Sox Turn Tables, Bash Twins (4/15/26)

Well that's more like it. One day after their most embarrassing loss of the season, the Boston Red Sox turned it around to lay waste to the bungholes of the Minnesota Twins. The much maligned Trevor Story belted a three run home run and drove in 5 total runs on his own. Andruw Monasterio, Connor Wong and Masataka Yoshida also drove in runs as well for a 13 hit Boston attack. Meanwhile Connelly Early (1-0, 2.29 ERA) tossed his best game of the season, holding the Twins to just one run in six solid innings. Things got hairy in the ninth when Ryan Watson allowed 4 runs, but the Sox hung on to salvage the series with a 9-5 win at Target Field.

                                                              Lyra Lore approves of the win

Woods Richardson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela walked and Masataka Yoshida doubled to left, but Trevor Story grounded out to short. Jarren Duran struck out swinging at ball four in the dirt to end the inning. As usual the Twins struck first against Early in the bottom of the first. Buxton struck out swinging but Martin hit a home run all the way to India to put the Twins on top. Keaschall flied out to center and Ryan Jeffers grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins up 1-0.

                                                           Twins strike first

Andruw Monasterio singled to left to begin the top of the second but Marcelo Mayer grounded into a double play. Connor Wong flied out to center to end the inning. Josh Bell flied out to left to open the bottom of the second but Victor Caratini got a base hit to left. Matt Wallner flied out to center and Brooks Lee forced Caratini at second to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled in the hole at second to start. Anthony walked and Rafaela got a base hit to right to load the bases. Yoshida hit a double play ball to second but Keaschall not only bobbled it, but threw it away to score both Anthony and Kiner. Story capped off the rally with a 3 run bomb to increase the lead. Duran popped up to third, Monsasterio lined out to center and Mayer grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                           Way to go Story

Ryan Kriedler struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Buxton grounded out to third. Martin walked but Keaschall forced him at second to end the inning. 

Wong beat out a roller to third to start the top of the fourth and promptly stole second. Kiner singled in the hole at short and Anthony singled in the hole at short to load the bases. Unfortunately Rafaela hit into a 5-2-5 double play and Yoshida took strike three to end the inning. Jeffers took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and Bell lined out to center. Caratini was hit with a pitch but Wallner struck out swinging to end the inning.

Story walked to start the top of the fifth but Duran forced him at second. Monasterio doubled to center to score Duran and Mayer got a base hit to left to put runners at the corners. Wong dropped down a suicide squeeze to score Monasterio and a wild pitch moved Mayer to third. Kiner grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                           Good idea Wong

Lee flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth but Kriedler walked. Buxton flied out to center and Martin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Anthony Banda came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Anthony got  abase hit to center to start. Rafaela was hit with a pitch and both runners moved over on the grounder to second by Yoshida. Story cleared the bases with a double to right but Duran struck out swinging. Monasterio lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 9-1.

                                                            Story does it again

Early returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Keaschall popped up to second to start. Jeffers flied out to right and Bell lined out to left to end the inning. Early held the Twins to just 1 run off 2 hits and 2 walks, he was outstanding.

                                                            Great outing by Early

Justin Topa came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mayer grounded out to second to start. Wong grounded out to short but Kiner walked. Anthony lined out to center to end the inning. Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Caratini grounded out to short to start. Wallner grounded out to first and Lee grounded out to short to end the inning.

Kody Funderburk came in to pitch with Tristan Gray at first, James Outman at second and Kody Clemens in for Buxton to begin the top of the eighth. Rafaela struck out swinging, Yoshida went down hacking and Story flied out to right in short order. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Kriedler struck out swinging to start. Clemens took strike three but Martin got a base hit to center. A wild pitch moved Martin to second and Outman walked. Jeffers popped up to first to end the inning.

Eric Orze came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran struck out swinging to start. Monasterio singled to left but Mayer grounded into a double play to end the inning. Suddenly the Twins rallied against Ryan Watson in the bottom of the ninth as Gray got a base hit to left to start. Caratini lined out to right but Wallner walked. Lee got a base hit to left to score Gray and Kreidler hit a home run all the way to Cuba to cut the lead in half. Clemens flied out to center and Martin did the same to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-5.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Trevor Story. He matched the Twins output by himself  by going 2 for 4 with a home run and 5 total rbis.

                                                             Hero Story

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, a walk and 2 runs scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a stolen base.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Connelly Early got the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Danny Coulombe tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Ryan Watson allowed 4 runs in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 5.

Final Thoughts:

Where the hell was this offense yesterday? Good to see the Sox wake up and play to their potential but they haven't been consistent all season. Still, the good news was Connelly Early looked great and he's been their best pitcher this season. The Sox haven't had a lefty homegrown star pitcher since Jon Lester left town 12 years ago, it would be nice if Early fills that role. Story couldn't hit the broad side of a barn yesterday and he couldn't miss today. Just goes to show every day is different. The encouraging sign is Roman Anthony is starting to hit more consistently so maybe, just maybe they may be on the verge of stringing some wins together. The only downside to this game was Ryan Watson. Then again, if Johan Oviedo, Justin Slaten or Patrick Sandoval were healthy, Watson wouldn't be here. Hopefully somebody gets healthy soon. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night at home against the Detroit Tigers. Nobody knows who is going for the Tigers against Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA) of Boston. The game begins at 7:15 PM at Fenway Park.

Twins Embarrass Red Sox (4/14/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made roster moves. Tyler Samaniego was optioned back to Worcester and the Sox called up 26 year old right handed pitcher Jack Anderson to make his ML debut. He was taken in the Rule 5 Draft at the end of 2024 and spent the majority of last season in Portland. Congratulations Jack.

                                                               OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, this is getting toxic real fast. Its bad enough to be a bad team, its another to be completely unlikeable. The Sox got embarrassed by the Minnesota Twins on and off the field for the second straight day. Max Abel came into the game with an ERA over 8 and shut out the Sox while striking out 10 in 7 innings. Meanwhile Sonny Gray (2-1, 4.43 ERA) got lit up for 5 runs in just 4 lousy innings. Carlos Narvaez struck out four times and looked completely interested while Jarren Duran flipped a fan the bird while going 0 for 4 himself. Apart from the ML debut of Jack Anderson, this team has gone to hell in a hand basket as the Twins blanked the Sox 6-0. How many runs did the Sox score John Cena?

Abel got the ball in the top of the first inning and Roman Anthony grounded out to second to start. Caleb Durbin grounded out to third and Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right. Willson Contreras took strike three to end the inning. The Twins wasted no time getting to Gray in the bottom of the first as Byron Buxton singled to center to start. Buxton took second on a balk but Trevor Larnach was frozen for strike three. It looked like Buxton was thrown out at home on a base hit to center by Luke Keaschall, but Twins manager Derek Shelton challenged Buxton was safe. Sure enough, replays showed Buxton was safe to put the Twins up for good just three batters into the first inning. Josh Bell forced Keaschall at second and Matt Wallner grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins up 1-0.

                                                          Keaschall drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to start. Trevor Story struck out swinging and Jarren Duran also swung at air to end the inning. Victor Caratini flied out to right to start the bottom of the second but Kody Clemens got a base hit to center. Clemens promptly stole second and took third on the Brooks Lee grounder to second. Tristan Gray grounded out to third to end the inning.

Carlos Narvaez took strike three to start the top of the third and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to first. Anthony got a base hit to center but Durbin's bunt attempt to the mound failed to end the inning. The Twins struck again in the bottom of the third as Buxton hit a home run all the way to North Dakota to increase the lead. Larnach lined out to center but Keaschall singled to left. Bell grounded out to second but Wallner walked. Caratini was hit with a pitch but Clemens grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                               Home run Buxton

Yoshida grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth but Contreras was hit with a pitch. Abreu flied out to left and Contreras took second on a passed ball. Story grounded out to third to end the inning. The Twins struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Lee hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to start. Gray got a base hit to right, Buxton singled to left and Larnach singled to right. Gray and Buxton both scored but Larnach was out at second on the throw. Keaschall grounded out to second and Bell did the same to end the inning. That was it for Gray who was hammered for 5 runs in just 4 innings off 9 hits and a walk.

                                                           Gray was garbage

Duran grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth then gave some heckling fan the one finger salute. Narvaez struck out swinging but Kiner got a base hit to center. Anthony took 3 straight pitches right down the middle to end the inning.

                                                     The Steve Austin special

Jack Anderson made his ML debut in the bottom of the fifth with Andruw Monasterio in for Contreras. Wallner struck out swinging before Caratini also went down hacking. Clemens struck out swinging to end the inning as even Twins fans gave Anderson a standing O.

                                                          Welcome to Boston, Jack

Durbin grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Yoshida got a base hit to left. Somehow Monasterio challenged a strike three pitch right down the middle and got laughed at. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. Lee lined out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Gray struck out swinging. Buxton then hit yet another home run to wrap up the scoring before Larnach walked. Keaschall flied out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 6-0.

                                                           Buxton does it again

Story struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Duran grounded out to first. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning. Max Abel had held the Sox scoreless through seven innings with 10 strikeouts, pathetic. Bell grounded out to first to start the bottom of the seventh and Wallner grounded out to second. Caratini grounded out to second to end the inning.

Taylor Rogers came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Kiner flied out to left to start. Anthony doubled to left and Durbin walked, but Yoshida flied out to left. Monasterio took stirke three to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Clemens was plunked to start. Lee and Gray struck out swinging before Buxton took strike three to end the inning.

Cole Sands came in to close out the top of the ninth and Abreu grounded out to first to start. Story singled in the hole at short but Duran lined out to center. Narvaez took strike three to end the game. The Twins had won it 6-0.

                                                             Twins win

Jackass of the Night is Sonny Gray. He put the Sox in a 5-0 hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                           Sonny Jackass

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4.

Willson Contreras was hit with a pitch before leaving the game.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 1 for 3.

Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jack Anderson allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Its one thing to be a bad team, its another to be toxic. Between the team looking totally checked out, the coaching staff unable to get them to play harder or Duran flipping the people the bird, this is quite an unlikeable team. Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse is under fire for the Sox being consistently blinded by bad pitchers and Sox manager Alex Cora is under fire for benching, starting and pinch hitting guys at random. The problem is poor roster construction with 5 outfielders and the refusal to trade one of them for better personnel. Gray looked like garbage today but he was due for a stinker. A pitcher like Gray will be what Nick Pivetta once was, gotta take the good with the bad. The problem is other starters have to step up and few have to this point. The less said of this disaster, the better. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Twins when Connelly Early (0-0, 2.63 ERA) takes on Woods Richardson of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:40 PM eastern time at Target Field.

Twins Bash Crochet, Sox (4/13/26)

Well this isn't good. Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet (2-2, 7.58 ERA) had his worst start of his entire career, getting lit up for ELEVEN runs while not being able to get out of the second inning. The Minnesota Twins got 4 runs off Crochet in the first inning and seven in the second capped off by a 3 run Victor Caratini home run followed by a Ryan Kriedler big fly. The sad part was the Sox scored 4 runs off Minnesota starter Bailey Ober and got another two against the bullpen. Unfortunately home runs by Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers along with late inning pitching proved to be too much to overcome. The Twins had knocked Crochet and the Sox out 13-6 at Target Field.

                                                           Poor Crochet

Ober got the ball in the top of the first inning and Roman Anthony flied out to center to start. Caleb Durbin struck out swinging and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. The Twins blasted Crochet in the bottom of the first as Byron Buxton flied out to the centerfield wall to start. Austin Martin doubled off the top of the left field fence and Crochet threw a wild pitch 20 feet to the right. Luke Keaschall also doubled off the top of the left field fence to score Martin and Ryan Jeffers ripped a base hit to deep left to score Keaschall. Josh Bell flied out to the left field wall but Victor Caratini walked on five pitches not even close. Matt Wallner was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Trevor Story booted a grounder by Brooks Lee to score Jeffers and Caratini, icing the game. Ryan Kriedler ripped an absolute bullet....right to Willson Contreras to end the inning with the game over already 4-0.

                                                          Not off to a good start

Contreras struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Story struck out swinging and Marcelo Mayer popped up to second to end the inning. The slaughter continued in the bottom of the second as Buxton ripped a base hit to center to start. Martin walked on 6 pitches not even close and Keaschall walked on four pitches not even close to load the bases. Jeffers effortlessly singled to left to score Buxton and Bell doubled to the centerfield wall to score both Martin and Keaschall. Caratini put the exclamation point on with a 3 run home run to Nebraska. Somehow Wallner grounded out to first and Lee flied out to the right field wall, but Kreidler hit a home run all the way to Wisconsin to FINALLY chase Crochet. He allowed 11 runs in just 1 2/3 innings and his velocity was down. An Injured List placement might be imminent, Jovani Moran came in to pitch and Buxton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins up 11-0.

                                           "Yeah you're out Crochet, now beat it!" - Cora

The Sox refused to go quietly in the top of the third as Carlos Narvaez grounded out to third to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center but Anthony doubled to right. Durbin doubled to left to score Anthony and somehow Duran smashed his first home run of the season. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 11-3.

                                                      Home run Duran

Martin grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and Keaschall lined out to right. Jeffers walked but Bell flied out to left to end the inning.

Abreu struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth and Story grounded out to short. Mayer was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Caratini walked to open the bottom of the fourth and Wallner struck out swinging. Lee flied out to left and Kriedler forced Caratini at second to end the inning.

Narvaez struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Anthony got hit with a pitch but Durbin popped up to third. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Ryan Watson came in to take a beating in the bottom of the fifth as Buxton hit a home run all the way to Michigan to start. Martin took strike three and Keaschall was rung up for strike three, but Jeffers hit a home run all the way to Kansas to increase the lead. Bell flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins ahead 13-3.

                                                        Another home run for the Twins

The Sox dought back in the top of the sixth as Contreras got a base hit in the hole at second to start. Abreu got a base hit to right and Story got a base hit to center to score Contreras. Mayer grounded into a double play and Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 13-4.

                                                     Story drives in a run

Caratini grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the sixth before Wallner popped up to third. Lee grounded out to second to end the inning.

Eric Orze came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rafaela lined out to center to start. Anthony walked and Durbin got a base hit to left, but Duran popped up to third. Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Contreras and got a base hit to left to score Anthony. Abreu got a base hit to center to score Durbin and move Monasterio to third. Isiah Kiner-Falefa pinch hit for Story and flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 13-6.

                                                  "I'll NEVER give up" - Monasterio

Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Kriedler popped up to second to start. Buxton flied out to left and Martin grounded out to first to end the inning.

Garrett Acton came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Mayer walked to start. Narvaez struck out swinging and Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning. It looked like Keaschall beat out a grounder to short to start the bottom of the eighth but Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was out. Sure enough, replays showed Keaschall was out. Jeffers grounded out to third and Bell flied out to center to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by the bullpen to hold the Twins to two runs in just under 6 innings.

James Outman came in to play center to start the top of the ninth and Anthony walked to start. Durbin lined out to left, Duran took strike three and Monasterio struck out swinging to end the game. The Twins had won 13-6.

                                                                 Twins win

Jackass of the Night is Garrett Crochet. He got rocketed for 11 runs in 1 2/3 innings off 9 hits and 3 walks.

                                                            Jackass Crochet

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, a hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Jovani Moran tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Tyler Samaniego tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Ryan Watson allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with an rbi but made a critical error to allow runs to score.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 3 but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

What an unmitigated disaster that was and another disasterclass in managing by Alex Cora. He left in Crochet way too long and the sad part was if he got Crochet out of there before the 3 run home run, the Sox might have had a chance the way they battled back. The Sox did manage to score 6 runs in this one including Duran's first home run. Durbin had another multi-hit game so he seems to be coming out of whatever funk he was in to start the season. Unfortunately it was all for naught as the deficit was just too much to overcome. Crochet was sitting at 93 his entire outing but after the game he said he was fine, he just sucked. Hopefully he's right because if he pitches like that again, the Sox are in BIG trouble this season. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Twins when Sonny Gray (2-0, 2.76 ERA) takes on Mick Abel of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:40 PM eastern time at Target Field.

Bello, Sox Pound Cardinals (4/12/26)

Maybe things are starting to turn around for the Boston Red Sox. After being held in check for pretty much the first two weeks, the much maligned Boston bats broke out the last two games, including this one. Today the Sox took their frustrations out on the St. Louis Cardinals. Willson Contreras and Trevor Story were the stars of this one, both going 4 for 5 with a combined 5 rbis. The team as a whole pounded out 12 hits and 9 runs for their best output of the season. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (1-1, 6.14 ERA) produced his best start of the season, holding the Cards to 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings sacrificing swing and miss for ground ball outs. Danny Coulombe and Zack Kelly slammed the door and the Sox had taken 2 of 3 from St. Louis and 4 of their last 6, winning this game 9-3 at Busch Stadium.

                                                     Rory McElroy approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to St. Louis starter Andre Pallante in the top of the first Roman Anthony flied out to left to start. Caleb Durbin was hit with a pitch but Jarren Duran struck out swinging. Willson Contreras launched his third home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                                Sox strike first

Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and JJ Wetherholt lined out to center to start. Ivan Herrera grounded out to short and Alec Burleson grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the second inning as Trevor Story got a base hit to right to start. Marcelo Mayer ripped a base hit to left but Connor Wong popped up to second. Ceddanne Rafaela was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Anthony grounded out to third to score Story. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                               Another run scored

The Cards struck back in the bottom of the second as Jordan Walker hit a home run all the way to the moon to cut the lead. Nolan Gorman struck out swinging, Ramon Urias grounded out to second and Jose Fermin grounded out to short to end the inning with the Cards down 3-1.

                                                          7 home runs already for Walker

Duran grounded out to second to start the top of the third but Contreras dumped a base hit to left. Abreu flied out to right but Story got a base hit to right to move Willson to third. Mayer grounded out to second to end the inning. Thomas Saggese grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third and Victor Scott grounded out to short. Wetherholt grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox broke it open in the top of the fourth as Wong got a base hit to center to start. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Anthony lined out to left. Durbin walked to load the bases and Duran cleared them with a double to center. Contreras singled to left to score Duran but Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                         Duran clears the bases

Herrera lined a base hit past Story to start the bottom of the fourth but Burleson popped up to short. Walker popped up to second and Gorman flied out to center to end the inning.

Story lined a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth but Mayer flied out to left. Wong popped up to first and Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning. Urias walked to start the bottom of the fifth and Fermin lined a seeing eye single into left. Saggese grounded into a double play and Scott grounded out to first to end the inning.

George Soriano came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Anthony grounded out to short to start. Durbin lined out to right and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. The Cards fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Wetherholt grounded out to third to start. Herrera walked, Burleson singled to right and Walker got a base hit to center to load the bases. Gorman hit a sac fly to center to score Herrera but Urias grounded out to short to end the inning with the Cards down 7-2.

                                                             Sac fly for Gorman

Jared Shuster came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Contreras got a base hit in the hole at third to begin. Abreu popped up to short but Story grounded out to third to move Willson to second. Mayer grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello returned for the bottom of the seventh and Fermin took strike three to start. Saggese grounded out to third but Scott ripped a base hit to left to chase Bello. He allowed 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks. Danny Coulombe came in and Wetherholt flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                                Bello gets it done

Wong flied out to right to start the top of the eighth and Rafaela took strike three. Anthony grounded out to third to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Herrera grounded out to first to start. Burleson hit a home run all the way to Kansas City to cut the lead but Walker grounded out to second. Gorman struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cards down 7-3.

                                                       Kiss that one goodbye, Kelly

Durbin grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth but Duran walked. Contreras flied out to left but Abreu walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Story ripped a double to right to score them. Mayer flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

                                                         2 more rbis for Story

Urias flied out to left to start the bottom of the ninth and Fermin grounded out to first. Saggese struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-3.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His two run home run set the tone in the first inning and he went 4 for 5 with 3 total rbis to match the Cards as a team.

                                                    Wally Head Hero

The Good:

Trevor Story was 4 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks.

Danny Coulombe got the final out of the seventh inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored 2 runs.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in 3 runs and scored two runs.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 5.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but the Sox are starting to build momentum in the last week or so. They've taken 2 of 3 from Milwaukee and now 2 of 3 from St. Louis. On top of that, the pitching looks a lot better with strong starts from Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello today. Bello's best start of the season had him keeping the ball down except for Walker's blast. The bullpen is still having problems with Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock and Zack Kelly giving up the longball but at least this past week the Sox bats have given them enough cushion to survive those mishaps. Willson Contreras is now batting .302 with 3 home runs and 11 rbis and while Story is still hitting just .182, he too has 11 rbis. Keep driving in runs and they'll be in good shape. Once Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran start hitting, we might be laughing at their early season woes in about a month. The Sox now travel to Minnesota for a three game set with the Twins beginning tomorrow night. Garrett Crochet (2-1, 3.12 ERA) takes on Bailey Ober of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Suarez, Sox Pull Away Late (4/11/26)

For eight innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were headed toward another frustrating loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA) had finally lived up to his contract by tossing six shutout innings as the Sox bolted to a 2-0 lead over Kyle Leahy. Then the Sox offense fell asleep and Jordan Walker took Garrett Whitlock deep in the bottom of the eighth. Suddenly the Sox bats came alive in a five run ninth inning highlighted by a Caleb Durbin bases loaded single. All in all the Sox bats had 10 hits and 7 runs as they ran away with this one 7-1 at Busch Stadium.

                                                       Shane Lowry approves of the win

Leahy got the ball in the top of the first inning and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to start. Caleb Durbin grounded out to first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first and JJ Wetherholt got a base hit to right to start. Ivan Herrera grounded into a double play but Jordan Walker walked. Nolan Gorman walked but Ramon Urias struck out swinging to end the inning.

Willson Contreras was hit with a pitch to start the top of the second but Wilyer Abreu grounded into a double play. Trevor Story flied out to center to end the inning. Jose Fermin popped up to first to start the bottom of the second but Thomas Saggese got a base hit to left. Pedro Pages flied out to center and Victor Scott grounded out to second to end the inning.

Marcelo Mayer got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but Carlos Narvaez grounded into a double play. Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center to end the inning. Wetherholt grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Herrera lined out to right. Walker took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the fourth as Anthony walked to start. Durbin lined out to left but Duran got a base hit to right. Contreras doubled to left to score both runners to put Boston ahead. Abreu walked but Story struck out swinging. Mayer walked to load the bases but Narvaez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Sox take the lead

Gorman lined out to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Urias ripped a base hit to left. Fermin took strike three and Saggese lined out to center to end the inning.

Gordon Graceffo came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Anthony flied out to left and Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning. Pages grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Scott took strike three. Wetherholt grounded out to firdt to end the inning.

Duran grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Contreras struck out swinging. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Suarez returned for the bottom of the sixth and Herrera grounded out to third to start. Walker took strike three and Gorman struck out swinging to end the inning. That was Ranger's best start of the season, tossing 6 shutout innings on just 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                        Good work Suarez

Story grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh but Mayer walked. Narvaez got a base hit to left and Rafaela was plunked to load the bases. Justin Bruihl came in to pitch to Anthony and Roman took strike three right down the middle. Durbin flied out to right to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Urias grounded out to third to start. Fermin reached on catcher's interference and Alec Burleson pinch hit for Saggese. Burleson walked and Nathan Church pinch hit for Pages. Church beat out a double play ball and Danny Coulombe was brought in to face pinch hitter Yohel Pozo. Pozo flied out to right to end the inning.

Duran lined out to left to start the top of the eighth and Matt Svanson came in to face Contreras. Willson struck out swinging and Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wetherholt grounded out to first to start. Herrera struck out swinging but Walker hit a home run all the way to Augusta, Georgia to cut the lead. Gorman struck out swinging to end the inning with St. Louis down 2-1.

                                                            Walker goes yard

The Sox suddenly exploded in the top of the ninth as Story walked to start. Mayer flied out to left but Narvaez got a base hit to left. Rafaela ripped a base hit to center to score Story and Anthony got a base hit to center to load the bases. Durbin ripped a base hit to left to score Narvaez and Rafaela. Duran got a base hit to center to score Anthony and Contreras got a base hit to left to score Durbin. Jared Shuster came in to pitch and Abreu beat out a double play ball. Story flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                            Durbin drives in a pair

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Urias grounded out to third to start. Germin got a bae hit to center but was forced at second by Burleson. Church was hit in the foot but Pozo grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-1.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ranger Suarez. He tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out six.

                                                            Hero Suarez

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch and 3 rbis.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Carlos Narvaez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaels was 1 for 3 with an rbi, hit by pitch and a run scored.

Greg Weissert got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Danny Coulombe got the final out of the seventh inning.

Ryan Watson tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored two runs.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 but walked.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That's more like it. The Sox have had baserunners late all season long but they finally delivered in tonight's game. Suarez pitched his best game of the season and if he can locate like that more often, he'll be okay this season. The encouraging sign was Durbin getting that hit in the ninth the way he's been struggling lately. He doesn't have to hit the ball out of the yard but finding a hole would be nice. The team as a whole may not be getting the rbis just yet but at least they're getting on base consistently finally. Things are looking up for the first time all year. If the Sox can win tomorrow against the Cardinals, they'll have some momentum going into Monday in Minnesota. The Sox look to win the rubber game tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello takes on Andre Pallante of St. Louis. The game begins at 2:10 PM eastern time at Busch Stadium.

May, Cards Edge Sox (4/10/26)

If the "sell the team" chants were loud at Fenway Park earlier this week, they're going to be even louder when the Boston Red Sox return if they keep putting up games like this one. Last year potential AAA MVP James Tibbs was part of the Rafael Devers package and he was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dustin May last July. May was so incompetent that he was released in September. Naturally May held the Sox to just one earned run in 6 innings in tonight's game for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards got a run against Connelly Early but the Sox rallied for two runs in the fourth. After Early was once again pulled too soon, the Cards pounced on Zack Kelly for two runs. With the anemic Red Sox offense doing nothing, that was all the Cards needed to win the game 3-2 at Busch Stadium.

                                                       "No offense again"

May got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Caleb Durbin grounded out to third but Masataka Yoshida was hit with a pitch. Willson Contreras was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Early got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and JJ Wetherholt flied out to center to begin. Ivan Herrera singled to right but was forced at second by Alex Burleson. Jordan Walker struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Trevor Story took strike three. Marcelo Mayer flied out to center and Carlos Narvaez grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Cards struck first in the bottom of the second as Ramon Urias doubled to center to start. Masyn Winn walked and Jose Fermin got a base hit to left to load the bases with nobody out. Pedro Pages struck out swinging but Victor Scott hit a sac fly to left to score Urias. Wetherholt walked to reload the bases but Herrera struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cards up 1-0.

                                                          Cards take the lead

Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to first to start the top of the third and Duran did the same. Durbin took strike three to end the inning. Burleson grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third but Walker got a base hit to right. Urias lined out to center but Winn was hit with a pitch. Fermin took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth inning as Yoshida grot a base hit to right to start. Contreras flied out to right but Abreu got a base hit to right to move Masataka to third. Story beat out a double play ball and Wetherholt threw the ball away for an error to score Yoshida. Mayer singled inside the bag at first and both runners pulled off a double steal, Story stealing home to give the Sox the lead. Narvarez grounded out to short to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-1.

                                                         Story steals home

Pages grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Scott got a base hit inside the bag at first. Wetherholt grounded out to first and Herrera struck out swinging to end the inning.

Thomas Saggese took over for Winn to start the top of the fifth and Rafaela lined out to second to start. Duran popped up to third and Durbin lined out to short to end the inning. Sox manager Alex Cora blew the game in the bottom of the fifth as Burleson flied out to center to end Early's day. He threw just 86 pitches and allowed just a run in 4 1/3 inning but was yanked. Zack Kelly came in and Walker singled to left. Urias walked and Saggese got a base hit to left to score Walker. A wild pitch moved both runners over and Germin hit a sac fly to left to score Urias. Pages flied out to left to end the inning with the Cards up 3-2. Great managing!

                                                       Wasn't around long enough

Yoshida grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Contreras struck out swinging. Abreu popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox had scored just 1 earned run against Dustin May, they should be ashamed of themselves. Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Scott walked to start. Wetherholt walked but Herrera struck out swinging. Burleson flied out to center and that was it for Samaniego. Greg Weissert got Walker to ground out to second to end the inning.

Ryne Stanek came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Story grounded out to third to begin. Mayer popped up to first and Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning. Urias flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh and Saggese lined out to center. Fermin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Nathan Church came in to play left with JoJo Romero on the mound to start the top of the eighth. Rafaela doubled to right and moved to third on the Duran liner to center. Durbin was hit with a pitch but Yoshida took strike three. Contreras flied out to center to end the inning. Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Pages doubled to left to start. Pages popped up a bunt to Durbin and Wetherholt struck out swinging. Herrera was intentionally walked and Burleson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Riley O'Brien came in to clsoe out the top of the ninth and Abreu grounded out to second to start. Story grounded out to short and Mayer struck out swinging to end the game. The Cards had won it 3-2.

                                                            Cards win

Jackass of the Night is Zack Kelly. He allowed the game winning runs to score in just 2/3 of an inning.

                                                              Great job Jackass

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3.

Connelly Early allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks.

Tyler Samaniego got the first two outs of the sixth inning.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jovani Moran tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Chad Durbin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base, drove in a run and scored a run.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Final Thoughts:

This season went to hell in a hand basket real quick and its a total organizational failure. The roster isn't designed to score runs but every single button Alex Cora pushes doesn't work this year. Pulling Early after just 86 pitches only for the bullpen to blow it is par for the course. How do you get beat by Dustin May who was all but washed up last September? Its just an embarrassing time to be a Sox fan losing 9 of their first 13 games, many of which just simply due to no offense. They had Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers and not only lost both, but didn't replace them. Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin are supposed to be the replacements but haven't gotten the job done so far. Once again, that's on Sox GM Craig Breslow more than Alex Cora but his managerial decisions have been dreadful. How do you keep Roman Anthony on the bench in the eighth inning during a rally? Nothing is going right so far this season and we still have a long way to go. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night in St. Louis when Ranger Suarez goes for the Sox against Kyle Leahy of the Cardinals. The game begins at 7:15 PM eastern time at Busch Stadium.