Dodgers Stun Sox on Freeman's Slam (7/19/24)

Well that sucked. For 7 innings the Boston Red Sox held the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodhers in check as Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings and All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran hit a home run. It all fell apart in the eighth inning as Brennan Bernardino allowed a grand slam to Freddie Freeman to blow the game. Gavin Stone and the Dodgers bullpen held the Sox to one measly run as LA laughed at the Sox 4-1 at Dodgers Stadium.

                                                                   This game sucked

Stone got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. David Hamilton lined out to first, Tyler O'Neill lined out to second and Rafael Devers lined out to right to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging to begin. Will Smith got a base hit to center but Freddie Freeman went down hacking. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida flied out to right to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging. Dominic Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. Andy Pages was called out on strikes to start the bottom of the second and Miguel Rojas grounded out to first. Gavin Lux struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the top of the third but looked to have been thrown out at second trying to steal when Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was safe and the call was overturned. Duran grounded out to second to move Rafaela to third but Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Miguel Vargas walked to start the bottom of the third but Chris Taylor popped up to first. A wild pitch moved Vargas to second but Ohtani struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill singled in the hole at short to begin the top of the fourth and Devers singled off the glove of Stone. Yoshida flied out to center to move O'Neill to third, but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to short to kill the rally and end the inning. Freeman flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez doubled to left. Page struck out swinging and Rojas flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Rafaela lined out to second to start. McGuire grounded out to first but Duran crushed his 11th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Hamilton popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                      All-Star Game MVP does it again

Lux flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Vargas popped up to Rafaela. Taylor lined out to second to end the inning.

O'Neill singled off the glove of Taylor to start the top of the sixth to chase Stone. Anthony Banda came in to pitch and Devers struck out swinging. Yoshida struck out swinging and Abreu lined out to short to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth before Smith went down hacking. Freeman lined out to left to end the inning. Despite just throwing 90 pitches, that was it for Pivetta after 6 shutout innings. He allowed just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8 batters.

                                                            Good work Pivetta

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Smith doubled to left to start. Rafaela took strike three and Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and struck out swinging before Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez flied out to center to start. Pages walked but Rojas popped up to short. Lux struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Yarbrough came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton....only to fly out to left. O'Neill once again singled in the hole at short but got doubled off first on a bloop to left by Devers to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Vargas walked to start. Taylor was rung up for strike three and that was it for Kelly. Brennan Bernardino came in to face Ohtani and naturally Shohei pounded a ground rule double to left. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases and Freeman laughed as he effortlessly hit a grand slam to put the game away. Greg Weissert came in to pitch to Hernandez and Teoscar flied out to right. Pages lined out to third to end the inning with the Dodgers up 4-1.

                                           Horrible relief pitching

James Outman came in for Vargas with Daniel Hudson in to close out the top of the ninth. Somehow Yoshida got a base hit to center to start but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had blown the game to the Dodgers 4-1.

                                                                 Dodgers win

Jackass of The Night is Brennan Bernardino. He gave up the grand slam to Freeman to lose the game.

                                                          There goes the game, Jackass 

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Tyler O'Neill was 3 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

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

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Zack Kelly was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Not the best way to come out of the all-star break but the Sox have a big problem. With Justin Slaten and Chris Martin rumored to both be out for the season, the Sox back end looks pretty bad in the later innings. Sad part was this was the first blown save loss after the 7th inning since April 16th, they'd been dominant for 3 months. The offense ran into a hot pitcher but now it's rumored Triston Casas won't be back until mid-August at the earliest. They STILL don't have a true fifth starter so it's all bad Ness with the trade deadline looming. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-43, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against LA when Brayan Bello  (10-5, 5.32 ERA) tales on Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:15 at Dodgers Stadium.

Off-Day News: 2024 MLB Draft Part 2 (7/16/24)

The third and final day of the 2024 MLB Draft began with the Boston Red Sox choosing Cal Poly right handed starting pitcher Steven Brooks in the 11th round. Sox GM Craig Breslow finally pulled a Chaim Bloom and picked a straight up bum. He was 4-2 with a 5.58 ERA his sophomore year and he was 5-7 with a 5.14 ERA this year in 15 starts. Usually pitchers who sucked in college suck in the pros so the outlook doesn't look good. Who knows, maybe Craig will fix him.

                                                       11th round - RHP Steven Brooks

Keeping with the theme of starting pitcher, the Sox picked Hudson White's Arkansas teammate right handed pitcher Brady Tygart in the 12th round. Tygart was 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA in 13 starts for the Razorbacks and Breslow is banking on that translating to the pros. If a pitcher with a sub 4.00 ERA was available in the 12th round, why the hell did they pick Brooks in the 11th? Oh well.

                                                       12th round - RHP Brady Tygart

In the 13th round the Sox took a local star, Hanover's own Shea Sprague. The left handed pitcher went to BC High and spent 2024 at North Carolina. He went 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 15 starts for the Tar Heels. Breslow is taking a whole team worth of starting pitchers in hopes one or two of them stick. 

                                                         13th round - LHP Shea Sprague

Continuing the string of pitchers, the Sox took right handed pitcher Alex Bouchard out of Lehigh University in the 14th round. This will be a crapshot because Bouchard got hurt and missed almost the entire 2024 season. He had a strong 2023 by going 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 12 starts and that's what Breslow is looking for moving forward.

                                                    14th round - RHP Alex Bouchard

Breslow kept the starting pitching train rolling in the 15th round when he picked Portland University right handed pitcher Joey Gartrell. Just like Bouchard, Gartrell got hurt and missed all but two starts this past season. He had a miserable Junior season going 5-5 with a 5.17 ERA in 14 starts but he might have been turning the corner before he got hurt. Hopefully he can bounce back when he's healthy.

                                                    15th round - RHP Joey Gartrell

Rounding out the seven pitchers in a row drafted, the Sox took right handed pitcher Griffin Kilander out of Wayne State University. Kilander has some of the finest hair and mustaches you'll ever see and his sophomore year he was 7-3 with a 2.44 ERA shuffling between starting and the bullpen. Unfortunately he had a mediocre junior year going 6-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 12 starts. The concern is if he had trouble getting batters out at little known Wayne State, how's he going to get guys out at the pro level who were studs in D1 schools? We'll find out soon enough.

                                                   16th round - RHP Griffin Kilander

Deviating from the script, the Sox took Puerto Rican high school outfielder Yan Cruz. He may not play for the Red Sox as he's committed to Gulf Coast State, and since he's an unknown high schooler, this is definitely a low risk, high reward pick. If he doesn't sign or flops, oh well.

                                                           17th round - OF Yan Cruz

Going back to the mound, the Sox took right handed pitcher Cole Tolbert out of Ole Miss in the 18th round. This is one of the rare "what the hell were they thinking" picks as he only pitched in 18 innings the last two years for Ole Miss and allowed 15 runs. Maybe Breslow thinks he can fix him with the staff he has in the minors. If they don't, oh well, just another failed 18th round pick in a sea full of them. If they do, good work.

                                                          18th round - RHP Cole Tolbert

In what was a running joke on social media for years, the joke became a reality when the Sox used their 19th round pick on D'Angelo Ortiz....yes, THAT D'Angelo Ortiz aka the son of Big Papi himself, David Ortiz. D'Angelo spent 2024 at Miami Dade Community College and unfortunately doesn't have his father's power, as he hit .328 in 48 games but only with one home run. This is definitely a nepo pick since Big Papi is his father, but hey, its the 19th round. 

                                                19th round - 3B D'Angelo Ortiz

With the 20th and final pick in the draft, the Sox took Brigham Young University right handed pitcher Ben Hansen. They scraped the bottom of the barrel with this one as Hansen had hideous stats his freshman year going 0-5 with a 6.71 ERA in 16 games and followed that this year going 5-7 with a 6.63 ERA in 14 starts. Going 5-12 with an ERA near 7 in college is a bad sign but by the 20th round, the top tier talent is already gone. Good luck to Hansen.

                                                        20th round - RHP Ben Hansen

As we conclude Day 3 its apparent that the Sox had a mission and that mission was starting pitching. 14 of their 20 picks were pitchers and the ones that weren't were a Puerto Rican high school outfielder, a college catcher, the son of David Ortiz, a college outfielder, their 13th round pick from 3 years ago and Braden Montgomery who slipped right into their hands.  A lot of these guys won't be making the majors but hopefully law of averages says ONE of them should be decent. Good luck to them all moving forward.

Off-Day News: 2024 MLB Draft Part 1 (7/15/24)

The 2024 MLB Draft began with the first two rounds broadcasting Sunday night and the Cleveland Guardians took Oregon State star second baseman Travis Bazzana first overall. The Cincinnati Reds took Wake Forest ace Chase Burns with the second pick and on paper it looks like the Boston Red Sox caught a break. With the 12th overall pick the Sox selected Texas A & M star outfielder Braden Montgomery. This was a shock as Montgomery was scheduled to go in the top 10 but fell to pick 12. The reason is he shattered his ankle back in June and still can't even walk on it. The injury will heal if not by the end of this season but definitely by Spring Training next year. He clubbed 27 homers, drove in 85 runs and batted .322. The Sox didn't need any more position players but who knows, maybe someone will be traded in a few weeks.

                                                            12th overall - OF Braden Montgomery

In the second round, Sox GM Craig Breslow FINALLY picked a starting pitcher in the top 50 when they selected TCU left handed starter Payton Tolle. Tolle struggled his first two years at Wichita State but transferred to TCU his junior year. He was 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 starts and supposedly can hit 96 on the gun. The Sox haven't developed a left handed power pitcher since Jon Lester and its about time they at least tried to.

                                                      50th overall - LHP Payton Tolle

Tonight we got to see rounds 3-10 and in the third round the Red Sox took Florida University relief pitcher Brandon Neely. This was a bit of a head scratcher as he was 3-4 with a 5.13 in 28 games this past season. Its one thing to draft one of the later round picks with a high ERA in college, but to use your third round pick on a bum is a big risk. Hope it works out.

                                                              3rd round - RHP Brandon Neely

In the fourth round the Sox selected a familiar face, none other than their own 2021 13th round pick, Zach Ehrhard. Zach was taken in the 13th round back in 2021 as a high school shortstop but he elected to go to Oklahoma State University. This past year he hit .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis in the outfield and the Sox chose him again. He would have made $125,000 if he signed in 2021 but he's signing for $600,000 this time around. He better be worth it.

                                                            4th round - OF Zach Ehrhard

In the fifth round, the Sox picked State College of Florida left handed pitcher Brandon Clarke. Clarke is another crapshot because he went 6-2 with a 4.36 ERA in 14 starts for SCF. If he's posting a 4.32 ERA in junior college, how's he going to get pro batters out? Still, Luis Guerrero is knocking on the door in Boston and he was a junior college guy.

                                                         5th round - LHP Brandon Clarke

Keeping the pitching train rolling, in the sixth round the Sox took right handed pitcher Blake Aita out of Kennesaw State. Aita was 7-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 16 starts for Kennesaw State his sophomore year and the Sox are hoping he can translate to the pros. The one weakness for the organization is starting pitching and Breslow is at least trying to fix it.

                                                          6th round - RHP Blake Aita

In the 7th round, the Sox took a crapshot on South Alabama outfielder Will Turner. Turner had a hell of a sophomore season when he hit .349 with 9 home runs and 52 rbis in 2023 but fell off a cliff hitting just .218 with 9 home runs and 24 rbis this year. That dropoff is probably why he fell all the way to the seventh round. Breslow is banking that this season was just a fluke and he'll be better off when 2025 starts.

                                                          7th round - OF Will Turner

The Sox got creative when they took Greater Atlanta Christian shortstop/right handed pitcher Conrad Cason in the eighth round. He was one of the top shortstops and pitchers in Atlanta prep schools but the problem is he's committed to Mississippi State. Does he want to collect $219,000 now or do what Zach Ehrhard did and play 3 years of college ball and try to make it to a lower round? The choice is his.

                                                      8th round - SS/RHP Conrad Cason

The Sox filled another positional hole when they used their 9th round pick on Arkansas University catcher Hudson White. White spent two years at Texas Tech before playing for Arkansas this season where he hit .297 with 8 home runs and 33 rbis for the Razorbacks. The Sox already have Kyle Teel and Nathan Hickey as the possible heir apparent to Reese McGuire but you can never have too much depth, hopefully White can pan out too.

                                                   9th round - C Hudson White

To end Day 2 of the draft, the Sox picked up left handed starting pitcher Devin Futrell out of Vanderbilt University. Futrell seemed on the fast track when he was 17-6 between his freshman and sophomore seasons in 28 starts, but fell off a cliff this year as he went 4-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 starts. Just like with Will Turner, Craig Breslow is banking on this year being a fluke and the real Futrell will show himself in the majors.

                                                  10th round - LHP Devin Futrell

All in all Breslow's gameplan was starting pitching and he picked five of them in the first 10 rounds. They might have taken a pitcher in the first round had Braden Montgomery not fallen into their laps. All signs point to Montgomery being a stud but hopefully some of the starters Breslow drafted can develop as well. The Sox had a hole in their organization and Breslow filled it as best he could. Also notice how, apart from Brandon Neely, Breslow wasn't taking guys that sucked in college like Chaim Bloom did? Turner and Futrell had lousy junior years but good freshman & sophomore campaigns. Hopefully tomorrow the Sox can find some diamonds in the rough for rounds 11-20.

Crawford, Sox Blank Royals (7/13/24)

That's more like it. A day after Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals shut down the Boston Red Sox, today the Sox turned the trick on the Royals. Kutter Crawford (6-7, 3.00 ERA) pitched one of the best games of his career tossing 7 shutout innings and holding the Royals to just 3 hits. Meanwhile the Boston bats got to Royals starter Seth Lugo by getting 5 runs off him in 5 innings. Reese McGuire, Wilyer Abreu and Dominic Smith all drove in runs before Rafael Devers smashed a home run. Zack Kelly slammed the door in the final two innings and the Sox had won the game 5-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Ysgramor approves of the win

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning as Adam Frazier struck out swinging to start. Bobby Witt Jr popped up to first and Vinnie Pasquantino flied out to left to end the inning. Lugo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. David Hamilton walked but Masataka Yoshida took strike three. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to move the runners over but Rob Refsnyder lined out to center to end the inning. 

Salvador Perez popped up to second to start the top of the second and Hunter Renfroe flied out to left. Mj Melendez was hit by a pitch but Freddy Fermin grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second to start. Dominic Smith got a base hit to right and Reese McGuire doubled to right to score him. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to move McGuire to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0. 

                                                    McGuire drives in a run

Maikel Garcia grounded out to third to begin the top of the third but Garrett Hampson doubled to left. Frazier flied out to center and Witt Jr popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Hamilton struck out swinging to start. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Devers singled to left, but Refsnyder struck out swinging. Abreu pounded a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Yoshida and Smith got a base hit to right to score the remaining runners. McGuirr caught Garcia asleep with a bunt single down the third base line but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                     Big double by Smith

Pasquantino grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Perez struck out swining. Renfroe grounded out to second to end the inning. Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Hamilton got a base hit to right. Yoshida banged into a double play to end the inning. 

Melendez struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Fermin lined out to right. Garcia lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Devers smashed his 22nd home run of the year to start. Refsnyder struck out swinging, Abreu flied out to center and Smith grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                     Devers jacks one

Hampson grounded out to third to begin the top of the sixth but Frazier walked. Witt Jr forced Frazier at second but Pasquantino singled off the glove of Devers. Perez popped up to first to end the inning. Kris Bubic came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and McGuire grounded out to third to start. Rafaela struck out swinging but Duran reached on a bunt single in front of the plate. Duran was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. 

Renfroe grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh and Melendez popped up to first. Fermin took strike three to end the inning. Hamilton grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to third. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Garcia got a base hit to center to begin the top of the eighth and that was it for Kutter. Crawford was outstanding, allowing no runs in 7 innings off 3 hits and a walk. Zack Kelly came in and Hampson grounded into a double play. Frazier grounded out to second to end the inning. 

                                                   Crawford was outstanding 

Nick Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to start. Abreu lined out to right, Smith struck out swinging and McGuire took strike three to end the inning. 

Kelly returned to close out the top of the ninth and Witt Jr struck out swinging. Pasquantino struck out swinging but Perez got a base hit to center. Renfroe got a base hit to right but Melendez grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-0.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He tossed 7 innings of shutout ball allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out 4.

                                                      Hero Crawford

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk.

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

Dominic Smith was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Final Thoughts:

There's only one game left until the all-star break and the Sox are coming in hot. They've won 9 of their last 12 games and have a very good chance to finish strong at the half-way point. They're still an ace away from being serious contenders but they're still in good shape in the standings. Crawford's record doesn't show it but a 3.00 ERA is nothing to sneeze at. If Brayan Bello were to harness his talent they could be a deadly 2-3-4 if the Sox were to get the next Chris Sale. There's still a few weeks to the trade deadline and just like last year, they need some help. Still, this was a hell of a win and it seems like that loss to Chicago back in June turned the season around. All they have to do is keep plugging away and good things will happen. The win improved the Sox to 52-43, 5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox closeout the first half of the season tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Brayan Bello (9-5) takes on Brady Singer of Kansas City. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Royals Drop Criswell, Sox (7/12/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Justin Slaten was placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation and Trey Wingenter was optioned down to Worcester. In their places the Sox called up Cam Booser and Cooper Criswell, with Criswell to make the start in tonight's game. Slaten hasn't pitched well lately so if he's hurt, it makes perfect sense. Hope he gets well soon.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, when you call up a spot starter and he doesn't pitch well, you pretty much have no chance to win the game. Tonight the Kansas City Royals blitzed Cooper Criswell (3-4, 4.50 ERA) for five early runs. Salvador Perez, Adam Frazier, Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr all drove in runs to put the game away early. Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Jamie Westbrook in the bottom of the second but Cole Ragans shut down the Sox the rest of the way, going 7 innings. Greg Weissert allowed a run in the eighth and the Royals had won this game 6-1 at Fenway Park.

The Royals wasted no time getting to Criswell in the top of the first as Adam Frazier got a base hit to center to start. Bobby Witt Jr got a base hit to left and Vinnie Pasquantino singled in tbe hole at short. Salvador Perez hit a sac fly to left to score Frazier and both runners moved over on the Michael Massey grounder to first. Old friend Hunter Renfroe flied out to left to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                       That didn't take long 

Ragans got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit off the glove of Pasquantino to start. Jarren Duran flied out to left, Tyler O'Neill popped up to second and Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Royals iced the game in the top of the second as MJ Melendez doubled down the right field line to start. Maikel Garcia dropped down a bunt to move Melendez to third and Kyle Isbel walked. Frazier got a base hit to center to score Melendez, Witt was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Pasquantino hit a sac fly to right to score Isbel. Perez got a base hit to left and Frazier scored, but Witt was thrown out at home on the play to end the inning with the Royals up 4-0.

                                                              Perez drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Connor Wong struck out swinging to start. Romy Gonzalez grounded out to short but Jamie Westbrook doubled to left. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to center to score Westbrook then took third on a wild pitch. David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1. 

                                                           Rafaela refuses to give up

Massey lined out to right to start the top of the third and Renfroe grounded out to third. Melendez singled to left, Garcia got a base hit to center and Isbel walked to load the bases. Frazier lined out to second to end the inning. Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and Duran grounded out to first. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Royals got another run in the top of the fourth as Witt Jr hit a home run all the way to Chicago to start. Pasquantino grounded out to second, Perez popped up to second and Massey also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals up 5-1.

                                                        All Royals in this one

Devers got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Wong forced him at second. Gonzalez grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Renfroe flied out to left to start the top of the fifth. Melendez struck out swinging and Garcia grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Westbrook grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela popped up to short. Hamilton grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Criswell returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Isbel grounded out to second to start. Frazier popped up to third and Witt hit obe up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Criswell got hammered for 5 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

                                                          Game but lousy start by Criswell

Refsnyder walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Duran struck out swinging. O'Neill flied out to center and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Pasquantino popped up to short. Perez flied out to right and Massey grounded out to second to end the inning. Wong flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez grounded out to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning. 

Greg Weissert came in to get tagged in the top of the eighth as Renfroe popped up to short to start. Melendez hit a home run all the way to Angola but Garcia took strike three. Isbel flied out to center to end the inning with the Royals up 6-1.

                                                           Home run Melendez

Freddy Fermin took over behind the plate for the bottom of the eighth with Chris Stratton now on the mound. Rafaela beat out a roller to third and Hamilton drew a walk. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging. Duran and O'Neill also struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Frazier hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the ninth and Witt flied out to center. Pasquantino flied out to right to end the inning. Nick Anderson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Devers grounded out to second to start. Wong grounded out to third and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Smith grounded out to first to end the game. The Royals had won it 6-1.

                                                                 Royals win

Jackass of The Night is Cooper Criswell. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

                                                             Jackass Criswell

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter. 

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. 

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in two innings of work. 

Final Thoughts:

Some days you get routed early and lose all hope, this was one of those days. As soon as the Sox were down by 5 they just turned it off. One of the reasons the Sox might not make the playoffs this year is having to start guys like Criswell or have "openers" because they don't have a true ace. The New York Yankees have Gerrit Cole and the Los Angeles Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow and Yobu Yamamoto. The Sox have Tanner Houck. It would have been nice to see the Sox rally but right from the get go they got taken off their game. Hopefully tomorrow will be different, The loss dropped the Sox to 51-43, 6 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Kutter Crawford (5-7) goes for the Sox against Seth Lugo of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox, Houck Blank A's (7/11/24)

The Boston Red Sox might not have a true ace but so far this season Tanner Houck (8-6, 2.54 ERA) has pitched like one. He lowered his ERA to 2.54 by tossing 6 shutout innings holding the Oakland A's to just 2 hits. Meanwhile the Sox offense got to Luis Medina to 5 runs in the first five innings of the game. Mastaka Yoshida and Wilyer Abreu gave the Sox a 3-0 lead right off the bat in the bottom of the first. Connor Wong and Abreu both hit home runs with Yoshida hitting a 2 run shot in the sixth inning. Chase Anderson tossed 3 shutout innings in relief and the Sox beat the A's 7-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    King Olaf One Eye approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning as JJ Bleday walked to start. Miguel Andujar forced him at second and Brent Rooker forced Andujar at second. Rooker swiped second and Lawrence Butler flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox blitzed Medina in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran walked to start. David Hamilton doubled to right but Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging. Rafael Devers took strike three but Connor Wong walked to load the bases. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right to score both Duran and Hamilton and Wilyer Abreu doubled to right to score Wong. Dominic Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                               Yoshida drives in a pair

Zack Gelof struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Seth Brown grounded out to first. Kyle McCann struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Duran struck out swinging. Hamilton got a base hit in the hole at first but got picked off to end the inning.

Brett Harris grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third but Max Schuemann walked. Bleday took strike three and Andujar flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as O'Neill took strike three to begin. Devers grounded out to first but Wong belted his 8th home run of the year to increase the lead. Yoshida lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                           Wong hits one out

Rooker took strike three to start the top of the fourth and Butler did the same. Gelof grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu hit his 8th home run of the year to start. Smith grounded out to first, Rafaela grounded out to second and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                          Home run Abreu

Brown grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth but McCann got a base hit to left. Harris grounded into a double play to end the inning. Hamilton struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fifth and O'Neill did the same. Devers took strike three to end the inning.

Houck returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Schuemann singled to left to start. Bleday flied out to right and Andujar struck out swinging, but Rooker walked. A wild pitch moved the runners over but Butler grounded out to short to end the inning. Houck had tossed 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks.

                                                          Great start by Houck

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Wong got a base hit to left to start. Kyle Muller came in to pitch to Yoshida and Masataka belted his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Abreu got a base hit to right but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                          Home run Yoshida

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gelof flied out to center to start. Brown was hit with a pitch but McCann took strike three. Harris got a base hit to left but Schuemann took strike three to end the inning. Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Hamilton did the same. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning.

Bleday flied out to right to start the top of the eighth and Andujar struck out swinging. Rooker popped up to short to end the inning. Michel Otanez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Devers. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Wong watched strike three go by. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Abreu lined out to center to end the inning.

Anderson came back to finish off the top of the ninth as Butler took strike three to start. Gelof lined out to left but Brown beat out a tapper in front of the plate. McCann struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-0.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Masataka Yoshida. He drove in 4 big runs including hitting a 2 run home run.

                                                        Masataka Hero

The Good:

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 3 total runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 total rbis.

Tanner Houck got the win by tossing 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks.

Chase Anderson got the save with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

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

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Big win tonight considering both the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles both lost. Somehow, after how bad the season has gone so far, the Sox are still within striking distance in the AL East. The Sox got hot at just the right time and Tanner Houck has been the unlikely ace. It would have been nice to get a Chris Sale to help in the off-season since nobody saw Sale himself ever being good again. Still, so far the formula is working. The offense is producing and on days when Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello are on, they're tough to beat. The Sox needed to make a run before the all-star break and they did. Just have to win the final three games to end the first half on a high note. The win improved the Sox to 51-42, 6 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the Kansas City Royals for the final 3 games before the break. Tomorrow night Cooper Criswell (3-3) takes on Cole Ragans of Kansas City at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.