Crochet, White Sox Stop Red Sox (6/7/24)

The lack of starting pitching depth reared its ugly head again as the Boston Red Sox were forced to send Cooper Criswell (3-3, 4.13 ERA) up against Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox did take a 2-1 lead on Crochet on an error by Garrett and a straight steal of home by Jarren Duran. Then the White Sox got three runs off Criswell in the bottom of the fourth to pretty much put the game away. Greg Weissert served up back to back home runs to Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn and Paul DeJong hit an rbi off Brad Keller to wrap it up. The White Sox had beaten the Red Sox 7-2 at Comiskey Park.

                                                          Losing to the White Sox now?

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Rob Refsnyder lined out to second but Connor Wong got a base hit in the hole at second. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Criswell got the ball in the bottom of the first and Corey Julks grounded out to third to start. Nicky Lopez lined out to left but Luis Robert Jr hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to put the ChiSox up. Gavin Sheets struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Robert goes yard

Tyler O'Neill flied out to center to start the top of the second before Jamie Westbrook struck out swinging. Garrett Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Andrew Vaughn lined out to left to start the bottom of the second before Paul DeJong lined out to right. Oscar Colas was hit with a pitch but Korey Lee struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox struck back in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec walked to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Crochet threw a grounder by Duran away for an error to score Dalbec. Duran somehow stole home and Refsnyder got a base hit to center. Refsnyder was picked off and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-1.

                                                    "I really fooled em" - Duran

Disaster struck in the bottom of the third when Lenyn Sosa hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Suddenly Tyler O'Neill collapsed and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU with knee discomfort. David Hamilton took Tyler's spot and Julks lined out to right. Lopez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Devers singled to left to start. Hamilton dropped down a bunt but Devers was thrown out at second. Hamilton swiped second and stole third on the walk to Wesbrook. Cooper struck out swinging and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. The White Sox surged ahead in the bottom of the fourth as Robert Jr flied out to left to start. Sheets walked but Vaughn singled past the diving Hamilton. DeJong got a base hit to left and Duran threw the ball away allowing Sheets to score. Colas singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Vaughn and DeJong. Lee grounded out to first and Sosa forced Colas at third to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                           Chicago takes the lead

Rafaela struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth before Duran went down hacking. Refsnyder was plunked but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. Julks popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth but Lopez got a base hit to center. Naturally here came Sox manager Alex Cora at the first sign of trouble to remove the starter before completing the fifth inning, Criswell was charged with 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk. Greg Weissert came in to strike out Robert Jr swinging to end the inning.

                                                          Need more from Criswell

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to left. Westbrook flied out to center to end the inning. The White Sox iced it in the bottom of the sixth as Sheets hit a home run all the way to Nashville to start. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Knoxville for back to back jacks. DeJong flied out to left, Colas grounded out to short and Lee grounded out to second to end the inning with the ChiSox up 6-2.

                                                            Back to back home runs

Jonathan Cannon came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cooper got a base hit to left to start. Dominic Smith pinch hit for Dalbec and struck out swinging before Rafaela singled to center. Duran struck out swinging and Refsnyder lined out to left to end the inning. Brad Keller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Sosa struck out swinging to start. Julks took strike three and Lopez flied out to center to end the inning.

Duke Ellis took over for Julks to start the top of the eighth and Wong got a base hit to left to start. Devers struck out swinging, Hamilton took strike three and Westbrook grounded out to short to end the inning. The ChiSox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Robert Jr flied out to right to start. Sheets walked but Vaughn lined out to left. DeJong doubled to left to score Sheets and Colas grounded out to short to end the inning with Chicago up 7-2.

                                                              DeJong with an rbi

Cooper popped up to first to start the top of the ninth before Smith grounded back to the mound. Ellis bobbled a pop up from Rafaela for an error before Ceddanne took second on defensive indifference. Duran grounded out to short to end the game. The White Sox had won it 7-2.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. The Sox were in the game until he served up back to back jacks.

                                                             Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Cooper Criswell was charged with 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 2.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and an error but stole a base and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but stole two bases.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brad Keller allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox just can't go on any sustained win streak because of how bad their pitching is. With Lucas Giolito out for the season and Sox GM Craig Breslow hampered by Sam Kennedy financially, they have to throw out guys like Cooper Criswell against aces like Garrett Crochet. The results spoke for themselves in this one. The offense wasn't going to do much but the bullpen allowing 3 runs on top of Criswell getting knocked around in the fourth didn't help. There's not much you can do but hope to survive the fifth spot in the rotation but that's not going to get you to the playoffs. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-32, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to bounce back against Chicago tomorrow when Brayan Bello (6-2) takes on Nick Nastrini of the White Sox. The game begins at 4:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Red Sox Crush White Sox (6/6/24)

It was a great night all around as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and the Boston Red Sox smashed the hapless Chicago White Sox. The Boston bats woke up big time today as they hammered out 24 total hits and 17 total runs. Jarren Duran, Rob Refsnyder and Dominic Smith all had 3 hits or more with Duran hitting a home run. Speaking of home runs, Enmanuel Valdez clobbered a 3 run shot and Jamie Westbrook went yard as well. On the other side, Tanner Houck (6-5, 1.91 ERA) pitched great, holding the White Sox to 3 hits and just two runs. Cam Booser slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth and the BoSox crushed the White Sox 14-2 at Comiskey Park.

                                                Krystaps Porzingis approves of the win

The BoSox wasted no time tagging Colas in the top of the first inning as Jarren Duran led off with his fifth home run of the season to put Boston on top. Enmanuel Valdez lined out to right but Rob Refsnyder doubled to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill walked. Dominic Smith lined out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 1-0.

                                                                Duran starts the party

Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Zach Deloach took strike three to start. Nicky Lopez grounded out to first and Luis Robert Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox rallied in the top of the second as Connor Wong was plunked to start. David Hamilton doubled to right and Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Wong & Hamilton. Duran flied out to center and Valdez flied out to right, but Refsnyder beat out a roller to third. Devers flied out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-0.

                                                               Rafaela drives in a pair

Gavin Sheets lined out to center to start the bottom of the second before Andrew Vaughn struck out swinging. Paul DeJong was hit with a pitch but Korey Lee grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill struck out swinging to start the top of the third inning but Smith got a base hit to short. Wong flied out to left and Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Lenyn Sosa grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Ellis grounded out to second. DeLoach grounded out to first to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the fourth as Rafaela dumped a base hit to center...booted by Ellis for an error to move Ceddanne to second. Duran walked and Valdez smashed his fifth home run of the season to ice the game. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Vaughn made a diving stab to rob Devers of a single, but O'Neill ripped a base hit to center. Smith walked and Wong got a base hit to right to score O'Neill. Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 7-0.

                                                            Valdez jacks one

Lopez grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Robert Jr struck out swinging. Sheets lined out to center to end the inning.

Tim Hill came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Duran got a base hit on a roller to second before moving to second on a grounder to second by Valdez. Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning. Vaughn struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before DeJong grounded out to short. Lee flied out to left to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the sixth when Devers lined a base hit to left to begin. O'Neill got a base hit to right and Smith drilled a base hit to center to score Devers. Wong got a base hit to center to score O'Neill before Hamilton grounded back to the mound to move the runners over. Rafaela hit a seeing eye single into left to score Smith and chase Hill from the game. Jared Shuster came in and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Wong with another un before Valdez walked. Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 11-0.

                                                              Smith drives in a run

With the game out of reach, Bobby Dalbec came in for Devers to start the bottom of the sixth and Sosa got a base hit to center to start. Ellis grounded out to first to move Sosa to second and Lenyn scored on the double to left by DeLoach. Lopez struck out swinging and Robert Jr took strike three to end the inning but the White Sox were down 11-1.

                                                        Chicago gets a run back

The BoSox struck again in the top of the seventh as Dalbec lined out to short to start. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for O'Neill and hit his first home run to increase the lead. Smith got a base hit to center then took second on a wild pitch. Wong walked and Hamilton beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Smith and chase Shuster. Duran singled in the hole at short to load the bases but Valdez flied out to left to end the inning with Boston ahead 13-1.

                                                           First homer for Westbrook

Houck returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh and Sheets lined out to left to start. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to cut the lead but DeJong struck out swinging. Lee took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Houck who tossed 7 strong innings allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits.

                                                             Good work by Houck

Oscar Colas came in for Sheets to start the top of the eighth and Refsnyder doubled to left to start. Dalbec blooped a single past Lopez and both runners moved over on the fly ball to center by Westbrook. Smith grounded out to short to score Refsnyder and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 14-2.

                                                     Another rbi for Smith

Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Sosa lined out to left to start. Ellis took strike three and DeLoach watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Danny Mendick the third baseman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hamilton got a base hit to center to start. Rafaela lined out to right but Duran got a seeing eye single into left. Valdez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Booser returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lopez struck out swinging to start. Mendick walked and Colas got a base hit to right, but Vaughn popped up to first. DeJong flied out to right to end the game. The Red Sox had won 14-2.

                                                           Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tanner Houck. He tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball to earn the win. He allowed just 3 hits while striking out 9.

                                                           Hero Houck

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 4 for 5 with a walk, a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Dominic Smith was 3 for 5 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

David Hamilton was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 4 for 6 with 4 rbis and a run scored.

Cam Booser pitched two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 6 with a walk but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

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

Final Thoughts:

That was a total massacre and much needed for the Red Sox. If the Sox have any chance of getting back in the AL East race they need to beat up the bad teams and they did that today. Everything they hit found a hole or left the yard and you don't get too many days like that. The great news was Tanner Houck once again looked great and only needing Cam Booser saved the bullpen for tomorrow. Rafaela finally busted out in a hurry and kudos to Jamie Westbrook for getting his first career home run. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum to a nice hot streak as the month of June heats up. The win improved the Sox to 32-31, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Boston looks to make it two in a row against Chicago tomorrow night when Cooper Criswell (3-2, 3.92 ERA) takes on Garrett Crochet of Chicago. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Pivetta, Sox Blank Braves (6/5/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Tyler O'Neill was activated from the Injured List and his finally good to go. Tyler Heineman was sent down to Worcester as his corresponding move. Sadly Chris Martin was placed on the Injured List due to a bout with anxiety and Zack Kelly was called up from Worcester to take his place.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Sox might be depleted but Nick Pivetta (3-4, 3.40 ERA) certainly was not. He pitched arguably his best game of the season, holding the Braves to just 1 hit and 2 walks through seven shutout innings. Meanwhile the Boston bats woke up big time. The Sox rallied for three runs in the second off Spencer Schwellenbach before tagging him for three in the fifth. Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran both went yard as well before Brad Keller slammed the door in the ninth inning. The Sox had blanked the Braves 9-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Carmen Valentina approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning as Michael Harris Jr grounded out to second to start. Austin Riley grounded out to third and Marcell Ozuna struck out swinging to end the inning. Schwellenbach got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to first and Ron Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning.

Matt Olson walked to start the top of the second inning before Ozzie Albies struck out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud struck out swinging and Adam Duvall popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers pounded his 12th home run of the season to start. Tyler O'Neill singled to center, Dominic Smith walked and David Hamilton doubled home O'Neill. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to left and Reese McGuire hit a sac fly to left to score Smith. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                      Devers starts the party

Jared Kelenic grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Orlando Arcia struck out swinging. Harris watched strike three go by to end the inning. Valdez grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Refsnyder singled to center. Devers forced Refsnyder at second and O'Neill forced Devers to end the inning.

Riley singled to right to start the top of the fourth before Ozuna went down hacking. Olson popped up to second but Albies walked. D'arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning. Smith went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth and Hamilton lined out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Duvall popped up to first to begin the top of the fifth and Kelenic grounded out to second. Arcia struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Schwellenbach to begin. Duran tripled into the centerfield triangle and Valdez doubled to right to score Jarren. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Devers was intentionally walked to get to O'Neill. Tyler found that offensive and ripped a base hit to left to score Valdez. Ray Kerr came in to face Smith and Dominic doubled to right to score Devers. Hamilton walked but Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                      Smith drives in a run

Harris flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Riley grounded out to third. Ozuna lined out to center to end the inning. McGuire grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Duran lined out to center. Valdez lined out to left to end the inning. 

Pivetta came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Olson grounded out to short to start. Albies struck out swinging and d'Arnaud flied out to center to end the inning. Pivetta was outstanding, allowing just a hit and 2 walks while striking out nine. 

                                                         Good work by Pivetta

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Refsnyder hit a ground rule double into the left field stands to start. Devers then cracked his second home of the day to extend the lead. O'Neill struck out swinging but Smith got a base hit to center. Hamilton flied out to left and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                             Devers does it again

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Bobby Dalbec in for Devers. Duvall lined out to center but JP Martinez pinch hit for Kelenic. Martinez and Arcia both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with Brian Anderson in for Riley and Jimmy Herget on the mound. McGuire flied out to right but Duran hit his 4th home run of the season to add to the lead. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez and got a base hit to left. Refsnyder and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                                Duran goes yard

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the ninth and McGuire rolled around on top of a squibber hit by Harris for an error to start. Anderson grounded into a double play and old pal Zack Short pinch hit for Ozuna. Short flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won the game 9-0.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of The Night is Nick Pivetta. He shut out the Braves for 7 innings allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out nine.

                                                               Pivetta The Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Jamie Westbrook singled as a pinch hitter.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5 with run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brad Keller pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only at-bat.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Damn good win all things considered. That was arguably Pivetta's best start of the season pitching a 1 hitter through seven innings. He's been a .500 pitcher his whole career so expecting him to do that again next time is unfair. Still, you CAN expect the offense to put up some runs like they did in this one. Devers got some help from Duran and two big hits from Tyler O'Neill and Dominic Smith. If O'Neill could stay healthy, that would be nice. The running game didn't really take effect but they didn't need it the way everyone was swinging the bat. Even the duo of Kelly and Keller held the fort in the later innings without giving up a run. Not much to complain about in this one. The win improved the Sox to 31-31, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Chicago for a four game set with the worthless White Sox. Tanner Houck (5-5) goes for Boston against Jake Woodford of Chicago. The game begins tomorrow night at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Braves Bash Crawford, Sox (6/4/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Wilyer Abreu was placed on the 10 Day Injured List and Tyler Heineman was called up to take his place. Tyler O'Neill should be back tomorrow so Taylor's stay might be brief.

                                                                           OUT

                                                              IN

As for the game, what a disaster for the Red Sox. For five innings the Sox matched the Atlanta Braves blow by blow. The Braves tagged Kutter Crawford (2-5, 3.51 ERA) for three runs but the Sox got three of their own off ace Max Fried. The killing blow came in the sixth when Ozzie Albies struck a three run home run off Crawford to put the game out of reach. Chase Anderson allowed two runs in relief and the Sox bats could do nothing else. The Braves had won the game 8-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Sam Winchester dislikes Sox losses

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Michael Harris Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the first inning before Austin Riley took strike three. Marcell Ozuna grounded out to third to end the inning. Fried got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Connor Wong also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second inning as Smith booted a grounder by Matt Olson for an error to start. Ozzie Albies doubled to right and Smith dropped the throw from Jamie Westbrook on an Adam Duvall grounder to score Olson and Albies. Jared Kelenic took strike three and Sean Murphy grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                    "I don't got it" - Smith

Rafael Devers led off the bottom of the second with a fly out to left. Jamie Westbrook lined out to center and Garrett Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

Orlando Arcia grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Harris Jr flied out to center. Riley struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Bobby Dalbec took strike three to start. Dominic Smith belted his second home run of the season to cut the lead but Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                That's one way to make up for the errors

Ozuna walked to start the top of the fourth before Olson grounded back to the mound to move Marcell to second. Albies struck out swinging and Duvall grounded out to third to end the inning. Refsnyder took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Wong drew a walk. Devers got a base hit to left Westbrook reached on catcher's interference, but Cooper struck out swinging. Somehow Dalbec got a base hit to right to score Devers and Wong to put Boston on top. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Dalbec gives Boston the lead

Naturally Crawford coughed up the lead in the top of the fifth as Kelenic doubled to center to start. Murphy singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Kelenic and was forced at second by Arcia. Harris hit into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Tie game

Rafaela reached on an error by Riley to start the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Duran flied out to center but Refsnyder singled to center. Wong took strike three to end the inning.

The Braves took command in the top of the sixth inning as Riley walked to start. Ozuna singled off the glove of Devers but Olson popped up to short. Albies then hit a home run all the way to Spain to put Atlanta up for good. Duvall struck out swinging and Kelenic flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 6 runs in 6 innings off five hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Yeah that'll do it

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Westbrook was hit with a pitch. Cooper and Dalbec both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Murphy grounded out to third to start. Arcia hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to increase the lead but Harris Jr grounded out to second. Riley lined out to center to end the inning with the Braves up 7-3.

                                                           So much for this game

Smith lined out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Rafaela went down hacking as well. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ozuna flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Olson grounded out to first. Albies grounded out to second to end the inning. Pierce Johnson relieved Fried for the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder lined out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Devers could only move Connor to second with a grounder to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning.

Anderson returned for the top of the ninth and Duvall grounded out to first to start. Kelenic struck out swinging but Murphy got hit with a pitch and had to leave the game. Zack Short came in to run for Murphy and Arcia singled to left. Harris singled to center to score Short and move Arcia to third, but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Braves up 8-3.

                                                        All Braves tonight

Travis d'arnaud took over for Short with Jesse Chavez now on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and blooped a single to left. David Hamilton pinch hit for Dalbec and flied out to left before Smith grounded into a double play to end the game. The Braves had won it 8-3.

                                                         Braves win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got tagged for 6 runs in 6 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 batters.

                                                        Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked, got hit with a pitch and scored a run.

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

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but got hit with a pitch.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but did hit a home run.

Chase Anderson allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

I know the Braves threw their ace against the Sox but the injuries on the offensive side are rearing their ugly heads big time. Tyler O'Neill, Trevor Story, Triston Casas and Vaughn Grissom all out for a while is not looking good so far. Smith, Cooper, Westbrook and Dalbec aren't going to get it done long term. Crawford got jacked up in this one although had he not served up the meatball to Albies, it might have been a different story. The bottom line is the Sox suffered way too many injuries and they're gonna have to salvage something in the second half of the year once some guys come back, because its going to be a struggle until then with no ace pitchers and bench players in the lineup. The Braves are good but the Sox are down too many guys. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-31 on the season, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Nick Pivetta (3-3) takes on Spencer Schwellenbach of Atlanta. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Giants Shut Down Sox (5/2/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Enmanuel Valdez was optioned down to Worcester and Sox activated shortstop Zack Short. Short isnt much with the bat but he fields his position well, and with the Sox record at 14-2 when they don't allow an error, Sox brass looks to keep it that way. Valdez was hitting just .156 with an error so it was an easy move to make. Maybe once a bunch of people come back healthy, Valdez will be seen again.

                                                                                OUT

                                                                         IN

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 6 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Boston Red Sox. The Boston bats went quiet in this one as the Giants bullpen held the Sox to just one measly run the entire game. Josh Winckowski tossed shutout ball but was pulled in the fifth with the game tied 1-1. In the top of the seventh, Zack Kelly (0-1, 3.18 ERA) was charged with two runs to put the Giants ahead. The Sox bats couldn't rally in the final three innings and the Giants had beaten the Sox 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                     The retiring Jack Edwards (with Andy Brickley) can't bear to watch

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first and Jung Hoo Lee flied out to center to start. Jorge Soler grounded out to third but Wilmer Flores walked. Michael Conforto grounded out to second to end the inning. Harrison got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers was hit with a pitch. Tyler O'Neill drew a walk but Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging. Connor Wong walked to load the bases but Garrett Cooper flied out to right to end the inning.

Patrick Bailey flied out to right to start the top of the second but Matt Chapman walked. Thairo Estrada grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec walked to start the bottom of second but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Zack Short made his Sox debut by striking out swinging and Duran also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Giants struck first in the top of the third as Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run all the way to Cambridge to start. Nick Ahmed popped up to first and Lee flied out to center, but Soler singled to left. Flores lined out to left to end the inning with the Giants up 1-0.

                                                   A Yastrzemski homer at Fenway

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Devers singled to center to start. O'Neill hit a rocket off the top of the Monster to score Devers to tie the game. Refsnyder walked but Wong went down hacking. Cooper grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Tyler ties it up

Conforto grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Bailey flied out to center. Chapman popped up to first to end the inning. Dalbec grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth but Yaz lost a Rafaela ball in the sun for a double. Short took strike three and Lee robbed Duran of a double with a good catch to end the inning.

Winckowski briefly came back for the top of the fifth as Estrada grounded out to third to start. He allowed no runs, 2 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino came in and Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft. Ahmed grounded out to third to end the inning. 

                                                     Short and sweet for Wink

Devers froze for strike three leading off the bottom of the fifth but O'Neill walked. Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Lee flied out to left to start the top of the sixth and Bernardino was done. Zack Kelly came in and Soler flied out to left. Flores singled to center but Conforto popped up to third to end the inning. Ryan Walker came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Cooper got a base hit to center but Dalbec struck out swinging. Rafaela lined out to center to end the inning. 

The Giants put the game away in the top of the seventh as Bailey singled to left to start. Chapman singled to left and Estrada got a base hit to right to score Bailey, putting the Giants up for good. Cam Booser came in to face Yaz with runners at the corners but Austin Slater pinch hit for him. Slater struck out swinging but Ahmed hit a sad fly to left to score Chapman, icing the game. Lee lined out to left to end the inning with the Giants up 3-1.

                                                          Giants take the lead

Erik Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Short flied out to left to start. Duran grounded out to second and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning,

Naoyuki Uwasawa made his ML debut in the top of the eighth and Soler popped up to third to start. Flores popped up to third and Conforto struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    Welcome to the big leagues

Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and O'Neill grounded out to short to start. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging before Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bailey grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth before Chapman grounded out to second. Estrada grounded out to short to end the inning. Camilo Doval came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cooper grounded out to first to start. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Dalbec and struck out swinging. Rafaela lined out to right to end the game. The Giants had won it 3-1.

                                                             Giants win

Jackass of The Night is Zack Kelly. He was charged with 2 runs to take the loss.

                                                        Kelly The Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Josh Winckowski tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed just 1 run off 2 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a full scoreless inning.

Naoyuki Uwasawa tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

Zack Short was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Cam Booser allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in a full inning.

Final Thoughts:

The problem with the Sox having so many injuries is they're going to have to win a lot of low scoring games for a while. Masataka Yoshida, Vaughn Grissom, Trevor Story and Triston Casas are all on the Injured List and that's four of your nine starters. The rumor is Grissom will be ready tomorrow and Bobby Dalbec gets shot out of a cannon. Dalbec has been a disaster at the plate and Grissom does have a good bat. Sure Zack Kelly got lit up tonight but otherwise the pitching has been the bright spot this season. They all have interesting stories from Booser taking up carpentry thinking he'd never pitch again and Uwasawa coming over from Japan only to get cut by the Tampa Bay Rays, then picked up on a whim here. Jarren Duran picked a fine time to go into a slump and Rafaela still looks lost at the plate. Hopefully both of them turn it around soon because both the Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays have looked awful this year to start. The Sox may be perfectly mediocre but there are some BAD teams in baseball that are far worse than they are. If the Sox can get healthy, they might have something here. The loss dropped the Sox to 18-14, 2.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road and the first stop is Minnesota to play the Twins. Tomorrow night Tanner Houck (3-2, 1.60 ERA) gets the start against Chris Paddack of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.