Reds Bash Crawford, Sox (6/21/24)

The Boston Red Sox win streak came to an end at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds and a comedy of errors. Andrew Abbott held the Sox bats to just 2 home runs in 5 2/3 innings and the bullpen allowed just 3 hits the rest of the way. Meanwhile Kutter Crawford (3-7, 3.59 ERA) got plagued by bad defense as he left the game in the seventh trailing 3-2. Cam Booser threw a bunt away for a 2 run error to essentially ice the game. The Sox bats failed to rally against Alexis Diaz in the ninth and the Reds snapped the Sox streak with a 5-2 win at Great American Ballpark.

                                                                  Bad game all around

Abbott got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill walked. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. The Reds tagged Crawford in the bottom of the first as TJ Friedl flied out to right to start. Elly De La Cruz struck out swinging but Jeimer Candelario hit a home run all the way to France to put the Reds on top. Spencer Steer popped up to short to end the inning with the Reds up 1-0.

                                                               Reds strike first

The Sox answered in the top of the second as Connor Wong blasted his sixth home run of the season to tie the game. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short, Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging and Enmanuel Valdez went down hacking to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Wong ties it up

The Reds got another one in the bottom of the second as Jake Fraley struck out swinging to start. Jonathan India hit a home run all the way to Deep Space 9 to put the Reds back on top. Santiago Espinal flied out to right but Will Benson walked. Luke Maile walked and Friedl was hit with a pitch the load the bases. De La Cruz took strike three to end the inning with the Reds up 2-1.

                                                              India goes yard

The Sox answered in the top of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran clobbered his 7th home run of the season to tie the game but Gonzalez struck out swinging. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                            Duran ties it up

The longballs continued as Candelario hit his second home run of the game to but the Reds back on top in the bottom of the third. Steer flied out to left but Fraley got a base hit to right. India grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Reds up 3-2.

                                                            Candelario does it again

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Wong popped up to third. Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. Espinal grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Benson took strike three. Maile struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dalbec flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Valdez got a base hit to left. Rafaela flied out to right but Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Friedl took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth and De La Cruz went down hacking. Candelario lined out to left to end the inning.

Gonzalez got a base hit inside the bag at first to start the top of the sixth but O'Neill struck out swinging. A passed ball moved Gonzalez to second but Devers struck out swinging. Fernando Cruz came in to pitch to Wong and Connor swung at air to end the inning. Steer grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Fraley flied out to center. India also flied out to center to end the inning.

Yoshida grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh and Dalbec took strike three. Valdez flied out to center to end the inning. The Reds finished off Crawford in the bottom of the seventh as Valdez threw a grounder by Espinal away for an error. Benson flied out to center but Maile doubled to right to chase Kutter. Crawford would be charged with 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings although only 3 were earned. Cam Booser came in and Friedl dropped down a bunt. Booser threw the ball 100 feet over the head of Connor Wong for an error to score Espinal and Maile. Cruz walked and Stuart Fairchild pinch ran for Friedl. Candelario struck out swinging and that was it for Booser. Brad Keller came in and Devers threw a ball hit by Steer away for the third error of the inning. Fraley lined out to left to end the inning with the Reds up 5-2.

                                                        Crawford deserved better

Nick Martinez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to short to start. Duran got a base hit to center but David Hamilton pinch hit for Gonzalez and flied out to right. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning. India walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Espinal got a base hit to right. O'Neill gunned down India at third but Espinal made it to second on the throw. A wild pitch moved Espinal to third but he was thrown out at home on a grounder to second by Benson. Maile lined out to short to end the inning.

Alexis Diaz came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers flied out to center to start. Wong got a base hit to center and took second on defensive indifference. Yoshida struck out swinging and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Dalbec. Smith grounded out to second to end the game. The Reds had won 5-2.

                                                              Reds win

Jackass of the Night is Cam Booser. His error in the seventh led to the insurance runs scoring to put the game out of reach.

                                                              Nice throw Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3.

Brad Keller tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 but struck out and made a crucial error in the seventh.

Kutter Crawford was charged with 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss but only 3 were earned. He allowed 5 hits and walked 2.

Final Thoughts:

What a way for the win streak to end. Not that the Sox were doing much offensively but those 3 errors turned a 3-2 game into 5-2 and out of reach. In a one run game they could have played small ball and used their speed to their advantage. Instead, their bad defense cost them this game. Crawford didn't pitch that bad but errors by Valdez and Booser were killer. Its a shame because the Reds aren't that good and the Sox need to win to keep pace with the New York Yankees. The Sox might be playing for the wild card in September if the Sox can't gain ground on them in the meantime. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-36, 10 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Reds when Nick Pivetta gets the start for Boston against Frankie Montas of Cincinnati. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Great American Ballpark.

O'Neill Powers Sox Past Blue Jays (6/17/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Romy Gonzalez was activated from the Injured List and Jamie Westbrook was sent back to Worcester to make room for him. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic move for sure.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                   IN

It was a great night for Boston sports as the Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA Championship with their Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the NBA Finals. Also, the Red Sox smashed the Toronto Blue Jays. Tyler O'Neill hit two home runs to pace the offense that pounded out 11 hits and 7 runs. Nick Pivetta (4-4, 3.88 ERA) tossed 7 gutty innings allowing just 3 runs to earn the win. Things got hairy in the ninth inning when the Jays put two runners on against Brad Keller, but Kenley Jansen got the final out to win the game 7-3 at the Skydome.

                                                       The Boston Celtics approve of the win

Yusei Kikuchi got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill mashed his 13th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Rafael Devers then clobbered his 14th home run of the season to go back to back. Connor Wong flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                      Back to back jacks

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Davis Schneider popped up to short to start. Danny Jansen flied out to left but Vladimir Guerrero Jr singled to center. Daulton Varsho struck out swinging to end the inning.

Romy Gonzalez flied out to right to start the top of the second and Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging. David Hamilton also struck out swinging to end the inning. Justin Turner walked to start the bottom of the second and George Springer got a base hit to center to moved Justin to third. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sac fly to center to score Turner to cut the lead and Ernie Vlement singled to left. Kevin Kiermaier struck out swinging and Clement was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1.

                                                          Jays get a run back

Ceddanne Rafaela joined the homer parade with his 8th of the season to start the top of the third. Duran flied out to left and Refsnyder struck out looking, but O'Neill clobbered his 14th home run of the season to increase the lead. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                      O'Neill goes yard again

Schneider grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third and Jansen struck out swinging. Guerrero Jr lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fourth as Wong got a base hit to left to start. Gonzalez got a base hit to left and Dalbec got a base hit to center. Kiermaier bobbled the ball and Wong scored another run. Hamilton struck out swinging, Rafaela struck out swinging and Gonzalez was thrown out at home after Dalbec got picked off first to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                       Another rbi for Dalbec

Enmanuel Valdez came in for Hamilton to start the bottom of the fourth and Varsho flied out to center to start. Turner doubled to left but Springer hit one up the elevator shaft. Kiner singled off the glove of Devers to put runners at the corners but Clement flied out to center to end the inning.

Trevor Richards came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Duran flied out to left to start. Refsnyder took strike three and O'Neill grounded out to third to end the inning. Kiermaier flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Schneider struck out swinging. Jansen got a base hit to center but Guerrero Jr flied out to right to end the inning.

Devers flied out to right to start the top of the sixth and Wong grounded out to second. Gonzalez walked but Dalbec forced him at second to end the inning. The Jays got a run back in the bottom of the sixth although Varsho hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Who else but Turner hit a home run all the way to Ottawa to cut the lead. Springer grounded out to third and Kiner lined out to short to end the inning with the Jays down 5-2.

                                                               Had to be him....great

The Sox answered in the top of the seventh with Tim Mayza now on the mound. Valdez grounded out to first but Rafaela got a base hit to right. Duran got a base hit to left and Refsnyder doubled to right to score Rafaela. O'Neill was intentionally walked and Devers hit a sac fly to center to score Duran. Wong took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 7-2.

                                                          Good work Refsnyder

Pivetta returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Clement got a base hit to left to start. Kiermaier grounded into a double play but Schneider hit a home run all the way to Montreal to cut the lead. Jansen lined out to left to end the inning with the Jays down 7-3. That was it for Pivetta who battled for 7 innings and allowing 3 runs on 9 hits and a walk.

                                                         Pivetta gets the job done

Brandon Eisert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Gonzalez singled to left to start. Dalbec flied out to right but Valdez walked. Gonzalez looked to have stolen third but the Blue Jays challenged he was out, turns out he was. Rafaela walked but Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. Brad Keller came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Guerrero Jr lined out to right to start. Varsho popped up to short and Turner lined out to left to end the inning.

Refsnyder walked to start the top of the ninth but O'Neill grounded into a double play. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Springer flied out to left to start the bottom of the ninth and Kiner flied out to right. Suddenly Clement got a base hit to center and Kiermaier walked. Sox manager Alex Cora panicked and brought in Kenley Jansen to save the day. Both runners advanced on defensive indifference and Schneider popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-3.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tyler O'Neill. His two home runs powered the offense in this one.

                                                                Tyler O'Hero

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Enmanuel Valdez walked in two plate appearances.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Nick Pivetta got the win by tossing 7 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 9 hits and a walk while striking out 4.

Brad Keller tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Kenley Jansen earned his 12th save by getting the final out in the ninth inning.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but hit a home run and drove in two total runs.

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

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Don't know what Cora was thinking to bring in Jansen at the end other then micromanaging every game like its Game 7 of the world series. Even if Schneider hit a home run the Sox still had the lead. Otherwise it was a good game all around with O'Neill hitting a couple of rockets, Devers hitting a rocket and other guys getting on base. Five guys only had one hit the whole game but either scored a run or knocked in one. That's definitely timely hitting for sure. Kudos to Pivetta for tossing 7 strong innings to give the bullpen a rest, if only Jansen could have had the night off but that's on Cora. The Sox suddenly caught fire winning 6 of 8 since that Chicago disaster on June 8th. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going on this road trip. The win improved the Sox to 38-35, 11.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their fourth game in a row and second against the Toronto Blue Jays tomorrow night. Tanner Houck gets the start for the Sox against Chris Bassitt of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Red Sox Bash Phillies (6/13/24)

Its about time the Boston Red Sox flexed their offensive muscle against the Philadelphia Phillies. With a big series against the New York Yankees coming up, knocking off the 2022 NL Champions would be a step in the right direction. Tanner Houck (7-5, 2.08 ERA) held the Phils to 3 runs in 6 solid innings as the offense broke the game open. Brad Keller earned his first save of the season by tossing the final three innings. Offensively it was a balanced attack with 6 of the nine starters driving in runs. The key was Tyler O'Neill's three run jack in the fourth inning to essentially ice the game. The bottom of the order picked up big time and the Sox made mincemeat out of the Phillies 9-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Carmen Valentina approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kyle Schwarber singled to center to start. Nick Castellanos struck out swinging and Bryce Harper grounded out to second to move Schwarber to second. Bryson Stott grounded out to short to end the inning. Aaron Nola got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran doubled to start. David Hamilton struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill beat out an infield single to short. Rafael Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Edmundo Sosa grounded out to short to start the top of the second before David Dahl struck out swinging. Whit Merrifield singled to right and Garrett Stubbs singled him to third, but Johan Rojas flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Masataka Yoshida flied out to left to start. Enmanuel Valdez doubled to center and Reese McGuire doubled to right to score Valdez. Dominic Smith got a base hit to left to score McGuire and Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to left. Duan doubled to right to score both runners. Hamilton flied out to left and O'Neill grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                         Duran drives in a big run

Schwarber struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Castellanos singled to center. Harper lined out to center and Stott struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Devers grounded back to the mound to begin. Yoshida grounded out to second and Valdez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Phillies struck back in the top of the fourth as Sosa got a base hit in the hole at short to start. Dahl popped up to short and Merrifield was hit with a pitch. Stubbs took strike three but Rojas beat out an infield single to short to load the bases. Naturally Schwarber doubled to center to score all three runners. Castellanos flied out to left to end the inning with the Phillies down 4-3.

                                         Chaim Bloom's biggest mistake still haunts the Sox

Castellanos made a great running catch to rob McGuire to start the bottom of the fourth. Smith walked but Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran walked and Hamilton got a base hit to left to score Smith, moving Duran to third. Hamilton swiped second and O'Neill clobbered his 12th home run of the season to ice the game. Devers got a base hit to center and Yoshida got a base hit to right to chase Nola. Gregory Soto got Valdez to line out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                                Sox pour it on

Harper lined out to left to start the top of the fifth before Stott grounded out to first. Sosa grounded out to short to end the inning. McGuire was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fifth but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Duran struck out swinging. Hamilton also went down hacking to end the inning.

Houck returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Dahl flied out to left to start. Merrifield got a abse hit to left but Stubbs flied out to left. Rojas forced Merrifield at second to end the inning. Tanner Houck pitched well, throwing 6 innings allowing 3 runs off 8 hits while striking out 5.

                                                           Good work Houck

Orion Kerkering came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and O'Neill struck out swinging to start. Devers walked but Yoshida struck out swinging. Valdez doubled to center to score Devers but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple to end the inning with the Sox up 9-3.

                                                       You're out you dummy!

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Schwarber got a base hit in the hole at third to start. Castellanos grounded into a double play but Harper got a base hit inside the bag at third. Stott grounded out to second to end the inning. Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and McGuire struck out swinging to start. Smith was hit with a pitch but Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran flied out to center to end the inning.

Sosa flied out to right to start the top of the eighth and Dahl struck out swinging. Merrifield flied out to right to end the inning. Jose Ruiz came in to pitch the bott6om of the eighth and Hamilton took strike three to start. O'Neill went down hacking but Devers doubled to right. Yoshida swung at air to end the inning.

Keller returned to close out the top of the ninth and Stubbs struck out swinging to start. Weston Wilson pinch hit for Rojas and popped up to first. Schwarber walked but Castellanos struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-3.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of the Night is Tyler O'Neill. His three run home run iced the game.

                                                         Hero O'Neill

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

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

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

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

Dominic Smith was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tanner Houck got the win by tossing 6 solid innings allowing 3 runs off 8 hits while striking out 5.

Brad Keller got his first save of the year with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

David Hamilton was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but stole a base, drove in a run and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

That was impressive to take two out of three from the NL East leading Phillies. Houck pitched well and using only Keller out of the bullpen saved the big guns for tomorrow's big series against the New York Yankees. The offense finally clicked with the bottom of the order producing and O'Neill hit another home run. We got a month and a half before the deadline and the Sox are another starter away from being serious contenders. The Sox also need to get Trevor Story back whenever that will be. It was great to see the Sox bash around the Phillies in this one and hopefully that carries momentum into the Yankees series. The win improved the Sox to 35-34, 13 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Speaking of which, they come into Fenway tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (6-3) takes on Luis Gil of New York. The game begins at 6:30 PM at Fenway 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.

Valdez, Sox Drop Tigers (6/1/24)

When the Boston Red Sox traded Christian Vazquez at the 2022 trade deadline for Wikyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez, THIS was the Valdez they thought they were getting. Trailing 1-0 after the first inning, Valdez tied the game with a solo home run in the second. Valdez scored a run to make it 3-1 later and hit a two run bomb in the sixth to cap his day.  Cooper Criswell (3-2, 3.92 ERA) tossed 5 solid innings allowing just that first inning run. The Sox pushed the lead to five runs but Brad Keller allowed a two run bomb in the ninth inning. The Sox still held on to win 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Caitlin Clark approves of the win

Criswell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling doubled to center to start. Vierling took third on a passed ball and scored on the Riley Greene single to right. Wenceel Perez grounded into a double play and Gio Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                                Tigers strike first

Olson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Wilyer Abreu also grounded out to second but Dominic Smith singled to right. Rafael Devers forced him at second to end the inning. 

Colt Keith grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Spencer Torkelson struck out swinging. Zach McKinstry doubled to left and Javier Baez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox tied it up instantly in the bottom of the second when Enmanuel Valdez bashed his third home run of the season. Vaughn Grissom pulled up lame on a ground out to third and had to leave the game. Reese McGuire took strike three and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1. 

                                                                    That's one

Connor Wong took over for Valdez to start the top of the third and Jake Rogers grounded out to short to start. Vierling and Greene both struck out swinging to end the inning. David Hamilton flied out to left to start the bottom of the third but Duran got a base hit to center. Abreu got a base hit to right to move Duran to third and Jarren scored when Smith beat out a double play ball. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                                Sox take the lead

Perez walked to start the top of the fourth but Urshela lined out to right. Keith lined out to first and Torkelson grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Valdez doubled to left to start. Valdez moved to third on the Wong grounder to first and scored on the McGuire sac fly to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

McKinstry struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth before Baez grounded out to third. Rogers took strike three to end the inning. Hamilton went down hacking to start the bottom of the fifth and Duran grounded out to first. Abreu was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. 

Vierling doubled to center to start the top of the sixth and Sox manager Alex Cora AGAIN pulled a starter at the first sign of trouble. Criswell allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and a walk through five plus innings. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch and Greene took strike three. Rafaela made an amazing diving catch to rob Perez of a double then doubled off Vierling at second to end the inning. 

                                                            Criswell pitched good

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Smith walked to start. Devers grounded out to first to move Smith to second but Valdez clobbered his second home run of the game. That was it for Olson as Will Vest came in to pitch to Wong. Connor got a base hit to right and took off for second. Baez muffled the throw and Wong took third, but McGuire struck out swinging. Rafaela went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                                      That's two

Urshela singled to center to start the top of the seventh but Keith struck out swinging. Torkelson flied out to left and Andy Ibanez pinch hit for McKinstry. Ibanez lined out to center to end the inning. Hamilton grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Duran doubled to left. Abreu walked but Smith popped up to short. Devers got a base hit to left and Greene threw the ball away to allow Duran to score. Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                                   Sox ice it

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Baez took strike three to start. Rogers popped up to second and Vierling grounded out to third to end the inning. Jason Foley came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong struck out swinging to start. McGuire grounded out to short but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Rafaela took off for second and took third on the error by Rogers. Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Keller returned to close out the top of the ninth and Greene got a base hit to right to start. Perez flied out to center but Urshela hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to cut the lead in half. Keith flied out to center and Torkelson struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of The Night is Enmanuel Valdez. He was 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

                                                                        Enmanuel Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Cooper Criswell earned the win tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 4 hits and a walk while striking out five.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brad Keller allowed two runs in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but stole a base and threw out a runner.

Final Thoughts:

If yesterday was Rafaela's coming out party then today was Enmanuel Valdez day. He didn't do it alone, the bats pitched in for 3 other runs driven in and the pitching held up for the most part. Criswell gave them 5 strong innings and Bernardino held the fort after. Keller gave up one mistake to Urshela in the ninth, otherwise he would have been good too. The Sox needed a win like this with the mounting injuries to show they can still drive in runs. The running Red Sox also stole two more bases, hopefully they can keep this up with threats like Hamilton, Rafaela and Duran. That might be the only way they get back in the division race since they don't have the power with Trevor Story and Triston Casas out. The win improved the Sox to 30-29, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the fourth game of this series tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) takes on Casey Mize of Detroit. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.