Crochet, Sox Drop Royals (8/5/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a mercy roster move. Jorge Alcala was designated for assignment and the Sox called up Isaiah Campbell to take his place. Alcala started off in low leverage situations but once he was put into big game trouble, he crumbled. Now he can't even pitch in garbage time without giving up runs and baserunners. Campbell isn't much better, but he can't be worse...right?

                                                                          OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, make it seven wins in a row for the red hot Boston Red Sox. Garrett Crochet (13-4, 2.24 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young Award by tossing 7 innings where he allowed just 2 runs against the Kansas City Royals. Offensively the two teams fought to a 1-1 tie going into the sixth when  Trevor Story knocked in two runs in the bottom of the frame. The Royals got a run in Crochet's final inning but Wilyer Abreu hit a 2 run single. Story added another rbi and the bullpen locked it down. The Sox had taken their seventh game in a row with a 6-2 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                     Naomi Russell approves of the win

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan India grounded out to short to start. Bobby Witt Jr struck out swinging and Vinnie Pasquantino hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Bergert got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Alex Bregman lined out to center and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Maikel Garcia struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning before Salvador Perez grounded out to short. Randal Grichuk struck out swinging to end the inning. Trevor Story led off the bottom of the second with a grounder to third. Masataka Yoshida walked but Carlos Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Nick Loftin struck out swinging to open the top of the third inning before Luke Maile went down hacking. John Rave grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Abraham "El" Toro grounded out to second to start. Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to center and took second on a fly out to center by David Hamilton. Duran ripped a double off the Monster to score Gonzalez to put Boston on top. Bregman flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                               Duran drives in a run

India took strike three to start the top of the fourth but Witt Jr tripled into the centerfield triangle. Somehow Pasquantino grounded out to first but Garcia doubled off the Monster to score Witt. Perez flied out to a running Abreu at the wall to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                          Garcia ties it up

Abreu popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Story took strike three. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Grichuk grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Loftin flied out to right. Maile got a base hit to left but Rave lined out to first to end the inning. Narvaez grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth and El Toro lined out to second. Gonzalez lined out to right to end the inning.

India grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Witt grounded out to second. Pasquantino grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Hamilton flied out to left to start. Duran grounded out to first but Bregman walked. Angel Zerpa came in to face Abreu and Wilyer doubled to left. Story then ripped a base hit to center to score both runners. Yoshida got a base hit to left and Ceddanne Rafaela ran for him. Narvaez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                               Story drives in a pair

The Royals struck back in the top of the seventh as Garcia walked to start. Perez flied out to right but Grichuk doubled off the Monster just our of reach of Duran to score Garcia. Loftin and Maile both struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Sale who allowed just 2 runs in 7 innings off 4 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                                    Crochet gets it done

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh with John Schreiber now on the mound. El Toro flied out to right and Gonzalez grounded out to third, but Hamilton walked. Duran singled to center and Bregman walked to load the bases. Abreu smacked a base hit to right to score both Hamilton and Duran. Story added a base hit to center to score Bregman with another run. Daniel Lynch 4th came in to face Rafaela and Ceddanne popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                           Abreu supplying the insurance runs

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rave flied out to right to start. Bregman booted a grounder by India for an error but Witt Jr popped up to second. Pasquantino flied out to center to end the inning. Narvaez flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth before El Toro grounded out to short. Gonzalez singled to right but Hamilton grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Garcia singled to left to start. A wild pitch moved Garcia to second but Perez grounded out to short. Mike Yastrzemski pinch hit for Grichuk and popped up to third. Adam Frazier pinch hit for Loftin and grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Garrett Crochet. He held the Royals to just 2 runs in 7 dominant innings. He struck out 8 batters.

                                                                Hero Crochet

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was 0 for 2 with an error but walked twice and scored 2 runs.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are rolling again and its been a total turnaround since falling to 41-44 on June 29th. The New York Yankees have also totally collapsed, going from 9 games up to now 3.5 games behind. Crochet continues to be worth every penny and prospect traded to get him and the Sox have a serious shot at October with him as the ace. The offense still may not have a lot of talent on paper but they've been getting on base. More importantly, unlike April, May and parts of June, the Sox are driving in runs with men on base. The Sox don't just score a few runs and try to sit on the lead anymore, they add to it. If Hicks ever learns how to control his fastball, the Sox would have one of the most devastating bullpens in baseball. Once Justin Slaten comes back, they're going to be VERY tough to beat. Still, if they can't beat or pass Toronto, they don't deserve to go anywhere when the weather gets cold. The win improved the Sox to 64-51, 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 8 wins in a row and a series sweep tomorrow night when Dustin May makes his Red Sox debut against old pal Michael Wacha of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Annihilate Twins (7/30/25)

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

                                                                 Bye bye Cruz

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

                                                          Ethan Page approves of the win

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

                                                      You're out, you dummy

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

                                                          Story goes yard

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

                                                        Home run for Wallner

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

                                                               Toro hits a sac fly

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

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

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

                                                        Yoshida drives in a pair

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

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

                                                          Duran hits one out

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

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

                                                             Bello was great

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

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

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

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

                                                       Sox win

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

                                                               Bello Hero

The Good:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Murphy tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

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

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Outlast Twins (7/29/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. "Big" Dick Fitts was sent back to Worcester and Cooper Criswell was called up to take his place. Can't predict 3 starters being lost for the season but the Quinn Priester trade is looking REAL bad right now since all that pitching depth was supposed to prevent seeing the likes of Criswell again. Sox have 3 days to make a move or else they're going to have to go with this down the stretch.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the Boston bats woke up for one game at least against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins called up Pierson Ohl to make his major league debut and the Sox jumped on him. Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman drove in runs before Trevor Story belted a two run home run to give the Sox a cushion. Lucas Giolito (7-2, 3.80 ERA) gave the Sox 6 much needed innings surrendering just one run in the process. Jarren Duran also went yard and Ceddanne Rafaela drove in runs but the Boston bullpen faltered again. Justin Wilson allowed a 2 run bomb to Brooks Lee but rbis from Story and Wilyer Abreu put the game away. Jorge Alcala allowed a 2 run home run in the ninth to Brooks Lee but Aroldis Chapman blew away Mickey Gasper to end it. The Sox had won the game 8-5 at Target Field.

                                                   Lindsay Lohan approves of the win

Ohl got the ball in the top of the first inning and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to start. Alex Bregman struck out swinging and Jarren Duran had a stand up triple....but stopped at second base for no reason. Didn't matter anyway as Trevor Story struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins wasted no time threatening Giolito in the in the bottom of the first as Trebor Larnach walked to start. Carlos Correa singled to center but Willi Castro struck out swinging. Royce Lewis lined out to left and Kody Clemens lined out to center to end the inning.

More ineptitude in the top of the second as Harrison Bader outright robbed Wilyer Abreu of a home run. Carlos Narvaez popped up to second and Abraham "El" Toro flied out to center to end the inning. Ty France grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Matt Wallner got a base hit to left. A wild pitch moved Wallner to second but Harrison Bader struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Brooks Lee had to come in for Carlos Correa to start the top of the third and the Sox struck. David Hamilton grounded out to first but Ceddanne Rafaela tripled into the centerfield gap. Anthony struck a base hit to center to score Rafaela and Bregman drove a line drive to left, misplayed by Castro. Anthony scored and Bregman got a "double". Duran struck out swinging but Story belted his 16th home run of the season to increase the lead. Abreu walked but Narvaez lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                            Story gets the Wally head

Larnarch popped up to third to start the bottom of the third before Lee grounded out to first. Castro was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Michael Tonkin came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Toro was hit with a pitch to start. Hamilton lined out to left, Rafaela lined out to center and Anthony grounded out to second to end the inning. Lewis grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Clemens flied out to right. France lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox got another one in the top of the fourth although Bregman flied out to right to start. Duran clobbered his 10th home run of the season to increase the lead but Story struck out swinging. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                       Duran causing some turbulence

The Twins struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Wallner flied out to center to start. Bader got a base hit and Vazquez was hit with a pitch, but Larnach struck out swinging. Lee got a base hit to center...under the glove of Rafaela. Bader scored and the runners moved into scoring position. Castro grounded out to third to end the inning with the Twins down 5-1.

                                                     Twins get a run back

The Sox got that run right back in the top of the sixth against Kody Funderburk. Narvaez singled to left but Toro pounded a ground rule double down the right field line. Hamilton struck out swinging and Rafaela hit a sac fly to center to score Narvaez. Anthony walked but Bregman popped up to first to end the inning.

                                                           Rafaela drives in a run

Lewis popped up to first to start the bottom of the sixth before Clemens popped up to second. France got a base hit to center and Wallner walked, but Bader went down hacking to end the inning. Giolito tossed 6 solid innings allowing 1 run off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                          Good work by Giolito

Duran walked to start the top of the seventh and promptly stole second. Story grounded out to short and Abreu grounded out to second to move Duran to third. Narvaez grounded out to short to end the inning. Justin Wilson came in to vomit up his intestines in the bottom of the seventh as Vazquez flied out to left to start. Ryan Jeffers pinch hit for Larnach and got a base hit to center. Lee then hit a home run all the way to Aruba to cut the lead. Rafaela absolutely robbed Castro of a sure triple with a diving catch and Lewis struck out to end the inning with the Twins down 6-3.

                                                           Great catch by Rafaela

Cole Sands came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Toro grounded out to first to start. Hamilton flied out to right and Rafaela grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Clemens got a base hit to right. France struck out swinging, Wallner struck out swinging and Bader popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox got some insurance in the top of the ninth with Louis Varland on the mound. It looked like Anthony had beaten out a grounder to first, but the Twins challenged the call. Replays ruled Anthony out but Lewis booted a grounder by Bregman. Duran flied out to left but Story doubled to right to score Bregman. Abreu doubled to right to score Story and Narvaez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                Abreu's turn to cause some turbulence

Jorge Alcala was brought in to close out the bottom of the ninth and failed. Vazquez flied out to center but Story booted a grounder by Jeffers. Lee hit yet another home run all the way to New Mexico, but Castro struck out swinging. Lewis got a base hit to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough. Aroldis Chapman was summoned to finish it and Mickey Gasper pinch hit for Clemens. Chapman blew away Gasper on 3 pitches to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of the Night is Lucas Giolito. The Sox desperately needed a good start to save the bullpen and he went 6 innings allowing just the 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 5.

                                                             Gio-Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run, a stolen base, and a walk.

Trevor Story was 2 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Abraham Toro was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 19th save by striking out Gasper to end it.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Justin Wilson allowed a 2 run home run in the seventh.

Jorge Alcala allowed a 2 run home run in the ninth.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and sored a run.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored two runs.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Once again this game was a half glass empty or full situation. The Sox bats woke up but pessimists can say they beat up a rookie making his debut and a bad bullpen. Still, you HAVE to win games like this and they got the job done. Now that the story has come out, the whole airplane thing and part of the bullpen woes came from the plane ride to Minnesota from Boston. Apparently the plane damn near crashed and the turbulence caused motion sickness to both Chapman and Whitlock. The Sox used it as a rallying cry any time they got on base tonight. Also explains why Whitlock and Chapman were absent last night. Fans were expecting the worse then Chapman left with a bad back on Sunday but he looks okay now. The most important part was the Sox built the lead rather than sit on it for once. They might have beat up on a bad team, but hopefully it woke them up. The Baltimore Orioles swept a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays so the Sox gained some ground on the Jays. The Detroit Tigers also have been inconsistent lately so believe it or not, the Sox are literally 5 games out from the best record in the American League. This year is wide open and the Sox can blow the doors off the hinges by adding another starter at the trade deadline. Peyton Tolle and Connelly Early tore up Portland this season and Kyson Witherspoon might be a stud, but if the Sox want to win now, one of them must go. Unless they hope that Patrick Sandoval can magically appear out of thin air and save the season. They have 3 days left to figure it out. The win improved the Sox to 58-51, 5 games behind the Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win the series tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA) takes on Zebby Mathews of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:10 Eastern time at Target Field.

Crochet Outduels Kershaw, Sox Beats Dodgers (7/26/25)

Now that's more like it. After the Boston Red Sox got throttled by the Los Angeles Dodgers last night, the Sox turned the tables in tonight's highly anticipated pitching matchup of aces. Clayton Kershaw was beaten by Garrett Crochet (12-4, 2.23 ERA) as Garrett held the Dodgers to just 2 runs in 6 strong innings. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez hit two first inning home runs but a Jarren Duran triple and an Abraham Toro sac fly put the Sox on top in the second inning. The game remained tight although the Sox got an insurance run when Roman Anthony doubled in a run in the fifth. After Crochet left, Justin Wilson, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on LA. The Sox had taken the monster match 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                       The late Hulk Hogan approves of the win

The Dodgers wasted no time in the top of the first as Shohei Ohtani hit the first pitch of the game into the Charles River to put the Dodgers up just like that. Will Smith struck out swinging but Teoscar Hernandez then launched a home run over the Mass Pike to seemingly ice the game already. Freddie Freeman got a base hit to left but was thrown out at third on a base hit to left by Andy Pages. Tommy Edman lined out to center to end the inning with the Dodgers up 2-0.

                                                      That didn't take long

Kershaw got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short to start. Alex Bregman popped up to first but Roman Anthony walked. Romy Gonzalez forced Anthony at second to end the inning.

Miguel Rojas lined out to left to start the top of the second before Esteury Ruiz struck out swinging. Hyeseong Kim singled off the glove of Abraham Toro but Ohtani struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Trevor Story walked to start. Carlos Narvaez doubled to center and Jarren Duran tripled into the centerfield triangle to tie the game. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to short but Toro hit a sac fly to center to score Duran. Refsynder grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 3-2.

                                                 Duran shows us how many runs he drove in

Smith walked to start the top of the third before moving to second on the grounder to Crochet by Hernandez. Freeman grounded out to second to move Smith to third but Pages struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Bregman singled down the third base line to start. Anthony got a base hit to right but Gonzalez grounded into a double play. Story struck out swinging to end the inning.

Edman got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth before Rojas struck out swinging. Ruiz forced Edman at second but Kim singled off the globe of Gonzalez to move Ruiz to third. Ohtani struck out swinging to end the inning. Kershaw cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Narvaez took strike three to begin. Duran popped up to short and Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Smith struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Hernandez walked. Freeman struck out swinging and Hernandez was thrown out at second trying to steal second to end the inning. The Sox got a big run in the bottom of the fifth as Toro grounded out to third to start. Refsnyder grounded out to third but Bregman singled to center. Anthony doubled to left to score Bregman with another run. That was it for Kershaw as Edgardo Henriguez came in to face Gonzalez. Romy grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                         RBI double for Anthony

Crochet came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth and Pages took strike three to start. Edman struck out swinging but Rojas singled to left. Ruiz popped up to second to end the inning. That was it for Crochet who tossed six solid innings allowing just the two home runs to start the game. He allowed 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10 batters.

                                                           Crochet gets it done

Alexis Diaz came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Story watched strike three go by to start. Narvaez flied out to right but Duran hit a triple to right. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Justin Wilson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Kim went down hacking to start. Ohtani struck out swinging and Smith got a base hit to center....only to get thrown out at second trying to stretch a double by Rafaela to end the inning. Will Klein came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Toro took strike three to start. Refsnyder got a base hit inside the bag at third base and David Hamilton pinch ran for him. Bregman got a base hit to right and Anthony walked to load the bases, then Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Gonzalez. The gamble backfired as Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Freeman struck out swinging and Pages grounded out to short to end the inning. Kirby Yates came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Story flied out to right to start. Narvaez flied out to center and Duran doubled to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Edman flied out to center to start. Rojas flied out to right but Ruiz walked. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pinch hit Mookie Betts for Kim. In a surreal moment at Fenway, Chapman struck Betts out looking to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Garrett Crochet. He held the world champs to just 2 runs in 6 innings of work, moving closer to the Cy Young Award by allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10.

                                                           Hero Crochet

The Good:

Alex Bregman was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Roman Anthony was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Jarren Duran was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 18th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu grounded into a double play as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

David Hamilton ran for Refsnyder in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Big win by the Sox to not only drop the world champs but have Crochet outpitch Kershaw. This season has a very 1998-99 feel to it with Crochet in the role of Pedro Martinez stopping a losing streak or preventing one. The offense still isn't lighting it up and it might be time to consider some trade options for another bat considering most of the offense are backups. Yandy Diaz is rumored to be on the trade block and the Sox have to do SOMETHING considering Triston Casas and Rafael Devers were replaced with Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro. Still, the offense did just enough to get the job done and the bullpen was lights out. Once the game gets to the eighth inning, its pretty much over the way Whitlock and Chapman have been this season. If Jordan Hicks can harness that 100 mph fastball, he might be the 7th inning guy they need with Justin Slaten down and Greg Weissert being inconsistent. Crochet needs just 8 more wins to become the Sox first 20 game winner since Rick Porcello back in 2016 and he's got two months to get it done. All in all the Sox needed this win to keep pace in race and they did. The win improved the Sox to 56-50, 7.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow afternoon when ex-Dodger Walker Buehler (6-6, 5.72 ERA) takes on Dustin May of LA. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Rays (7/10/25)

Looks like the Boston Red Sox recent run wasn't just taking advantage of bad teams. Tonight the Sox brought their six game win streak and took on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox fell behind 3-1 after 6 innings as Taj Bradley held the Sox to just 1 run off a Roman Anthony rbi. Walker Buehler was tagged for a two run home run by Ha-Seong Kim and a Junior Caminero solo shot in 6 solid innings. Then in the bottom of the seventh the Sox sprang to life. Marcelo Mayer doubled home Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in both Mayer and Romy Gonzalez. The rested Boston bullpen of Chris Murphy (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on the Rays in the final three innings. The Sox had just their 3rd win all season when trailing after 6 innings as they beat the Rays 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Colin Morikawa approves of the win

Buehler got the ball to start the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz lined out to center to start. Jonathan Aranda got a base hit to right but Junior Caminero grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bradley got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Roman Anthony struck out swinging and Abraham "El" Toro popped up to short to end the inning.

Josh Lowe lined out to center to start the top of the second before Ha-Seong Kim grounded out to short. Chandler Simpson got a base hit to second then took third when Carlos Narvaez threw the ball away for an error. Christopher Morel walked and promptly stole second, but Matt Thaiss was retired on a squibber to end the inning. Narvaez took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Trevor Story popped up to second and Romy Gonzalez flied out to center to end the inning.

Taylor Walls flied out to center to start the top of the third before Diaz flied out to right. Aranda struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Marcelo Mayer grounded out to first to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to left and took second on a wild pitch. Duran struck out swinging but Anthony got a base hit to right to score Rafaela. Anthony swiped second base and El Toro walked, but Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Another RBI for Anthony

The lead lasted about 10 seconds in the top of the fourth as Caminero was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Lowe walked and Kim hit a home run all the way to South Korea to put the Rays on top. Simpson grounded out to short and Morel lined out to left to end the inning with the Rays up 2-1.

                                                              Rays take the lead

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu grounded out to second to start. Story popped up to second and Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Thaiss grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth before Walls grounded out to first. Diaz got a base hit to right but Aranda flied out to left to end the inning. Mayer grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fifth before Rafaela lined out to center. Duran walked and Anthony was retired on a squibber to end the inning.

The Rays iced the game in the top of the sixth as Caminero hit a home run all the way into the Nile River to start. Lowe walked but Kim struck out swinging. Simpson grounded back to the mound and Morel lined out to short to end the inning but the Rays were up 3-1. That was it for Buehler who turned in a "quality" start by going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs. Too bad the Sox couldn't score runs.

                                                       Not great but it'll do

The Sox continued their ineptitude in the bottom of the sixth with Jake Mangum now in left. El Toro grounded out to second, Narvaez popped up to second and Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Taj Bradley came into the game with an ERA near 5 and allowed just 2 hits and a run, pathetic.

Chris Murphy came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Thaiss grounded back to the mound to start. Walls singled to right but Diaz forced him at second. Aranda grounded out to second to end the inning. Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and suddenly the Sox sprang to life. Story walked to start then promptly stole second. Gonzalez walked and Mayer doubled to left to score Story. Rafaela stepped up with a base hit to center to score both runners to put the Sox back on top. Rafaela stole second but Duran popped up to second. Anthony grounded out to second to move Ceddanne to third but El Toro struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                      Sox surge ahead

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Caminero struck out swinging to start. Lowe grounded out to short and Kim went down hacking to end the inning. Mason Englert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Narvaez grounded out to short to start. Abreu flied out to right and Story did the same to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with David Hamilton taking over for Toro to start. Simpson flied out to center to start but Mangum singled to center. Old pal Danny Jansen pinch hit for Thaiss and struck out swinging. Walls struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His 2 run single put the Sox up for good.

                                                               Our Hero

The Good:

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Walker Buehler tossed 6 innings allowing 3 runs off 5 hits and 3 walks.

Chris Murphy got the win with a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman got his 16th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and stole a base.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 wit a strikeout but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 but walked.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 but walked, stole a base and scored a run.

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

Honorable Mention:

David Hamilton played second base in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

The 7 game win streak and the monumental collapse by the Seattle Mariners tonight leaves the Sox all alone in the third wild card slot, a half game behind the Rays for the second and 3 games behind the New York Yankees for the first. The Sox have a chance to jump ahead of the Rays if they win two of the next three games. It'll be a tall order but not impossible with Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello due to pitch the first half finale. Buehler pitched better tonight and the Sox had only two wins all season when trailing after six. Mayer and Rafaela got the Sox ahead the rested bullpen locked it down. Big shoutout to Isaiah Campbell and Jorge Alcala for making that possible with last night's effort. The Sox are rolling right now and hopefully it carries over to the final three games before the all-star break. The good news is Alex Bregman returns tomorrow night but who comes out? David Hamilton or Marcelo Mayer is headed down to Worcester and it looks like Hunter Dobbins will be activated to start tomorrow night's game. Either Chris Murphy or Isaiah Campbell is gone. All in all tonight was a good win and Sox fans have hope for the first time since the three game sweep of the Yankees. The win improved the Sox to 50-35, 5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it eight wins in a row tomorrow night when Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 4.10 ERA) takes on Tampa's best, Drew Rasmussen at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rout, Sweep Rockies (7/9/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Masataka Yoshida was finally removed from the Injured List to make his season debut. Nate Eaton was sent down to Worcester to clear room for Yoshida. Eaton had a couple of good hits during this recent stretch so thanks for the contributions.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Sox did what they had to do. They had 10 games against the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies staring them in the face...and won 9 of them. Tonight the Sox swept the hapless Rockies on the back of another late inning offense surge and shutdown pitching by Lucas Giolito (6-1, 3.36 ERA). Giolito held the Rockies to just 4 hits in six shutout innings. Meanwhile the Sox beat up Antonio Senzatela and the Rockies bullpen for 15 hits and 10 runs. Carlos Narvaez set the tone with a second inning home run and Masataka Yoshida made his reutrn with an rbi in the fourth. The floodgates opened as Wilyer Abreu hit a two run shot, Romt Gonzalez hit a two run home run and Jarren Duran hit another 3 run bomb. The only blip was Isaiah Campbell giving up a two run jack to Kyle Farmer. It all added up to winning 9 out of 10, 6 in a row and tonight's game 10-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                              Happy fans

Giolito got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tyler Freeman grounded out to second to start. Jordan Beck singled to left but Ryan McMahon struck out swinging. The alert Carlos Narvaez gunned down Beck trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the first against Senzatela as Jarren Duran's routine grounder up the middle turned into a double and an error by Yanquiel Fernandez to move Jarren to third. Roman Anthony was hit with a pitch but Trevor Story struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Michael Toglia struck out swinging to open the top of the second inning and Brenton Doyle flied out to right. Orlando Arcia grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Carlos Narvaez belted his 8th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Masataka Yoshida got his first at-bat since September 2024 and got a base hit to center. Romy Gonzalez flied out to center and Marcelo Mayer forced Yoshida at second. David Hamilton lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Home run Narvaez

Fernandez grounded out to first to start the top of the third before Kyle Farmer grounded out to short. Austin Nola struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran walked to start the bottom of the third but Anthony lined out to right. Story banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox defense came up big in the top of the fourth as Freeman got a base hit to center to start. Beck flied out to center and McMahon did the same, but Toglia doubled off the Monster. Duran fired the ball back to Story who gunned down Freeman at home to end the inning.

                                                        YERRRR OUT!!!

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu lined out to center to start. Narvaez doubled to right and took third on a balk. Yoshida tied Connor Wong for his season total in rbis with a base hit to right to score Carlos. Gonzalez struck out swinging but Mayer got a base hit to center. Hamilton flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Happy Sox

Doyle struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Arcia took strike three. Fernandez flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck in the bottom of the fifth as Duran struck out swinging to start. Anthony got a base hit to left but Story popped up to third. Abreu mashed his 18th home run of the season to double the lead, but Narvaez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                Sox bullpen loved the Abreu home run

Farmer grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Nola lined out to center. Freeman got a base hit past Giolito but Beck struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Giolito who tossed shutout ball through six innings allowing just 4 hits while striking out six.

                                                                 Giolito gets it done

Ryan Rolison came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Gonzalez walked and moved to second on the grounder to first by Mayer. Hamilton stepped up with a base hit to right to score Romy with another run. Duran grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 5-0.

                                                           Big RBI for Hamilton

Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the top of the seventh and McMahon popped up to short to start. Toglia struck out swinging and Doyle grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tyler Kinley came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Anthony lined out to left to start. Story doubled to left but Abreu struck out swinging. Narvaez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rockies struck back against Isaiah Campbell making his season debut in the top of the eighth. Arcia grounded out to third before Fernandez got a base hit to left. Farmer hit a home run all the way to Brazil to cut the lead. Nola flied out to right and Freeman grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rockies down 5-2.

                                                      Rockies get closer

The Sox blew the game open against Seth Halvorsen in the bottom of the eighth as Yoshida hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to start. Gonzalez then pounded his fifth home run of the season to get the five run lead back. Mayer singled to left, Hamilton walked and Duran clobbered his 8th home run of the season to put the game out of reach. That was it for the incompetent Halvorsen as Jimmy Herget got the ball. Anthony got a base hit to right but Story struck out swinging. Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-2.

                                                    "Right to the bitter end" - Rockies fan

Beck got a base hit to left to start the top of the ninth but McMahon grounded into a double play. Toglia singled to left but Doyle lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-2.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Lucas Giolito. He tossed 6 shutout innings allowing just 4 hits while striking out six batters.

                                                          "I'm the Hero" - Giolito

The Good:

Jarren Duram was 2 for 4 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

Roman Anthony was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Carlos Narvaez was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Mastaka Yoshida was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a walk, a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Isaiah Campbell allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox had to beat up on the bad teams and they did just that. They've won 9 out of 10 games to get back in the race but now they are staring at the Tampa Bay Rays with third place on the line heading into the all-star break. The Sox took advantage of bad teams but at least they built momentum the last two weeks. The Sox have Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet lined up for Tampa with a wild card on Friday night. It might be Hunter Dobbins, it might be Cooper Criswell, it might even be Jordan Hicks. Still, Giolito continues to be everything they could have asked for out of a fourth starter and hopefully his arm holds up the rest of the season. The offense was great but....its Colorado. Now the hard part starts and we'll see what the Sox are made of. The win improved the Sox to 49-45, 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have four huge games with the Rays before the All-Star break. Taking 3 of 4 would vault them into the second wild card. Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.25 ERA) has to step up tomorrow night against Taj Bradley of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.