Wacha, Padres Blank Sox (5/21/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Sox GM Chaim Bloom called Ryan Brasier into his office and shouted YOUURREEEEEEEEE.....FIREDDDDDDDDDDD!!!! Brasier was shot out of a cannon after getting off to a poor start and with the rise of John Schreiber, Brasier was deemed expendable. With the Sox having a tendency to overuse the bullpen, this might not have been the best move. Time will tell.

                                                                 Bye bye Brasier

As for the game,  it was bad news all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics lost Game 3 of their Eastern Finals series with the Miami Heat and the San Diego Padres blanked the Sox with the help of an old friend. Michael Wacha improved to 5-1 with the Padres and showed why Sox GM should be headed for the chopping block as the guy who replaced him, Corey Kluber (2-6, 6.26 ERA) got lit up for 5 runs in just 2 1/3 innings. Richard Bleier and Nick Pivetta also got tagged for a few runs. Meanwhile Wacha threw six shutout innings and the Red Sox as a team was held to just 7 hits. It all added up to an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the Padres at Petco Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Wacha got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo flied out to center to start. Masataka Yoshida walked but Triston Casas struck out swinging. Rafael Devers flied out to right to end the inning. Kluber got hammered in the bottom of the first as Fernando Tatis Jr walked to start. Kluber booted a grounder by Jake Cronenworth for an error and Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Juan Soto popped up to short but Matt Carpenter walked to score Tatis. Ha-Seong Kim struck out swinging but Rougned Odor doubled to right to clear the bases, icing the game in just the first inning. Trent Grisham flied out to right to end the inning with the Padres up 4-0.

                                                          Odor ices it

Soto made a great diving catch to rob Jarren Duran of a hit to start the top of the second but Raimel Tapia got a base hit to left. Kike Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Brett Sullivan doubled to center to start the bottom of the second but Tatis Jr grounded out to third. Cronenworth hit a bullet Enmanuel Valdez who tossed to Hernandez to double off Sullivan to end the inning.

Valdez popped up to short to start the top of the third but Reese McGuire lined out to center. Verdugo flied out to right to end the inning. The Padres knocked Kluber out in the bottom of the third although Devers made a great play to rob Bogaerts to start. Soto got a base hit to center and that was it for Kluber. Richard Bleier came in to pour gas on the fire as Carpenter hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to increase the lead. Kim grounded out to third and Odor flied out to left to end the inning with the Padres up 6-0.

                                                  "Yeah you're out, Kluber, now beat it!"

Yoshida got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth before Casas followed with a single to right. Devers grounded into a double play and Duran flied out to right to end the inning. Grisham grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Sullivan flied out to right. Nick Pivetta came in to pitch to Tatis Jr and Nick got him to fly out to right to end the inning.

Tapia got a base hit to center to start the top of the fifth but Hernandez struck out swinging. Valdez flied out to center but McGuire reached on a nubber in front of the plate. Verdugo lined out to right to end the inning. Cronenworth grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Bogaerts took strike three. Valdez threw a ball away by Soto for an error but Carpenter grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Yoshida struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Casas grounded out to first. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. The Padres struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Kim got a base hit to center to start. Odor doubled to left to score Kim but Grisham flied out to left. Sullivan took strike three and Tatis Jr went down hacking to end the inning.

                                                          Odor does it again

Tom Cosgrove came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran struck out swinging to start. Tapia struck out swinging and Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Pablo Reyes came in to play second with Joely Rodriguez now on the mound to start the bottom of the seventh. Cronenworth grounded out to second to start and Bogaerts went down hacking. Soto was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Nick Martinez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Reyes lined out to right to start. McGuire got a base hit to center but Verdugo forced him at second. Yoshida got a base hit to left but Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Justin Garza came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Carpenter was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to begin. Kim struck out swinging and Odor popped up to third to end the inning.

Josh Hader came in to close out the top of the ninth with Jose Azocar in for Soto in left. Devers and Duran both struck out swinging but Tapia walked. Hernandez walked as well but Reyes grounded out to second to end the game. The Padres had won it 7-0.

                                                                     Padres win

Jackass of The Night is Corey Kluber. He got charged with 5 runs in 2 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 3 walks to take the loss.

                                                         Field the ball Jackass

    

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Raimel Tapia was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 3.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning.

Justin Garza pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 2.

Richard Bleier allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Nick Pivetta allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

This is the kind of game that makes you hate to be a Sox fan. You got Michael Wacha dominating on the mound with Xander Bogaerts over his shoulder at short.....for San Diego. Meanwhile Trevor Story is out for half of the season and Corey Kluber is a shell of himself. Not only that, you got Richard Bleier giving up bombs and Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez going 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error combined. Its only May and there's a lot of baseball left but Bloom doesn't look good right now. Nothing went right in this game and its a miracle the Sox are only 8 games out of first place. There's still time to turn it around but swapping Wacha with Kluber looks awful right now. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-21, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow continuing their west coast trip in Los Angeles in a three game set with the Angels. Kutter Crawford (1-1) takes on Chase Silseth of the Angels tomorrow night at 9:30 PM Eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Cardinals Sweep Kluber, Sox (5/14/23)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Philadelphia Sixers in Game 7 of their second round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox got swept by the St. Louis Cardinals. THAT was embarrassing. Corey Kluber (2-5, 6.41 ERA) got hammered again as the Sox got swept by the lowly Cardinals in empathetic fashion. Kluber allowed 4 runs in just 5 innings while Miles Mikolas shut down the Sox bats, holding them to 1 run in 6 innings. Brennan Bernardino and Ryan Brasier also got hammered for 5 runs as the Cardinals swept the Sox out of Boston 9-1 at Fenway Park. 

                                                                "Kluber....again...."

The Cards wasted no time getting to Kluber in the top of the first inning as Lars Nootbaar doubled off the Monster to start. Paul Goldschmidt got a base hit to right to score Nootbaar and put the Cards up just two batters into the game. Nolan Gorman flied out to right, Nolan Arenado struck out swinging and Wilson Contreras went down hacking to end the inning with the Cardinals up 1-0.

                                                     Cards strike first

The Sox answered against Mikolas in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo doubled to center to start. Verdugo moved to third on the Masataka Yoshida grounder to second. Justin Turner flied out to right but Rafael dumped a base hit to right to score Verdugo. Jarren Duran lined out to first to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                Devers ties it up

Brendan Donovan took strike three to start the top of the second but Paul DeJong hit a home run all the way to Madagascar to put the Cards up for good. Dylan Carson singled to right but Andrew Knizner popped up to second. Nootbaar lined out to left to end the inning with the Cards up 2-1.

                                                              Cards end it early

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Triston Casas grounded out to second to start. Enmanuel Valdez walked but Reese McGuire flied out to left. Pablo Reyes made his Sox debut by popping up to shirt to end the inning.

Goldschmidt lined out to center to start the top of the third but Gorman walked. Arenado forced Gorman at second then swiped second base. Contreras and Donovan walked to load the bases but DeJong struck out swinging to end the inning. Alec Burleson took over for Carson to start the bottom of the third and Verdugo grounded out to short to start. Yoshida and Turner both grounded out to third to end the inning. 

The Cards struck again in the top of the fourth as Burleson caught Kluber asleep with a bunt single. Knizner then hit a home run all the way to Morocco to ice the game. Nootbaar grounded out to first but Goldschmidt doubled to right. Gorman flied out to right and Arenado struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cardinals ahead 4-1.

                                                     Another damn home run

Devers dumped a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Duran lined out to center but Casas singled to left. Valdez forced Casas at second to end the inning.

Contreras grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Donovan flied out to center. DeJong flied out to left to end the inning and that was it for Kluber. He got hammered again for 4 runs in just 5 innings of work. Just not good enough.

                                                      Another beating for Kluber

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire grounded out to third to begin. Reyes walked and moved to second on the Verdugo grounder to second. Yoshida also grounded out to second to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to take a beating in the top of the sixth as Burleson flied out to center to start. Knizner singled to center and Nootbaar singled to right, but Goldschmidt struck out swinging. Gorman walked to chase Bernardino and Ryan Brasier came in to face Arenado. Naturally Nolan ripped a base hit to center to score Knizner and Nootbaar. Contreras hit a bullet to Casas to end the inning but the Cards led 6-1.

                                                              Arenado drives in two

Turner flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Devers flied out to center. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Casas threw a grounder by Donovan away for an error to start the top of the seventh but DeJong lined out to short. Burleson flied out to left and Knizner struck out swinging to end the inning. Genesis Cabrera came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas walked to start. Valdez struck out swinging and McGuire went down hacking but Reyes blooped a base hit to right to move Casas to third. Verdugo walked and with a chance to do some damage....Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning. 

The Cards poured it on in the top of the eighth as Nootbaar doubled to left to start. A wild pitch moved Lars to third but Goldschmidt struck out swinging. Gorman pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Nootbaar and Arenado hit a home run all the way to London to wrap up the scoring. Contreras grounded out to short and Donovan grounded out to second to end the inning with the Cardinals up 9-1.

                                                        Arenado is number one

Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Turner took strike three to start. Devers whiffed but Duran walked. Casas watched strike three go by to end the inning. 

Richard Bleier came in to pitch the top of the ninth and DeJong grounded back to the mound to start. Burleson singled to right but was forced at second by Knizner. Nootbaar grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tommy Edman came in for Goldschmidt, Juan Yepez came in for Arenado and Chris Stratton took the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Valdez took strike three, McGuire grounded out to first and Reyes took strike three to end the game. The Cards had completed the sweep 9-1.

                                                                  Cardinals win

Jackass of The Night is Corey Kluber. He put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. 

                                                                    Jackass Kluber

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Pablo Reyes was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Richard Bleier tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brennan Bernardino allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning. 

Ryan Brasier allowed 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Triston Casas was just 1 for 3 with a strikeout and an error.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 but walked. 

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

This game and this series was a microcosm of ineptitude that's plaguing the Red Sox. How do you lose three straight at home to a team that bad? Kluber so far has been a 10 million dollar bust but the bullpen didn't do him or the Sox any favors by allowing 5 runs to put the game out of reach. Not that the bats were going to do much anyway. Then again, when you lose Trevor Story in spring training and lose two big bats in Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez in free agency, can't expect to have the same offense. I don't know what the Sox can do to fix anything, they may have to go with what they have for a while. Maybe they'll turn things around, who knows? The loss dropped the Sox to 22-19, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when they welcome in the Seattle Mariners in for a three game set. George Kirby goes for the Mariners against Tanner Houck (3-2) of the Sox. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Win 8th Straight, beat Philly (5/6/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Kaleb Ort was sent back to Worcester and Zack Littell was called up to take his place. Littell went 6-0 with Minnesota in 2019 so hopefully they can get something out of him.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the red hot Sox have won their eighth straight game by beating the Philadelphia Phillies. The Sox were down 1-0 when Rafael Devers keyed a 5 run rally to put the Sox up for good in the top of the fourth. The Phillies got two more runs off Corey Kluber (2-4, 6.29 ERA) who went 5 innings. Rob Refsnyder got a big two run double in the top of the sixth for the big insurance runs and they needed them because Brennan Bernardino allowed his first run of the season. Still, Kenley Jansen earned career save number 399 as the Sox locked down their eighth win in a row with a 7-4 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

                                                         8 in a row....ah ah ah

Bailey Falter got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to center and Justin Turner lined out to right to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Kyle Schwarber popped up to third to start. Trea Turner doubled to left but Bryce Harper flied out to center. Nick Castellanos flied out to right to end the inning.

Rafael Devers flied out to right to start the top of the second before Kike Hernandez grounded out to short. Jarren Duran popped up to third to end the inning. Bryson Stott was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the second but JT Realmuto flied out to center. A wild pitch moved Stott to center and naturally Alec Bohm singled to center to score him. Brandon Marsh lined out to center and Edmundo Sosa lined out to right to end the inning with the Phillies up 1-0.

                                                          Phillies take the lead

Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Raimel Tapia grounded out to second. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. Schwarber grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Turner struck out swinging. Harper singled to right but Castellanos forced him at second to end the inning. 

Refsnyder broke up the perfect game in the top of the fourth with a base hit to left and Verdugo doubled to right. Turner walked to load the bases and Devers bashed a double into the gap to score both Refsnyder & Verdugo. Hernandez grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging, but Arroyo cleared the bases with a base hit to left. Tapia singled to left and McGuire scored Arroyo with another base hit to left. That was it for Falter as Luis Ortiz got Refsnyder to strike out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                            Devers starts the rally

Stott grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Realmuto grounded out to third. Bohm got a base hit to left and Marsh got a base hit to right to move Bohm to third. Sosa ripped a base hit to right to score Bohm but Schwarber flied out to right to end the inning with the Phillies down 5-2.

                                                           Sosa drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Verdugo walked to start. Turner grounded out to third to move Verdugo to second and Alex moved to third on the Devers base hit to left. Hernandez banged into a double play to end the inning.  The Phillies inched closer in the bottom of the fifth as Turner grounded out to third to start. Harper hit a home run all the way into the Potomac River but Castellanos grounded out to short. Stott grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies down 5-3. That was it for Kluber who was average, going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs. Still, at least he didn't get bombed.

                                                        Kluber leaves with the lead

Connor Brogdon came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Duran flied out to left to start. Arroyo doubled to center but Tapia flied out to left. McGuire walked and Refsnyder clubbed a double to left to score both runners, icing the game. Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                               Refsnyder drives in a pair

John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Realmuto walked to start. Bohm forced him at second and Marsh forced Bohm at second. Sosa flied out to right to end the inning.

Seranthony Dominguez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Turner flied out to center to start. Devers got a base hit to left but Hernandez flied out to center. Duran was plunked but Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino got tagged in the bottom of the seventh although Schwarber grounded out to first to start. Turner hit a home run all the way to Russia but Harper struck out swinging. Castellanos lined out to right to end the inning with the Phillies down 7-4.

                                                                 Home run Turner

Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Tapia walked to start. Tapia stole second and McGuire dropped down a bunt to move him to third. Unfortunately Refsnyder struck out swinging so Verdugo was intentionally walked. Verdugo swiped second but Turner struck out swinging to end the inning. Stott popped up to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Sox manager Alex Cora wanted Josh Winckowski to pitch to Realmuto. Naturally Realmuto doubled to center but Bohm lined out to short. Marsh struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gregory Soto came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers struck out swinging to start. Hernandez popped up to first and Duran popped up to short to end the inning. Kenlsey Jansen came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and Sosa singled past him to start. Schwarber struck out swinging, Turner flied out to left and Harper grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. His 2 run double put the Sox up for good

                                                        Turner salutes our Hero

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, stolen base and a run scored.

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

Raimel Tapia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored.

Corey Kluber tossed 5 innings of 3 run ball to earn the win. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 1.

John Schreiber tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Josh Winckowski tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 399th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 5.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That's eight in a row for the Red Sox who are firing on all cylinders. They're beating teams with timely hits, team speed and good pitching. Kluber didn't walk anyone despite allowing 3 runs and the bullpen surrendered just 1 run in 4 innings. The offense can't possibly keep up this pace of scoring 5-7 runs a game so they're going to have to fine tune the pitching. You got guys coming off the Injured List like Garrett Whitlock, Joely Rodriguez, Kutter Crawford and James Paxton which means somebody has to go. Still, getting fresh troops with the Sox trying to catch Tampa and Baltimore can't hurt. As long as they don't suffer any more catastrophic injuries to guys like Adam Duvall and Zack Kelly, they should be just fine. Somehow someway the rotation and bullpen will work itself out, hopefully for the better. The win improved the Sox to 21-14, 6.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 9 in a row and a series sweep against the Phillies tomorrow afternoon when Tanner Houck (3-1, 5.34 ERA) takes on Taijuan Walker of Philadelphia. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Verdugo, Sox Walkoff Jays (5/1/23)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 1 of their second round NBA playoff series to the Philadelphia Sixers but the good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. Not since David Ortiz has someone had a walkoff streak like Alex Verdugo is having. After walking off the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday afternoon, Verdugo did one better by knocking off the Blue Jays tonight. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead early on Toronto starter Jose Berrios but Corey Kluber allowed a 3 run shot to Bo Bichette. The Sox took the lead with home runs by Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez in the sixth, but two Kike Hernandez errors led to the Jays tying it against Josh Winckowski (2-0, 1.69 ERA) in the eighth. With Jordan Romano on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, Verdugo launched the third pitch he saw into the Red Sox bullpen to win the game 6-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                               Happy Sox

Kluber got in trouble right off the bat in the top of the first when Bo Bichette singled to left to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to center and Bichette stole second on the Matt Chapman strikeout looking. Daulton Varsho walked and Whit Merrifield lined out to third to end the inning. The Sox rallied against Berrios in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo doubled to center to start. Masataka Yoshida doubled to left to score Verdugo and Justin Turner singled to right to score Yoshida. Devers walked but Jarren Duran struck out swinging, Kike Hernandez popped up to third and Triston Casas took strike three to end the inning with the Sox only up 2-0.

                                                       Turner drives in a run

As has been the theme all season, as soon as the Sox score the AL East opponent answers right back. Brandon Belt took strike three to start the top of the second but Danny Jansen walked. Cavan Biggio took strike three but Kevin Kiermaier walked. Bichette then hit a home run all the way to the Hoth System to put the Jays up for good already. Guerrero Jr doubled to left but Chapman struck out swinging to end the inning with the game over, 3-2 Jays.

                                                    Bichette puts Toronto on top

Enmanuel Valdez tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Valdez took second and moved to third on the Verdugo grounder to second, but Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Varsho flied out to right to start the top of the third but Merrifield doubled to left. Belt took strike three and Jansen lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Turner grounded out to third to start. Devers ripped a base hit to left and Duran beat out a roller to short but Hernandez foolishly swung on a 3-0 count to pop up to right. Both runners advanced on a balk but Casas grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Jays threatened again in the top of the fourth although Biggio grounded out to second to start. Kiermaier flied out to left but Bichette singled to left. Guerrero flied out to left to end the inning. Valdez grounded out to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth but McGuire singled to left. Verdugo banged into a double play to end the inning.

Kluber cruised in the top of the fifth as Chapman popped up to Corey to start. Varsho struck out swinging and Merrifield lined out to left to end the inning. Yoshida got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Turner lined out to center. Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Belt struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth but Jansen walked to chase Kluber. Corey gutted it out for 104 pitches and 5 1/3 innings. He made one real mistake to Bichette but was solid otherwise. He allowed 5 hits and 4 walks. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch and Biggio struck out swinging before Kiermaier grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                         Kluber made one mistake

The Sox clawed back in the bottom of the sixth as Duran smashed his second home run of the season to tie the game on the first pitch. Hernandez struck out swinging but Casas drew a walk. Valdez pounded his first career home run to put the Sox on top. McGuire singled to left to chase Berrios and Tim Mayza came in to pitch. Verdugo forced McGuire at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                         Duran and Valdez go yard

Chris Martin made his return in the top of the seventh and Bichette greeted him with a single to right. Guerrero Jr took strike three but Chapman singled to right. Varsho beat out a double play ball before swiping second base. Merrifield walked and Alejandro Kirk pinch hit for Belt. Kirk grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Nathan Lukes took over for Kirk with Nathan Pearson now on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Turner lined out to right, Devers popped up to second and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Everything fell apart in the top of the eighth with Josh Winckowski now on the mound. Jansen grounded out to short but Biggio doubled to left. Kiermaier hit a routine grounder to Hernandez who turned and fired the ball into the third base stands for an error to score Biggio. Bichette singled to right and Guerrero hit a double play ball to Hernandez. Kike stepped on the second base bag then inexplicably turned and fired the ball into the Monster Seats for another error to score Kiermaier with the tying run. Chapman walked but Varsho flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                              Nice throw Hernandez

Hernandez tried to atone for his error with a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Triston Casas struck out swinging. Raimel Tapia pinch ran for Hernandez and took off for second, causing Jansen to throw the ball away. Tapia took third on the throw but Valdez struck out swinging. McGuire flied out to right to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo took over for Tapia to start the top of the ninth and Merrifield flied out to left. Lukes took strike three and Jansen grounded out to short to end the inning. Jordan Romano came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Verdugo took the third pitch he saw and drove it into the Red Sox bullpen to win the game. The Sox had walked off the Jays 6-5!

                                                                    Red Sox Win!

Hero of the Night is obviously Alex Verdugo. His walkoff home run won the game

                                                              Our Hero gets drenched

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Raimel Tapia stole a base as a pinch runner in the eighth.

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run and a stolen base.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4.

Corey Kluber allowed just a 3 run homer in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 5 hits and walked four.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Chris Martin tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and two throwing errors.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Josh Winckowski got the win by allowing 2 runs in 2 innings but only 1 of them was earned.

Honorable Mention:

Christian Arroyo played short in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

What a win. The fact the Sox refuse to lose more often than not is a great sign considering how miserable last year was. Hernandez literally threw the lead away but Verdugo stepped up to hit yet another walkoff. He's never going to be Mookie Betts but he's been everything the Sox could have hoped for the last four seasons now. It was also nice to see Duran and Valdez put the Sox ahead after the Jays jumped in front on the Bichette homer. That was also the only mistake Kluber made and even though his command was off, he wasn't particularly hit hard. Can't even blame Winckowski for Hernandez throwing the ball everywhere and even Kike got a big hit in the eighth even though it went for naught. The bottom line is this team has a lot of heart and good things are in store if they stay healthy and fix the pitching situation. It would probably be impossible but sweeping the Blue Jays would send a message that this season is different after the Sox went 3-16 against them last season. The win improved the Sox to 16-14, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays and four straight wins tomorrow night when Tanner Houck (3-1, 4.50 ERA) takes on Jays ace Yusei Kikuchi. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off O's (4/25/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made an unfortunate roster move. Yu Chang was placed on the Injured List with a hamate fracture of his left wrist and Enmanuel Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. Chang has been given a 6 week timetable to return so at least his season isn't over. Its just one injury after another for the Sox it seems. It'll be interesting to see if Valdez can show the promise he showed in 2022.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 5 of their first round NBA playoff series to the Atlanta Hawks but the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles. Corey Kluber (1-4, 6.75 ERA) pitched his best game of the season, holding the O's to just 5 hits and a run in six solid innings. Offensively the Sox pounded O's starter Kyle Brandish for three runs in the top of the second and Jarren Duran hit a grand slam in the top of the third.  The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth and ended up needing it as Kaleb Ort gave up two home runs and a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. Kenley Jansen had to come in for the save but slammed the door on the 8-6 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

                                                             Otto Anderson approves of the win

Bradish got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers and Justin Turner drew back to back walks but Masa Yoshida grounded into a double play to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins flied out to right to start. Adley Rutschman grounded out to first and Anthony Santander flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first with a rally in the top of the second as Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Triston Casas walked and Jarren Duran doubled him to third. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to right to score Casas and Reese McGuire got a single to left to score Duran. Verdugo dumped a base hit to right to load the bases and Devers scored Arroyo with a sac fly to center. Turner grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox.

                                                            Verdugo drives in a run

Ryan Mountcastle singled past Kluber to start the bottom of the second but Gunnar Henderson flied out to center. Ramon Urias flied out to left and Adam Frazier also flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Yoshida got a base hit to left to begin. Hernandez got a base hit to left and Casas singled to right to load the bases. Duran then pounded his first career grand slam to put the Sox up big. Arroyo grounded out to third but McGuire walked to chase Bradish from the game. Mike Baumann struck out Verdugo swinging and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                                     Grand slam Duran

Kluber cruised in the bottom of the third as Austin Hays flied out to right to start. Jorge Mateo struck out swinging and Mullins took strike three to end the inning.

Terrin Vavra came in for Hays to start the top of the fourth and Turner flied out to right to begin. Yoshida dumped a base hit to right but Hernandez banged into a double play to end the inning. Rutschman singled to right to begin the bottom of the fourth but Santander popped up to third. Mountcastle flied out to right but Henderson singled to right. Urias flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas flied out to center to start the top of the fifth before Duran flied out to center. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez came in for Arroyo for the bottom of the fifth and Frazier flied out to center to start. Vavra grounded out to first but Mateo hit a home run all the way into the Baltic Sea to cut the lead. Mullins flied out to center to end the inning but the O's were down 7-1.

                                                        Mateo tags Kluber

Austin Voth came in to pitch the top of the sixth and McGuire grounded out to second to start. Verdugo grounded back to the mound and Devers flied out to right to end the inning. Kluber came back for the bottom of the sixth and Rutschman flied out to left to start. Santander struck out swinging but Mountcastle singled to center. Henderson grounded out to second to end the inning with Kluber at 80 pitches. For whatever reason Sox manager Alex Cora felt Kluber had done enough and he was out after pitching 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits, walked nobody and struck out 3.

                                                      Kluber gets it done

Turner flied out to right to start the top of the seventh before Yoshida grounded out to second. Hernandez took strike three to end the inning. Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Urias flied out to right to start. Frazier flied out to center but Vavra singled to left. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth as Casas flied out to center to start. Duran got a base hit to center, Valdez singled to right and McGuire grounded out to first to score Duran. Verdugo took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                     Sox get another run

Mullins took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Rutschman flied out to left. Santander singled to left but Mountcastle forced him at second to end the inning.

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers grounded out to second to start. Turner flied out to right but Yoshida walked. Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the ninth and Henderson hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to start. Urias singled to left but Frazier flied out to left. Vavra got a base hit to right but Mateo hit a double play ball to Ort. Ort threw to second but Valdez dropped it for an error to load the bases. Mullins then hit a grand slam to Madison Square Garden in New York to cut the lead. Instead of a quiet inning, Kenley Jansen had to come in a close the game out. Rutschman grounded out to short and Santander lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-6.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Corey Kluber. He pitched his best game of the season allowing just 1 run in 6 strong innings. He allowed just 5 hits and struck out 3.

                                                            Hero Kluber

The Good:

Masa Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 3 for 4 with a grand slam and 3 runs scored.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Josh Winckowski tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Kenley Jansen earned his sixth save with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Kaleb Ort allowed 5 runs in the ninth in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 but walked.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 but committed an another error.

Final Thoughts:

Its a crime against humanity Jansen had to pitch this game but it just goes to show that Kaleb Ort has no business being on this team. He throws 97 but it has no movement and ANY major league hitter can time a fastball. Even Niko Goodrum can hit a home run if you throw it straight down the middle. Otherwise this was a great game, Kluber looked like he had his command for the first time all season and Duran broke out with 3 big hits. Yoshida continues to drive the ball all over the field and Winckowski has become a lock-down late inning pitcher. Valdez can certainly hit the ball, he just can't field it. All in all things are looking up, they just need to stay healthy. They're going to get Trevor Story back eventually and some of their bullpen arms to replace guys like Ort and Ryan Brasier. The rotation is going to work itself out and its good to see Kluber pitching in. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the Sox can build on the momentum going into the rubber game against Baltimore tomorrow. afternoon. Tanner Houck (3-0) gets the start for the Sox against Tyler Wells of the Orioles. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Twins Smash Kluber, Sox (4/19/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Jake Faria accepted his demotion to Worcester while Yu Chang was placed on Paternity Leave, congrats to Yu. In his place the Sox called up none other than their power hitting prospect Enmanuel Valdez. The 24 year old hit 28 home runs in AA and AAA last year and is expected to play the infield at some point with Christian Arroyo dealing with nagging injuries. The sky is the limit for Valdez, but Jarren Duran last year is what happens if he falters.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                          IN

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 2 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Florida Panthers and the Boston Red Sox got manhandled by the Minnesota Twins. Corey Kluber (0-4, 8.50 ERA) has shown to be pretty much washed up as he was knocked around again, this time by the Minnesota Twins. The Twins bolted out to a 3-0 lead before the Sox could even bat and a four run rally in the top of the third pretty much ended the game right there. Kluber did manage to gut it out for five innings but Ryan Brasier ended any hope for a comeback by allowed three runs in the top of the sixth. Offensively the only bright spots were rookie Enmanuel Valdez getting 2 hits in his major league debut, Jarren Duran driving in a run and Kike Hernandez coming out of his slump with a home run. That was it for any good news as the Twins decimated the Red Sox 10-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                           Everything stinks

Kluber got demolished in the top of the first inning as Max Kepler walked to start. Carlos Correa flied out to right but Byron Buxton doubled to center. Trevor Larnach grounded out to first to score Kepler to put Minnesota up for good four batters into the game. Edouard Julien then hit a homer all the way to Finland to ice the game early. Jose Miranda lined out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 4-0.

                                                                  That didn't take long

Ryan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo grounded out to short to start. Raimel Tapia grounded out to second and Justin Turner flied out to center to end the inning.

Joey Gallo got a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Ryan Jeffers struck out swinging. Michael A Taylor grounded out to third to move Gallo to second but Kepler was hit with a pitch. Correa forced Kepler at second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers grounded out to third to start. Kike Hernandez struck out swinging and Reese McGuire's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Ryan to end the inning.

The Twins pounded Kluber in the top of the third as Buxton flied out to left to start. Larnach walked, Julien was plunked and Miranda got a base hit to center to score Larnach. Gallo then pounded a home run all the way to Brazil to turn the game into a rout. Jeffers grounded back to the mound and Taylor struck out swinging but the Twins led 7-0.

                                                                    Gallo jacks one

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the third as Triston Casas drew a walk to start. Jarren Duran struck out swinging but Enmanuel Valdez got his first Major League hit with a single to left. Verdugo was plunked to load the bases but all Tapia could do was score Casas with a grounder to short. Not only are the Sox dead last in starter ERA but they're also dead last in hitting with the bases loaded. Turner lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 7-1.

                                                          Sox get a run back

Kepler lined out to right to start the top of the fourth before Correa struck out swinging. Buxton grounded out to third to end the inning. Devers grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez ripped a base hit to center. McGuire struck out swinging and Casas lined out to center to end the inning.

Kluber did return for the top of the fifth and Larnach grounded out to second to start. Julien ate up Valdez at second but it was ruled a "hit" before Miranda forced Edouard at second. Gallo hit a routine grounder to Valdez who did a backflip onto the ball for another error. Jeffers struck out swinging to end the inning. Kluber sucked again but did manage to go five innings. He allowed 7 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

                                                           "I sucked tonight" - Kluber

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Duran doubled to center to start. Valdez got a base hit to left to move Duran to third, but all Verdugo did was bang into a double play to score Duran. Tapia grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 7-2.

                                                               At least Duran looks good

Ryan Brasier poured gas on the fire in the top of the sixth as Taylor struck out swinging to start. Kepler pounded a ground rule double down the right field line but Correa flied out to right. Buxton walked and Larnach hit a home run all the way to Norway to put the game out of reach. Julien got a base hit to right but Miranda flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins up 10-2.

                                                            Larnach hits a bomb

The Sox did get a run back in the bottom of the sixth although Turner popped up to first to start. Devers grounded out to second but Hernandez clocked his third home run of the season to cut the lead. McGuire doubled to left but Casas grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 10-3.

                                                                Hernandez with a big fly

Richard Bleier came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gallo took strike three to start. Jeffers lined out to center and Taylor grounded out to second to end the inning. Brent Headrick came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Duran popped up to third to start. Valdez struck out swinging and Verdugo popped up to second to end the inning.

Kepler flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Correa grounded out to third. Buxton grounded out to third to end the inning. Tapia grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the eighth before Turner struck out swinging. Devers also went down hacking to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Nick Gordon pinch hit for Larnach, flying out to center. Julien flied out to center as well but Miranda drew a walk. Gallo flied out to right to end the inning. Willi Castro came in to play short in the bottom of the ninth and Hernandez walked to start. McGuire got a base hit to right and Casas walked to load the bases. All Duran could do was hit a sac fly to center then Valdez lined out to third. Verdugo flied out to center to end the game. The Twins had won it 10-4.

                                                                 Twins win

Jackass of the Night is Corey Kluber. He got hammered by allowing 7 runs in just 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 walks including two big home runs.

                                                             Jackass Kluber

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4.

Triston Casas walked twice in four at bats and scored a run.

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

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 4.

Richard Bleier pitched two scoreless innings.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan Brasier allowed 3 runs in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

Raimel Tapia was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

You know what the worst part about Kluber is? He and James Paxton cost the Sox 20 million dollars combined the last two years. If Brayan Bello starts pitching better, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Garrett Whitlock continue to pitch well and Chris Sale is back to normal....they really don't need Kluber, Paxton or Nick Pivetta. Talk about a waste of money. The offense was taken out of the game early but there were definitely some positives, mainly Duran, Valdez, McGuire and Hernandez. Those four need to show that they can play and they definitely did tonight despite the score. The good news is the more Brasier and Kluber stink it means the less time they'll have on the team. The Sox have plenty of pitchers in Worcester that can do Brasier's job and Crawford at least has promise, Kluber doesn't. Things are looking up slowly but surely for the Sox compared to the start of the season even if tonight didn't go their way. The less said of this disaster, the better. The Sox look to take the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon against the Twins. Tanner Houck (1-0) gets the start for the Sox against Kenta Maeda of the Twins. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.