Sox, Houck Blank A's (7/11/24)

The Boston Red Sox might not have a true ace but so far this season Tanner Houck (8-6, 2.54 ERA) has pitched like one. He lowered his ERA to 2.54 by tossing 6 shutout innings holding the Oakland A's to just 2 hits. Meanwhile the Sox offense got to Luis Medina to 5 runs in the first five innings of the game. Mastaka Yoshida and Wilyer Abreu gave the Sox a 3-0 lead right off the bat in the bottom of the first. Connor Wong and Abreu both hit home runs with Yoshida hitting a 2 run shot in the sixth inning. Chase Anderson tossed 3 shutout innings in relief and the Sox beat the A's 7-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    King Olaf One Eye approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning as JJ Bleday walked to start. Miguel Andujar forced him at second and Brent Rooker forced Andujar at second. Rooker swiped second and Lawrence Butler flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox blitzed Medina in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran walked to start. David Hamilton doubled to right but Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging. Rafael Devers took strike three but Connor Wong walked to load the bases. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right to score both Duran and Hamilton and Wilyer Abreu doubled to right to score Wong. Dominic Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                               Yoshida drives in a pair

Zack Gelof struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Seth Brown grounded out to first. Kyle McCann struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Duran struck out swinging. Hamilton got a base hit in the hole at first but got picked off to end the inning.

Brett Harris grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third but Max Schuemann walked. Bleday took strike three and Andujar flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as O'Neill took strike three to begin. Devers grounded out to first but Wong belted his 8th home run of the year to increase the lead. Yoshida lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                           Wong hits one out

Rooker took strike three to start the top of the fourth and Butler did the same. Gelof grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu hit his 8th home run of the year to start. Smith grounded out to first, Rafaela grounded out to second and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                          Home run Abreu

Brown grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth but McCann got a base hit to left. Harris grounded into a double play to end the inning. Hamilton struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fifth and O'Neill did the same. Devers took strike three to end the inning.

Houck returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Schuemann singled to left to start. Bleday flied out to right and Andujar struck out swinging, but Rooker walked. A wild pitch moved the runners over but Butler grounded out to short to end the inning. Houck had tossed 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks.

                                                          Great start by Houck

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Wong got a base hit to left to start. Kyle Muller came in to pitch to Yoshida and Masataka belted his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Abreu got a base hit to right but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                          Home run Yoshida

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gelof flied out to center to start. Brown was hit with a pitch but McCann took strike three. Harris got a base hit to left but Schuemann took strike three to end the inning. Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Hamilton did the same. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning.

Bleday flied out to right to start the top of the eighth and Andujar struck out swinging. Rooker popped up to short to end the inning. Michel Otanez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Devers. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Wong watched strike three go by. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Abreu lined out to center to end the inning.

Anderson came back to finish off the top of the ninth as Butler took strike three to start. Gelof lined out to left but Brown beat out a tapper in front of the plate. McCann struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-0.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Masataka Yoshida. He drove in 4 big runs including hitting a 2 run home run.

                                                        Masataka Hero

The Good:

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 3 total runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 total rbis.

Tanner Houck got the win by tossing 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks.

Chase Anderson got the save with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

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

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Big win tonight considering both the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles both lost. Somehow, after how bad the season has gone so far, the Sox are still within striking distance in the AL East. The Sox got hot at just the right time and Tanner Houck has been the unlikely ace. It would have been nice to get a Chris Sale to help in the off-season since nobody saw Sale himself ever being good again. Still, so far the formula is working. The offense is producing and on days when Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello are on, they're tough to beat. The Sox needed to make a run before the all-star break and they did. Just have to win the final three games to end the first half on a high note. The win improved the Sox to 51-42, 6 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the Kansas City Royals for the final 3 games before the break. Tomorrow night Cooper Criswell (3-3) takes on Cole Ragans of Kansas City at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Crush Red Sox (7/6/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. The Sox traded last year's 6th round pick, right handed pitcher CJ Weins to the Detroit Tigers for veteran relief pitcher Trey Wingenter. Also, the Salem Red Sox released Elvis Soto. Weins was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA for Salem at the time of the trade and Wingenter was 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA for the Toledo Mud Hens. The Sox are desperate for middle relief and before the trade deadline, this was the best they were going to do. Soto was 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in 7 starts for Salem this year and the Sox think last year's pitching crop can do better than that. Good luck to Weins and Soto.

                                                                              OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, so much for the Red Sox hot streak. The New York Yankees dished it back to the Red Sox tonight as Josh Winckowski was rocked for 3 runs in just 3 2/3 innings and Brennan Bernardino (3-2, 1.72 ERA) was the one who gave up the go-ahead runs. The combo of Greg Weissert and Chase Anderson got nailed for NINE runs combined by a relentless Yankee attack. Ben Rice had THREE home runs including two 3 run bombs. Meanwhile the Sox did chase Gerrit Cole in the fifth inning after four runs allowed, but the Yankee bullpen held strong. All in all the Yankees pounded out 14 hits and 14 runs as they bashed Boston 14-4 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                     "Knock out Cole only to lose?"

Cole got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. David Hamilton took strike three and Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Winckowski in the bottom of the first as Ben Rice hit a home run all the way to Cuba to instantly give New York the lead. Juan Soto popped up to third, Aaron Judge flied out to right and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                               That didn't take long

Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to right. Masataka Yoshida flied out to left but Reese McGuire got a base hit to center. Dominic Smith walked to load the bases but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Anthony Volpe grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Trent Grisham struck out swinging. Jose Trevino walked, Oswaldo Cabrera got a base hit to right and DJ LeMahieu walked to load the bases....but Rice struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Duran popped up to second to start. Hamilton doubled to right but Abreu flied out to center. Devers got a base hit to right to score Hamilton for his 1,000th career hit. Devers stole second, Valdez walked and Yoshida singled to left to score Rafael. McGuire got a base hit to left to score Valdez but Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                           1,000 hits for Devers

The Yankees answered in the bottom of the third as Soto grounded out to first to start. Judge beat out a roller to the mound and Verdugo of all people hit a home run to Wyoming to tie the game. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Winckowski to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Anybody but him....

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Duran swung at air as well. Hamilton also went down hacking to end the inning. Trevino doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Cabrera dropped down a bunt to move him to third. LeMahieu grounded out to short and that was it for Winckowski. He allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino got Rice to line out to center to end the inning.

                                                     Josh had trouble with the long ball

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Devers clobbered his obligatory home run against Cole, 19th of the year to put Boston ahead. That was it for Cole as Tim Hill got Valdez to pop up to short. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3.

                                                            Total Yankee killer

The Yankees exploded in the bottom of the fifth although Soto grounded out to first to start. Judge singled to right and Verdugo caught Bernardino asleep with a bunt single to chase him. Greg Weissert came in and Volpe hit a ground rule double to center into the bullpen to score Judge. Grisham was intentionally walked to load the bases and Austin Wells pinch hit for Trevino. Wells walked to score Verdugo to put the Yankees ahead and Cabrera hit a sac fly to right to score Volpe to increase the lead. LeMahieu singled to left to score Grisham and Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Chase Anderson to stop the bleeding. Instead Rice smacked a 3 run bomb all the way to the moon to ice the game. Soto struck out for failibg to get into the batters box to end the inning with the Yankees up 10-3.

                                                            All Yankees in this one

The Sox were deflated in the top of the sixth as McGuire grounded out to second to start. Smith grounded back to the mound and Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning. Judge grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo grounded out to second. Volpe flied out to right to end the inning. 

Volpe threw a ball away by Duran to start the top of the seventh for an error and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu. Refsnyder flied out to center and Devers did the same to end the inning. The Yankees poured it on in the bottom of the seventh as Grisham doubled to center to start. Wells popped up to third but Cabrera singled to center to move Grisham to third. LeMahieu singled to right to score Grisham and Rice annihilated his third home run of the game to make this a laugher. Soto flied out to center and Judge took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 14-4.

                                                             Have a day Ben Rice

Jahmai Jones took over for Judge with Joah Maciejewski now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Valdez struck out swinging to start and Yoshida did the same. McGuire also went down hacking to end the inning. Connor Wong took over for Devers to start the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo flied out to left to start. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham flied out to right to end the inning. 

Smith got a base hit to right to start the top of the ninth but Rafaela struck out swinging. Smith moved to second when Duran was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate but Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had won it 14-4.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He ended any hope of a comeback by allowing 4 runs in a seven run 5th by the Yankees.

                                                                 Nice going Jackass

The Good:

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Josh Winckowski allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino took the loss allowing 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Chase Anderson allowed 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong played second in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Welcome to the Ben Rice show here at Yankee Stadium. He was something else today and just have to tip your cap. When a guy hits three home runs and drives in 7 runs by himself, you're not gonna win too many games like that. Winckowski couldn't get the job done but the bullpen allowed 11 runs in relief. Devers had his obligatory home run against Gerrit Cole but other than that, there wasn't much to cheer about. The back end of the bullpen with Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen has been solid but the middle relief isn't up to snuff. You can get ANYONE to pitch middle relief though. That might be their target at the trade deadline. They also need another starter because Winckowski clearly isn't the answer. The Sox never replaced Chris Sale as an ace but getting even a number 3 might help. This just wasn't the Red Sox day. The loss dropped the Sox to 48-41, 8 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when Kutter Crawford (4-7) takes on Luis Gil of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Nine Run Padres Surge Beats Sox (6/28/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Tyler Heineman and Isaiah Campbell were optioned down to Worcester while Connor Wong was removed from the Paterinity List. The Sox also called up 26 year old relief pitcher Bailey Horn from Worcester to make his ML debut. Congrats to Horn.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                   IN

The good news was the Boston Red Sox limited the amount of runs they gave up to only one inning. The bad news was they gave up NINE of them. The Sox had a 1-0 lead over the San Diego Padres courtesy of proud papa Connor Wong's rbi, then Nick Pivetta (4-6, 4.39 ERA) imploded in the top of the fifth inning. Kyle Higashioka put the Padres ahead with a 2 run bomb and the Padres got another run before the plug was pulled on Pivetta. Greg Weissert poured gas on the fire by allowing all three inherited runners to score before giving up a 3 run bomb of his own to Jackson Merrill. The Sox could only muster 1 run off the Padres bullpen as they went down in flames 9-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                    "Nine run inning....oh brother"

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Luis Arraez lined out to right to start. Jurickson Profar grounded out to first and Jake Cronenworth struck out swinging to end the inning. Randy Vasquez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran got a base hit to right to start. David Hamilton flied out to right and Bryce Johnson made a great running catch to rob Wilyer Abreu of a base hit. Rafael Devers lined out to left to end the inning.

Manny Machado struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Donovan Solano singled to center. Jackson Merrill flied out to right and Ha-Seong King forced Solano at second to end the inning. Tyler O'Neill popped up to third to start the bottom of the second but Masataka Yoshida doubled to right. Connor Wong grounded out to first to move Yoshida to third but Dominic Smith popped up to second to end the inning.

Kyle Higashioka popped up to third to start the top of the third but Johnson took strike three. Arraez singled to center but Profar popped up to short to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right to open the bottom of the htird and Duran flied out to center. Hamilton also flied out to center to end the inning.

Cronenworth struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Machado got a base hit to center. Solano forced Machado at second and Merrill grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu hit a roller to third. Machado threw the ball away for an error to allow Abreu to reach second. Devers walked but O'Neill struck out swinging. Yoshida flied out to center but Wong got a base hit to right to score Abreu. Smith lined back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Wong drives in a run

Things imploded in the top of the fifth as Kim got a base hit to center to start. Higashioka hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to put the Padres up for good and Johnson pounded a ground rule double down the right field line. Arraez got a base hit to center to move Johnson to third and a wild pitch moved Luis to second. Profar walked to load the bases and that was it for Pivetta. He got hit with Dice K disease in the fifth inning and he'd be charged with 5 runs in 4 innings. Greg Weissert came in to pour gas on the fire as Cronenworth got a base hit to left to score Johnson and Arraez. Machado beat out a grounder to third to re-load the bases and Solano got a base hit to center to score Profar and Cronenworth. Merrill then hit a 3 run home run all the way to Ecuador to ice the game. Kim struck out swinging but Higashioka walked as boos rained down. Johnson flied out to left and Arraez popped up to third to end the nightmare inning with the Padres up 9-1.

                                                         That got out of hand quickly

Rafaela got a base hit off the body of Velasquez to start the bottom of the fifth and unfortunately, Randy had to leave the game. Wandy Peralta came in and Duran forced Rafaela at second. Hamilton forced Duran at second and Abreu lined out to second to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Profar got a base hit to right to start. Cronenworth popped up to second and Machado grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox got a run back when Devers pounded his 17th home run of the season to start. Stephen Kolek replaced Peralta and O'Neill grounded out to second. Yoshida was plunked but Wong struck out swinging. Smith lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                             Devers goes yard

Solano walked to start the top of the seventh and Merrill popped up to short. Kim struck out swinging and Higashioka grounded out to second to end the inning. Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Duran flied out to left. Hamilton struck out swinging and Abreu forced Rafaela at second to end the inning.

Johnson flied out to left to start the top of the eighth and Arraez grounded out to second. Profar walked and Tyler Wade pinch ran for him. Cronenworth flied out to right to end the inning. Old friend Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Devers. Gonzalez popped up to first and O'Neill struck out swinging. Yoshida walked but Wong popped up to second to end the inning.

Machado flied out to center to start the top of the ninth and David Peralta pinch hit for Solano. Peralta struck out swinging and Merrill grounded out to first to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Anderson to toss 4 scoreless innings. Yuki Matsui came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Smith flied out to right to start. Rafaela doubled to left but Duran struck out swinging. Hamilton also struck out swinging to end the game. The Padres won the game 9-2.

                                                                 Padres win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He came in a 2-1 game and left after allowing 3 inherited runners to score and four of his own.

                                                         Watch it go, Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with a walk and a home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 4.

Chase Anderson tossed 4 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4.

Nick Pivetta was tagged with 5 runs in just 4 innings off 7 hits and a walk to take the loss.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

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

Final Thoughts:

Bad loss for the Sox and it was one of the worst cases of Dice K Disease all season. Pivetta was cruising through four and not only did he lose it, but Weissert poured gas on the fire allowing three inherited runners to score and four of his own. The Sox bats did nothing against Vasquez and the Padres bullpen but allowing 9 runs in one inning is usually a confidence killer. The Sox were rolling on the road but now they've lost 3 out of 4 games at home. That's not the way to get back into the race and they need to turn it around quick with the all-star break approaching. The further the New York Yankees push them back, the less likely a playoff run is realistic. The loss drops the Sox to 43-39, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to snap their three game losing streak tomorrow afternoon against the Padres when Tanner Houck (7-5) takes on Michael King of San Diego. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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.