Rays Crush Hill, Sox (9/6/22)

When the gravestone for the 2022 Boston Red Sox is finally cemented in a week or so, let it be known the primary cause of death was the AL East. The Sox absolutely could not beat any team in the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays made it two in a row against the Sox to take the series by bashing around Rich Hill (6-6, 4.79 ERA) for 5 runs in just 4 innings. Randy Arozarena hit a 3 run first inning home run but rookie Triston Casas answered with his first career homer in the top of the second. The Rays got two more runs off hill and two more home runs off Eduard Bazardo. Francisco Mejia provided the final run for the Rays as they knocked out the Red Sox 8-4 at Tropicana Field.

                                                 Sox fans realizing they can't beat the AL East

JT Chargois got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to center and Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. The Rays pounced on Hill in the bottom of the first as Yandy Diaz doubled to right to start. Old pal Manny Margot beat out a roller to second and Randy Arozarena hit a three run home run to end the game just like that. Harold Ramirez walked but Isaac Parades struck out swinging. Francisco Mejia lined out to right and Christian Bethancourt grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                            Rays jump ahead early

The Sox fought back in the top of the second as Rafael Devers popped up to third to start. Trevor Story lined out to left but Christian Arroyo singled to right. Triston Casas belted his first career home run to cut the lead, but Kike Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                  First of the year for Casas

Yu Chang singled to left to start the bottom of the second before Jose Siri flied out to center. Yandy Diaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the top of the third and Reese McGuire singled to left to start. Pham forced Reese at second and Verdugo flied out to left. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third as Margo dropped down a bunt to catch the Sox asleep to start. Arozarena doubled to left and Ramirez dropped a base hit to left. Both runners scored but Ramirez was thrown out at second. Paredes grounded out to third but Mejia beat out a roller to first. Bethancourt beat out a roller to third but Chang struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2.

                                                      Rays pour it on

Devers flied out to center to open the top of the fourth but Story walked. Arroyo and Casas both struck out swinging to end the inning. Siri took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Diaz flied out to right. Margot grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Hill who allowed 5 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                           Hill wasn't good enough

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Hernandez lined out to center. McGuire grounded out to third and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning. Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Arozarena flied out to center to start. Ramirez struck out swinging and Parades took strike three to end the inning.

Brooks Raley came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Verdugo got a base hit to center to start. Bogaerts grounded into a double play and Devers grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays poured it on in the bottom of the sixth as Mejia grounded out to second to start. Bethancourt hit a home run all the way to Santo Domingo and then Chang hit a home run off the roof of the dome. Siri flied out to right but Diaz was hit with a pitch. Diaz took second on a wild pitch and Margot struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 7-2.

                                                              Rays are all smiles

Story took strike three to start the top of the seventh before Arroyo lined out to right. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Tyler Danish came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Rob Refsnyder taking over for Bogaerts. Arozarena doubled to center to start before Ramirez grounded out to short. A wild pitch moved Arozarena to third but Paredes struck out swinging. Mejia doubled to center to score Arozarena but Bethancourt grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 8-2.

                                                              Rays get another run

The Sox had one last gasp against old pal Jalen "Twin" Beeks in the top of the eighth. Hernandez flied out to center to begin but McGuire walked. Pham then blasted a home run to cut the lead in half. Verdugo singled past the pitcher but Refsnyder forced him at second. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.

                                                            Home run Pham

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Chang walked to start. Siri struck out swinging and Diaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jason Adam came in to close out the top of the ninth and Story went down hacking to start. Arroyo popped up to left and Casas struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-4.

                                                                  Rays win

Jackass of The Night is Rich Hill. He allowed 5 early runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                             Jackass Hill

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4.

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

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3.

Eduard Bazardo allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

Tyler Danish allowed a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

All it took was two games against the Tampa Bay Rays to send the Sox back to reality and pretty much out of the playoffs. When push came to shove against the AL East, the Sox just couldn't get it done. The sad part was they have a winning record against any other division but just couldn't beat Tampa, Toronto, New York or Baltimore. Hill got hammered in this game but so did the bullpen. The Sox bats were silenced by a bullpen game by Tampa and that's pretty embarrassing. The Sox need their offense to stay hot but its too little, too late. Sox GM Craig Breslow bargain bin shopping for starting pitchers didn't work but can't predict the entire rotation getting hurt. The bad news is the rumors are getting louder of Nathan Eovaldi, JD Martinez and Bogaerts are as good as gone in free agency. Hopefully they can keep them, but its doubtful. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-70, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the season tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta takes on old pal Jeffrey Springs of Tampa. The game begins at 6:30 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Stun Rangers in Ninth (9/1/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some September call-ups. Connor Wong and Eduard Bazardo were called up for tonight's game. Now the Sox have another reliever and a third catcher...yippie.

                                                                        IN

As for the game, ITS A MIRACLE!!!! If the July 22nd game against Toronto was the low point in the season, tonight's comeback win against the Texas Rangers has to be one of the high points. The Rangers broke out to a 4-2 lead over Rich Hill in the top of the fifth but Alex Verdugo chased Texas starter Glenn Otto with a home run in the sixth. The Rangers got four runs off Zack Kelly and Eduardo Bazardo to give the Rangers an 8-3 lead. Game over right? WRONG! Rafael Devers and Christian Arroyo knocked in runs in the eighth inning and a furious rally in the ninth inning tied the game with the bases loaded. Rob Refsnyder did the honors with a base hit to left to score Devers with the winning run. The Sox trailed 8-3 in the 8th and won the game 9-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                             Mimsy approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first and Marcus Semien flied out to center to start. Corey Seager flied out to left but Nathaniel Lowe walked. Adolis Garcia took strike three to end the inning. Otto got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham took strike three to begin. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonah Heim flied out to center to start the top of the second before Leody Taveras caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single down the first base line. Taveras stole second and moved to third on the grounder to second by Mark Mathias. Charlie Culberson flied out to center to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Christian Arroyo flied out to center. Franchy Cordero took strike three to end the inning.

The Rangers struck first in the top of the third as Bubba Thompson walked to start. Semien got a base hit to left and Seager also got a base hit to left to score Thompson. Lowe walked to load the bases but Garcia popped up to second. Heim hit one up the elevator shaft and Taveras watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Rangers up 1-0.

                                                           Seager strikes first

Rob Refsnyder led off the bottom of the third with a grounder to second before Kevin Plawecki flied out to center. Pham took strike three to end the inning.

Mathias grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth before Culberson grounded out to short. Thompson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo beat out a roller to second to start. Bogaerts walked but Devers was frozen for strike three. Martinez grounded out to first to move the runners over and Arroyo doubled to right to score them both. Cordero flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

The Rangers blasted Hill in the top of the fifth as Semien walked to start. Seager doubled to right to score Semien and Lowe singled in the hole at short to move Seager to third. That was it for Hill who would be charged with 4 runs in just 4 innings. John Schreiber came in to pitch and Garcia beat out a double play ball to score Seager. Heim walked and Taveras beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Mathias got a base hit to center to score Garcia but Culberson popped up to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 4-2.

                                                               Hill doesn't last long

Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Plawecki lined out to third. Pham struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Thompson dropped down a bunt single down the third base line. Semien flied out to center but Thompson stole second. Seager and Lowe both struck out swinging to end the inning. Verdugo chased Otto with his 8th home run of the season to inch the Sox closer. Jesus Tinoco came in to get Bogaerts to ground out to second. Devers lined out to center but Martinez got a base hit to left. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                            Verdugo goes yard

Zack Kelly came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Garcia struck out swinging to start. Heim beat out a roller to third before Taveras walked. Mathias walked to load the bases and Kole Calhoun pinch hit for Culberson. Calhoun hit a sac fly to left to score Heim and Thompson beat out a roller to third to reload the bases. Semien singled in the hole at sort to score Taveras with another run. Seager grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rangers up 6-3.

Ezequiel Duran took over for Calhoun to start the bottom of the seventh and Cordero walked to start. Refsnyder got a base hit to center and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Plawecki. McGuire naturally banged into a double play and Pham grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo made his season debut in the top of the eighth and Lowe dumped a base hit to right. Garcia then hit a home run all the way to Anaheim to increase the lead. Heim grounded out to third, Taveras grounded out to second and Mathias also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 8-3.

                                                            Rangers pour it on

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the eighth as Matt Moore came in to pitch. Verdugo got a base hit to center but Bogaerts forced him at second. A wild pitch moved Bogaerts to second and he scored on the Devers double to right. Martinez walked and Arroyo singled to center to score Devers. Kike Hernandez pinch hit for Cordero and Jose Leclerc came in to pitch to him. Hernandez struck out swinging but Refsnyder walked to load the bases. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-5.

                                                         Devers drives in a run

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Thompson grounded out to second but Semien singled to left. Seager flied out to right to end the inning. Jonathan Hernandez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth but suddenly the Sox rallied. Pham and Verdugo drew back to back walks and Bogaerts singled in the hole at first to load the bases. Devers doubled to left to score Pham & Verdugo but Martinez struck out swinging. Arroyo was intentionally walked to set up a double play. It failed as Hernandez got a base hit to right to score Bogaerts to tie the game and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to score Devers with the winning run. The Sox had stunned the Rangers 9-8.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rob Refsnyder. His hit in the ninth won the game.

                                                         The Sox salute our Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with a walk, home run and 3 total runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 wit a walk and 3 rbis.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

John Schreiber tossed a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort tossed a scoreless inning.

Jeurys Familia got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rich Hill allowed 4 runs in 4 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

Eduardo Bazardo allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was a comeback win for the ages, too bad its for a team on the brink of missing the playoffs. Still, a win like that might spark a run. Rich Hill got lit up and so did both Bazardo and Kelly, but the offense came through big time. The team's strength is still its offense and with Trevor Story healthy, they still have a 1-6 that's as good as anyone. If the bats don't suffer any more catastrophic injuries like Eric Hosmer than they might have a chance to bop their way through September. Getting some good pitching for once would be nice. The win improved the Sox to 64-68, 9.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the wild card. The Sox look to make it three wins a row and second straight tomorrow night against the Rangers. Nick Pivetta takes the mound against Dallas Keuchel of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

A's Shut Down Sox Offense (5/12/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Nick Pivetta was placed on the Covid-19 list after getting a vaccine and the Sox called up Eduard Bazardo to take his spot until the side effects go away. This shouldn't be a problem moving forward.

                                                                OUT

                                                                IN

As for the game, what more could be said about the Red Sox offense other than it needs an overhaul. The Sox were once again held to just 5 hits and a run, combining for a total of 13 hits and 5 runs over the last 3 games. The A's offense hasn't been much better but it did just enough against Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 4.15 ERA). James Kaprielian dominated the Sox, holding them to 1 run in 5 innings in his first professional start. The A's broke a 1-1 tie with 2 runs in the 5th and one in the 6th to give them the lead for good. The Sox offense is in a slump and the A's easily beat them 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                                Sox woes at Fenway continue

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mark Canha lined out to second to start. "Glassbones" Jed Lowrie flied out to right and "Razor" Ramon Laueano grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox incompetence with men on base continued in the bottom of the first against Kaprielian continued as Marwin Gonzalez doubled to right to begin. Alex Verdugo walked and JD Martinez singled to center to load the bases with nobody out but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Rafael Devers popped up to first but Christian Vazquez walked home Verdugo to give the Sox the lead. Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging and the Sox only managed a 1-0 lead.

                                                      Vazquez walks for an rbi

Naturally the A's effortlessly tied the game in the top of the second although Matt Olson flied out to center to start. Mark Chapman doubled past Franchy Cordero but Renfroe gunned him down at third. Stephen Piscotty singled to right and Sean Murphy doubled to the centerfield wall to tie the game. Mitch Moreland struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Murphy ties it

Cordero flied out to left to start the bottom of the second and Michael Chavis struck out swinging. Gonzalez hit a double to right but Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning.

Elvis Andrus got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but Canha flied out to center. Lowrie and Laureano both took strike three to end the inning. Laureano then proceeded to throw his bat at home umpire Ryan Wills and threatened to take off his pants before he was escorted out of Fenway by armed security.

                                             "THAT CALL WAS GARBAGE!!!" - Ramon

Seth Brown took Ramon's spot in the lineup but went to left with Canha going to center for the bottom of the third. Martinez flied out to right, Bogaerts grounded out to short and Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

Olson struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Chapman went down hacking as well. Piscotty walked but Murphy took strike three to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fourth as Vazquez grounded out to short to start. Renfroe doubled to right but Cordero struck out swinging. Chavis flied out to center to end the inning.

The A's took the lead in the top of the fifth as Moreland singled to left to start. Andrus doubled to center but somehow Canha struck out swinging. Lowrie scored Moreland with a grounder to short but Rodriguez balked home Andrus. Brown lined out to first to end the inning with the A's ahead 3-1.

                                                    A's take the leader

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth although Gonzalez walked to start. Kaprielian threw away a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Gonzalez was thrown out at home on a grounder to the mound by Martinez. Bogaerts and Devers both whiffed badly to end the inning.

The A's iced the game in the top of the sixth inning when Olson hit a home run all the way to Pluto to start. Chapman took strike three, Piscotty flied our to right and Murphy struck out swinging to end the inning. Rodriguez was human tonight as he allowed 4 runs in just 6 innings, trailing 4-1.

                                                         Not tonight E-Rod

Burch Smith came in for the bottom of the sixth and Vazquez flied out to right to start. Renfroe popped up to first and Cordero grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo came in for the top of the seventh and Moreland flied out to right to start. Andrus struck out swinging but Canha doubled to left. Lowrie struck out swinging to end the inning. Smith cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Chavis was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Gonzalez whiffed and Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning.

Brown popped up to first to start the top of the eighth and Olson flied out to right. Chapman popped up to first to end the inning. Lou Trivino came on for the bottom of the eighth and Martinez struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts walked and Devers doubled to right, but Vazquez not only grounded out to first but Xander was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Austin Brice came in for top of the ninth and Piscotty struck out swinging to start. Murphy grounded out to second and Moreland flied out to left to end the inning. Jake Diekman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Renfroe flied out to right to start.  Jonathan Arauz made his season debut by pinch hitting for Cordero....and struck out swinging. Chavis whiffed to end the game. The Sox had lost their 3rd straight game, 4-1.

                                                            A's win

Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He left 5 men on base by himself and got thrown out at home to kill a potential rally.

                                                     You're out you Jackass!

The Good:

Marwin Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Eduard Bazardo tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Austin Brice tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jonathan Arauz struck out as a pinch hitter.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Eduardo Rodriguez took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 innings while striking out 9.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Another unmitigated disaster on offense and its definitely time to shake up the roster. Its become apparent that Franchy Cordero isn't going to work out and if the Sox were at full health, Renfroe may take a seat as well. If Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez aren't getting hits, essentially the team is doing nothing at all. This is normal for offenses to go into slumps during the season but its terribly bad timing since the New York Yankees finally got hot. Rodriguez didn't pitch that good today but it didn't matter if he allowed only 2 runs, the Sox weren't going to win this game. Bogaerts looked awful today but he himself is going to take that personal. He may have a good bounce back game tomorrow. Bazardo looked good tonight and the Sox may keep him over Austin Brice in the long run if and when Pivetta comes back. The loss dropped the Sox to 23-16, 1 game in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Things aren't going to get easier in tomorrow night's game because Sean Manaea, the guy who no-hit the Red Sox 3 years ago, goes for the A's against Garrett Richards (2-2, 4.54 ERA) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Verdugo, Sox Smash Twins in Game 2 (4/14/21)

Nothing can stop the Boston Red Sox it seems. The Minnesota Twins threw their two best pitchers at the Sox and they beat them both. In Game 2 of the doubleheader, the Sox used a 5th inning rally to stomp Jose Berrios and the Twins into submission. The Sox scored 6 times in that inning with big hits coming from Alex Verdugo and Rafael Devers along with a clutch walk from Franchy Cordero. On the pitching side, Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.60 ERA) mowed down the Twins by allowing just a run in 5 innings of work. Rookies Garrett Whitlock and Eduard Bazardo slammed the door and the Sox had won their ninth game in a row with a 7-1 victory over the Twins at Target Field.

                                                       Ann Margret approves of the win

Berriosgot the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez singled to left to begin. Alex Verdugo banged into a double play and JD Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins wasted no time getting to Rodriguez in the bottom of the first although Mitch Garver struck out swinging to start. Josh Donaldson singled to center then took third on the base hit to right by Nelson Cruz. Kyle Garlick scored Donaldson with a sac fly to put the Twins on top. Jorge Polanco singled Cruz to third but Luis Arraez grounded into a force to end the inning with the Twins up 1-0.

                                                     Garlick puts the Twins on top

Berrios cruised in the top of the second as Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to start the top of the second. Jake Cave reached over the wall to rob Rafael Devers of a home run and Christian Vazquez grounded out to second to end the inning. Rodriguez recovered in the bottom of the second as Miguel Sano popped up to first to start. Max Kepler took strike three and Cave struck out struck out swinging to end the inning.

Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to short to start the top of the third and Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging. Franchy Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins looked to score when Garver led off the bottom of the third with a base hit to right before Donaldson walked. Cruz beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Garlick grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Hernandez flied out to center to start the top of the fourth but Verdugo got a base hit to center. Martinez walked but Verdugo was doubled off of second on a line drive to Berrios by Bogaerts to end the inning. Polanco doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Arraez flied out to left. Sano struck out swinging and Kepler popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the fifth when Devers doubled to center to start and Vazquez walked. Gonzalez took strike three but Dalbec beat out a grounder into the shift to load the bases. Cordero walked to score Devers with the tying run and Tyler Duffey came in to relieve Berrios. Hernandez struck out swinging but Verdugo came through with a base hit to right to score Vazquez and Dalbec. Cordero took third on the throw and he scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead. Martinez and Bogaerts drew back to back walks to reload the bases to chase Duffey. Caleb Thielbar came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael lined a base hit to right to score Verdugo and Martinez to ice the game. Bogaerts took third on the play but Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                       Verdugo puts the Sox on top

Rodriguez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Cave grounded out to third to start. Garver struck out swinging and Donaldson grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Rodriguez who survived the first inning to toss 5 innings of 1 run ball to give the Sox a chance to come back.

                                                             Rodriguez goes 5 strong

Christian Arroyo pinch hit for Gonzalez to open the top of the sixth and he struck out swinging to start. Dalbec struck out swinging and Cordero took strike three to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Cruz grounded out to first to start. Alex Kirilloff pinch hit for Garlick and struck out swinging before Polanco lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got a run back in the top of the seventh although Hernandez sruck out swinging to start. Verdugo put the exclamation point on his day with a solo home run to right to increase the lead. Martinez lined out to right but Bogaerts got a base hit to center. Devers popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                     Kiss it goodbye!

25 year old rookie Eduard Bazardo made his major league debut on the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning and Arraez grounded out to second to start. Sano walked but Kepler struck out swinging for Bazardo's first big league K. Cave walked but Garver grounded into a force to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Alex Verdugo again. He drove in two big runs to give the Sox the lead and added a home run in the seventh inning.

                                                        Verdugo Doubleheader Hero

The Good:

JD Martinez walked twice in four plate appearances with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Eduardo Rodriguez got the win with 5 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Eduard Bazardo made his ML debut with a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 but walked home a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The 2001 Red Sox lost 2 of their first 3 games before winning 11 of their next 12. This year's team lost their first three games but have won 9 in a row. At this point the Sox need to go 3-1 in their next four games to match the 01 Sox. Hopefully they avoid the same fate as that team. The Sox won both games of today's doubleheader in different fashion, grinding out a win in Game 1 and romping in Game 2. Rodriguez pitched a good game while he was in and probably could have gone longer, but why risk it? The New York Yankees are kicking themselves for letting Garrett Whitlock go because he's looked good so far. One of the reasons the Sox have won 9 in a row is the fact Matt Barnes, Whitlock and Hiro Sawamura hasn't allowed a run yet this season. The offense kicked it into high gear after the first three games and hopefully the Sox can keep this up the rest of the season. Kudos to Bazardo to toss a scoreless inning in his debut before he's sent back to the Alternate Training Site. The Sox look to win their tenth in a row tomorrow afternoon against the Twins. Garrett Richards (0-1, 10.29 ERA) takes on Michael "Pine Tar" Pineda of the Twins. The game begins at 1:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.