Verdugo, Yankees Pound Sox (6/14/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox officially released Garrett Cooper. With Masataka Yoshida and Tyler O'Neill healthy, either Cooper or Dominic Smith had to go and Smith had been slightly more productive. Hope Garrett hooks on somewhere else.

                                                                  Bye bye Cooper

It was a bad night all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics lost Game 4 of the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Red Sox got dispatched by the New York Yankees. As for the game, did anyone expect anything different? Alex Verdugo returned to Fenway for the first time since he was traded to the Yankees and belted the first pitch he saw out of the yard. Ironically the game could have ended right there because the Boston bats were as silent as Fenway after that moment. Luis Gil held the Sox to just 4 hits and a run in 5 innings before the Yankees bullpen held the Sox to just 1 hit in the final four innings. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (6-4, 5.00 ERA) got mashed for 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings, failing to go at least five again. Cam Booser and Zack Kelly held the fort for a while but Chase Anderson was roughed up for 3 runs in the ninth inning. It all added up to a 9-1 ass kicking by the Yankees at Fenway Park.

                                                     Verdugo gets the last laugh??

Bello got the ball in the top of the first and Anthony Volpe struck out swinging to start. Juan Soto doubled to left but Aaron Judge struck out swinging. Old buddy Alex Verdugo stuck a middle finger in the face of Boston by hitting a 2 run home run all the way to the moon to put the Yankees up for good just four batters into the game. Giancarlo Stanton walked and Anthony Rizzo singled to left to put runners at the corners but Gleyber Torres flied out to right to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                       It just had to be Verdugo

Gil dominated the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. David Hamilton flied out to right and Tyler O'Neill popped up to third to end the inning.

Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Jose Trevino grounded back to the mound. Volpe grounded out to second to end the inning. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short. Connor Wong singled to center but Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Soto grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Judge took strike three. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning. Smith flied out to center to start the bottom of the third but Rafaela got a base hit to right. Duran singled to left but Hamilton flied out to center. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox gagged in the top of the fourth as Stanton got a base hit to left to start. Rizzo walked but Torres grounded into a double play. Naturally when Cabrera hit a grounder to first, Bello dropped the throw for an error to score Stanton. Trevino flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

                                                      Only needs the Benny Hill theme

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Devers walked to start. Yoshida walked but Wong forced Masataka at second. Valdez doubled to center to score Devers but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                         Valdez drives in a run

The Yankees kept coming in the top of the fifth as Volpe got a base hit to center then stole second on the Soto strikeout swinging. Volpe stole third, Judge walked and Verdugo doubled to left to score Volpe. Stanton struck out swinging and that was it for Bello. He would be charged with 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Cam Booser came in to pitch and Rizzo singled to right to score Judge but Torres grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-1.

                                                       Bello wasn't good enough

Duran walked to start the bottom of the fifth before Hamilton flied out to center. O'Neill struck out swinging but Devers walked. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Cabrera struck out swinging to start. Trevino struck out swinging and Volpe also went down hacking to end the inning. Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Wong walked to start. Valdez walked but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela struck out swinging and Caleb Ferguson came in to face Duran. Jarren struck out swinging to end the inning.

Soto lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Judge flied out to center as well. Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Hamilton took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh before ONeill went down hacking. Devers also swung at air to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Stanton went down swinging to start. Rizzo took strike three and Torres flied out to left to end the inning. Victor Gonzalez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida lined out to left to start. Wong grounded out to second but Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez. Westbrook got a base hit to center to chase Gonzalez. Michael Tonkin came in to face pinch hitter Bobby Dalbec and punched him out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees poured gas on the fire in the top of the ninth as Cabrera lined out to right to start. Trevino then hit a home run all the way to Peru but Volpe grounded out to short. Soto walked and Judge doubled to left to score him. Verdugo continued to torment the Sox with a base hit to right to score Judge and O'Neill threw the ball away to allow Alex to reach second. A wild pitch moved Verdugo to third but Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-1.

                                                             It was Verdugo's night

Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the ninth but Duran walked. Hamilton flied out to left and Duran took second on defensive indifference. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won 8-1.

                                                             Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. The bats took the night off but Bello didn't help by allowing 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 6 hits, 3 walks and an error.

                                                          Bello Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Jamie Westbrook singled in his only at bat.

Cam Booser got the final out of the fifth inning.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only plate appearance.

Chase Anderson allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 but walked.

Ceddane Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

You can always count on the Yankees to come in and take a dump on the heads of the Red Sox, especially when there's a guy with an axe to grind. It was well documented  about the problems between Verdugo and Sox manager Alex Cora last year on a team abandoned by the now fired Chaim Bloom. Now Verdugo gets his revenge with the Yankees on a team 28 games over .500. The Yankees are the odds on favorites to win the world series and the Red Sox are on track to finish last for the third year in a row. Way to go John Henry! You can easily see why as the Sox group of rag-tags aren't good enough offensively and pitching wise, they got creamed today. If Brayan Bello is your second best pitcher, you're not even close to contention. Add the fact that Chris Sale turned back the clock six years and it just seems like a doomed organization. The loss dropped the Sox to 35-35, 14 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to not get embarrassed tomorrow against the Yankees when Cooper Criswell goes for Boston against Carlos Rodon of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

White Sox Slam Bello, Red Sox (6/8/24)

The Boston Red Sox have officially hit rock bottom as they now can't even beat the worthless Chicago White Sox. The 17-48 ChiSox allowed a Bobby Dalbec home run in the top of the fifth but blitzed Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (6-3, 4.78 ERA) for five runs including a Gavin Sheets grand slam in the bottom of the frame. That sucked the life right out of the Red Sox bats as they managed just 5 hits against the worst team in baseball. Alex Cora was ejected arguing balls and strikes and Paul DeJong smacked a home run off Chase Anderson to wrap up the scoring. The BoSox took the humiliating defeat as the White Sox had beaten them 6-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                          This season certainly does suck

Nick Nastrini got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran walked to start. Duran stole second but Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging. Duran swiped third base but Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging. Rafael Devers lined out to first to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Corey Julks grounded out to second to start. Zach DeLoach hit a bullet to Devers and Andrew Vaughn took strike three to end the inning.

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the second as Connor Wong and Dominic Smith drew back to back walks to start. Bobby Dalbec and David Hamilton both watched strike three go by and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. Gavin Sheets singled in the hole at short to start the bottom of the second and Paul DeJong lined out to center. Oscar Colas flied out to left but Lenyn Sosa singled to left. Danny Mendick popped up to first to end the inning.

Duran popped up to short to start the top of the third before Valdez grounded out to short. Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning. Martin Maldonado walked to start the bottom of the third but Julks grounded into a double play. DeLoach grounded out to first to end the inning.

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth but Wong forced him at second. Smith grounded into a double play to end the inning. Vaughn grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Sheets got a base hit to center. A wild pitch moved Sheets to second but DeJong flied out to center. Colas took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Dalbec smashed his first home run of the season to start. Hamilton got a base hit to left and promptly stole second. Rafaela struck out swinging but Hamilton took third. Duran walked to chase Nastrini from the game. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez to face Tanner Banks....but Duran got picked off. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox up 1-0.

                                                            Home run Dalbec

The ChiSox rallied in the bottom of the fifth after BoSox manager Alex Cora was given the heave-ho after screaming at home plate umpire Alan Porter to get his eyes checked on the Westbrook call. Sosa grounded out to short but Mendick doubled to left. Maldonado flied out to center but Julks walked. DeLoach walked and Vaughn singled past Westbrook to score Mendick. Sheets then hit a grand slam all the way to Wrigley Field to put the game away. DeJong got a base hit to left, Colas got a base hit to left and Sosa got an infield single to third to load the bases. FINALLY that was it for Bello who got crushed for 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Zack Kelly came in and got Mendick flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago up 5-1.

                                                   "I'm outta here, you all suck" - Cora

Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Devers grounded out to second. Wong got a base hit to right but Smith flied out to left to end the inning. Chase Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Maldonado struck out swinging to start. Julks grounded out to second but DeLoach walked. Duke Ellis pinch ran for DeLoach and stole second, but Vaughn flied out to left to end the inning.

John Brebbia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Gamilton struck out swinging but Rafaela singled off the glove of Ellis. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. The White Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Sheets popped up to third to star. DeJong hit a home run all the way to Soviet Russia to increase the lead and Colas grounded out to second. Sosa hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with Chicago ahead 6-1.

                                                      Home run DeJong

Jordan Leasure came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Westbrook took strike three to start. Refsnyder took strike three and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Devers. McGuire flied out to right to end the inning. Mendick grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth before Maldonado flied out to right. Julks flied out to center to end the inning.

Old pal Michael Kopech came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Wong lined out to center to start. Smith was hit with a pitch and Dalbec walked before Hamilton got a base hit to right to load the bases. Rafaela took strike three and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. Chicago had won it 6-1.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He got crushed for 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 9 hits and 3 walks.

                                                          "Go on, go on, git" - Wong

The Good:

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Zack Kelly got the final out of the fifth inning.

The Bad:

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and stole two bases.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 but walked.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 but walked and was hit with a pitch.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Chase Anderson allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

This is officially rock bottom. Dropping 2 out of 3 to the worst team in baseball and being one game under .500 this late in the season is embarrassing. Its clear Sox owner John Henry doesn't want to spend money anymore and they can fire the general manager or the manager and it won't make a difference. Alex Cora is an analytical puppet but you can't say he doesn't care about the team. His frustration today isn't just with how things are going but with the front office not supplying him with championship caliber talent. He's supposed to mold a winning team out of Jamie Westbrook, Enmanuel Valdez and Dominic Smith? Granted Trevor Story is out and Masataka Yoshida didn't play but things are getting dire. The Sox are on the verge of their third straight last place finish and the only thing the fans can do is just not go to games. Why put money into a team that's going to spit in your face and drop 2 out of 3 to the worst team in baseball? Bello made one mistake to Sheets but the offense scoring just one run is inexcusable. If the Sox lose tomorrow they should fire Cora & Breslow, trade half the team and start all over again. Its embarrassing to call a regular season game in June a "must win" but tomorrow classifies as such. If they lose, its over. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-33, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow against the White Sox in a damn bullpen game. Zack Kelly gets the start fort the Red Sox against Chris Flexen of Chicago. The game begins at 2:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

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

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

                                                                           OUT

                                                              IN

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

                                                Sam Winchester dislikes Sox losses

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

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

                                                    "I don't got it" - Smith

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

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

                                                That's one way to make up for the errors

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

                                                           Dalbec gives Boston the lead

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

                                                              Tie game

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

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

                                                            Yeah that'll do it

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

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

                                                           So much for this game

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

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

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

                                                        All Braves tonight

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

                                                         Braves win

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

                                                        Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

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

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

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

Chase Anderson allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

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

O's Slam Crawford, Sox (5/29/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tyler O'Neill was placed on the Injured List with a bad knee and Enmanuel Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. O'Neill has looked awful at the plate lately so this is more addition by subtraction. Hope he feels better soon.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

So much for beating the Baltimore Orioles. The Boston Red Sox were defeated by a real ace and their impotent offense was shut completely down. Corbin Burnes held the Sox to just 1 unearned run through 7 innings and 3 measly hits. Meanwhile Kutter Crawford (2-4, 3.29 ERA) crashed down to earth as he got rocked for 5 runs in the bottom of the second courtesy of a Gunnar Henderson grand slam. Chase Anderson allowed a home run to Ramon Urias as the inept Sox offense accomplished nothing else. The O's had taken two of three with their 5-1 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                       "This offense is awful"

Burnes began his dominance in the top of the first inning when Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder flied out to center to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Gunnar Henderson took strike three to start. Ryan Mountcastle lined out to right and Ryan O'Hearn struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Rafael Devers grounded out to third to start. Connor Wong lined a base hit to left and Colton Cowser threw the ball away, allowing Connor to reach second. Burnes had Wong picked off but Henderson dropped the throw for another error. Dominic Smith hit a grounder to second and Wong came all the way around to score the go-ahead run. A wild pitch moved Smith to second but Vaughn Grissom popped up to short. Smith was picked off to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Sox strike first

The O's iced the game early in the bottom of the second as Cowser was hit with a pitch to start. Anthony Santander got a base hit to left but Cedric Mullins popped up to short. Jorge Mateo flied out to center but Ramon Urias got a base hit to center to score Cowser. James McCann walked and Henderson hit a grand slam to the moon to ice the game. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up for good 5-1.

                                                         Henderson ends it early

The Sox gave up in the top of the third as David Hamilton walked to start. Hamilton stole second but Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third, Duran lined out to center and Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. O'Hearn grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the third before Cowser flied out to center. Santander flied out to right to end the inning.

Refsnyder struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth before Devers walked. Wong struck out swinging and Smith grounded out to first to end the inning. Mullins went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth but Mateo walked. Urias was hit with a pitch and Mateo was gunned down at third after a swinging strikeout by McCann to end the inning.

Grissom grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Hamilton grounded out to second. Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning. Henderson flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth but Mountcastle singled to center. O'Hearn forced Mountcastle at second and Cowser flied out to left to end the inning.

Duran grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth but somehow Abreu got a base hit to right. Refsnyder forced Abreu at second and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Santander grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the sixth and Mullins grounded out to second. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who had one bad inning but it was a killer, allowing 5 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                      One bad inning doomed Crawford

Wong caught the O's asleep with a bunt single down the third base line to start the top of the seventh. Smith grounded back to the mound to move Wong to second and Grissom walked....but Hamilton lined out to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Chase Anderson came in to get tagged in the bottom of the seventh as Urias hit a home run all the way to North Korea to wrap up the scoring. Abreu made a great diving catch to rob McCann of a double before Henderson took strike three. Mountcastle got a base hit to center but O'Hearn hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the O's up 6-1.

                                                          Urias adds to the lead

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Duran. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Abreu. Cooper popped up to second but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez came in for Cooper to start the bottom of the eighth and Cowser flied out to center to start. Santander flied out to right and Mullins struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dillon Tate came in to close out the top of the ninth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Smith popped up to short but Grissom got a base hit to right. Hamilton got a base hit to center to move Grissom to third but Rafaela forced David at second to end the game. The O's had won it 6-1.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings including the backbreaking grand slam.

                                                             Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chase Anderson allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Enmanuel Valdez played left field in the final inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are now 0-7 in a series against a team over .500 this season which means the Sox haven't had a season where they've beaten good teams since 2021 and 2019 before that. The worst part is the Sox have just 1 win where they've fallen behind by 3 runs and ZERO when its four. The grand slam to make it 5-1 essentially ended the game because this team can't score. They get guys on base then they completely fall apart. Tyler O'Neill (before he got hurt) and Wilyer Abreu hit a bunch of solo home runs but suddenly can't do it when there's men on base. Crawford made one mistake to Henderson (which many have done all year as well) and that was the game. The rumors are floating that the Sox are going to be sellers at the trade deadline with Kenley Jansen and Tyler O'Neill as the prime targets. The problem is they aren't going to get much for them. The Sox have plenty of organizational depth for bats, outfielders and infielders but they need pitching. Dick Fitts had a perfect game after seven innings for Worcester tonight but they don't have much depth otherwise. Chaim Bloom drafted a ton of good hitting prospects but neglected the pitching and the Sox are paying for it now. Unless they can get a pitching prospect for Jansen or O'Neill, Sox GM Craig Breslow should just fart into the phone when they call about them. Corbin Burnes shut the Sox down and that's the kind of arm the Sox are missing. Hopefully they can either trade for or draft an ace in the upcoming draft/trade deadline. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-28, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a four game set with the Detroit Tigers beginning tomorrow night. Nick Pivetta (2-3, 4.20 ERA) takes the hill up against Jack Flaherty of Detroit. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Cards Outslug Sox (5/17/24)

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. Sox fans might have jumped the gun when it comes to anointing Brayan Bello (4-2, 3.96 ERA) as the ace of the Red Sox. Bello has been average this season including tonight's miserable start against the Cardinals. Bello got rocked for 5 runs in 4/23 innings to put the Sox in a hole. The Sox did fight back but it was after they got bested once again by Kyle Gibson. The normally reliable Sox bullpen melted down. Cam Booser and Chase Anderson allowed five runs combined with the St. Louis bats pounding out 14 hits and 10 runs. It all added up to the Cards outslugging the sox 10-6 at Busch Stadium.

                                               "I'm gonna need more beer watching the Sox"

Gibson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran walked to start. Wilyer Abreu forced Duran at second but Connor Wong got a base hit to left. Rafael Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Cards wasted no time getting to Bello in the bottom of the first inning. Brendan Donovan ripped a ground rule double down the left field line and Lars Nootbaar hit a home run all the way to Central America to put the Cards on top. Paul Goldschmidt struck out swinging but Nolan Arenado got a base hit to center but Alec Burleson grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Cards up 2-0.

                                                              Home run for Nootbaar

The Sox struck back in the top of the second as Tyler O'Neill got a base hit to center to start. Dominic Smith doubled to left but Garrett Cooper struck out swinging. Vaughn Grissom struck out swinging but David Hamilton tripled down the right field line to tie the game. Duran walked and stole second but Abreu flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                    Hamilton ties it up

The Cards answered in the bottom of the second as Ivan Herrera lined out to short to start. Nolan Gorman hit a home run all the way to Finland to put St. Louis back on top. Masyn Winn grounded out to second and Michael Siani flied out to right to end the inning with the Cards up 3-2.

                                                       Gorman hits one out

The Sox fought back in the top of the third as Wong grounded out to third to start. Devers then bashed his seventh home run of the season to tie the game. O'Neill flied out to center and Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                             Another home run for Devers

Donovan struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Nootbaar grounded out to second. Grissom booted a grounder by Goldschmidt but Arenado popped up to short to end the inning.

Cooper grounded out to third to open the top of the fourth before Grissom struck out swinging. Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. The Cards went up for good in the bottom of the fourth as Burleson hit a home run all the way to Rome to start. Herrera took strike three, Gorman struck out swinging and Winn grounded out to second to end the inning with the Cards up 4-3.

                                                              Another home run allowed

Duran got a base hit to center to start the top of the fifth but Abreu hit into a double play. Wong got a base hit to right but Devers forced him at second to end the inning. The Cards finally knocked out Bello in the bottom of the fifth as Siani grounded out to first to start. Donovan doubled to left but Nootbaar flied out to center to move Donovan to third. Goldschmidt singled to center to score Donovan and Sox manager Alex Cora finally yanked Bello. Brayan was batting practice, allowing 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 7 hits including 3 home runs. Cam Booser was brought in and Arenado singled to center to move Goldschmidt to third. Burleson flied out to left to end the inning with the Cards up 5-3.

                                                        "GAAAAAAADZOOKS!" - Bello

O'Neill flied out to left to start the top of the sixth before Smith flied out to center. Cooper flied out to center as well to end the inning. The Cards got another run in the bottom of the sixth as Herrera singled to left to start. Gorman flied out to center but Winn hit a home run all the way to Wales to increase the lead. Siani struck out swinging and Donovan popped up to first to end the inning with the Cards up 7-3.

                                                          Home run Winn

The Sox did fight back in the top of the seventh as Grissom walked to start. Hamilton doubled to left to chase Gibson and JoJo Romero came in to pitch. Duran grounded out to short to score Grissom and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu. Refsnyder struck out swinging but Wong doubled to right to score Hamilton. With a chance to tie the game...Devers grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 7-5.

                                                         Wong drives in a run

Chase Anderson came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh as Nootbaar walked to start. Goldschmidt got a base hit to center but Arenado flied out to left. Burleson got a base hit to center to score Nootbaar and Herrera got a base hit to center to score Goldschmidt. Gorman struck out swinging and Winn forced Herrera at second to end the inning with the Cards up 9-5.

                                                        Cards pour it on

Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the top of the eighth and O'Neill grounded out to second to start. Smith walked but was forced at second by Cooper. Grissom got a base hit to right but Hamilton lined out to left to end the inning. The Cards got another run in the bottom of the eighth as Siani grounded out to first to start. Donovan grounded out to second but Nootbaar walked. Goldschmidt walked and Arenado got a base hit to center to score Nootbaar. Burleson popped up to third to end the inning with the Cards up 10-5.

                                                         Arenado with another rbi

John King came in to close out the top of the ninth and Duran grounded back to the mound to start. Refsnyder hit a roller to King who threw the ball away for an error to allow Rob to reach second. Wong got a base hit to center to move Refsnyder to third and he scored when Devers beat out a double play ball. O'Neill lined out to center to end the game. The Cards had won the game 10-6.

                                                            Cardinals win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of by allowing 5 runs off three home runs in 4 2/3 innings.

                                                            Jackass Bello

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, a stolen base and an rbi.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 4 for 5 with an rbi.

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

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3 with a walk and a runs scored.

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Cam Booser allowed 2 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Chase Anderson allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 but hit a home run and drove in two total runs.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Finally the Sox scored more than five runs and it just happens to be in a game where the pitching completely fails against a sub .500 team like the Cardinals. The Cards couldn't miss getting 14 total hits and Bello didn't look good at all. The problem is Sox fans are hyping him up to be the next Sox ace similar to Felix Doubront back in 2012 only to find out in 2013 that he wasn't. Losing to Kyle Gibson is a tradition worse than bellowing Sweet Caroline trailing in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. At least the offense looks like it can score a run now, that's one silver lining to the game. Devers got his power stroke back and Wong went 4 for 5. Other than that, the less said about this game the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-23, 8.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Cardinals when Kutter Crawford (2-2) takes the hill against Miles Mikolas of St. Louis. The game begins at 7:15 PM Eastern time at Busch Stadium.

Rays Edge Sox (5/15/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their second round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox once again failed to score more than four runs in a defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays. Taj Bradley held the punchless Sox to just 2 runs in 5 innings while the Rays bullpen surrendered just 1 run the rest of the way. The Sox were leading 2-1 when Tanner Houck (3-5, 2.17 ERA) was yanked in the sixth inning only for Greg Weissert and yet another fielding error gave the Rays a three run lead. Rafael Devers hit a home run to cut the lead but the Sox offense failed to generate any baserunners in the final two innings. The Sox have now gone 10 days without scoring more than four runs in regulation as the Rays won the game 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                            Al Horford scores more than the Red Sox

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and Yandy Diaz took strike three to start. Josh Lowe grounded out to second and Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first against Bradley as Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. Duran moved to third on the Wilyer Abreu fly ball to center and scored on the Connor Wong sac fly to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                                Sac fly for Wong

Jonathan Aranda grounded out to first to start the top of the second and Isaac Parades flied out to center. Richie Palacios was hit with a pitch but Jose Caballero struck out swinging to end the inning. Tyler O'Neill led off the bottom of the second by watching strike three go by then Dominic Smith went down hacking. Garrett Cooper lined out to second to end the inning.

The Rays almost struck back in the top of the third as Ben Rortvedt walked to start and Jose Siri got a base hit to center. Diaz grounded into a double play and Lowe grounded out to short to end the inning. David Hamilton grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third and Ceddane Rafaela did the same. Duran flied out to center to end the inning.

Arozarena flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Aranda walked. Parades got a base hit down the third base line and Garrett Cooper booted a grounder by Palacios for an error that scored Parades. Caballero struck out swinging and Rortvedt grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                              Rays tie it on an error

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu launched his fourth home run of the year to put the Sox back on top. Wong got a seeing eye single into left but Devers grounded into a double play. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                          Abreu goes yard

Siri took strike three to start the top of the fifth but Diaz drew a walk. Lowe got a base hit to left but Arozarena lined out to center. Aranda lined out to second to end the inning. Smith lined out to Bradley to start the bottom of the fifth before Cooper struck out swinging. Hamilton got a base hit in the hole at short, Rafaela walked and Duran was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Naturally Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Houck came back for the top of the sixth and froze Parades for strike three to start. Palacios got a base hit to center and Calaberro got base hit to left, but Rortvedt struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora finally had enough of Houck as Tanner struggled big time allowing 5 hits and 3 walks in 5 2/3 innings. Greg Weissert came in and Siri immediately gave up a base hit to Siri that scored Palacios to tie the game. The Rays pulled off a double steal when Wong threw another ball away for an error and Diaz hit the kill shot with a base hit to left to clear the bases. Lowe struck out swinging but the Rays were up for good 4-2

                                                           Houck deserved better

The Sox did get one back in the bottom of the sixth against Phil Maton although Wong popped up to second to start. Devers clobbered his fifth home run of the season but O'Neill struck out swinging. Smith got a base hit to right and Cooper got a base hit to center, hut Hamilton grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                        Home run Devers

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Arozarena struck out swinging to start. Aranda took strike three and Parades went down hacking to end the inning. Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh Rafaela lined out to center to start. Duran doubled off the Monster but Abreu struck out swinging. Wong flied out to right to end the inning.

Palacios grounded out to short to begin the top of the eighth and Caballero struck out swinging. Rortvedt lined out to center to end the inning. Jonny DeLuca took over for Aranda and Pete Fairbanks came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Devers grounded out to second, O'Neill went down hacking and Smith struck out swinging to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Siri flied out to center to start. Diaz grounded out to short and Lowe lined out to center to end the inning. Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Cooper struck out swinging to start. Hamilton took strike three and Rafaela grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had won it 4-3.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of The Night is Greg Weissert. He inherited a 2-1 lead and turned it into 4-3 in no time flat

                                                        Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Cam Booser tossed two scoreless innings.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but the one hit was a home run.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeout and an error.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 but walked.

Tanner Houck took the loss as he was charged with 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings but only 1 run was earned due to errors. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out seven.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said about this rancid Red Sox offense that hasn't already been said? Its been 10 days since they scored more than four runs in regulation and failing with the bases loaded was a microcosm of this run of ineptitude. They do enough to get men on base but once they're on, nobody can drive them in. Sure they can hit solo home runs but when there's men on base, they just swing at air. Can't even blame Cora for this one because Houck went further than he's ever gone in terms of pitch count and Wong threw the ball away on the double steal attempt with Weissert on the mound. Weissert was in the game because all the other relievers had to pitch in the 12 inning marathon last night. What can be done to fix the offense? For starters, Niko Kavadas is hitting .310 with 9 homers and 25 rbis in Worcester but the concern is none of the home runs came on pitches above 92 mph and he's a lousy first baseman. At this point its worth a try because Cooper is hitting .235 and he made a crucial error tonight while Dominic Smith is hitting .167. We all know Bobby Dalbec can't get it done so may as well go with Kavadas. This year is starting to remind us of 2017, 2014 and 1992 where the offense was tragic compared to the pitching. Hopefully the Sox can get their act together before they fall further behind in the standings. The loss drops the Sox to 22-21, 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to tie up the series tomorrow night against the Rays when Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.10 ERA) takes on Zack Littell of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.