Houck Dazzles, Sox Beat Braves (9/26/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some final roster moves to end the season. Domingo Tapia and Jeffrey Springs were placed on the Injured List. To take their places the Red Sox activated Andrew Triggs and Austin Brice from the Injured List to take their places with just two games of the season.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     OUT

As for the game, looks like Tanner Houck (3-0, 0.54 ERA) is the real deal Boston Red Sox fans. The 24 year old rookie added the NL East leading Atlanta Braves to his victims list that includes the New York Yankees. Houck went 6 strong innings while allowing just a home run to Dansby Swanson. Houck struck out 10 batters and pitched himself out of trouble twice. The offense only scored in one inning but made it count. Bobby Dalbec smashed a 2 run home run and Christian Vazquez hit a grand slam all in the second inning. That was all the Sox needed as they cruised to an 8-2 victory at Truist Field.

                                               Erika Eleniak approves of the win

Tucker Davidson made his Major League debut for the Braves in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers whiffed but Xander Bogaerts walked. Bogaerts swiped second but JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ronald Acuna whiffed to start. Freddie Freeman grounded out to second but Marcell Ozuna singled to right. Travis d'Arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the second inning although Christian Vazquez flied out to left to start. Jackie Bradley Jr walked and Bobby Dalbec crushed his 8th homer of the year to give the Sox the lead. Michael Chavis hit a routine grounder to Adeiny Hechavarria who booted it for an error. Christian Arroyo singled to center and Verdugo walked to load the bases. Devers beat out a double play ball by inches to score Chavis and put runners at the corners. Bogaerts singled home Arroyo and Martinez walked to reload the bases. That was it for Davidson as Grant Dayton was brought in to pitch and Vazquez greeted him with a grand slam to ice the game. JBJ flied out to right but the Sox put eight runs on the board to lead 8-0.

                                                                  2 homers, big lead

Houck responded by striking out the side in the bottom of the second. Ozzie Albies whiffed, Adam Duvall took strike three and Dansby Swanson was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox offense was done for the night as Dalbec led off the top of the third with a fly out to left to start. Chavis whiffed and Arroyo flied out to center to end the inning. Hechavarria popped up to first to start the bottom of the third before Ender Inciarte grounded back to the mound. Acuna whiffed to end the inning.

Dayton struck out the side in the top of the fourth as Verdugo whiffed to start. Devers struck out swinging and so did Bogaerts to end the inning. Houck got in trouble for the first time in the bottom of the fourth as Freeman and Ozuna both walked to start. Houck responded by getting d'Arnaud to strike out swinging. Albies whiffed but both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Duvall grounded out to short to end the inning.

Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the fifth but Vazquez singled to center. JBJ walked and Jacob Webb came in to pitch. Dalbec hit one up the elevator shaft and Chavis grounded into a force to end the inning. Houck gave up his first earned run of the season when Swanson smashed a home run to Jupiter to start the bottom of the fifth. Hechavarria singled but Houck struck out Inciarte swinging and got Acuna to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                 Swanson proves Houck is human

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the sixth as Arroyo grounded out to third to start. Verdugo grounded back to the mound and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Freeman walked to open the bottom of the sixth but Ozuna popped up to Dalbec in foul territory. d'Arnaud whiffed and Albies popped up to third to end the inning. Houck finished up by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 10, he's hope for the future.

                                               Houck goes 6 strong to earn the win

Bogaerts lined out to right to start the top of the seventh before Martinez flied out to right. Vazquez doubled to left and JBJ walked to chase Webb. Tyler Matzek came in to strike out Dalbec swinging to end the inning. Austin Brice made his first appearance in three weeks and Duvall grounded out to third to start. Swanson took strike three but Hechavarria walked. Inciarte whiffed to end the inning.

Chavis got a base hit to left to start the top of the eighth but Arroyo took strike three. Verdugo and Devers both whiffed to end the inning. Phillips Valdez came in and got tagged in the bottom of the eighth. Acuna popped up to short but Freeman doubled to center. Ozuna grounded out to third but d'Arnaud hit a line drive off Valdez. Phillips threw the ball away to boot to allow Freeman to score. Albies whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                           Heads up!

AJ Minter had only allowed one earned run all year as he came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Bogaerts greeted him with a base hit to left but Martinez whiffed. Vazquez cleaned out Sox manager Ron Roenicke in the dugout with a foul ball into the dugout before striking out swinging. JBJ griounded out to second to end the inning. Thankfully Roenicke was okay.

                                                   Roenicke is down but not out

Andrew Triggs came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Duvall grounded out to short to start. Swanson singled to center and moved to second on the Hechavarria grounder. Inciarte popped up to Dalbec in foul territory to end the game. Houck had won again as the Sox enjoyed an 8-2 victory.

                                                                    "We won??"

Hero of the Night is Tanner Houck. The rookie beat a pretty good Braves team by allowing just one home run in 6 innings of work. He struck out 10 batters to earn the win.

                                                        Hero Houck

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk, stolen base, rbi and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 3 for 4 with a grand slam.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked 3 times and scored a run.

Austin Brice tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Andrew Triggs tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Phillips Valdez allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drive in a run and scored a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The only good thing to come out of 2020 is the Sox may have found a good starting pitcher for the first time since Clay Buchholz. Tanner Houck looks like the real deal the way he mixes up his pitches and most importantly, doesn't crack when there's a problem. He gave up a home run and kept doing what he was doing. He walked two guys and got out of it. That's the kind of thing you want to see, how they handle trouble. "The Chosen One" Allen Webster crumbled with men on base and Buchholz himself toward the end couldn't pitch out of the stretch. As for this game, its a good thing they took advantage of the rookie pitcher because they didn't do anything after the grand slam. The rumor is Jackie Bradley Jr won't be coming back so better enjoy his last game tomorrow. In terms of draft order the Sox will be picking anywhere from 3-5 depending how tomorrow goes. The Sox and Baltimore Orioles are in a tie for last place now and if the Sox win and the O's lose, the Sox avoid last place. The win improved the Sox to 23-36, tied for last place in the AL East. Tomorrow is the final game of the season for the Red Sox. Nick Pivetta (1-0, 9.28 ERA) goes for the Sox up against Bryse Wilson of the Braves. The game begins at 3:10 at Truist Field.

Rays Annihilate Red Sox (9/11/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Josh Taylor was placed on the Injured List with left shoulder tendinitis. In his place the Sox didn't call up any top level prospects, they called up somebody named Domingo Tapia. I know Sox GM Chaim Bloom is desperate to get the first overall pick, but he's bordering on being fined by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for being blatantly obvious about tanking.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                         IN

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their second round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. What a massacre. It seems the Rays offense hits .200 against everyone else and a Jack Parkman-esque .900 against the Red Sox. Once again Tampa had a field day with the incompetent Red Sox pitching staff, pounding out 12 hits and 11 runs. The sad thing was the Sox offense had 11 hits themselves but couldn't get a clutch hit against Tampa ace Blake Snell. Matt Hall (0-3, 18.69) continued to be the hands down worst pitcher in baseball by allowing 4 runs in just 2 1/3 innings as the Rays effortlessly beat the Sox 11-1 at Tropicana Field.

                                                       "Matt Hall....."

Snell got the ball in the top of the first inning and cruised. Alex Verdugo grounded back to the mound to start before Rafael Devers went down hacking. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Andrew Triggs got the "start" for the Sox in the bottom of the first and Austin Meadows popped up to first to start. Joey Wendle grounded out to second but Brandon Lowe singled to second. Lowe stole second and Ji-Man Choi walked, but Kevin Kiermaier grounded out to second to end the inning.

Christian Vazquez lined out to right to start the top of the second before Kevin Plawecki grounded out to second. Jackie Bradley Jr doubled to left but Bobby Dalbec whiffed to end the inning. The Sox threw in the towel early when they brought in Matt Hall to replace Triggs in the top of the second. Yoshi Tsutsugo effortlessly hit the longest home run of his career to start but Nate Lowe struck out swinging. Brett Phillips grounded out to second but Michael Perez singled to left. Meadows grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                  Tsutsugo hits one out

Chavis walked to start the top of the third but Arroyo banged into a double play. Verdugo and Devers stroked back to back singles but Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third as Wendle and Brandon Lowe stroked back to back singles to start. Choi lined out to center and the runners pulled off a double steal. Kiermaier grounded out to short to score Wendle with another run. Tsutsugo lined out to left to end the inning.

Vazquez singled to left to start the top of the fourth but Plawecki flied out to right. Vazquez tried to steal second and was thrown out by a mile before JBJ lined out to center to end the inning. The Rays finished off Hall in the bottom of the fourth as Nate Lowe singled to left to start. Phillips whiffed but Perez walked. Meadows doubled home both runners to ice the game. Wendle walked and that was it for Hall. The worst pitcher of the team (and that's saying something) lived up to his billing by turning a 0-0 game into a rout in less than three innings. Phillips Valdez came in and got Brandon Lowe to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Rays up 4-0.

                                      "Gimmie that ball....and..AND GET OUTTA HERE!" - RR

Dalbec walked to open the top of the fifth but Chavis whiffed to start. Arroyo struck out swinging and Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Valdez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Choi lined out to third to start. Kiermaier whiffed and Tsutsugo took strike three to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to first to open the top of the sixth but Bogaerts singled to left. Vazquez hit a routine grounder to Tsutsugo who tried to run over and tag Bogaerts himself rather than throw the ball and everyone was safe. Pete Fairbanks replaced Snell and Plawecki banged into a double play to end the inning. 29 year old "rookie" Domingo Tapia made his MLB debut in the bottom of the sixth and naturally Nate Lowe hit his first home run of the season off of him to start. Phillips flied out to center and Perez flied out to left, but Meadows walked. Wendle whiffed to end the inning with the Rays up 5-0. Welcome to the club of useless relievers.

                                                   Tanner Houck isn't ready but HE is?

John Curtiss came in for the top of the seventh and JBJ flied out to left to start. Dalbec singled to right but Chavis flied out to center. Arroyo grounded into a force to end the inning. Robinson Leyer came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh as Brandon Lowe whiffed to start. Lowe and Kiermaier drew back to back walks and Tsutsugo singled home Choi. Nate Lowe then pulverized his second homer of the day to turn this into a laughter.  Robert Stock came in and Phillips popped up to third. Perez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays up 9-0.

                                              Need to break a slump? Face the Red Sox

Ryan Sherriff came in for the top of the eighth and Verdugo singled to left to begin. Devers singled to center but Bogaerts beat out a double play to put runners at the corners. Vazquez banged into a double play to end the inning. Jonathan Arauz came in to play third for the bottom of the eighth with Tzu-Wei Lin taking over for Bogaerts at short. Meadows took strike three but Wendle doubled to right and took third on a wild pitch. Brandon Lowe walked and Choi doubled home Wendle. Kiermaier grounded out to second but Lowe scored to wrap up the scoring. Tsutsugo whiffed to end the inning with the Rays hanging 10+ runs on the Sox again with their now 11-0 lead.

                                    Rays score more runs in one game than the Sox do in a week

Aaron Loup had mop up duty in the top of the ninth but the Sox rallied. Plawecki lined out to left but JBJ doubled to left and Dalbec doubled to right to score Bradley. Chavis singled Dalbec to third but Arroyo took strike three. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had won it 11-1.

                                               Too little, too late but nice to see

Jackass of the Night is Matt Hall. He allowed the 4 runs to put the Rays up for good.

                                                               Jackass Hall

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Michael Chavis was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Andrew Triggs tossed a scoreless inning.

Phillips Valdez tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 4.

Chistian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Domingo Tapia allowed a run in an inning of work.

Robinson Leyer allowed 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Robert Stock allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Jonathan Arauz played third base in the bottom of then eighth.

Tzu-Wei Lin played shortstop in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

14 games left....we're almost there. Even if the Sox are a .500 team next year it'll be a huge improvement over what Sox fans had to endure this season. I know the goal was not to win but there's a difference in being competitive and being dragged across the field for 3 hours. The Sox became the first team to lose 30 games this season and most of them have been blowouts. Hopefully none of the pitchers they have left will be around next year. Somehow Chaim Bloom has to fix the entire pitching staff from top to bottom. They need a new closer, new set-up men, new long men and new starters. Its going to take a hell of an effort but it can be done. As for this game? The less said about this disaster the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 16-30, good for last place in the AL East. Tomorrow evening the Sox face the Rays again when they pick a name out of a hat to start against Rays ace Tyler Glasnow at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Jays Outslug Unwatchable Sox (9/6/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Robert Stock was sent packing to the Alternate Training Site and in his place the Sox called up Matt Hall. Replacing one bum with another, yippie.

                                                                     OUT

IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster. In a game that took an unacceptable 4 hours and 27 to complete, the Toronto Blue Jays outslugged the Red Sox in one of the most god-awful events of all time. Both pitching staffs combined for 18 runs, 16 walks and 25 hits in the game that would have made Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens throw up. The Sox had a 4-1 lead going into the top of the sixth when the Blue Jays managed to score 9 runs in the next two innings. A host of bums in the Boston bullpen gave up one hit after another but so did the Blue Jays. The Sox offense ripped Toronto apart for 10 hits and 8 runs of their own but it wasn't enough as the Jays won the game 10-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                           Jays and Sox fans unite

Triggs got the ball to start the top of the first inning and somehow struck out the side. Cavan Biggio took strike three to start before Jonathan Villar also watched strike three go by. Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the first although Yairo Munoz pulled his right hamstring on a base hit to left to start. Jonathan Arauz pinch ran for Munoz as Christian Vazquez whiffed. Xander Bogaerts singled to left but JD Martinez was rung up for strike three. Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castigleone said Kevin Plawecki was due for his first Fenway homer and right on cue he blasted a three run bomb to center to give the Sox the lead. Michael Chavis walked but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                    Plawecki's first Fenway homer

Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez led off the top of the second with a lineout to Arauz to start. Travis Shaw grounded out to second but Lourdes Gurriel Jr singled to center.  Joe Panik grounded out to second to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec popped up to first to start the bottom of the second but Jose Peraza walked. Peraza swiped second and the throw got away, moving Peraza to third. The rally ended as Arauz took strike three down the middle and Vazquez popped up to right to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the third as Caleb Joseph hit a home run all the way to Weirs Beach to put Toronto on the board. Derek Fisher whiffed but Biggio walked. Villar walked but Guerrero Jr lined out to a running JBJ. Tellez hit one in the hole at short to load the bases and Shaw missed a grand slam by ten feet as JBJ caught it at the centerfield wall to end the inning. The Jays had cut the lead to 3-1. Andrew Triggs ladies and gentlemen.

                                       Strangely the best pitcher that would be seen all day

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts popped up to short to start. Martinez lined out to left but Plawecki dumped a base hit to right. Chavis hit one just inside the left field foul line but Plawecki was thrown out at third to end the inning.

Matt Hall replaced Triggs to start the top of the fourth and Gurriel Jr grounded out to second to start. Panik walked but Joseph lined out to left. Fisher walked but Hall got Biggio swinging on a nice curve to end the inning. JBJ popped up to second to start the bottom of the fourth but "Way Back" Dalbec lined his 3rd homer of the year into the Jays bullpen to increase the lead. Peraza whiffed but Arauz drew a walk. Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                        Dalbec goes yard

The Jays struck back in the top of the fifth although Villar grounded out to second to start. Guerrero Jr walked and the pain in the ass Tellez singled him to third. Shaw walked to load the bases and Gurriel Jr singled to center to score Guerrero to cut the lead. Panik dropped a base hit to right to score Tellez and Shaw to tie the game. Somehow Joseph took strike three but Hall bobbled a routine grounder by Fisher to allow Gurriel Jr to score the go-ahead run. Sox manager Ron Roenicke finally pulled the plug on Hall and brought in Robinson Leyer.  Biggio hit a routine fly ball to left but Peraza lost it in the sun for a 2 run double to increase the lead. Villar walked but Guerrero Jr popped up to second to end the inning. The Jays went from down 4-1 to up 7-4....pathetic.

                                                    Jays take the lead

Wilmer Font came in for the bottom of the fifth and the Sox went quietly. Bogaerts popped up weakly to center, Martinez hit a weak chopper to short and Plawecki took strike three to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the sixth when who else but Tellez blasted a 70,000 foot home run to increase the lead. Shaw singled to left and Gurriel Jr singled to center to chase Leyer. If there were fans in the stands, they'd be booing. Jeffrey Springs came in and walked Panik to load the bases on 4 straight pitches. Arauz then added to the misery by refusing to throw to first on a double play ball by Joseph to score Shaw with another run. Fisher singled to right to score Gurriel Jr but Biggio flied out to center. Villar walked to re-load the bases but Guerrero Jr whiffed to end the misery. The Jays scored another 3 runs to lead 10-4. The Sox pitchers allowed NINE walks and 12 hits so far.

                                              8 home runs this season, 4 against Boston

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the sixth when Chavis and JBJ stroked back to back singles to start. Dalbec walked to load the bases and Chavis scored on the sac fly by Peraza. Arauz walked to reload the bases but Thomas Hatch came in to strike out Vazquez swinging. Bogaerts hit a piece of crap roller to short to end the inning with the Sox down 10-5.

Austin Brice came in for the top of the seventh and somehow whiffed Tellez to start. Shaw grounded out to third but Gurriel Jr singled to center and Panik doubled him to third. Joseph grounded out to short to end the inning. Martinez showed how much he cared in the bottom of the seventh by jogging to first base on a grounder to short. The throw was wide but since Martinez lollygagged, Guerrero Jr had enough time to step on the bag for the out. Plawecki was plunked and Chavis walked, but JBJ forced Chavis at second and Dalbec whiffed to end the inning.

Plawecki keeled over in the dugout and had to be hauled off on a gurney headed to Mass General's ICU. Vazquez moved behind the plate and Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth. Fisher whiffed and Biggio popped up to short, but Villar singled to left. Guerrero Jr earned the hat trick with his third strikeout to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the eighth against AJ Cole when Peraza hit his first home run in over a year to start. Arauz walked but Vazquez flied out to right. Bogaerts stepped up with his 10th homer of the season to cut the lead. Martinez flied out to left and Alex Verdugo pinch hit for Brasier. Ryan Borucki came in and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 10-8.

                                                Peraza and Bogaerts with home runs

Marcus Walden came in for the top of the ninth and Tellez grounded out to first to start. Shaw grounded out to short and Gurriel Jr lined out to center to end the inning. Rafael Dolis came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Danny Jansen behind the plate. The Sox went quietly as Chavis flied out to left to start. JBJ took strike three and Dalbec whiffed to end the game. The Jays had won it 10-8 in the longest nine inning game in their history.

                                                 Happy Jays


Jackass of the Night is Matt Hall. He was charged with 6 runs to give the game away.

                                                      Bogaerts stares at the Jackass




The Good:

Yairo Munoz singled before leaving the game.

Jonathan Arauz walked 3 times and scored twice.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a 2 run homer.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 3 with a 3 run home run and a hit by pitch before leaving.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Jose Peraza was 1 for 2 with a walk, stolen base, 2 rbis and a home run.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Robinson Leyer was charged with 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 but walked and hit a home run.

Andrew Triggs allowed 1 run in 3 innings of work.

Jeffrey Springs allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in an inning of work.




Final Thoughts:

This was unwatchable. Imagine if this was in front of paying customers? Sox owner John Henry and general manager Chaim Bloom would be dragged down Yawkey Way a the end of lassos if Henry charged Major League prices for a product this bad for 162 games. Part of the fanbase thinks this is why they're tanking, they have no one to answer to in an empty Park. Its been said a million times that this team just wasn't designed to win but now it seems like a huge mistake the way the AL East has gone this season. The pre-season pick to win the World Series, the New York Yankees, are 21-19 and in third place just two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. If the Sox gave a damn this season and didn't go 0-7 against the Yankees, they'd be right in the thick of things. Still, its an indictment on the Yankees to spend all that money on Gerrit Cole to be a .500 team where the Red Sox traded everyone remotely good including Mookie Betts and David Price back in February. As for this game, at least the offense looked good. The encouraging sign is if the offense hits the next few weeks because the pitching can be corrected, but a bad offense will kill you. The 1992 Red Sox led the league in ERA but finished dead last because their offense was that bad. The 2018 Red Sox fixed their offense from a year earlier and went from 93 wins to 108. To see Arauz, Munoz, Verdugo, Devers, Dalbec and Chavis all 25 or younger compliment Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, Martinez, Vazquez and JBJ is encouraging for the future. Chaim Bloom made a lot of moves to re-stock the farm system and will get a high draft pick to work with in next year's draft. The offense is there but the pitching needs to be fixed. The loss drops the Sox to 14-28, last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox play a ridiculous doubleheader on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Martin Perez (2-4, 4.07 ERA) goes for the Sox in Game 1 against the dreaded TBD at 4:05 PM at 4:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Braves Sweep Sox (9/2/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox mercifully pulled the plug on the Kyle Hart experiment. The 19th round pick had no business being on a major league roster and was placed on the disabled list with a "left hip impingement" to put him out of his misery. To take his place on the roster, the Sox called up Andrew Triggs, who last pitched in Oakland in 2018. Its just a matter of time before Pat Light makes the big comeback.

                                                                               OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, for the second game in a row an Atlanta Braves player hit 3 home runs in one game. Last night it was Marcell Ozuna, tonight it was Adam Duvall. The Sox actually led 5-3 before their horrendous bullpen coughed up the lead. For a team that's not trying to win, the Red Sox are experts at it. The Sox started a guy no one has ever heard of and brought in a pitcher who hadn't pitched in 6 years. Then they brought in another castoff and there you go. What else can be said other than the Braves swept the Red Sox with a 7-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                   Bad news, there's still 23 games left

Robinson Leyer got the start in the top of the first inning and Dansby Swanson whiffed to start. Freddie Freeman singled to right and Marcell Ozuna walked, but Nick Markakis flied out to center. Travis d'Arnaud whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Braves starter Robbie Erlin in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo walked to start. Rafael Devers doubled him to third and Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases. JD Martinez doubled home Devers and Verdugo to give the Sox the lead. Kevin Plawecki popped up to second but Michael Chavis scored Bogaerts with a sac fly to increase the lead. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                   Sox strike first

Tonight's originally scheduled starter Mike Kickham, who hadn't pitched in 6 years, took the mound in the top of the second and naturally got hammered. Austin Riley doubled to right and Adam Duvall hit a home run all the way to the Gulf of Mexico to cut the lead. John Carmago singled to left but Ender Inciarte flied out to left. Swanson flied out to center but Freedman singled Carmago to third. Ozuna singled home Carmago to tie the game. Markakis lined out to Kickham to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                    That's one

Bobby Dalbec whiffed to start the bottom of the second before Jose Peraza also went down hacking. Verdugo doubled to center but Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Kickham settled down in the top of the third as d'Arnaud lined out to right to start. Riley grounded out to third and Duvall flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Martinez lined out to center and Plawecki flied out to right to end the inning.

Carmago grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth before Inciarte grounded out to second. Swanson flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth although Chavis grounded back to the mound to start. JBJ then swatted his third home run of the season to give the Sox the lead back. Dalbec grounded back to the mound and Peraza flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                   JBJ hits one out

Andrew Triggs made his season debut in the top of the fifth and cruised. Freeman took strike three, Ozuna lined out to short and Markakis took strike three to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo singled to right to start. Devers singled to right to chase Erlin. Darren O'Day came in and Bogaerts lined out to left, but Martinez singled home Verdugo to increase the lead. Plawecki and Chavis both whiffed to end the inning but the Sox led 5-3.

                                             RUN VERDUGO, RUNNNN!!!!

The Braves effortlessly tied the game in the top of the sixth as d'Arnaud singled to left to start. Riley lined out to left but Duvall hit a home run all the way to Montana to tie the game. Carmago flied out to left and Inciarte grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                          That's two

Tyler Matzek had the bottom of the sixth and JBJ walked to start. Dalbec popped up to second but JBJ swiped second. Peraza and Verdugo both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Braves took the lead in the top of the seventh although Swanson struck out swinging to start. Freeman flied out to center but Ozuna hit his fourth home run in two days to give the Braves the lead. Markakis grounded out to second but the Braves were up for good 6-5.

                                                      Can anyone get him out?

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Shane Greene took over for Matzek. Bogaerts and Martinez both grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the eighth and guess what happened? d'Arnaud flied out to center and Riley took strike three, but Duvall smashed his third home run of the game to complete the embarrassment. Carmago walked and Inciarte flied out to right to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-5.

                                                    That's three

Christ Martin laughed at the Sox in the bottom of the eighth as Plawecki grounded out to second to start. Chavis whiffed and JBJ grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in for the top of the ninth and Swanson flied out to right to begin. Freeman git a routine grounder to third but Devers threw his glove at the ball and dropped an elbow on it for an error. Freeman moved to second on the grounder by Ozuna and Markakis whiffed to end the inning. Mark Melancon came in and effortlessly shut down the Sox in the bottom of the ninth. Dalbec whiffed, Peraza took strike three and Verdugo whiffed to end the game. The Braves completed the sweep with a 7-5 win.

                                                               Braves win


Jackass of the Night is Andrew Triggs. He was staked to a 5-3 lead and coughed up 3 runs to take the loss.

                                                Jackass Triggs



The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 fort 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a home run.

Robinson Leyer pitched a scoreless first inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless inning.



The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jose Peraza was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Mike Kickham allowed 3 runs in 3 innings.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the 8th inning.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.




Final Thoughts:

The worst about apart this season is they're not even trying. At least the 2015 Red Sox when they were in last place were exciting to watch in August and September. Blake Swihart, Mookie Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Joe Kelly, Rick Porcello and Travis Shaw rallied under Torey Luvollo to end the season on a high note. This year there's nothing like that. The team on the field is there to lose on purpose and its been proven quite clearly the last few months. Why else would the team release Brian Johnson and start guys that have no business being on a major league roster? Why didn't Chaim Bloom pick up some relief pitching last winter even before the crap hit the fan with Betts and Covid? The Sox are not only the real life version of the movie Major League, they make the 1997 Boston Celtics look like the 86 team in comparison. Still, this year is a sham but at least there's a plan for the future. Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale come back next year and all the trades Bloom made was to re-stock the farm system with future trade chips or guys that will be given a chance to see what they have. Until then the Sox and their fans have 23 games left to suffer through. The loss dropped the Sox to 12-25, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Toronto Blue Jays come to town to bash the Sox into submission. Martin Perez (2-4, 4.58 ERA) takes the beating while Taijuan Walker shuts down the Boston bats for the Blue Jays. The massacre begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.