Off-Day News: 2021 Draft Revisited (6/27/24)

It's another off-day and its time to take a look at former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom's 2021 MLB Draft choices. With Covid in the past, this time there was going to be 20 rounds and the Red Sox owned the fourth overall pick due to their garbage 2020 season. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did.

1st round - INF Marcelo Mayer

The fourth overall pick turned out to be Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer has lived up to his billing so far, hitting .275 for the Florida Complex league to end 2021. In 2022 he hit 13 home runs and drove in 53 runs between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive. He stalled a bit in 2023 as he tore up Greenville hitting .290 with 7 home runs and 34 rbis but faltered for the Portland Sea Dogs. He hit just .189 with 6 home runs and 20 rbis. This year he's apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel, hitting .308 with 6 home runs and 34 rbis so far. The 21 year old is on the fast track to Worcester and could be competing for a Boston job in Spring Training next year if he's not traded.

2nd round - OF Jud Fabian

Chaim Bloom goofed with his second round pick. Jud Fabian was a hell of an outfielder for the Florida Gators hitting 20 home runs and driving in 46 runs his junior year. The Sox took him with the 40th overall pick but he refused to sign, staying for his senior year. Apparently its come out since that the Baltimore Orioles had a 3 million dollar deal ready for him with the 41st pick but Bloom beat the O's to the punch. Guess who drafted Fabian in the second round of the 2022 draft? That's right. This season Jud is hitting just .235 but with 13 home runs & 36 rbis for the Bowie Baysox and could be promoted to AAA soon. Talent wise Fabian was the right pick to make, too bad he had his heart set on playing for Baltimore. Big mistake by Bloom.

3rd round - 2B Tyler McDonough

The Sox third round pick in this draft was North Carolina State Wolfpack second baseman Tyler McDonough. Tyler showed promise hitting .300 between the Florida Complex League and Salem Red Sox at the end of 2021 but hit just .230 for Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit an even .250 shuffling between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox. This year he hit .261 with the Sea Dogs before being called up to Worcester. In 10 games he's hit .242 which isn't going to get him called up to Boston. Still, at 25 he's in Worcester and hopefully he can turn the jets on to make it to Boston.

4th round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez

The first pitcher chosen in the draft wasn't until the first round and it was a Puerto Rican high school JUNIOR named Elmer Rodriguez. He graduated in 2021 and made his debut in 2022 where he allowed just 8 earned runs in 33 innings between the Complex and Salem. Last year he was Salem's best pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts. This year he's 2-3 with a 2.74 ERA and it might be time to promote him to Greenville. He doesn't turn 21 until August but they're moving him along slowly. It better work out because you don't want him in the minors at 24-25 if he has nothing left to prove.


5th round - C Nathan Hickey

When Nathan Hickey was picked in the fifth round out of Florida University, he instantly became one of the top catchers in the system automatically. Unfortunately he may not be the chosen one anymore with Kyle Teel being the top ranked guy. Hickey didn't accomplish much at the Complex and Salem in 2021 but in 2022 he rebounded to crack 16 home runs and drive in 62 between Salem and Greenville. He spent 2023 in Portland where he hit just .258 but hit 15 home runs while driving in 56. Now he's in Worcester hitting just .211 with 8 home runs and 38 rbis. Kyle Teel may leapfrog him eventually but as of right now, he could be the emergency catcher in Boston if something happens to Connor Wong or Reese McGuire. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but he's one step away from the majors.

6th round - C Daniel McElveny

This might be one of Chaim Bloom's worst draft picks when all is said and done only for who was drafted around him, but I'll get to that in a second. Daniel battled a ton of injuries, playing just 43 games between the Complex and Salem in 2022. Last year he played just 9 games again and now he's healthy, but he's hitting just .189 in 29 games for Salem as a backup catcher. Sixth round picks shouldn't be expected to bring first round production but here's the kicker....McElveny was the fourth selection of the 6th round, Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was taken 12th in the round. Carlos Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers this year at 15th. Spencer Arrighetti made his debut this year with the Houston Astros picked one slot after Rodriguez. Sox pitching prospect Dick Fitts was taken 21st in the round and another Sox prospect Taylor Broadway was taken 23rd. Not a good look when three guys picked after you have already reached the majors and two more that got traded to Boston are ranked higher than you in your own organization. Hopefully Daniel can turn it around, otherwise this could be Bloom's biggest whiff not counting Jud Fabian.

7th round - RHP Wyatt Olds

24 year old right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds was a classic case of "What were you expecting?" Olds had a horrible senior year at Oklahoma University going 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA, getting pulled from the rotation at the end of the year. Chaim Bloom took him in the seventh round anyway. He pitched in only 6 games in 2021 and was straight batting practice in 2022. He was 4-9 with a 6.01 ERA for Greenville although he allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings for Portland. In 2023 he was even worse, going 0-7 with a 8.47 ERA before getting pulled from the rotation. This year he's 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA. The guy simply is not good and Bloom knew it when he drafted him. To make matters worse, 7 picks after Olds was taken, the Washington Nationals took Jacob Young who made his MLB debut in 2023. Five picks after Young, the Houston Astros took Joey Loperfido who made his MLB debut in April of this year. Its one thing to pick a guy and he doesn't pan out, its another thing to pick a guy who wasn't good and expect anything different.

8th round - RHP Hunter Dobbins

Speaking of crapshots, the Sox took one with their 8th round pick. Hunter Dobbins showed promise at Texas Tech before his 2020 season was cut short due to Covid. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem in 2022. He started to turn it around in 2023 going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Greenville before going 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA for Portland to end the season. This year he's 4-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts so far and a promotion to Worcester might be coming soon. Its a shame its taken him this long to get to AA, needing elbow surgery sucks.

9th round - 3B Tyler Miller

The Sox took Auburn third baseman Tyler Miller in the 9th round in 2021 and looked to be on the fast track when he hit .300 between the Complex and Salem at the end of 2021 with 3 home runs and 20 rbis. Then in 2022 he hit just .219 with 13 home runs and 59 rbis for Salem. Last year he hit .263 with just 9 home runs and 51 rbis in 91 games for Greenville. He started this year hitting .275 with 4 home runs for Greenville before getting promoted to Portland. He's played 24 games and has just 1 home run with 11 rbis while batting .247. He's been perfectly mediocre since the end of 2021 and at 24 years old, he may get leapfrogged by future picks. Least he's made it to AA, more than others on this list can say.

10th round - RHP Matt Litwicki

What an unfortunate career for 10th round pick Matt Litwicki. He pitched in just 22 games for the Indiana Hoosiers due to injuries and didn't make his Sox debut until June of 2023....where he was awful for the Complex and Salem before getting released again. He pitched in just 28 games going back to 2019 due to injuries. Just like Hunter Dobbins, Bloom drafted Litwicki knowing he was an injury risk. This one just didn't pan out.

11th round - 1B Niko Kavadas

The Sox looked to have scored with their 11th round pick when they chose hulking first baseman Niko Kavadas. He hit 24 home runs and drove in 76 runs between Greenville and Portland in 2022 and hit 22 home runs with 69 rbis between Portland and Worcester in 2023. This year he's hitting .276 with 14 home runs and 49 rbis and fans are mad that he's not in Boston. After Triston Casas went down, the Sox have relied on the trio of Bobby Dalbec, Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper and only Smith looks even halfway competent. Maybe the Sox will come to their senses and bring up Kavadas at some point once Casas comes back. Either way, he's the closest of anyone to reach the majors of this draft group.

12th round - RHP Christopher Troye

Just like Wyatt Olds, 12th round pick Christopher Troye another guy that had sub-par stats in college when he was drafted. He allowed 31 runs in 51 innings for U-Cal Santa Barbara while having mediocre seasons in 2021 for the Complex and 2022 for Salem. He started to figure it out of the bullpen last year when he posted a 1.96 ERA for Greenville and 3.77 for Portland. This year he fell apart, allowing 12 runs in 11 innings so far this year. Compounding this is 8 picks after Troye, the Seattle Mariners took Corey Rosier who's now with Portland as well. The killer was 10 picks after Troye, the San Francisco Giants took Landen Roupp who just made his ML debut with the Giants this year. There's still time to turn it around for Troye but once again, what were the Sox expecting when looking at his college stats?

13th round - SS Zach Ehrhard

The Sox rolled the dice and crapped out with their 13th round pick, Wharton High School shortstop Zach Ehrhard. Ehrhard spurned the Sox and went to play in college for Oklahoma State. He had a good freshman year but a lousy sophomore year. He took a big step this year hitting .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis. One more year of this and he could be in the first five rounds of next year's draft. Hopefully he's not the next Mark Teixeira.

14th round - RHP Jacob Webb

For two years it looked like 14th round pick Jacob Webb would be the first to make the majors. He allowed 2 runs in 12 innings between the Complex and Salem to end 2021 then ended the 2022 season in Portland. Then last year he was 8-3 but had a 5.03 ERA out of the bullpen. This year he's 6-1 but with a mediocre 4.35 ERA. Going 14-4 in Portland is fine, but not with that ERA. He might get a crack at Worcester before the year is over but he looked on the fast track in 2022 only to falter this year. To make matters worse, the last pick of the 14th round was Jordan Leasure, chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Leasure was traded by the Dodgers last year as part of the package for Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox and made his debut for the hapless ChiSox this year. Still, getting a major leaguer out of the 14th round is an accomplishment, Webb could be there eventually.

15th round - SS Payton Green

Once again the Sox wasted a draft pick when their 15th round selection, shortstop Payton Green decided to go to North Carolina State instead. After two years at NC State, he transferred to Georgia Tech this season where he hit .309 with 12 home runs and 42 rbis. Just like Ehrhard, he might increase his draft stock next year. What's worse, the Cincinnati Reds took outfielder Blake Dunn with their 15th round pick and he made his ML debut earlier this month. Another swing and a miss by Bloom.

16th round - 2B BJ Vela

Speaking of wasted picks, one of the weirdest was 16th round pick BJ Vela. Vela looked to have things figured out when he hit .342 in 21 games for the Complex but was surprisingly cut before Spring Training last year. It was never revealed why they gave up so quick on him but to make matters worse, the San Diego Padres took Gonzaga pitcher Alek Jacob with their 16th round pick. Jacob had a cup of coffee with the Padres last year making the Vela pick look even worse. Something must have happened with Vela, oh well.

17th round - RHP Luis Guerrero

The Sox finally got one right in the 17th round when they picked Luis Guerrero out of Chipola Junior College. He went 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA for Salem in 2022 before posting a 2.08 ERA for Greenville. Last year he was Portland's closer going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA with 18 saves before getting the late call to Worcester. This year he's 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA for Worcester and just like Kavadas, Guerrero is knocking on the door to the big leagues. Not bad for a 17th round pick to be one of the closest to the majors.

18th round - OF Phillip Sikes

In the 18th round the Sox picked Texas Christian outfielder Phillip Sikes. Sikes batting average has dipped at every level. He hit .392 for the Complex in 2021 before he hit .258 in Salem & .248 in Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit .210 for Portland although he rebounded so far this year to hit .256 with 4 home runs and 19 rbis. The fact he was leapfrogged by Roman Anthony shows that this might not have been a great pick. Still, what are you expecting out of the 18th round?

19th round - RHP Tyler Uberstine

What a sad career for 19th round pick Tyler Uberstine. Just like Wyatt Olds and Christopher Troye, Tyler was a bum for Northwestern going 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA his last year in college. Tyler was 4-4 with a 4.63 ERA for Salem to start 2022 but was better in Greenville, going 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He started 2023 on the Injured List and had to have Tommy John surgery in June. He may not pitch this year either and its a shame, but injuries are part of the game.

20th round - SS Josh Hood

Just like Zach Ehrhard and Payton Green, Pennsylvania University infielder Josh Hood didn't sign with the Red Sox. He instead transferred to NC State and was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. Last year he hit 13 home runs between A and A+ ball and began this year with the Everett AquaSox hitting just .237 with 6 home runs & 31 rbis. Still, to go from the 20th round to the sixth and making it to High A is nothing to sneeze at.....too bad its not with the Red Sox.

URFA - OF Kier Meredith

The Sox did sign two rookie free agents after the 2021 draft, one of which was Clemson outfielder Kier Meredith. He hit .265 for Salem in 2022 with just 1 home run and 22 rbis and .178 for Greenville in 2023 with 1 home run and 10 rbis. After the 2023 season he retired and is now a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It takes a smart man to realize he's not gonna make it and do something else, good luck to Kier as a scout.

URFA - RHP Jhonny Felix

The other undrafted free agent was right handed pitcher Jhonny Felix who went to high school in Brighton, Mass before going to West Oklahoma State. Felix was straight batting practice at every level he was at. He allowed 10 runs in 3 innings for the Complex in 2021, 42 runs in 38 innings between the Complex and Salem in 2022 and 36 runs in 45 innings for Salem in 2023 before he was mercifully released in August. Can't even be mad at the signing, he went undrafted for a reason.

That's going to do it for this 3 year look back at the 2021 draft. So far Payton Green, Josh Hood, Zach Ehrhard and Jud Fabian never signed while Matt Litwicki, BJ Vela, Kier Meredith and Jhonny Felix are gone. The two closest to the majors are Guerrero and Kavadas while Mayer is still the chosen one. Fringe guys like Webb, Dobbins, McDonough and Sikes are still out for the jury to decide. Either way, not a single guy in this draft has made the majors yet, that's an indictment on Bloom.

Game Postponed Until August (6/26/24)

Tonight's Boston Red Sox game has been suspended and postponed as apart of a doubleheader on August 26th. Here's what happened leading up to it.

                                                            So much for this one

Kutter Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Bo Bichette struck out swinging to start. Spencer Horowitz flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero Jr walked. Justin Turner grounded out to second to end the inning. Yariel Rodriguez got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound to start. David Hamilton grounded out to second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

George Springer was rung up for strike three to start the top of the second before Davis Schneider drew a walk. Crawford threw a first pitch strike to Danny Jansen and that's when the came was called. The funny thing is, the game won't be played until two months from now. Who knows what will be in the lineup by then.

Despite the game being postponed, the New York Yankees lost meaning the Sox remain 43-37 but are now 8 games back of first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Friday night as the San Diego Padres come to town. Nick Pivetta (4-4, 4.06 ERA) takes on Randy Vasquez of San Diego at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News: 2020 Draft Revisited (6/20/24)

As we are about a month out from the 2024 MLB Draft, its time to take a look at the Chaim Bloom era and the success....or lack thereof, his drafts brought to the table. The 2020 draft was the transition draft as 2019 and previous drafts were 40 rounds but the elimination of rookie league also cut 20 rounds from the draft. Then the pandemic happened and there were only 5 rounds in the 2020 draft. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did four years later even though he's no longer the Boston Red Sox GM.

1st round - INF Nick Yorke

                                                                     

With the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Red Sox took Archbishop Mitty High School third baseman Nick Yorke. Yorke was considered one of the best high school infield prospects in the draft and although he didn't get to play rookie ball in 2020, he shined in 2021. He hit .323 with 10 home runs and 47 rbis for the Salem Red Sox and .333 with four home runs and 15 rbis for the Greenville Drive. 14 homers and 62 rbis for a 19 year old sounds promising. Unfortunately competition caught up with Nick in 2022 as he hit just .232 albeit with 11 homers and 45 rbis. In 2023 he spent the entire year in Portland where he hit .268 with 13 home runs and 61 rbis. He was hitting just .251 for the Portland Sea Dogs when he got the call to Worcester this year where he's thrived. Currently he's hitting .362 with 2 homers and 9 rbis in 12 games with the WooSox. The 22 year old looks to be right on schedule when Bloom drafted him as a teenager. Now a lot of his contemporaries have already made their MLB debuts, but with the crowded infield the Red Sox have, he's more of a numbers casualty than a lack of talent. He's currently the 17th ranked prospect and the smart move would be to move Rafael Devers to the DH slot while putting Yorke at third base. That might be the end-game in 2025.

3rd round - Blaze Jordan

The Sox had no second round pick as it was forfeited due to the sign stealing accusations. Their third round pick was another teenage phenom, DeSoto Central High School third baseman Blaze Jordan. Jordan went viral as a teenager for hitting tape measure home runs at Arlington Park. Just like Yorke, he had no 2020 rookie ball season and spent 2021 playing just 28 games between Florida Complex and Salem. In 2022 he played 120 games between Salem & Greenville hitting 12 home runs and 68 rbis. In 2023 he was once again Greenville's best player, hitting .324 with 12 homers and 55 rbis before getting promoted to Portland. He hit 6 home runs and knocked in 31 runs in 49 games for a total of 18 home runs and 86 rbis. This year he's hitting .280 for Portland with 4 home runs and 27 rbis. He doesn't turn 22 until December so the Sox are bringing him along slowly. Just like Yorke, its more due to a crowded situation than a talent performance. Bloom drafting nothing but position players for four years led to a log jam. Time will tell if and when Blaze makes the majors.

4th round - LHP Jeremy Wu-Yelland

Fourth round pick Jeremy Wu-Yelland his been marred by injuries almost since day one. He graduated from Hawaii University in 2000 and made his organizational debut going 1-3 in 20 stars with Salem in 2021. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and made just 3 starts in the Florida Complex in 2023. He's only pitched in 6 games for Greenville this year with a hideous 5.68 ERA. He's already 25 years old and may get cut if he doesn't show improvement pretty soon. Too bad he got hurt.

5th round - LHP Shane Drohan

Fifth and final pick Shane Drohan has had an interesting baseball odyssey. After graduating from Florida State University, Drohan started 2021 like a house of fire going 7-4 in 23 starts with a 3.96 ERA for the Salem Red Sox. In 2022, he went 7-8 between Greenville and Portland in 25 starts. 2023 looked like a breakout season when he started 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 6 starts but he proceeded to crash and burn in Worcester. He went 5-7 with a 6.47 ERA in 19 starts before getting claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. He posted a 7.36 ERA with the Charlotte Knights before being returned to Boston just eight days ago. That technicality is the only reason all five draft picks are still with the organization. Whether or not he makes the majors is if he can figure out AAA pitching or not.

RFA - RHP Brian Van Belle

There were 16 rookie free agents signed after the draft but only three remain. The first is right handed pitcher Brian Van Belle. He only made 4 starts for the Miami Hurricanes in 2020 but was 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in those games. In 2021, he was 4-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 18 starts for the Salem Red Sox and was 9-6 with a hideous 5.43 ERA combined between Greenville and Portland in 2022. He was 11-7 between Portland and Worcester last year but has been straight batting practice this season. He's 2-2 with a 6.65 ERA so far this year and at 27 years old, time's up. They got prospects coming up and they can get a 4A veteran anywhere. Still, for a guy who might have been a low round pick or still not even drafted, getting this far is an accomplishment.

RFA - RHP Robert Kwiatkowski

27 year old right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski has had an unsung career for sure. He graduated from Marshall University at 23 years old and looked like a future stud when he went 6-0 with a 3.58 ERA out of the bullpen for the Salem Red Sox. Unfortunately he was batting practice for Greenville in 2022 when he went 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA out of the bullpen. In 2023 he started off slow in Greenville but rebounded in Portland posting a 3.78 ERA for the Sea Dogs. This year he's posted a mediocre 4.40 ERA out of the bullpen for Portland but did throw 6 1/3 scoreless innings for Worcester. If he stays in Worcester, he might actually be useful. Just like Van Belle, he's 27 years old and he can easily be replaced by a better prospect or a 4A pitcher.....unless he continues to get guys out in Worcester.

RFA - Catcher Juan Montero

22 year old catcher Juan Montero was an interesting project started by Bloom. He was an undrafted free agent signed at 18 out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy and only played 34 games combined in 2021 and 2022 for the Florida Complex. In 2023 he hit .247 in 23 games for Salem but is only hitting .187 in 29 games for Salem. He's still only 22 but hitting .187 in Low A ball is a bad sign. Still, to not even be drafted and going straight from PRBA to the pros is a tough process. Hopefully he turns it around, but if not, there's always another catcher to be drafted or signed.

So there's your seven prospects remaining from the 2020 draft/rookie haul. The problem was three of them (Yorke,Jordan,Montero) were out of high school when they were drafted, one of them got injured (Wu-Yelland) and the others just haven't performed good enough (Drohan/Kwiatkowski/Van Belle). It looks like Yorke will have a place if he's not traded and the word is still out on Jordan, but it doesn't look good for the others. If only one of them makes the majors, that's a bad look for Chaim Bloom's first draft. Then again, the whole season was a waste anyway with Covid. 

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in Cincinnati to face the Reds. Kutter Crawford (2-6, 3.54 ERA) looks to get Boston to six straight wins against Andrew Abbott of the Reds. The game begins at 7:10 PM Eastern time at Great American Ball Park.

Detroit Clubs Sox in 10 Innings (6/2/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Vaughn Grissom and Romy Gonzalez were placed on the Injured List with bad hamstrings. Grissom hurt the OTHER hamstring after being out for April with a bad pull. In their places the Sox brought back Bobby Dalbec but also Jamie Westbrook. Westbrook has played 11 years in the minors and finally got the call. Good luck to him.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, this team just finds ways to lose doesn't it? The Sox broke out to a 3-0 lead against the Detroit Tigers thanks to rbis from Enmanuel Valdez, Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers. The Tigers rallied for four runs against Brayan Bello and Justin Slaten to put Detroit on top. Devers hit a game tying home run to plunge the game into extra innings. Cam Booser (0-2, 4.35 ERA) got rocked for four runs in the top of the tenth to put the game out of reach. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the tenth and the Tigers came back to win 8-4 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling singled to center to start. Riley Greene walked but Wenceel Perez flied out to right. Mark Canha beat out a double play ball and Colt Keith grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Mize got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Wilyer Abreu doubled to right but Dominic Smith flied out to left. Rafael Devers walked but Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to center to score Abreu. Garrett Cooper froze for strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Valdez drives in a run

Gio Urshela grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Akil Baddoo struck out swinging. Javier Baez also struck out swinging to end the inning. Reese McGuire flied out to left to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela walked. Rafaela looked to have second base stolen but Tigers manager AJ Hinch challenged that he was out. Sure enough, the calls was overturned and Rafaela was out. David Hamilton hit a grounder to second that Keith threw away for an error to move David to second. Duran got a base hit to center to score Hamilton with another run, but Abreu lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         Sox get another run

Carson Kelly was rung up for strike three to start the top of the third before Vierling also was called out on strikes. Greene grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Smith walked to start. Devers smacked a triple into the right field corner to score Dominic but Valdez lined out to second. Cooper flied out to right and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did lead 3-0 but not getting that fourth run was huge.

                                                              Triple for Devers

Perez got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Canha grounded into a double play. Keith grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Hamilton was frozen for strike three. Duran walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the fifth as Urshela doubled off the Monster to start. Baddoo got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners and Urshela scored on a wild pitch. Baez grounded out to short and Valdez batted down a line drive by Kelly for a "single". Vierling lined out to third and Greene grounded out to first to end the inning with the Tigers down 3-1.

                                                          Tigers get a run back

Tyler Holton came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Abreu flied out to right to start. Smith grounded out to third and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Tigers struck again in the top of the sixth as Perez singled to right to start. Canha walked and both runners moved over when Keith hit a squibber to Bello. Urshela hit a rocket to Rafaela who threw home, but Perez just barely got the plate to be ruled safe. Baddoo walked and Canha stole third, but Baez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers down 3-2.

                                                          Perez scores a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Valdez lined out to first to start. Cooper flied out to center and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kelly was rung up for strike three to start the top of the seventh but Vierling beat out a chopper to Hamilton. Greene lashed a base hit past Hamilton and that was it for Bello. He would be charged with 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks. Justin Slaten came in and Perez immediately crushed a double to center to score Greene. Canha grounded out to short to score Greene, putting the Tigers up for the first time in the game. Keith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 4-3.

                                                        Bello couldn't get it done

The Sox offense was done for the night in the bottom of the seventh as Rafaela flied out to left to start. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Hamilton and Alex Faedo came in to pitch to him. Refsnyder lined out to right but Duran dumped a base hit to center. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Urshela struck out swinging to start. Baddoo popped up to short and Baez flied out to center to end the inning. Abreu fell down the dugout steps after the inning was over and hobbled around, yet another injury. The Sox did manage to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth as Smith flied out to center to start. Devers clobbered his 11th home run of the season to dead center to tie the game. Keith made a great diving catch to rob Valdez of a hit and that was it for Faedo. Jason Foley came in to pitch to Cooper and Baddoo chased down a line drive to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                      Devers ties it up

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and struck out Kelly swinging to start. Vierling hit a grounder to Devers who threw him out while on his knees. Greene ripped a base hit to right and naturally stole second. Perez popped up to Duran to end the inning. McGuire popped up to second to start the bottom of the ninth before Rafaela grounded out to third. Refsnyder poked a base hit to right to chase Foley. Andrew Chafin came in to face Duran and Jarren walked on four straight curves in the dirt. For some reason, Alex Cora sent in career minor leaguer Jamie Westbrook to pinch hit for Abreu. The gamble somewhat worked as Westbrook drew a walk to load the bases. Connor Wong pinch hit for Smith and swung at a meatball down the middle....only to fly out to right to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of 10th with Bobby Dalbec at first and Perez at second as the ghost runner. Canha looked to have beat out a grounder to third but Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Canha didn't actually touch the bag. The umpires upheld the call and Andy Ibanez pinch hit for Keith, naturally doubling down the left field line to score Perez. Urshela lined out to short and Jake Rogers pinch hit for Baddoo. Rogers lined out to short as well but Baez ripped a base hit to left to score both runners and ice the game. Kelly followed with a double to center to add insult to injury, scoring Baez. Vierling flied out to center but the boos rained down on Fenway with the Tigers ahead 8-4.

                                                                Tigers ice it

Zach McKinstry took over for Rogers with Dalbec starting the bottom of the 10th at second base. Devers struck out swinging and Valdez grounded out to short to move Dalbec to third. Cooper struck out swinging to end the game. The Tigers had won it 8-4.

                                                            Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Cam Booser. He allowed 4 runs in the tenth to take the loss.

                                                                 Jackass Booser

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Jamie Westbrook walked as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total rbis.

David Hamilton was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Connor Wong flied out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten allowed both inherited runners to score in just 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Brayan Bello was charged with 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec played first in the 10th inning.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a sucker punch to the gonads. The Sox broke out to a 3-0 lead and couldn't hold the fort. Mostly it was the bullpen but Cora made some bizarre managerial decisions. Bringing in Westbrook to pinch hit worked out but Wong certainly didn't. Wong failing with the bases loaded decided the game as Booser got rocked in the 10th inning. It just goes to show they are woefully short on both arms and bats due to injuries. That goes to poor roster construction as much as it is plain bad luck. With Trevor Story and Triston Casas out, the bench is limited. The Sox are going to need to find a better way to score runs because the trio of Dominic Smith, Garrett Cooper and Bobby Dalbec aren't going to cut it. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-30, 11.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves. Kutter Crawford (2-4) goes for the Sox against Max Fried of Atlanta. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Valdez, Sox Drop Tigers (6/1/24)

When the Boston Red Sox traded Christian Vazquez at the 2022 trade deadline for Wikyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez, THIS was the Valdez they thought they were getting. Trailing 1-0 after the first inning, Valdez tied the game with a solo home run in the second. Valdez scored a run to make it 3-1 later and hit a two run bomb in the sixth to cap his day.  Cooper Criswell (3-2, 3.92 ERA) tossed 5 solid innings allowing just that first inning run. The Sox pushed the lead to five runs but Brad Keller allowed a two run bomb in the ninth inning. The Sox still held on to win 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Caitlin Clark approves of the win

Criswell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling doubled to center to start. Vierling took third on a passed ball and scored on the Riley Greene single to right. Wenceel Perez grounded into a double play and Gio Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                                Tigers strike first

Olson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Wilyer Abreu also grounded out to second but Dominic Smith singled to right. Rafael Devers forced him at second to end the inning. 

Colt Keith grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Spencer Torkelson struck out swinging. Zach McKinstry doubled to left and Javier Baez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox tied it up instantly in the bottom of the second when Enmanuel Valdez bashed his third home run of the season. Vaughn Grissom pulled up lame on a ground out to third and had to leave the game. Reese McGuire took strike three and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1. 

                                                                    That's one

Connor Wong took over for Valdez to start the top of the third and Jake Rogers grounded out to short to start. Vierling and Greene both struck out swinging to end the inning. David Hamilton flied out to left to start the bottom of the third but Duran got a base hit to center. Abreu got a base hit to right to move Duran to third and Jarren scored when Smith beat out a double play ball. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                                Sox take the lead

Perez walked to start the top of the fourth but Urshela lined out to right. Keith lined out to first and Torkelson grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Valdez doubled to left to start. Valdez moved to third on the Wong grounder to first and scored on the McGuire sac fly to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

McKinstry struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth before Baez grounded out to third. Rogers took strike three to end the inning. Hamilton went down hacking to start the bottom of the fifth and Duran grounded out to first. Abreu was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. 

Vierling doubled to center to start the top of the sixth and Sox manager Alex Cora AGAIN pulled a starter at the first sign of trouble. Criswell allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and a walk through five plus innings. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch and Greene took strike three. Rafaela made an amazing diving catch to rob Perez of a double then doubled off Vierling at second to end the inning. 

                                                            Criswell pitched good

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Smith walked to start. Devers grounded out to first to move Smith to second but Valdez clobbered his second home run of the game. That was it for Olson as Will Vest came in to pitch to Wong. Connor got a base hit to right and took off for second. Baez muffled the throw and Wong took third, but McGuire struck out swinging. Rafaela went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                                      That's two

Urshela singled to center to start the top of the seventh but Keith struck out swinging. Torkelson flied out to left and Andy Ibanez pinch hit for McKinstry. Ibanez lined out to center to end the inning. Hamilton grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Duran doubled to left. Abreu walked but Smith popped up to short. Devers got a base hit to left and Greene threw the ball away to allow Duran to score. Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                                   Sox ice it

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Baez took strike three to start. Rogers popped up to second and Vierling grounded out to third to end the inning. Jason Foley came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong struck out swinging to start. McGuire grounded out to short but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Rafaela took off for second and took third on the error by Rogers. Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Keller returned to close out the top of the ninth and Greene got a base hit to right to start. Perez flied out to center but Urshela hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to cut the lead in half. Keith flied out to center and Torkelson struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of The Night is Enmanuel Valdez. He was 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

                                                                        Enmanuel Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Cooper Criswell earned the win tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 4 hits and a walk while striking out five.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brad Keller allowed two runs in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but stole a base and threw out a runner.

Final Thoughts:

If yesterday was Rafaela's coming out party then today was Enmanuel Valdez day. He didn't do it alone, the bats pitched in for 3 other runs driven in and the pitching held up for the most part. Criswell gave them 5 strong innings and Bernardino held the fort after. Keller gave up one mistake to Urshela in the ninth, otherwise he would have been good too. The Sox needed a win like this with the mounting injuries to show they can still drive in runs. The running Red Sox also stole two more bases, hopefully they can keep this up with threats like Hamilton, Rafaela and Duran. That might be the only way they get back in the division race since they don't have the power with Trevor Story and Triston Casas out. The win improved the Sox to 30-29, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the fourth game of this series tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) takes on Casey Mize of Detroit. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.