Red Sox Crush White Sox (6/6/24)

It was a great night all around as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and the Boston Red Sox smashed the hapless Chicago White Sox. The Boston bats woke up big time today as they hammered out 24 total hits and 17 total runs. Jarren Duran, Rob Refsnyder and Dominic Smith all had 3 hits or more with Duran hitting a home run. Speaking of home runs, Enmanuel Valdez clobbered a 3 run shot and Jamie Westbrook went yard as well. On the other side, Tanner Houck (6-5, 1.91 ERA) pitched great, holding the White Sox to 3 hits and just two runs. Cam Booser slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth and the BoSox crushed the White Sox 14-2 at Comiskey Park.

                                                Krystaps Porzingis approves of the win

The BoSox wasted no time tagging Colas in the top of the first inning as Jarren Duran led off with his fifth home run of the season to put Boston on top. Enmanuel Valdez lined out to right but Rob Refsnyder doubled to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill walked. Dominic Smith lined out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 1-0.

                                                                Duran starts the party

Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Zach Deloach took strike three to start. Nicky Lopez grounded out to first and Luis Robert Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox rallied in the top of the second as Connor Wong was plunked to start. David Hamilton doubled to right and Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Wong & Hamilton. Duran flied out to center and Valdez flied out to right, but Refsnyder beat out a roller to third. Devers flied out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-0.

                                                               Rafaela drives in a pair

Gavin Sheets lined out to center to start the bottom of the second before Andrew Vaughn struck out swinging. Paul DeJong was hit with a pitch but Korey Lee grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill struck out swinging to start the top of the third inning but Smith got a base hit to short. Wong flied out to left and Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Lenyn Sosa grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Ellis grounded out to second. DeLoach grounded out to first to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the fourth as Rafaela dumped a base hit to center...booted by Ellis for an error to move Ceddanne to second. Duran walked and Valdez smashed his fifth home run of the season to ice the game. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Vaughn made a diving stab to rob Devers of a single, but O'Neill ripped a base hit to center. Smith walked and Wong got a base hit to right to score O'Neill. Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 7-0.

                                                            Valdez jacks one

Lopez grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Robert Jr struck out swinging. Sheets lined out to center to end the inning.

Tim Hill came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Duran got a base hit on a roller to second before moving to second on a grounder to second by Valdez. Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning. Vaughn struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before DeJong grounded out to short. Lee flied out to left to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the sixth when Devers lined a base hit to left to begin. O'Neill got a base hit to right and Smith drilled a base hit to center to score Devers. Wong got a base hit to center to score O'Neill before Hamilton grounded back to the mound to move the runners over. Rafaela hit a seeing eye single into left to score Smith and chase Hill from the game. Jared Shuster came in and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Wong with another un before Valdez walked. Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 11-0.

                                                              Smith drives in a run

With the game out of reach, Bobby Dalbec came in for Devers to start the bottom of the sixth and Sosa got a base hit to center to start. Ellis grounded out to first to move Sosa to second and Lenyn scored on the double to left by DeLoach. Lopez struck out swinging and Robert Jr took strike three to end the inning but the White Sox were down 11-1.

                                                        Chicago gets a run back

The BoSox struck again in the top of the seventh as Dalbec lined out to short to start. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for O'Neill and hit his first home run to increase the lead. Smith got a base hit to center then took second on a wild pitch. Wong walked and Hamilton beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Smith and chase Shuster. Duran singled in the hole at short to load the bases but Valdez flied out to left to end the inning with Boston ahead 13-1.

                                                           First homer for Westbrook

Houck returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh and Sheets lined out to left to start. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to cut the lead but DeJong struck out swinging. Lee took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Houck who tossed 7 strong innings allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits.

                                                             Good work by Houck

Oscar Colas came in for Sheets to start the top of the eighth and Refsnyder doubled to left to start. Dalbec blooped a single past Lopez and both runners moved over on the fly ball to center by Westbrook. Smith grounded out to short to score Refsnyder and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 14-2.

                                                     Another rbi for Smith

Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Sosa lined out to left to start. Ellis took strike three and DeLoach watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Danny Mendick the third baseman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hamilton got a base hit to center to start. Rafaela lined out to right but Duran got a seeing eye single into left. Valdez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Booser returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lopez struck out swinging to start. Mendick walked and Colas got a base hit to right, but Vaughn popped up to first. DeJong flied out to right to end the game. The Red Sox had won 14-2.

                                                           Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tanner Houck. He tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball to earn the win. He allowed just 3 hits while striking out 9.

                                                           Hero Houck

The Good:

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

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Dominic Smith was 3 for 5 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

David Hamilton was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 4 for 6 with 4 rbis and a run scored.

Cam Booser pitched two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 6 with a walk but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a total massacre and much needed for the Red Sox. If the Sox have any chance of getting back in the AL East race they need to beat up the bad teams and they did that today. Everything they hit found a hole or left the yard and you don't get too many days like that. The great news was Tanner Houck once again looked great and only needing Cam Booser saved the bullpen for tomorrow. Rafaela finally busted out in a hurry and kudos to Jamie Westbrook for getting his first career home run. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum to a nice hot streak as the month of June heats up. The win improved the Sox to 32-31, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Boston looks to make it two in a row against Chicago tomorrow night when Cooper Criswell (3-2, 3.92 ERA) takes on Garrett Crochet of Chicago. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Pivetta, Sox Blank Braves (6/5/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Tyler O'Neill was activated from the Injured List and his finally good to go. Tyler Heineman was sent down to Worcester as his corresponding move. Sadly Chris Martin was placed on the Injured List due to a bout with anxiety and Zack Kelly was called up from Worcester to take his place.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Sox might be depleted but Nick Pivetta (3-4, 3.40 ERA) certainly was not. He pitched arguably his best game of the season, holding the Braves to just 1 hit and 2 walks through seven shutout innings. Meanwhile the Boston bats woke up big time. The Sox rallied for three runs in the second off Spencer Schwellenbach before tagging him for three in the fifth. Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran both went yard as well before Brad Keller slammed the door in the ninth inning. The Sox had blanked the Braves 9-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Carmen Valentina approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning as Michael Harris Jr grounded out to second to start. Austin Riley grounded out to third and Marcell Ozuna struck out swinging to end the inning. Schwellenbach got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to first and Ron Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning.

Matt Olson walked to start the top of the second inning before Ozzie Albies struck out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud struck out swinging and Adam Duvall popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers pounded his 12th home run of the season to start. Tyler O'Neill singled to center, Dominic Smith walked and David Hamilton doubled home O'Neill. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to left and Reese McGuire hit a sac fly to left to score Smith. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                      Devers starts the party

Jared Kelenic grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Orlando Arcia struck out swinging. Harris watched strike three go by to end the inning. Valdez grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Refsnyder singled to center. Devers forced Refsnyder at second and O'Neill forced Devers to end the inning.

Riley singled to right to start the top of the fourth before Ozuna went down hacking. Olson popped up to second but Albies walked. D'arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning. Smith went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth and Hamilton lined out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Duvall popped up to first to begin the top of the fifth and Kelenic grounded out to second. Arcia struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Schwellenbach to begin. Duran tripled into the centerfield triangle and Valdez doubled to right to score Jarren. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Devers was intentionally walked to get to O'Neill. Tyler found that offensive and ripped a base hit to left to score Valdez. Ray Kerr came in to face Smith and Dominic doubled to right to score Devers. Hamilton walked but Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                      Smith drives in a run

Harris flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Riley grounded out to third. Ozuna lined out to center to end the inning. McGuire grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Duran lined out to center. Valdez lined out to left to end the inning. 

Pivetta came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Olson grounded out to short to start. Albies struck out swinging and d'Arnaud flied out to center to end the inning. Pivetta was outstanding, allowing just a hit and 2 walks while striking out nine. 

                                                         Good work by Pivetta

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Refsnyder hit a ground rule double into the left field stands to start. Devers then cracked his second home of the day to extend the lead. O'Neill struck out swinging but Smith got a base hit to center. Hamilton flied out to left and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                             Devers does it again

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Bobby Dalbec in for Devers. Duvall lined out to center but JP Martinez pinch hit for Kelenic. Martinez and Arcia both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with Brian Anderson in for Riley and Jimmy Herget on the mound. McGuire flied out to right but Duran hit his 4th home run of the season to add to the lead. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez and got a base hit to left. Refsnyder and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                                Duran goes yard

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the ninth and McGuire rolled around on top of a squibber hit by Harris for an error to start. Anderson grounded into a double play and old pal Zack Short pinch hit for Ozuna. Short flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won the game 9-0.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of The Night is Nick Pivetta. He shut out the Braves for 7 innings allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out nine.

                                                               Pivetta The Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Jamie Westbrook singled as a pinch hitter.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5 with run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brad Keller pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only at-bat.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Damn good win all things considered. That was arguably Pivetta's best start of the season pitching a 1 hitter through seven innings. He's been a .500 pitcher his whole career so expecting him to do that again next time is unfair. Still, you CAN expect the offense to put up some runs like they did in this one. Devers got some help from Duran and two big hits from Tyler O'Neill and Dominic Smith. If O'Neill could stay healthy, that would be nice. The running game didn't really take effect but they didn't need it the way everyone was swinging the bat. Even the duo of Kelly and Keller held the fort in the later innings without giving up a run. Not much to complain about in this one. The win improved the Sox to 31-31, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Chicago for a four game set with the worthless White Sox. Tanner Houck (5-5) goes for Boston against Jake Woodford of Chicago. The game begins tomorrow night at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Braves Bash Crawford, Sox (6/4/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Wilyer Abreu was placed on the 10 Day Injured List and Tyler Heineman was called up to take his place. Tyler O'Neill should be back tomorrow so Taylor's stay might be brief.

                                                                           OUT

                                                              IN

As for the game, what a disaster for the Red Sox. For five innings the Sox matched the Atlanta Braves blow by blow. The Braves tagged Kutter Crawford (2-5, 3.51 ERA) for three runs but the Sox got three of their own off ace Max Fried. The killing blow came in the sixth when Ozzie Albies struck a three run home run off Crawford to put the game out of reach. Chase Anderson allowed two runs in relief and the Sox bats could do nothing else. The Braves had won the game 8-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Sam Winchester dislikes Sox losses

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Michael Harris Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the first inning before Austin Riley took strike three. Marcell Ozuna grounded out to third to end the inning. Fried got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Connor Wong also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second inning as Smith booted a grounder by Matt Olson for an error to start. Ozzie Albies doubled to right and Smith dropped the throw from Jamie Westbrook on an Adam Duvall grounder to score Olson and Albies. Jared Kelenic took strike three and Sean Murphy grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                    "I don't got it" - Smith

Rafael Devers led off the bottom of the second with a fly out to left. Jamie Westbrook lined out to center and Garrett Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

Orlando Arcia grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Harris Jr flied out to center. Riley struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Bobby Dalbec took strike three to start. Dominic Smith belted his second home run of the season to cut the lead but Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                That's one way to make up for the errors

Ozuna walked to start the top of the fourth before Olson grounded back to the mound to move Marcell to second. Albies struck out swinging and Duvall grounded out to third to end the inning. Refsnyder took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Wong drew a walk. Devers got a base hit to left Westbrook reached on catcher's interference, but Cooper struck out swinging. Somehow Dalbec got a base hit to right to score Devers and Wong to put Boston on top. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Dalbec gives Boston the lead

Naturally Crawford coughed up the lead in the top of the fifth as Kelenic doubled to center to start. Murphy singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Kelenic and was forced at second by Arcia. Harris hit into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Tie game

Rafaela reached on an error by Riley to start the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Duran flied out to center but Refsnyder singled to center. Wong took strike three to end the inning.

The Braves took command in the top of the sixth inning as Riley walked to start. Ozuna singled off the glove of Devers but Olson popped up to short. Albies then hit a home run all the way to Spain to put Atlanta up for good. Duvall struck out swinging and Kelenic flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 6 runs in 6 innings off five hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Yeah that'll do it

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Westbrook was hit with a pitch. Cooper and Dalbec both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Murphy grounded out to third to start. Arcia hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to increase the lead but Harris Jr grounded out to second. Riley lined out to center to end the inning with the Braves up 7-3.

                                                           So much for this game

Smith lined out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Rafaela went down hacking as well. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ozuna flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Olson grounded out to first. Albies grounded out to second to end the inning. Pierce Johnson relieved Fried for the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder lined out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Devers could only move Connor to second with a grounder to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning.

Anderson returned for the top of the ninth and Duvall grounded out to first to start. Kelenic struck out swinging but Murphy got hit with a pitch and had to leave the game. Zack Short came in to run for Murphy and Arcia singled to left. Harris singled to center to score Short and move Arcia to third, but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Braves up 8-3.

                                                        All Braves tonight

Travis d'arnaud took over for Short with Jesse Chavez now on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and blooped a single to left. David Hamilton pinch hit for Dalbec and flied out to left before Smith grounded into a double play to end the game. The Braves had won it 8-3.

                                                         Braves win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got tagged for 6 runs in 6 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 batters.

                                                        Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked, got hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but got hit with a pitch.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but did hit a home run.

Chase Anderson allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

I know the Braves threw their ace against the Sox but the injuries on the offensive side are rearing their ugly heads big time. Tyler O'Neill, Trevor Story, Triston Casas and Vaughn Grissom all out for a while is not looking good so far. Smith, Cooper, Westbrook and Dalbec aren't going to get it done long term. Crawford got jacked up in this one although had he not served up the meatball to Albies, it might have been a different story. The bottom line is the Sox suffered way too many injuries and they're gonna have to salvage something in the second half of the year once some guys come back, because its going to be a struggle until then with no ace pitchers and bench players in the lineup. The Braves are good but the Sox are down too many guys. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-31 on the season, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Nick Pivetta (3-3) takes on Spencer Schwellenbach of Atlanta. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Detroit Clubs Sox in 10 Innings (6/2/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Vaughn Grissom and Romy Gonzalez were placed on the Injured List with bad hamstrings. Grissom hurt the OTHER hamstring after being out for April with a bad pull. In their places the Sox brought back Bobby Dalbec but also Jamie Westbrook. Westbrook has played 11 years in the minors and finally got the call. Good luck to him.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, this team just finds ways to lose doesn't it? The Sox broke out to a 3-0 lead against the Detroit Tigers thanks to rbis from Enmanuel Valdez, Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers. The Tigers rallied for four runs against Brayan Bello and Justin Slaten to put Detroit on top. Devers hit a game tying home run to plunge the game into extra innings. Cam Booser (0-2, 4.35 ERA) got rocked for four runs in the top of the tenth to put the game out of reach. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the tenth and the Tigers came back to win 8-4 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling singled to center to start. Riley Greene walked but Wenceel Perez flied out to right. Mark Canha beat out a double play ball and Colt Keith grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Mize got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Wilyer Abreu doubled to right but Dominic Smith flied out to left. Rafael Devers walked but Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to center to score Abreu. Garrett Cooper froze for strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Valdez drives in a run

Gio Urshela grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Akil Baddoo struck out swinging. Javier Baez also struck out swinging to end the inning. Reese McGuire flied out to left to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela walked. Rafaela looked to have second base stolen but Tigers manager AJ Hinch challenged that he was out. Sure enough, the calls was overturned and Rafaela was out. David Hamilton hit a grounder to second that Keith threw away for an error to move David to second. Duran got a base hit to center to score Hamilton with another run, but Abreu lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         Sox get another run

Carson Kelly was rung up for strike three to start the top of the third before Vierling also was called out on strikes. Greene grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Smith walked to start. Devers smacked a triple into the right field corner to score Dominic but Valdez lined out to second. Cooper flied out to right and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did lead 3-0 but not getting that fourth run was huge.

                                                              Triple for Devers

Perez got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Canha grounded into a double play. Keith grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Hamilton was frozen for strike three. Duran walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the fifth as Urshela doubled off the Monster to start. Baddoo got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners and Urshela scored on a wild pitch. Baez grounded out to short and Valdez batted down a line drive by Kelly for a "single". Vierling lined out to third and Greene grounded out to first to end the inning with the Tigers down 3-1.

                                                          Tigers get a run back

Tyler Holton came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Abreu flied out to right to start. Smith grounded out to third and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Tigers struck again in the top of the sixth as Perez singled to right to start. Canha walked and both runners moved over when Keith hit a squibber to Bello. Urshela hit a rocket to Rafaela who threw home, but Perez just barely got the plate to be ruled safe. Baddoo walked and Canha stole third, but Baez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers down 3-2.

                                                          Perez scores a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Valdez lined out to first to start. Cooper flied out to center and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kelly was rung up for strike three to start the top of the seventh but Vierling beat out a chopper to Hamilton. Greene lashed a base hit past Hamilton and that was it for Bello. He would be charged with 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks. Justin Slaten came in and Perez immediately crushed a double to center to score Greene. Canha grounded out to short to score Greene, putting the Tigers up for the first time in the game. Keith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 4-3.

                                                        Bello couldn't get it done

The Sox offense was done for the night in the bottom of the seventh as Rafaela flied out to left to start. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Hamilton and Alex Faedo came in to pitch to him. Refsnyder lined out to right but Duran dumped a base hit to center. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Urshela struck out swinging to start. Baddoo popped up to short and Baez flied out to center to end the inning. Abreu fell down the dugout steps after the inning was over and hobbled around, yet another injury. The Sox did manage to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth as Smith flied out to center to start. Devers clobbered his 11th home run of the season to dead center to tie the game. Keith made a great diving catch to rob Valdez of a hit and that was it for Faedo. Jason Foley came in to pitch to Cooper and Baddoo chased down a line drive to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                      Devers ties it up

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and struck out Kelly swinging to start. Vierling hit a grounder to Devers who threw him out while on his knees. Greene ripped a base hit to right and naturally stole second. Perez popped up to Duran to end the inning. McGuire popped up to second to start the bottom of the ninth before Rafaela grounded out to third. Refsnyder poked a base hit to right to chase Foley. Andrew Chafin came in to face Duran and Jarren walked on four straight curves in the dirt. For some reason, Alex Cora sent in career minor leaguer Jamie Westbrook to pinch hit for Abreu. The gamble somewhat worked as Westbrook drew a walk to load the bases. Connor Wong pinch hit for Smith and swung at a meatball down the middle....only to fly out to right to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of 10th with Bobby Dalbec at first and Perez at second as the ghost runner. Canha looked to have beat out a grounder to third but Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Canha didn't actually touch the bag. The umpires upheld the call and Andy Ibanez pinch hit for Keith, naturally doubling down the left field line to score Perez. Urshela lined out to short and Jake Rogers pinch hit for Baddoo. Rogers lined out to short as well but Baez ripped a base hit to left to score both runners and ice the game. Kelly followed with a double to center to add insult to injury, scoring Baez. Vierling flied out to center but the boos rained down on Fenway with the Tigers ahead 8-4.

                                                                Tigers ice it

Zach McKinstry took over for Rogers with Dalbec starting the bottom of the 10th at second base. Devers struck out swinging and Valdez grounded out to short to move Dalbec to third. Cooper struck out swinging to end the game. The Tigers had won it 8-4.

                                                            Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Cam Booser. He allowed 4 runs in the tenth to take the loss.

                                                                 Jackass Booser

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Jamie Westbrook walked as a pinch hitter.

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

David Hamilton was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Connor Wong flied out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten allowed both inherited runners to score in just 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Brayan Bello was charged with 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec played first in the 10th inning.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a sucker punch to the gonads. The Sox broke out to a 3-0 lead and couldn't hold the fort. Mostly it was the bullpen but Cora made some bizarre managerial decisions. Bringing in Westbrook to pinch hit worked out but Wong certainly didn't. Wong failing with the bases loaded decided the game as Booser got rocked in the 10th inning. It just goes to show they are woefully short on both arms and bats due to injuries. That goes to poor roster construction as much as it is plain bad luck. With Trevor Story and Triston Casas out, the bench is limited. The Sox are going to need to find a better way to score runs because the trio of Dominic Smith, Garrett Cooper and Bobby Dalbec aren't going to cut it. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-30, 11.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves. Kutter Crawford (2-4) goes for the Sox against Max Fried of Atlanta. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.