Oakland Pounds Porcello, Sox (5/14/18)

Before the game it was announced Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez was placed on the Disabled List with a "back strain". After carrying the bullpen on his back, it was bound to give out. Taking his place will be the returning Steven Wright, who's suspension and knee problems are both over. When healthy Wright won 13 games in 2016 so if he can rediscover that form, the erratic health of David Price won't be that concerning.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                              IN

As for the game, what a complete waste. The Sox offense avenged their no-hit loss by Shawn Manaea in Oakland to pound him for 4 runs only for "Slick" Rick Porcello to get lit up again and again. The Sox managed to scratch and claw on the offensive side but the pitching allowed 3 home runs, 11 total hits and 6 runs as the Oakland A's spoiled the homestand opener 6-5 at Fenway Park.\

                                                 "PORCELLOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Porcello took the mound in the top of the first inning and got Marcus Semien hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Matt Joyce whiffed and old friend "Glassbones" Jed Lowrie popped up to left to end the inning but Porcello had thrown 22 pitches. Shawn "No-Hit" Manaea took the mound in the bottom of the first an Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him by grounding out to second to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out in the exact same spot and Hanley Ramirez was gunned down at first on a swinging bunt in front of the plate to end the inning.

The A's almost struck first in the top of the second when Khris Davis singled to start. Matt Olson whiffed but Matt Chapman singled off the glove of Rafael Devers at third. Mark Canha flied out to right but Davis moved to third. Jonathan Lucroy grounded out to short to end the inning but Porcello had thrown 43 pitches. The Sox broke Manaea's no-hit streak when JD Martinez singled up the middle on the first pitch in the bottom of the second. Xander Bogaerts and Eduardo Nunez both hit routine fly balls to right before Blake Swihart whiffed badly to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the third as Dustin Fowler (the guy the A's traded Sonny Gray for ironically) was frozen for strike three to open. Semien grounded out to short but Joyce crushed a 780,000 foot bomb halfway to Wakefield to put the A's on top. Lowrie flied out to left to end the inning but the A's were up 1-0.

                                                        That's one

The Sox got lucky in the bottom of the third as Devers and Sandy Leon whiffed to start. Mr. Mookie singled and stole second before the luck set in. A wild pitch moved Betts to third before Chapman threw a routine grounder by Benintendi away, allowing Betts to score the tying run and put Andrew at second. Somehow Ramirez singled to right to score Benintendi to give the Sox the lead. Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.

                                                  "Somewhere on a higher mental plain" -HR

Just as soon as the Sox took the lead, Porcello pissed it away in the top of the fourth. Davis grounded out to short but Davis and Chapman stroked back to back singles. Canha was frozen for strike three but Lucroy easily doubled in both runners to give the A's the lead. Fowler tripled to center off a Benintendi misplay to increase the lead but Semien grounded out to short to end the inning with the A's up for good 4-2.

                                                             "I don't got it"

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the fourth when Bogaerts walked and Nunez singled.....but Swihart banged into a double play to kill that. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning.

The relentless As tried to pound Porcello in the top of the fifth as Joyce smashed a single to center to start. Somehow Porcello got Lowrie to line out to center and miraculously got Davis to bang into a double play to end the inning. The Sox had another huge squander when Leon got a lucky single to lead off the bottom of the fifth before Mr. Mookie doubled him to third. Naturally Benintendi flied out to right and Betts got thrown out in a rundown foolishly trying to go to third on a force by Ramirez. Leon did score but Martinez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox still trailing 4-3.

                                                         YOU'RE OUT!!!

The A's were laughing at Porcello at this point in the top of the sixth as Olson effortlessly launched a 52,833 foot blast to extend the insurmountable lead for the A's. Oh sure, Chapman whiffed and Canha grounded out to second before Lucroy grounded out to end the inning, but the A's were up 5-3. Back to back 5 runs allowed in consecutive starts by Porcello as  he left the game allowing 5 runs in 6 innings.

                                                          Sub-par effort but Porcello

As usual the Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Bogaerts lined out to second to start. Nunez grounded out to second and Swihart made the most of his rare start by whiffing badly to end the inning.

Heath Hembree got the call to pitch the top of the seventh and he got Fowler to ground out to third to start. Semien singled but Joyce whiffed. Lowrie grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox briefly came to life when Devers smashed a solo home run and Leon reached on an error to chase Manaea....but Yusmeiro Petit came in to get Mr. Mookie to fly out to left. Beintendi lined out to center and Ramirez popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 5-4.

                                             Devers gets Boston back in it

Carson Smith came in the top of the eighth and promptly allowed a 950 foot home run to Davis to increase the lead. Olson grounded out to third, Chapman flied out to left and Canha lined out to short to end the inning with the A's ahead 6-4. Smith threw a temper tantrum in the dugout after.

                                                        Nice going Carson

The Sox tried to fight back when Martinez led off the bottom of the eighth with his 11th homer of the year, but Bogaerts grounded out to short. Nunez also grounded out to short and Swihart lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox trailing 6-5.

                                                       Martinez trying to keep the Sox in it

Brian Johnson got the call to pitch the top of the ninth and Lucroy grounded out to third to start. Fowler flied out to left and Semien whiffed to end the inning. Blake Treinen got the call to close out the bottom of the ninth and he did it effortlessly. Devers grounded weakly to the mound, Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Leon and flied out to left and Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to end the game. The A's had taken the opener 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is Rick Porcello. He allowed 5 runs in 6 innings to a team struggling to score including 2 massive home runs to earn his first loss of the season.

                                                      Slick Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a stolen base and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a solo home run.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Blake Swihart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Carson Smith allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 but knocked in 2 runs.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was a solo home run.




Final Thoughts:

The Sox can't beat Sean Manaea apparently. Even with the red hot Porcello on the mound the pesky 20-21 A's still found a way to beat them. Its not that concerning, only tedious that they lost this game considering the New York Yankees were off tonight. A win over Manaea would have given the Sox sole possession of first place but instead are in second. Martinez is red hot and let's hope he stays that way. He and Betts have been a wonderful 1-2 punch, if only Benintendi could get hot. Porcello pitched like doo-doo but he's been good all year so he was due for the doo-doo. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-13, a half game behind the idle Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox are back in action against the A's with Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0) taking on Daniel Mengden at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Edge Sox in Opener (5/8/18)

Before the game it was anounced Brock "The Hitman" Holt was coming off the disabled list and would be active for tonight's game against the New York Yankees. Tzu-Wei Lin was sent back to Pawtucket. This should bolster the bench which has been terrible lately.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, there is no stopping the Yankees it seems. They won 16 out of their last 17 games and tonight was no different. "Big Smooth" Drew Pomeranz pitched well but the Yankees offense was able to eek out the winning run and get some shutdown bullpen pitching to edge the Red Sox 3-2 at Yankee Stadium to pull within a first place tie.

Yankees ace Luis Severino took the mound in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center to start. Andrew Benintendi popped up to third but Gleybar Torres booted a ground ball hit by Hanley Ramirez. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Pomeranz took the mound in the bottom of the first inning and Brett Gardner whiffed to start. Aaron Judge flied out to right and Didi Gregorius also flied out to right to end the inning.

Severino turned up the heat in the top of the second inning as Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers both whiffed to start. Eduardo Nunez doubled but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the second when Giancarlo Stanton smashed a 233,237 foor home run to put the Yankees on top. Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks worked back to back walks but Miguel Andujar and Tyler Austin whiffed. Torres popped up to short to end the inning with the Yankees leading 1-0.

                                                   Damn Stanton

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third inning as Christian Vazquez singled but was foolishly thrown out at second trying to stretch. Mr. Mookie and Benintendi whiffed to end the inning. Pomeranz countered in the bottom of the third by punching out Gardner and Judge before Gregorius flied out to right to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded out to Severino the start the top of the fourth but Martinez doubled. Bogaerts flied out to left and Devers grounded out to third to end the inning. The Yankees struck again in the bottom of the fourth inning when Stanton led off with another 980 foot blast to increase the lead. Sanchez grounded out to second and Hicks flied out to center, bit Andujar singled. Austin flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees leading 2-0.

                                                     Stanton strikes again

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth inning when Nunez struck out but the ball got away from Sanchez so Nunez too first.  JBJ watched strike three go by and Vazquez whiffed, but Mr. Mookie singled. Benintendi singled and Nunez broke for home....SAFE! Benintendi took second on the throw as the Sox got on the board. Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox were back in it 2-1.

                                                   Sox get on the board

The Yankees looked to strike back in the bottom of the fifth when Torres singled but Gardner banged into a double play. Pomeranz whiffed Judge on a full count to end the inning.

Severino recovered to strike out Martinez to open the top of the sixth inning before Bogaerts popped up to second. Devers whiffed to end the inning. Pomeranz came back for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth. Gregorius grounded out to second and Stanton grounded out to third to start. Sanchez hit a routine grounder to Devers who picked the ball up and threw it straight up in the air for an error. Hicks popped up to second to end the inning. Apart from 2 mistakes to Stanton, this was Pomeranz best start of the year. He held the high powered Yankee offense to just 2 solo shots in 6 innings.

                                                 Pomeranz did his job

The Sox looked to make Pomeranz a winner as they rallied in the top of the seventh inning. Nunez singled to chase Severino and David Robertson was brought in. JBJ earned the hat trick by striking out and Vazquez flied out to center. Nunez stole second and Betts lined one over the head of Gardner into the gap in left for an rbi triple to tie the game. With the go-ahead run on third...Benintendi whiffed to end the inning. Still, Pomeranz was off the hook and the game was tied 2-2.

                                                               Betts ties it up

Heath Hembree came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh inning although he did Andujar to ground out to short to start. Neil Walker pinch hit for Austin and doubled before Torres walked. Hembree was so rattled he balked the two runners into scoring position and walked Gardner to load the bases. Public Enemy Number 1 aka "Machine Gun" Joe Kelly was brought in to houdini out of the mess, instead he gave up a single to Judge. Walker scored the go-ahead run but Torres was thrown out at home. Gregorius grounded back to the mound but it was 3-2 Yankees. They got revenge on Kelly...in the smallest way possible.

                                                 YERRRRRR OUT!

Chad Green was brought in for the top of the eighth inning and Ramirez greeted him with a single to put the tying run on. Unfortunately Martinez lined out to center and Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the threat. Kelly returned for the bottom of the eighth and walked Stanton. Stanton swiped second but Sanchez whiffed. Kelly uncorked a wild pitch to move Stanton to third and he broke for home on a grounder to first by Hicks. Ramirez fired home....OUT! That was it for Kelly who received a chorus of boos before he left. Carson Smith came in and struck out Andujar to end the inning.

                                                  Kelly keeps the Sox in the game

Could the Sox crack Aroldis Chapman in the top of the ninth? It didn't seem like it when Devers grounded back to the mound to start. Nunez whiffed and everyone thought the game was over when JBJ stepped to the plate. It wasn't...somehow Chapman hit him with a pitch. Sox manager Alex Cora sent the struggling Vazquez at the plate and sure enough,  he grounded out to second to end the game. The Yankees took the opener 3-2.

Jackass of the Night is Heath Hembree. He left the bases loaded while retiring just the one out.

                                                    Stop crying and get people out, Jackass!



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Drew Pomeranz pitched 6 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 6.

Carson Smith got the final out of the bottom of the eighth.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.

Joe Kelly allowed the go-ahead run to score but no further damage in 1 1/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

The Yankees are for real and the Sox better wake up soon or else they're going to be in second place very shortly. This reminded me of the old school Yankees where they would do just enough to win more often than not. The game came down to the bottom of the order. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .238, JBJ is hitting a worthless .173 and Vazquez is hitting just .196. Something has to be done about that and thankfully there is, Cora just has to want to do it. They can easily put Swihart behind the plate or in left and get either JBJ or Vazquez out of the lineup. For some reason they just don't want Swihart in the lineup. Luckily Brock Holt is back so that gives them further options if they want Bradley or Vazquez out. The loss drops the Sox to 25-10, tied for first place with the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow was supposed to be David Price but guess what, he got scratched due to the same numbness he suffered earlier this year. Instead it will be "Slick" Rick Porcello going up against Masahiro Tanaka at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sale, Offense Suffocates Rangers (5/6/18)

The bad news was the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their NHL playoff second round series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers. Chris Sale (3-1, 2.02 ERA) was having a lot of trouble winning games due to lousy offense and dreadful bullpen pitching the last few weeks. This time against the Rangers, the Boston offense came alive and Sale put the Rangers in a hole they couldn't climb out of. Riding Sale and the hot bats, the Sox ran away with the 6-1 victory over the Rangers at Arlington Park to set up a Tuesday night showdown with the New York Yankees.

                                             Yukon Cornelius approves of the win

Old pal Doug Fister took the mound in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a single to right. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to first but the throw to second hit Betts in the shoulder, knocking him flat. Betts got up and stayed in the game as JD Martinez worked a walk. Mitch Moreland lashed a double that scored Betts, advanced Martinez to third and give the Sox the lead. The Sox ran into another out as Xander Bogaerts hit a ground ball to short and Martinez was thrown out at home easily. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       1-0 Sox

Sale took the ball in the bottom of the first and blew away Delino DeShields Jr to start. Shin-Soo Choo whiffed and Isiah Kiner-Falefa watched strike three go by to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Eduardo Nunez grounded out to third to begin. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out but Sandy Leon singled up the middle. Mr. Mookie lined out to center to end the inning.

As expected, Betts keeled over and had to be carried out on a stretcher to an ambulance. Blake Swihart took over for him defensively in the bottom of the second as Sale plunked Nomar Mazars to start. Jurickson Profar singled past the diving Nunez but Reynato Nunez struck out. Ryan Rua struck out but Ronald Guzman hit a routine grounder to Rafael Devers who dove on top of the ball and wrestled with it for an error to load the bases. Carlos Perez lined a bullet up the middle but Sale snared it at the last second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again with some heads up baseball in the top of the third inning. Benintndi looked at strike three but Martinez doubled to left when Rua misplayed it. Moreland grounded out to third but Bogaerts singled in Martinez when Perez dropped the throw home. Devers flied out to center to end the inning but it was 2-0.

                                                      Bogaerts make it 2-0

The Rangers fought back in the bottom of the third when DeShields singled. Choo whiffed but Kiner walked. Mazara whiffed and Profar hit a routine grounder to Devers. Devers nearly threw it away but Moreland got the toe on the first base bag just in time to end the inning to save Devers' ass from another error.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Nunez lined out to left to start. JBJ looked to have reached on a throwing error by Profar but wait! The Rangers challenged the call and Bradley was out. Leon walked and was foolishly thrown out by a mile going to third on a single by Swihart to end the inning. Sale returned for the bottom of the fourth and as usual Nunez singled to start. Rua banged into a double play on a great stab by Sale before Guzman whiffed to end the inning.

Still nothing in the top of the fifth as Benintendi flied out to center, Martinez lined out to center and Moreland grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Rangers almost struck back in the bottom of the fifth although Perez whiffed to start. DeShields was plunked on an 0-2 count before Choo flied out to center. DeShelds stole second but Kiner grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the sixth inning although Bogaerts and Devers both struck out to start. Nunez singled and JBJ was hit by a pitch before Leon crushed a 3 run bomb to give Sale a huge lead. Swihart grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                               Leon's big blast

Could Sale pitch with a 5 run lead? YES! Mazara whiffed and Profar grounded out to second to begin. Nunez whiffed to end the inning for Sale's 11th strikeout today.

The Sox iced it in the top of the seventh as Benintendi whiffed to start but Martinez smashed an opposite field home run just over the run to chase Fister. Jesse Chavez replaced Doug and Moreland greeted him with a single to left. Bogaerts flied out to left and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 6-0.

                                                     Game over

For whatever reason Alex Cora had Carson Smith warming but let Sale go back out for the bottom of the seventh. It looked to be a big mistake when Rua smashed a 700 foot opposite field home run to put the Rangers on the board. Sale recovered to whiff Guzman and get Perez to fly out into the right field corner. DeShields grounded out to second to end the inning and that was it for Sale. He went 7 innings, struck out 12 and allowed just the one run.

                                                  What an effort by Sale

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth as Nunez grounded back to the mound, JBJ whiffed and Leon grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and got Choo to ground out into the shift to start. Kiner and Mazara both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Tony Barnette came in to pitch the top of the ninth and cruised. Swihart grounded out to first, Benintendi flied out to right and Martinez froze for strike three to end the inning. Carson Smith came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and got Profar to ground out to short to start. Some yahoo bellowed "COME ON NUNEZ START THE RALLY!" and Nunez did manage to beat out an infield single to short. Rua whiffed on a nasty slider by Smith before Nunez took second and third on defensive indifference. Smith whiffed Guzman on the same pitch to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1 and heads to New York still in first place.

Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. He tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 12 to earn the much needed win.

                                               Sale the Hero



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 2 with a run scored before leaving with injury.

Blake Swihart was 1 for 3.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with 2 total runs scored, a walk and a solo home run.

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 3 with a 3 run home run.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Carson Smith pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and another error.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Bring on the Yankees. Chris Sale was masterful today and the offense woke up to get him enough run support for once. It sucks seeing Betts carried out on a stretcher probably never to return but the Sox are going to have to rally around the injury to survive in New York. Too bad the Sox won't have Sale but he was outstanding today, it'll be up to the other starters to step up big time. As for this game, they need to get Devers out of the field because he's a menace to society over there. Too bad there's nowhere else to put him since they have Hanley Ramirez, Martinez and Moreland. At least, like last night, he can hit the ball out of the yard. The win propelled the Sox to 25-9, their best start since 2002 and just 1 game ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow its time for the big showdown in New York with the Yankees on Tuesday Night. Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 6.14 ERA) goes for the Sox up against Yankees ace Luis Severino at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Rout Royals (4/30/18)

The bad news is the Boston Bruins lost Game 2 of their second round matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The good news was not only did the Boston Celtics win Game 1 of their own second round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Boston Red Sox beat the daylights out of the lowly Kansas City Royals. The Sox overcame an ineffective start by Eduardo Rodriguez to pound out 13 hits and 10 runs. When it was all over the Sox had taken the first game on this rainy night at Fenway Park 10-6.

                                                 Terry Rozier approves of the win

Rodriguez took the mound for the top of the first inning and immediately crapped his pants. Whit Merrifield singled and Jorge Soler walked. Mike Moustakas was plunked to load the bases. Salvador Perez walked to drive in a run. Rodriguez did manage to strike out Cheslor Cuthbert but Lucas Duda walked for another run. Jon Jay hit a ground ball that ate up Eduardo Nunez to allow Soler to score with another run. Alex Gordon banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 3-0.

The Sox did nothing against Royals starter Jimmy Hammel in the bottom of the first inning. Andrew Benintendi lined out to center, Hanley Ramirez flied out to right and JD Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rodriguez came out for the top of the second inning and got Alcides Escobar to fly out to center on the first pitch. Merrifield whiffed on 3 pitches but Soler took advantage of Nunez' bad knee to beat out an infield single. Moustakas had to leave the game and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for him only to fly out to right to end the inning. The Sox somehow got a run in the bottom of the second when Mitch Moreland homered to cut the lead. That was it as Xander Bogaerts flied out to center, Rafael Devers also flied out to center and Nunez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                  Moreland hits a solo home run

Rodriguez whiffed Perez to start the top of the third before Cuthbert flied out to center. Duda flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third inning. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first and Christian Vazquez grounded out to short, but Benintendi singled. Ramirez hit a ball into the right field corner that got lodged underneath the wall so Benintendi had to stay at third. Martinez walked to load the bases and Moreland took a gutsy full count walk to make it 3-2. Bogaerts got a 3-2 meatball down the middle and he crushed it for a grand slam to give the Sox the lead. Devers looked at strike three to end the inning but the Sox pounced for a 6-3 lead.

                                             Another grand salami

The incompetent Rodriguez damn near gave it all back in the top of the fourth inning. Jay whiffed but Gordon was hit with a pitch. Escobar doubled home Gordon and Merrifield doubled home Escobar. Soler and Almonte whiffed to end the inning but that was it for Rodriguez. He lasted just four innings and gave up 5 runs but left with a 6-5 lead.

                                                      Nice going E-Rod

The Sox got one of the runs back in the bottom of the fourth although Nunez popped up to second to start. JBJ walked and Vazquez singled him to third before JBJ scored on the sac fly by Benintendi. Ramirez grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 7-5 Sox.

                                                      Another run in

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez (4-0, 2.05 ERA) took over for the top of the fifth inning and cruised. Perez flied out to right, Cuthbert grounded out to short and Duda whiffed to end the inning. The Sox added another insurance run in the bottom of the fifth as Martinez doubled to start. Moreland flied out to center but Bogaerts singled Martinez to third. Devers whiffed but Nunez singled home Martinez to chase Hammel. Tim Hill took over and JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 8-5.

Velazquez kept the Royals off the board in the top of the sixth inning as he whiffed Jay to start. Gordon whiffed but Escobar singled. Merrifield grounded into a force to end the inning. Scott Barlow came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez froze for strike three to start. Benintendi flied out to left but Ramirez singled. Martinez grounded into a force to end the inning.

Carson Smith took over for the top of the seventh inning and got Soler to fly out to center to start. Almonte was rung up on what should have been ball four but Perez singled to left. Cuthbert whiffed to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh inning as Moreland doubled and Bogaerts singled him to third. Devers grounded out into the shift to erase Bogaerts but Moreland scored to increase the lead.  Nunez was retired on a squibber in front of the mound but Devers made it to second. JBJ hit a routine grounder to Cuthbert at third but he booted it, scoring Devers on the error. Vazquez lined out to third to end the inning but it was 10-5 Red Sox.

Brian Johnson took over for the top of the eighth inning and got Duda to pop up to second at start. Jay lined out to left and Gordon froze for strike three to end the inning. The Sox almost scored again in the bottom of the eighth inning although Benintendi flied out to left to start. Ramirez grounded out to first but Martinez and Moreland stroked back to back singles. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Johnson ran into trouble in the top of the ninth when Escobar and Merrifield stroked back to back doubles to cut into the lead. Johnson recovered to get Soler to fly out to center, Almonte to line out to center and Perez on strikes to end the game. The Sox ended April with a 21-7 record and won this game 10-6.

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. His grand slam turned the game around and gave the Sox the lead they would not relinquish.

                                               Xander Bogaerts is the Hero



The Good:

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Mitch Moreland was 3 for 4 with a walk two total rbis and 3 total runs scored including a solo home run.

Hector Velazquez got the win by throwing 2 scoreless innings.

Carson Smith pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Eduardo Rodriguez sucked by giving up 5 runs in just 4 innings on 5 hits and 3 walks.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.

Brian Johnson gave up a run in two innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Its a good thing the Red Sox ran smack into one of the worst pitching teams in the American League with Nunez hobbled, Holt out, Betts out and the black hole in the bottom of the order. Rodriguez stunk but Velazquez picked up the pieces big time. If Rodriguez and Pomeranz don't discover their true talent, this year is going to be tougher than it should be. Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts can't come back fast enough because the bottom of the order is useless right now. Getting the hobbled Nunez off second base and guys like Tzu-Wei Lin out of the lineup will increase the Sox odds of scoring. The win gave the Sox a 21-7 record to end the month of April, their best start since going 20-8 in 2013. Tomorrow night Chris Sale (2-1, 2.31 ERA) goes for the Sox opposite Jakob Junis at 7:07 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Grind Out Win Over Jays (4/26/18)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some bad but ironic news. Joe Kelly and Taylor Austin's suspension appeals came down and New York Yankees manag....er Head of MLB Operations Joe Torre upheld the 6 game ban for Joe Kelly but reduced Austin's suspension to just four games. Fans and media were outraged including Kelly, who tweeted out "At least buy me dinner" in reference to...well you get the idea. Once again this is Torre getting back at the Red Sox for humiliating him in 2004 as Joe serves his 6 game ban beginning tonight.

                                                        See you in a week Joe

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of their first round NBA playoff series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. It wasn't pretty but tonight the Red Sox gutted out a grinding game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Sale (2-1, 2.32 ERA) was mortal but pitched well enough to keep the Sox in the game long enough for JD Martinez to deliver the decisive blow. The Sox bullpen experienced a minor hiccup but was able to lock down the hard fought 5-4 victory at Skydome.

                              The Mayor of Red Sox Nation approves of the win

The Sox did nothing against Marco Estrada in the top of the first inning. Mookie Betts popped up to first and Andrew Benintendi whiffed. Hanley Ramirez singled to right but Martinez flied out to left to end the inning. Sale had nothing in the bottom of the first inning although Steve Pearce lined out to first to start. Teoscar Hernandez walked before Justin Smoak singled. Yangervis Solarte was plunked to load the bases and Kevin Pillar scored Hernandez with a sac fly to give the Jays the quick lead. Martinez made a great running catch to rob Lourdes Gurriel Jr of a sure double to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

Estrada turned up the heat in the top of the second inning as Mitch Moreland, Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers all whiffed badly in short order. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the second although Randal Grichuk hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Luke Maile looked at strike three but Devon Travis crushed a 957 foot bomb to increase the lead. Pearce also hit one up  the elevator shaft to end the inning but it was 2-0 Jays.

                                               Travis homers to put the Jays up

The Sox managed to get one back in the top of the third inning. Christian Vazquez looked at strike three but Brock Holt doubled....only to double over in pain clutching his hamstring. Holt had to be carried out on a stretcher and Tzu-Wei Lin came in to replace him. Betts flied out to center but Benintendi doubled home Lin to cut the lead in half. Ramirez walked but Benintendi was foolishly picked off of second with the Sox trailing 2-1.

                                                So much for Holt

The Jays got that run right back in the bottom of the third inning although Hernandez struck out to start. Smoak then swatted a 589 foot bomb to increase the lead. Solarte lined out to center but Pillar lined a ground rule double down the left field line. Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 3-1 Jays.

                                                          Ah dammit

The Sox answered in the top of the fourth inning as Martinez singled to start. JD was erased on the Moreland force but Nunez doubled into the gap. Devers scored Moreland with a sac fly but Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

Sale settled down in the bottom of the fourth as Grichuk grounded out to second to start. Maile whiffed and Travis grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox somehow took the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Lin popped up to first and Betts flied out to center. Benintendi and Ramirez singled and Martinez pounded a 3 run opposite field home run to give the Sox the lead. Moreland flied out to left to end the inning but it was now 5-3 Sox.

                                           "We got this one!" - Martinez

Sale pounced on the Jays in the bottom of the fifth as Pearce popped up to second to start. Hernandez walked but Smoak whiffed. Solarte flied out to right to end the inning

Aaron "Fruit" Loup took over for Estrada in the top of the sixth inning. Nunez flied out to right, Devers whiffed and Vazquez lined out to right to end the inning. Sale came back for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth. Pillar flied out to right and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third. Grichuk hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Sale had gone 6 innings and had given up just three runs. Not great but it'll do.

                                             Sale goes 6 at the Skydome

Loup returned for the top of the seventh inning and Lin grounded out to third to start. Betts grounded out to short and Benintendi watched strike three go by to end the inning. Carson Smith took over for Sale in the bottom of the seventh and crapped his pants. Maile grounded out to short to start before Travis belted a triple. Travis scored on the Kendrys Morales ground out to cut the lead and Hernandez smashed a double to chase the incompetent Smith. Matt Barnes was brought in and whiffed Smoak to end the inning but it was 5-4 Sox.

Seung Hwan Oh took over for the top of the eighth and whiffed Ramirez to start. Martinez flied out to center as did Moreland to end the inning. Barnes got lucky when a borderline strike three pitch was called to freeze Solarte to open the bottom of the eighth. He didn't get so lucky when Pillar walked and Curtis Granderson pinch hit for Gurriel Jr. Granderson also walked and both runners moved into scoring position on the ground-out by Grichuk. With the go-ahead run at second, Barnes whiffed Maile to end the inning.

Aledmys Diaz took over at short with Danny Barnes now on the mound in the top of the ninth. Nunez whiffed but Devers walked. Vazquez lined out to center but Devers swiped second. Lin walked but Betts broke his on-base streak by flying out to center to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in for the third game in a row to lock down the save in the bottom of the ninth with Jackie Bradley Jr now in center (replacing JD Martinez) with Betts moving to right. Travis whiffed and Morales popped up to third. Hernandez popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. His 3 run home run was the deciding blow of the game.

                                                  JD the Hero



The Good:

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

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Brock Holt doubled before leaving the game.

Chris Sale tossed 6 solid innings giving up just the 3 runs

Matt Barnes pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 7th save with a scoreless ninth.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts broke his 24 game on base streak by going 0 for 5.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carson Smith gave up a run in just 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 with a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 but walked, stole a base and drove in a run.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2 but walked and scored.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Bradley Jr played centerfield in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

That was a grinder and a half but the Sox had the balls to come away with the victory. The offense has come back to earth after flying high for eight games but this is where the pitching has to step up. Apart from Carson Smith the bullpen has nailed down the win the past two nights. It was much needed as the New York Yankees feasted on their personal nerds the Minnesota Twins the past 4 games in Yankee Stadium. The Sox had to keep pace and they won 2 out of 3 to remain 4 games ahead of them. Its too bad Holt got hurt because he was just starting to find his groove at the plate....just like Xander Bogaerts when he went down. Speaking of Xander, he made a miraculous recovery from his foot fracture and could come back tomorrow night. Putting Holt on the DL would be the logical move since Holt practically tore his hamstring running the bases. Tomorrow night the Sox return home to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Drew Pomeranz (7.36 ERA) looks to bounce back from his first start as he takes on Blake Snell at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Davis' Late Blast Sinks Sox (4/22/18)

It was a bad day for Boston sports as the Boston Celtics lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox once again lost to the Oakland A's. One day after the Boston Red Sox were no-hit by Sean Manaea and the Oakland A's, the offense fell asleep a second time. They mustered only a single run off Daniel Mengden and the A's bullpen, only getting 6 hits and a walk. Only the pitching of David Price (2-2, 2.93 ERA) kept the Sox in the game until the very end. Running out of gas, Price was left in to face Khris Davis and he paid for it. Davis hit the backbreaking home run that led to the 4-1 A's victory at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                      "Oh Price....."

As sad as it sounds, one of the only real Sox chances to take control happened in the top of the first inning against Daniel Mengden. Jackie Bradley Jr led off with a single to break up a no-hitter attempt before it could even begin. Andrew Benintendi lined out to left and JD Martinez whiffed. Mitch Moreland singled but Rafael Devers whiffed to end the inning. The A's wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Marcus Semien doubled to lead off the game and moved to third on the ground out by Stephen Piscotty. "Glassbones" Jed Lowrie took strike three but Khris Davis singled home Semien to give the A's the lead. Matt Chapman hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                               Davis makes it 1-0

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second inning. Blake Swihart watched strike three go by, Brock Holt grounded out to third and Christian Vazquez whiffed to end the inning. Price settled down in the bottom of the second although Mark Canha singled to start. Chad Pinder took strike three and Jake Smolinski banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third inning as Tzu-Wei Lin lined out to short, JBJ grounded out to second and Benintendi lined out to center to end the inning. Price had a quick bottom of the third inning as Bruce Maxwell grounded out to short, Semien lined out to right and Holt snared a Piscotty liner to end the inning.

The Sox still couldn't score in the top of the fourth inning as Martinez watched strike three go by, Moreland lined out to center and Devers lined out to left to end the inning. Price whiffed Lowrie to begin the bottom of the fourth before Davis popped up to first. Chapman walked but Canha grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox finally got a baserunner in the top of the fifth inning although Swihart lined out to left to begin. Holt grounded out to second but Vazquez doubled. Lin hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Price stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Pinder whiffed to start. Smolinski doubled but Maxwell flied out to left. Semien lined out to right to end the inning.

More incompetence in the top of the sixth inning as JBJ flied out to right to start. Benintendi grounded out to first and Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. Piscotty singled to open the bottom of the sixth but Lowrie banged into a double play. Davis grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox finally broke through in the top of the seventh inning as Moreland and Devers stroked back to back singled to start. Swihart got Moreland thrown out at third on a swinging bunt but Holt doubled home Devers to tie the game. That was it for Mengden as Yusmeiro Petit took over and got the biggest out of the game when Vazquez popped up to first. Lin whiffed to end the inning with the game tied

                                                     Holt ties up the game

Price came back for the bottom of the seventh inning and froze Chapman to start. Canha flied out to right but Pinder singled. Smolinski grounded into a force to end the inning.

Matt Olson took over for Pinder with Ryan Buchter now on the mound. JBJ whiffed but Benintendi walked to chase Buchter. Blake Treinen replaced Buchter and whiffed Martinez. Benintendi swiped second but Moreland struck out to end the inning. The A's iced the game in the bottom of the eighth as Price returned. Maxwell grounded out to third but Semien and Piscotty singled. Cora came out to see if David could handle Lowrie and Price said sure. Price managed to strike out Lowrie...but Davis blasted a back-breaking 3 run bomb to left to put the A's up for good. You can say Price was left in one batter too many, but he still should have been able to get the last out. He lasted 7 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs. Carson Smith came in to retire Chapman on a flyout to right to end the inning with the A's up 4-1.

                                                 Yup, that autta do it

Treinen returned for the top of the ninth and struck out Devers to start. Swihart grounded out to the mound but Holt reached when Semien booted a routine ground ball. Vazquez popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had lost 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is David Price. He had one more out to get and instead gave up the backbreaking home run to Davis.

                                             Price the Jackass



The Good:

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4.

Carson Smith got the final out of the bottom of the eighth.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

Well the Sox were due for a let-down after starting the season 17-2. Back to back losses to the 11-17 Oakland A's should erase any ideas of going after the 1984 Tigers hot streak. The offense only pushed across one measly run in the past two games but they were due for a letdown. A lot of criticism is being leveled at Alex Cora for leaving Price in but he had just one more out to get, if he got it, then its a tie game going into a ninth. It wasn't the biggest mistake ever made especially the way Price was pitching, oh well. After an off-day, the Red Sox travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays. Tuesday night its a time warp back to 2016 as Rick Porcello (4-0, 1.40 ERA) takes on old rival JA Happy. The game begins at 7:07 PM at the Skydome.