Rays Stun Sox (8/30/16)

If the Boston Red Sox dont ultimately win the American League East this season, losses like tonight will be the reason why. In a game they needed to win, the Sox led 3-0 but the Tampa Bay Rays clawed their way back to not only tie the game, but win it with a pair of well timed homers. The Sox failed to touch the Tampa bullpen and the Rays shocked the Sox 4-3 at Fenway Park.

Drew Pomeranz got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Rays pounced on him. Logan Forsythe led off by grounding out to short to start but Brock "The Hitman" Holt misplayed a ball hit by Kevin Kiermaier for a double. Pomeranz froze Evan Longoria on an outside curve for strike three but Brad Miller lined a base hit off the glove of Dustin Pedroia for an rbi single. Matt Duffy grounded out to second to end the inning but the Rays were up 1-0.

                                                            1-0 Tampa

Dustin Pedroia returned to the lineup by beginning the bottom of the first with a bloop single to right against Jake Odorizzi. The Sox pissed on themselves as Xander Bogaerts whiffed badly on a hit and run and Pedroia was thrown out by a mile at second. David Ortiz grounded out weakly to short to end the inning.

Pomeranz came back for the top of the second inning and Tim Beckham whiffed on a 3-2 fastball. Steven Souza Jr walked on a full count but Corey Dickerson whiffed on a 94 mph fastball. Luke Maile whiffed as well to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the second by popping up to short to start before Hanley Ramirez popped up to second. Travis Shaw whiffed to end the inning.

Pomeranz opened the top of the third by getting Forsythe to pop up to right to start. Kiermaier popped up to left and Longoria was run up on a check swing in the dirt to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Holt grounded out to first, Bryan Holaday flied out to center and Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning.

Miller opened the top of the fourth inning with a single up the middle but Duffy flied out to right. Beckham walked but Souza took an inside fastball for strike three. Dickerson popped up to short to end the inning. Odorizzi got Pedroia to ground back to the mound to begin the bottom of the fourth before Bogaerts popped up to short. Ortiz popped up to second to end the inning.

A graphic on NESN showed Dutch Leonard pitched a no-hitter on this day 100 years ago before the top of the fifth began. Pomeranz struck out Maile on a breaking ball in the dirt before Forsythe grounded out to third. Kiermaier hit a little squibber to Pedroia who gloved it to first for the third out to end the inning. Mr. Mookie popped up to center to begin the bottom of the fifth before Ramirez tucked a cheap 298 foot pop up home run right around the Pesky Pole to tie the game. Shaw whiffed on a high fastball up and away but Holt doubled off the Monster. Holaday whiffed to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                   Tie game!

Pomeranz returned for the top of the sixth and got Longoria to pop up to center to start. Miller popped up to Shaw into the shift before Duffy grounded out to short to end the inning. JBJ led off the bottom of the sixth with a pop up before Pedroia walked. Bogaerts doubled down the left field line and Souza made a diving catch to rob Ortiz of extra bases but Pedroia scored to give the Sox the lead. Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked and the Sox got a gift when Ramirez popped up to right but Miller and Souza got crossed up, letting the ball drop to score Bogaerts and advance Betts to third. Shaw earned the hat trick with his third strikeout to end the inning but it was 3-1 Sox.

                                                Ramirez gets it done again....by accident

Could Pomeranz pitch with the lead? NO! Beckham started off the top of the seventh with a single but Souza flied out to center. Dickerson whiffed on a high fastball but Maile crushed a 2 run home run into the Monster seats to tie the game. Sox manager John Farrell stormed out of the dugout and chucked a bag of sunflower seeds at Pomeranz as he ran off the mound. Pomeranz looked to be much improved until that home run, now leaving with a no decision at 6 2/3 innings of 3 run ball.

                                                Good, but not good enough

Matt Barnes replaced Pomeranz and immediately walked Forsythe. The alert Holaday gunned down Logan trying to steal to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

Enny Romero took over for the bottom of the seventh as Chris Young pinch hit for Holt only to strike out swinging. Holoday grounded out to third before JBJ whiffed to end the inning.

The enigmatic Clay Buchholz was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pedroia made an outstanding stab to rob Kiermaier of a sure hit to begin. Longoria then crushed a home run completely out of Fenway to give the Rays the lead. Miller grounded out to first and Duffy grounded out to third to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-3.

                                              Dammit Clay

The heart of the Sox order did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Pedroia grounded out to third, Bogaerts looked at strike three on the outside corner and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel hadn't pitched in 6 days so he was summoned to pitch the top of the ninth inning. Beckham took him for a single off the Monster on a 3-2 count before Nick Franklin pinch hit for Souza Jr, only to fly out to left. Dickerson flied out to deep right and the alert Beckham tagged up, moving to second. Pedroia made another play to make a bang bang throw to first on Maile.....OUT! But wait! Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the call and sure enough Maile was ruled safe to put runners at the corners. Forsythe struck out to end the threat and the inning.

                                                 Pedroia making all the plays

Rays closer Alex Colome came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and Mr. Mookie grounded out to second to begin. Ramirez put the tying run on with a single in the hole at second but Shaw earned the golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout of the game. Ramirez made it to second on a passed ball and Young walked to put the go-ahead run on. Sandy Leon pinch hit for Holoday but took strike three down the middle to end the game. The Rays had won it 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is Clay Buchholz. He came in to protect a tie game and immediately coughed it up.

                                                   Clay the Jackass again


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 4 including 2 total rbis and a solo home run.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 before leaving the game.

Chris Young walked once in two plate appearances.

Drew Pomeranz pitched well even if he did give up the home run at the end. He ended with 6 2/3 innings of 3 run ball.

Matt Barnes escaped the seventh inning.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Travis Shaw earned a golden sombrero by going 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts.

Bryan Holaday was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr earned a hat trick by going 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked.



Final Thoughts:

That was a backbreaking loss considering the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in their respective game. The Sox could have been just 1 game back of Toronto had they were able to pull out the game. The problem with this year's team is they are complete frontrunners. Once they fall behind they're almost guaranteed not to come back. If they are tied they find a way to win and if they have a lead, generally they keep it (tonight not withstanding) but if they are behind they don't fight back more often than not. The loss dropped the Sox to 73-59, 2 games behind Toronto for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to bounce back with tonight's birthday boy Steven Wright (13-6, 3.18 ERA) on the mound facing Drew Smyly. The game begins at 1:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Tigers Late Rally Snaps Streak (8/18/16)

If the Boston Red Sox want a shot at the playoffs this year, they need to stop with these late inning blown leads. 5 times in the past few weeks the Sox had a late lead only to blow it, and tonight made six courtesy of the Detroit Tigers. Clay Buchholz held the Tigers to 1 measly run in 6 innings while Matthew Boyd held the Sox to a run through six as well. The Sox broke through with 2 runs in the top of the eighth but the combination of Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox got the tying run to second base in the top of the ninth but Francisco Rodriguez retired both Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts to end the game. The Tigers had rallied past the Sox 4-3 at Comerica Park.

Boyd got the ball in the top of the first inning and Aaron Hill struck out swinging to start. Xander Bogaerts flied out to left and Mr. Mookie Betts got a base hit to center. Hanley Ramirez got a base hit to right but Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first to end the inning. Buchholz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ian Kinsler flied out to JBJ to start. Erick Aybar got a base hit to right but Miguel Cabrera grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Sandy Leon grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Bryan Holaday flied out to left. Deven Marrero grounded out to short to end the inning. The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the second as old friend Victor Martinez grounded out to third to start. JD Martinez got a base hit to left and it looked like Jackie Bradley Jr caught a sinking line drive by Casey McGehee. The Tigers challenged that it was a trap and sure enough, it was called a trap to move Martinez to third. Sox manager John Farrell argued that even if it was a trap, Martinez was tagged out. The umpires told Farrell to get lost and he started yelling at them in the dugout. Home plate umpire Scott Barry told Farrell to shut up and John ran out of the dugout challenging him to a fight. Barry had to tell him that it wasn't Farrell that was ejected but third base coach Brian Butterfield. When things calmed down, old pal Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a sac fly to center to score Martinez. Andrew Romine got a base hit to right but Alex Presley grounded out to first to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                     "What he say?" - JF  "GET OUTTA HERE!" - SB

Andrew Benintendi got a base hit to right to start the top of the third and Hill drew a walk. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Mr. Mookie flied out to center to move Hill to third. Ramirez walked to load the bases but JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. Kinsler flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Aybar's bunt was snuffed out by Buchholz. Cabrera got a base hit to right but Victor Martinez flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Leon crushed his seventh home run of the season to tie the game. Holaday flied out to right, Marrero lined out to third and Benintendi took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        What a season for Leon so far

JD Martinez grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and McGehee grounded out to short. Saltalamacchia flied out to left to end the inning.

Hill got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth and Bogaerts lined out to left. Mr. Mookie forced Hill at second and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Romine struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and but Presley got a base hit to right. Kinsler lined out to left and Aybar grounded out to second to end the inning.

JBJ grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth and Leon flied out to center. Sox analyst Jerry Remy admitted he gets to the ballpark around 7 AM for day games because he hates waiting around in his hotel room. Then he said eventually he'll get there at 5 AM. Holaday lined out to center to end the inning. Buchholz came back for the bottom of the sixth and Cabrera was hit with a pitch to start. JD Martinez popped up to short and JD Martinez struck out swinging. McGehee also went down hacking to end the inning. That was it for Buchholz who tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 1 run off 6 hits.

                                                            Buchholz was on today

Travis Shaw pinch hit for Marrero to start the top of the seventh with old pal Alex Wilson now on the mound. Shaw struck out swinging and Benintendi flied out to left. Hill popped up to second to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Saltalamacchia flied out to left to start. Romine lined out to center and Presley flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the eighth as Bogaerts beat out a roller to second to start. Mr. Mookie blooped a base hit to right and Ramirez singled up the middle to score Bogaerts. Justin Wilson came in to pitch to Bradley and JBJ grounded into a double play....only for Betts to score on a wild pitch. Leon walked but Holaday struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                           Sox score the go-ahead runs

Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and crapped his pants big time. Kinsler ripped a base hit to left, Aybar doubled to right and Cabrera got a base hit to center to score Kinsler and chase Tazawa. Brad Ziegler poured gas on the fire as Victor Martinez singled to right to score Aybar. Tyler Collins ran for Cabrera as JD Martinez walked to load the bases. McGehee hit a grounder to short and Bogaerts came home to force Collins then Justin Upton ran for Victor Martinez. Saltalamacchia struck out swinging but Romine walked to score Upton to put the Tigers on top. Presley grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers up 4-3.

                                                           Tigers take the lead

The Sox did try to rally in the top of the ninth with Francisco Rodriguez no on the mound. Shaw walked to start and Brock "The Hitman" Holt ran for him. Andrew Benintendi beat out a double play ball and the Tigers challenged that he was out. The umpires said he was safe and David Ortiz pinch hit for Hill. Ortiz got a base hit to center and Dustin Pedroia ran for him. With the tying run at second....Bogaerts grounded out to first to move the runners over. With the game on the line....Mr. Mookie hit a bullet to Kinsler to end the game. The Tigers had won it 4-3.

                                                           Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Brad Ziegler. Yes, Tazawa put the runners on but Ziegler allowed all 3 of them to score, including walking home the go-ahead run with 2 outs.

                                                                Jackass Ziegler

The Good:

Aaron Hill was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Ortiz singled as a pinch hitter.

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Travis Shaw walked in 2 plate appearances.

Clay Buchholz pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 6 hits.

Robbie Ross Jr pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Deven Marrero was 0 for 2.

Bryan Holaday was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Junichi Tazawa was charged with 3 runs in the eighth inning to take the loss.

The Ugly:

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

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt ran for Travis Shaw in the ninth inning.

Dustin Pedroia ran for Ortiz in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

How many games is that now in the past few weeks the Sox have blown in the eighth or ninth inning? The two blown games against the New York Yankees, the Robinson Cano home run off Fernando Abad, the Los Angeles Angels rally and the Minnesota Twins scoring 7 runs in the 7th inning. Every team has blown leads but you'd think with the bullpen they have it wouldn't be as frequent. Still, its not entirely Tazawa and Ziegler's fault, only getting one run off Matthew Boyd should have been a clue it wasn't going to be their day. Still, this could be the end of the line for Tazawa which is a shame, he was the man from 2012-15. Overworked relief pitchers have a shelf life and apparently his is expired. Still, its only one loss but it still stings. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-53, 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Tigers when "Slick" Rick Porcello (16-3) takes on Michael Fulmer of Detroit. The game begins at 8:10 PM eastern time at Comerica Park.

Sox Beat Indians in Makeup Game (8/15/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Steven Wright was placed on the Disabled List with a bad shoulder stemming from last week. Sox manager John Farrell might have cost the Sox the season by having him get hurt pinch running. On top of that, Roenis Elias was sent back to Pawtucket and Hanley Ramirez was placed on the bereavement list. My condolences to Hanley. To replace the three of them, the Sox called up infielders Deven Marrero and Marco Hernandez along with relief pitcher Heath Hembree.

                                                                              IN

                                                                      IN

As for the game, the Red Sox have to play 11 straight games on the road and they needed to make a statement in today's makeup game against the Cleveland Indians. Drew Pomeranz (9-9, 2.99 ERA) tossed 7 2/3 innings allowing just 2 runs to the AL Central frontrunners. Meanwhile the Indians took a 1-0 lead on a Rajai Davis home run in the fourth but the retiring David Ortiz had one last surprise. Ortiz pounded a 2 run home run in the top of the sixth and Jackie Bradley Jr followed with one of his own 2 batters later. More than enough cushion as Fernando Abad and Craig Kimbrel locked up the safe. The Sox started their insane road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Indians at Progressive Field.

                                                        Sanguine approves of the win

Tomlin got the ball in the top of the first and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to old pal Michael Martinez to start. Xander Bogaerts flied out to right and David Ortiz popped up to third to end the inning. Drew Pomeranz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mookie Betts fell down making a catch on a Rajai Davis fly ball to start. Jose Ramirez grounded out to first and Francisco Lindor struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mr. Mookie Betts lined out to center to start the top of the second and Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first. Aaron Hill grounded out to second to end the inning. Old pal Mike Napoli flied out to left to start the bottom of the second and Carlos Santana flied out to center. Brandon Guyer flied out to right to end the inning.

It looked like Travis Shaw struck out swinging to start the top of the third but the pitch got away allowing Travis to reach first. Bryan Holaday struck out swinging but Shaw took second on a wild pitch. Andrew Benintendi lined out to right but Pedroia got a base hit to right. Shaw tried to come around but was thrown out at home to end the inning.

                                                              Yerrrr out!

Abraham Almonte took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Chris Gimenez did the same. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Bogaerts got a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth but Ortiz grounded into a double play. Mr. Mookie got a base hit to left and JBJ got a base hit to center, but Hill lined back to Tomlin to end the inning. The Indians struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Davis hit a home run all the way to Cincinnati to start. Ramirez walked and promptly stole second, but Lindor was retired on a tapper in front of the plate. Ramirez was thrown out at third trying to steal...but wait! Indians manager Terry Francona challenged that Ramirez was safe, but the call upheld. Napoli doubled to left and Santana hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Indians ahead 1-0.

                                                  "To the 30...to the 20....to the 10"

Shaw flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Holaday grounded out to third. Benintendi lined out to left to end the inning. Guyer singled off the glove of Bogaerts to start the bottom of the fifth and took second on a wild pitch. Almonte struck out swinging, Gimenez struck out swinging and Martinez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox took command in the top of the sixth as Pedroia got a base hit to left to start. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Ortiz smashed his 27th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Mr. Mookie flied out to center but JBJ crushed his 19th home run of the season for the insurance run. Hill grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                              JBJ makes it a 2 run game

Davis grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Ramirez popped up to second. Lindor grounded out to short to end the inning.

Shaw grounded out to first to start the top of the seventh and Holaday grounded out to short. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning. Napoli walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Santana grounded into a double play. Guyer grounded out to second to end the inning,

Pedroia grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth and Bogaerts flied out to right. Kyle Crockett came in to pitch to Ortiz and David singled to right. Jeff Manship came in to face Betts but Mr. Mookie walked. JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning. Pomeranz ran out of gas in the bottom of the eighth as Almonte struck out swinging to start. JBJ failed to come up with a double by Gimenez but Martinez flied out to center. Davis doubled into the right field corner to chase Pomeranz. He fell one batter short but tossed 7 2/3 innings allowing 2 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. Fernando Abad came in and Davis stole third, but Ramirez popped up to Benintendi to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                              Good effort from Drew

Zach McAllister came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hill singled off the glove of Martinez to start. Shaw doubled to the left field fence but Holaday struck out swinging. Benintendi popped up to left and Pedroia lined out to left to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lindor doubled to left to start. Napoli walked and Tyler Naquin ran for him. Santana struck out swinging and Jason Kipnis pinch hit for Guyer. Kipnis struck out swinging on a 96 mph fastball and Almonte

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is David Ortiz. His 2 run home run put the Sox up for good.

                                                            Big Papi is the Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

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

Drew Pomeranz got the win by allowing 2 runs in 7 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

Fernando Abad got the final out of the eighth inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 20th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bryan Holaday was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Aaron Hill was just 1 for 4.

Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

That game was too close for comfort but a win is a win. The Sox need Pomeranz more than ever to pitch like he did today because Steven Wright is out. With David Price still shaky and Eduardo Rodriguez not having a good year, its up to Pomeranz to carry them to victory. The Sox offense didn't do much against Tomlin but Josh leads the league in home runs allowed. The two home runs hit by the Sox turned out to be the difference makers. The Sox are on an unforgiving roadtrip with the majority of their remaining games on the road so if the Sox want to make the playoffs, they're going to have to earn it. Still, if this is the AL Central's best....the Sox took it right to them this time. Maybe they'll see each other again come October when the stakes are higher, who knows? All in all it was a good win and the Sox needed it to keep pace. The win improved the Sox to 65-52, 1 game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have a chance to take over first place because they now travel to Baltimore for a brief two game set against them. Tomorrow night it'll be Eduardo Rodriguez going for the Sox against Yovani Gallardo of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Betts, Red Sox Annihilate Diamondbacks For Sweep (8/14/16)

That's one way to sweep a series if you're the Boston Red Sox. The Sox hadn't won all three games of a set since last month against the Tampa Bay Rays and they did it in style against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Sox bats scored SIXTEEN runs in this one off NINETEEN hits. Zack Greinke was hammered for 9 runs before getting knocked out in the second inning and the bullpen wasn't much better. Mookie Betts smashed 3 home runs while driving in 8 runs on his own while Dustin Pedroia went 5 for 6. Jackie Bradley Jr also hit a 2 run homer in an offensive onslaught. On the other side of the ball "Slick" Rick Porcello (16-3, 3.20 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young award by tossing 7 strong innings allowing just 1 run. Roenis Elias finished the game off as the Sox massacred the Diamondbacks 16-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                 Accurate description of today's game

Porcello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jean Segura lined a base hit off the Monster but Andrew Benintendi threw the ball away allowing Segura to take second. Michael Bourn struck out swinging and Paul Goldschmidt grounded back to the mound. Jake Lamb took strike three to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Greinke in the bottom of the first as Dustin Pedroia led off with a base hit down the right field line. Brock "The Hitman" Holt struck out swinging but Mr. Mookie Betts belted his 24th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. David Ortiz struck out swinging but Hanley Ramirez drilled a base hit to left. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                                 That's one

Rickie Weeks grounded out to third to start the top of the second and Yasmany Tomas struck out swinging. Chris Owings popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the second as Aaron Hill got a base hit to right. Sandy Leon also got a base hit to right and Benintendi atoned for his error with a double to right to score Hill. Pedroia got a base hit to right to score Leon and move Benintendi to third. Holt hit a comebacker to Greinke who threw Benintendi out at home. Suddenly Mr. Mookie smashed a three run home run to put this game on ice early. Ortiz struck out swinging but Ramirez got a base hit to center. JBJ smashed his 18th homer of the year off the Pesky Pole to increase the lead to chase Greinke. Dominic Leone came in to freeze Hill for strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 9-0.

                                                                That's two

Brandon Drury grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third inning and Tuffy Gosewisch grounded out to short. Segura took strike three to end the inning. Leon flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Benintendi grounded out to second. Pedroia singled to center and Holt popped up to third to end the inning.

Arizona struck back in the top of the fourth as Bourn hit a home run into the Charles River to cut the lead. Goldschmidt grounded out to short but Porcello booted a grounder by Lamb for an error. Weeks grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Diamondbacks down 9-1.

                                                           Bourn goes yard

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Mr. Mookie got a base hit to left to start. Ortiz singled to right to move Mr. Mookie to third and Ramirez forced David at second to score Betts. JBJ popped up to third and Hill forced Ramirez at second to end the inning with the Sox up 10-1.

                                                                It was Mookie's day

Tomas grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Owings got a base hit to left. Drury flied out to center and Gosewisch forced Owings at second to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth with Adam Loewen now on the mound. Leon walked, Benintendi got a base hit to right and Pedroia got a base hit to right to score Leon. Holt lined out to short but Mr. Mookie clobbered his 3rd home run of the game to increase the lead. Ortiz walked and Randall Delgado came in to pitch with Bryan Holaday in to run for David. Ramirez doubled off the Monster and Travis Shaw pinch ran for him. JBJ grounded out to first to score Holaday and Lamb threw a grounder by Hill away for an error to score Shaw. Leon walked but Benintendi flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 16-1.

                                                        What a massacre

Phil Gosselin pinch hit for Segura to start the top of the sixth and grounded out to second to start. Bourn flied out to left and Goldschmidt lined out to right to end the inning. Socrates Brito came in for Lamb with Steve Hathaway now on the mound to start the bottom of the sixth. Pedroia flied out to center, Holt took strike three and Leon flied out to right to end the inning.

Brito popped up to short to start the top of the seventh and Weeks grounded out to short. Tomas lined out to left to end the inning. That was it for Porcello who tossed 7 strong innings allowing 1 run off just 3 hits.

                                                             Good work Porcello

Enrique Burgos came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Holaday got a base hit to center to start. Shaw and Bradley both struck out swinging and Hill forced Holaday at second to end the innning. 

Roenis Elias came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Owings flied out to right to start. Drury got a base hit to left but Gosewisch flied out to center. Gosselin got a base hit to left and Bourn got another base hit to left to score Drury. Goldschmidt forced Bourn at second base to end the inning with the Diamondbacks down 16-2.

                                                            Arizona gets another run

Jake Barrett came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Leon grounded out to first to start. A bird landed near the mound and Benintendi walked because of it....just kidding. Pedroia doubled to center but Holt popped up to third. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                           Mr. Bird says hi

Elias returned to close out the top of the ninth with Holaday moving to third and Hill to second to give Pedroia the game off. Brito got a base hit to left but Weeks flied out to center. Tomas grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 16-2.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Mookie Betts. He hit 3 home runs and drove in 8 runs to outscore the Diamondbacks all by himsef.

                                                                 Our Hero jumps for joy

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 5 for 6 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bryan Holaday was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 4 with a walk, an rbi and a run scored.

Rick Porcello got the win tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball off just 3 hits.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Brock Holt was 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Travis Shaw struck out but scored a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but hit a 2 run home run with 3 total rbis.

Aaron Hill was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Roenis Elias allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have one of the best offenses in the league and they proved it today. Mookie Betts apparently wants to be in the running for AL MVP and a day like today moves him closer for sure. 26 home runs and 84 rbis only halfway through August is insane and we got a long way to go. Porcello also wants AL Cy Young and this helped his case as well. All in all there wasn't much to complain about in this one except Brock Holt going 0 for 6 and Roenis Elias giving up a run late. Otherwise this was a nice easy win which was much needed considering some of the heartbreaks and nail biters lately. Hopefully the Sox can keep the momentum going as they go on the road for the next eleven games. The win improved the Sox to 64-52, 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox travel to Cleveland for their makeup game from all the way back in the first series of the year. Drew Pomeranz (8-9) goes for the Sox against Josh Tomlin of Cleveland. The game begins at 2:10 PM eastern time at Progressive Field.

Ramirez, Bats Power Sox Past Diamondbacks (8/12/16)

So much for the slumping Boston Red Sox. Xander Bogaerts and Hanley Ramirez had been struggling lately but not today young fella. Against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bogaerts got two hits while Hanley hit not one, but two 3 run homers to pace the offense. David Ortiz also went yard as the bats got 11 hits and 9 runs. Meanwhile David Price (10-8, 4.29 ERA) battled big time as he overcame two first inning runs to go 8 innings and surrendering 1 further run after the first. Once again Fernando Abad gave up a run in the top of the ninth, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Sox ran away with this one 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Natalia Forrest approves of the win

Price got the ball in the top of the first inning and things went south immediately as Jackie Bradley Jr fell ass over tea kettle on a routine fly ball by Jean Segura for a "triple". Phil Gosselin flied out to center and Segura was thrown out at third when the throw home beat him. Paul Goldschmidt got a base hit to right and Rickie Weeks hit a home run all the way to Portugal to put Arizona on top. Old pal Chris Owings flied out to right to end the inning with the Diamondbacks up 2-0.

                                                           "Well this sucks" - Bradley

The Sox blasted Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin in the bottom of the first as Dustin Pedroia led off by reaching on an error by Segura to start. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging and Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to a running Segura. David Ortiz singled into the shift and Hanley Ramirez smashed a three run home run to put the Sox on top. Jake Lamb booted a grounder by Jackie Bradley Jr and Aaron Hill made him pay with a base hit to to left. Bryan Holaday ripped a base hit to center to score JBJ with another run. A wild pitch moved Holaday to second but Andrew Benintendi flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                            Holaday caps the rally

Brandon Drury grounded out to third to start the top of the second and Lamb grounded out to short. Tuffy Gosewisch struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the second as Pedroia singled in the hole at short to start. Bogaerts singled to left but Mr. Mookie popped up to second. Ortiz got a base hit to center to score Pedroia and Ramirez belted his second 3 run homer in consecutive innings. Patrick Corbin slumped down and old school fans got reminded of Byung-Hyun Kim in the 2001 World Series. JBJ struck out swinging but Hill got a base hit to right to finally chase the ineffective Corbin. Zack Godley came in and Holaday lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                           I knew that looked familiar

As with the theme all week, Dustin Pedroia had to come out of the game in the top of the third. Too many games without a day off caught up to the Sox as Travis Shaw took Dustin's spot in the lineup. Michael Bourn grounded out to first and Segura grounded out to third. Gosselin struck out swinging to end the inning. Benintendi was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the third but Shaw grounded into a double play. Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

Goldschmidt took strike three to start the top of the fourth but Weeks singled to left. Owings struck out swinging but Drury got a base hit to center. Lamb grounded out to first to end the inning. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Ortiz struck out swinging. Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Arizona got one back in the top of the fifth as Gosewisch hit a home run all the way to St. Louis to cut the lead. Bourn grounded out to second, Segura grounded out to short and Gosselin took strike three to end the inning with Arizona down 8-3.

                                                              Gosewisch hits one out

JBJ struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fifth and Hill looked to have beaten out a roller to second. The Diamondbacks challenged the call and sure enough, replays showed Hill was out. Holaday grounded out to third to end the inning.

Goldschmidt grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth and Weeks lined out to center. Owings singled in the hole at short and Drury walked, but Lamb popped up to third to end the inning. Benintendi lined out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Shaw struck out swinging. Bogaerts singled to right but Mr. Mookie forced him at second to end the inning.

Gosewisch got a base hit to center to start the top of the seventh but Bourn flied out to left. Segura struck out swinging but Gosselin singled to right. Goldschmidt flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh when Ortiz smashed his 26th home run of the season to increase the lead. Ramirez popped up to third, JBJ struck out swinging and Hill lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 9-4.

                                                        Number 26 for Big Papi

Brock "The Hitman" Holt took over for JBJ to start the top of the eighth and Weeks took strike three to start. Owings singled to left and a wild pitch moved him to second, but Drury took strike three. Lamb flied out to right to end the inning and that was it for Price. He tossed 8 innings allowing 3 runs off 10 hits and a walk. He also struck out eight batters.

                                                     Price was a horse tonight

Socrates Brito took over for Bourn to start the bottom of the eighth with Dominic Leone now on the mound. Holaday struck out swinging to start and Benintendi did the same. Shaw completed the tri-fecta by swinging at air to end the inning.

Fernando Abad came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Gosewisch lined out to short to start. Brito struck out swinging but Segura doubled to center. Gosselin singled to left to score Segura then took second on defensive indifference. Goldschmidt walked but Weeks flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Hanley Ramirez. He hit two 3 run bombs to outscore the Diamondbacks all by himself.

                                                    Ortiz says "You da Hero!"

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 2 with 2 runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

David Ortiz was 3 for 4 with a home run with 2 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Aaron Hill was 2 for 4.

David Price got the win by allowing 3 runs in 8 innings of work off 10 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4.

Fernando Abad allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Bryan Holaday was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt played left field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Good to see Price dominate again, especially after the first inning. Also great to see the offense step it up with Bogaerts and Ramirez busting out of their slumps. Also good to see Ortiz and Betts in action because both left games due to injury lately. When the offense is clicking they're very tough to beat and with the pitching of Price, the Sox were definitely going to come out on top of this one. The Sox need to go on a run in the worst way and maybe this will be the start. The Sox were angry after dropping 2 of 3 to the Yankees with back to back bullpen implosions so David Price said "Bullpen schmulpen". Speaking of the Yankees, think the Sox might having buyer's remorse over dropping Tommy Layne for Fernando Abad. He better pick it up soon or else Sox GM Dave Dombrowski will be under fire for that one. Still, there wasn't much to complain about in this one, especially with the heart of the order getting it done as they should. The win improved the Sox to 62-52, 2.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over Arizona tomorrow night when Clay Buchholz gets the spot start against Archie Bradley of Arizona. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.