Bullpen Blows Game 2 Against Orioles (9/26/18)

Well if the Boston Red Sox have any hope for post-season success in October they're going to have to rely on their starting pitching to carry them because their bullpen is downright offensive. Gone are the days of Alan Embree, Mike Timlin and Keith Foulke, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen and Jon Papelbon, or Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara. Tonight the rancid bullpen gave up 7 runs to the last place Baltimore Orioles, turning a winnable game into a slaughter. Matt Barnes and Craig Kimbrel, two guys the Sox really need got lit up and the hapless Dirty Birds pecked the Sox 10-3 to wrap up their season series at Fenway Park.

Chris Sale got the start and the Orioles immediately tagged him. Cedric Mullins was plunked to begin the game but Jonathan Villar whiffed. Trey Mancini triple home Mullins to give the O's the lead. Adam Jones was plunked and Renato Nunez smacked a sac fly to score Mancini to increase the lead. Joey Rickard flied out to center to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                          The O's take the lead

The Sox refused to go quietly against O's starter Jimmy Yacabonis in the bottom of the first inning. Jackie Bradley Jr got the rare leadoff start and he singled to right to begin. Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled him to third but Steve Pearce popped up to short. Rafael Devers walked to load the bases but Blake Swihart took strike three. Brandon Phillips hit a routine grounder to first BOOTED by Villar! Bradley scored to cut the lead but Christian Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                    Phillips got lucky

Sale settled down in the top of the second as John Andreoli lined out to third before Steve Wilkerson whiffed. Caleb Joseph struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the second as Sam Travis grounded back to the mound to start. Tzu-Wei Lin lined out to center and JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning.

Sale cruised in the top of the third inning as Mullins grounded out to third to start. Villar lined out to left before Mancini whiffed to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the third although Holt lined out to center to begin. Pearce walked and took second on a wild pitch but Devers looked at strike three. Swihart walked but Phillips grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jones singled to start the top of the fourth before Nunez struck out swinging. Rickard grounded a ball to Holt who flipped the ball to Phillips for the ou.....wait.....what? Grumpy O's manager Buck Showalter challenged the call that Phillips missed the catch and New York Yankees manag..errr Head of MLB Operations Joe Torre DEMANDED the call be overturned and it was ruled a miss catch error on Brandon. Price recovered to strike out Andreoli and Wilkerson whiffed to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the fourth although Vazquez grounded out to third to begin. Travis singled and Lin lit up the crowd with a triple to tie the game. JBJ walked to put runners at the corners and chase Yacabonis from the game. The O's got a key out when Tanner Scott came in and froze Holt for strike three. Pearce grounded out to short to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                            Lin ties it up

Sale got tagged again in the top of the fifth as Joseph singled to start. Mullins popped up the bunt attempt back to the mound and Villar looked at strike three. Mancini walked and Jones doubled home Joseph to end Sale's day. Chris didn't look right as he left after allowing 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings.

                                                      Sale's velocity was down...uh oh

Eduardo Rodriguez was brought in to clean up the mess and he got Nunez to fly out to center to end the inning with the O's ahead 3-0.

The Sox wasted no time getting that run back in the bottom of the fifth as Devers doubled to start and Swihart singled him home to tie the game. Swihart swiped second but Phillips whiffed. Vazquez walked but Travis lined out to center. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position but Lin grounded out to first to end the inning, another squander but the game was tied 3-3.

                                                       Devers scores to tie it up

Rodriguez looked great in the top of the sixth, striking out the side in order. Rickard whiffed, Andreoli looked at strike three and Wilkerson whiffed to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as JBJ failed to reach on a bunt attempt before Holt grounded out to third. Pearce whiffed to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to crap his pants in the top of the 7th inning. Joseph doubled and a wild pitch moved him to third before Mullins whiffed. Villar walked and stole second before Mancini singled in both runners to give the O's the lead. Jones and Nunez stroked back to back singles to score Mancini as Barnes was roundly booed as Cora yanked him. Bawful performance by Barnes.

                                                          Barnes gives it up again

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to put the fire out as Jace Peterson pinch ran for Nunez....promptly stealing second. DJ Stewart pinch hit for Rickard and Andreoli popped up to first to end the inning with the O's up for good 6-3.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh with Paul Fry on the mound. Devers grounded out to third, Swihart grounded out to second and Phillips grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier got the call to pitch the top of the eighth and Wilkerson grounded out to short to begin. Joseph lined out to center and Mullins grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Vazquez grounded out to second, Travis grounded out to third and Lin lined out to center to end the inning.

Showalter had one last laugh against the Red Sox in his final game against them as O's manager in the top of the ninth against closer Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel. Vazquez moved to third, Swihart took over behind the plate and Holt went to right for no apparent reason as Villar walked to start. Villar stole second and moved to third on the Mancini fly out to right. A wild pitch scored Villar before Jones was plunked. Peterson and Stewart drew back to back walks to load the bases and that was it for the incompetent Kimbrel.

                                              "I sucked tonight!" - Kimbrel

Robby Scott came in and Andreoli smacked a ground rule double to score Jones and Peterson before Wilkerson singled in Andreoli. Joseph whiffed and Mullins flied out to right but Kimbrel was charged with four runs and the O's led 10-3....ugh.

Mercifully the game ended in the bottom of the ninth as JBJ whiffed to start. Holt lined out to short and Pearce grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won the final game of the season series 10-3.

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He took a 3-3 game and opened the floodgates by allowing 3 runs in the 7th inning.

                                                   Barnes the Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Blake Swihart was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and stolen base.

Eduardo Rodriguez tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Hector Velazquez got the final two outs of the 7th inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Brandon Phillips was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Robby Scott allowed 2 inherited runners to score in 2/3 of an inning



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Tzu-Wei Lin was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Chris Sale didn't look good as he surrendered 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings with diminished velocity.




Final Thoughts:

Even though this game was considered a throwaway considering it was the second game of a doubleheader, there were some alarming factors in tonight's loss. Sale's velocity was down, Matt Barnes sucked, Craig Kimbrel sucked and the JV's didn't look very good in terms of being a potential emergency starter or bench ace in the playoffs. If Sale is going to pitch like that in the ALDS then forget about it. If Kimbrel pitches like that considering how awful the rest of the bullpen is then once again forget about it. There was absolutely nothing positive to come out of this game and that's very telling. I know none of the potential regular starters played but some key pitchers failed to deliver and if they can't beat the hapless O's, how are they going to beat the New York Yankees or Oakland A's? Speaking of the Yankees, after an off-day the final regular season series starts with them Friday night. JA Happ goes for the Yankees while the Red Sox don't even care as they send Brian Johnson (4-4) to the mound at 7:11 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bench Rallies Past Indians (9/21/18)

When most of the Boston Red Sox walked into the clubhouse wearing sunglasses and carrying bottles of advil, you knew not only did they party hard last night but they were screwed tonight. Stop me if you've heard this, the Sox starter didn't last long, the bullpen blew it and they still rallied to win. The formula for most of September stayed true tonight. Chris Sale went just 3 1/3 innings, Heath Hembree gave up the lead, the Sox bench rallied in the 7th inning and the bullpen somehow locked it down to defeat the Cleveland Indians 7-5 at Progressive Field.

                                               The late Lee Strange approves of the win

The eccentric Trevor Bauer took the ball in the top of the first and Tzu-Wei Lin lined out to center to begin. Brandon Phillips walked but Rafael Devers flied out to left. Phillips got picked off to end the inning. Sale looked strong in the bottom of the first as Fransisco Lindor popped up to short to begin. Michael Brantley grounded out to second and Jose Ramirez whiffed to end the inning.

JD Martinez continued his slump by whiffing badly to begin the top of the second. Suddenly Steve Pearce and Brock "The Hitman" Holt stroked back to back singles to chase Bauer 1 1/3 innings into the game. Tyler Olson came in and Blake Swihart banged into a double play to end the inning. Sale turned up the heat to strike out Edwin Encarnacion to start the bottom of the second. Josh Donaldson singled but Yandy Diaz looked at strike three. Brandon Guyer whiffed to end the inning.

Shane Bieber was called in to pitch the top of the third and Sam Travis greeted him with his first major league home run to put the Sox on top. Sandy Leon looked at strike three, Lin flied out to left and Phillips grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                 Travis with his first ML home run

Sale allowed a single to Yan Gomes to open the bottom of the third but struck out Jason Kipnis on a nasty slider. Lindor looked at strike three but Brantley singled. Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Devers grounded out to third to begin. Martinez walked but Pearce banged into a double play to end the inning. Sale whiffed Encarnacion to begin the bottom of the fourth but Donaldson blasted a 4,000 foot home run to tie the game. It was the first run allowed by Sale in a month and Diaz' single chased him after 3 1/3 innings. He was supposed to throw 75 pitches and was at 73, oh well.

                                                Another short but sweet start for Sale

Heath Hembree came in to pitch and got Guyer to ground out to short, but just like last night Gomes blasted a 4,000 foot bomb to give the Indians the lead. Kipnis whiffed to end the inning but the Indians were ahead 3-1.

                                                  Here we go again

Greg Allen came in for Guyer after he crashed into the wall on the Travis homer to begin the top of the fifth. Holt singled and Swihart walked, but Travis banged into a double play. Leon grounded out to second to end the inning. Bobby Poyner got called in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and crapped his pants. Lindor doubled, Brantley singled him to third and Lindor scored on the Ramirez sac fly. Encarncion whiffed before Donaldson flied out to left to end the inning with the Indians up 4-1.

                                                   Things looked bleak for the Sox

The Sox began their comeback in the top of the sixth although Lin and Phillips grounded out to short to begin. Devers smashed his 18th home run of the year to cut into the lead. Martinez lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                               Devers hits one out

Matt Barnes made his first appearance since September 2nd and walked Diaz to begin. Old pal Rajai Davis pinch ran for him and the alert Leon gunned him down at second trying to steal.  Allen grounded out to third and Gomes whiffed to end the inning.

Once again the Sox exploded in the top of the seventh inning with Erik Gonzalez now playing third. Pearce grounded out to short but Holt and Swihart hit back to back singles. A wild pitch moved both runners and Travis doubled home both men to tie the game. Leon grounded out to second but Travis moved to third, and Lin lined one off of Bieber for a base hit to score Sam to increase the lead. Phillips singled Lin to third and that was it for Bieber. Neil Ramirez came in and Devers greeted him with a base hit to left to score Lin. Martinez walked to load the bases but Pearce grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                            Travis ties it up and scores the go-ahead run

Drew Pomeranz was sent in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and at first it looked like a good move when Kipnis looked at strike three and Lindor whiffed. Then Brantley was plunked and Ramirez doubled him home. Encarnacion walked and that was it for Pomeranz. Sox manager Alex Cora threw his hands up and brought in Brandon Workman to save the day. Donaldson lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 6-5.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth inning as Holt lined out to left to begin. Swihart grounded out to first and Travis whiffed to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got no help from his defense in the bottom of the eighth when Devers muffed a routine ground ball by Gonzalez for an error. Allen lined out to left but Swihart missed catching a line drive by Gomes to put runners on second and third. Sox manager Alex Cora shook his head and brought in Robby Scott and somehow Scott got Kipnis to hit one up the elevator shaft. Lindor was intentionally walked to load the bases and Scott put on his big boy pants to get Brantley to fly out to end the inning.

The Sox got a surprise insurance run in the top of the ninth inning and against Dan Otero. Leon grounded out to first but Lin of all people crushed a solo home run, his first of the season. Phillips singled but Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-5.

                                                        The unlikeliest of home runs

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was brought in for the save in the bottom of the ninth inning with Jackie Bradley Jr now in right. Ramirez grounded out to short to start before Encarnacion whiffed. Donaldson grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-5.

                                                   Another win


We got Co-Heroes of the Night this time. Sam Travis and Tzu-Wei Lin strong armed the Sox as both hit solo shots and drove in 5 runs combined.

                                                  Hero 1 - Travis

                                                 Hero 2 - Lin


The Good:

Brandon Phillips was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 rbi's and a run scored including a solo home run.

JD Martinez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Brock Holt was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Blake Swihart was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Matt Barnes got the win with a scoreless 6th inning.

Brandon Workman retired the only man he faced.

Hector Velazquez got a man out in the bottom of the eighth.

Robby Scott got the final two outs of the bottom of the eighth.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 42nd save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Heath Hembree gave up the two run homer to Gomes in just 1/3 of an inning.

Bobby Poyner allowed the fourth run in 1 inning of work.

Drew Pomeranz allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Steve Pearce was just 1 for 4.

Chris Sale lasted just 3 1/3 innings and was charged with 2 runs. He got hit around more than his last few starts.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Bradley Jr played right field in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Yet another formulaic win. Starter falters, Hembree gives up a moonshot, Sox rally and win in it late. Rinse and repeat. That formula will not work in the playoffs but it seems to be working this September. A win is a win no matter how ugly it is. With the division clinched Sox manager Alex Cora can rest whoever he wants but he's got to let the starters go 7 with virtually nobody reliable in the bullpen. Hembree, Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier, Workman, etc can't be counted on in big game situations so its imperative the starters last. The Sox have 8 games left and offensively they're meaningless but they still have time to set the rotation for the ALDS and stretch the guys out for the long haul. The win improved the Sox to 105-49, matching the 1912 Boston Red Sox for best record in franchise history. They have 8 games to break that record and it looks like they will with 3 games against Baltimore coming up. Tomorrow night Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.30 ERA) takes the mound opposite Mike Clevinger at 7:10 PM at Progressive Field.

Yankees Rally Past Sox (9/18/18)

Its inevitable that the Boston Red Sox will end the season as AL East champions but tonight the New York Yankees took a big fat dump in the Sox championship stew. Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi delivered the Sox best start in over a month only to be lifted and sure enough, the inept Boston bullpen coughed up the game. The sleepy Sox offense rallied in the ninth but ultimately fell short 3-2 in Yankee Stadium, delaying their AL East coronation for at least one more day.

                                                      "Neil Walker? Ughhhh....."

Happ took the ball in the top of the first inning and Ian Kinsler flied out to center to begin. Steve Pearce walked but JD Martinez flied out to right. Xander Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi got the call in the bottom of the first and struck out Andrew McCutchen to begin. Aaron Judge lined out to right and Didi Gregorius grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Phillips both whiffed although Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled. Christian Vazquez walked but Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi somehow kept the Yankees off the board in the bottom of the third as Giancarlo Stanton grounded back to the mound to begin. Aaron Hicks singled but Miguel Andujar flied out to right. Gary Sanchez whiffed to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox scored in the top of the third as Kinsler singled to start and took second on a balk. Pearce walked and both runners moved up on a passed ball by the inept Sanchez. Martinez scored Kinsler with a sac fly to put the Sox on top but Bogaerts flied out to center. Nunez also flied out to center to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                   Sox are on top

Eovaldi escaped a scare in the bottom of the third as Neil Walker walked to begin. Gleyber Torres flied out to left but McCutchen walked. Judge banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Phillips whiffed to start. Holt lined out to right before Vazquez popped up to first to end the inning. Eovaldi stayed strong in the bottom of the fourth as Gregorius whiffed to start. Stanton grounded out to short and Hicks lined out to third to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the fifth as JBJ whiffed, Kinsler lined out to center and Pearce popped up to third in short order. Ditto for the Yankees in the bottom of the fifth as Andujar popped up to first, Sanchez grounded back to the mound and Walker whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the sixth although Martinez popped up to second to begin. Bogaerts doubled and Nunez singled him to third but the Yankees got a key out when Phillips popped up to second. Holt whiffed to end the inning. The Yankees looked to rally when Torres doubled to start the bottom of the sixth but McCutchen lined out to center. Judge flied out to right to advance Torres to third but Gregorius was plunked to put runners at the corners. Stanton whiffed to end the inning and Eovalidi's outing. For as bad as he's pitched lately, he tossed 6 shutout innings against the Yankees.

                                              Eovaldi with a solid effort

Chad Green came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Vazquez lined out to center to begin. JBJ flied out to right and Kinsler grounded out to second to end the inning. Right on cue once the starter was out, the Yankees feasted on the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hicks walked to start but Andujar popped up to first. Hicks swiped second but Sanchez walked to chase Workman. Ryan Brasier was no help as he gave up a 400,000 foot blast to Walker to put the Yankees up for good. Torres popped up to first before McCutchen flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 3-1.

                                                      So much for this game

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the eighth with David Robertson now on the mound. Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Pearce but grounded out to first. The Sox had a chance when Martinez motored around for a triple but Bogaerts popped up to first and Nunez flied out to left to end the inning. William Cuevas of all people came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and somehow struck out Judge to start. Gregorius was hit and Stanton hit a ball completely out of the park...but foul. Martinez climbed the wall to rob Stanton of extra bases on the next pitch and somehow Hicks whiffed to end the inning. Good work by Cuevas to keep the Sox in it

                                               Cuevas shuts down the Yankees

Adeiny Hechavarria took over at third with Zach Britton in to close out the top of the ninth. Things looked bleak when Phillips whiffed to start. Holt walked and the Sox caught a break when Torres dropped a double play ball hit by Vazquez to put runners at the corners. Sam Travis pinch hit for JBJ and Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Vazquez and Travis hit a perfect double play ball back to Britton...WHO THREW IT AWAY! Holt scored and Lin moved to second to represent the tying run. Blake Swihart pinch ran for Travis but this time Kinsler hit a perfect double play ball to Torres who turned it to end the game. It took 3 DP balls to end it but the Yankees held on to win 3-2.

                                                 Yankees win....damn


Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He gave up the 3 run bomb to Walker that effectively ended the game.

                                                     Brasier the Jackass


The Good:

Steve Pearce walked twice in three plate appearances.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Sam Travis drove in a run in his only plate appearance.

Nathan Eovaldi shut out the Yankees for 6 innings allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks.

William Cuevas pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Brandon Phillips was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brandon Workman took the loss with 2 runs charged in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Ian Kinsler was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.



Honorable Mention:

Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Vazquez in the ninth inning.

Blake Swihart pinch ran for Travis in the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

Mehhh...mehhhhhhhhh.....Once again the inept bullpen costs the Sox another game. The problem is there's nothing that can be done about it. Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski had two months to get a lefty power arm or ANYONE reliable but didn't do it. What they have is what they are going with and its not pleasant. Every time the Sox have a lead in the later innings before the ninth its hold on to your hats time. The encouraging sign is Eovaldi has now dominated the Yankees twice in his two starts against them. If the Sox do play the Yankees in the ALDS then you have to consider starting him in Game 3 since you don't want David Price pitching in Yankee Stadium. The loss dropped the Sox to 103-48, 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East with 11 to play. Tomorrow night its....you guessed it...David Price going for the Sox opposite Luis Severino at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Hold on to your hats!

Sox Walkoff Astros, Avoid Sweep (9/9/18)

It wasn't pretty, it took a bit of luck and things looked hopeless at times, but the Boston Red Sox finally found a way to defeat the Houston Astros. The Sox took a 5-1 lead before starter Rick Porcello and the bullpen imploded to allow Houston to tie the game. From there the Sox offense squandered once chance after another before a lucky break gave them a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth. This time Mitch Moreland delivered the knockout blow and the Sox walked off on the Astros to avoid a sweep with a 6-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                 What a win

Porcello got the ball in the top of the first inning and George Springer greeted him with a single. Jose Altuve popped up to first but Springer took second on a passed ball. Alex Bregman walked but Yuli Gurriel watched strike three go by. Carlos Correa whiffed to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time scoring against Houston starter Dallas Keuchel in the bottom of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts got the party started with a leadoff double before Andrew Benintendi flied out to left. JD Martinez was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate but Betts took third. Xander Bogaerts began his great night with a single to score Betts to give the Sox the lead. Steve Pearce grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox jumped ahead 1-0.

                                                Bogaerts singles in a run

The Astros wasted no time tying it up as 30 seconds into the top of the second Marwin Gonzalez crushed a 500,000 foot home run into the Atlantic Ocean to tie the game. Tyler White looked at strike three and Brian McCann poppe dup to second before Josh Reddick flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                   Gonzalez goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Ian Kinsler grounded out to short to start. Brandon Phillips grounded out to first but Eduardo Nunez beat out an infield single. Sandy Leon grounded out to second to end the inning.

Porcello got Springer to ground out to second to begin the top of the third before Altuve grounded out to short. Bregman doubled to right but Gurriel popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Mr. Mookie doubled to start. Betts moved to third on the Benintendi ground out and scored on the Martinez sac fly to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts walked but Pearce grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                              Martinez sac fly

Porcello cruised in the top of the fourth as Correa grounded out to short before Gonzalez grounded out to second. White whiffed to end the inning. Kinsler singled to open the bottom of the fourth but Phillips banged into a double play. Nunez singled but Leon grounded into a force to end the inning.

McCann singled to start the top of the fifth but Reddick and Springer whiffed. The alert Leon gunned down McCann trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox looked to have locked up the game in the bottom of the fifth when Mr. Mookie walked and Benintendi singled. Martinez crushed his 40th homer of the season to increase the lead. Bogaerts singled to put Keuchel on the ropes but Pearce singled. Kinsler banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                               Martinez with a 3 run blast

Just as soon as the Sox looked to have broken it open, the Astros roared back. Altuve smashed a 3,000 foot blast to start the inning. Bregman grounded out to second but Gurriel singled. Correa singled but Gonzalez lined out to right. All Porcello needed was one more out but he wouldn't get it as Sox manager Alex "Dr. Quick Hook" Cora sprinted out of the dugout to take him out after 5 2/3 innings. One of the reasons the Sox starters haven't gone 7 in a long time is Cora yanking them early again and again.

Heath Hembree came in and poured gas on the fire as White doubled Gurriel and Correa home to cut the lead to one run. That was it as Brian Johnson was brought in to pitch to the lefties only for McCann to walk and Reddick to double home White to tie the game. Hembree and Johnson faced three batters, walking one and giving up two doubles. This bullpen SUCKS!!!!!

                                                 "We sucked tonight" - Hembree

Ryan Brasier came in to strike out Springer to end the inning with the game tied 5-5. The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Phillips grounded out to first, Nunez flied out to left and Leon looked at strike three to end the inning.

Steven Wright was brought into pitch and things looked bleak when Altuve hit a swinging bunt to Phillips only for Brandon to throw the ball completely out of Fenway for an error to allow Jose to take second. Bregman flied out to center but Altuve took third on a passed ball. The play of the game came when Gurriel grounded a ball to short. Bogaerts fired home and Leon applied the tag....OUT! BUT WAIT! The Astros challenged the call and the replay showed Altuve was safe but the umpires did not overturn the call. The call remained tied as Astros fans complained.

                                               YER OUTTA THERE!!!!

Joe Smith got the call to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to start. Benintendi grounded out to second and Martinez lined out to right to end the inning.

Wright came back for the top of the eighth and Gonzalez flied out to center to begin. White doubled to right and Jake Marisnick pinch ran for him. McCann walked and JD Davis ran for him but Reddick banged into a double play to end the inning. Martin Maldonado took over behind the plate with Collin McHugh now on the mound. Bogaerts singled and Mitch Moreland singled to put the go-ahead run at second, but Kinsler whiffed. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Phillips and walked but Blake Swihart pinch hit for Nunez only for Tony Sipp to come in for McHugh. Swihart whiffed before Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Leon and struck out to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the top of the ninth and dominated for the first time in a long while. Kimbrel blew away Springer and Altuve before Bregman lined out to center to end the inning. On to the bottom of the ninth where Hector Rondon took the mound. Mr. Mookie flied out to right but Benintendi singled. Martinez erased Andrew with a force but Bogaerts singled up the middle. Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Martinez and Moreland hit a little flare to left. Gonzalez lollygagged after the ball and it dropped it, Lin making a mad dash home to score the winning run. THE RED SOX WIN IT!

                                                           Walkoff for the Sox


Hero of the Night is Mitch Moreland. His flare into left drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

                                                 Mitchy The Hero



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Tzu-Wei Lin scored the winning run.

Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Brock Holt walked as a pinch hitter.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 3.

Ryan Brasier got the final out of the 6th inning.

Steven Wright pitched two scoreless innings.

Craig Kimbrel got the win with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brandon Phillips was 0 for 3 with an error.

Blake Swihart struck out as a pinch hitter.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Heath Hembree allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own.

Brian Johnson faced two batters allowing a hit and a walk.



The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but drove in 4 total runs, 3 of which off a 3 run home run.

Ian Kinsler was just 1 for 4.

Rick Porcello failed to go 6 innings and left after 5 2/3 innings while being charged with 4 runs. Obviously the bullpen stunk but he needs to pitch better than that.





Final Thoughts:

That was a gutsy win but the Astros still look completely superior to the Red Sox. Starting pitching, lineup, bench, bullpen...the Astros are just better all around. The Sox needed a lucky non-call to win this one but a win is a win. If the Sox have any chance to beat the Astros in October they're going to need Chris Sale, David Price, etc step up and it may not happen. Still, the Sox got to Keuchel so they did show that they can hit good starting pitching. The good news is the Sox have two upcoming cakewalks on the schedule so the time is now to put the New York Yankees away. The Sox have 6 games at home with Toronto and the New York Mets so taking four out of six is imperative. The win  improved the Sox to 98-46, 8.5 games ahead of the Yankees, who lost to Seattle, for first place in the AL East. It should be noted the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox curse breaking "idiots" won 98 regular season games. The 2018 Red Sox have 98 wins with 18 games left to play. After an off-day Monday the Sox go back to work Tuesday night against the 65 win Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Sale (12-4, 1.97 ERA) is expected to be activated off the Disabled List to make the start opposite Ryan Borucki at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Post Amazing Comeback, Sweep Braves (9/5/18)

Wow. Shades of the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons in Superbowl 51, the Boston Red Sox posted a huge comeback against the Atlanta Braves today. The Braves were cruising in the 8th inning leading 7-1 when the Sox roared back to tie the game. The Braves retook the lead but Brandon Phillips introduced himself to Red Sox nation by launching a go-ahead 2 run home run in the ninth. The Sox held on to complete the comeback and shock the Braves 9-8 at Turner Field.

                                                       Look familiar?

Jackie Bradley Jr got the rare leadoff start against Foltynewicz and he popped up to left to begin. Blake Swihart popped up to center before Andrew Benintendi also popped up to center to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the start for the Sox and immediately crapped his pants. He gave up a 780 foot bomb to Ronald Acuna to open the game before Ender Inciarte tripled into the right field corner, scoring on the Nick Markakis base hit. Johan Camargo singled into center as Sox pitching coach Dana LeVange ran to the mound to inform Hector that Desperado was on in the dugout. Hector immediately got Lucas Duda tp bang into a double play and Ozzie Albies grounded out to first to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                              That didn't take long

The Sox struck back in the top of the second inning although Mitch Moreland whiffed to begin. Brandon Phillips drew a walk an Rafael Devers singled him to third. Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to first but Phillips caught everyone asleep by faking going to third and then making a mad dash home to score a run. Christian Vazquez was intentionally walked to get to the pitcher and Velazquez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                                Heads up play by Phillips

Velazquez settled down in the bottom of the second as Tyler Flowers whiffed befoe Charlie Culberson lined out to right. Foltynewicz whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as JBJ grounded out to short before Swihart whiffed. Markakis dropped a routine pop up by Benintendi to allow him to reach second but Moreland flied out to center to end the inning. Acuna walked to open the bottom of the third but Inciarte flied out to center and Markakis grounded out to short. Camargo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nothing was accomplished in the top of the fourth as Phillips grounded out to short to begin. Devers grounded out to second before Holt looked at strike three to end the inning. Velazquez got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth when Duda walked to start. Albies popped up but Flowers doubled to left. Benintendi gunned the ball to Holt who gunned it home....DUDA IS OUT! Flowers took third and Culberson was intentionally walked, but Velazquez retired Foltynewicz on a comebacker to end the inning.

                                                       YERRR OUT!

Vazquez grounded out to short to begin the top of the fifth and Sam Travis pinch hit for Velazquez only to fly out to center. JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning. Drew Pomeranz took over for the bottom of the fifth and he crapped his pants. Acuna walked and Inciarte singled him to third. Markakis singled home Acuna and Inciarte to third before Camargo walked to load the bases and pinch hitter Kurt Suzuki (for Duda) beat out a double play ball to score another run. Ryan Flaherty ran for Suzuki and Albies cleared the bases with a triple to seemingly put the game out of reach. That was it for the incompetent Pomeranz who retired just 1 of the men he faced while giving up four runs to that point. William Cuevas came in and Flowers singled home Albies to increase the lead. Culberson walked but Foltynewicz and Acuna hiffed to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-1...yuck!

                                                        The game looked over

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Swihart whiffed, Benintendi was caught loking and Moreland grounded ou to first to end the inning. Cuevas returned for the bottom of the sixth and Inciarte flied out to left before Markakis lined out to left. Camargo was plunked and Flaherty walked but Albies whiffed to end the inning.

Jesse Biddle came in for the top of the seventh and Phillips walked, but Devers banged into a double play. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox made a double switch in the bottom of the seventh by bringing in Tzu-Wei Lin to play short and hit 9th with Bobby Poyner on the mound hitting 7th. Flowers lined out to a running JBJ before Culberson whiffed. Adam Duvall pinch hit for Biddle and whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox somehow exploded in the top of the eighth inning with Duvall taking over in right hitting 9th with Dan Winkler on the mound hitting third. Vazquez got the rally started with a bloop single that Duvall just missed catching. Lin singled to left and JBJ reached on a single to load the bases that Duvall gave up on. Swihart drove in Vazquez and Lin with a double into the right center gap to chase Winkler. Jonny Venters came in after Winkler threw a tantrum in the dugout and Benintendi singled to left to score JBJ to keep the rally going. Steve Pearce pinch hit for Moreland and hit a rocket to left but it was caught, still scoring Swihart to make it a two run game. Phillips hit a routine ground ball to Camargo who booted it, picked it up and threw it away for an error to put both runners into scoring position. That was it for Venters as the Braves turned to Brad Brach to save the day only for Sox manager Alex Cora countering by bringing in Ian Kinsler to pinch hit for Devers. Kinsler lined a single to left to score both runners to tie the game. Eduardo Nunez pinch hit for Poyner but he popped up to center. Vazquez singled Kinsler to third and Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for Lin. The Braves countered by bringing in Freddie Freeman to hit third and play first, Flaherty moving to third, Camargo moving to short with Culberson in right. AJ Minter came in to pitch and Bogaerts walked to load the bases with Mr. Mookie Betts pinch hitting for JBJ only to look at strike three to end the inning with the game tied 7-7. How about that?

                                                          Kinsler ties up the game

Just as soon as the Sox tied it up, the Braves took the lead with Phillps moving to third and Brandon Workman now on the mound. Acuna whiffed and Inciarte lined out to center, but Freeman crushed a 500,000 foot home run to give the Braves the lead back. Camargo grounded out to second to end the inning but the Braves jumped ahead 8-7.

                                                Freeman gives the Braves the lead

Lane Adams came in for Culberson with Dansby Swanson taking Flaherty's spot but playing short to open the top of the ninth. Swihart popped up to a running Albies in shallow right to start but Benintendi ripped a base hit to center. Things look bleak when Pearce looked at strike three but Phillips launched the first pitch Minter threw into the left field stands to give the Sox the lead. Kinsler whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were 3 outs away from an improbable win 9-8.

                                                    Welcome to Boston Phillips

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and Swanson whiffed on a pitch in the dirt before Albies popped up to center. Flowers walked and yesterday's pitcher Touki Toussaint ran for him. Kimbrel ran the count full on Adams before blowing him away with a 98 mph fastball to end the game. The Sox had stunned the Braves 9-8.

Hero of the Night is Brandon Phillips. His two run home run sealed the game and he scored the first run on a head's up play.

                                                      Phillips is the Hero today



The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 5 with an rbi and two runs scored.

Steve Pearce drove in a run with a sac fly as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3.

Ian Kinsler was 1 for 2 with 2 rbis after coming in for Devers.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tzu-Wei Lin singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts walked as a pinch hitter.

William Cuevas pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 38th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Sam Travis was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Drew Pomeranz was horrible, allowing 5 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Blake Swihart was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs and scored one.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Hector Velazquez lasted just 4 innings but allowed only 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game.

Brandon Workman vultured the win by allowing a go-ahead homer to Freeman in the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

That was a comeback for the ages in a season that's already been special. The Braves were up 7-1 against the Sox' JV team and the JV's refused to quit. That's the kind of heart the Sox need to display when the games really matter in October. Phillips may be 37 but he can still swing the bat and Kinsler has been driving in key runs lately. It was a good team win that pretty much put the exclamation point on the AL East race. The win improved the Sox to 97-44, 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees who lost two out of three to Oakland with a 3 game set in Seattle looming. It should be noted the 2013 World Champion bearded Red Sox won 97 regular season games. The 2018 Red Sox have 97 wins with 21 games remaining. After an off-day the Sox return to action Friday night in an important 3 game set at home against the world champion Houston Astros. David Price (14-6, 3.60 ERA) makes his return against Gerrit Cole at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park