Pomeranz Pounded, Astros Take 2-0 Lead (10/6/17)

Talk about an absolute embarrassment the Boston Red Sox have become in the past two weeks. After collapsing down the stretch and nearly gagging away the Division title, the Sox once again laid down and died to the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the ALDS. This time Drew Pomeranz crapped his pants and Dallas Keuchel shut down the anemic Red Sox offense. To add injury to insult, Mookie Betts had to be carried out on a stretcher after re-injuring his wrist. The Sox are beat up, they're exhausted, they can't pitch, they can't hit and they lost 8-2 to the Astros at Minute Maid Park to put them one loss away from elimination.

Keuchel began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Dustin Pedroia somehow drew a walk but was erased on the Andrew Benintendi force. Mookie Betts miraculously doubled but Hanley Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning. The Astros wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first although George Springer grounded out to second to start. Alex Bregman flied out to right but Jose Altuve singled. Carlos Correa then blasted a 7,399 foot home run halfway to Oklahoma to give the Astros the lead. Evan Gattis flied out to center to end the inning but the Astros led 2-0.

                                               Correa's blast puts the Astros on top

The Sox tried to fight back when Chris Young doubled and stole third to start the top of the second inning before Christian Vazquez walked. Deven Marrero whiffed but Jackie Bradley Jr singled to score Young to put the Sox on the board. With Keuchel on the run,  Bogaerts and Pedroia both whiffed to end the inning. The Sox were down 2-1 but squandered a huge chance to take the lead.

                                              JBJ's single puts the Sox back in it

Surprisingly Pomeranz didn't poop himself just yet in the bottom of the second inning as Josh Reddick flied out to left to begin. Yuli Gurriel walked but Marwin Gonzalez whiffed. Brian McCann popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox offense gave up in the top of the third as Beintendi flied out to center, Betts grounded out to second and Ramirez looked at strike three to end the inning. The rout continued as Springer blasted a 937 foot bomb out of Minute Maid Park to increase the lead and Bregman doubled high off the wall. Altuve singled home Bregman and that was it for Pomeranz. The Sox most improved pitcher of 2017 reverted to 2016 and gave up 4 runs in just 2 plus innings. What good is a season of improvement if he melts in the playoffs?

                  Pomeranz attacks the Gatorade with more ferocity than he did the Astros

Sox manager John Farrell tied his luck with Carson Smith but he walked Correa and Gattis to load the bases. Smith managed to get Reddick to line out to a diving Marrero, but Farrell stormed out of the dugout with a broadsword and chased away Smith as David Price chugged in from the bullpen. Guriel popped up to short and Gonzalez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Astros up 4-1.

The Sox gave up in the top of the fourth inning as Young lined out to short, Vazquez whiffed and Marrero struck out to end the inning. Price returned for the bottom of the fourth and got McCann to ground out to second but Springer doubled. Price recovered to get Bregman to ground out to second before Altuve was finally intentionally walked. Correa popped up to second to end the inning.

Keuchel dominated the top of the fifth as JBJ hit a comebacker to the mound, Bogaerts flied out to center and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Price finished with a flurry in the bottom of the fifth as Gattis was rung up for strike three to start. Reddick whiffed and Guriel grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Benintendi grounded out to first to start before Betts whiffed  Ramirez drew a walk to chase Keuchel after he had retired 14 in a row. Chris Devenski came in and Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Young....just to pop up to short to end the inning. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the sixth as Farrell decided to go with Eduardo Rodriguez of all people. Gonzalez greeted him with a single and McCann was plunked. Farrell sprinted out of the dugout ripping his shirt open and throwing his hat at Rodriguez, screaming at him to get out of there. Addison Reed came in to stop the bleeding but ended up pouring salt in the wound as Springer beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Bregman hit a short pop up to Betts who caught it...then spiked the ball and did the boogie woogie not realizing there were only 2 outs, scoring Gonzalez on the error. Altuve was intentionally walked again and this time Correa made the Sox pay with a 2 run double. Gattis singled in Correa but Reddick grounded out to end the inning with the Astros once again humiliating the Sox 8-1.

                                                    More runs.....again

Somehow Vazquez singled for the Sox first hit in 4 innings to open the top of the seventh. Rafael Devers pinch hit for Marrero...just to look at strike three. JBJ lined out to center and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Once again the horrendous Red Sox offense failed to show up in an important game. Austin Maddox came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Guriel greeted him with a single. Gonzalez flied out to right and McCann singled. Springer walked to load the bases but Maddox got Bregman to pop up for the second out. With no choice but to pitch to Altuve, Maddox somehow struck him out to end the inning. That and Price were about the only highlights of this dreary game.

Luke Gregerson came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Pedroia met him with an infield single. Brock Holt pinch ran for the gimpy Pedroia but Benintendi whiffed. Betts flied out to left and fell to the ground in agony clutching his wrist. He had to be carried out on a stretcher to add injury to insult. Ramirez whiffed to end the inning. Losing Nunez and Betts to injury pretty much means the season is about to come to a crashing halt.

Rajai Davis took over in right as Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth just to keep fresh. Correa lined out to left and the ageless Carlos Beltran pinch hit for Gattis....and singled. Cameron Maybin pinch hit for Reddick and Derek Fisher pinch ran for Beltran. Maybin lined out to center and Guriel whiffed to end the inning.

Thankfully the disaster ended in the top of the ninth with closer Ken Giles in the game to get some work in as well. Somehow the Sox rallied as Moreland lined out to left but Vazquez singled. Devers popped up to third but a wild pitch moved Vazquez to second. JBJ stroked a lucky single to score Vaz just to piss off the fans. Bogaerts whiffed to end the game and the Astros had won 2 in a row by a score of 8-2 to put the Sox on the brink.

Jackass of the Night should be John Farrell for his idiotic pitching changes but it has to be Drew Pomeranz. He lasted just 2 plus innings and gave up 4 runs after having a tremendous bounce back season. If he and Chris Sale can't get the Astros out, how can anyone else?

                                            Walk away you Jackass


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Chris Young was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

David Price tossed 2 2/3 clutch scoreless innings to keep the Sox in the game.

Austin Maddox pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 2 as a pinch hitter.

Deven Marrero was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Eduardo Rodriguez gave up a hit and hit a man.

Addison Reed allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 2 of his own.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 before being carried out on a stretcher.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Carson Smith put 2 of the 3 men he faced on base.



Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt pinch ran for Dustin Pedroia and played second.

Rajai Davis came in for Mookie Betts.




Final Thoughts:

Holy mother of ass this is BAD. Last year sucked against Cleveland but at least Game's 1 and 3 were competitive. This has been two straight blowouts that weren't even close. The Astros have 16 runs off 24 hits and 6 home runs. The Red Sox have 4 runs on 15 hits and zero home runs. Seriously, Jose Altuve could go 0 for 4 in Game 3 and still finish with more home runs than the ENTIRE RED SOX TEAM. Add in the injuries to Eduardo Nunez and you have a tired, exhausted, beaten team that seems to be ready to simply go home. Dustin Pedroia made some post-game comments about getting their asses kicked two games in a row with no end in sight. Mookie Betts also made comments that made it sound like they have no chance in hell. Not exactly Kevin Millar saying "Don't let us win tonight." Also Game 3 could be the last for John Farrell. Not that he was the sole reason the Sox lost, he wasn't, but somebody has to pay for back to back collapses at the end and a 3 game sweep both years. It sounds like I'm admitting defeat before Game 3 even begins, but I'm not the only one. Most Boston radio personalities, beat writers, sport writers and hundreds of fans all share the same sentiment. This was by far the most frustrating season in 25 years to have a pitching staff THIS talented and an offense THIS bad. The only team that comes close is the 1992 Red Sox who talent wise was far worse on offense. Even in the 1960's when the Red Sox were routinely terrible, they had a lot of offensive talent but not enough pitching. Even in the 1970's when they had Hall of Fame and All-Star offense, once again there was not enough pitching. Now its the complete opposite. Dave Dombrowski and John Henry have a lot of work to do in the off-season but for now there's still Game 3 to play. This Sunday the Sox rest their season on the right arm of....Doug Fister. Who saw that coming in July? He is opposed by Brad Peacock and the game starts at 2:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Porcello Shuts Down Rays (9/16/17)

After last night's marathon the Boston Red Sox needed Rick Porcello (10-17, 4.46 ERA) to go deep into a game no matter home runs or hits he allowed. Instead Porcello turned the clock back a year to throw one of his best games of the season. He pitched a shutout through 7 innings and the Sox got some timely hitting to edge the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 at Tropicana Field.

                                           The Dude approves of the win

Cobb took the mound in the top of the first and Xander Bogaerts hit a pathetic bloop to second to start. The Rays defense picked up where it left off last night as Steven Souza Jr made a great diving catch to rob Christian Vazquez of a hit. Andrew Benintendi hit a pathetic ground ball to short to end the inning.

                                                   Here we go again with the catches

Fans groaned as Kevin Kiermaier singled to open the bottom of the first. Somehow Porcello struck out Steven Souza Jr and got Evan Longoria to bang into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Mookie Betts smashed his 22nd homer of the year to left to give the Sox the lead. Mitch Moreland hit a total rocket that Souza Jr leaped and....DROPPED IT! Souza was no Kiermaier and Moreland took second with a double. Chris Young flied out to right and Moreland broke for third....but stopped. The throw by Souza airmailed everyone and Moreland broke for third again...but stopped again. He should have been thrown out at second but the throw was wide and Moreland made it back to second. After all of that, it was just a simple fly out. Rafael Devers whiffed and Brock Holt watched strike three go by to end the inning but it was 1-0 Boston.

                                                  Betts' blast makes it 1-0

Porcello cruised in the bottom of the second inning as Lucas Duda struck out to begin. Wilson Ramos and Corey Dickerson grounded out to short to end the inning.

Cobb cruised in the top of the third inning as Jackie Bradley Jr hit a weak ground ball to short to start. Bogaerts whiffed but Vazquez poked a single to right. Benintendi popped up to left but Cobb had already thrown 60 pitches. NESN was too busy listening to their sideline guy babble on about a Red Sox museum in Florida that they missed Adeiny Hechavarria hit a chopper over the head of Devers for a single. Brad Miller flied out to the left field wall and Mallex Smith lined out to center before the alert Vazquez gunned down Hechavarria trying to steal to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fourth as Betts grounded out to short on a full count, Moreland looked at strike three and Young grounded out to end the inning. Porcello whiffed Kiermaier to start the bottom of the fourth as Sox analyst Jarrod Saltalamacchia told a story of how he saw ghosts in the St Pete's Marriott years ago. Souza Jr lined out to right but Longoria doubled just inside the right field line. Longoria swiped third with nobody standing at third. Duda popped up to third to end the inning.

                                       Saltalamacchia last night at the St Pete's Marriot

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fifth as Devers flied out to the centerfield wall to open the top of the fifth, but Holt poked a single to left. JBJ whiffed badly and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Porcello matched Cobb as he got Ramos to ground out to third to start the bottom of the fifth. Dickerson singled to right but Hechavarria lined out to center. Miller grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the sixth when Vazquez with a single but was erased on the Benintendi force. Much to Saltalamacchia's delight, a balk was called on Cobb to advance Andrew to second. Benintendi swiped third when Cobb took forever to throw a pitch. Cobb got squeezed on a strike three pitch called a ball and Betts made him pay with a single to score Benny. Logan Morrison bolted out of the dugout and dove to tackle home plate umpire Jeff Nelson. He missed and was ejected from the game. That was it for Cobb as well as Rays manager Kevin Cash dragged Morrison away kicking and screaming while bringing in Dan Jennings to replace Cobb. Moreland walked but Young struck out against a lefty again. Devers then doubled down the left field line to increase the lead. Holt grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox with Cobb out of the game.

                                           Benintendi is safe and its 3-0

Porcello continued his redemption in the bottom of the sixth although Smith hit a line drive to Devers, who threw his glove at it instead of catch it. Smith took first on the error but Kiermaier and Souza Jr both flied out to center. Longoria flied out to right to end the inning. Devers started punching the wall in the dugout but Sox manager John Farrell calmed him down, at least he cares unlike some other fat guy who used to play third base for the Sox.

Jacob Faria, one of the only guys not used last night came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning. He cruised as JBJ struck out, Bogaerts lined out to center and Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning. Porcello returned for the bottom of the seventh inning and got Duda to pop up to first. Ramos grounded out to third and Holt made a great diving catch to rob Dickerson of a hit to end the inning.

Faria returned for the top of the eighth and Benintendi popped up to third to start. Betts popped up as well and Moreland flied out to left to end the inning. Things fell apart for Porcello as Hechavarria doubled to deep right to begin the bottom of the eighth, but Miller popped up to third. A ball four pitch to Smith got away and Hechavarria moved to third. All of a sudden John Farrell bolted out of the dugout and threw a full pouch of chewing tobacco at Porcello, bellowing to get off the mound. Farrell threw his hat down and demanded Addison Reed come into the game. Porcello had done his job to go 7 1/3 innings to save the bullpen. Reed came in and the Sox pissed themselves as Kiemaier grounded out to first when Moreland stepped on the bag, but pegged Smith with the throw to second. Hechavarria scored and Smith went all the way to third. Reed struck out Souza Jr to end the inning but it was 3-1.

                                             Great start by Porcello

The Sox offense was done for the night in the top of the ninth as Young popped up to first, Devers grounded out to second and Holt lined to short to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and blew away Longoria to start. Kimbrel struck out Duda

                                                     Win, Dance, Repeat



Hero of the Night is Rick Porcello. He threw 7 1/3 innings and allowed just an unearned run to give the team a lift after last night's marathon.

                                              From Zero to Hero in one start



The Good:

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4.

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis, 2 runs scored and his 22nd homer.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Addison Reed got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 33rd save with a scoreless ninth inning



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Young was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

First the bad news. It looks like Hanley Ramirez and Eduardo Nunez both have season threatening injuries. Nunez has a sprained knee and Ramirez a bad arm. We don't know how long Ramirez should be out but Nunez will be back in a few weeks hopefully. Ramirez is addition by subtraction as he's been killing them at the plate but losing Nunez sucks because he's been their spark plug since they traded for him. Also, can someone explain to me what Chris Young and Brock Holt are doing on the team over Bryce Brentz at this point? Young has been terrible against lefties this year and Holt never recovered from his concussions/vertigo. Tzu-Wei Lin has had SIX at bats since July and do the Sox really need Fernando Abad or Heath Hembree in the bullpen with so many others available? Any four of these guys can be released to make room for Brentz because the Sox NEED the power and the bat off the bench. Now for the good news, THAT is the Porcello the Sox needed all season and he came through today. He had the Rays off-balance all game and it took an error by Moreland to screw up a shut-out. The offense is what it is at this point so the pitching is going to have to carry them the rest of the way with 14 games left. The win propelled the Sox to 85-63, 3 games in front of the scorching hot New York Yankees who are feasting on the same Baltimore Orioles team the Red Sox face starting Monday. The Orioles have allowed a franchise record 155 runs against the Yankees this year and they still have one more to play tomorrow. Meanwhile you know manager Buck Showalter hates the Red Sox and will do everything he can to motivate the troops on Monday. The Sox still have one game left in Tampa Bay tomorrow at 1:30 with Eduardo Rodriguez (5-5, 4.19 ERA) matched up with Jake Odorizzi with a sweep in sight. The Sox need the sweep because the Orioles are going to be very pissed off after getting swept out of wild card contention by the Yankees.

Betts, Sox Pound A's (9/12/17)

Boston Red Sox fans wondered if this team would ever hit. For one day at least, they did. They pounded starter Sean Manaea and a host of relievers with two big home runs coming from Mookie Betts. Eduardo Rodriguez (5-5, 4.19 ERA) finally pitched well and the pitching staff allowed just 3 total hits to defeat the previously hot A's 11-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                The Mayor approves of the win

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and immediately, once again, put his team in the hole. He struck out Marcus Semien to start but got squeezed as he walked Chad Pinder. He left a meatball to Jed Lowrie who crushed it off the centerfield wall off the glove of a jumping Jackie Bradley Jr for an rbi double. Khris Davis grounded out to third and Ryon Healy lined out to a jumping Sam Travis at first to end the inning, but the A's were up early 1-0.

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

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the first when Dustin Pedroia got a single off A's starter Sean Manaea before Chris Young hit a swinging bunt under the bare hand of Matt Chapman at third. It didn't matter though, because Mookie Betts banged into a double play. Hanley Ramirez popped up to end the inning, same crap different day.

Rodriguez almost had his annual second inning meltdown beginning when he plunked Matt Olson to start. Somehow Rodriguez struck out Chapman and Mark Canha before Dustin Garneau flied out to right to end the inning. Somehow the Red Sox exploded in the bottom of the second as Travis sliced an inside out double to left to start. Travis scored on the single up the middle by Xander Bogaerts. Rafael Devers singled. Christian Vazquez scored Bogaerts with a single and Devers advanced to third. JBJ popped up to short but Pedroia singled home Devers. Young was rung up for strike 3 but Betts tripled off the bullpen wall to score both runners. Ramirez whiffed to end the inning but it was now 5-1 Sox.

                                          A triple ices it early

Rodriguez helped himself by getting Semien to pop up to right to start the top of the third inning. Pinder walked but Lowrie lined out to short, Bogaerts fired to first....OUT! But wait, Oakland manager Bob Melvin challenged the call and it turned out that Pinder was safe at first. Rodriguez struck out Davis to end the inning anyway. Travis struck out to begin the bottom of the third but Bogaerts blooped a double misplayed by Pinder. Xander moved to second on the ground out by Devers before Vazquez struck out to end the inning.

Healy popped up to right to begin the top of the fourth inning and Rodriguez struck out Olson. Chapman watched strike three go by to end the inning. JBJ grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth. Pedroia singled to left but Young popped up to center but Betts absolutely crushed a two-run home run completely out of Fenway Park to increase the lead. That was it for Sean Manaea as Simon Castro came in to retire Ramirez on a ground out to third to end the inning. The Sox were now up 7-1 and just needed Rodriguez not to piss himself.

                                        Betts with a 2 run blast out of Fenway

Rodriguez started the top of the fifth inning by striking out Canha but Garneau walked. Semien flied out to center and Pinder whiffed to end the inning. 97 pitches for Rodriguez through 5 but only 1 run allowed is an improvement. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning as Travis grounded out to third to start. Bogaerts squibbed one in front of the mound and Garneau heaved the ball into right field, allowing Bogaerts to take second. Devers struck out but Vazquez doubled home Xander to up the lead. JBJ doubled in Vazquez but Pedroia grounded out to end the inning with the score 9-1.

Rodriguez returned for the top of the sixth inning and walked Lowrie to start, but Davis banged into a double play to kill that rally. Healy struck out to end the inning. Rodriguez recovered from his shoddy first inning to toss 6 solid innings, good work Eduardo.

                                          FINALLY a good game from Rodriguez

The Sox tacked it on in the bottom of the sixth against former Sox prospect Raul Alcantara as Young singled and Betts bashed ANOTHER two run home run to light up the crowd. Ramirez and Travis both grounded out but Bogaerts walked. Devers lined out to third to end the inning but it was now 11-1.

                                            Ramirez "Sonic Boom!" Betts "What?"

Brock Holt took over at second base for Pedroia, Rajai Davis took over in center for Bradley and Brandon Workman came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning. Olson whiffed, Chapman was rung up for strike three and Canha whiffed to end the inning. Franklin Barreto took over at second for Lowrie and Renato Nunez took over in left for Davis for the bottom of the seventh. Vazquez grounded out to short, Davis popped up to short and Holt grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                          Traded him and Josh Reddick for Andrew Bailey

Carson Smith was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and he walked Garneau to start. Devers made a great diving catch to rob Semien of a hit and Pinder whiffed. Barreto singled Garneau to third and Nunez walked to load the bases to chase Smith. Austin Maddox came in and got pinch hitter Jake Smolinski to strike out to end the inning. Michael Brady was called upon to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. Young popped up to third, Betts grounded out to third and Ramirez hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning.

Maddox returned for the top of the ninth and Olson greeted him with a single. Chapman flied out to center and Canha hit one up the elevator shaft. Garneau lined out to Davis to end the game. The Sox had broken the A's streak, held them to 3 hits and won in a landslide 11-1.

                                              Win, Dance, Repeat


Hero of The Night is Mookie Betts. He clobbered not one, but 2 two run homers while driving in 6 total runs.

                                                Betts is the Hero


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Chris Young was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Eduardo Rodriguez got his first win in months by pitching six innings of one-run ball. He allowed just one hit while striking out nine.

Brandon Workman struck out the side in the top of the seventh.

Austin Maddox pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rajai Davis was 0 for 1 at the plate.



The Ugly:

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

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

Carson Smith left the bases loaded after 2/3 of an inning but with no runs allowed.




Final Thoughts:

It's about time the offense woke up considering the New York Yankees are breathing down their neck and the Cleveland Indians have won 20 games in a row. Every win counts now and until the end of the year. Rodriguez finally had a good game on the mound and if he was pitching for a postseason job, this will bring out the good kind of competition. With David Price out, the third starter slot is wide open. Hopefully this means that Rodriguez, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello can pitch their asses off in order to get that slot. On the other side of the ball, Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts have to get hot. They will not win the division if they remain ice cold until the end. The win puts the Sox at 82-62, 4 games ahead of the Yankees who were stunned 2-1 by the Tampa Bay Rays on an 8th inning home run by Adeiny Hechavarria. Tomorrow night Doug Fister (5-7, 3.91 ERA) looks to continue his hot streak and standing in the way is Jharel Cotton. The game starts at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sweep Jays (8/30/17)

Just when it looked like the Boston Red Sox were going to crash and burn a month early, the Toronto Blue Jays was just the tonic they needed. After winning the first two games, the Sox rode Rick Porcello (9-15, 4.45 ERA and Mitch Moreland for the 7-1 victory and series sweep over the Jays at Skydome.

                                                              Happy Fan

JA Happ took the mound in the top of the first inning and Rajai Davis grounded out to short to start. Eduardo Nunez doubled over the head of Jose Bautista in right and moved to third on the ground out by Andrew Benintendi. Mookie Betts hit a tapper in front of home plate to end the inning. Porcello got the ball in the bottom of the first and struck out Ezequiel Carrera to start. Steve Pearce doubled by Davis in left but Porcello struck out Bautista on a nasty curve. Kendrys Morales struck out as well to end the inning.

Xander Bogaerts led off the top of the second base with a fly out to left but Rafael Devers singled to right. Hanley Ramirez banged into a double play to end the inning. Kevin Pillar started the bottom of the second by striking out. Ryan Goins walked but Darwin Barney grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Chris Young led off the top of the third with a walk but was erased on the force by Christian Vazquez. Davis watched strike three go by and Davis whiffed on a slider in the dirt to end the inning. The Jays struck first when Raffy Lopez started the bottom of the third with a solo home run to right, only his second homer of the year for him. Rob Refsnyder grounded out to Nunez and Carrera looked at strike three. Pearce popped up to center but it was 1-0 Jays.

                                                             Lopez makes it 1-0

Benintendi opened the top of the fourth inning by grounding out to second. Betts popped up to center but Bogaerts walked. Devers broke his bat on a ground ball....that hit Bogaerts for the automatic out to end the inning. Great luck huh? Porcello started the bottom of the fourth by striking out Bautista. Morales hit a seeing eye single after an 11 pitch at-bat and Pillar lashed a single to left. Goins singled to right to load the bases but Barney lined right back to Porcello. Rick blew away Lopez to end the inning.

Ramirez tied the game instantly in the top of the fifth inning with a solo blast to left. Young grounded out to third and Vazquez grounded out to second, but Davis walked. Nunez grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox had tied it up 1-1

                                               Ramirez ties it up

Porcello cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Refsnyder grounded out to second, Carrera flied out to left and Pearce popped up to right to end the inning.

Benintendi walked to open the top of the sixth but Betts beat out a double play ball. Bogaerts beat out a double play ball only because Pearce missed the tag going by. Bogaerts stole second but Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Porcello cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Bautista hit a comebacker to the mound to start. Devers made a great diving stop to rob Morales of a hit and Pillar flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh with Tom Koehler now on the mound. Ramrez greeted him with a double down the left field line. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Young and blasted a 2 run home run to right to give the Sox the lead. Vazquez grounded out to third, Davis struck out and Nunez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox now up 3-1

                                                 Moreland's blast gives the Sox the lead

Porcello returned for the bottom of the seventh inning and got Goins to ground out to second. Barney hit a comebacker to the mound but Porcello walked the light hitting Lopez on 4 pitches. Refsnyder singled and Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough. Porcello did well for 6 2/3 innings to hold Toronto to just the one run. Robby Scott came in and got Carrera to fly out to end the inning.

                                                 Porcello with a good start to earn the win

The Sox iced the game in the top of the eighth inning with Tim Mayza on the mound. Benintendi walked and stole second before Betts scored him with a double past the diving Pearce down the right field line. Bogaerts doubled home Betts as Sox analyst Jonny Gomes called the hit a cheeseburger. Devers walked to chase Mayza as Jays manager John Gibbons waddled to the mound to replace him with Aaron "Fruit" Loup. The Sox then pulled off a horrible double steal when Devers took off for second but Bogaerts never moved. Bogaerts then broke for third late and Refsnyder had all day to throw him out...but threw wide and both men ended up safe. Ramirez looked at strike three but Moreland blooped a single to center to score both runners and send the crowd to the exits. Vazquez singled to left but Davis earned a hat trick with his third strikeout. Nunez struck out to end the inning but it was 7-1 Sox.

                                           The possible 3rd/short combo for many years

Joe Kelly got the ball in the top of the eighth inning and got Pearce to ground out to start. Kelly froze Bautista with a curveball for strike three then blew away Morales to end the inning.

Benintendi grounded out to second to open the top of the ninth against Matt Dermody. Pillar ran down a line drive from Betts and Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. Kelly returned for the bottom of the ninth and Pillar popped up to first on the first pitch. Goings flied out to left and Barney lined out to Devers to end the game. The Sox had swept the Blue Jays out of Toronto with a 7-1 lead.

                                                  What a ballclub


Hero of The Night is Mitch Moreland. His two run home run and 4 total rbis coming off the bench were the difference in the game.

                                            Hero of the Night: Mitch Moreland



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 2 total runs scored and a solo home run.

Chris Young walked in 2 plate appearances.

Rick Porcello got the win by pitching 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 7.

Robby Scott got the final out of the 7th inning.

Joe Kelly pitched 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

None.



The Ugly:

Rajai Davis was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts, but walked.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole 2 bases, drove in a run and scored.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

Bring on the New York Yankees! After wiping out the Blue Jays the Sox now turn their attention to the big four game series in New York that could decide the division if the Sox can win 3 out of 4 or better. As for this game, it was great to see Porcello get a win after having an improved July and the additions of Nunez and Devers are paying off already. It won't last but it sure is fun to see the Sox steal people blind on the bases. Sweeping the Jays put the Sox at 76-57, 5 1/2 games up on the Yankees who got swept by Cleveland in a double-header today. If the Sox win 3 out of 4 they'll be up 7 1/2 with 25 to play, which means goodnight Irene for the Yankees. Eduardo Rodriguez gets the call to open the series opposite nemesis CC Sabathia who is a perfect 3-0 against them this season. If the Sox want to set the tone, they bash the Yankees around tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Bash Twins Into Submission (5/6/17)

Its about time! The Boston Red Sox offense which had been dormant pretty much all season came to life for one day at least. The Sox pounded the Minnesota Twins for 16 hits and 11 runs as they demolished the Twinkies 11-1 at Target Field

                                                               Happy fan

The Red Sox offense failed to score in the top of the first against Tepesch who hadn't pitched in 19 days. Mr. Mookie Betts whiffed badly on a 3-2 pitch. Dustin Pedroia worked a walk and stole second on the 3-2 strikeout by Xander Bogaerts. Andrew Benintendi flied out meekly to left to end the inning, pathetic. "Slick" Porcello (2-4, 3.95 ERA) got the ball in the bottom of the first and got Robbie Grossman to fly out to left. Joe Mauer struck out but Miguel Sano lined one over the head of Bogaerts for a base hit. Kennys Vargas grounded out to end the inning.

In an absolute shock, the Sox exploded in the top of the second inning. Hanley Ramirez grounded out, Mitch Moreland flied out but Chris Young blasted a solo home run into the upper deck in left to give the Sox the lead. Sandy Leon singled up the middle and Josh Rutledge hit one to Jorge Polanco who bobbled it for an error. Mr. Mookie walked to load the bases and Pedroia cleared them with a 3 run double. Bogaerts singled to right and Benny The Kid tripled down the left field line to score the two runners and chase Tepesch after just 1 1/3 innings. Twins manager Paul Molitor pulled him for Drew Rucinski and Ramirez greeted him with a single to score Benintendi. Moreland doubled home Ramirez to make it 8-0. Chris Young struck out to end the inning but the Sox had a commanding lead.

                                                 8 run explosion

Could Porcello pitch with a lead for the first time in weeks? YES! Max Kepler looked at strike three and Eduardo Escobar whiffed, but Jason Castro singled. Polanco singled but Eddie Rosario struck out to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the third. Leon grounded out, Rutledge grounded out and Mr. Mookie flied out to end the inning. The Twins tagged Porcello in the bottom of the third as Grossman homered to right. Mauer grounded out and Sano flied out before Vargas grounded out to end the inning. The Twins were now down 8-1.

The Sox threatened in the top of the fourth. Pedroia lined out but Bogaerts and Benny The Kid stroked back to back singles. Ramirez whiffed an so did Moreland to end the inning. Porcello cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Kepler popped up and Escobar grounded out. Castro struck out to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth when Young blasted his second home run into the upper deck as Hanley Ramirez danced in the dug-out. Leon struck out but Rutledge walked. Mr. Mookie banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 9-1.

                                                   Hanley celebrates the home run

Porcello got some schizophrenic defense in the bottom of the fifth inning. Benintendi made two great running catches to rob Polanco and Rosario of hits but dropped a routine ball hit by Grossman. Benintendi than ran down a line drive by Mauer to end the inning.

Old buddy Craig Breslow took the mound in the top of the sixth inning. Pedroia hit a 400 foot out but Bogaerts stretched out a double. Bogaerts got caught in a run-down after Benny The Kid hit one back to Breslow but he survived long enough for Benintendi to reach second before getting tagged out. Ramirez lined out to center to end the inning. Porcello returned for the bottom of the 6th inning. Sano struck out but Vargas hit a ground rule double. Kepler flied out but Vargas went to third.

Ryan Pressly got the ball in the top of the seventh inning. Moreland greeted him with a single before being lifted by pinch runner Deven Marrero. Young grounded out but Marrero moved to second. Leon and Rutledge hit back to back singles to score Marrero to increase the lead. Mr. Mookie popped up and Pedroia grounded out to end the inning but the Sox were now up 10-1.

Rutledge moved from third to first with Marrero moving to third as Porcello returned for the bottom of the seventh. Castro greeted Rick with a double but Polanco and Rosario flied out. Grossman also flied out to end the inning. Porcello as great again, tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball to earn his second win.

                                                    Outstanding effort by Porcello

Michael Tonkin came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning. Bogaerts lined out but Benny The Kid singled to right for his third hit of the game. Ramirez whiffed but Marrero walked. Young grounded into a force to end the inning. Rookie Ben Taylor took the mound in the bottom of the eighth and Mauer greeted him with a single. Ehire Adrianza pinch hit for Sano and flied out. Vargas grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the ninth when Leon homered to dead center to increase the lead. Rutledge worked a walk but Mr. Mookie popped up. Pedroia walked and Twins manager Paul Molitor brought in backup catcher Chris Gimenez to get the final two outs. Somehow he got Bogaerts and Benintendi to fly out to end the inning with the Sox up 11-1.

                                                       Kiss it goodbye, home run Leon

Fernando Abad got the ball in the bottom of the ninth. Kepler flied out, Escobar popped up and Castro flied out to end the game. The Red Sox had won 11-1.

Hero of the Night is Chris Young. His two home runs were the difference in the game even if the 9 other runs weren't scored. The Sox have been lacking home runs all year so this was a big lift.

                                                      Chris Young: Hero


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia knocked in a 3 run double, walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 6 with 2 rbi's and a run scored.

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Deven Marrero walked and scored a run.

Sandy Leon was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a home run

Josh Rutledge was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Rick Porcello was outstanding, tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 6 to earn the win.

Ben Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Fernando Abad pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 but walked and scored.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but made the hit count as he drove in a run and scored.



Final Thoughts:

Now THAT'S more like it. That's the Red Sox offense everyone expected this year. It was great to finally see the offense explode since they did it so frequently last year. Not only that, Porcello pitched well again so it looks like he's back to where he was last year as well. Hopefully this can continue because it looks like the New York Yankees are for real this year. The win improves the Sox to 16-14 on the season, 4 games behind the Yankees. Tomorrow is the monster match between Chris Sale and Ervin Santana as the Sox and Twins wrap up their three game set at 2:05 PM.

Rays Stun Sox (8/30/16)

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

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

                                                            1-0 Tampa

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

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

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

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

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

                                                   Tie game!

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

                                                Ramirez gets it done again....by accident

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

                                                Good, but not good enough

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

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

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

                                              Dammit Clay

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

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

                                                 Pedroia making all the plays

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

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

                                                   Clay the Jackass again


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

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

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 before leaving the game.

Chris Young walked once in two plate appearances.

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

Matt Barnes escaped the seventh inning.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

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

Bryan Holaday was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

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



The Ugly:

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

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

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked.



Final Thoughts:

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