Thursday, May 2, 2024

Giants Shut Down Sox (5/2/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Enmanuel Valdez was optioned down to Worcester and Sox activated shortstop Zack Short. Short isnt much with the bat but he fields his position well, and with the Sox record at 14-2 when they don't allow an error, Sox brass looks to keep it that way. Valdez was hitting just .156 with an error so it was an easy move to make. Maybe once a bunch of people come back healthy, Valdez will be seen again.
                                                                                OUT
                                                                         IN

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 6 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Boston Red Sox. The Boston bats went quiet in this one as the Giants bullpen held the Sox to just one measly run the entire game. Josh Winckowski tossed shutout ball but was pulled in the fifth with the game tied 1-1. In the top of the seventh, Zack Kelly (0-1, 3.18 ERA) was charged with two runs to put the Giants ahead. The Sox bats couldn't rally in the final three innings and the Giants had beaten the Sox 3-1 at Fenway Park.
                     The retiring Jack Edwards (with Andy Brickley) can't bear to watch

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first and Jung Hoo Lee flied out to center to start. Jorge Soler grounded out to third but Wilmer Flores walked. Michael Conforto grounded out to second to end the inning. Harrison got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers was hit with a pitch. Tyler O'Neill drew a walk but Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging. Connor Wong walked to load the bases but Garrett Cooper flied out to right to end the inning.

Patrick Bailey flied out to right to start the top of the second but Matt Chapman walked. Thairo Estrada grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec walked to start the bottom of second but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Zack Short made his Sox debut by striking out swinging and Duran also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Giants struck first in the top of the third as Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run all the way to Cambridge to start. Nick Ahmed popped up to first and Lee flied out to center, but Soler singled to left. Flores lined out to left to end the inning with the Giants up 1-0.
                                                   A Yastrzemski homer at Fenway

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Devers singled to center to start. O'Neill hit a rocket off the top of the Monster to score Devers to tie the game. Refsnyder walked but Wong went down hacking. Cooper grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
                                                          Tyler ties it up

Conforto grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Bailey flied out to center. Chapman popped up to first to end the inning. Dalbec grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth but Yaz lost a Rafaela ball in the sun for a double. Short took strike three and Lee robbed Duran of a double with a good catch to end the inning.

Winckowski briefly came back for the top of the fifth as Estrada grounded out to third to start. He allowed no runs, 2 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino came in and Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft. Ahmed grounded out to third to end the inning. 
                                                     Short and sweet for Wink

Devers froze for strike three leading off the bottom of the fifth but O'Neill walked. Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Lee flied out to left to start the top of the sixth and Bernardino was done. Zack Kelly came in and Soler flied out to left. Flores singled to center but Conforto popped up to third to end the inning. Ryan Walker came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Cooper got a base hit to center but Dalbec struck out swinging. Rafaela lined out to center to end the inning. 

The Giants put the game away in the top of the seventh as Bailey singled to left to start. Chapman singled to left and Estrada got a base hit to right to score Bailey, putting the Giants up for good. Cam Booser came in to face Yaz with runners at the corners but Austin Slater pinch hit for him. Slater struck out swinging but Ahmed hit a sad fly to left to score Chapman, icing the game. Lee lined out to left to end the inning with the Giants up 3-1.
                                                          Giants take the lead

Erik Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Short flied out to left to start. Duran grounded out to second and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning,

Naoyuki Uwasawa made his ML debut in the top of the eighth and Soler popped up to third to start. Flores popped up to third and Conforto struck out swinging to end the inning.
                                                    Welcome to the big leagues

Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and O'Neill grounded out to short to start. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging before Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bailey grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth before Chapman grounded out to second. Estrada grounded out to short to end the inning. Camilo Doval came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cooper grounded out to first to start. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Dalbec and struck out swinging. Rafaela lined out to right to end the game. The Giants had won it 3-1.
                                                             Giants win


Jackass of The Night is Zack Kelly. He was charged with 2 runs to take the loss.
                                                        Kelly The Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Josh Winckowski tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed just 1 run off 2 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a full scoreless inning.

Naoyuki Uwasawa tossed two scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

Zack Short was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Cam Booser allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in a full inning.




Final Thoughts:

The problem with the Sox having so many injuries is they're going to have to win a lot of low scoring games for a while. Masataka Yoshida, Vaughn Grissom, Trevor Story and Triston Casas are all on the Injured List and that's four of your nine starters. The rumor is Grissom will be ready tomorrow and Bobby Dalbec gets shot out of a cannon. Dalbec has been a disaster at the plate and Grissom does have a good bat. Sure Zack Kelly got lit up tonight but otherwise the pitching has been the bright spot this season. They all have interesting stories from Booser taking up carpentry thinking he'd never pitch again and Uwasawa coming over from Japan only to get cut by the Tampa Bay Rays, then picked up on a whim here. Jarren Duran picked a fine time to go into a slump and Rafaela still looks lost at the plate. Hopefully both of them turn it around soon because both the Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays have looked awful this year to start. The Sox may be perfectly mediocre but there are some BAD teams in baseball that are far worse than they are. If the Sox can get healthy, they might have something here. The loss dropped the Sox to 18-14, 2.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road and the first stop is Minnesota to play the Twins. Tomorrow night Tanner Houck (3-2, 1.60 ERA) gets the start against Chris Paddack of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

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