O's Down Lifeless Red Sox (9/27/19)

The Boston Red Sox can't wait for the season to be over and it showed in tonight's ho-hum loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox offense scratched out just 6 total hits and 1 run while the O's got 3 against Nathan Eovaldi (2-1, 5.99 ERA). The Sox were shut down by the immortal Asher Wojciechowski who tossed 6 shutout innings. Thank goodness there are only 2 games left in the season because the Sox dropped this borderline unwatchable game 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                               Barnaby hates lifeless offenses

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan Villar flied out to center to start. Austin Hays took strike three but Trey Mancini walked. Dwight Smith Jr flied out to left to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first by lining out to center to begin. Rafael Devers whiffed but Xander Bogaerts doubled to left. Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to end the inning.

Renato Nunez flied out to right to open the top of the second before Rio Ruiz lined out to second. Hanser Alberto hit a routine fly ball to right but Gorkys Hernandez tried to catch the ball in his hat and it dropped for an error. DJ Stewart walked but Chance Sisco grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox bungled a rally in the bottom of the second although Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled to right to start. Both Sam Travis and Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging but Gorkys Hernandez atoned for his error by drawing a walk. Naturally Juan Centeno whiffed to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third inning although Villar flied out to left to start. Hays doubled to right but Mancini walked. A passed ball moved the runners overs but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez then pounded his 30th home run of the year into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning but it was now 3-0 Orioles.

                                                        Nunez ends it early

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they did not come back. Mr. Mookie singled to center to start the bottom of the third but was doubled off first when Devers hit a bullet to Alberto. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Eovaldi recovered in the top of the fourth inning as Alberto lined out to third to start. Stewart walked but Sisco struck out swinging. Villar grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland grounded out to short to start. Holt flied out to right but Travis was hit with a pitch. JBJ doubled to right and Travis tried to motor around home. Mancini threw home and Travis was out by a mile to end the inning.

                                                     YERRRRR OUTTA THERE!

Eovaldi came back for one last inning in the top of the fifth and Hays singled to right to begin. Mancini banged into a double play and Smith Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi made one mistake to Nunez but it was a big one as he left after 5 innings of 3 run ball in his final start of the season.

                                               See you next year Eovaldi

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez whiffed to start. Centeno grounded out to first and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the top of the sixth and Nunez grounded out to second to start. Ruiz grounded out to short but Alberto singled to right. Stewart doubled to center and Sisco walked to load the bases. Somehow Velazquez got Villar to pop up to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth inning as Devers flied out to center, Bogaerts lined out to right and Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Wojciechowski was 3-8 going into this game and the Sox made him look like Jim Palmer as he tossed 6 shutout innings.

Colten Brewer came in for the top of the seventh inning and Hays took strike three to start. Mancini walked but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning. Steve Wilkerson came in for Smith but went to right with Stewart going to left and Tanner Scott on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Holt lined out to center to start before Travis whiffed. JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ruiz grounded out to first to start. Alberto also grounded out to first but Stewart walked. Sisco walked but Villar flied out to left to end the inning. Mychal Givens put on a clinic in the bottom of the eighth as he blew away Hernandez, Centeno and Betts swinging in short order.

Marcus Walden came in to throw up on himself in the top of the ninth. Hays walked and stole second although Mancini went down swinging. Wilkerson grounded out to third but Nunez singled home Hays to increase the lead. Ruiz lined out to third to end the inning but Nunez had outscored the Red Sox all by himself with the O's leading 4-0.

                                                Nunez with another rbi

The Sox suddenly had a too little too late rally against Richard Bleier in the bottom of the ninth. Devers doubled to left and Bogaerts singled him home. Unfortunately Bogaerts was picked off and Moreland whiffed again. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Holt which made no sense at all and naturally Vazquez grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won it 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is Mitch Moreland. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including a key one in the ninth inning down 3 runs.

                                                         Nice strikeout Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Andrew Cashner pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in the top of the ninth



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Sam Travis was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and was thrown out at the plate, but was hit with a pitch.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 2 with an error and 2 strikeouts, but walked.

Nathan Eovaldi took the loss by allowing a 3 run home run in 5 innings pitched.




Final Thoughts:

Just 2 games left in this miserable season and they can't come fast enough. The Sox managed to make Asher Wojciechowski look like Mike Cuellar and Renato Nunez look like Frank Robinson. Nothing went right this year and things don't look good for next year as well. JD Martinez is a free agent and the rumor is Mookie Betts is leaving in free agency after 2020 so the Sox may trade him before then. We may be seeing a lot of these guys for the final time in the next few games. In some cases that's a good thing but in others, it will be sad to see them go. As for this disaster, the good news is its over and only 2 more defeats are left. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox lose to John Means of the Orioles. Jhoulys Chacin takes the loss for the Sox at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Vazquez Slams Phillies, Sox Win 3 in a Row (9/15/19)

As this miserable season comes to a close, at least the Sox are still trying to win some games. Christian Vazquez set career highs in home runs and rbi's this year and his third inning grand slam against the Philadelphia Phillies proved to be the difference against the Sox' equally mediocre counterparts. "Slick" Rick Porcello (13-12, 5.77 ERA) didn't suck for once, the bullpen allowed just 1 run in 4 innings and the Sox made it two in a row in interleague play against the Phillies with a 6-3 win at Citizens Bank Park.

                                                            Bird Person approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time scoring against Phillies starter Jason Vargas when last night's hero Andrew Benintendi led off with a base hit to center. Xander Bogaerts hit a routine grounder back to the mound but Vargas threw the ball away, advancing both runners. Rafael Devers was hit with a pitch to load the bases and JD Martinez scored Benintendi with a sac fly. Mitch Moreland struck out swinging and Christian Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                   Sox go up by a run

Porcello got the ball in the bottom of the first and immediately allowed a leadoff single to Cesar Hernandez. Porcello turned back the clock to 2016 to get JT Realmuto to bang into a double play before freezing Harper for strike three to end the inning.

Vargas turned up the heat in the top of the second as Sam Travis whiffed to start. Chris Owings took strike three and Porcello fanned to end the inning. The Phillies fought back in the bottom of the second when Hoskins pounded a 40,000 foot home run to tie the game. Brad Miller grounded back to the mound, Jean Segura lined out to short and Scott Kingery fanned to end the inning with the Phillies tying the game 1-1.

                                                  Tie game

The Sox instantly took the lead in the top of the third as Benintendi was plunked to start. Bogaerts singled to left but Devers took strike three. Martinez walked but Moreland whiffed. Vazquez then crushed a grand slam to left to ice the game early. Travis flied out to right to end the inning but it was 5-1 Sox.

                                                    Vaz drives in 4

Porcello cruised in the bottom of the third as Haseley took strike three to start. Morrison popped up to third and Hernandez took strike three to end the inning.

Nick Vincent came in to pitch the top of the fourth as Owings was rung up for strike three to start. Porcello flied out to right but Benintendi struck out swinging to end the inning. Things got testy in the bottom of the fourth as Realmuto singled to start. Harper was rung up for strike three and he threw his bat down and screamed at the umpire, earning an ejection. Gabe Kapler stormed out of the dugout with a sickle and chased the umpires away, earning an ejection himself. When things calmed down, Hoskins and Miller both lined out to left to end the inning.

                                                   They got the heaaaaaaave ho!

Jose Pirela came in for the top of the fifth for Harper as Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Devers popped up to short and Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Segura grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Kingery walked. Haseley struck out and Phil Gosselin pinch hit for Vincent, getting a base hit to right. Hernandez singled to right to score Kingery but Realmuto grounded out to third to end the inning. Porcello was done after 5 innings and allowing 2 runs, better than his usual as the Sox led 5-2.

                                                  Porcello gets the win

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth against Mike Morin. Moreland lined to to center but Vazquez belted yet another home run to increase the lead. Travis lined out to left and Owings grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were up 6-2.

                                                    Vazquez hits another out

Marcus Walden came in for the bottom of the sixth and Pirela popped up to short to start. Hoskins walked and moved to second on the Miller grounder. Segura singled home Hoskins to cut the lead in half. Kingery whiffed to end the inning with the Phillies down 6-3.

                                                 Walden allows a run

Maikel Franco came in to play third with Kingery moving to center, Haseley moving to left and Cole Irvin coming in to pitch the top of the seventh. Gorkys Hernandez pinch hit for Walden and lined back to the mound to start. Benintendi grounded out to second and Bogaerts grounded out to the mound to end the inning. Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the seventh and walked Haseley to begin. Franco flied out to left but Hernandez whiffed. Realmuto flied out to right to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth but Martinez walked. Moreland singled to center but Vazquez lined out to left. Travis grounded out to second to end the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr took Travis spot in center with Matt Barnes now on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Pirela whiffed but Hoskins singled. Jay Bruce pinch hit for Irvin and banged into a double play to end the inning.

Jared Hughes had the top of the ninth and Owings grounded out to short to start. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Barnes and took strike three before Benintendi singled to right. Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning. Brandon Workman came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and  got Segura to line out to center to begin. Kingery grounded out to short but Haseley walked. Workman blew away Franco to end the game. The Sox had won two in a row with a 6-3 win.

                                                      Workman gets it done


Hero of the Night is Christian Vazquez. He swatted two home runs including a grand slam while driving in 5 runs.

                                                    Vaz The Hero



The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 1 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Rick Porcello got the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball. He was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Andrew Cashner pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Brandon Workman earned his 14th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Sam Travis was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Owings was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Bradley Jr played center in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Its all about individual accomplishments now with just 13 games left. Brandon Workman's march toward 20 saves, Vazquez trying to hit 25 home runs, Eduardo Rodriguez gunning for 20 wins, etc. With any form of competitive baseball out the window, these are the only things to look forward to at this point. Once again the wins are meaningless but at least they won the game. Porcello is most certainly not coming back so this could possibly be his final win with the Red Sox after 5 seasons. Better to end with a win than a loss. The win improved the Sox to 79-70, too many games out of the Wild Card slot. Tomorrow is another off-day and the Sox are back in action Tuesday night at home against the San Fransisco Giants. Logan Webb goes for the Giants up against Nathan Eovaldi at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park

Sox Rout Yankees (9/6/19)

The season may be lost at this point for the Boston Red Sox but at least they're not going quietly. The New York Yankees may win 100 games for the second year in a row but the Sox took a dump in the Yankees championship stew tonight. After David Price backed out of his start tonight, the Sox bullpen tossed a 9 inning gem, surrendering just 1 run and 4 hits. Mitch Moreland hit his first home run in ages and the Sox defeated the Yankees 6-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                 Ivan Fears approves of the win

Jhoulys Chacin made his Red Sox debut in the top of the first inning and DJ LaMahieu grounded out to short to begin. Aaron Judge took strike three and Didi Gregorious also struck out swinging to end the inning. The miserable Red Sox offense did nothing against German in the bottom of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts swung and missed for strike three to start. Rafael Devers whiffed badly and Xander Bogaerts ran away screaming for strike three to end the inning.

Chachin punched out Gary Sanchez to open the top of the second inning before freezing Edwin Encarnacion for strike three. Gleyber Torres grounded out to third to end the inning and that was it for Chacin. Not a bad debut for someone who hadn't started since July, props to Chacin.

                                                  Chacin with 2 solid innings

JD Martinez drew a walk to start the bottom of the second but Andrew Benintendi flied out to center. Brock "The Hitman" Holt lined out to center and Mitch Moreland grounded out to first to end the inning.

Josh Taylor took over for the top of the third and Brett Gardner whiffed to start. Luke Voit struck out swinging and Mike Tauchman grounded out to third to end the inning. More misery in the bottom of the first inning as Christian Vazquez flied out to left to start. Jackie Bradley Jr walked but foolishly thrown out trying to steal. Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to end the inning,

Marcus Walden (9-23.27 ERA) had the top of the fourth inning and LeMahieu grounded out to short to start. Judge whiffed but Gregorius got the first hit of the game with a double to left. Sanchez drew a walk but Encarnacion whiffed to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Devers doubled to center to begin. Bogaerts whiffed but Devers moved to third on the Martinez grounder. Benintendi walked and Holt singled to left to score Devers to put Boston on top. Moreland celebrated his 34th birthday by crushing his 15th home run of the season to ice the game. Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-0.

                                                   Moreland finally hits one out

The Yankees tagged Andrew Cashner in the top of the fifth inning although Torres whiffed to start. Gardner hit a piece of crap 290 foot home run to cut the lead. Voit grounded out to short and Tauchman grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                                Another run allowed by Cashner

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth although JBJ took strike three to start. Mr. Mookie walked to chase German. Nestor Cortes Jr came in to pitch and he walked Devers before Bogaerts doubled home both runners. Martinez was intentionally walked but was erased on the Benintendi force. Holt whiffed to end the inning but it was 6-1 Sox.

                                                           Big double by Bogaerts

Ryan Weber took over for the top of the sixth and LeMahieu grounded out to first to start. Judge grounded out to third and Gregorius grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tyler Lyons came in for the bottom of the sixth and Moreland singled to start. Vazquez banged into a double play and JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

Sanchez walked to start the top of the seventh before moving to second on the Encarnacion grounder. Torres whiffed but Gardner singled to center. Sanchez tried to score but JBJ gunned him down to end the inning.

                                                YERRRRR OUT!

Cory Gearrin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Mr. Mookie grounded out to first to start. Devers walked and moved to second on the Bogaerts grounder. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Voit grounded back to the mound to start. Clint Frazier pinch hit for Tauchman and took strike three before LeMahieu walked. Judge lined out to right to end the inning. Chance Adams came in for the bottom of the eighth and Benintendi whiffed to start. Holt flied out to right but Moreland got his third hit of the game with a base hit to right. Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Bobby Poyner came in to mop up the top of the ninth and Gregorius hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Sanchez whiffed and Encarnacion took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                    Another win



Hero of the Night is Mitch Moreland. The birthday boy's 3 run home run put the Sox up big and they never looked back.

                                              Happy birthday Hero


The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Jhoulys Chacin struck out 4 of the 6 men he faced.

Josh Taylor struck out 2 of the 3 men he faced.

Marcus Walden got the win with a scoreless 4th inning.

Ryan Weber tossed two scoreless innings.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Bobby Poyner pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4.

Andrew Cashner allowed a run in the bottom of the 5th.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

A pointless win but anytime you beat the Yankees its a good thing. The Sox may have underperformed this year but you can't say they're going quietly. The Sox could have easily laid down in this game considering Price backed out but the bullpen tossed 9 innings of 1 run ball. Its a shame the Sox didn't have Chacin earlier this year, maybe some of the 22 blown leads wouldn't have been blown. Its a shame the Sox starting rotation depth went to hell because the bullpen has been fine the last month. Tomorrow is yet another bullpen game but tonight at least the Sox won. The win improved the Sox to 76-65, 6.5 games behind everyone for the second wild card spot. Tomorrow its another bullpen game with Travis Lakins (0-1, 4.70 ERA) as the opener up against JA Happ of he Yankees at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Twins Cut Down Sox in Ninth (9/5/19)

That should do it for any potential playoff hope for the Boston Red Sox. In a game the Sox needed to win against the Minnesota Twins, once again they fell flat on their face. The Sox held the Twins to just 2 runs on 2 hits but were held to 4 of their own. Their high powered offense seems to go silent when tied or behind and that's exactly what happened. The Sox came into the game 3-61 when trailing after 7 innings and dropped to 3-62. The Sox had a chance in the ninth but Rafael Devers was thrown out at the plate to end the game with the Twins taking the series and the game 2-1 at Fenway Park.

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kepler grounded out to second to start. Luis Arraez singled to center but Nelson Cruz banged into a double play to end the inning. Perez cruised in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to second to start before Xander Bogaerts was rung up for strike three. Rafael Devers popped up to second to end the inning.

Eovaldi struck out Eddie Rosario swinging to open the top of the second but Miguel Sano walked. Mitch Garver whiffed and Jake Cave lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez grounded out to third to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to left and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to third to end the inning.

CJ Cron whiffed to start the top of the third before Jonathan Schoop lined out to right. Kepler grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the third as Sam Travis grounded out to third to start. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to second and Brock "The Hitman" Holt flied out to right to end the inning.

Eovaldi cruised in the top of the fourth as Arraez grounded back to the mound to begin. Cruz also grounded back to the mound before Rosario flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as the red hot Mr. Mookie belted his 26th home run of the season to begin. Bogaerts and Devers both grounded out to short and Martinez lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 1-0.

                                                        The lone highlight

The Twins answered in the top of the fifth due to Eovaldi's wildness. Sano, Garver and Cave all walked in order to load the bases with no one out. Eovaldi sacrificed a run when he got a double play from Cron and Schoop lined out to right to end the inning. The Twins had tied it 1-1 without getting a hit in the inning. That was it for Eovaldi as Sox manager Alex Cora decided once again that this game wasn't important enough to stretch a starter. Eovaldi looked great in his 5 innings of work though.

                                                         So much for having starting depth

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Vazquez popped up to first to start. Benintendi drew a walk but Travis banged into a double play to end the inning.

Marcus Walden came in for the top of the sixth and Kepler grounded out to first to start. Arraez walked but Cruz grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Holt grounded out to third but Mr. Mookie doubled to center. Bogaerts walked but Devers grounded out to first to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh inning. Rosario flied out to center but Sano walked. Garver walked but Cave whiffed. Cron walked and that was it for Cashner. Got the first two outs but walked the bases loaded. Matt Barnes came in and Willians Astudillo pinch hit for Schoop. Naturally Astudillo dumped a base hit to right that scored Sano to put the Twins up for good. Kepler whiffed to end the inning but the Twins were up 2-1.

                                                     Game over

The Sox were 3-61 when trailing after 6 innings and that number didn't change as Trevor May effortlessly shut down the Sox in the bottom of the seventh. Martinez whiffed before Vazquez lined out to center. Benintendi grounded out to second to end the inning.

Barnes shut down the Twins in the top of the seventh as Arraez grounded out to second to start. Cruz grounded out to second and Rosario whiffed to end the inning. Tyler Duffey came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jackie Bradley Jr pinch hit for Travis. Naturally JBJ whiffed and Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Hernandez...only to fly out to left. Holt whiffed to end the inning.

Colten Brewer came in for the top of the ninth and Sano lined out to right to begin. Garver walked and Cave hit a routine grounder to Moreland. Mitch picked the ball up and sung showtunes holding the ball like a microphone for an error. Byron Buxton pinch ran for Garver but Cron banged into a double play to end the inning. The Twins were going to win the game with just 2 hits. Jason Castro came in to catch with Sergio Romo on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Mr. Mookie popped up to first but Bogaerts singled to left. Devers beat out a double play ball and Martinez jacked one deep to left. The ball hit high off the Monster and Devers tried to score from first. Rosario fired a bullet to the plate....YOU'RE OUT OF THERE!!! Devers was out and the Sox had lost not only the game but any hope of the post-season, 2-1.

                                                      Bye bye playoffs


Jackass of the Night is Andrew Cashner. He put the go-ahead run on which turned out to be the difference in the game.

                                                        Playoff hopes went bye bye, Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 3.

Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 and was thrown out at the plate to end the game.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2.

Jackie Bradley Jr struck out as a pinch hitter.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 2.

Mitch Moreland flied out as a pinch hitter.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Matt Barnes allowed the go-ahead run to score but pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

So much for the playoffs. The Sox have been almost an embarrassment this season. The facrlt they've only come back THREE times when trailing late shows you how gutless they are. Teams like the New York Yankees win in the late innings all tne time, as does the Twins. Quite simply they just dont have the fire this year that they had in 2018. Maybe watching the playoffs from their couches while Yankee fans laugh at them will inspire them to come out next year with the same fire they had in 2018. The loss dropped the Sox to 75-65,  6.5 games behind the Oakland A's for the second wild card spot. The Sox now have to face the New York Yankees in a 3 game set that should take them out of contention once and for all. The Yankees send out Domingo German and the Sox sent out....Jhoulys Chacin. Yeah,....the loss begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off Angels in 15 (8/30/19)

This was one of the most ridiculous wins of the season for the Boston Red Sox for all of the wrong reasons. After 6 innings the Red Sox took a 6-3 lead over the Los Angeles Angels. They would not have another baserunner for the next 7 innings. Meanwhile the Angels chipped away at the lead and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. 6 innings later Mookie Betts, who had homered in the first inning, launched his second home run of the night to put the Sox back on top. Andrew Cashner (11-7, 4.54 ERA) tossed 4 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. It took 15 innings and had no business going that long but the Sox prevailed 7-6 just after 3 AM in Boston.

                                                          Sox fans in the 15th inning

The Sox wasted no time going ahead in the top of the first inning against Angels starter Jose Suarez. Mr. Mookie Betts crushed his 22nd home run of the year on the 5th pitch of the game to give the Sox the instant lead. Rafael Devers was plunked but Xander Bogaerts whiffed. JD Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                  Betts is all smiles

Nathan Eovaldi was the Sox starter and he got Brian Goodwin to fly out to center to start the top of the first inning. Mike Trout walked but Shohei Ohtani whiffed. Albert Pujols singled but Kole Calhoun whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the second inning as Sam Travis walked to start. Andrew Benintendi was plunked but Christian Vazquez banged into a double play, moving Travis to third. Brock "The Hitman" Holt increased the lead with a base hit to left to increase the lead. Sandy Leon flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                  Holt drives in a run

Eovaldi cruised in the bottom of the second as David Fletcher took strike three to start. Andrelton Simmons flied out to center before Luis Rengifo was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox kept up the attack in the top of the third inning as Mr. Mookie singled up the middle to start. Devers lined out to center and Bogaerts lined out to right but Martinez cracked his 33rd home run of the season to increase the lead. Travis grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                       Martinez is heating up

The Angels became their comeback in the bottom of the third although Max Stassi took strike three to start. Goodwin crushed his 14th home run of the season to put Angels on the board. Eovaldi cme back to freeze Trout and punch out Ohtani to end the inning but the Angels were down 4-1.

                                                   Goodwin puts the Angels on the board

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Benintendi grounded out to short to start. Vazquez grounded out to third and Holt whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for one more inning in the bottom of the fourth as Pujols lined out to center to start. Calhoun whiffed but Fletcher singled to right. Simmons grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Eovaldi who is being treated with kid gloves again, going 4 innings while allowing 1 run.

                                                      Short and sweet for Eovaldi

Nothing happened for the Sox in the top of the fifth inning as Leon lined out to short to begin. Mr. Mookie grounded out to short before Devers also grounded out to short to end the inning. The Angels continued the comeback against Josh Taylor in the bottom of the fifth. Rengifo singled to left and Stassi walked before Goodwin walked to load the bases. Somehow Taylor got Trout to pop up to second and Ohtani to ground a ball to Vazquez at first, coming home to nail Rengifo. One out away from pulling a Houdini, Sox manager Alex Cora lifted Taylor for Marcus Walden. Naturally Pujols singled home both Stassi and Goodwin to cut the lead. Calhoun grounded out to second to end the inning but Pujols has transformed into his 2004 self to bring the Angels within a run 4-3.

                                              Pujols in his earlier days

Old buddy Noe Ramirez came in to take a beating in the top of the sixth inning as Bogarts singled to center and Martinez doubled him home to increase the lead. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Moreland and was hit with a pitch to chase the incompetent Ramirez. Miguel De Pozo came in and a bizarre play saw Martinez move to third on a pickoff attempt while Hernandez was out at second. Benintendi scored Martinez with a sac fly but Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3. That was the last baserunner the Sox would have for the next 7 innings.

                                                       Hernandez is out by a mile

Walden cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Fletcher popped up to second to start. Simmons grounded out to third before Rengifo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Holt flied out to left to start the top of the seventh before Leon looked at strike three. Luis Garcia came in and got Mr. Mookie to line out to right to end the inning. Matt Barnes poured gas on the fire in the bottom of the seventh as Kevan Smith pinch hit for Stassi only to ground out to second. Goodwin pounded yet another home run to cut the lead. Trout popped up to third and Ohtani whiffed to end the inning but the game was now 6-4 Sox.

                                                  Goodwin goes yard again

Devers grounded out to third to begin the top of the eighth before Bgaerts grounded out to second. Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came on for the bottom of the eighth and whiffed Pujols to start. Calhoun walked but Fletcher whiffed. Simmons walked to chase Brasier. Closer Brandon Workman came in and Justin Upton pinch hit for Rengifo. Upton singled to third to load the bases but Smith grounded out to second to end the inning.

Matt Thais came in to play third for the top of the ninth with Hansel Robles on the mound. Hernandez grounded out to second, Benintendi whiffed and Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning in short order. The Angels completed the comeback in the bottom of the ninth when Goodwin and Trout walked to start. Ohtani beat out a double play ball and the pain in the ass Pujols made the Sox pay for leaving Martinez in the outfield by lining a base hit to right. Martinez booted the ball and not only did Goodwin score but so did Ohtani to tie the game. Calhoun was intentionally walked to set up a force but both runners moved into scoring position on a Fletcher strike out. Simmons was intentionally walked to load the bases but Thaiss grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                       Sox blow another lead

Holt whiffed to start the top of the tenth before Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Leon only to strike out swinging. Mr. Mookie popped up to second to end the inning. Vazquez took over behind the plate with Moreland taking over at first with rookie Darwinzon Hernandez now on the mound. Smith popped up to second to start before Goodwin took strike three. Trout singled to left but Ohtani struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ty Buttrey came in to pitch the top of the eleventh and Devers whiffed to start. Bogaerts grounded out to short but Martinez grounded out to first to end the inning. Pujols singled to center to begin the bottom of the eleventh but Hernandez punched out both Calhoun and Fletcher. Simmons singled to put the winning run at second but Thaiss whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the 12th inning as Hernandez whiffed to start. Benintendi struck out swinging before Vazquez lined out to center to end the inning. Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the 12th and Smith flied out to center to begin. Goodwin whiffed before Trout flied out to left to end the inning.

Kenyan Middleton came in for the top of the 13th inning and Holt drew a walk to become the first Sox baserunner since the 6th inning. Moreland lined out to left, Mr. Mookie whiffed and Devers popped up to first to end the inning. Cashner cruised in the bottom of the 13th as Ohtani grounded out to first to start. Pujols grounded out to second and Calhoun lined out to right to end the inning.

Trevor Cahill came in for the top of the 14th and Bogaerts whiffed to start. Martinez walked and Jackie Bradley Jr pinch ran for him. The Sox caught a break when Thaiss booted a grounder by Hernandez to put the go-ahead run at second base The rally ended as JBJ immediately got picked off although Hernandez moved to second. The mental error was compounded when Benintendi lined a single to right that would have scored JBJ. Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning. Betts moved to right with JBJ now in center to start the bottom of the 14th inning. Fletcher grounded out to short and Simmons flied out to right, but Thaiss walked. Smith whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox finally did something in the top of the 15th inning although Holt earned a hat trick by watching strike three go by to start. Moreland grounded out to second but Mr. Mookie cracked his 23rd home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                         Betts hits the killshot

Cashner had three more outs to get in the bottom of the 15th inning and Goodwin whiffed to start. Trout walked to put the tying run on but Ohtani forced Trout at second. Pujols hit an absolute rocket to left but Benintendi snared it at the wall to end the game. Somehow the Sox somehow had won the game 7-6 in 15 innings.

                                                     Well earned victory


Hero of the Night is Mookie Betts. His 15th inning home run put the Sox up for good.

                                           Mr. Hero


The Good:

Sam Travis walked and scored in two plate appearances.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed a run in 4 innings of work.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Andrew Cashner earned the win with 4 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 6.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Jackie Bradley Jr got picked off as a pinch runner.

Josh Taylor allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in the 7th inning.



The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 6 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and was hit with a pitch.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 6 but scored a run.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Marcus Walden allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 1 1/3 innings.

Ryan Brasier left two men on in the bottom of the eighth.

Brandon Workman gave up the lead in the bottom of the ninth but due to an error after escaping the eighth inning jam.




Final Thoughts:

That was one of the more pathetic wins of the season. The bullpen gave up the lead the somehow was untouchable in extra innings. The Sox offense put 6 runs on the board in six innings and didn't even have a baserunner for the next 7. The bullpen blew the game yet tossed 6 shutout innings with the game on the line. Its just that kind of season for the Sox who are in a mad scramble to stay alive. The Sox are doing this on sheer will at this point after Dave Dombrowski essentially abandoned them and said "go get em guys". They should be crushing the Angels, not going life and death with them. The win improved the Sox to 73-62, 6 game behind the Oakland A's for the second wild card. Tomorrow its a bullpen game when Josh Taylor is the opener for the Sox and Dillon Peters pitches for the Angels at 9:00 PM at Angel Stadium.

Sox Fall Flat in San Diego (8/25/19)

In a season full of frustrating losses, this one hurts real bad. Before the game both the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians lost their games meaning had the Boston Red Sox won, they'd inch closer in the wild card race. Rather than come out full of fire, the Sox laid down and died, getting just four hits in the game. The San Diego Padres scored 3 runs in the first inning and that's all they needed as the lifeless Sox dropped the finale 3-1 at Petco Park.

                                         "Gutless losers!"

Lucchesi cruised in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers and and Xander Bogaerts both whiffed to end the inning. The Padres wasted no time getting to Johnson in the bottom of the first. Manny Margot effortlessly doubled before swiping third. Fransisco Mejia singled to left and Manny Machado ended the game with a backbreaking 2 run home run to put the Padres up for good. Hunter Renfroe walked but Eric Hosmer forced him at second. Ty France grounded out to short and Luis Urias flied out to center to end the inning with the Padres up for good 3-0.

                                          Of all people....

The Sox were deflated in the top of the second as JD Martinez weakly grounded out to short to start. Sam Travis grounded out weakly to second and Christian Vazquez grounded out weakly to first to end the inning. Austin Hedges walked to start the bottom of the third and took third on the sacrifice bunt by Luchessi. Hedges made a booboo when he was doubled off at second on a grounder by Margot before Mejia popped up to third to end the inning.

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to begin the top of the third but Chris Owings walked. Johnson bunted foul for strike three before Mr. Mookie popped up to center to end the inning. Johnson returned for one final inning in the bottom of the third and struck out Machado to start. Renfroe lined out to center but Hosmer walked. France doubled into the gap and Hosmer took off for home. Bogaerts gunned the relay throw to Vazquez....YER OUTTA THERE! Hosmer was out and so was Johnson. If it wasn't for the Machado home run Johnson would have given them a solid effort as a "opener".

                                         Another loss

The Sox finally got on the board in the top of the fourth inning although Devers grounded out to first to begin. Margot made a running catch off a 400 foot out by Devers but Martinez hit an absolute moonshot off the brick wall in left to cut the lead. Travis singled to center but Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                   Martinez hits one out

Ryan Brasier came in for the bottom of the fourth and JBJ made the play of the game when he climbed the centerfield wall to rob a triple from Urias. Hedges whiffed and Lucchesi took strike three to end the inning.

JBJ lined out to third to begin the top of the fifth before Owings lined out to center. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Brasier and caught Lucchesi asleep with a bunt single. Mr. Mookie walked but the slumping Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the fifth and Margot lined one off the glove of Devers into the left field corner. Inexplicably Margot literally ran out of his shoe and fell down going from second to third and was tagged out by Devers. Mejia grounded out to second but Machado walked. Renfroe whiffed to end the inning.

                                                Oops

Wil Myers came in to play left with Craig Stammen now on the mound in the top of the sixth inning. Bogaerts whiffed to start before Martinez grounded out to short. Travis took strike three to end the inning. Cashner got Hosmer to ground out to second to start the bottom of the sixth before France flied out to center. Urias grounded out to short to end the inning.

Luis Perdomo came in to pitch the top of the seventh and cruised. Vazquez grounded out to second, JBJ whiffed and Owings grounded out to short to end the inning. Marcus Walden came on for the bottom of the seventh and got Hedges to ground out to third to begin. Myers whiffed but Margot walked. Josh Naylor pinch hit for Perdomo and flied out to left to end the inning.

Andres Munoz came in to pitch in the top of the eighth and the Sox blew their last chance. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Walden and singled to left. Mr. Mookie hit a routine grounder to third but Machado booted it and everyone was safe. Devers then banged into a double play to kill the rally. Bogaerts did manage to walk but Martinez swung at strike three headed to the backstop to end the inning. They didn't deserve to win. Matt Barnes came in with Holt taking Owings spot for the bottom of the eighth. Machado flied out to right before Renfroe took strike three. Hosmer whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly against closer Kirby Yates in the top of the ninth. Travis grounded out to short to start before Vazquez whiffed. JBJ whiffed as well to end the game. 0The Sox failed to gained ground and went lifeless in the 3-1 defeat.

Jackass of the Night is Rafael Devers. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including the backbreaking double play in the eighth.

                                         Rafael Jackass


The Good:

Marco Hernandez singled as a pinch hitter.

Brock Holt singled as a pinch hitter.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless inning.

Andrew Cashner tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brian Johnson allowed 3 runs in 3 innings to take the loss.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but the hit was a solo home run.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4.

Chris Owings was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

If I'm Alex Cora, I'd be kicking over water coolers in the clubhouse after this one. They had to have known the Rays, A's and Indians all lost and yet they laid an egg with the season on the line? Its a damn shame because the Sox bullpen stepped it up in this one. Take away the first inning and the Sox allowed 2 hits and no runs in the final 8 innings. Its unbelievable that the Sox laid down in this one considering what's at stake. They're running out of time and you'd think they'd have a sense of urgency especially against a beatable team like the Padres. I know things don't look good with Price hurt, Sale done for the year and the rest of the starters sucking but they still have a chance. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to Colorado for a 2 game set with the Rockies. The Rockies have no idea who's pitching while the Sox throw "Slick" Rick Porcello (11-10, 5.49 ERA) out there at 8:40 PM Eastern time at Coors Field.