Rays Crush Pivetta, Sox (8/28/22)

Once again the Boston Red Sox kryptonite is the AL East. With a chance to take 3 of 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox crapped themselves big time in today's game. Nick Pivetta (9-10, 4.40 ERA) was rocked for five runs in five innings by the Rays while Corey Kluber of Tampa allowed three in six solid innings. Once again the bullpen was the downfall as Hiro Sawamura and Austin Davis allowed SEVEN runs combined to put the game out of reach. Franchy Cordero, JD Martinez and Tommy Pham all went yard but with bad pitching the Sox got blasted 12-4 by the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                          Another loss to the AL East

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and Yandy Diaz flied out to center to start. Manny Margot grounded out to short but David Peralta walked. Peralta took second on a balk but Harold Ramirez popped up to first to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to first to start. Alex Verdugo took strike three and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the second as Randy Arozarena flied out to left to start. Isaac Parades hit a home run all the way to Bolivia to put the Rays up for good. Taylor Walls and Christian Bethancourt both struck out swinging to end the inning with Tampa up 1-0.

                                                          Parades jacks one

Rafael Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before JD Martinez grounded out to short. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center and Reese McGuire popped up to short to end the inning.

The Rays struck again in the top of the third as Jose Siri popped up to second to start. Diaz popped up to first but Margot walked. Margot stole second and scored on the rbi double to Peralta to right. Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning with Tampa up 2-0.

                                                    Rays are all smiles so far

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Franchy Cordero launched his 8th home run of the season to cut the lead. Pham grounded out to short but Verdugo and Bogaerts lashed back to back base hits. Devers lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                             Cordero goes yard

The Rays iced the game in the top of the fourth as Arozarena doubled to center to start. Parades hit his second home run all the way into the Red Sea to ice the game. Walls took strike three, Bethancourt grounded out short and Siri grounded out to third to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1.

                                                        Another home run for Parades

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez clobbered his 10th home run of the season to cut the lead in half. Arroyo lined out to third, McGuire grounded back to the mound and Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                            Martinez goes yard

Pivetta got tagged in the top of the fifth as Diaz singled to right to start. Margot got a base hit to right and Peralta doubled to right to score Margot. Ramirez beat out a roller to the mound but Arozarena struck out swinging. Parades walked to load the bases but Walls forced Ramirez at third to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2. That was it for Pivetta who allowed 5 runs in 5 innings off 8 hits and 3 walks.

                                                           Not Pivetta's day

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth as Cordero struck out swinging to start. Pham smacked his 15th home run of the season to cut the lead but Verdugo grounded out to second. Bogaerts got a base hit to left and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                       Home run Pham

Hiro Sawamura came in to crap his pants in the top of the sixth as Bethancourt flied out to right to start. Siri hit a pop up that no one called for, dropping in for a "single". Diaz singled to left to move Siri to third and Margot hit a sac fly to left to score Jose. Peralta walked and Ramirez got a base hit to left to score Diaz. Arozarena iced the game with a double off the Monster to score Peralta. Parades walked to load the bases but Walls struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 8-3.

                                                          Arozarena ices it

Martinez lined out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Arroyo lined out to right. McGuire doubled to right but Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning.

Ryan Braiser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bethancourt got a base hit to left to start. Siri singled inside the bag at third but Diaz lined out to first. Bethancourt got picked off second and Margot struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh with Colin Poche now on the mound and Bobby Dalbec in to pinch hit for Cordero. Dalbec got a base hit to left and moved to third on the base hit to center by Pham. Verdugo flied out to left to move Pham to second and Bogaerts hit a sac fly to center to score Dalbec, moving Pham to third. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 9-4.

                                                              RBI for Bogaerts

Austin Davis came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Peralta got a base hit to left to start. Devers booted a grounder by Ramirez for an error and Arozarena doubled home Peralta. Parades walked to load the bases and Walls singled off the Monster to score Ramirez and Arozarena. Bethancourt popped up to first but Siri beat out a double play ball to score Parades. Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 12-4.

                                                              Walls drives in a pair

JT Chargois came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Martinez struck out swinging to start. Arroyo got a base hit to center and McGuire walked, but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Davis returned for the top of the ninth and Margot flied out to right to start. Peralta flied out to center and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Francisco Mejia came in to catch the bottom of the ninth with Bethancourt coming in to pitch. Dalbec singled to right but Pham flied out to right. Verdugo also flied out to right but Bogaerts grounded a base hit up the middle. Devers lined out to center to end the game. The Sox couldn't even get a run off the damn catcher and the Rays won 12-4.

                                                                Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Hiro Sawamura. He turned a 5-3 game into 9-3 in one inning to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Hiro Jackass

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta allowed 5 runs in 5 innings to take the loss. He gave up 8 hits and 3 walks.

Austin Davis allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

The feel good feeling of taking two of three against Tampa lasted less than 24 hours as the Rays once again prevented the Red Sox from winning a series against an AL East team. The Sox bullpen is absolutely spent but unlike last year, you can't blame it all on Sox manager Alex Cora when the entire rotation got hurt. Rookies that had no business starting big games and getting knocked out early drained the bullpen and now they got nothing. Sawamura, Davis and Darwinzon Hernandez are toast and its only a matter of time before Brasier and John Schreiber are as well. Pivetta is a .500 pitcher so this is about what you can expect. Its too bad the Sox were solo home run happy and nothing else in this one. This has been the year from hell and there's still 34 games remaining. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-66, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road to face the Minnesota Twins beginning tomorrow night. Dylan "King Kong" Bundy takes the mound for the Twins against Brayan Bello (0-3) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Orioles Rout Sox, Bogaerts & Cora Ejected (8/19/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move, sending the struggling Josh Winckowski back to Worcester and activating Matt Strahm from the Injured List. With Michael Wacha and Rich Hill back healthy, Winckowski became the odd man out after his recent struggles put his ERA over 5.00. Just like Brayan Bello, he was pretty much pressed into full time starting duty due to all the injuries and he couldn't handle it. Hopefully he can rediscover his form in Worcester as Strahm gives the Sox the much needed lefty arm they've lacked since the evaporation of Darwinzon Hernandez.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, just when you think the Red Sox have hit rock bottom, they continue to invent new ways to lose. In a game the Boston bats finally broke out with NINETEEN hits and ten runs.....they got clobbered by the Baltimore Orioles who couldn't miss, hitting five home runs and scoring 15 runs of their own. 8 out of 9 batters had at least one hit and 7 of them had at least an rbi. Kutter Crawford (3-5) didn't have it as Baltimore nailed him for 9 runs in just 3 2/3 innings. Hiro Sawamura and Ryan Brasier both took a beating as well, allowing six runs combined to put the game out of the reach. The sad part was the Sox trailed 10-4 and battled back to make it 10-9 but Brasier made it 15-9 in the blink of an eye. If that wasn't bad enough, both Xander Bogaerts and Alex Cora got tossed in a game the Sox had to have to keep their barely existent playoff hopes alive. As it was, the Orioles crushed the Sox by a football score of 15-10 at Camden Yards.

                                                          Live look at Kutter Crawford

Orioles starter Jordan Lyles got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham doubled to left to start. Alex Verdugo moved him to third with a grounder to first but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging on a full count pitch not even close. Rafael Devers popped up weakly to center to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins effortlessly doubled to right to begin. Somehow Adley Rutschman took strike three and Anthony Santander lined out to second. Ryan Mountcastle flied out to center to end the inning. 

Shockingly the Sox took the lead in the top of the second as Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center to start. Eric Hosmer flied out to left but Rob Refsnyder doubled to left. Reese McGuire popped up to right but Kike Hernandez doubled to left to score both runners. Pham struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-0.

                                    

                                                       Hernandez drives in a pair

Naturally the lead lasted 8 seconds in the bottom of the second as Kyle Stowers flied out to left to start. Austin Hays caught Devers asleep with a bunt single but Rougned Odor took strike three. Ramon Urias singled to right and Jorge Mateo ended the game by hitting a 3 run home run to Brazil to put the O's on top. Mullins flied out to left to end the inning with the O's ahead 3-2.

                                                            Mateo hits a home run

Verdugo tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to open the top of the third before Bogaerts also singled to right. Devers hit a 400 foot out to dead center to move both runners over and Verdugo scored

on the Arroyo grounder to short to tie the game. Hosmer beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners and Refsnyder dumped a base hit to left to score Bogaerts, giving the Sox the lead. Refsnyder took second on the throw home but McGuire took strike three to end the inning with Boston ahead 4-3.

                                                  Refsnyder drives in a run

Once again the lead lasted 8 seconds in the bottom of the third as Rutschman effortlessly singled to left to start and Santander hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to put the O's up for good. Mountcastle grounded out to third but Stowers got a base hit to center. Hays doubled to left and Odor hit a sac fly to score Stowers, but Hays was thrown out at third to end the inning with the game already over 6-4 Orioles.

                                                  Santander puts the O's up for good

Hernandez tried to start a rally by beating out a single to second to start the top of the fourth but Pham struck out swinging. Verdugo flied out left and Bogaerts got rung up for strike three in a pitch not even close. Bogaerts barked at home plate umpire Todd Tichenor and was thrown out of the game. Sox manager Alex Cora stormed out of the dugout and got in Tichenor's face, getting the heave ho as well. The Sox pretty much lost the game, their best hitter and their manager in one fell swoop.

                                                         YERRRRR OUTTA HERE!

Hernandez moved from center to short with Jarren Duran coming in to play center to start the bottom of the fourth. Urias grounded out to short and Mateo lined out to left but Mullins doubled AGAIN to right. Rutschman put the exclamation on the beat down with a home run all the way to Georgia to ice the game. Santander hit a rocket off the left field wall and FINALLY that was it for Crawford. In a game the Sox desperately needed to have Crawford was straight batting practice, allowing 9 runs in just 3 2/3 innings off 11 hits and 3 home runs. Hiro Sawamura came in and Mountcastle laughed as he effortlessly homered into the Baltic Sea while the entire league laughed at the Red Sox again. Stowers gave the Sox dugout the middle finger as he easily ripped a base hit to center and Hays walked to keep it going. Hosmer had to make a diving catch to rob Odor of a sure double to end the inning with the O's massacre continuing, 10-4.

                                                           Well this sucks

Keegan Akin came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Odor threw a routine grounder by Devers away for an error to start. Arroyo somehow singled to left and Hosmer made Odor pay with a base hit to right to score Devers. Arroyo took third on the play but Refsnyder struck out swinging at a pitch up in his eyes. McGuire took first on a rare catcher's interference call to load the bases but Hernandez struck out swinging. Suddenly Pham clubbed a bases clearing double to left to cut the lead and Verdugo ripped a base hit to center to score Pham. Duran walked on four pitches not even close to put the tying run at second and that was it for Akin. Nick Vespi came in to face Devers and Rafael...flied out weakly to right to end the inning with the Sox still down 10-9.

                                                   Pham refuses to give up

Ryan Brasier was summoned to stop the bleeding in the bottom of the fifth and naturally Urias hit a home run all the way to Neptune to kill Boston's momentum. Arroyo needed to make a diving catch to rob Mateo of a sure double and Mullins walked on five pitches not even close. Rutschman effortlessly doubled to right and Santander pounded a ground rule double to center to finally ice the game. Mountcastle added the exclamation point with a bullet to center to score Santander and took second when Duran misplaced the ball. Pham had to literally climb the left field wall to rob Stowers of a home run and Hays hit a routine grounder to short.....that Hernandez whiffed on for a technical "double" to score Santander and erase the top of the inning like it never happened. Acting Sox manager Wil Venable sent up the white flag as he brought Jeurys Familia in to pitch to Odor and Bobby Dalbec in for Pham who just got up and left the field disgusted. Odor struck out swinging but the O's had 18 hits and led 15-9.

                                                    A microcosm of the season

Arroyo refused to give up and got a base hit to  right to start the top of the sixth but Hosmer said the hell with it and grounded into a double play. Refsnyder doubled to left before McGuire ripped a base hit to right to score Refsnyder and chase Vespi. Dillon Tate came in to face Hernandez but naturally McGuire got himself thrown out at second trying to move on a pitch to the backstop to end the inning with the Sox down 15-10.

                                                             McGuire drives in a run

Somehow Urias flied out to left to start the bottom of the sixth and Mateo popped up to second. Mullins walked but Rutschman grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Hernandez grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh and Dalbec lined out to right. Somehow Verdugo beat out a roller to short and that was it for Tate. Cionel Perez came in to face Duran and Jarren ripped a base hit to right. Once again needing Devers to come through...he struck out swinging at a pitch over his head to end the inning. Say what you will about the pitching but Devers came up twice with the Sox needing a big hit and failed both times. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Santander lined out to center to start. Mountcastle grounded out to second and Stowers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Arroyo lined out to center to start the top of the eighth and Hosmer grounded out to first. Refsnyder walked and Venable sent Kevin Plawecki instead of JD Martinez to pinch hit. Naturally Plawecki forced Refsnyder at second to end the inning. Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hays took strike three to start. Odor lined out to center but Urias was hit with a pitch. Mateo struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Felix Bautista came in to close out the top of the ninth and Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Dalbec ripped a base hit to center but Verdugo popped up to short. Duran flied out to center to end the game. The O's had won it 15-10.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. The Sox were right back in the game and he put it out of reach by allowing 5 runs in the fifth inning

                                                      Jackass Brasier

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2.

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 6 with an rbi and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a run scored before getting ejected.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Christian Arroyo was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Eric Hosmer was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Jeurys Familia tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 9 runs in just 3 2/3 innings off 11 hits.

Hiro Sawamura allowed an inherited runner to score and one of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its not even worth getting mad at this point of how BAD the Sox are. The Sox pounded out 19 hits and 10 runs and still got creamed. The problem is the whole entire team forgot how to hit home runs. The O's hit 5 tonight alone and the Sox haven't had 5 total in a week. In fact, the Sox are on pace for their lowest home run total since 2014, another last place finish. Also you can't blame Sox GM Chaim Bloom for drafting Crawford and Brayan Bello because they were Dave Dombrowski guys, but its uncanny that ALL FOUR rookies the Sox have brought up this year have ERA's over 5. You would think one out of four would at least give you something. Tomo Ohka and Paxton Crawford were brought up in 2000 with the wild card on the line and even though the Sox failed to win, Crawford and Ohka had ERA's in the 3's to at least give the team a chance. Brayan Bello, Crawford, Josh Winckowski and Connor Seabold have been straight batting practice since they've been called up. It was definitely unfair to bring up Bello and Winckowski and trot them out against the AL East in July but if they were any good, they would have responded. Still, Crawford getting mangled today just goes to show that NOTHING has gone right this season. Pham leaving with a back injury and possibly not playing again this season is the icing on the cake. On the lighter side, its worth noting the fans in Camden are back. Sox fans remember six years ago when Baltimore was fighting for first place with Toronto and Boston there was less than 20,000 people at Camden. The announced crowd last night was almost 35,000. talk about an improvement. Guess the underdog story has gripped Baltimore and that's damn good for baseball. See, that's how things USED to be around here. Even with the Sox bloated payrolls, years like 2003, 2016 and even last year where the Sox weren't expected to do much yet made the playoffs were fun. There's been no fun this year apart from 3 weeks in June. With Martinez all washed up, Chris Sale, James Paxton and Trevor Story out for the season and Bogaerts unhappy about his contract situation, this year has been an out and out FAILURE all around. The Sox continue to play out the string as another one of their "sneeze on them and they're hurt" prized free agents Michael Wacha (7-1) gets the start against the Orioles against Kyle Bradish. The game begins at 4:05 PM tomorrow afternoon at Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

Verdugo, Arroyo Guide Sox Past Pirates (8/17/22)

It's about time the duo of Christian Arroyo and Alex Verdugo woke up for the Boston Red Sox. After battling injuries and ineffectiveness, Arroyo stepped up big with 3 rbis off 3 hits. Verdugo has been in a season long regression but has broken out of it by going 3 for 3 with 2 walks in tonight's game against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Arroyo and Verdugo are now both hitting .280 after spending most of the season below .250. On the other side of the ball Rich Hill (5-5, 4.68 ERA) survived a shaky start to go 5 innings while holding the punchless Pirates to just two runs. Aiding the duo was the unlikely trio of Rob Refsnyder, Kevin Plawecki and Kike Hernandez who all drove in runs as well. Ryan Brasier and Hiro Sawamura combined to toss 3 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts. The Pirates got a run in the ninth against Jeurys Familia but it wasn't enough as the Sox won their third game in a row and second straight against Pittsburgh 8-3 at PNC Park.

                                                     Tsianina Joelson approves of the win

Pirates starter Roansy Contreras dominated the top of the first as Tommy Pham hit a weak pop up to right to start. Rafael Devers popped up weakly to second and Xander Bogaerts grounded out softly to second to end the inning. The Pirates wasted no time getting to Hill in the bottom of the first as Kevin Newman hit a rocket to left to start. Bryan Reynolds hit a home run all the way to Philadelphia to put the Pirates up just like that. Michael Chavis grounded out to short, Ben Gamel struck out swinging and Kevin Padlo flied out to center to end the inning with the Pirates ahead 2-0.

                                                         Reynolds hits one out

The Sox answered in the top of the second as Alex Verdugo got a base hit to left and shockingly JD Martinez drew a walk. Eric Hosmer weakly popped up to left but Christian Arroyo doubled to right to score both runners to tie the game. Reese McGuire got a base hit to left to put runners at the corners and Kike Hernandez drilled a base hit to right to score Arroyo. McGuire went to third on the hit and a wild pitch moved Hernandez to second, but Pham struck out swinging. Devers was intentionally walked to load the bases for Bogaerts and Xander naturally struck out swinging to kill the rally with the Sox barely ahead 3-2.

                                              Martinez motors around to score

Hill recovered in the bottom of the second as Rodolfo Castro grounded out to short to start. Greg Allen and Bligh Madris both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Verdugo walked to start the top of the third before moving to second on a wild pitch. Martinez walked again but naturally Hosmer popped up weakly to left and Arroyo banged into a double play to end the inning. Jason Delay grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Newman also grounded out to short. Reynolds flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as McGuire lined out to left to start. Hernandez and Pham both lined out to right to end the inning. Hill cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Chavis grounded out to short to start. Gamel flied out to left and Padlo hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth although Devers flied out to left to start. Bogaerts got a single to center and Verdugo doubled down the right field line to score Xander with another run. Martinez hit one up the elevator shaft and Hosmer popped up to right AGAIN to end the inning with Boston ahead 4-2.

                                                      Verdugo drives in a run

Hill kept rolling in the bottom of the fifth although Castro ripped a base hit to right to start. Allen forced Castro at second and Madris struck out swinging before Delay grounded out to third to end the inning. Despite throwing just 57 pitches, Sox manager Alex Cora felt Hill had done enough. Apart from one mistake to Reynolds he was solid for 5 innings. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 4.

                                                            Good work by Hill

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Arroyo grounded out to second to start. McGuire also grounded out to second and Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Ryan Brasier dominated the bottom of the sixth as Newman, Reynolds and Chavis all went down hacking in short order. 

Duane Underwood Jr relieved Conteras in the top of the seventh and Pham grounded out to second to start. Devers flied out to center and Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and naturally Hosmer booted a grounder by Gamel for an error to start. Thankfully Padlo hit into a double play and Castro struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Verdugo tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to begin the top of the eighth but Martinez flied out to center. Eric Stout came in to pitch to Hosmer and Eric responded with a base hit to left. Arroyo poked a base hit to left and Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Rob Refsnyder for McGuire. The gamble worked as Refsnyder drew an 8 pitch, full count walk to score Verdugo. Hernandez struck out swinging and Pham forced Hosmer at home to end the inning with the Sox only up 5-2.

                                                    Another run scored

Cora did something out of character and sent Sawamura back out for the bottom of the eighth with Kevin Plawecki now behind the plate and Hiro responded by getting Allen to ground out to second to start.  Madris lined out to second and Delay grounded out to short to end the inning. Good work by Sawamura.

                                                  Sawamura gets it done

Yohan Ramirez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers led off with a double to center. Bogaerts grounded out to second but Verdugo drew a walk. Martinez walked to load the bases but once again Hosmer could do nothing but force Devers at home. Arroyo iced the game by smashing a base hit off the glove of Padlo to score Verdugo with another run. Plawecki made it a laughter with a base hit to right to score Martinez and Hosmer but Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the game pretty much over, 8-3 Red Sox.

                                                         Plawecki with the killshot

Jeurys Familia made his Red Sox debut to mop up the bottom of the ninth and Newman grounded out to short to start. Suddenly the Pirates sprang to life as Reynolds effortlessly singled to left, Chavis easily doubled to center and Gamel laughed as he ripped a base hit to center to score Reynolds. Both runners moved over on the Padlo grounder to third but Castro took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of the Night is Christian Arroyo. He went 3 for 5 and drove in 3 runs including the game tying runs.

                                                      Hero Arroyo

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and 3 runs scored.

JD Martinez walked 3 times and scored twice in 5 plate appearances.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

Rob Refsnyder walked and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Kevin Plawecki singled and drove in 2 runs in his only plate appearance.

Rich Hill got the win by tossing 5 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 4.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Hiro Sawamura pitched two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Jeurys Familia allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Eric Hosmer was just 1 for 5 with an error but scored a run.

Kike Hernadez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its too bad it took until the middle of August for the role players to step up but better late than never. If Arroyo and Verdugo hit to their potential all season the Sox wouldn't be this far out of the playoff push. Then again if Alex Cora was willing to let his relievers go multiple innings when they were throwing gas, maybe they wouldn't have blown a thousand saves to this point. Beating up the Pirates isn't too exciting although this one feels like an accomplishment after what happened last night. For those that don't know, during the Red Sox broadcast last night Dennis Eckersley ripped the Pirates organization a new one for being cheap bastards that trot out bums night after night, year after year. A lot of people in Pittsburgh agreed but there were some that were mad, including some of the players. The fact the Sox stomped them anyway shows they may actually have the killer instinct after all. The Sox also got some good news from their farm as Triston Casas got a walkoff hit for Worcester, Marcello Mayer hit a go-ahead 3 run 8th inning home run for Greenville and James Paxton will be starting his rehab for the Florida Complex Red Sox soon. The Sox have some decisions to make regarding the roster when certain guys get back from injury but none of that is going to matter unless they can prove they can hang with the AL East beginning Friday night. The good news for the Sox is the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees stunned the Tampa Bay Rays with a walkoff 10th inning grand slam so the Sox gained ground on both of the losers. The win improved the Sox to 59-59, 4 games behind the Jays for the third wild card spot. The Sox look for a series sweep tomorrow night against the Pirates when they send Josh Winckowski (5-5, 4.69 ERA) up against JT Brubaker of Pittsburgh. The game begins at 7:05 PM at PNC Park.

Yankees Rally Past Red Sox (8/13/22)

Three things in life are for sure....death, taxes and the Boston Red Sox failing to win a series against the AL East in 2022. The Sox were held in check by Frankie Montas and the Yankee bullpen while the Sox for the most part did the same. The Sox bolted out to a 2-0 lead over the Yankees on rbis from Jarren Duran and Reese McGuire, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a two run home run in the top of the fifth. The Sox had a chance in the seventh to go ahead but Xander Bogaerts was thrown out at third to kill a rally. One day after the Sox got to Clay Holmes, the Yankees got to John Schreiber (3-2, 1.91 ERA) in the top of the ninth. Kiner dropped down a bunt to score Andrew Benintendi to put the Yankees ahead. The Sox got two runners on in the bottom of the ninth but both Rafael Devers and Bogaerts failed to get them in. The Yankees had beaten the Sox 3-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                            "Yeah they lost again"

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and DJ LeMahieu flied out to right to start. Aaron Judge walked but Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play. Montas got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Rafael Devers flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

Josh Donaldson struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Crawford booted a grounder by Gleyber Torres for an error. Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging and Torres was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but JD Martinez grounded into a double play. Montas dropped a pop up by Eric Hosmer for an error and Christian Arroyo got a base hit to right, but Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jose Trevino popped up to short to start the top of the third before Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to center. Aaron Hicks struck out swinging to end the inning. Reese McGuire doubled to left to start the bottom of the third before Pham struck out swinging. Devers grounded out to first to move McGuire to third but Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

LeMahieu flied out to center to open the top of the fourth before Judge watched strike three go by. Rizzo walked and Donaldson got a base hit to center, but Torres lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo walked to start. Martinez grounded out to first to move Alex to second but Hosmer got a base hit to center to move Verdugo to third. A wild pitch moved Hosmer to second and Arroyo walked to load the bases. Duran was hit with a pitch to score Verdugo but all McGuire could do is hit a sac fly to center to score Hosmer. Pham grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       "Owowowowow" - Duran

The Yankees answered immediately in the top of the fifth as Benintendi walked to start. Trevino lined out to short and naturally Kiner hit his first home run of the season all the way to Nashua to tie the game. Hicks flied out to center and LeMahieu struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                      They gave up a home run to HIM?

Devers grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Bogaerts popped up to third. Verdugo doubled to left but Martinez popped up to short to end the inning.

Judge grounded out to short to begin the top of the sixth before Rizzo flied out to left. Donaldson walked but Torres lined out to left to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 2 runs off 2 hits and 4 walks.

                                                      One mistake to Kiner cost him a win

Lucas Luetge came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Hosmer took strike three to start. Arroyo walked but Duran lined out to left. McGuire flied out to left to end the inning.

Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Benintendi flied out to left to start. Trevino struck out swinging but Kiner got a base hit to center. Hicks struck out swinging to end the inning. Lou Trivino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Pham flied out to center to start. Devers grounded out to first but Bogaerts smacked a double off the Monster to chase Luetge. Aroldis Chapman came in to face Verdugo and plunked him. Bogaerts then foolishly was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning.

                                                          You're out, you dummy!

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the eighth and LeMahieu struck out swinging to begin. Judge walked but Rizzo flied out to right. Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning. Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Hosmer went down hacking as well. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Yankees went ahead in the top of the ninth as Torres grounded out to short to start. Benintendi doubled to left and Trevino beat out a roller to third to put runners at the corners. Kiner caught the Sox asleep with a bunt down the first base line to score Benintendi. Hicks and LeMahieu both struck out swinging to end the inning but the Yankees were up 3-2.

                                                        Kiner puts the Yankees on top

Scott Effross came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Duran struck out swinging to start. McGuire got a base hit to left and Jaylin Davis ran for him. Pham got a base hit to center to put the tying run on second and Devers moved Davis to third with a force at second. With the tying run at third, Bogaerts popped up to short to end the game. The Yankees had won 3-2.

                                                            Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Xander Bogaerts. Not only did he kill the rally in the seventh but in the ninth as well to end the game.

                                                             Jackass Bogaerts

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Kutter Crawford held the Yankees to 2 runs in 6 innings. He allowed 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5.

Hiro Sawamura pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch to drive in a run.

Eric Hosmer was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

John Schreiber took the loss by allowing a run in 2 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Jaylin Davis ran for McGuire in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Lot of Red Sox fans were upset that Sox GM Chaim Bloom didn't blow the team up at the trade deadline and it definitely cost him one today. JD Martinez was awful and Bogaerts killed not one but two rallies. Not that the Sox were going to be any better without them in the lineup but at least they could have gotten something in return like the prospects they got for Christian Vazquez and Jay Groome. The worst part was Crawford pitched his ass off and made one mistake by Kiner. Schreiber was holding the fort too until Kiner caught him asleep with that bunt. Still, if the offense didn't fall asleep again none of that would have mattered. As it was, Murphy's Law continued this season as the Sox dropped another winnable game against an AL East team. The good news is there's only 47 games left to suffer through and hopefully Chaim Bloom is gone. The loss dropped the Sox to 56-59, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their first series against an AL East team all season when they play the Yankees again tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Michael Wacha (6-1) takes on Jameson Taillon of New York. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Winckowski, Sox Drop Royals (8/5/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization said goodbye to two long-term prospects. The Worcester Red Sox sent Cameron Cannon down to the Portland Sea Dogs while 26 year old infielder Grant Williams and 26 year old catcher Roldani Baldwin was released. Williams was former Sox GM Dave Dombrowski's 10th round pick back in 2018 and has been mediocre in every level he's been in from Lowell all the way to Worcester. He was solid but not spectacular for Portland last year but was hitting .216 in Worcester this season. The Sox have a ton of infield prospects coming up like Nick Yorke, Marcello Mayer, David Hamilton and Niko Kavadas that could all probably hit better than Williams at this point, chalk him up as another 10th round pick that didn't make it. Baldwin was an 18 year old Dominican teenager signed by Ben Cherrington in 2014 but was hitting just .167 as a backup catcher this year. With Ronaldo Hernandez outhitting him, it was time to give someone else a chance. Portland catcher Kole Cottam was called up to replace Baldwin.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

If the Sox have any hope to make it to the playoffs this year, they're going to have to rely on Josh Winckowski (5-5, 4.68 ERA) to help get them there. It may be unfair but with the Sox season unraveling in July, strong starts by Josh like today against the Kansas City Royals is what it will take to get to the wild card. Winckowski beat the lowly Royals by tossing 5 strong innings and escaping a big jam in the process. Offensively Eric Hosmer drove in a run in his Sox debut, JD Martinez drove in a few runs and Jarren Duran knocked in a pair as well. Austin Davis crapped his pants in the eighth inning to make the score closer than what the game really was. John Schreiber slammed the door and the Sox beat Kansas City 7-4 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                      Florence Pugh approves of the win

Greinke got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out weakly to third to start. Tommy Pham also grounded out weakly to third and Rafael Devers hit a weak pop up to left to end the inning. Winckowski got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and MJ Melendez walked on four straight pitches not even close. Michael Massey hit an absolute rocket to Pham at the left field wall before somehow Salvador Perez struck out swinging. Vinnie Pasquantino hit an absolute laser to left for a base hit but shockingly Hunter Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning.

Shockingly the Sox struck first in the top of the second although Xander Bogaerts flied out weakly to right to start. Alex Verdugo got a lucky double to left but JD Martinez grounded out weakly to third. Eric Hosmer got his first hit in a Sox uniform with a double into the right field corner to score Verdugo to give the Sox the lead. Reese McGuire popped up weakly to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Hosmer's first hit

The Royals almost tied it in the bottom of the second although Nick Pratto grounded out to first to start. Nick Eaton took strike three but Kyle Isabel effortlessly tripled to center. Somehow Nicky Lopez grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Yolmer Sanchez took a straight fastballs down the middle first strike three to start the top of the third. Duran grounded out weakly to second and Pham struck out swinging on a pitch way over his head to end the inning. Everyone expected the Royals to tie it in the bottom of the third but Melendez hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Massey flied out to center and Perez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. 

The Sox somehow struck again in the top of the fourth although Devers popped up weakly to first to start. Bogaerts got a lucky single to left and Verdugo ripped a double to left. Martinez shocked the world with a double to center to clear the bases but Hosmer grounded out to third. McGuire flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                      Martinez drives in a pair 

The Royals almost rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Pasquantino ripped a base hit to left. Dozier forced Vinnie at second but Pratto effortlessly singled to right. Eaton walked to load the bases but Isabel forced Dozier at home on a grounder to the mound. Somehow Lopez struck out swinging to end the inning. Good poise by Winckowski to get out of that.

Sanchez broke an 0 for 27 slump by beating out a roller to third to start the top of the fifth. Sanchez had second base swiped but got thrown out at third. Duran grounded out to second but Pham drew a walk. Devers drew a walk and Bogaerts singled to left to score Pham to increase the lead. That was it for Grienke as Amir Garrett came in to pitch to Verdugo. Alex flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                         Bogaerts drives in a run

The Royald began the comeback in the bottom of the fifth although Melendez lined out to Duran to start. Massey grounded out to first but Salvador hit a bomb into the Gulf of Mexico to cut the lead. Pasquantino grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals down 4-1. That was it for Winckowski as Sox manager Alex Cora decided 5 innings was enough for a starter although Josh had allowed just one run.

                                               Winckowski gives the Sox a good effort

Martinez took strike three to start the top of the sixth but Melendez dropped a pop up by Hosmer for an error. McGuire ripped a base hit to center to score Hosmer with another run. Sanchez got a base hit to right and Duran beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Wyatt Mills came in to pitch to Pham and Tommy flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                     McGuire drives in a run

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Dozier effortlessly singled to left. The ball went under Verdugo's glove for an error to put Hunter at second but somehow Pratto flied out to left. Eaton popped up to second and Isabel took strike three to end the inning. 

Devers popped up to first to start the top of the seventh but Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Verdugo got a base hit to left but Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Lopez struck out swinging to start. Melendez walked on four pitches not even close but Massey struck out swinging. A wild pitch moved Melendez to second but Perez struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Josh Staumont came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hosmer walked on four pitches to start. McGuire walked on 5 pitches and Sanchez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. Duran broke his slump with a double to left to clear the bases and chase Staumont  Joel Payamps came in to pitch and Pham took strike three. Devers lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                            Duran with a double

Austin Davis came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth as Pasquantino got a base hit to center to start. Dozier and Pratto drew back to back walks to load the bases with nobody out. Eaton hit a sac fly to left to score Pasquantino and Michael Taylor pinch hit for Isabel. Sox manager Alex Cora woke up from his nap to finally bring in John Schreiber but it was too late. Taylor ripped a base hit to center to reload the bases although Lopez struck out swinging. Melendez effortlessly doubled to left to score Dozier and Pratto but Massey flied out to the left field wall to end the inning with the Royals back in it 7-4.

                                                            Royals coming back

Bogaerts got a base hit to center to start the top of the ninth and Verdugo drew a walk. The rally ended as Martinez struck out swinging, Hosmer flied out to center to move Bogaerts to third and McGuire grounded out to short to end the inning. Schreiber returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Perez struck out swinging to start. Pasquantino grounded out to first and Dozier flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 4 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

                                                              Hero Bogaerts

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Yolmer Sanchez was 2 for 3.

Josh Winckowski got the win tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 5 hits and striking out 4.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Hiro Sawamua pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Austin Davis got tagged for 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs.

Eric Hosmer was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

John Schreiber allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

The year may have gone down the drain but at least the Sox may have some semblance of an offense now. Not that Pham, McGuire and Hosmer are going to be all-stars but at least they won't be automatic outs like Franchy Cordero, Bobby Dalbec and Jackie Bradley Jr, Kike Hernandez may return at some point to get Duran out of there as well. The pitching is still a mess with so many injuries but at least the offense looks to be an improvement. If it wasn't for Austin Davis this would have been an easy win for the first time in weeks. The sad part is there's still two months left in the season to turn it around but the Sox would have to pull a Major League and gel together this band of rag-tags Bloom just put together. That ain't happening. Winckowski doing well was a good sign and hopefully he can build on that performance. Too bad its too late to catch the Tampa Bay Rays or Toronto Blue Jays for any kind of playoff spot with the team currently constructed. The win improved the Sox to 54-54, 4 games behind the Rays for the third wild card. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Royals tomorrow night as Nathan Eovaldi (5-3, 4.11 ERA) takes on Daniel Lynch of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.