Sox Hold Off Royals (8/4/25)

For seven innings the Boston Red Sox were cruising to an easy victory over the Kansas City Royals. The Sox jumped on Royals starter Bailey Falter for five quick runs in the bottom of the first, capped off by a Jarren Duran three run blast. Rob Refsnyder, Alex Bregman and Wilyer Abreu all drove in runs to add to the lead. Brayan Bello (8-5, 3.03 ERA) gutted through six solid innings allowing just one run. Then in the top of the eighth both Jorge Alcala and Justin Wilson got rocked for 4 runs, causing Sox manager Alex Cora to turn to his closing tag team in a game they led by 7. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door as the Sox won the game 8-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Kody Evans approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan India struck out swinging to start. Bobby Witt Jr popped up to third and Vinnie Pasquantino flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Falter in the bottom of the first as Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to right to start. Alex Bregman got a base hit to center and Wilyer Abreu walked to load the bases. Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to center to score both Gonzalez and Bregman, but Trevor Story popped up to third. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first but Jarren Duran smoked a three run home run to dead center to put the Sox up big. Abraham Toro grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were up 5-0.

                                                     Duran puts the Sox up big

Maikel Garcia grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second but Salvador Perez doubled to center. Mike Yastrzemski struck out swinging and Adam Frazier lined out to short to end the inning. Connor Wong took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Gonzalez lined out to right. Bregman struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals threatened in the top of the third as John Rave got a base hit to center to start. Kyle Isbel ate up Bello on a grounder who threw the ball away for an error to move both runners into scoring position. Bello battled back to strike out India swinging, but India walked to load the bases. Pasquantino lined out to second and Garcia struck out swinging to end the inning. Abreu ripped a base hit to right to start the bottom of the third but Refsnyder banged into a double play. Story walked and promptly stole second. Rafaela stepped up with a base hit to center to score Trevor with another run. Rafaela swiped second but Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                               Rafaela drives in a run.

Things went south in the top of the fourth as Gonzalez booted a grounder by Perez to start. Yaz doubled to center and Frazier hit a sac fly to left to score Perez. Rave grounded out to first to move Yaz to third and Isbel lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                          Perez scores a run

El Toro got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fourth and moved to second on a Wong grounder to second. Gonzalez grounded out to short but Bregman got a base hit to left to score Toro. Abreu flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                             Bregman drives in another

India flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Witt Jr got a base hit to left. Pasquantino grounded into a double play to end the inning. Taylor Clarke came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Refsnyder grounded out to third to start. Story got a base hit off the glove of Clarke but Rafaela banged into a double play to end the inning.

Bello came back for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Garcia singled to right to start. Perez struck out swinging and Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft. Frazier flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Bello who tossed 6 solid innings allowing 1 run, 6 hits and a walk.

                                                          Bello gets the job done

Sam Long came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Toro struck out swinging and Wong popped up to second to end the inning.

Steven Matz came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Nick Loftin grounded out to third to start. Isbel grounded out to short but India walked. Witt Jr took strike three to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Gonzalez doubled down the first base line to start. Bregman walked but Abreu singled to right to score Gonzalez. Refsnyder flied out to right to move Bregman to third but Story struck out swinging. Angel Zerpa came in to pitch to Rafaela and Ceddanne flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                     Abreu with the killshot

Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pasquantino hit a home run to Kelly's Roast Beef to start. Maikel Garcia then hit a home run all the way to Bill & Bob's as the crowd booed. Perez struck out swinging but Yaz got a base hit to left. The ball went under Duran's glove to move Yaz to third and that was it for Alcala. Justin Wilson came in but Frazier got a base hit to center to score Yaz. Loftin doubled to center to score Frazier and Randal Grichuk pinch hit for Isbel. Grichuk struck out swinging and Garrett Whitlock had to come into the game. India walked to load the base and put the tying run at the plate. Witt Jr singled to right but Abreu gunned down Loftin at home to end the inning with the Sox up 8-5.

                                                           Yerrrr out!

Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth and El Toro flied out to left. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with David Hamilton at second base and Pasquantino struck out swinging to start. Garcia flied out to center and Perez grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-5.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Wilyer Abreu. He drove in 2 big runs and gunned down Loftin at the plate to preserve a 3 run lead.

                                                           Abreu Hero

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Alex Bregman was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a stolen base, walk and a run scored.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Steven Matz pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock got the final out of the eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 21st save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jorge Alcala was charged with 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Justin Wilson allowed an inherited runner to score and one of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and drove in a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with an error but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

David Hamilton played second base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Think its time to end the Jorge Alcala experiment as the Sox just got Steven Matz and have Brennan Bernardino buried in Worcester. The Sox had this game won and had no need to use Chapman and Whitlock. Cora was visibly angry with Alcala because he knows the less wear and tear on Aroldis and Garrett means possibly bullets left in October. If Steven Matz can keep doing what he's doing, that gives the Sox a 7-8-9 of Matz, Chapman and Whitlock which would be tough to beat. Bello did the good job and the Sox bats once again did a good job piling on rather than sit on the lead. The Sox are getting timely hitting and they'll take any run they can get. The Toronto Blue Jays crushed the Colorado Rockies tonight but the Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees. The Sox now are up 2.5 games on them for the first wild card and 4 games in front of Texas for the third wild card. Its too early for a magic number but it would be 44 as of today. They still can set their sights on the first seed if they can catch Toronto and Detroit since they're only 3 games out. Winning 6 games in a row is great and hopefully they can keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 63-51, 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it seven wins in a row tomorrow night when Garrett Crochet (12-4, 2.23 ERA) takes on Ryan Bergert of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Giolito, Sox Sweep Astros (8/3/25)

On June 29th, the Boston Red Sox were 3 games under .500, they were 8 games behind the New York Yankees for first place and they were reeling after losing 7 of 9 following the Rafael Devers trade. Just a little over a month later the Red Sox have gone 21-7 since including completing a 3 game sweep of the Houston Astros. Lucas Giolito (8-2, 3.57 ERA) tossed one of the best games of the season holding the Astros to just 1 run and 3 hits in 8 great innings. The Sox scored in just one inning but they made it count. Framber Valdez got frazzled and the Sox put up six runs in the bottom of the fourth. Carlos Correa homered off Giolito but Trevor Story drove in a run to tie it. Ceddanne Rafaela drove in the go-ahead run and the Sox poured it on, scoring four more runs. More than enough cushion for Giolito and Chris Murphy shut the door in the ninth inning. The Sox had swept the Houston Astros out of Boston with a 6-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                          Brock Lesnar approves of the win

Giolito got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jeremy Pena grounded out to third to start. Jose Altuve hit one up the elevator shaft as Jesus Sanchez doubled off the glove of Ceddanne Rafaela. Carlos Correa grounded out to second to end the inning. Valdez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to right to start. Alex Bregman was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to move Refsnyer to second and Roman Anthony grounded out to first to move Rob to third. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Christian Walker flied out to center to start the top of the second and Yainer diaz grounded out to third. Taylor Trammell walked but Mauricio Dubon grounded out to third to end the inning. Trevor Story continued his hot streak with a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela singled in the hole at short. Abraham "El" Toro beat out a double play ball but Wilyer Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Ramon Urias hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the third and Pena took strike three. Altuve popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Connor Wong grounded out to second to start. Refsnyder grounded out to second and Bregman grounded out to third to end the inning.

Sanchez took strike three to start the top of the fourth inning but Correa hit a home run all the way to Laos to put the Astros up. Walker popped up to second and Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0.

                                                            Correa returns to the Astros

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Anthony doubled off the Monster to start. Gonzalez walked and the red hot Story got a base hit to right to score Anthony. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Gonzalez and move Story to third. Story scored on a balk and El Toro beat out a roller to to the mound. Abreu dropped down a suicide squeeze bunt that Valdez threw the ball away, scoring Rafaela. A passed ball moved the runners over and Wong hit a sac fly to right to score Toro, moving Abreu to third. Refsnyder grounded out to second to score Abreu with another run. Bregman lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox now led 6-1.

                                                           Rafaela drives in a run

Trammell popped up to first to start the top of the fifth before Dubon struck out swinging. Urias flied out to center to end the inning. Anthony grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Gonzalez struck out swinging. Story struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pena grounded back to the mound to start the top of the sixth before Altuve got a base hit to left. Sanchez flied out to right and Correa forced Jose at second to end the inning. Rafaela was plunked to start the bottom of the sixth before being forced at second by Toro. Toro got picked off and Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning.

Walker grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh and Diaz grounded out to third. Trammell grounded out to second to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Wong grounded out to third to start. Refsnyder struck out swinging but Bregman walked. Anthony took strike three to end the inning.

Giolito returned for one final inning in the top of the eighth and Dubon popped up to first to start. Urias flied out to center and Pena struck out swinging. Lucas had tossed 8 innings allowing just 3 hits and a run, he was outstanding.

                                                         Big game from Giolito

Nick Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Gonzalez grounded out to short to start. Story flied out to center but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Toro grounded out to short to end the inning.

Chris Murphy came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Altuve popped up to third to start. Cooper Hummel pinch hit for Sanchez and struck out swinging. Correa grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Lucas Giolito. He tossed 8 innings allowing just 3 hits and a single run.

                                                   Kickstart the Hero

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 3 with a hit by pitch, an rbi and a run scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Chris Murphy pitched a scoreless ninth inning. 

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Alex Bregman was 0 for 3 but walked.

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4, got picked off and got thrown out trying to steal, but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Not only did the New York Yankees get swept by the Miami Marlins but the Toronto Blue Jays lost to put the Red Sox just 3 games behind them and the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the American League. How sad is that? The Sox have been perfectly mediocre all season and they're just 5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball. Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet have been solid all season but if Giolito continues to pitch like this, the Sox have a very good chance of making it to October. The Sox are currently 4 games ahead of the Texas Rangers who's the odd-team out at the moment. Boston has 49 games left to hold them off more or less. The Sox got all their runs in one inning today but Giolito wasn't going to let them down. The warts are still there anytime Jorge Alcala, Jordan Hicks or Walker Buehler is in the game, but otherwise the Sox have been solid down the line. They still need another bat in the lineup but for now, its not bothering them. The win improved the Sox to 62-51, 3 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome the Kansas City Royals and their new acquisition Mike Yastrzemski in for a three game set beginning tomorrow night. Brayan Bello (7-5, 3.19 ERA) takes on Bailey Falter of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Annihilate Twins (7/30/25)

Before the game there was some organizational moves made. David Sandlin (the guy they got for John Schreiber) and Connelly Early were promoted to Worcester and the Salem Red Sox released Nathanael Cruz. Early and Peyton Tolle are the big time lefties in the organization right now and Sandlin was 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA for the Portland Sea Dogs. With the draft class of 2024 bumping up to Salem, everybody is moving up, down or out. The 22 year old Cruz was 1-2 with a 5.08 ERA. With some of the class of 2025 making their debuts this season, he was the odd man out.

                                                                 Bye bye Cruz

As for the game, very few wins this year have been considered easy due to the inconsistent offense or bullpen woes. This game was was a laugher and a half as the Boston bats woke up to pound Zebby Matthews and the Minnesota Twins for 16 hits and 13 runs. Masataka Yoshida, Romy Gonzalez, Jarren Duran and Trevor Story all went yard with Yoshida and Gonzalez driving in 3 runs apiece. Duran drove in four total runs as the bats feasted. On the other side of the ball, Brayan Bello (7-5, 3.19 ERA) held the Twins to just 5 hits and 1 run in 7 strong innings. The Sox led 8-1 after 6 and added 5 more runs to run away with this one 13-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Ethan Page approves of the win

Matthews got the ball in the top of the first and Roman Anthony flied out to center to start. Abraham "El" Toro popped up to short and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Trevor Larnach flied out to right to start. Brooks Lee grounded out to second but Kody Clemens walked. Ryan Jeffers got a base hit to left and Clemens tried to score from first. Ceddanne Rafaela threw home.....YOU'RE OUT! Clemens was out at home to end the inning.

                                                      You're out, you dummy

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Trevor Story belted his 17th home run of the season to begin. Wilyer Abreu took strike three but Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to center. Masataka Yoshida flied out to right and Rafaela lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Story goes yard

The lead lasted 10 seconds in the bottom of the second as Willi Castro flied out to right to start. Royce Lewis grounded out to third but Matt Wallner hit a home run all the way to Michigan to tie the game. Harrison Bader struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Home run for Wallner

Connor Wong surprised everyone with a double to right to start the top of the third and Anthony got a base hit to right to move him to third. El Toro hit a sac fly to left to score Wong to put the Sox back on top but Duran grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                               Toro hits a sac fly

DeShawn Keirsey Jr grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third but Larnach walked. Lee flied out to center but Clemens walked on four pitches not even close. Jeffers popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Story doubled to left to start. Abreu popped up to short and Gonzalez struck out swinging, but Yoshida's strike three ball got away allowing him to make first. Story moved to third on the wild pitch and Yoshida swiped second. Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. Castro grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth before Lewis lined out to right. Wallner grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Wong got a base hit to center to start. Anthony doubled to right but El Toro grounded out to short. Duran got a base hit to center to score both runners and chase Matthews. Justin Topa came in and Story walked, but Abreu struck out swinging. Gonzalez walked to load the bases and Yoshida singled to right to score Duran and Story. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                        Yoshida drives in a pair

Bader got a base hit in the hole at short to start the bottom of the fifth before Keirsey Jr took strike three. Larnach got a base hit to center to move Bader to third but Lee grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Noah Davis came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Anthony was hit with a pitch but El Toro lined out to short. Duran clobbered his 11th home run of the season to turn this game into a laugher. Story took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                          Duran hits one out

Clemens flied out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Jeffers grounded out to short. Castro lined out to short to end the inning.

Abreu flied out to center to start the top of the seventh but Gonzalez struck out swinging. Yoshida took strike three to end the inning. Bello returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Lewis grounded out to third to start. Wallner walked and Bader got a base hit to left, but Keirsey Jr took strike three. Larnach took strike three to end the inning. Bello was masterful, tossing 7 innings allowing just the 1 run on 5 hits.

                                                             Bello was great

Cole Sands came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Wong walked but Anthony struck out swinging. Keirsey made a great sliding catch to rob Toro of a hit to end the inning. Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with David Hamilton now at short. Lee grounded out to third, Clemens grounded out to first and Jeffers popped up to short to end the inning.

Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Ty France coming in for Castro. Duran doubled to right and Hamilton got a base hit to right to move Duran to third. Abreu got a base hit to right to score Duran and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said screw this game. Infielder Kody Clemens made like his father Roger and came in to pitch with Mickey Gasper taking his previous spot. Gonzalez hit a three run home run followed by Yoshida's first home run of the season. Rafaela got a base hit to center before Wong flied out to center. Anthony flied out to center and El Toro forced Rafaela at second to end the inning with the Sox up 13-1.

                     Pitcher named Clemens on the mounds....where have we seen that before?

Murphy returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and France flied out to right to start. Lewis popped up to second and Wallner grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-1.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is Brayan Bello. He dominated the Twins for 7 innings allowing just 1 run off 5 hits and 4 walks.

                                                               Bello Hero

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 5 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with a home run, 4 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 2 total runs scored.

David Hamilton singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Chris Murphy tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Abraham Toro was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

There's only been a handful of games where you can sit back and just go ahhhhhh, this was one of them, The way Bello was pitching, the game was over in the 5th inning. It was nice to see the Sox add to the lead so the game didn't get tight. Now the bullpen is totally rested for the Houston Astros this Friday. It was nice to see Yoshida go yard even if it was against Kody Clemens. Maybe that'll help him get his power stroke back. The offense did what they had to do to win 2 out of 3 but Monday's loss is the difference between a good series and a five game win streak. The Toronto Blue Jays narrowly defeated the Baltimore Orioles so the Sox gained no ground there. Still, it was an easy win and now the Sox can rest for a day before taking on Houston. The trade deadline tomorrow and rumors are swirling that they'll make a move, that they won't make a move, etc. Either way the Sox need to do something if they want to play in October or they could trade Duran & Aroldis Chapman and play for next year. Whatever they do, Sox GM Craig Breslow better be prepared to explain either way. He can't afford to have another deadline like last year where all four pickups didn't even make it out of August while the prospects they traded made their ML debuts. The win improved the Sox to 59-51, 5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox are back in action Friday night against the Astros when Captain TBD of the Sox takes on Hunter Brown of Houston. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Dodgers Drop Sox (7/25/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Marcelo Mayer has been placed on the Injured List with a wrist sprain and the Sox called up David Hamilton to replace him. Mayer was struggling but the real story is they called up Hamilton instead of Vaughn Grissom. The Chris Sale trade will forever haunt the Red Sox mostly because Grissom's career totally evaporated. Good news for Hamilton though.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Red Sox once again failed to beat a good team as the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers stomped a mud-hole in the Sox. Emmet Sheehan held the Sox to just 2 runs in 5 innings of work and the Sox had just 2 hits the rest of the game. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA) got lit up for 3 runs before leaving in the sixth inning. The Sox did claw back to make it 3-2 but Sox manager Alex Cora foolishly sent Jorge Alcala to pitch the top of the eighth inning. Teoscar Hernandez launched a two run home run to ice the game. The Sox failed to touch the bullpen and the Sox dropped to 2-5 on this National League stretch by dropping this game 5-2 at Fenway Park.

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging to start. Will Smith lined out to left and Freddie Freeman flied out to center to end the inning. Sheehan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran walked to start. Alex Bregman moved Duran to second with a grounder to second and Roman Anthony walked. Trevor Story struck out swinging and Masataka Yoshida did the same to end the inning.

Alex Bregman made a great stab to rob Teoscar Henrandez of a base hit in the top of the second but Andy Pages doubled to center. Michael Conferto grounded out to first to move Pages to third and Tommy Edman singled in the hole at short to put the Dodgers up already. Hyeseong Kim struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 1-0 Dodgers.

                                                      Edman drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to start. Wilyer Abreu popped up to short and Abraham Toro grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Dodgers iced the game in the top of the third as Miguel Rojas lined out to short to start. Ohtani got a base hit to right and Smith also got a base hit to right. Freeman got a base hit to center to load the bases and Hernandez walked home Ohtani. Pages hit a sac fly to right to score Smith but Freeman was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Dodgers up 3-0.

                                                            Dodgers pour it on

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the third as Connor Wong doubled to left to start. Duran got a base hit to right to score Wong and Bregman doubled to left to score Duran. That was it as Anthony lined out to second, Story popped up to second and Yoshida popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                      Sox are back in it

Conforto grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Edman flied out to right. Kim struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Abreu whiffed as well. Toro took strike three to end the inning.

Rojas grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Ohtani walked. Smith got a base hit to left to move Ohtani to third but Freeman struck out swinging. Hernandez also went down hacking to end the inning. Wong lined out to center to open the bottom of the fifth before Duran flied out to left. Bregman lined out to left to end the inning.

Pages flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Bello after 98 pitches. He allowed 3 runs in just 5 1/3 innings but once again got no run support. Chris Murphy came in to pitch and Conforto greeted him with a double to center. A wild pitch moved Conforto to third but Edman grounded out to third. Kim struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                   Bello got no run support again

Anthony Banda came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Anthony grounded out to third to start. Story flied out to center but Yoshida got a base hit to left. Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning.

Rojas grounded back to the mound to start the top of the seventh inning before Ohtani struck out swinging. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and struck out swinging. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Toro and grounded out to second. Edgardo Henriquez came in to pitch to Wong and Connor flied out to left to end the inning.

Freeman got a base hit to center to start the top of the eighth and Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Jorge Alcala to pitch to Hernandez. Bad move.....Hernandez hit a home run all the way to New Jersey to ice the game. Pages got a base hit to right and the Sox pulled off a strike em out, throw em out double play. Edman popped up to second to end the inning with the Dodgers ahead 5-2.

                                                             Hernandez with the killshot

James Outman took over for Herandez with Alex Vesia now on the mound to start the top of the eighth. Duran took strike three, Bregman grounded out to short and Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kim struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Rojas walked. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch and Ohtani hit one up the elevator shaft. Smith grounded to second to end the inning. Ben Casparius came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Story doubled to left to start. Yoshida grounded out to third and Rafaela flied out to center, but Gonzalez was hit with a pitch to bring the tying run to the plate.

Jackass of the Night should be Alex Cora but its Jorge Alcala. His two run bomb surrendered to Hernandez iced the game.

                                                           Jackass Alcala watches it go

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was hit with a pitch in two at-bats.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Brennan Bernardino got the final 2 outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.

Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

Chris Murphy was charged with a run in 1 2/3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The talent difference between the National League teams the Red Sox have faced and themselves is appalling. They aren't scoring runs and the starters are getting jumped on early in almost every single game. The pitchers aren't putting the bats in a position to win but the bats have gone silent. The fact they're a team of utility players and downsliding sluggers is catching up to them. Having Gonzalez, Refsnyder and Toro as starters because Rafael Devers is gone, Kristian Campbell fell flat on his face and Triston Casas is out for the season isn't sustainable. This one was also on Cora for putting Jorge Alcala in a high leverage situation when historically that's a bad idea. It was unlikely the Sox were scoring a run in the later innings anyway, but going down by 3 sealed the deal. The Sox are now 2-5 running through this gauntlet and is in danger of falling out of a playoff spot by the time Sunday's game is over. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-50, 7.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow in a monster match of aces. Garrett Crochet (11-4) takes on Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:15 PM at Fenway Park.

Imanaga, Cubs Blank Sox (7/19/25)

It took just two games for the feel good story of the ten game win streak to end and send the Boston Red Sox back to reality. The Chicago Cubs dominated the Red Sox for the second straight game as Shota Imanaga outdueled Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA) allowing just 5 hits and a walk in seven shutout innings. For the second straight game the Cubs struck first as both Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker hit back to back home runs on the first two pitches. Vidal Brujan hit a sac fly in the bottom of the second but Bello held tough for six innings. Then Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ went yard in the seventh and eighth innings to put this game on ice. The Cubs defeated the Sox 6-0 at Wrigley Field, how many runs did the Red Sox get John Cena?

Imanaga got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder led off with a double to center. Refsnyder moved to third on the grounder to first by Alex Bregman and Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging. Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Things went south real quick for Bello in the bottom of the first as Michael Busch hit the first pitch of the game all the way to Comiskey Park for a home run to put the Cubs up for good. Kyle Tucker then sent the second pitch of the game to the moon to ice it just two batters into the bottom of the first. Seiya Suzuki flied out to center, Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out swinging and Ian Happ grounded out to first to end the inning with the Cubs up 2-0.

                                                       Game was over already

Trevor Story flied out to right to begin the top of the second before Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first. Masataka Yoshida singled to right and Abraham Toro got a base hit to center, but Connor Wong flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox would have just two hits the rest of the game. The Cubs struck again in the bottom of the second as Dansby Swanson walked to start. Nico Hoerner singled to left and Reese McGuire forced Hoerner at second. Vidal Brujan hit a sac fly to left to score Swanson to increase the lead. Busch struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 3-0.

                                                  Sac fly by the Cubs

Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Bregman flied out to left. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Tucker grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Suzuki flied out to right. PCA got a base hit to right and promptly stole second. Happ lined out to second to end the inning.

Anthony walked to start the top of the fourth before Story struck out swinging. Rafaela popped up to first and Yoshida forced Anthony at second to end the inning. Swanson struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Hoerner singled down the third base line. McGuire popped up to third and Brujan grounded out to second to end the inning.

Toro flied out to right to open the top of the fifth before Wong popped up to third. Refsnyder popped up to first to end the inning. Busch got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Tucker grounded out to second to move Michael to second. Suzuki popped up to short and PCA grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bregman grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Gonzalez flied out to right. Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello returned for the bottom of the sixth and Happ struck out swinging to start. Swanson lined out to left and Hoerner grounded out to short to end the inning. Bello was rocked early but bounced back to allow just 3 runs in 6 innings.

                                                            Bello deserved run support

Story flied out to left to begin the top of the seventh before Rafaela grounded out to third. Yoshida got a base hit to right but Toro hit a roller to Imanaga, throwing the ball away to put runners at the corners. Naturally Wong popped up to second to end the inning. Chris Murphy came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh as McGuire struck out swinging to start. Matt Shaw pinch hit for Brujan and hit a home run all the way to Second City Comedy Club to increase the lead. Busch grounded out to first but Tucker got a base hit to right. Suzuki grounded out to second to end the inning with the Cubs ahead 4-0.

                                                            Shaw is all smiles

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Jarren Duran pinch hit for Refsnyder. Duran struck out swinging to start and Bregman took strike three before Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Gonzalez. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. The fact the Sox have been utterly dominated by Brad Keller for two straight games is embarrassing. PCA laughed at the Sox as he effortlessly crushed a home run to start the bottom of the eighth and Happ joined in with a home run into the Atlantic Ocean as well. Swansong grounded out to third but Hoerner was hit with a pitch. McGuire lined out to short but Shaw singled to right. Abreu made a sliding catch to rob Busch of a hit to end the inning with the Cubs up 8-0.

                                                              Cubs pour it on

Old friend Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Anthony struck out swinging to start. Story went down hacking but Rafaela singled in the hole at short. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the game. The Cubs had won it 6-0.

                                                                 Cubs win

Jackass of the Night is Connor Wong. The worst statistical player in baseball was 0 for 3 including failing with 2 men on twice.

                                                          .144 hitting Jackass

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4.

Abraham Toro was 2 for 3.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

Alex Bregman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Chris Murphy allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 6 innings off 6 hits and a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Took just two games for things to fall apart and go back to normal. Terrible situational hitting, giving up runs very early and spotty relief pitching. The season is far from over but all the momentum the Sox built up before the break is gone. The Sox are playing the best the National League has to offer in Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Losing 2 out of 3 to all 3 or worse might take them out of the race for good. Bello and Giolito both went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs apiece but the offense went to sleep. When the bats aren't facing bad teams, they're in trouble. How much longer can you get away with relying on Romy Gonzalez, Abraham Toro and Carlos Narvaez? Also how much longer and the Sox pull the plug on Connor Wong? At this point, ANYONE is better than him. Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli could come out of retirement and put up better numbers than him. I know he's the last man standing from the Mookie Betts trade but how many games is he going to cost them before enough is enough? Its all adding up to a season that just might slip away before the trade deadline. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-47, 5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Crochet (10-4) takes on Cade Horton of Chicago. The game begins at 2:30 PM Eastern time at Wrigley Field.

Bello, Sox Sweep Rays For 10th Straight (7/13/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Blake Sabol was traded to the Chicago White Sox for a big brown sack full of money. After Carlos Narvaez broke out, Sabol was expendable. Since Sox brass refuses to cut Connor Wong because he's last man standing from the Mookie Betts trade, Sabol was the one sent to Chicago. The Sox have Nathan Hickey in AAA in case someone else gets hurt or they finally tell Wong to beat it.

                                                                           OUT

As for the game, say hello to the hottest team in baseball heading into the All-Star break. The Boston Red Sox had swept the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies coming into this series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox won three straight games and needed one more to win 10 games in a row. They got it as timely hitting and great pitching by Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14 ERA) kept the Sox in the game. An obstruction call on Marcelo Mayer and a Trevor Story rbi put the Sox ahead before Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two run shot to put the game away. Bello gave way to Justin Wilson, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman to slam the door. Chapman blew away the side in the ninth as the Sox won 10 straight games and this one 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                 Freya Von Doom approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first and Chandler Simpson grounded out to short to start. Jonathan Aranda took strike three and Yandy Diaz lined out to right. Pepiot got the ball in the bottom off the first inning and Jarren Duran singled to center to start. Alex Bregman popped up to third and Duran got promptly picked off. Roman Anthony grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jake Mangum grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Josh Lowe grounded out to second. Junior Caminero singled to left but Matt Thaiss flied out to right to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Story flied out to right. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Rays goofed in the top of the third as Ha-Seong Kim flied out to right to start. Taylor Walls flied out to left but Story bobbled a grounder by Simpson for an infield single. Aranda was hit with a pitch but Diaz lofted a ball to Rafaela. Ceddanne dove and it looked like he made the catch, but he dropped it. Simpson pulled up thinking the ball was caught but then realized it wasn't. Before he could cross home plate, Aranda was thrown out at third to end the inning.

The Sox caught another break in the bottom of the third as Marcelo Mayer doubled to the bullpen wall to start. Romy Gonzalez grounded out to third and Connor Wong grounded out to second to move Mayer to third. Mayer looked like he was picked off, but third base umpire Scott Barry ruled that Caminero obstructed Mayer with his right leg so Marcelo was allowed to score. Duran walked but Bregman popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         "He's safe" - Barry

The lead lasted 8 seconds as Mangum doubled to left to start the top of the fourth. A wild pitch moved Mangum to third and he scored on the liner to right by Lowe. Caminero grounded out to third and Thaiss grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Lowe ties the game

Anthony flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Yoshida grounded out to first. Story got a base hit to left but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox bad defense reared its ugly head as Kim popped up to first to start the top of the fifth. Walls got a base hit to center and Bello booted a grounder by Simpson for an error. Aranda struck out swinging and Diaz popped up to right to end the inning. Mayer grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth before Gonzalez grounded out to third. Somehow Wong got a seeing eye single into right but Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mangum struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Lowe golfed a pop up to center. Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. Bregman grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Anthony doubled off the top of the Monster. Anthony moved to third on the Yoshida grounder to first and scored on the Story line drive single off the Monster. Story promptly stole second and Rafaela smashed a home run that hit the top of the Monster and bounced into the seats. Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                        Rafaela gets the Wally Head

Bello returned for the top of the seventh and naturally Thaiss sliced a base hit to left to start. Kim managed to foul balls off both his legs before taking strike three. That was it for Bello who pitched a hell of a game, going 6 2/3 innings allowing 1 run without walking anyone. Justin Wilson came in and Walls grounded out to short to move Thaiss to second. Simpson grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                            "Bello ya sonovagun, good game" - Cora

Ian Seymour came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Curtis Mead coming in for the beat up Kim. Gonzalez grounded out to short, Wong took strike three and Duran flied out to center to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Aranda was called out on strike three on the outside corner to start. Diaz lined a base hit past Mayer and Mangum beat out an infield single to short. Lowe forced Mangum at second to put runners at the corners but Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. Bregman got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth but was forced at second by Anthony. Yoshida grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Christopher Morel pinch hit for Thaiss. Morel struck out swinging on a hanging slider and Chapman blew away Mead. Walls also struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had swept the series, won 10 straight and took the game 4-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brayan Bello. He held the Rays to just 1 run in 6 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits and no walks while striking out 5.

                                                           Hero Bello

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Justin Wilson got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 17th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4.

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are absolutely rolling heading into the All-Star break after winning 10 in a row. The pitching has been lights out and credit Alex Cora for finally letting the starters go longer. Bello going the distance last game and into the seventh today shortens the game tremendously. If and when Justin Slaten comes back, this bullpen might be one of the best in the game. Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story have stepped up in the wake of Rafael Devers getting traded and the returns of Alex Bregman and Masataka Yoshida will give them two more contact hitters. The Sox are starting to develop an identity on offense and if they can avoid any more key injuries, they can come out of the gate firing this Friday in Chicago. The Sox were pretty much dead on June 29th but winning 13 out of 14 brought them back into the thick of things. There's still rumors of the Sox dealing Duran, Chapman and possibly Bregman, but winning cures everything. If the Sox come out of the break continuing to win, they might be buyers at the trade deadline in a few weeks. All in all it was a great win today and the Sox did what they had to do to get back in the race. The win improved the Sox to 53-45, 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. The Sox come out of the break this Friday taking on the Chicago Cubs in Chicago. Lucas Giolito (6-1, 3.36 ERA) takes on Colin Rea of the Cubs. The game begins at 2:20 PM at Wrigley Field.