swinging to end the inning. Houck did the best he could, allowing just 3 runs in 7 innings that would be good enough to win with a better offense.

                                                          Houck deserved better

Hunter Harvey came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and the Sox blew a rally AGAIN. Refsnyder walked and O'Neill banged into a double play. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Abrams flied out to left to start. Garcia popped up to third and Meneses struck out swinging to end the inning. Dylan Floro came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Grissom grounded back to the mound and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Cooper. Smith grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox have scored just three runs combined in the last three games.

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and struck out Winker swinging to start. Ruiz went down hacking but Rosario got a base hit to right. Rosario took off for second and Wong threw the ball away, allowing Eddie to take third on the error. Naturally a wild pitch scored Rosario and Robles got a base hit to left to score Lipscomb. Robles stole second base but Young struck out swinging to end the inning with the Nationals up 5-1.

                                                            Nationals pour it on

Jacob Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and somehow Abreu doubled to right. Naturally Rafaela and Duran struck out swinging before Refsnyder drew a walk. To cap off the ineptitude with RISP, O'Neill struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox were 1 for 9 with RISP and left 11 men on base as they lost 5-1.

                                                                   Nationals win

Jackass of The Night is Kenley Jansen. Not that the Sox were going to score many runs but he turned a 3-1 game into 5-1 just like that.

                                                           Jackass Jensen

The Good:

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Garrett Cooper was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 2.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 1 with a walk.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but threw out a runner at home.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tanner Houck took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 7 innings with 6 hits and a walk.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are officially in a team wide slump and Sox analyst Lou Merloni says its in their heads now. They've scored just three runs in the last three games and look completely incompetent with men on base. The Sox offense was an issue going into the season and losing Trevor Story and Triston Casas put the team in serious danger of falling out of contention early. The Sox dropped to .500 and the worst part is the pitching hasn't been the problem....apart from Jansen anyway. Houck pitched well and normally you'd be happy with 7 innings and 3 runs allowed from your starter. The sad part is the Sox are getting their pitchers back from injury like Nick Pivetta and Brayan Bello, but its not going to mean anything if they can't hit. Niko Kavadas is hitting .299 with 8 home runs and 22 rbis in Worcester and it might be time to give him a chance if guys like Cooper and Smith aren't getting it done. Its no time to panic but things don't look good right now, hopefully things change soon. The loss dropped the Sox to 19-19, 6.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against Washington when Cooper Criswell (2-1, 1.74 ERA) takes on Jake Irvin of the Nationals. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.