Braves Walkoff Red Sox (9/25/20)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the Atlanta Braves beat the Boston Red Sox. In one of the sorriest affairs in Major League history, the Red Sox and Braves tried to hand each other the game over and over again in an unnecessary extra inning affair. Once again the Sox went to the bullpen too early and they allowed 7 runs in 6 innings. Sox starter Chris Mazza held the Braves to just 1 run in 5 innings as the Sox took a 2-1 lead. Naturally the Braves came back to take a 4-2 lead going into the ninth. Somehow the Sox tied it to send it to the tenth inning. The Sox took the lead in the 10th just for the Braves to tie it. The Sox took the lead in the 11th just for Freddie Freeman to smash a 2 run walkoff home run to win it for the Braves. This year can't end fast enough after the 8-7 Braves win at Truist Field.

                                                    Let frown hour begin

Braves starter Kyle Wright got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first, Christian Arroyo grounded out to short and JD Martinez grounded out to short as well to end the inning. Mazza got tagged in the bottom of the first when Ronald Acuna hit the fifth pitch Chris threw for a 495 foot home run to put Atlanta on top. Ozzie Albies lined out to center but Marcell Ozuna doubled to center. Adam Duvall grounded out to short to move Ozuna to third but Dansby Swanson struck out swinging to end the inning with the Braves ahead 1-0.

                                                   That ball is GONE

Wright cruised in the top of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded back to the mound to start. Kevin Plawecki and Bobby Dalbec both whiffed to end the inning. Mazza cruised in the bottom of the first as Austin Riley whiffed to start. Nick Markakis flied out to left and Tyler Flowers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tzu-Wei Lin flied out to right to start the top of the third before Michael Chavis grounded out to short. Jonathan Arauz struck out swinging to end the inning. Adeiny Hechavarria flied out to right to start the bottom of the third but Acuna was plunked. Acuna swiped second but Albies whiffed. Ozuna walked but Duvall took strike three to end the inning.

Wright cruised in the top of the fourth as Verdugo lined out to left to start. Arroyo flied out to right but Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Swanson lined out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Riley singled to left. Markakis popped up to third but Flowers singled to left. Hechavarria flied out to left to end the inning.

JBJ broke up the perfect game by swatting his 6th home run of the season to start the top of the fifth. Plawecki singled to center but was forced at second by Dalbec. Lin flied out to right and Chavis lined back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    JBJ ties it up

Acuna struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Albies popped up to short. Ozuna walked but Duvall flied out to center to end the inning. Mazza had thrown 83 pitches through 5 and allowed just one run, but Sox manager Ron Roenicke felt he was doing too well.

                                                        Mazza goes 5 strong

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Arauz lined out to center to start. Verdugo grounded out to short and Arroyo also grounded out to short to end the inning. Darwinzon Hernandez came in for the bottom of the sixth and Swanson flied out to center to start. Riley walked but Markakis took strike three. Flowers was plunked and Hechavarria flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox took the lead in the top of the seventh although Martinez flied out to right to start. JBJ, Plawecki and Dalbec all walked to load the bases and Rafael Devers pinch hit for Lin. Devers hit an absolute rocket but was robbed of a hit by Riley. JBJ scored the go-ahead run but that could have been a 3 run triple. Darren O'Day came in to pitch and Chavis flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                 Great play by Riley

Ryan Weber came on for the bottom of the seventh and damn near blew the lead. Acuna grounded out to second but Albies was plunked. Ozuna singled to left and Duvall was plunked to load the bases. Somehow Weber struck out Swanson swinging and got Riley grounded out to first to end the inning.

Will Smith came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arauz took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo whiffed and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to cough up the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Markakis singled to right to start. Flowers took strike three but Hechavarria doubled to right and Acuna was intentionally walked to load the bases. Albies flied out to left but Ozuna singled up the middle to score Markakis and Hechavarria. Duvall hit a routine grounder to Devers who threw it into the stands to score Acuna with another run. Swanson flied out to center to end the inning as Devers pitched a fit in the dugout after helping the Braves take a 4-2 lead.

                                                   Ozuna gives the Braves the lead

Braves closer Mark Melancon came in for the top of the ninth with Ender Inciarte in for Markakis. Martinez started the rally with a base hit to center but was forced at second by JBJ. Plawecki singled and Dalbec walked to load the bases to bring up Devers. Devers hit a ground ball to third that ate up Hechavarria, causing him to airmail the throw into the dugout. JBJ and Plawecki scored to tie the game. Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for Chavis and he was intentionally walked to load the bases. Naturally Arauz forced Dalbec at home on a grounder to first. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4. Once again Roenicke pinch hit for the wrong guy and it cost him.

                                                          Devers ties it up

Cesar Puello came in to play left with Matt Barnes on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Riley popped up to second and Ender Inciarte whiffed, but Freddie Freeman pinch hit for Flowers. Freeman walked and Travis d'Arnaud pinch hit for Hechavarria, walking as well. Acuna grounded into a force to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in for the top of the tenth inning with Alex Verdugo starting at second. Arroyo grounded out to third but Martinez was intentionally walked. JBJ whiffed but Plawecki got a base hit to right that scored Verdugo and sent Martinez to third. Dalbec stepped up with a base hit to center to score Martinez to give the Sox the lead. Devers lined out to short to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 6-4.

Jeffrey Springs came on to pitch the bottom of the tenth and naturally he pissed down his leg. Acuna started at second and Albies effortlessly singled him in. Ozuna whiffed and Duvall popped up to short, but a wild pitch moved Albies to second. Verdugo then went OLE! on a fly ball by Swanson to score Albies to tie the game. Riley was intentionally walked and Inciarte lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied again 6-6.

                                                       "I got it, I got it...I don't got it" - AV

Shane Greene came in to pitch the top of the 11th with Devers starting at second. Puello dropped down a bunt to move Devers to third and Arauz walked to put runners at the corners. Verdugo hit a sac fly to score Devers to give the Sox the lead. Arroyo grounded into a force to end the inning but it was 7-6 Sox.

After taking out his pitchers after one inning all damn season, NOW Sox manager Ron Roenicke let Springs throw another inning. Inciarte started at second and Springs threw an 80 mph straight fastball right down the middle that Freeman hit to Jupiter to end the game. The Sox bullpen allowed 7 runs in 6 innings and the Braves had won it 8-7 in 11 innings.

                                                          Braves win

Jackass of the night is Jeffrey Springs. He was tasked to protect leads twice and allowed 4 runs to lose the game.

                                              That's right, scram ya Jackass

The Good:

Jackie Bradley Jr scored 3 runs, walked and hit a home run.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts walked as a pinch hitter.

Cesar Puello dropped down a bunt in his only at bat that led to the run scoring.

Chris Mazza tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed a scoreless 6th inning.

Ryan Weber tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 6.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3.

Ryan Brasier allowed 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

This season can't end fast enough. The only positive is that if Sox GM Chaim Bloom is good at his job, we'll never have to see Ron Roenicke manage or the bums in the bullpen ever again. There's scrap heap pickups and then there's dumpster diving, the Sox dumpster dived for their pitchers this year. The Sox had the lead THREE times and blew all three of them. Brasier and Springs managed to allow 7 runs between them and any other season, fans would complain. The Sox have two games left and are still locked in to the #3 pick in the draft. As it stands now if Pittsburgh takes Kumar Rocker and Texas takes Jack Leiter, the Sox can choose the top 5 tool bat in the country. That's if they remain in the number 3 position. Chris Mazza surprised everyone by going 5 strong with only 1 run allowed, its a shame the bullpen couldn't hold it. Once again Roenicke pulling him after 83 pitches when he has all winter to rest proves Roenicke is not a manager. Two more games and he's gone, thankfully. The loss drops the Sox to 22-36, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send the rookie Tanner Houck (2-0, 0.00 ERA) up against Atlanta's rookie Tucker Davidson at 7:10 PM at Truist Park.

Yankees Blank Sox for 9th Straight Win Head to Head (9/19/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Yairo Munoz has been placed on the Injured List which pretty much ends his season with only 8 games left to play. He was a bright spot for the brief time he was allowed to play. In his place the Sox pulled a name out of a hat and came up with 29 year old utility infielder Cesar Puello last seen hitting a whopping .179 with the Miami Marlins last year. God help us...

                                                                     OUT

                                                                     IN

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 3 of their NBA East Finals series, the bad news was the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox. What did Sox fans expect though? The Yankees continued their dominance over the Red Sox with the worst beat down of the season with only seven games left to play. The Yamkees pounded out 8 runs and 11 hits against the AA pitching staff. The Sox also made 3 errors in the field and only got 5 hits of their own. The Sox made JA Happ look like Gerrit Cole and when it was all said and done, the Yankees shut out the Sox for the first time all season. The Yankees have won 10 games in a row including this one over the Sox 8-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Mazza immediately quivered in fear at the sight of the Yankees in the top of the first inning. DJ LeMahieu laughed as he easily singled to right before Aaron Judge walked. Somehow Brett Gardner whiffed but a passed ball moved both runners over. Luke Voit walked to load the bases and Gio Urshela scored LeMahieu with a sac fly. Frazier singled home Judge to put the Yankees up for good.  Mike Tauchman grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was already over 2-0.

                                                    "Hey I found a dime" - CF

Happ effortlessly mowed down the Sox in the bottom of the first as Christian Arroyo whiffed to start. Rafael Devers took strike three right down the middle but somehow Xander Bogaerts got a lucky hit to short. JD Martinez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Somehow Mazza got Kyle Higashioka to ground back to him to start the top of the second. Tyler Wade walked but was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Kevin Plawecki. LeMahieu grounded out to second to end the inning. Happ effortlessly shut down the Sox in the bottom of the second as Plawecki grounded weakly to second to start. Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed on a pitch way over his head and Bobby Dalbec hit a weak pop up to center to end the inning.

The Yankees almost got to Mazza in the top of the third although Judge popped up to first to start. Gardner hit a single to left but was thrown out trying to stretch a double...BUT WAIT! Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged the call and replays showed Gardner was safe. It didn't matter as new Sox player Cesar Puello made a great catch to rob Voit of extra bases and doubled Gardner off of second to end the inning. Once again Happ laughed at the Sox in the bottom of the third as Michael Chavis grounded out weakly to third to start. Puello made his Sox debut by grounding out weakly to second. Arroyo whiffed to end the inning.

The Yankees iced the game in the top of the fourth as Urshela popped up to second to start. Frazier singled to left and Bogaerts ran away screaming from a grounder by Tauchman for an error. Higashioka singled off the glove of Arroyo to score Frazier with another run. Wade hit a double play ball to Bogaerts who stepped on second then turned and heaved the ball into centerfield for an error to score Tauchman with another run. LeMahieu lined out to right to end the inning but the Yankees had iced it on the Bogaerts errors 4-0. That was it for Mazza who stunk again as a "opener".

                                                        "Well this sucks"

Think the Sox would fight back in the bottom of the fourth? Not on your life! Devers grounded out weakly to short, Bogaerts lined out meekly to right and Martinez...somehow singled to center. Plawecki popped up to second to end the inning.

Jonathan Arauz came in for Arroyo with Dylan Covey in to pitch the top of the fifth. The Yankees laughed at him as Judge walked to start. Somehow Judge was thrown out trying to steal second but Gardner singled to left. Gardner scored all the way from first base on the Voit hit to left. Urshela struck out swinging but Frazier smashed a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to increase the lead. Tauchman grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 7-0.

                                                      Yankees pour it on

Happ cruised in the bottom of the fifth as JBJ grounded out weakly to first to start. Dalbec whiffed at a pitch that bounced in front of the plate and Chavis popped up weakly to right to end the inning.

Somehow Covey got out of the top of the sixth as Higashioka took strike three to start. Wade flied out to left but LeMahieu singled off the glove of Covey. Judge whiffed to end the inning. Puello took strike three to start the bottom of the sixth before Arauz grounded out weakly to second. Devers grounded out meekly to short to end the inning.

Domingo Tapia came on for the top of the seventh and Gardner grounded out to short to start. Voit whiffed but Urshela singled to left. Frazier flied out to right to end the inning. Sadly Tapia was the only bright spot of this game.

                                                        The only pitcher who didn't suck

Happ effortlessly shut down the Sox in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts grounded softly to the mound to start. Martinez hit a weak pop up to right but Plawecki got a miracle double to center. Naturally JBJ whiffed to end the inning. 

Robert Stock came in for the top of the eighth and Tauchman struck out swinging to start. Higashioka whiffed but Wade walked. LeMahieu grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox tried to fight back when Dalbec hit a ground rule double to right to start the bottom of the eighth. Chavis reached on a fielder's choice to put runners at the corners but Puello whiffed. Arauz whiffed and Devers grounded out weakly to third to end the inning. You know you suck when you let Happ 4 years past his prime shut you out for 8 innings.

The Yankees wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth as Judge lined out to center to start. Gardner walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Voit hit a routine grounder to Devers who spiked the ball like a football and Gardner laughed at him all the way to third on the error. Urshela then hit a sac fly to score Gardner but Voit foolishly tried for second and was thrown out to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-0.

                                                          YERRRR OUT!

Nick Nelson came on for the bottom of the ninth and Bogaerts grounded out weakly to short to start. Martinez somehow singled to left but Plawecki banged into a double play to end the game. The Yankees had won it 8-0.

                                                    Yankees win again

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since everybody sucked but I'll go with Dylan Covey. Mazza was hampered by bad defense but Covey allowed the game to get completely out of hand.

                                                           You suck, ya Jackass!

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3.

Domingo Tapia pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts before leaving.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

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

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4.

Chris Mazza took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 4 innings but only 2 were earned.

Robert Stock allowed an unearned run in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

7 more games....7 more games and this nightmare is over. Its bad enough the Boston Red Sox trot out a pitching staff that the Tampa Bay Rays top farm team Durham Bulls would eat for lunch, but to get embarrassed by the Yankees is a whole different story. As New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would say, the Sox sucked in all three phases of the game. They couldn't hit, couldn't pitch and couldn't field. No runs scored, 8 runs allowed and 3 errors is unacceptable. Its one thing to fight hard and lose like Friday night, its another to get embarrassed. I know Sox fans want to tank but there has to be a better way. The good news for the tanking bandwagoners is that the Sox are now only a half-game ahead of the Texas Rangers for the number 2 overall pick. If the Pittsburgh Pirates are dead set on Kumar Rocker, then the best the Sox can do is pray the Rangers take someone else rather than Jack Leiter. The worst part is even if the Sox by miracle get Rocker or Leiter, they're not going to be ready right away. Roger Clemens was drafted in 83 and still took a year to make his debut. Hell, Andrew Benintendi was drafted in 2015 and took a year to make the 2016 stretch run. Still, if the Sox end up in 3rd and Texas does take Leiter, the Sox could actually take the top bat in the country. Sure they need pitching but whoever the best 5 tool player is, the Sox could grab him. As for this game, whho gives a damn? The loss dropped the Sox to 19-34, last place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid being swept by the Yankees this season when they send their rookie Tanner Houck (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound up against Deivi Garcia of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Marlins Pound Sox (9/16/20)

So much for last night's Boston Red Sox feel good story win over the Miami Marlins. Tonight the Marlins smacked the Sox back to earth by jumping on the REAL Sox pitching staff they've featured almost every game this season. Mike Kickham (  got knocked out in the third inning after allowing 6 runs. The Sox tried to fight back but Robinson Leyer allowed a backbreaking 2 run homer in the 5th inning. The Sox reverted back to their losing ways as they dropped this one 8-4 at Marlins Park.

                                             "When do the Sox actually win?"

Trevor Rogers got the ball in the top of the first and Alex Verdugo greeted him with an infield single to first. Rafael Devers walked but Xander Bogaerts flied out to center. JD Martinez whiffed and Christian Vazquez took strike three to end the inning. Kickham got the ball in the bottom of the first and Miguel Rojas flied out to center to start. Jesus Aguilar singled to left but Brian Anderson took strike three. Garrett Cooper effortlessly blasted a home run into the Gulf of Mexico to put the Marlins up for good. Lewis Brinson grounded out to third to end the inning with the Marlins up 2-0.

                                                    Cooper goes yard

Yairo Munoz singled to left to start the top of the second and swiped second. Bobby Dalbec whiffed, Michael Chavis grounded out to short and Christian Arroyo grounded out to first to end the inning. Jorge Alfaro lined out to short to start the bottom of the second before Sean Rodriguez singled to second. Jazz Chisholm flied out to left and Monte Harrison struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the third as Verdugo singled to start. Devers was plunked and both runners moved over on the Bogaerts grounder to third. Martinez hit a sac fly to score Verdugo to cut the lead. Vazquez walked but Munoz lined out to Rogers to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                Verdugo starts the rally

The Marlins were personally offended the Sox scored on them so they knocked Kickham out in the bottom of the third. Rojas doubled to left but Aguilar struck out swinging. Anderson singled home Rojas to increase the lead. Cooper flied out to right but Brinson doubled home Anderson and Alfaro hit a home run all the way to Sweden to ice the game and chase Kickham. After doing well the last 2 weeks, Kickham showed why he wasn't in the majors for 6 years by allowing 6 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Phillips Valdez came in and got Rodriguez to ground out to short to end the inning with the Marlins up 6-1.

                                                "GET OUT AND STAY OUT!" -RR

Old pal Josh Smith took over for Rogers in the top of the fourth and cruised. Dalbec grounded out to third, Chavis also grounded out to third and Arroyo took strike three to end the inning. Chris Mazza came on for the bottom of the fourth and struck out Chisholm swinging to start. Harrison walked but Rojas flied out to right. Harrison stole second but Aguilar flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got a run back in the top of the fifth when Verdugo hit a ground rule double to right to start. Devers doubled him home to cut the lead. Devers moved to third on the grounder by Bogaerts but Martinez whiffed. Vazquez popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                           Devers drives in a run

Robinson Leyer came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and once again the Marlins were so offended the Sox scored a run that they scored too. Anderson grounded out to first but Cooper walked. Brinson struck out swinging but Alfaro smashed his second homer of the game to put the game out of reach. Rodriguez took strike three to end the inning but the Marlins were up 8-2.

                                                     Alfaro does it again

Nick Vincent came in for the top of the sixth and Munoz greeted him with a base hit to left. Dalbec took strike three and Chavis struck out swinging, but Arroyo doubled to center. Verdugo walked but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Domingo Tapia came in for the bottom of the sixth and Chisholm took strike three to start. Harrison singled to second and Rojas walked, but Aguilar flied out to left. Anderson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ryne Stanek came in for the top of the seventh and the Sox rallied. Bogaerts got a hit to third and Martinez belted his fifth home run of the season to cut the lead. Vazquez popped up to short and Munoz flied out to right but Dalbec walked to chase Stanek. Brad Boxberger came in but Chavis hit a foul ball off the mask of Alfaro, knocking him out of the game. Chad Wallach came in and Chavis whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were down 8-4.

                                                       Martinez finally hits one out

Robert Stock came on for the bottom of the seventh and Cooper grounded out to short to start. Brinson whiffed and Wallach grounded out to short to end the inning.

Yimi Garcia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and cruised as Arroyo whiffed to start. Verdugo took strike three and Devers hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Stock came back for the bottom of the eighth and Rodriguez flied out to right to begin. Chisholm grounded out to second and Harrison flied out to right to end the inning.

Brandon Kintzler came in to close out the top of the ninth and Bogaerts flied out to right to begin. Martinez singled to right but Vazquez struck out swinging. Munoz grounded out to second to end the game. The Marlins had won it 8-4.

                                                       Marlins win

Jackass of the Night is Mike Kickham. He allowed 6 runs in 2 2/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                   Kickham the Jackass

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and was hit with a pitch.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with 3 total rbis and a 2 run home run.

Yairo Munoz was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Phillips Valdez retired the only man he faced.

Chris Mazza tossed a scoreless inning.

Domingo Tapia pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Robert Stock tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Michael Chavis was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Robinson Leyer allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

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

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

It was fun watching Houck last night because tonight was more of the same that we've seen all season. Lousy starting pitching, no offense and a bullpen that gives up one run after another. It was nice to see Martinez homer just to stay over the Mendoza line but apart from that, another typical loss in a season full of them. Thankfully there'a only 10 games left of this torture to endure. The word is Tanner Houck is going to start against the Yankees so if nothing else, the Sox have 3 starting pitchers for the final 10 games including Martin Perez and Nathan Eovaldi. If the Sox are gonna lose, at least can at least try in those games. The sad part about this season is Mookie Betts may be NL MVP and lead the LA Dodgers to the World Series.....and Verdugo is hitting .318 while being even better than he was last year in LA. Not even Mookie could have helped this team I'm afraid. The loss dropped the Sox to 18-32, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox and Marlins play the rubber game of the series when Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 4.82 ERA) takes on Jose Urena at 1:10 PM at Marlins Park.

Rays Edge Sox (9/12/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Matt Hall was once again sent back to the Alternate Training Site and in his place none other than Nathan Eovaldi was activated off the Injured List to start tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. With so many pitchers now on the injured list, Eovaldi needs to go deep into games if nothing else but to save who's left in the bullpen.

OUT

                                                                               IN

                                                                    

As for the game, at least the Sox were competitive tonight. Nathan Eovaldi made his first start in two weeks and did well for 3 innings. Then Ron Roenicke pulled him and guess what happened? That's right, the Sox bullpen allowed 4 runs in the next 6 innings. The Sox offense managed to make a game of it with home runs from Michael Chavis and Christian Arroyo, but Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was tough and the Rays bullpen slammed the door in the ninth. At least it was competitive, but the Rays still beat the Sox 5-4 at Tropicana Field.

                                                      "This guy Roenicke needs to go!"

Alex Verdugo led off the top of the first against Glasnow with a base hit to second to start. Rafael Devers whiffed and Verdugo started the steal parade by swiping second. Verdugo moved to third on the Xander Bogaerts grounder but JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi made his return in the bottom of the first and Austin Meadows greeted him with a home run to Jupiter to put the Rays up. Brandon Lowe grounded out to first and Randy Arozarena grounded out to second, but Ji-Man Choi doubled to left and Joey Wendle was plunked to load the bases. Willy Adames whiffed to end the inning.

                                                  That didn't take long

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Kevin Plawecki popped up to short to start. Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to third and Yairo Munoz whiffed to end the inning. Nate Lowe grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second but Manny Margot singled to center. Margot was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Plawecki and Michael Perez struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox got to Glasnow in the top of the third when Michael Chavis launched his third bomb of the year to tie the game. Christian Arroyo lined out to center, Verdugo grounded out to short and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Kiss it goodbye

Meadows whiffed to start the bottom of the third before Brandon Lowe flied out to center. Arozarena whiffed to end the inning and that was it for Eovaldi. Even though there's only two weeks left in the season, Sox manager Ron Roenicke decided not to push Eovaldi any further. Oh well.

                                                     Short and sweet for Eovaldi

The Sox stole Glasnow blind in the top of the fourth inning as Bogaerts walked to start. Martinez lined out to left but Xander swiped second, then third. Plawecki singled home Bogaerts to put the Sox on top but was forced at second by JBJ. JBJ swiped second which prompted Sox analyst Jerry Remy to quip "I'm 67 and I can steal on this guy." Munoz flied out to center with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                 Legendary robber Baby Face Nelson loves the base thefts

Chris Mazza came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the fourth inning Choi walked to start before moving to second on the Wendle strikeout. Adames walked and Nate Lowe singled home Choi who pulled a hamstring sliding home. Margot doubled home Adames and Lowe to give the Rays the lead. Margot moved to third on the Perez grounder and Meadows whiffed to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-2.

                                                  "Owowowowowwowowwowwww" - Choi

Chavis swung and missed for strike three to start the top of the fifth but the ball got away from the catcher so Michael reached at first. Arroyo flied out to center but Chavis swiped second. Chavis then forgot how many outs there were when he trotted home on a pop up to third by Verdugo, getting doubled off of second to end the inning. Nice going Chavis! Mazza returned for the bottom of the fifth and Brandon Lowe grounded out to second to start. Arozarena took strike three and Yoshi Tsutsugo pinch hit for Choi just to fly out to center to end the inning.

Devers singled to third to start the top of the sixth before moving to second on a wild pitch. Bogaerts grounded out to third, Martinez struck out swinging and Plawecki flied out to center to end the inning. Wendle singled to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Adames flied out to left. Nate Lowe whiffed but Wendle swiped second. Margot struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh as JBJ singled to center to start. Munoz whiffed but JBJ stole second. Chavis took strike three but Arroyo clobbered his first home run of the year to tie the game. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                        Sox tie it up

Marcus Walden came in to wreck the day in the bottom of the seventh although Perez grounded out to short to start. Meadows whiffed but Brandon Lowe crushed a home run to Neptune to give the Rays the lead. Arozarena whiffed to end the inning but the Rays led 5-4.

                                                    Lowe hits one out

Nick Anderson came in for the top of the eighth and the Sox went quietly. Devers struck out swinging, Bogaerts flied out to left and Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. Jeffrey Springs came in for the bottom of the eighth and Tsutsugo popped up to third to start before Wendle whiffed. Adames went down hacking to end the inning.

Diego Castillo came in to close out the top of the ninth with Brett Phillips now in right. Plawecki swung at air to start before JBJ watched strike three go by. Munoz hit a ground rule double to left to put the tying run at second but Chavis grounded out to third to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-4.

                                                       Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Marcus Walden. He gave up the backbreaking homer in the bottom of the seventh.

                                                        Walden the Jackass

The Good:

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 1 run in 3 innings while striking out 4.

Jeffrey Springs tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Chris Mazza allowed 3 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked, stole bases and scored a run.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole 2 bases and scored a run.

Yairo Munoz was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base and hit a solo home run.

Final Thoughts:

Its a good thing there are only 13 games left because now they're running out of expendable bums to pitch. Sox manager Ron Roenicke refusing to let some of these guys throw 5-6 innings regardless of the score wore down every arm they didn't trade. Colten Brewer, Zac Godley, Austin Brice, Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez all developed arm trouble from damn near pitching every game. Eovaldi was cruising in this game but Roenicke pulled him after 3 damn innings. Either you let him go or you shut him down, why waste the bullpen that already needed to pitch the whole game last night? Just 13 more games and Roenicke will be gone too. As of right now the Sox are percentage points ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the worst record in baseball. Kumar Rocker appears to be the number 1 overall pick regardless of who gets it although the consensus is Rocker's teammate Jack Leiter is another top rated pitcher that could go second. Leiter is the son of former New York Mets and Yankees pitcher Al Leiter. If Kumar is the real deal it won't be the end of the world if the Sox do end up the worst in baseball. As sad as it sounds, the Sox still could have won this game but couldn't crack the Rays bullpen. The loss dropped the Sox to a miserable 16-31 on the season, last place in the AL East. The Sox play their final regular season game with the Rays tomorrow afternoon. Martin Perez (2-4, 4.40 ERA) goes for the Sox against Charlie Morton at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off Phillies in Game 2 (9/8/20)

For all the Boston Red Sox fans that wanted the Sox to lose so they can get the first overall draft pick in next year's draft....WELL YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET IT, BAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! The Red Sox moved out of last in baseball with their come from behind Game 2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils took a quick 2-0 lead over Chris Mazza (1-1, 5.29 ERA) when the Sox rallied to tie the game in the fourth. Bobby Dalbec launched his 5th homer of the season to give the Sox the lead in the top of the sixth and the normally unreliable bullpen slammed the door in the bottom of the seventh. Nothing like when the Sox stick it to their own fans with a 5-2 win in 7 innings in Game 2 at Citizens Bank Park.

                                                          That's for the "tanking" fans

Vince Velazquez got the ball for the Phillies in the top of the first and Jonathan Arauz whiffed to start. Rafael Devers singled to right and moved to second on the Xander Bogaerts ground out. JD Martinez took strike three to end the inning. The Phillies wasted no time getting to Mazza in the bottom of the first although Jean Segura whiffed to start. Rhys Hoskins singled to center but Bryce Harper flied out to center. JT Realmuto singled Hoskins to third and a wild pitch scored him, moving JT to second. Gregorius singled home Realmuto but was thrown out at second trying to stretch to end the inning with the Phillies up 2-0.

                                              Yerrrrrr out!

The Sox fought back in the top of the second inning when Jackie Bradley Jr doubled to right to start. Bobby Dalbec whiffed and Deivy Grullon made his season debut by popping up to second. Tzu-Wei Lin singled home JBJ to cut the lead. Jose Peraza popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                     Lin drives in a run

Mazza came back with a flurry in the bottom of the second as Alex Bohm struck out swinging to start. Neil Walker struck out swinging and Kyle Garlick whiffed to end the inning.

Arauz took strike three to start the top of the third before Devers grounded out to second. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Adam Haseley grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Segura popped up to first. Hoskins flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth although Martinez whiffed to start. JBJ singled to short but Dalbec whiffed. A passed ball moved JBJ to second and he scored on the rbi single by Grullon to left. Lin singled to third but Peraza whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                                   First rbi for Grullon

Hoskins walked to start the bottom of the fourth but was forced at second by Realmuto. Grullon allowed a passed ball but Realmuto tried for third and Grullon gunned him down. Gregorius grounded out to second to end the inning.

Arauz earned the hat trick with his third strikeout of the game to start the top of the fifth. Devers whiffed but Bogaerts singled to left. Martinez grounded into a force to end the inning. Bohm was plunked to start the bottom of the fifth but Walker flied out to left. Garlick got the Phills first hit since the first inning with a single to center before both runners moved over on the grounder by Haseley. Segura flied out to right to end the inning. Mazza somehow tossed 5 innings of 2 run ball, throwing 4 scoreless after the first inning.

                                                         Mazza gets it done

David Phelps came in to pitch the top of the sixth and the Sox pounced. JBJ walked and Dalbec cracked his 5th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Grullon walked and that was it for Phelps. Jojo Romero came in and Grullon moved to second on the Lin ground out. Peraza grounded out to third and Arauz grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                       Dalbec with a home run

Phillips Valdez came in for the bottom of the sixth and Hoskins singled to right to start. Harper lined out to left and Realmuto walked. Gregorius popped up to short before Bohm lined out to right to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh when none other than old buddy Heath Hembree came in to pitch. Bogaerts was so excited he drew a walk although Martinez went down swinging. JBJ singled to left and Dalbec drove in Bogaerts with a base hit to center. Grullon whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                    Dalbec drives in another run

Austin Brice came in to close out the bottom of the seventh and Walker lined out to first to start. Andrew Knapp pinch hit for Garlick and walked. Andrew McCutchen pinch hit for Haseley and also walked to chase Brice. Marcus Walden came in and got Segura to line out to center. Hoskins lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had taken the nightcap 5-2.

                                                         Sox win


Hero of the Night is Bobby Dalbec. His 2 run homer put the Sox on top and his rbi single was the killshot.

                                                   Dalbec the Hero



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 3 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Deivy Grullon was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Chris Mazza got the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball.

Phillips Valdez tossed a scoreless 6th inning.

Austin Brice got the first out of the seventh inning.

Marcus Walden got the save by getting the final two outs of the seventh.



The Bad:

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jose Peraza was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.




Final Thoughts:

Take that, Sox fans. The rag tag Red Sox pulled one out against the Phillies. Dalbec is pulling a 1987 Sam Horn or last year's Michael Chavis and hitting everything he sees out. Good thing there's only 16 games left or else he'd turn out exactly like Chavis & Horn. Grullon was brought up to play this one game and he was driving runs in and throwing guys out. Suddenly the Sox have some options in Spring Training next season. At this point, all Sox GM Chaim Bloom has to do is fix the pitching staff and things look good for next year already. Obviously getting the first pick in the draft would help the future but it won't be that hard if he knows what he's doing. The win improved the Sox to 15-29, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to Tampa for a set with the first place Rays. Mike Kickham (1-0, 5.40 ERA) goes for the Sox against Josh Fleming at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.