O's Edge Sox (9/9/22)

The Boston Red Sox woes with the AL East continued in tonight's game against the Baltimore Orioles. After getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox dropped their fourth straight game against the Orioles by being unable to get a clutch hit. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead on a two run Xander Bogaerts home run as Brayan Bello (1-5, 5.79 ERA) tossed 5 shutout innings. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Bello got yanked after loading the bases and Kaleb Ort allowed all 3 runs to score. The Sox had chances in the later innings but couldn't cash in. It all added up to yet another AL East defeat as the O's took the game 3-2 at Camden Yards.

Voth got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to third to start. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins got a base hit to center to start. Mullins was thrown out trying to steal second and Adley Rutschman grounded out to short. Anthony Santander grounded out to second to end the inning.

Trevor Story took strike three to start the top of the second but JD Martinez singled to right. Triston Casas took strike three but Kike Hernandez forced Martinez at second to end the inning. Ryan Mountcastle flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Gunnar Henderson struck out swinging. Ramon Urias grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Connor Wong doubled to center to start. Pham struck out swinging but Verdugo lined out to left to move Wong to third. Bogaerts then clobbered his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Devers walked but Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                              Home run Bogaerts

Rougned Odor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third to start. Austin Hays and Kyle Stowers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez walked to start the top of the fourth but Casas flied out to center. Hernandez flied out to center and Wong forced Martinez at second to end the inning. Mullins got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but was thrown out second trying to stretch a double. Rutschman grounded out to short and Santander struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pham got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth and that was it for Voth. DL Hall came in to pitch and Verdugo grounded out to first. Bogaerts singled to right but Devers popped up to third in foul territory. Story forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning. Mountcastle popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth and Henderson walked. Urias walked and Odor popped up to short. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the sixth before Casas walked. Jake Reed came in to face Hernandez and Kike grounded into a double play to end the inning. Suddenly Baltimore sprang to life in the bottom of the sixth as Stowers took strike three to start. Mullins singled to left before Rutschman walked. Santander walked and that was it for Bello. He'd be charged with 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits and 4 walks. Sox manager Alex Cora poured gas on the fire by bringing in Kaleb Ort. A wild pitch scored Mullins and moved the runners over. Mountcastle walked to re-load the bases and Henderson drilled a base hit to right to score Rutschman and Santander. Urias popped up to first and Odor flied out to left to end the inning with the O's up 3-2.

                                                               Bello deserved better

Wong popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the seventh and Pham grounded out to third. Cionel Perez came in to pitch to Verdugo and Alex walked. Bogaerts singled to right but Devers popped up to short to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hays grounded back to the mound to start. Stowers walked but Mullins struck out swinging. Rutschman popped up to third to end the inning.

Bryan Baker to start the top of the eighth and Story flied out to right to start. Martinez got a base hit to center and Rob Refsnyder ran for him. Casas grounded out to first to move Refsnyder to second and Dillon Tate came in to face Hernandez. Tate booted a grounder by Hernandez for an error and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Santander flied out to center to start. Mountcastle flied out to right But Henderson doubled to center. Urias was hit by a pitch and Odor flied out to center to end the inning.

Tate came back to pitch the top of the ninth and Pham grounded out to short to start. Verdugo singled in the hole at second but Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the game. The O's had won it 3-2.

                                                                      O's win

Jackass of the Night is Kaleb Ort. He came in to a 2-0 game and allowed 3 inherited runners to score to put the O's in front.

                                                              Jackass Ort

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Brayan Bello took the loss but only allowed 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 4 walks.

Honorable Mention:

Rob Refsnyder pinch ran for Martinez in the 8th inning.

Final Thoughts:

Once again it doesn't matter which team in the AL East it is, the Sox just cannot compete against them. The Orioles aren't lighting the world on fire but they still can't beat them. The Sox with this offense shouldn't be scoring just 2 runs against a team like that. Its all a sign that this year was an unmitigated disaster. Too many injuries, too inconsistent on offense and an inability to beat the AL East was a recipe for a disaster. The Sox better invest in an ace pitcher in the off-season because what they have isn't going to cut it. The worst part is JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi are pretty much as good as gone, they should have been sold at the deadline. Instead, they walk for nothing. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-72, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to get beat again tomorrow afternoon against the Orioles when Michael Wacha (10-1) takes on Jordan Lyles of Baltimore. The game begins at 5:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Rays Blank, Sweep Sox (9/7/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Franchy Cordero was placed on the Injured List with a sprained ankle and considering how few games are left in the season, that might be it for him. Eric Hosmer is also not coming back so Sox GM Chaim Bloom's trades are not working out at all. Abraham Almonte was called up to take Cordero's place.

                                                                    OUT

                                                                        IN

As the nails continue to be pounded into the Boston Red Sox coffin, you just have to shake your head and laugh at this point. Nick Pivetta (9-11, 4.29 ERA) and the Red Sox bullpen held the Tampa Bay Rays to just four hits and a run the entire game....great right? Well old pal Jeffrey Springs and the Tampa bullpen held the Sox to just 6 hits and NO runs. The Sox had runners on base including two at a time in several innings but couldn't deliver a single clutch hit. The only run of the game was Taylor Walls driving in Francisco Mejia in the top of the fifth inning. The Sox got the tying run on in the ninth inning but Pete Fairbanks slammed the door. The Sox continued their September slide by dropping this game 1-0 at Tropicana Field. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Springs got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez doubled to left to start. Tommy Pham and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging, but Trevor Story walked. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Yandy Diaz walked to start. Brandon Lowe flied out to left and Diaz swiped second. Harold Ramirez struck out swinging but Randy Arozarena walked. David Peralta struck out swinging to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo grounded out to third to begin the top of the second before Rob Refsnyder lined out to right. Triston Casas grounded out to short to end the inning. Manny Margot lined out to second to start the bottom of the second and Francisco Mejia did the same. Ji-Man Choi walked but Taylor Walls flied out to right to end the inning.

Connor Wong flied out to right to start the top of the third before Hernandez lined out to short. Pham flied out to right to end the inning. Diaz flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Lowe struck out swinging. Ramirez lined out to center to end the inning.

Yonny Chirinos came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Verdugo flied out to left to start. Story got a base hit to left and Martinez walked, but Arroyo struck out swinging. Refsnyder also struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Arozarena grounded out to short to start. Peralta grounded out to first and Margot grounded out to short to end the inning.

Casas lined out to center to begin the top of the fifth and Wong struck out swinging. Hernandez and Pham stroked back to back singles but Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rays struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Mejia doubled to center to start. Choi flied out to center to move Mejia to third and he scored on the Walls infield roller to short. Walls stole second and took third on the Diaz grounder to short, but Lowe grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                       Mejia is all smiles

Story grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Martinez grounded out to short. Arroyo doubled to left and Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta as John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth. Ramirez struck out swinging but Arozarena got a base hit to right. Peralta grounded out to short to move Randy to second but Margot grounded out to first to end the inning. Pivetta went five innings allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks before Schreiber got the job done here.

                                                      Pivetta deserved better

Colin Poche came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Casas struck out swinging to start. Wong grounded out to second and Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Mejia flied out to left to start. Isaac Parades pinch hit for Choi and flied out to right, but Walls doubled to left. Diaz was intentionally walked and Christian Bethancourt pinch hit for Lowe. Strahm's pitch went to the backstop and Walls tried to score, getting thrown out at home to end the inning.

Jason Adam came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pham got a base hit to right to start. Pham took second on a wild pitch and Verdugo walked to put the go-ahead run on. Story beat out a double play ball and promptly stole second. Martinez flied out to right and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bethancourt flied out to left to start. Ramirez grounded out to second and Arozarena did the same to end the inning.

Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the top of the ninth with Jose Siri taking over for Arozarena. Abraham Almonte made his Sox debut by pinch hitting for Refsnyder....and striking out swinging. Casas walked and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. McGuire took strike three and Hernandez popped up to right to end the game. The Rays had won the game 1-0.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Christian Arroyo. He had 2 men in scoring position in the eighth and failed to get them in.

                                                           Jackass Arroyo

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5.

Tommy Pham was 2 for 4.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

One of the few times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Nick Pivetta held the Rays to just 1 run in 5 innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Straham pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said about this season other than they lost it by being unable to beat their own division. All season long they lost series or got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rays, the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. Subsequently, 4 of the top 6 teams in the American League are the four teams previously mentioned. The Sox walked into a buzzsaw this season and injuries to their rotation in June and July sealed their fate. They had plenty of chances to win this one but couldn't push a run across. Even taking Pivetta out after 5 seemed like a bad idea but the bullpen held it down. Its been a lost season and with both Franchy Cordero and Eric Hosmer not coming back, the pressure is on Chaim Bloom. Every move he made backfired big time beginning in the off-season and the team has suffered because of it. There's only 24 games of torture remaining but it won't be painless. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-71, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox now travel to Baltimore to get their brains beat in by the Orioles for three games. Brayan Bello (1-4) goes for the Sox against Austin Voth. The game begins at 7:05 PM on Friday night at Camden Yards.

Bello, Sox Drop Rangers (9/3/22)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have won four games in a row including three straight against the Texas Rangers. Brayan Bello (1-4, 5.91 ERA) was the hero in this one, pitching six shutout innings to earn his first major league win. Offensively Rafael Devers drove in two big runs with Trevor Story driving in another. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock got tagged for 3 runs to make the game a save situation and Matt Barnes loaded the bases in the ninth inning. John Schreiber was able to slam the door to give the Sox a 5-3 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                         Roman Reigns approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Marcus Semien struck out swinging to start. Corey Seager flied out to center and Nathaniel Lowe grounded out to short to end the inning. Dennis Santana got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and the Sox wasted no time tagging him. Tommy Pham drew a walk but Alex Verdugo struck out swinging. Xander Bogaerts forced Pham at second but Rafael Devers pounded a double to center to score Xander. JD Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Devers strikes first

Adolis Garcia flied out to right to start the top of the second before Mark Mathias grounded out to short. Kole Calhoun and Ezequiel Duran stroked back to back base hits but Meibrys Viloria grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Christian Arroyo lined out to second. Reese McGuire drew a walk and stole second base, but Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bubba Thompson got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but Semien forced him at second. Seager flied out to to center and Lowe forced Semien at second to end the inning. Taylor Hearn took over for Santana to pitch the bottom of the third and Pham grounded out to first to start. Verdugo took strike three but Bogaerts smacked a double to center. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garcia lined out to right to start the top of the fourth but Mathias walked. Calhoun struck out swinging and Duran took strike three to end the inning. Martinez doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth before moving to third on the Story grounder to short. Arroyo and McGuire both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Viloria grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Thompson struck out swinging. Semien flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox teed off on new pitcher Brock Burke in the bottom of the fifth. Hernandez walked but Pham struck out swinging. Verdugo walked and both men moved over on a balk. Bogaerts hit a grounder to short and Seager threw home to nail Hernandez....under the glove of Viloria to allow Kike to score on the error. Devers beat out a double play ball to score Verdugo and Martinez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                     Devers drives in another run

Bello returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Seager grounded out to first to start. Lowe took strike three and Garcia lined out to third to end the inning. Bello had tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out 5 batters.

                                                       Good work Bello

Kohei Arihara came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Story doubled to center to start. Arroyo dropped down a bunt to move Story to third but McGuire struck out swinging. Hernandez walked but Pham forced him at second to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mathias flied out to right to start. Calhoun struck out swinging but Duran singled to right. Viloria struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Bogaerts and Devers stroked back to back base hits to right but an error by Garcia moved the runners over. Martinez hit a double play ball to third....but Duran booted it for an error that scored Bogaerts. Story ripped a double to right to score Devers but Arroyo lined out to right. McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                         Story drives in a run

Suddenly the Rangers rallied in the top of the eighth as Thompson singled to left to start. Semien hit a home run all the way back to Texas to cut the lead. Seager flied out to right but Lowe hit a home run all the way into Bombay, India to inch the Rangers closer. Garcia flied out to right and Mathias took strike three to end the inning with the Rangers down 5-3.

                                                              Lowe jacks one

Brett Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Pham lined out to right and Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Calhoun got a base hit to center to start. Leody Taveras pinch ran for Calhoun and Duran forced him at second. Jonah Heim pinch hit for Viloria and got a base hit to right. Thompson beat out a roller to third and suddenly the bases were loaded with one out. John Schreiber was called in to put the fire out and Semien struck out swinging. Seager grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brayan Bello. He tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out 5 batters.

                                                          Bello's first Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

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

Trevor Story was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Kike Hernandez walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

John Schreiber got his sixth save by getting the final two outs of the ninth.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Garrett Whitlock allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

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

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Matt Barnes loaded the bases in the ninth inning but got the first out.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have won four games in a row and they did it with timely offense. Getting Story and Hernandez back along with the trade for Pham has solidified the offense to at least keep the Sox in the game with their season teetering on the break. Which leads to the pitching. Bello pitched his best game of the season and as unfair as it seems, they're going to need him to get hot in September if they have any hope for October. Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Brayan Bello might be able to get them to the dance if they can keep this win streak going. Hopefuly this will be the first of many wins for Bello in his career. The win improved the Sox to 66-68, 7.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the third wild card. The Sox look to make it five wins in a row and a series sweep tomorrow afternoon when Kutter Crawford takes on Dave Dunning of Texas. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rout Rangers, Lose Pivetta (9/2/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. New papa Zack Kelly was placed on the Paternity List to celebrate the birth of his child and in his place the Sox called up Tyler Danish to take his place for tonight's game. Congratulations Zack.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                  IN

As for the game, the good news was the Red Sox beat the crap out of the Texas Rangers. The bad news was they lost Nick Pivetta in the process. Pivetta came off the mound clutching his arm following the top of the third and left the game with the game tied 1-1. Tyler Danish (3-1, 3.90 ERA) and the Boston bullpen stepped up to not allow a run the rest of the game. Offensively the Sox employed a balanced attack to score 9 runs off Dallas Keuchel and the Texas bullpen. Kike Hernandez, Connor Wong and Christian Arroyo all drove in 2 runs apiece. JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers also knocked in a run. Who knows how long Pivetta is out but the Sox won the game 9-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                              Paris Love approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Marcus Semien doubled to left to start. Corey Seager flied out to left but Nathaniel Lowe walked. It looked like Adolis Garcia grounded into a double play but Rangers manager Tony Beasley challenged that Semien was safe at third. The call was overturned but Jonah Heim took strike three to end the inning. Dallas Keuchel got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham got a base hit to left to start. Alex Verdugo forced Pham at second but Xander Bogaerts doubled to center to score Verdugo. Rafael Devers walked but JD Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                           Bogaerts drives in a run

Leody Taveras flied out to right to start the top of the second before Kole Calhoun flied out to center. Ezequiel Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. Trevor Story took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Kike Hernandez flied out to center. Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning.

All of a sudden Pivetta started clutching his arm in the top of the third inning as Bubba Thompson got a base hit to left to start. Thompson took second then moves to third on the Semien grounder to short. Seager got a base hit inside the first base bag to score Thompson to tie the game. Lowe got a base hit to center but Garcia struck out swinging. Heim walked to load the bases but Taveras grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Pivetta had to come out of the game, get carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU after 3 innings and 1 run allowed.

                                                          Pivetta leaves with injury

Connor Wong grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Pham grounded out to second. Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyler Danish came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Calhoun grounded out to short to start. Duran grounded out to short but Thompson walked. Thompson was picked off to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts took strike three to start. Devers got a base hit to right and Martinez walked, but Story struck out swinging. Hernandez doubled to left to score Devers and Arroyo got a base hit to center. Taveras booted the ball to allow both Martinez and Hernandez to score. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                  Hernandez drives in a run

Semien singled to right to start the top of the fifth and that was it for Danish. Matt Strahm came in to pitch and Seager lined out to right. Lowe flied out to center and Garcia popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Pham grounded out to second to start. Verdugo grounded out to first but Bogaerts walked. Devers doubled to center to score Bogaerts and Martinez singled to center to score Devers, taking second on the throw home. That was it for Keuchel as AJ Alexy came in to pitch to Story. Trevor singled in the hole at short to move Martinez to third and Hernandez doubled home JD to increase the lead. Arroyo lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                       Sox pour it on

Heim grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Taveras struck out swinging. Calhoun struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Wong beat out a grounder to short to start.....but wait, Rangers manager Tony Beasley challenged that Wong was out. Sure enough, the umps overturned the call and Pham got a base hit to left. Verdugo took strike three but Bogaerts hit a ball to third. Duran threw the ball away for a single and an error to put both runners in scoring position. Devers walked to load the bases but Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran popped up to second. Thompson grounded out to second and Semien struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh as Story hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Hernandez walked and moved to second on a grounder to short by Arroyo. Wong then belted his first career home run to increase the lead. Pham struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 9-1.

                                                            First big fly for Wong

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Seager popped up to third to start. Lowe doubled to left but Garcia lined out to third. Heim popped up to third to end the inning. Charlie Culberson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Bogaerts also grounded out to second and Franchy Cordero pinch hit for Devers. Cordero walked and Martinez got a base hit to left, but Story flied out to left to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo came in to close out the top of the ninth and Taveras lined out to center to start. Calhoun struck out swinging and Duran grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-1.

                                                          Bazardo closes it out

Hero of The Night is Kike Hernandez. His rbi double put the Sox up for good then drove in another run for good measure.

                                                         Hero Hernandez

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 2 with 2 walks, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Franchy Cordero walked as a pinch hitter.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Nick Pivetta only allowed a run in 3 innings before he left with injury.

Tyler Danish got the win with a scoreless fourth inning.

Matt Strahm tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Eduard Bazardo tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but hit his first two run homer.

Final Thoughts:

The bad news was the Sox lost Pivetta who hasn't missed a start all season but the good news was THIS is the offense the Sox hoped for after the trade deadline. Yes, losing Eric Hosmer wasn't ideal but the addition of Pham to go with Devers, Bogaerts and Martinez along with the returns of Story and Hernandez gave the Sox a 1-6 as good as anyone. The trade of Christian Vazquez was for the future but the team is in the hands of Connor Wong now. He hit a home run tonight and hopefully it was the first of many. The bullpen stepped up big time in tonight's game after Pivetta left in the third inning. Danish, Strahm tossed 6 scoreless innings to preserve the win. The offense is going to be there but they can't outslug every team, every game. Hopefully Pivetta will be okay because they're going to need him with 29 games remaining. The win improved the Sox to 65-68, 7 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the second wild card. The Sox look to win their fourth game in a row and third against the Rangers tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (0-4) takes on Dennis Santana of Texas. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                                        IN

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

                                                             Mimsy approves of the win

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

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

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

                                                           Seager strikes first

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

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

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

                                                               Hill doesn't last long

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

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

                                                            Verdugo goes yard

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

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

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

                                                            Rangers pour it on

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

                                                         Devers drives in a run

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

                                                           Sox win

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

                                                         The Sox salute our Hero

The Good:

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

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.

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

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

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

John Schreiber tossed a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort tossed a scoreless inning.

Jeurys Familia got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

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

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

Eduardo Bazardo allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Bogaerts, Sox Slam Twins (8/31/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced that Hiro Sawamura accepted his demotion to Worcester but the Minnesota Twins claimed Austin Davis off waivers. Sox GM Chaim Bloom's two pitching acquisitions at the deadline last year both crashed and burned this season including Hansel Robles. The Sox sent Alex Scherff to the the Twins for Robles and he's not doing well in AA while the Sox sent Michael "Ice Horse" Chavis to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Davis. Chavis is hitting .237 with 14 home runs for the Pirates which is more or less better numbers than Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero. Just another nail in the coffin in Bloom's tenure in Boston it seems.

                                                                 Bye bye Davis

As for the game, the Sox snapped their three game losing streak by holding on to defeat the Minnesota Twins. The Sox erupted in the third inning against Minnesota starter Joe Ryan as Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam and JD Martinez also went yard. Michael Wacha (10-1, 2.56 ERA) continued his strong season by holding the Twins to just 2 runs in 6 strong innings. Bogaerts doubled in another run and the Sox needed it as Garrett Whitlock gave up 3 runs to pull the Twins within one. Matt Barnes saved the day by slamming the door in the ninth to give the Sox a 6-5 victory over the Twins at Target Field.

                                                  Tia Carrere approves of the win

Ryan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to center and Xander Bogaerts walked, but Rafael Devers struck out swinging. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Arraez grounded out to second to start. Carlos Correa struck out swinging and Jose Miranda lined out to left to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Kike Hernandez flied out to right. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Max Kepler hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the second before Kyle Garlick struck out swinging. Gio Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to left to start. Pham got a base hit to left and Verdugo reached on a roller to first to load the bases. Bogaerts cleared the bases with a grand slam to put the Sox on top. Devers flied out to center and Martinez launched his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Story got a base hit to right but Hernandez lined out to left. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                                Grand slam for X

Naturally the Twins responded immediately in the bottom of the third as Nick Gordon grounded out to short to start. Gilberto Celestino flied out to left but Sandy Leon got a base hit to left. Arraez hit a home run all the way to Michigan to cut the lead. Correa grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins down 5-2.

                                                             Arraez goes deep

Plawecki got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and Pham was hit with a pitch. Verdugo lined out to left, Bogaerts flied out to right and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Miranda flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Kepler took strike three. Bogaerts booted a grounder by Garlick and Urshela beat out a roller to third, but Gordon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez popped up to short to start the top of the fifth before Story struck out swinging. Hernandez got a base hit to center before Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Celestino struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Leon struck out swinging as well. Arraez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Plawecki doubled to left to start. Pham and Verdugo both struck out swinging but who else but Bogaerts doubled to right to score Plawecki with another run. Bogaerts stole third but Devers went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                                X Gon Double For Ya

Wacha returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Correa walked to start. Miranda lined out to left but Kepler doubled to right. Garlick grounded out to first and Urshela took strike three to end the inning. Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

                                                           Wacha with the solid starts

Martinez lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Story got a base hit to right. Story took off for second and Leon threw the ball away, allowing Trevor to take third. Hernandez watched strike three go by and Dalbec went down hacking to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gordon doubled to center to start. Celestino grounded out to first to move Gordon to third and Gary Sanchez pinch hit for Leon. Sanchez walked and Arraez hit a sac fly to center to score Gordon. Correa struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 6-3.

                                                             Twins inch closer

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the eighth as Plawecki grounded out to third to start. Pham grounded back to the mound and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Miranda struck out swinging to start. Kepler got a base hit to center and Jake Cave pinch hit for Garlick. Cave struck out swinging but Urshela singled to right. Gordon then smacked a ball into the right field corner to score both runners. Gordon made a mad dash to third but was thrown out at third by Verdugo to end the inning with the Twins still down 6-5.

                                                         Yerrrrrr out!

Trevor Megill came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Devers hit one up the elevator shaft but Martinez singled in the hole at third. Story doubled to center and Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Celestino singled in the hole at short to start. Sanchez walked and Caleb Hamilton ran for him. Arraez flied out to left and Correa grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-5.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He drove in 5 of the Sox 6 runs and the last one proved to be the difference maker.

                                                               X gonna Hero for ya

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Trevor Story was 3 for 5 with a stolen base.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Michael Wacha got the win by going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs off 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

Matt Barnes earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Garrett Whitlock allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Well the Sox have finished August and they're nowhere close to the playoffs. The rotation and bullpen are just too beat up to make a run even though the bats can potentially win a few games. The Sox did get a lift from Bogaerts and Wacha in this one but Story and Plawecki pitched in with multiple hit games. Its not TOO late to make a run but they'd have to go on a red hot streak in September to get back in this one. Otherwise, forget it. Still, the name of the game is pitching and if the rotation can pull out some big wins in September, who knows what might happen. The win improved the Sox to 63-68, 8.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot. The Sox now return home for a four game set with the Texas Rangers. Rich Hill takes the mound for the Sox against Glenn Otto of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.