Basebawful Report of The Month

Wilyer Abreu - 8 Good, 10 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero

Chase Anderson - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Brayan Bello - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Brennan Bernardino - 8 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Hero

Cam Booser - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Garrett Cooper - 4 Good, 9 Bad, 6 Ugly

Kutter Crawford - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass

Cooper Criswell - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Bobby Dalbec - 1 Ugly

Rafael Devers - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 14 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jarren Duran - 9 Good, 5 Bad, 12 Ugly, 2 Hero

Romy Gonzalez - 5 Good, 4 Ugly, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero

Vaughn Grissom - 4 Good, 8 Bad, 10 Ugly

David Hamilton - 10 Good, 2 Bad, 7 Ugly

Tanner Houck - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 

Kenley Jansen - 6 Good, 2 Jackass

Brad Keller - 1 Bad

Zack Kelly - 3 Good, 4 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Chris Martin - 9 Good, 1 Jackass

Reese McGuire - 5 Good, 5 Bad, 1 Ugly

Tyler O'Neill - 5 Good, 7 Bad, 8 Ugly

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Jackass

Ceddanne Rafaela - 8 Good, 7 Bad, 10 Ugly, 2 Hero

Rob Refsnyder - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 10 Ugly

Zack Short - 2 Bad

Justin Slaten - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Jackass

Dominic Smith - 9 Good, 8 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Naoyuki Uwasawa - 1 Good, 1 Jackass

Enmanuel Valdez - 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Greg Weissert - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Josh Winckowski - 2 Good, 1 Bad

Connor Wong - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero

Most Valuable Players are David Hamilton and Rafael Devers with 10 Good

Least Valuable Player is Wilyer Abreu with 10 Bad

Ugliest Player of The Month is Rafael Devers with 14 Ugly

Heroes of the Month are Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela with 2 Hero

Jackasses of the Month are Kutter Crawford, Kenley Jansen, Nick Pivetta and Justin Slaten with 2 Jackass

Honorable Player of The Month is Enmanuel Valdez with 1 Honorable Mention

Rafaela & Houck Tame Tigers (5/31/24)

For the first two months of the season Ceddanne Rafaela was struggling at the plate, hitting an even .200 but ownership and Alex Cora said to be patient. Well the patience paid off in tonight's game against the Detroit Tigers. Rafaela smacked two home runs and drove in five total runs. On the other side of the ball, Tanner Houck (5-5, 1.85 ERA) pitched a hell of a game, going seven innings and holding the Tigers to a single run. Rob Refsnyder and Dominic Smith also drove in runs as the Sox made it back to .500 with a 7-3 victory over the Tigers at Fenway Park.

                                               Colin Morikawa approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and immediately Vaughn Grissom made a jumping catch to rob Wenceel Perez of a base hit. Riley Greene got a base hit to center before stealing second on the Matt Vierling swinging strikeout. It looked like Greene was thrown out at home on the base hit by Gio Urshela but Tigers manager AJ Hinch challenged the call. Sure enough, Greene was ruled safe on the replay. Colt Keith took strike three to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 1-0.

                                                        Tigers strike first

Maeda got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran walked to start. Wilyer Abreu banged into a double play but Connor Wong got a base hit to right. Rafael Devers popped up to third to end the inning.

Akil Baddoo grounded out to second to start the top of the second inning before Andy Ibanez struck out swinging. Zach McKinstry lined out to center to end the inning. Rob Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the second before Dominic Smith walked. Grissom struck out swinging but David Hamilton got a base hit to center. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning to kill yet another rally.

Carson Kelly grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third before Perez lined out to left. Greene doubled to right but Vierling flied out to right to end the inning. Duran popped up to third to start the bottom of the third before Abreu struck out swinging. Wong also struck out swinging to end the inning.

Urshela popped up to second to start the top of the fourth before Keith grounded back to the mound. Baddoo popped up to short to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Devers doubled to center to start. Refsnyder flied out to center but Smith doubled to left to score Devers to tie the game. Grissom got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners but Hamilton struck out swinging. Somehow Rafaela clobbered his sixth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Duran grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                          Rafaela with the big fly

Ibanez popped up to first to start the top of the fifth before McKinstry lined back to Houck. Kelly grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Abreu flied out to right to start. Wong doubled to left and a wild pitch moved him to third, but Devers struck out swinging. Refsnyder doubled to left to score Wong and chase Maeda from the game. Joey Wentz came in to pitch to Smith and Dominic grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                            RBI for Rob

Perez took strike three to start the top of the sixth but Greene walked. Devers threw a grounder by Vierling away for an error to move Greense to third but Urshela flied out to center. Keith lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth although Grissom took strike three to start. Hamilton singled just past Wentz and promptly stole second. Rafaela then belted his second home run of the day to put the game out of reach. Duran lined out to left and Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                            Rafaela does it again

Houck returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Baddoo struck out swinging to start. Hamilton threw a ball away hit by Ibanez for an error but McKinstry took strike three. Kelly walked but Perez grounded out to short to end the inning. Houck was dominant, holding the Tigers to 1 run off 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out six batters.

                                                              Good work, Houck

Mason Englert came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Wong was plunked to start. Devers flied out to left and Refsnyder took strike three, but Smith got a base hit to right to move Wong to third. Grissom lined out to right to end the inning,

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Greene struck out swinging to start. Vierling got a base hit to left but Urshela flied out to left. Keith then hit a home run all the way to Nogales, Mexico to cut the lead. Baddoo grounded out to first to end the inning with the Tigers down 7-3.

                                                              Tigers get some runs back

Hamilton got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Rafaela grounded out to third and Duran grounded out to short to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to close out the top of the ninth and Ibanez popped up to second to start. Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob McKinstry of a base hit, but Kelly singled to left. Perez doubled to left to move Kelly to third but Greene struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-3.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. He drove in five runs including two home runs to pace the offense.

                                                             Hero Rafaela

The Good:

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

David Hamilton was 3 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Tanner Houck got the win by tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out six.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Greg Weissert allowed 2 runs in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 but walked.

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

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a hell of a coming out party by Rafaela with two home runs, 5 rbis and a diving catch. Tanner Houck had one of the best starts of the season but it got overshadowed by the brilliance of Rafaela. Kudos to Dom Smith and Connor Wong who both went 2 for 3 as well. Hamilton went 3 for 4 and he's starting to get on base more. More times on base means more chances to run. He'll get caught a few times like he did in this game but that comes with the territory. With Tyler O'Neill out again and Masataka Yoshida, Triston Casas and Trevor Story all gone the offense has to come from somewhere. Maybe playing small ball could be the way to go until they get some guys back. All in all this was a good team win and it comes at a good time because the Sox can't afford to fall further back of the New York Yankees or else the season will be over in a few weeks. The win improved the Sox to 29-29, 10.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox play the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon against the Tigers when Cooper Criswell (2-2) gets the start against Reese Olson of Detroit. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Tigers Blank Lifeless Sox (5/30/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox honored their Hall of Fame Class of 2024 which included Trot Nixon. Dustin Pedroia, Elaine Steward and Jonathan Papelbon. The only bright spot to the day was honoring those that helped bring  the 2004 and 2007 World Series championships to Boston.

                                                          Back when the Sox were winners

As for this game, the fact that winners were honored was intentional to mask the fact this year's team is a bunch of losers. The Sox fell under .500 again as they were shut out by the equally mediocre Detroit Tigers. Nick Pivetta (2-4, 4.08 ERA) was yanked in the sixth inning after allowing 2 runs but the Sox bats failed to pick him up. Jack Flaherty pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Sox with the kill shot coming in the eighth against the normally reliable Chris Martin. Riley Greene hit a 2 run bomb then two batters later Gio Urshela went yard to ice the game. The Tigers blanked the hapless Red Sox 5-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling walked to start. Riley Greene forced Matt at second and Matt Canha struck out swinging. Gio Urshela struck out swinging to end the inning. Flaherty got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning.

Colt Keith took strike three to start the top of the second before Akil Baddoo took strike three. Spencer Torkelson struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers lined out to right to start the bottom of the second before Connor Wong took strike three. Garrett Cooper flied out to right to end the inning,

Javier Baez went down hacking to start the top of the third before Carson Kelly struck out swinging. Vierling also swung at air to end the inning. The eight straight K's tied a Sox record held by Roger Clemens. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Vaughn Grissom grounded out to third. David Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning.

Greene grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Canha did the same. Urshela flied out to right to end the inning. Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Abreu grounded out to second. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Tigers went up for good in the top of the fifth although Keith flied out to center to start. Baddoo then hit his first home run of the season to end the game right then and there. Torkelson grounded out to short and Baez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                       Tigers take the lead

Devers walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Wong struck out swinging. Cooper struck out swinging and McGuire grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the sixth as Kelly tripled into the right field corner to start. Vierling flied out to right but Greene was intentionally walked. Canha drilled a base hit to center to score Kelly and chase Pivetta. Normally 5 1/3 innings and 2 runs allowed would be a good thing but Nick got no run support. Greg Weissert came in and got Urshela to ground into a double play to end the inning with the Tigers up 2-0.

                                                     Pivetta deserved better

Grissom grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to center. Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Keith got a base hit to right to start. Baddoo struck out swinging, Torkelson went down hacking and Baez lined out to left to end the inning. Abreu struck out swinging to open the bottom of the seventh before Refsnyder got a base hit to left to break up the no-hitter. Devers flied out to right and that was it for Flaherty after 6 1/3 no-hit innings. Alex Faedo got Wong to ground into a force to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Kelly grounded out to third to start. Vierling doubled to left and Greene hit a home run all the way to the moon. Canha struck out swinging but Urshela then hit a home run all the way to Mercury to increase the lead. Badoo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 5-0.

                                                      Tigers turn this into a laugher

Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth but McGuire got a base hit to left. Dominic Smith pinch hit for Grissom and flied out to center. Tyler Holton came in to face pinch hitter Romy Gonzalez, and Gonzalez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Torkelson struck out swinging to start. Valdez booted a grounder by Baez for an error but Kelly flied out to center. Vierling grounded out to short to end the inning. Duran reached on an error by Baez to start the bottom of the ninth and Ceddanne Rafaela pinch hit for Abreu. Rafaela struck out swinging and Refsnyder grounded out to second to move Duran to second. Duran took third on defensive indifference but Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Tigers had won it 5-0.

                                                                   Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Chris Martin. He gave up 3 runs including two home runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                     Nice going, you Jackass

The Good:

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Cam Booser tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Enmanuel Valdez struck out and committed an error.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 2.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Nick Pivetta took the loss but only allowed 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.

Final Thoughts:

Fans are beyond frustrated at this point with the Red Sox and who can blame them? Their offense has been AWFUL for pretty much all season and they were damn near no-hit in this one. Pivetta didn't even pitch bad and it didn't matter because the offense didn't score any runs. Flaherty pitched a great game and the biggest difference was Chris Martin's meltdown in the eighth inning. Not that the Sox bats were doing anything but 2-0 is a lot easier to overcome than 5-0. The Sox entire offense was 2 hits and a walk while Riley Greene alone had a hit, a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored by himself. Fans can't wait for this season to end and we're not even out of May yet. Nobody expects the Sox to win the division or anything, they just want them to be competitive. Their offense simply hasn't been competitive this season due to injuries and incompetence. There's still 105 games left in the season too, oh joy. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-29, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Tanner Houck goes for the Sox against Kenta Maeda of the Tigers. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

O's Slam Crawford, Sox (5/29/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tyler O'Neill was placed on the Injured List with a bad knee and Enmanuel Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. O'Neill has looked awful at the plate lately so this is more addition by subtraction. Hope he feels better soon.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

So much for beating the Baltimore Orioles. The Boston Red Sox were defeated by a real ace and their impotent offense was shut completely down. Corbin Burnes held the Sox to just 1 unearned run through 7 innings and 3 measly hits. Meanwhile Kutter Crawford (2-4, 3.29 ERA) crashed down to earth as he got rocked for 5 runs in the bottom of the second courtesy of a Gunnar Henderson grand slam. Chase Anderson allowed a home run to Ramon Urias as the inept Sox offense accomplished nothing else. The O's had taken two of three with their 5-1 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                       "This offense is awful"

Burnes began his dominance in the top of the first inning when Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder flied out to center to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Gunnar Henderson took strike three to start. Ryan Mountcastle lined out to right and Ryan O'Hearn struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Rafael Devers grounded out to third to start. Connor Wong lined a base hit to left and Colton Cowser threw the ball away, allowing Connor to reach second. Burnes had Wong picked off but Henderson dropped the throw for another error. Dominic Smith hit a grounder to second and Wong came all the way around to score the go-ahead run. A wild pitch moved Smith to second but Vaughn Grissom popped up to short. Smith was picked off to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Sox strike first

The O's iced the game early in the bottom of the second as Cowser was hit with a pitch to start. Anthony Santander got a base hit to left but Cedric Mullins popped up to short. Jorge Mateo flied out to center but Ramon Urias got a base hit to center to score Cowser. James McCann walked and Henderson hit a grand slam to the moon to ice the game. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up for good 5-1.

                                                         Henderson ends it early

The Sox gave up in the top of the third as David Hamilton walked to start. Hamilton stole second but Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third, Duran lined out to center and Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. O'Hearn grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the third before Cowser flied out to center. Santander flied out to right to end the inning.

Refsnyder struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth before Devers walked. Wong struck out swinging and Smith grounded out to first to end the inning. Mullins went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth but Mateo walked. Urias was hit with a pitch and Mateo was gunned down at third after a swinging strikeout by McCann to end the inning.

Grissom grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Hamilton grounded out to second. Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning. Henderson flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth but Mountcastle singled to center. O'Hearn forced Mountcastle at second and Cowser flied out to left to end the inning.

Duran grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth but somehow Abreu got a base hit to right. Refsnyder forced Abreu at second and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Santander grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the sixth and Mullins grounded out to second. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who had one bad inning but it was a killer, allowing 5 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                      One bad inning doomed Crawford

Wong caught the O's asleep with a bunt single down the third base line to start the top of the seventh. Smith grounded back to the mound to move Wong to second and Grissom walked....but Hamilton lined out to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Chase Anderson came in to get tagged in the bottom of the seventh as Urias hit a home run all the way to North Korea to wrap up the scoring. Abreu made a great diving catch to rob McCann of a double before Henderson took strike three. Mountcastle got a base hit to center but O'Hearn hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the O's up 6-1.

                                                          Urias adds to the lead

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Duran. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Abreu. Cooper popped up to second but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez came in for Cooper to start the bottom of the eighth and Cowser flied out to center to start. Santander flied out to right and Mullins struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dillon Tate came in to close out the top of the ninth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Smith popped up to short but Grissom got a base hit to right. Hamilton got a base hit to center to move Grissom to third but Rafaela forced David at second to end the game. The O's had won it 6-1.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings including the backbreaking grand slam.

                                                             Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chase Anderson allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Enmanuel Valdez played left field in the final inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are now 0-7 in a series against a team over .500 this season which means the Sox haven't had a season where they've beaten good teams since 2021 and 2019 before that. The worst part is the Sox have just 1 win where they've fallen behind by 3 runs and ZERO when its four. The grand slam to make it 5-1 essentially ended the game because this team can't score. They get guys on base then they completely fall apart. Tyler O'Neill (before he got hurt) and Wilyer Abreu hit a bunch of solo home runs but suddenly can't do it when there's men on base. Crawford made one mistake to Henderson (which many have done all year as well) and that was the game. The rumors are floating that the Sox are going to be sellers at the trade deadline with Kenley Jansen and Tyler O'Neill as the prime targets. The problem is they aren't going to get much for them. The Sox have plenty of organizational depth for bats, outfielders and infielders but they need pitching. Dick Fitts had a perfect game after seven innings for Worcester tonight but they don't have much depth otherwise. Chaim Bloom drafted a ton of good hitting prospects but neglected the pitching and the Sox are paying for it now. Unless they can get a pitching prospect for Jansen or O'Neill, Sox GM Craig Breslow should just fart into the phone when they call about them. Corbin Burnes shut the Sox down and that's the kind of arm the Sox are missing. Hopefully they can either trade for or draft an ace in the upcoming draft/trade deadline. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-28, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a four game set with the Detroit Tigers beginning tomorrow night. Nick Pivetta (2-3, 4.20 ERA) takes the hill up against Jack Flaherty of Detroit. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Pull Away From Orioles Late (5/28/24)

It took six tries but the Boston Red Sox finally beat the Baltimore Orioles. Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) got rocked for three runs in the bottom of the first inning but pitched solid through the fifth inning. Meanwhile the normally dormant Sox offense came to life, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and going up 4-3 in the second. Rafael Devers had four big hits in this one including putting the Sox up in the second. The key to the game was the bottom of the sixth when the O's had the bases loaded and nobody out, but Brennan Bernardino pulled a houdini to get out of the jam. A Connor Wong rbi single in the eighth and a 3 run rally in the ninth put the game away. The Sox bullpen locked the door in the later innings and Boston finally beat the Orioles 8-3 at Camden Yards.

                                                        Mariza Rabbit approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Rodriguez in the top of the first inning as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu clobbered his sixth home run of the season to put the Red Sox on top and Rob Refsnyder doubled to center. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to score Refsnyder but Connor Wong struck out swinging. Dominic Smith walked but Vaughn Grissom lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Abreu does it again

Bello gave it all right back in the bottom of the first as Gunnar Henderson doubled to left to start. Adley Rutschman walked but Ryan O'Hearn forced him at second. Colton Cowser got a base hit in the hole at second to score Henderson and Anthomy Santander was plunked to load the bases. Jordan Westburg got a base hit to right to score O'Hearn and Cowser to give the O's the lead. Kyle Stowers struck out swinging and Cedric Mullins grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's up 3-2.

                                                           O's take the lead

The Sox fought back in the top of the second as David Hamilton struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela singled to center and Duran doubled to center to score him to tie the game. Abreu struck out swinging but Refsnyder was hit with a pitch. Devers blooped a base hit over Henderson's head to score Duran with the go-ahead run. Wong flied out to the left field wall to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                     Devers puts the Sox back on top

Bello rebounded in the bottom of the second as Jorge Mateo struck out swinging to start. Henderson went down hacking and Rutschman swung at air to end the inning.

Smith struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Grissom also went down hacking. Hamilton swung at air to end the inning. O'Hearn struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third before Cowser was frozen for strike three. Santander grounded out to short to end the inning.

Rafaela grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Duran struck out swinging. Abreu also went down hacking to end the inning. Westburg grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth but Stowers got a base hit to right. Rafaela made a great catch to rob Mullins of extra bases and Mateo went down hacking to end the inning.

Refsnyder grounded out to short to open the top of the fifth but Devers got a base hit to left. Wong forced Devers at second then took off for second. Rutschman thre the ball away to allow Wong to reach third on the error but Smith grounded out to first to end the inning. Henderson hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the fifth before Rutschman grounded out to second. O'Hearn walked but Cowser grounded out to third to end the inning.

Grissom flied out to right to start the top of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. The O's knocked out Bello in the bottom of the sixth as Santander got a base hit to right to start. Westburg was hit with a pitch and that was it for Bello. He went 5 plus innings allowing 3 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino came in and Ryan Mountcastle pinch hit for Stowers. Mountcastle walked and Austin Hays pinch hit for Mullins, only to strike out swinging. Mateo forced Santander at home and Bernardino pulled the Houdini by striking out Henderson swinging to end the inning.

                                                     Bello gets picked up by the team

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran lined out to right to start. Abreu did the same and Refsnyder grounded out to second to end the inning. Rutschman struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh before O'Hearn lined out to left. Cowser took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the seventh when Devers somehow hit a triple to left to start. Yennier Cano came in to face Wong and Connor got a base hit to right to score Devers. It looked like Wong had stolen second but O's manager Brandon Hyde challenged that he was out. Sure enough, the call was overturned and Wong was out. Smith flied out to center and Grissom did the same to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                                           Wong drives in a run

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Santander grounded out to second to start. Westburg got a base hit to left but Mountcastle flied out to center. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew it open in the top of the ninth with Keegan Akin on the mound as Hamilton got a base hit to right to start. Rafaela walked but Duran got Ceddanne thrown out at second on a bunt attempt. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and hit a sac fly to center to score Hamilton, moving Rafaela to third. Refsnyder then pounded his second home run of the year to ice the game. Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                       Home run Refsnyder

Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Matero grounded out to short to start. Henderson lined out to right but Rutschman got a base hit to right. O'Hearn got a base hit to center but Cowser struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is Brennan Bernardino. The O's had the bases loaded and nobody out and he escaped without giving up a run in the sixth inning.

                                                         Hero Bernardino

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez hit a sac fly for a run in his only at-bat.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch, a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 4 for 5 with 2 rbis and a runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Brayan Bello got the win but was knocked out after 5 plus innings allowing 3 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 7.

Final Thoughts:

That was a good win against a good team for the Red Sox. They swept Tampa out of Tampa last week but the Orioles had their number so far this season. Rafael Devers pitched in big time with four hits including two rbis but the star of the show was Bernardino's houdini act in the sixth to save the day. Why they wanted Joely Rodriguez over him to start the year is anyone's guess. Bello got rocked in the first inning but hung on to get to the sixth. As mentioned before, he was hyped up to be the ace of the team and instead he's the right handed Felix Doubront. To be fair, the injury to Lucas Giolito and the trade of Chris Sale put him in a spotlight he didn't really deserve but he hasn't been totally incompetent. Abreu hit another home run and they need the power since Tyler O'Neill is back in Boston getting his knee looked at. Hopefully Tyler is okay but if not, that's yet another injury they can ill-afford with Trevor Story out for the season and Triston Casas out till July. Still, the Sox can sneak into the playoffs with a hot streak so its no time to panic just yet. The Sox are only a game over .500 but in this day and age, they're right in the thick of things. The win improved the Sox to 28-27, 8.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take 2 of 3 from Baltimore tomorrow night when Kutter Crawford (2-3, 2.89 ERA) goes up against O's ace Corbin Burnes. The game begins at 6:35 PM at Camden Yards.

Baltimore Crushes Criswell, Boston (5/27/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the Baltimore Orioles stomped the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles pounced on Cooper Criswell (2-2, 3.96 ERA) for 7 runs in just four innings to put the game away early. Meanwhile Cole Irvin of Baltimore held the Sox scoreless through five innings. The Sox didn't do anything until they rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth when the game was already over. New addition Brad Keller was the sacrificial lamb, pitching the final four innings and allowing four runs. Baltimore as a team pounded out 13 hits and 11 runs as they defeated the Sox 11-3 on Memorial Day at Camden Yards.

                                                        "Criswell lost AGAIN?"

Irvin got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short. Connor Wong grounded out to third to end the inning. Criswell got the ball in the bottom of the first and Gunnar Henderson flied out to left to start. Adley Rutschman grounded out to second and Ryan O'Hearn lined out to third to end the inning.

Rafael Devers took strike three to start the top of the second. Garrett Cooper flied out to left but Romy Gonzalez walked. Vaughn Grissom got a base hit to right to move Gonzalez to third, but Dominic Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. The O's went up for good in the bottom of the second as Ryan Mountcastle singled to right to begin. Colton Cowser forced Mountcastle at second but Jordan Westburg doubled to the left field wall to score Cowser to put the O's up for good already. Kyle Stowers lined out to right to move Westburg to third but Mullins struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                           O's take the lead

Ceddanne Rafaela was rung up for strike three to start the top of the third before Duran grounded out to second. Refsnyder drilled a base hit to right but Wong flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning. The O's struck again in the bottom of the third as Jorge Mateo doubled to left to start. Henderson grounded out to second to move Mateo to third and he scored on a pop up to center by Rutschman. O'Hearn popped up to short to end the inning with the O's ahead 2-0.

                                                         Sac fly scores a run

More Sox ineptitude in the top of the fourth as Devers got a base hit to center to start. Cooper blooped a single to center but Gonzalez screwed up the bunt, getting Devers thrown out at third. Grissom walked to load the bases but Smith was called out on strikes on a pitch outside. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. The O's iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Mountcastle doubled to right to start. Cowser hit a routine grounder to Grissom....booted for an error.  Westburg walked to load the bases and Stowers doubled to left to score two runners. Mullins tripled to center to ice the game all with nobody out. Mateo hit a sac fly to right to score Mullins as fans laughed at the Red Sox. Henderson struck out swinging and Rutschman flied out to left to end the inning with the O's up 7-0.

                                                           What a disaster

Duran flied out to left to start the top of the fifth before Refsnyder lined out to center. Wong walked but Devers took strike three to end the inning. Brad Keller made his Sox debut in the bottom of the fifth as O'Hearn grounded back to the mound to start. Mountcastle struck out swinging and Cowser grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jacob Webb came in to pitch the top of the sixth as Cooper grounded out to third to start. Gonzalez grounded out to short and Grissom took strike three to end the inning. David Hamilton came in for Devers for the bottom of the sixth and Westburg struck out swinging to start. Stowers pounded a ground rule double into the centerfield stands but Rafaela made a great running catch to rob Mullins of extra bases. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning.

Smith flied out to center to start the top of the seventh before Rafaela got a base hit to center. Duran struck out swinging and Refsnyder forced Rafaela to end the inning. The O's went off in the bottom of the seventh as Henderson walked to start. Rutschman doubled to right to score Henderson and O'Hearn got a base hit to center to move Adley to third. Mountcastle got a base hit to right to score Adley and both runners moved over on the Cowser fly out to center. Westburg popped up to second but Stowers got a base hit to center to score both runners. Mullins grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 11-0.

                                                  O's pour it on

Ramon Urias took over for Henderson and Thyago Vieira took over on the mound for the top of the eighth. Wong walked and took second on a wild pitch before Hamilton walked as well. Cooper walked to load the bases and Gonzalez smacked a triple to right to clear the bases. Grissom walked and that was it for Vieira. Smith flied out to left, Rafaela struck out swinging and Duran went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox down 11-3.

                                                      The lone highlight of the game

Mateo lined out to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Urias got a base hit to center. Rutschman forced Urias at second but O'Hearn singled to right. Mountcastle grounded out to third to end the inning.

Dillon Tate came in to close out the top of the ninth and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to start. Wong flied out to right but Hamilton got a base hit to right. Cooper flied out to center and Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the game. The O's had won it 11-3.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of the Night is Cooper Criswell. He got rocked for 7 runs in just four innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't get out of.

                                                                 Jackass Criswell

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3.

David Hamilton singled, walked and scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brad Keller allowed 4 runs in 4 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 3 runs.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Happy Memorial Day....the Sox suck! Looks like the starting rotation is crashing down to earth as Criswell is mortal after all. With the offense as bad as it is, the Sox desperately needed the starting pitching to hold up. Unfortunately when you have a team of number 3-5 starters, eventually they're going to balance out. We all know the offense is awful and is going to struggle, but the rotation performing is the only reason the Sox aren't dead last. Looks like the season is about to come crashing down and its a miracle the Sox lasted this long in a pennant race considering team management abandoned them for the almighty dollar before it even started. Just have to keep plugging along and not expect much the rest of the season. The loss dropped the Sox to 27-27, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Orioles when Brayan Bello (5-2) takes the mound against Grayson Rodriguez of Baltimore. The game begins at 6:35 PM at Camden Yards.

Sox Rally Past Brewers (5/26/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made roster moves. Zack Kelly was sent down to Worcester and in his place the Sox signed 28 year old free agent relief pitcher Brad Keller. Keller was batting practice for the Chicago White Sox until he was released on Monday. If he posted a 4.86 ERA for the worst team in baseball, why would he suddenly turn it around in Boston? Oh well.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, for the third day in a row the Milwaukee Brewers held the Sox to three runs or less. Tobias Myers and the Milwaukee Brewers held the Sox to just 1 run through seven innings while Tanner Houck (1.90 ERA) kept pace by holding Milwaukee to one measly run through six innings. Justin Slaten (3-2, 3.00) pitched a scoreless eighth inning but the Sox suddenly rallied in the bottom of the frame. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled and Jarren Duran drove him in with a base hit to give the Sox the lead. Kenley Jansen shut the door in the ninth and the Sox had beaten the Brewers 2-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Davis Riley approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brice Turang grounded out to second to start. William Contreras grounded out to short but Christian Yelich singled to center. Willy Adames blooped a base hit to right but Jake Bauers took strike three to end the inning. Myers got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu blooped a base hit to right but Garrett Cooper struck out swinging. Abreu got thrown at second trying to steal to end the inning. 

Gary Sanchez struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Sal Frelick grounded out to second. Oliver Dunn grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafael Devers flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Dominic Smith flied out to right. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Blake Perkins struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Turang singled to center. Contreras struck out swinging and Yelich grounded out to second to end the inning. Vaughn Grissom flied out to right to start the bottom of the third but David Hamilton singled to right. Hamilton stole second then took third when Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Adames struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Bauers flied out to right. Smith lost a ball by Sanchez in the sun for a double but Frelick lined out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Cooper popped up to first but Devers hit a sac fly to right to score Abreu. Smith got a base hit to center but McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                     Devers puts the Sox on top

As usual once the Sox scored, the other team answered as the Brewers struck back in the top of the fifth. Dunn singled to left to start before he stole second base. Perkins struck out swinging but Turang walked. Contreras singled to center to score Dunn but Turang was thrown out at home on a grounder to first by Yelich. Adames struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Contreras ties it up

Grissom got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Hamilton popped up his bunt attempt to Sanchez. A wild pitch moved Grissom to second but Rafaela grounded out to short....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Ceddanne was safe and sure enough, he was. Joel Payamps came in to pitch and Rafaela promptly stole second. Duran struck out swinging and Frelick made a great catch to rob Abreu of a hit to end the inning.

Bauers grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth but Sanchez got a base hit to center. Frelick flied out to left and Dunn grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Houck who once again did well, allowing just a single run in 6 innings. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 7 batters.

                                                           Good work Houck

Cooper flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth before Devers struck out swinging. Smith flied out to center to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Perkins caught Devers asleep with a bunt single. Turang dropped down a bunt to move Perkins to second and Contreras moved him to third with a grounder to first. Yelich grounded out to first to end the inning. McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh before Grissom took strike three. Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Adames struck out swinging to start. Bauers struck out swinging and Sanchez went down hacking to end the inning. Elvis Peguero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and suddenly Rafaela doubled to left. Duran got a base hit to left to score Rafaela to put the Sox in the lead. Abreu got a base hit to left but Cooper grounded into a double play. Devers was intentionally walked but Smith grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                              Duran gets it done

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Frelick took strike three to start. Dunn struck out swinging and Perkins' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Jansen to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. His rbi single in the 8th put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Duran The Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with 2 stolen bases.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Tanner Houck tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 7.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten got the win by striking out the side in the eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen got his ninth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Three games, three times the Brewers pitching staff held the Sox to almost no runs. Only this time, the Sox pitching held up. Houck held the Brewers to just a single run and the bullpen slammed the door after that. The Sox were pretty much sleeepwalking the whole game and still found a way to pull it out. Still, the problems that have been plaguing the Sox all season continued as they couldn't generate much offense. The losses of Trevor Story and Triston Casas have been killers but the bottom of the order being a black hole just makes things worse. Get ready for a .500 season if things keep up, and that's being generous. The win improved the Sox to 27-26, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Baltimore for one of the most important series of the season against the Orioles. Cooper Criswell (2-1) gets the start for Boston against Cole Irvin of Baltimore tomorrow afternoon. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.