Crochet, White Sox Stop Red Sox (6/7/24)

The lack of starting pitching depth reared its ugly head again as the Boston Red Sox were forced to send Cooper Criswell (3-3, 4.13 ERA) up against Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox did take a 2-1 lead on Crochet on an error by Garrett and a straight steal of home by Jarren Duran. Then the White Sox got three runs off Criswell in the bottom of the fourth to pretty much put the game away. Greg Weissert served up back to back home runs to Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn and Paul DeJong hit an rbi off Brad Keller to wrap it up. The White Sox had beaten the Red Sox 7-2 at Comiskey Park.

                                                          Losing to the White Sox now?

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Rob Refsnyder lined out to second but Connor Wong got a base hit in the hole at second. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Criswell got the ball in the bottom of the first and Corey Julks grounded out to third to start. Nicky Lopez lined out to left but Luis Robert Jr hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to put the ChiSox up. Gavin Sheets struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Robert goes yard

Tyler O'Neill flied out to center to start the top of the second before Jamie Westbrook struck out swinging. Garrett Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Andrew Vaughn lined out to left to start the bottom of the second before Paul DeJong lined out to right. Oscar Colas was hit with a pitch but Korey Lee struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox struck back in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec walked to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Crochet threw a grounder by Duran away for an error to score Dalbec. Duran somehow stole home and Refsnyder got a base hit to center. Refsnyder was picked off and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-1.

                                                    "I really fooled em" - Duran

Disaster struck in the bottom of the third when Lenyn Sosa hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Suddenly Tyler O'Neill collapsed and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU with knee discomfort. David Hamilton took Tyler's spot and Julks lined out to right. Lopez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Devers singled to left to start. Hamilton dropped down a bunt but Devers was thrown out at second. Hamilton swiped second and stole third on the walk to Wesbrook. Cooper struck out swinging and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. The White Sox surged ahead in the bottom of the fourth as Robert Jr flied out to left to start. Sheets walked but Vaughn singled past the diving Hamilton. DeJong got a base hit to left and Duran threw the ball away allowing Sheets to score. Colas singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Vaughn and DeJong. Lee grounded out to first and Sosa forced Colas at third to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                           Chicago takes the lead

Rafaela struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth before Duran went down hacking. Refsnyder was plunked but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. Julks popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth but Lopez got a base hit to center. Naturally here came Sox manager Alex Cora at the first sign of trouble to remove the starter before completing the fifth inning, Criswell was charged with 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk. Greg Weissert came in to strike out Robert Jr swinging to end the inning.

                                                          Need more from Criswell

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to left. Westbrook flied out to center to end the inning. The White Sox iced it in the bottom of the sixth as Sheets hit a home run all the way to Nashville to start. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Knoxville for back to back jacks. DeJong flied out to left, Colas grounded out to short and Lee grounded out to second to end the inning with the ChiSox up 6-2.

                                                            Back to back home runs

Jonathan Cannon came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cooper got a base hit to left to start. Dominic Smith pinch hit for Dalbec and struck out swinging before Rafaela singled to center. Duran struck out swinging and Refsnyder lined out to left to end the inning. Brad Keller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Sosa struck out swinging to start. Julks took strike three and Lopez flied out to center to end the inning.

Duke Ellis took over for Julks to start the top of the eighth and Wong got a base hit to left to start. Devers struck out swinging, Hamilton took strike three and Westbrook grounded out to short to end the inning. The ChiSox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Robert Jr flied out to right to start. Sheets walked but Vaughn lined out to left. DeJong doubled to left to score Sheets and Colas grounded out to short to end the inning with Chicago up 7-2.

                                                              DeJong with an rbi

Cooper popped up to first to start the top of the ninth before Smith grounded back to the mound. Ellis bobbled a pop up from Rafaela for an error before Ceddanne took second on defensive indifference. Duran grounded out to short to end the game. The White Sox had won it 7-2.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. The Sox were in the game until he served up back to back jacks.

                                                             Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Cooper Criswell was charged with 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 2.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and an error but stole a base and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but stole two bases.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brad Keller allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox just can't go on any sustained win streak because of how bad their pitching is. With Lucas Giolito out for the season and Sox GM Craig Breslow hampered by Sam Kennedy financially, they have to throw out guys like Cooper Criswell against aces like Garrett Crochet. The results spoke for themselves in this one. The offense wasn't going to do much but the bullpen allowing 3 runs on top of Criswell getting knocked around in the fourth didn't help. There's not much you can do but hope to survive the fifth spot in the rotation but that's not going to get you to the playoffs. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-32, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to bounce back against Chicago tomorrow when Brayan Bello (6-2) takes on Nick Nastrini of the White Sox. The game begins at 4:10 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.

Tigers Blank Lifeless Sox (5/30/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox honored their Hall of Fame Class of 2024 which included Trot Nixon. Dustin Pedroia, Elaine Steward and Jonathan Papelbon. The only bright spot to the day was honoring those that helped bring  the 2004 and 2007 World Series championships to Boston.

                                                          Back when the Sox were winners

As for this game, the fact that winners were honored was intentional to mask the fact this year's team is a bunch of losers. The Sox fell under .500 again as they were shut out by the equally mediocre Detroit Tigers. Nick Pivetta (2-4, 4.08 ERA) was yanked in the sixth inning after allowing 2 runs but the Sox bats failed to pick him up. Jack Flaherty pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Sox with the kill shot coming in the eighth against the normally reliable Chris Martin. Riley Greene hit a 2 run bomb then two batters later Gio Urshela went yard to ice the game. The Tigers blanked the hapless Red Sox 5-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling walked to start. Riley Greene forced Matt at second and Matt Canha struck out swinging. Gio Urshela struck out swinging to end the inning. Flaherty got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning.

Colt Keith took strike three to start the top of the second before Akil Baddoo took strike three. Spencer Torkelson struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers lined out to right to start the bottom of the second before Connor Wong took strike three. Garrett Cooper flied out to right to end the inning,

Javier Baez went down hacking to start the top of the third before Carson Kelly struck out swinging. Vierling also swung at air to end the inning. The eight straight K's tied a Sox record held by Roger Clemens. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Vaughn Grissom grounded out to third. David Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning.

Greene grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Canha did the same. Urshela flied out to right to end the inning. Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Abreu grounded out to second. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Tigers went up for good in the top of the fifth although Keith flied out to center to start. Baddoo then hit his first home run of the season to end the game right then and there. Torkelson grounded out to short and Baez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                       Tigers take the lead

Devers walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Wong struck out swinging. Cooper struck out swinging and McGuire grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the sixth as Kelly tripled into the right field corner to start. Vierling flied out to right but Greene was intentionally walked. Canha drilled a base hit to center to score Kelly and chase Pivetta. Normally 5 1/3 innings and 2 runs allowed would be a good thing but Nick got no run support. Greg Weissert came in and got Urshela to ground into a double play to end the inning with the Tigers up 2-0.

                                                     Pivetta deserved better

Grissom grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to center. Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Keith got a base hit to right to start. Baddoo struck out swinging, Torkelson went down hacking and Baez lined out to left to end the inning. Abreu struck out swinging to open the bottom of the seventh before Refsnyder got a base hit to left to break up the no-hitter. Devers flied out to right and that was it for Flaherty after 6 1/3 no-hit innings. Alex Faedo got Wong to ground into a force to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Kelly grounded out to third to start. Vierling doubled to left and Greene hit a home run all the way to the moon. Canha struck out swinging but Urshela then hit a home run all the way to Mercury to increase the lead. Badoo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 5-0.

                                                      Tigers turn this into a laugher

Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth but McGuire got a base hit to left. Dominic Smith pinch hit for Grissom and flied out to center. Tyler Holton came in to face pinch hitter Romy Gonzalez, and Gonzalez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Torkelson struck out swinging to start. Valdez booted a grounder by Baez for an error but Kelly flied out to center. Vierling grounded out to short to end the inning. Duran reached on an error by Baez to start the bottom of the ninth and Ceddanne Rafaela pinch hit for Abreu. Rafaela struck out swinging and Refsnyder grounded out to second to move Duran to second. Duran took third on defensive indifference but Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Tigers had won it 5-0.

                                                                   Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Chris Martin. He gave up 3 runs including two home runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                     Nice going, you Jackass

The Good:

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Cam Booser tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Enmanuel Valdez struck out and committed an error.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 2.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Nick Pivetta took the loss but only allowed 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.

Final Thoughts:

Fans are beyond frustrated at this point with the Red Sox and who can blame them? Their offense has been AWFUL for pretty much all season and they were damn near no-hit in this one. Pivetta didn't even pitch bad and it didn't matter because the offense didn't score any runs. Flaherty pitched a great game and the biggest difference was Chris Martin's meltdown in the eighth inning. Not that the Sox bats were doing anything but 2-0 is a lot easier to overcome than 5-0. The Sox entire offense was 2 hits and a walk while Riley Greene alone had a hit, a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored by himself. Fans can't wait for this season to end and we're not even out of May yet. Nobody expects the Sox to win the division or anything, they just want them to be competitive. Their offense simply hasn't been competitive this season due to injuries and incompetence. There's still 105 games left in the season too, oh joy. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-29, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Tanner Houck goes for the Sox against Kenta Maeda of the Tigers. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

O's Slam Crawford, Sox (5/29/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tyler O'Neill was placed on the Injured List with a bad knee and Enmanuel Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. O'Neill has looked awful at the plate lately so this is more addition by subtraction. Hope he feels better soon.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

So much for beating the Baltimore Orioles. The Boston Red Sox were defeated by a real ace and their impotent offense was shut completely down. Corbin Burnes held the Sox to just 1 unearned run through 7 innings and 3 measly hits. Meanwhile Kutter Crawford (2-4, 3.29 ERA) crashed down to earth as he got rocked for 5 runs in the bottom of the second courtesy of a Gunnar Henderson grand slam. Chase Anderson allowed a home run to Ramon Urias as the inept Sox offense accomplished nothing else. The O's had taken two of three with their 5-1 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                       "This offense is awful"

Burnes began his dominance in the top of the first inning when Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder flied out to center to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Gunnar Henderson took strike three to start. Ryan Mountcastle lined out to right and Ryan O'Hearn struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Rafael Devers grounded out to third to start. Connor Wong lined a base hit to left and Colton Cowser threw the ball away, allowing Connor to reach second. Burnes had Wong picked off but Henderson dropped the throw for another error. Dominic Smith hit a grounder to second and Wong came all the way around to score the go-ahead run. A wild pitch moved Smith to second but Vaughn Grissom popped up to short. Smith was picked off to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Sox strike first

The O's iced the game early in the bottom of the second as Cowser was hit with a pitch to start. Anthony Santander got a base hit to left but Cedric Mullins popped up to short. Jorge Mateo flied out to center but Ramon Urias got a base hit to center to score Cowser. James McCann walked and Henderson hit a grand slam to the moon to ice the game. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up for good 5-1.

                                                         Henderson ends it early

The Sox gave up in the top of the third as David Hamilton walked to start. Hamilton stole second but Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third, Duran lined out to center and Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. O'Hearn grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the third before Cowser flied out to center. Santander flied out to right to end the inning.

Refsnyder struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth before Devers walked. Wong struck out swinging and Smith grounded out to first to end the inning. Mullins went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth but Mateo walked. Urias was hit with a pitch and Mateo was gunned down at third after a swinging strikeout by McCann to end the inning.

Grissom grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Hamilton grounded out to second. Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning. Henderson flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth but Mountcastle singled to center. O'Hearn forced Mountcastle at second and Cowser flied out to left to end the inning.

Duran grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth but somehow Abreu got a base hit to right. Refsnyder forced Abreu at second and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Santander grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the sixth and Mullins grounded out to second. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who had one bad inning but it was a killer, allowing 5 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                      One bad inning doomed Crawford

Wong caught the O's asleep with a bunt single down the third base line to start the top of the seventh. Smith grounded back to the mound to move Wong to second and Grissom walked....but Hamilton lined out to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Chase Anderson came in to get tagged in the bottom of the seventh as Urias hit a home run all the way to North Korea to wrap up the scoring. Abreu made a great diving catch to rob McCann of a double before Henderson took strike three. Mountcastle got a base hit to center but O'Hearn hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the O's up 6-1.

                                                          Urias adds to the lead

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Duran. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Abreu. Cooper popped up to second but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez came in for Cooper to start the bottom of the eighth and Cowser flied out to center to start. Santander flied out to right and Mullins struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dillon Tate came in to close out the top of the ninth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Smith popped up to short but Grissom got a base hit to right. Hamilton got a base hit to center to move Grissom to third but Rafaela forced David at second to end the game. The O's had won it 6-1.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings including the backbreaking grand slam.

                                                             Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chase Anderson allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Enmanuel Valdez played left field in the final inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are now 0-7 in a series against a team over .500 this season which means the Sox haven't had a season where they've beaten good teams since 2021 and 2019 before that. The worst part is the Sox have just 1 win where they've fallen behind by 3 runs and ZERO when its four. The grand slam to make it 5-1 essentially ended the game because this team can't score. They get guys on base then they completely fall apart. Tyler O'Neill (before he got hurt) and Wilyer Abreu hit a bunch of solo home runs but suddenly can't do it when there's men on base. Crawford made one mistake to Henderson (which many have done all year as well) and that was the game. The rumors are floating that the Sox are going to be sellers at the trade deadline with Kenley Jansen and Tyler O'Neill as the prime targets. The problem is they aren't going to get much for them. The Sox have plenty of organizational depth for bats, outfielders and infielders but they need pitching. Dick Fitts had a perfect game after seven innings for Worcester tonight but they don't have much depth otherwise. Chaim Bloom drafted a ton of good hitting prospects but neglected the pitching and the Sox are paying for it now. Unless they can get a pitching prospect for Jansen or O'Neill, Sox GM Craig Breslow should just fart into the phone when they call about them. Corbin Burnes shut the Sox down and that's the kind of arm the Sox are missing. Hopefully they can either trade for or draft an ace in the upcoming draft/trade deadline. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-28, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a four game set with the Detroit Tigers beginning tomorrow night. Nick Pivetta (2-3, 4.20 ERA) takes the hill up against Jack Flaherty of Detroit. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.