Gilbert, Mariners Shut Down Sox (6/21/26)

Who needs momentum when you're the 2026 Boston Red Sox? After looking great the past two games, the Sox crashed down to Earth in today's loss to the Seattle Mariners. Logan Gilbert held the Sox to one measly run and just 3 hits in 6 1/3 innings. Meanwhile Payton Tolle (3-5, 3.08 ERA) tossed six solid innings but got tagged for 3 runs. Dominic Canzone homered for Seattle but Nate Eaton countered with an upper deck shot for Boston. Young and Canzone drove in runs against Tolle but the Sox bats went silent again. They had just 5 hits as a team as they dropped to 0-41 when trailing after 8 innings and 0-31 when trailing by multiple runs 3-1 at T-Mobile Park.

                                                               0-41 trailing after 8

Gilbert got the ball in the top of the first and Anthony Seigler took a 98 mph fastball right down the middle to start. Ceddanne Rafaela stuck his bat out and beat out a roller to second. Mickey Gasper popped up to first on the first pitch he saw but Rafaela swiped second. Willson Contreras swung and strike three in the dirt to end the inning. Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and JP Crawford lined out to first to start. Cal Raleigh popped up to first and Julio Rodriguez flied out to center to end the inning. 

Jarren Duran led off the top of the second with a grounder to first and Caleb Durbin struck out swinging. Marcelo Mayer also went down hacking to end the inning. Josh Naylor flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Rob Refsnyder popped up to first. Dominic Canzone hit a home run all the way to Cuba to put the Mariners on top. Victor Robles took strike three to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.

                                                           Canzone hits one out

The Sox answered in the top of the third as Connor Wong grounded out to short to start. Somehow Nate Eaton pounded his first home run of the season to tie the game. Seigler flied out to center and Rafaela grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1. 

                                                        Eaton ties it

Weston grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the third and Young grounded out to first. Crawford grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Gasper walked to start the top of the fourth but Contreras grounded into a double play. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Raleigh struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Rodriguez walked. Naylor walked but Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Durbin blooped a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth but immediately got picked off. Mayer struck out swinging and Wong popped up to short to end the inning. The Mariners took command in the bottom of the fifth as Canzone lined out to right to start. Robles flied out to left but Weston got a base hit to left. Wesson stole second and scored on the Young base hit to left. Crawford caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single down the third base line but Raleigh forced him at second to end the inning with the Mariners up 2-1.

                                                            Seattle goes up for good

Eaton walked to start the top of the sixth and took second on a wild pitch. Seigler struck out swinging and Eaton ran all the way home on a liner to center by Rafaela, getting doubled off second to end the inning. Rodriguez got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Naylor flied out to center but Mayer went OLE on a grounder by Refsnyder to put runners on the corners. Canzone grounded out to short to score Rodriguez to ice the game. Robles flied out to left to end the inning with the Mariners up 3-1. That was it for Tolle after just 79 pitches allowing 3 runs in 6 innings.

                                                            "How about some runs?" - PT

Luke Raley came in for Canzone to start the top of the seventh and Gasper hit a routine grounder to first. Naylor threw low and Gilbert fell down making the play for an error. Contreras struck out swinging and that was it for Gilbert. Gabe Speier came in to face Duran amd Jarren naturally struck out swinging. Durbin doubled to left and Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Mayer. Naturally he struck out swinging to end the inning. Danny Coulolmbe came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wilson grounded out to third to start. Young popped up to short but Crawford walked. Raleigh flied out to left to end the inning. 

Old pal Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Wong. Yoshida flied out to left, Eaton took strike three and Seigler grounded out to second to end the inning. Carlos Narvaez took over behind the plate with Ryan Watson now on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Rodriguez lined out to first and Naylor struck out swinging. Colt Emerson pinch hit for Refsnyder and took strike three to end the inning. 

Andres Munoz came in to close out the top of the ninth and Rafaela flied out to right to start. Gasper got a base hit to right but Contreras struck out swinging. Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The Mariners had won it 3-1.

                                                              Mariners win

Jackass of The Night is Willson Contreras. He was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts, leaving multiple men on base.

                                                       Jackass Contreras

The Good:

Mickey Gasper was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 3.

Nate Eaton was 1 for 2 with a home run and a walk.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Payton Tolle tossed six solid innings allowing just 3 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

Danny Coulombe pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Ryan Watson tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Andruw Monasterio struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Carlos Narvaez caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Sox put together two competent wins in a row but fall flat in their face today. Granted, Logan Gilbert is damn good but the fact is they're putting out utility players such as Seigler, Eaton and Gasper in the every day lineup due to injuries and incompetence. The Sox can't possibly get any momentum going with their lack of offense. Until Sox GM Craig Breslow makes a trade or calls up someone like Kristian Campbell or Mikey Romero, they won't be a winner. Fans want to tell the whole team and who can blame them? Now it appears Willson Contreras is losing it mentally and its come out Carlos Narvaez hasn't been playing well because he's going through an embarrassing public breakup. Think Troy O'Leary in 2000. Its all adding up to a lost season and maybe the best thing Breslow can do is play for next year. Garrett Crochet & Ranger Suarez when healthy with another year of maturity from Connelly Early and Payton Tolle gives the Sox a four man punch that will be tough to beat. This year appears to be a washout a month out from the trade deadline. Do we event want Breslow to take charge of yet another rebuild? The loss dropped the Sox to 31-44, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Colorado for a three game set with the equally terrible Rockies. Jake Bennett (1-3, 4.79 ERA) takes on Ryan Feltner of Colorado. The game begins tomorrow night at 8:40 PM eastern time at Coors Field.

Early, Sox Beat Mariners (6/20/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been placed on the Injured List with forearm inflammation and the Sox called up Kristian Campbell to take his place.....just kidding. They called up Anthony Seigler and fans are throwing their hands up wondering what's the point of Campbell and Mikey Romero being in Worcester if they're not going to be used. Just more mismanagement by the management.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have won two in a row. They did it with clutch hits and timely pitching. Connelly Early (6-5, 3.64 ERA) bounced back from his recent struggles to shut down the Seattle Mariners. He hit 3 batters and walked two, but allowed just two hits and a run in six solid innings. After allowing a run in the first, the Sox took the lead on a 2 run home run by Wilyer Abreu in the fourth. Then the Sox rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth highlighted by clutch hits from the resurging Caleb Durbin and the much maligned Marcelo Mayer. A trio of relievers with Danny Coulombe being the final one slammed the door as the Sox took this one 6-1 at T-Mobile Park.

                                                 Poncho Woody approves of the win

Hancock got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler took strike three right down the middle to start. Masataka Yoshida flied out to right and Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. The Mariners got to Early in the bottom of the first as JP Crawford walked to start. Raleigh singled to left and Julio Rodriguez beat out a double play ball. Josh Naylor got a base hit to center to score Crawford, putting the Mariners up. Rodriguez was thrown out at third trying to steal and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.

                                                             Naylor drives in a run

As usual the Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Willson Contreras flied out to center to start. Jarren Duran lined out to third and Caleb Durbin popped up to first to end the inning. Cole Young was plunked to start the bottom of the second and Mitch Garver took strike three. Connor Joe grounded into a double play. Colt Emerson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Marcelo Mayer took strike three to open the top of the third and Carlos Narvaez watched strike three go by. Nate Eaton struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford flied out to left to start the bottom of the third and Raleigh walked. Rodriguez flied out to right and Naylor forced Raleigh at second to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the fourth as Seigler got a base hit to left to start. Yoshida took strike three right down the middle but Abreu blasted his ninth home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Contreras struck out swinging and Duran grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                              Kiss that one goodbye

Refsnyder grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Young struck out swinging. Garver also went down hacking to end the inning.

Durbin got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth but naturally Mayer grounded into a double play. Joe dropped a routine pop up by Narvaez for an error to put Carlos at second but Eaton popped up to first to end the inning. Joe struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Emerson did the same. Crawford flied out to center to end the inning.

Seigler grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth but Yoshida got a base hit to right. Yoshida stole second and Abreu walked before a wild pitch moved both runners over. Contreras walked to load the bases and chase Hancock from the game. Jose Ferrer came in to pitch and naturally Duran forced Yoshida at home. Somehow Ferrer bounced a wild pitch that scored Abreu to increase the lead. Durbin then beat out a roller to short to score Contreras and Mayer beat out a roller to second to score Duran. Durbin stole third but kept going and was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                             Durbin gets it done

Raleigh grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Rodriguez was plunked. Naylor struck out swinging but Rodriguez stole second. Refsnyder was also hit with a pitch but Young flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Early who allowed just 1 run in 6 innings off 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 hit batsmen.

                                                            Early with the big lift

Nick Davila came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Narvaez walked to start. Eaton walked but Sox manager Chad Tracy refused to bunt, allowing Seigler to strike out swinging. Yoshida beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. Tyron Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Andruw Monasterio came in for Seigler. Luke Railey pinch hit for Garver and struck out swinging. Dominic Canzone pinch hit for Joe and lined out to second. Emerson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Michael Rucker came in to pitch the top of the eighth and he hit Contreras to start. Duran struck out swinging and Durbin forced Contreras at second. Durbin swiped second but Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Crawford popped up to short to start. Raleigh struck out swinging and Rodriguez lined out to right to end the inning.

Former Sox prospect Alex Hoppe came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Narvaez struck out swinging to start. Eaton struck out swinging and Monasterio lined out to right to end the inning.

                                              Traded for a guy hitting .217 in Single A

Danny Coulombe came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Naylor grounded out to second to start. Refsnyder lined out to center and Young popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-1.

                                                                       Sox win

Hero of The Night is Connelly Early. He held the Mariners to just 1 run in 6 innings to get the win.

                                                             Connelly Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Willson Contreras walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 stolen bases.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Danny Coulombe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Nate Eaton was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Some day there will be a book written about the 2026 Red Sox season where they explain how the Sox are a completely different team on the road than at home. The pitching is good wherever they go but the offense has come alive in the last two games. Not just driving in runs but driving in runs with 2 outs and/or runners in scoring position. Both Durbin and Mayer both came through in the clutch and most fans thought the game was over when they were down 1-0. Abreu's two run shot and Early's strong start turned the tide in this one and the rest of the team pitched in. If word comes out that Craig Breslow has something to do with the Sox being terrible at home, he can't be fired fast enough. Fans are already talking about trading everyone in sight and the 35 year old Guerrero pumping in 101 on the black will turn some heads for sure. Still, if certain guys get healthy and certain guys stay hot, the season isn't over yet. A nice win streak would help. The win improved the Sox to 31-43, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Mariners out of Seattle tomorrow afternoon when Peyton Tolle (3-4, 2.93 ERA) takes on Mariners ace Logan Gilbert. The game begins at 4:05 PM eastern time at T-Mobile Park.

Gray, Sox Shut Down Yankees (6/5/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Yesterday the Sox sent a brown sack full of money to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 28 year old journeyman relief pitcher Jose La Sorsa with a career record of 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA. With all the bullpen depth the Sox already have, this seems like a head scratcher. The Sox mercifully optioned Brayan Bello to Worcester in hopes they can fix his mental issue of getting past the first inning. On top of that, Patrick Sandoval has been sent to Worcester for rehab work so his debut might be coming. Garrett Crochet was transferred to the 60 Day Injured List but don't let the days fool you, its retroactive to him being placed on it at the end of April. He might be ready in 3 weeks. To make room for Bello, the Sox immediately activated La Sorsa. The Sox still have 5 games remaining until their next off-day so either they're going to go with an opener or bring up Jake Bennett.

                                                                               OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox may request to move their remaining home games on the road or in the immortal words of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay, "we'd like to have a neutral site." The Sox once again played better on the road as they came to New York to knock off the second place Yankees. Sonny Gray (7-1, 3.20 ERA) didn't have his sharpest outing but still held the Aaron Judge-less Yankees to just 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings. The Sox bats woke up against Yankees starter Ryan Weathers as the Sox turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead when Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras drove in runs in the third inning. Andrew Monasterio and Contreras both hit home runs as the Sox survived an rbi double from Spencer Jones and a Trent Grisham home run to put the game in the hands of the bullpen. The trio of Danny Coulombe, Justin "Incinerator" Slaten, and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on the Yankees as the Sox took this one 5-3 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                         Jade approves of the win

Weathers got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Gray in the bottom of the first as Trent Grisham grounded out to second to start. Ben Rice hit a home run all the way into the Long Island Sound to put the Yankees on top. Paul Goldschmidt flied out to center and Cody Bellinger grounded out to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                             Yankees strike first

Willson Contreras led off the top of the second with a liner to center but Caleb Durbin singled to right. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to short to move Caleb to second, and Durbin moved to third on a wild pitch. Andruw Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr lined out to second to start the bottom of the second but Spencer Jones got a base hit to center. Anthony Volpe got a base hit to right but Ryan McMahon flied out to left. Austin Wells also flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Mickey Gasper struck out swinging to start. Connor Wong got a base hit to left and Duran got a base hit off the glove of Goldschmidt to move Connor to third. Duran stole second and Rafaela walked to load the bases. Abreu grounded out to short to score Wong and Contreras beat out a roller to the mound to score Duran. Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                     Another rbi for Contreras

Trent Grisham grounded out to second to open the bottom of the third but Rice walked. Goldschmidt grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fourth although Kiner struck out swinging. Monasterio blasted his second home run of the season but Gasper grounded out to short. Wong took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                          Home run Monasterio

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Bellinger walked to start. Chisholm forced Bellinger at second then promptly stole second. Jones doubled to right to score Jazz but Volpe hit a liner to Monasterio, doubling off Jones to end the inning with the Yankees down 3-2.

                                                         Jones drives in a run

The Sox got some big insurance in the top of the fifth although Duran struck out swinging to start. Rafaela lined out to left but Abreu got a base hit to right. Contreras then launched his 13th home run of the season into the upper deck to silence Yankee Stadium. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                             Sox go up by 3

The Yankees answered in the bottom of the fifth as McMahon lined out to center to start. Wells flied out to right but Grisham hit a home run all the way to Niagara Falls to cut the lead. Rice got a base hit to right but Goldschmidt grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees down 5-3.

                                                           Yankees still in this one

Kiner popped up to short to start the top of the sixth and Monasterio did the same. Gasper flied out to left to end the inning. Bellinger struck out swinging to open the bottom of the sixth and Chisholm did the same. Jones got a base hit to right but Volpe lined out to center to end the inning.

Paul Blackburn came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong grounded out to third to start. Duran grounded out to second and Rafaela lined out to left to end the inning. McMahon got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Wells struck out swinging. Despite being at just 79 pitches, Sox manager Chad Tracy went to the analytics to take him out with "dangerous" hitters coming up. Gray allowed 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings and Danny Coulombe came in to pitch. Grisham flied out to center but Contreras and Monasterio collided on a pop up from Rice to give him new life. Rice struck out swinging anyway to end the inning.

                                                          Gray was solid in this one

Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth and Contreras did the same. Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Goldschmidt grounded out to second to start. Bellinger grounded out to second as well and Chisholm flied out to left to end the inning.

Camilo Doval came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Kiner grounded out to third to start. Marcelo Mayer pinch hit for Monasterio and struck out swinging on a pitch 8 feet over his head. Gasper took strike three right down the middle to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Max Schuemann pinch hit for Jones. Schuemann walked but Volpe took three straight pitches down the middle for strike three. Amed Rosario pinch hit for McMahon and walked to cause Yankee fans to start glad handing each other saying "its in the bag". Yankee fans thought a three run walkoff pinch hit home run for Jose Caballero was coming...only for him to fly out to right. Shockingly, Grisham grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. He drove in 3 runs by himself to match the Yankees entire output including the big two run home run.

                                                            Hero Contreras

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Sonny Gray got the win by tossing 6 1/3 innings of 3 run ball allowing 8 hits and 3 walks.

Danny Coulombe got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 13th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Marcelo Mayer struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mickey Gasper was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Rumors are swirling that other teams are "interested" in the Sox' trio of relivers Garrett Whitlock, Slaten and Chapman but so far Craig Breslow says he's not looking to deal. The bottom line is all the Sox need to do is fix Brayan Bello and the offense. In April and most of May this game would have been a 3-2 Yankee win but by getting rid of the automatic outs, this game turned into a 5-3 win. How many games in April and May were decided by a lack of a big hit with men on base or a lack of a home run here and there? Not to mention the Sox really need to figure out how to win at home because they look like world beaters on the road. Sonny Gray has been worth trading Hunter Dobbins for and the bullpen locked down yet another win. Duran and Durbin got hits again and even though they didn't have a great game, that production wasn't there for two months. The Sox have injury woes, an inability to win at home and an inconsistent offense...otherwise they're in great shape. The win improved the Sox to 27-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.38) takes on Adam Warren of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:35 at Yankee Stadium.

Bennett, Duran Stop Astros (5/1/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Portland Sea Dogs catcher Drew Ehrhard retired to become the new Red Sox bullpen catcher. Nate Eaton was sent down to Worcester and the Sox are calling up 25 year old left handed pitcher Jake Bennett to make today's start and his Major League debut. The Sox gambled by sending popular prospect Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals for the more ML ready Bennett and now Jake gets his shot. Good luck to him.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                              IN

As for the game, welcome to the show Jake Bennett (1-0, 1.80 ERA). The highly touted pitching prospect made his ML debut and held the Astros to just 1 run in 5 gutty innings. Bennett allowed a third inning home run to Carlos Correa but Jarren Duran hit a three run jack against Mike Burrows in the bottom of the frame. The usually terrible Sox offense once again did nothing else but the Boston bullpen stepped up. Zack Kelly, Danny Coulombe, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door as the Sox took the game 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Freakabritt approves of the win

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Carlos Correa lined out to left to start. Yordan Alvarez took strike three but Carlos Parades walked. Christian Walker walked but Jose Altuve grounded out to third to end the inning. Burrows got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Willson Contreras was plunked but Roman Anthony flied out to left. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Yainer Diaz grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Cam Smith struck out swinging. Brice Matthews got a base hit to center and promptly stole second, but Dustin Harris grounded out to first to end the inning. Trevor Story got a base hit to center to begin the bottom of the second but Marcelo Mayer grounded into a double play. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Astros struck first in the top of the third as Correa hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to start. Alvarez grounded out to second but Parades got a base hit to left. Walker grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0.

                                                          Astros take the lead

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the third as Carlos Narvaez walked to start. Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center and Duran launched his second home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Contreras got a base hit to left and Anthony singled to right, but Abreu grounded into a double play. Story lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                           About time Duran

Altuve lined out to center to start the top of the fourth but Diaz got a base hit to left. Smith grounded into a double play to end the inning. Mayer got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela singled to left. Narvaez flied out to left but a passed ball moved both runners over. Durbin hit a grounder to third and Mayer was thrown out at home. Duran popped up to third to end the inning.

Matthews struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Harris got a base hit to right. Correa flied out to right and Alvarez grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Bennett who held the Astros to 1 run in his Major League debut off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                              Good debut for Bennett

Contreras was rung up for strike three to open the bottom of the fifth but Anthony doubled to right. Abreu flied out to left and Story grounded out to first to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Parades singled to right to start. Walker struck out swinging but Altuve reached on a swinging bunt in front of the plate. Diaz flied out to center and Smith struck out swinging to end the inning. Mayer struck out swinging to open the bottom of the sixth and Rafaela flied out to center. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matthews grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh and Danny Coulombe came in to face pinch hitter Shay Whitcomb. Shay flied out to right but Correa got a base hit to center. Alvarez forced Correa at second to end the inning. Daniel Johnson came in to play left and Bennett Sousa came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Durbin flied out to right, Duran lined out to center and Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Parades popped up to first to start. Walker got a base hit to right but Altuve popped up to second. Diaz doubled to center but Smith popped up to first to end the inning. Bryan King came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Anthony singled to right to start. Abreu grounded into a double play but Story got a base hit to left. Mayer flied out to left to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Matthews took strike three to start. Old friend Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Johnson and grounded out to short. Correa doubled to center but Alvarez grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-1.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jake Bennett. He won his ML debut by going 5 innings and holding the Astros to just 1 run.

                                                     Hero Bennett

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Roman Anthony was 3 for 4.

Trevor Story was 2 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3.

Zack Kelly tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Danny Coulombe got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

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

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Good win but the same offensive problems remain. Apart from one swing from Duran this would have been a 1-0 loss. The Sox already replaced the manager and the hitting coach and nothing really has changed. The offensive woes continue although the pitching has been solid. Bennett looked good in his debut the the bullpen held the fort in this one. The 8-9 combo of Whitlock and Chapman has been deadly since the beginning of last year and its unfortunate that they don't get many chances to be used in that role since the Sox bats have been completely incompetent. There's still time to turn the season around but unless Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez come back soon, it seems highly unlikely a comeback is in order. The win improved the Sox to 13-19, 8 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to mke it two in a row against the Astros tomorrow afternoon against the Astros when Connelly Early (2-1) takes on Spencer Arrighetti of Houston. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Pulverize Orioles (4/25/26)

Well that's more like it. After getting totally embarrassed the past week by the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox finally showed some life by beating the crap out of the Orioles in today's game. Garrett Crochet (3-3, 6.30 ERA) returned to form by tossing six shutout innings. The stars of the game was the much maligned offense. They pounded Taylor Rogers and the Baltimore bullpen for 17 hits and 17 runs. Most of them were scored in a 10 run ninth inning when third baseman Weston Wilson was lobbing meatballs up there. Still, Andruw Monasterio hit a grand slam off Keegan Akin, Connor Wong drove in 3 runs, Willson Contreras drove in 5 and even Chad Durbin drove in 3 as well. It all added up to a much needed victory to snap the four game losing streak as the Sox won it 17-1 at Camden Yards.

                New England Patriots 6th round pick Dametrious Crownover approves of the win

Rogers got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ceddanne Rafaela grounded back to the mound to start. Willson Contreras grounded out to first and Wilyer Abreu grounded out to first as well to end the inning. Crochet got the ball in the bottom of the first and Taylor Ward popped up to short to start. Gunnar Henderson struck out swinging and Adley Rutschman flied out to right to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Andruw Monasterio doubled to center. Jarren Duran took strike three but Caleb Durbin doubled to right to score Andruw. Durbin stole third, Connor Wong walked and Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a base hit to left to score Durbin, moving Connor to third. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Wong and Contreras walked to load the bases. That was it for Rogers after just 1 2/3 innings as Tyler Wells got Abreu to line out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                       Kiner drives in a run

Pete Alonso struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and old pal Tyler O'Neill popped up to second. Jeremiah Jackson lined out to right to end the inning.

Story struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Monasterio doubled to left. Duran popped up to short and Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Leody Taveras flied out to right to open the bottom of the third but Coby Mayo doubled to left. Blaze Alexander struck out swinging but Ward walked. Henderson took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth with Albert Suarez now on the mound. Wong walked and Kiner forced him at second with a bad bunt attempt. Kiner took off for second and Rutschman threw the ball away allowing Isiah to reach third on the error. Rafaela walked and Contreras hit a sac fly to left to score Kiner. Rafaela was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                            Contreras drives in a run

Rutschman flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Alonso flied out to left. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning.

Abreu got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth and Jackson booted a grounder by Story for an error. Monasterio tried to drop down a bunt but it got Abreu thrown out at third. Duran popped up to third but Durbin walked to load the bases. Wong jacked a double to right to clear the bases and ice the game but Kiner popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                            Wong clears the bases

Jackson struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Taveras worked a wall. Mayo lined out to center and Alexander did the same to end the inning.

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Contreras did the same. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. Ward ate up Crochet on a grounder to start the bottom of the sixth but Henderson struck out swinging. Rutschman singled to left but Alonso grounded into a double play to end the inning. Crochet could have gone another inning but with a huge lead, Sox manager Alex Cora told him that was enough after 6 shutout innings where he struck out 7

                                                          Good work Crochet

Story flied out to left to start the top of the seventh and Monasterio grounded out to third. Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and O'Neill got a base hit to left to start. Jackson hit a grounder to third and Durbin threw the ball away to allow both runners to advance. Taveras grounded out to first to score O'Neill and move Jackson to third. Mayo popped up to short and Colton Cowser pinch hit for Alexander. Cowser struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 7-1.

                                                             O's get a run back

Keegan Akin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin struck out swinging to start. Wong grounded out to second and Kiner took strike three to end the inning. Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ward singled to left to start. Henderson grounded out to first to move Ward to second and Rutschman lined out to third. Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the ninth as Rafaela tripled into the right field corner to start. Contreras got a base hit to left to score Ceddanne and Abreu got a base hit to center. Story got a base hit to right to load the bases and Monaaterio belted a grand slam to clear the bases. Duran got a base hit to left and O's manager Craig Albernaz brought in third baseman Weston Wilson to pitch. Immediately Durbin clobbered his first home run of the season but Wong popped up to second. Kiner got a base hit to left, Rafaela got a base hit to center and Contreras hit a 3 run bomb to wrap up the scoring. Abreu flied out to right but Mayo booted a grounder by Story for an error. Monasterio flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 17-1.

                                                           What a massacre

Marcelo Mayer took over for Story with Tyler Samaniego in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. O'Neill flied out to left, Jackson grounded out to second and Taveras flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 17-1.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Andruw Monasterio. He was 3 for 6 with a grand slam and 3 total runs scored.

                                                      Andruw Monas-Hero

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 5 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Willson Conteras was 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run, 5 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run, 3 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 3 rbis, a stolen base and a run scored.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 5 with a stolen base, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Garrett Crochet got the win with 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Danny Coulombe pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Tyler Samaniego pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts but scored 2 runs.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Marcelo Mayer played short in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Where was that against Detroit and New York? Still, for the first time in a while the Sox put together some competitive at-bats which led to rbis and runs scored for once. Durbin and Kiner also stole some bags which is what they're going to have to do to score runs with a power outage going on. Crochet pitched well and he probably would have went 7 if they needed it but the lead was so large not even Weissert was going to screw it up. Cora is still taking fire for playing the utility guys every day and reliance on Weissert but at least Monasterio delivered in this one. Durbin was asked after the game how it felt to get his first home run albeit against a position player and he said "Hey I'll take it". The bats will definitely take it at this point because they need to turn things around in a hurry. Maybe this will be the start of a win streak? Probably not but fans need SOMETHING to hang their hat on. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Orioles tomorrow afternoon when Connelly Early (1-1) takes on Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Camden Yards.

Schlittler, Yankees Sweep Sox (4/23/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Eduardo Rivera has been sent down to Worcester after his good effort last night and left handed starting pitcher Peyton Tolle has been called up to make his season debut. With Sonny Gray down, Tolle was the logical choice to take his place.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                       IN

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins dropped Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Buffalo Sabres and the Red Sox were swept out of Fenway by the New York Yankees. For 6 innings the Sox had the Yankees on the run thanks to great pitching by Peyton Tolle, outdueling Cam Schlittler and the Yankees 2-1. Then Danny Coulombe loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but had gotten two outs. As usual Sox manager Alex Cora summoned Greg Weissert to get out of the jam but pinch hitter Cody Bellinger ripped a 2 run single and Aaron Judge got an rbi hit as the boo's rained down at Fenway. The Sox offense failed to respond and the Yankees completed the 3 game sweep with a 4-2 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                               Self explanatory

Tolle got the ball in the top of the first inning and Amed Rosario struck out swinging to start. Aaron Judge struck out swinging and Ben Rice went down hacking to end the inning. Schlittler got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Giancarlo Stanton took strike three to start the top of the second and Randal Grichuk went down hacking. Trent Grisham grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Rosario threw a routine grounder away by Trevor Story for an error and Marcelo Mayer made them pay with a double to center to score Trevor. Caleb Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Mayer drives in a run

Jazz Chisholm Jr took strike three to start the top of the third and Jose Caballero grounded out to third. Austin Wells flied out to left to end the inning. Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Duran got a base hit to left. Rafaela popped up to second and Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rosario got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and Judge drew a walk. Rice singled to left to load the bases with nobody out. Stanton struck out swinging, Grichuk flied out to right and Grisham took strike three to end the inning. Tolle pulled the Houdini!

                                                           Tolle is fired up

The Sox failed to capitalize on the momentum in the bottom of the fourth as Contreras struck out swinging to start. Abreu flied out to left and Story popped up to first to end the inning.

The Yankees fought back in the top of the fifth as Chisholm hit a home run into the Charles River to start. Caballero struck out swinging, Wells flied out to left and Rosario also flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                              Yankees tie it up

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth as Mayer grounded out to first to start. Durbin grounded out to third but Narvaez pounded his first home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                       First of the season

Tolle returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Judge struck out swinging to start. Rice grounded out to second and Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning. Tolle was outstanding, holding the Yankees to 1 run in 6 innings while striking out 11.

                                                         Great effort by Tolle

Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to center. Contreras also flied out to center to end the inning.

Things fell apart in the top of the seventh when Danny Coulombe was brought in to pitch. Grichuk struck out swinging but Grisham got a base hit to left. Chisholm Jr and Caballero both got base hits to center to load the bases but Wells struck out swinging. Defying all logic, Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Greg Weissert to face pinch hitter Cody Bellinger. Naturally Bellinger got a base hit to left to score both Grisham and Chisholm. Boos rained down at Fenway as Judge got a base hit to right and Abreu booted the ball for an error to score Caballero. Rice was intentionally walked but Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-2.

                                                     Yankees take the lead

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh with Ryan McMahon in for Grichuk. Abreu got a base hit to center but the fans booed when Story grounded into a double play. Mayer lined out to second to end the inning.

Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McMahon got a base hit to center to begin. Grisham took strike three and Chisholm Jr forced Ryan at second. Caballero doubled to right but Wells grounded out to first to end the inning. Durbin grounded out to short to start the bottom of the eighth and Narvaez struck out swinging. Duran struck out swinging and Fenway booed as Cam Schlittler once again shoved it up the Sox collective asses with 8 strong innings. 

                                                     Walpole's own dominates Fenway

Bellinger flied out to left to start the top of the ninth and for whatever reason Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Ryan Watson to face Judge. Judge took strike three and Rice was also rung up for strike three to end the inning. David Bednar came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rafaela grounded out to third to start. Yoshida popped up to first and Contreras grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Sox out of Fenway with a 4-2 victory.

                                                              Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Greg Weissert. Yes, Coulombe loaded the bases but Weissert let all three runs score to put the game out of reach.

                                                          Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Watson pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3.

Danny Coulombe took the loss by being charged with 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with a walk but was caught stealing and made an error.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Can someone be fired now? Its very apparent that this isn't working. People have been screaming all month about how lifeless the Red Sox look and it can't all be just Alex Cora or Craig Breslow's fault. It was a combined effort to freefall like this in less than a month. The Sox scored three runs in three games against the Yankees and its a shame because Peyton Tolle pitched his ass off tonight. He wasn't afraid of the Yankees and that's a good sign moving forward. The only way the Sox are going to win games this season in spite of everything is great starting pitching. Too bad the bullpen, the offense and the manager can't help most of the time. It seems like every move Cora makes totally backfires even if its the right move. Coulombe and Weissert should have been able to get the job done, instead they allow the winning runs to score. Then the Sox bats can't do anything once they fall behind and the season continues to spiral down the drain. This can't keep going on like this because fans aren't going to take it. Either Cora, Breslow or both has to go. Its just a question of who and when. They're not even watchable at this point, especially if they fall behind 2 or 3-0 early. The Sox look to rebound as they hit the road against the other AL East teams. The first stop is in Baltimore tomorrow night. Brayan Bello (1-2) goes one on one with Brandon Young of Baltimore. The game begin at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.