Sox Trade For Hosmer, Sox Beat Astros (8/2/22)

The trade deadline came and went today and the Sox made one eye opening move. The Sox sent 2016 1st round pick pitcher Jay Groome to the San Diego Padres for 32 year old former gold glove first baseman Eric Hosmer along with two prospects from the 2021 draft. Groome has had an arduous journey coming back from one injury after another and just didn't seem to rediscover the velocity that made him one of the top prospects in the 2016 draft.  Hosmer was one of the key figures of the 2014-15 Kansas City Royals that repeated as AL Champion and won it all in 2015. These days he hits into a lot of double plays but he's still an instant upgrade over Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec. Between Pham and Hosmer coming to Boston, its not that much better but it gets Franchy and Jackie Bradley Jr out of the lineup. The two prospects the Sox got were 22 year old High A outfielder Corey Rosier and 22 year old second baseman Max Ferguson. Rosier was chosen 8 picks after the Sox chose Christopher Troye by the Seattle Mariners and he was sent to San Diego in the Adam Frazier trade. The plus side to Rosier is he's a speed demon, stealing 33 bags for San Diego's A+ team so far this year. Ferguson was taken 24 picks after the Sox chose Nathan Hickey and unfortunately is hitting just .162 with 3 home runs for San Diego's A+ team. Combined with Alex Binelas, the Sox now have 19 picks from the 2021 draft (replacing 3 of the 4 that didn't sign). Like mentioned earlier, the acquisitions of Hosmer, Pham and McGuire don't make the team significantly better and the fact they didn't trade Nathan Eovaldi or JD Martinez means they didn't really sell either. All in all they traded Christian Vazquez, Jake Diekman and Jay Groome for Wilyer Abreu, Enmanuel Valdez, Tommy Pham, Reese McGuire, Eric Hosmer, Corey Rosier and Max Ferguson. At this point the Sox didn't really buy or sell and are still stuck in mediocrity. Now for tonight's game, Tommy Pham and Reese McGuire have been activated and Rafael Devers came off the Injured List. Rob Refsnyder was placed on the Injured List while Jaylin Davis and Franchy Cordero was sent back to Worcester. Thank god!

                                                                        OUT

                                                                  IN

As for the game, for the second straight night the gruesome Boston Red Sox amounted almost nothing against the defending AL Champion Houston Astros. The Sox had just 5 total hits and just 4 against Houston starter Cristian Javier. Luckily the returning Rafael Devers and rookie starter Kutter Crawford (3-3, 3.86 ERA) saved the day. Crawford allowed a first inning run but shut down Houston in six solid innings. Rafael Devers drove home new addition Tommy Pham in the fourth inning and smashed a towering home run in the sixth. Hiro Sawamura, Austin Davis and Tanner Houck preserved the win. Houck managed to retire former Orioles nemesis Trey Mancini and former teammate Christian Vazquez in the ninth. The offense is still a mess but the pitching held up for the second night in a row as the Sox had won it 2-1 at Minute Maid Park. 

                                            The late Vin Scully (RIP) approves of the win

Javier got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Tommy Pham made his Sox debut and naturally struck out swinging before Rafael Devers also went down hacking to end the inning. The Astros wasted no time getting to Crawford in the bottom of the first as Jose Altuve effortlessly doubled to left on the first pitch to start. Yulu Gurriel ripped a base hit to center to put the Astros up two batters into the game. Yordan Alvarez flied out to left and Gurriel stole second on the Alex Bregman swinging strikeout. Kyle Tucker walked but Aledmys Diaz forced Tucker at second to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0.

                                                    Gurriel puts Houston on top

JD Martinez popped up to short to start the top of the second before Alex Verdugo went down hacking. Christian Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning. Jeremy Pena got a single up the middle to start the bottom of the second but was thrown out trying to steal. Jake Meyers lined out to short and Martin Maldonado struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Bobby Dalbec walked to start the top of the third but Yolmer Sanchez lined out to center and Kevin Plawecki grounded into a double play to end the inning. Altuve flied out to left to start the bottom of the third and Gurriel grounded out to short. Alvarez struck out looking to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth although Duran grounded out to second to start. Pham got a base hit to center and scored on the double to right by Devers to tie the game. Martinez struck out swinging and Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1. 

                                              Devers drives in a run

The Astros threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Bregman grounded out to short to start. Tucker struck out swinging but Diaz best out a roller to third. Diaz took third on the base hit to right by Pena but Meyers grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Arroyo popped up to first to start the top of the fifth but somehow Dalbec got a base hit to right. Naturally Sanchez flied out to center and Plawecki took strike three to end the inning. Maldonado grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the fifth before Altuve froze for strike three. Gurriel singled to center but Alvarez struck out swinging on a nasty changeup to end the inning.

The Sox took the lead in the top of the sixth as Duran grounded out to first to start. Pham popped up to third but Devers launched his 23rd home run of the season to put Boston on top. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                      Devers does it again

Naturally the Astros responded in the bottom of the sixth as Bregman beat out a roller to third to start. Tucker forced him at second and Diaz forced Kyle at second as well. Pena flied out to center to end the inning and that was it for Crawford. He was outstanding, holding the Astros to a first inning run and 7 hits in 6 solid innings.

                                                          Crawford shuts down Houston

Bryan Abreu came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Somehow Arroyo got a base hit to center  but Sanchez grounded out to second to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Meyers grounded out to third to start. Maldonado struck out swinging but Altuve got a base hit to center. Gurriel popped up to short to end the inning.

Hector Neris came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Plawecki struck out swinging to start. Duran grounded out to second and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and naturally Alvarez doubled to left to start. Bregman walked but shockingly Tucker struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Tanner Houck for the 5 out save and Diaz lined out to left. Pena flied out to center to end the inning.

Rafael Montero came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers grounded out to short to start. Martinez struck out swinging and Verdugo lined out to right to end the inning. Just like last night with Duran, the Sox would have been shutout if it wasn't for Devers. The Astros had a nasty surprise in the bottom of the ninth as newly acquired Trey Mancini pinch hit for Meyers with Jackie Bradley Jr in for Pham in right to start. Mancini grounded out to third and none other than Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Maldonado. Vazquez grounded out to second and Altuve flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-1.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. He drove in the only Sox runs including the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning.

                                                                 Raffy Hero

The Good:

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Kutter Crawford got the win by allowing just 7 hits and a run in 6 solid innings. He walked just one and struck out six batters.

Hiro Sawamura pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Austin Davis got the first out of the eighth inning.

Tanner Houck earned his eighth save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Yolmer Sanchez was 0 for 3.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

Honorable Mention:

Jackie Bradley Jr played right field in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

The offense is still atrocious but the pitching held up for the second night in a row. Crawford pitched a hell of a game and Houck navigated through a tough situation with pinch hitters in the ninth. The offense right now is pray Xander Bogaerts or Devers does something because the entire team is back to where they were in April. Eric Hosmer, Reese McGuire and Pham aren't going to help the team THAT much. They'll average 4 runs a game instead of 2, yippie.....The good news is the three headed attack of Garrett Whitlock, John Schreiber and Tanner Houck has finally settled down the later innings and it would be nice if Josh Taylor or Matt Strahm got healthy to give them a lefty to help. Losing Vazquez sucks and Jay Groome was just starting to come back, but to give them up for four prospects, Pham and Hosmer could be a blessing in disguise if one of the prospects develops. The Sox have also won their first series since they beat the Guardians over a month ago. In terms of the trade deadline the Sox essentially did nothing one way or the other. They didn't trade a lot of prospects to add pieces and they didn't trade all their best guys to rebuild either. The subtraction of Christian Vazquez and addition of Eric Hosmer balanced each other out. Where they go from here depends entirely on the rotation now. If Chris Sale, James Paxton and Michael Wacha are pretty much finished then forget it. The Sox won't be able to survive throwing three rookies out there week after week. The Sox are still in last place in the division but they inched closer to the Tampa Bay Rays who lost to the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. Essentially the Sox are a healthy rotation away from competing for the wild card and time will tell if they can hang on. The win improved the Sox to 53-52, 2 games behind the Rays for the third wild card. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (0-3, 8,82 ERA) looks for his first ML win against Jose Urquidy of Houston. The game begins at 2:10 PM Eastern time at Minute Maid Park.

Vazquez Traded, Sox Defeat Astros (8/1/22)

After weeks of speculation, the rumors of the Boston Red Sox being sellers were absolutely true. The first to go was incumbent catcher Christian Vazquez and struggling reliever Jake Diekman. Vazquez was shipped out to tonight's opponent Houston Astros in exchange for 23 year old outfielder Wilyer Abreu who's hitting .249 with 15 home runs in AA and 23 year old slugger Enmanuel Valdez who's hitting .327 with 21 home runs between AA and AAA this season. Chaim Bloom has had almost zero success in his trades the last 3 years so we fully expect for Abreu to be mediocre in AA and Valdez to fall flat on his face in Worcester just like Nick Yorke, Tyreqe Reed and Joe Davis has done. The Sox also managed to dump Jake Diekman on the Chicago White Sox for a player to be named and catcher Reese McGuire....the same McGuire who was arrested for jacking off in public two years ago. If McGuire wasn't enough bad press, the Sox topped it by sending a player to be named to the Cincinnati Reds for noted hot-head Tommy Pham. Giving up the beloved Vazquez for McGuire and Pham may save owner John Henry a few bucks but PR is going to have a nightmare explaining this. To replace Vazquez and Diekman, the Sox activated Rich Hill off the injured list and promoted catcher Ronaldo Hernandez from Worcester.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game, somehow the rag-tag Sox defeated the American League champion Astros just minutes after Christian Vazquez was traded to them. Nathan Eovaldi (5-3, 4.11 ERA) pitched his best game in months, holding the Astros to 2 unearned runs in 6 1/3 gutty innings. After the awful Sox defense turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 deficit, Jarren Duran stepped up with a two run home run in the fifth inning to put Boston on top. John Schreiber and Tanner Houck stepped up the rest of the way to lead the Sox to a hard fought 3-2 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

                                                          Bruno Madrigal approves of the win

Luis Garcia got the ball in the top of the first inning as Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Xander Bogaerts flied out to center and Alex Verdugo took strike three right down the middle to end the inning.  Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Altuve lined out to third to start. Yuli Gurriel effortlessly doubled to center and moved to third on the Yordan Alvarez grounder to second. Somehow Aledmys Diaz grounded out to third to end the inning.

JD Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the second inning before Christian Arroyo flied out to right as well. Franchy Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning. Kyle Tucker grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second before Jeremy Pena flied out to center. Chas McCormick walked and Jake Meyers got a base hit to left, but Martin Maldonado struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third inning as Bobby Dalbec got a double to left to start Yolmer Sanchez popped up to first and Kevin Plawecki flied out to right, but Duran hit a ground rule double down the right field line to score Dalbec. A wild pitch moved Duran to third but Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Duran drives in a run

The Sox defense reared its ugly head in the bottom of the third as Altuve hit a routine grounder to Arroyo who picked up the third base bag and threw it at the ball for an error. Gurriel hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who picked up the second base bag and used it as a shield on the ball for another error to put runners at the corners. Alvarez hit a sac fly to left to score Altuve and Diaz doubled to left to score Gurriel to put the Astros on top. Tucker walked but Pena flied out to right and McCormick flied out to center to end the inning with the Astros ahead 2-1.

                                                                  A comedy of errors

Verdugo got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Martinez banged into a double play. Arroyo got a base hit to right and Cordero grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Eovaldi recovered in the bottom of the fourth as Meyers popped up to first to start. Maldonado grounded out to short and Altuve grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Dalbec walked to start. Sanchez struck out swinging and Plawecki flied out to left, but Duran clobbered his second home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning with Boston ahead 3-2.

                                                        Duran stepping it up tonight

Gurriel grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Alvarez took strike three. Diaz took strike three as well to end the inning.

Verdugo popped up to third to start the top of the sixth but Martinez got a base hit to left. Arroyo flied out to center and Cordero grounded out to second to end the inning. Tucker grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Pena struck out swinging. McCormick also went down hacking to end the inning.

Dalbec took strike three to start the top of the seventh before Sanchez flied out to left. Plawecki grounded out to first to end the inning. Meyers took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh but Maldonado got a base hit to right to chase Eovladi. Nathan pitched his best game in over a month by allowing no earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. John Schreiber came in and got Altuve to ground into a double play to end the inning.

                                                                        Eovaldi gets it done

Phil Maton came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Duran grounded back to the mound to begin. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Verdugo took strike three to end the inning. Gurriel struck out swimnging to start the bottom of the eighth but Alvarez walked. Diaz got a base hit to right and both runners moved over on the Tucker grounder to the mound. With the game on the line, Pena was caught looking for strike three to end the inning.

Rafael Montero came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Martinez struck out swinging to start. Arroyo lined out to center and Cordero flied out to right to end the inning. If it wasn't for Duran's heroics the Sox would have been shut-out again. Jackie Bradley Jr took over in right with Tanner Houck in to close out the bottom of the ninth. McCormick grounded out to short and JJ Matijevic pinch hit for Meyers. Matijevic struck out swinging and Taylor Jones pinch hit for Maldonado. Maldonado grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Jarren Duran. He drove in all three runs the Sox scored including the two run home run to put them on top.

                                                          Duran the Hero

The Good:

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Nathan Eovaldi got the win with 6 1/3 innings of 2 run ball. Neither run was earned and he allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

John Schreiber tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Tanner Houck earned his seventh save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts with an error.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Yolmer Sanchez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Honorable Mention:

Jackie Bradley Jr played right field in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Good win but it looks like the Sox are going to be sellers at the deadline. Trading one of the only guys with value in Vazquez and bringing in sub-par talent such as McGuire and Pham to play out the string is a dead giveaway that more moves are on the horizon. It looks like Xander Bogaerts is safe but JD Martinez is the top name on the trading block. He's pretty much said his goodbyes through social media if this is the end so its just a question of what they get back in return. With the trio of Schreiber, Houck and Whitlock nailing down the later innings, another bullpen arm could be the target if they unload Martinez. As for tonight's game, that was a pretty good win. Eovaldi tossed his best game since coming off the Injured List and Duran stepped it up tonight. The Sox committed more errors but Arroyo is not a third baseman and shouldn't be in there. Even the Sox mood isn't good as some of the players grumbled after the game. Good! I hope they get mad at how they played in July that took them from the top wild card spot to last place in the AL East. Maybe they need to get nasty in order to fight back after they humiliated themselves in July. There's one day left until the deadline so it'll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow and who stays or who goes. The win improved the Sox to 52-52, 3 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third wild card. The Sox look to make it three wins in a row tomorrow night against Houston when they send rookie Kutter Crawford (2-3, 4.15 ERA) to the mound against Cristian  Javier of the Astros. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Minute Maid Park.

Sox Fifth Inning Rally Drops Brewers (7/31/22)

For four innings it looked like the Milwaukee Brewers would effortlessly sweep the Boston Red Sox. Then suddenly the Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning. Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez, Christian Vazquez and Alex Verdugo had four straight doubles to turn a 2-0 game into 5-2.  Josh Winckowski (4-5, 5.00 ERA) was pulled after just 5 innings and 65 pitches but got credit for the win. The bullpen managed to lock it down the rest of the game. Jackie Bradley Jr and Jaylin Davis also knocked in runs to give the Sox a 7-2 victory over the Brewers in the final game before the trade deadline at Fenway Park.

                                                           Eduard Khil approves of the win

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first and Christian Yelich got a base hit to center to start. Willy Adames popped up to first and Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Aaron Ashby got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jaylin Davis walked to start. Xander Bogaerts singled to center but Martinez flied out to right to move Davis to third. Christian Vazquez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Brewers struck first in the top of the second as Andrew McCutchen popped up to second. Kolten Wong doubled to center and Hunter Renfroe continued to torture the Red Sox with a two run homer all the way to Alaska. Luis Arias popped up to second and Omar Narvaez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Brewers up 2-0.

                                                               Renfroe does it again

Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second before Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging. Christian Arroyo walked but Yolmer Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyrone Taylor grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Yelich got a base hit to right. Adames took strike three and Tellez lined out to right to end the inning. Ashby turned up the heat in the bottom of the third as Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging to start. Davis and Bogaerts also struck out swinging to end the inning.

McCutchen singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Wong popped up to right. Renfroe singled to left and Urias was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Narvaez banged into a double play to end the inning. Martinez doubled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Vazquez flied out to center. Verdugo struck out swinging and Dalbec popped up to second to end the inning.

Taylor grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth before Yelich popped up to short. Adames doubled to right and Tellez was intentionally walked, but Adames was picked off to end the inning. That was it for Winckowski after just 65 pitches. He allowed 2 runs in 5 innings to get the decision.

                                                     Short but sweet for Winckowski

Suddenly the Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth as Arroyo walked to start. Sanchez hit a double play grounder to short but Wong dropped the throw for an error. JBJ dropped down a bunt but it got Arroyo thrown out at third. Davis lined out to left but Bogaerts doubled to left to score both runners, tying the game. Martinez doubled to right to score Bogaerts to put the Sox on top and Vazquez doubled down the first base line to score Xander. That was it for Ashby as Hoby Milner came in to pitch to Verdugo. Alex doubled to left to score Vazquez for their fourth straight double. Dalbec flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                       Bogaerts ties it up

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the sixth and McCutchen flied out to right to start. Wong lined out to center but Renfroe singled to center. Urias lined one past Whitlock but Narvaez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox scored again in the bottom of the sixth as Arroyo doubled to left to start. Sanchez moved Arroyo to third with a lineout to right and JBJ hit a ground rule double into the bullpen to score Arroyo. That was it for Milner as Jandel Gustave allowed a base hit by Davis to score JBJ. Bogaerts flied out to right but Martinez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 7-2.

                                                               Davis adds to the lead

Taylor struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Yelich grounded out to short. Adames grounded out to third to end the inning. Brent Suter came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez popped up to short. Verdugo watched strike three go by and Dalbec grounded out to second to end the inning.

Austin Davis came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Mike Brosseau pinch hit for Tellez. Brosseau popped up to first before McCutchen struck out swinging. Pedro Severino pinch hit for Wong and was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Peter Strzelecki came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Arroyo singled to center to start. Sanchez forced Arroyo at second but JBJ hit yet another ground rule double. Davis and Bogaerts both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Renfroe singled to left to start the top of the ninth before Urias singled down the third base line to chase Davis. John Schreiber came in to face Narvaez but Victor Caratini pinch hit for him. Caratini flied out to center, Taylor lined out to right and Yelich grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-2.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His double in the fifth inning put the Sox up for good.

                                                               JD Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Josh Winckowski got the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 7 hits and a walk.

Garrett Whitlock tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Austin Davis tossed a scoreless inning.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jaylin Davis was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Yolmer Sanchez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts: 

We've made it to the trade deadline and the Sox stumbled into the end of July for sure. The Sox should be looking to sell high considering some of the prospects they have in the system like Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke and Gilberto Jimenez. Still, a win is a win and this was a good one. The entire offense contributed and Josh Winckowski looked strong as well. No idea why they pulled him after just 5 innings but he got the job done. The bullpen locked it down as well and John Schreiber is having a low key dominant season. On a sad note, this might have been the final game for the core of the team that won the World Series in 2018. Bogaerts, Vazquez, Martinez and possibly Bradley could be dealt or released. With all the injuries on the team, it makes more sense to sell. Still, they might surprise and add a starter by dealing some of the prospects. We'll find out tomorrow. The win improved the Sox to 51-52, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Houston for a three game set with the defending AL Champion Astros. Nathan Eovaldi (4-3) takes on Luis Garcia of Houston. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Minute Maid Park.

Woodruff, Brewers Shut Down Sox (7/29/22)

Before the game the Seattle Mariners claimed Phillips Valdez off waivers. He was one of the lone bright spots of the 2020 season where Chaim Bloom scraped the bottom of the barrel for pitchers but regressed ever since. Good luck in Seattle.

                                                                 Bye bye Valdez

As the season continues to spiral for the Boston Red Sox, its just a question of who goes on Monday's trade deadline. Tonight the Sox took another step toward "sellers" as they got shut completely down by Brandon Woodruff and the Milwaukee Brewers. Austin Davis was the Sox "opener" but Brayan Bello (0-3, 8.82 ERA) got tagged for 2 runs. The Sox did manage a run against Woodruff but Hiro Sawamura allowed 2 runs in the ninth to put the game away. The Brewers sent the Sox one step closer to fire sale with a 4-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                           Sox fans reaching their breaking point

Austin Davis got the ball in the top of the first inning and Christian Yelich struck out swinging to start. Willy Adames singled in the hole at second but Andrew McCutchen forced Adames at second. Old friend Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. Woodruff got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Christian Vazquez singled to left but Alex Verdugo popped up to third. Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning.

Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Luis Urias struck out swinging. Victor Caratini flied out to right to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second and Franchy Cordero drew a walk. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging and Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to second to end the inning.

Kolten Wong grounded out to second to start the top of the third and that was it for Davis after 2 1/3 shutout innings. Brayan Bello came in to pitch and Tyrone Taylor was immediately plunked. Yelich struck out swinging and Adames grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                      Not bad for an "Opener"

Yolmer Sanchez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Duran went down hacking as well. Vazquez also swung at air to end the inning.

McCutchen took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Renfroe grounded out to first. Tellez struck out swinging to end the inning. Verdugo popped up to third to open the bottom of the fourth and Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Urias grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth but Caratini walked. Wong walked but Taylor grounded into a double play to end the inning. Cordero lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Dalbec grounded back to the mound. JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

The Brewers struck first in the top of the sixth as Yelich doubled down the third base line to start. Adames singled in the hole at short and McCutchen beat out a double play ball to score Yelich. Renfroe grounded out to third and Tellez was intentionally walked. Urias struck out swinging to end the inning with the Brewers up 1-0.

                                                           Brewers take the lead

The Sox answered in the bottom of the sixth as Sanchez took strike three to start. Duran struck out swinging but Vazquez doubled to center. Verdugo doubled to center to score Vazquez with the tying run. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Verdugo ties it up

The Brewers struck back in the top of the seventh as Caratini singled in the hole at short to start. Wong banged into a double play but Taylor tripled into the centerfield triangle and Sox manager Alex Cora blundered by yanking Bello at the first side of trouble. Ryan Brasier came in and Yelich ripped a base hit to left to score Caratini to put Milwaukee on top. Adames struck out swingi8ng

                                                                Yelich drives in a run

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the seventh as Martinez grounded out to third to start. Cordero doubled to left and Dalbec walked to chase Woodruff. Brad Boxberger came in to pitch and JBJ struck out swinging. Sanchez lined out to short to end the inning, what a waste.

McCutchen took strike three to start the top of the eighth before Renfroe struck out swinging. Tellez struck out swinging to end the inning. Devin Williams came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran got a base hit to right to begin. Vazquez forced Duran at second but Verdugo reached on a nubber in front of the plate. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Jeter Downs pinch ran for Vazquez. Martinez forced Verdugo at second to end the inning.

Hiro Sawamura came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth with Kevin Plawecki now in to catch. Urias flied out to right before Caratini drew a walk. Wong doubled to left and Taylor hit a sac fly to left to score Caratini. Yelich was intentionally walked but Adames dumped a ground ball to left....booted by Verdugo for an error to score Wong. McCutchen flied out to center to end the inning with the Brewers up 4-1.

                                                                 Brewers ice the game

Josh Hader came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Cordero. Refsnyder struck out swinging but Dalbec got a base hit to left. Jaylin Davis pinch hit for JBJ and struck out swinging. Sanchez took strike three to end the game. The Brewers had won it 4-1.

                                                              Brewers win

Jackass of The Night is Hiro Sawamura. He put the game out of reach by allowing 2 runs in the ninth inning.

The Good:

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Austin Davis tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jaylin Davis struck out as a pinch hitter.

Yolmer Sanchez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed just 2 runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Ryan Brasier allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 1/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Kevin Plawecki caught the top of the ninth.

Jeter Downs played third base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Trevor Story being out sucks but the major reason for the recent failures apart from the starting rotation falling apart is the bottom of the order is a black hole. Cordero, Dalbec, Bradley and Sanchez and Duran are all hitting under .238 while Plawecki and Downs aren't hitting either. When you have 5 guys and 2 off the bench that aren't producing, its very hard to win games. Sawamura and Bello were just a victim of lack of run support and some bad defense as well. Just another reason for Sox GM Chaim Bloom to blow it up and get whatever he can for Martinez, Eovaldi, etc. They also could get a good draft pick for falling down the crapper as well. They got three days to decide whether to add or sell so let's see how that goes. The loss dropped the Sox to 50-51, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Brewers with Nick Pivetta (8-7) on the mound against Eric Lauer of Milwaukee. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Three Run Sixth Puts Sox Past Guardians (7/28/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox signed a familiar face. Danny Santana was brought back to the organization and will play for the Florida Complex Sox to get his wind back. Welcome back Danny.

                                                                           IN

As for the game, for the first five innings it looked like the Red Sox were headed to another loss to the Clevland Guardians. They trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth after a Jose Ramirez home run against Sox starter Kutter Crawford. Xander Bogaerts crushed a three run home run to put the Sox on top. Jake Diekman (5-1, 4.03 ERA) and Garrett Whitlock held the fort and the Sox had come away with the win 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Hayden Panettiere approves of the win

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Steven Kwan lined out to center to start. Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez also lined out to center to end the inning. McKenzie got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran watched strike three go by to begin. Alex Verdugo grounded out to third but Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. 

Josh Naylor doubled to left to open the top of the second but Andres Gimenez popped up the bunt to Crawford. Franmil Reyes grounded out to second to move Naylor to third but Nolan Jones struck out swinging to end the inning. Christian Vazquez popped up to short to begin the bottom of the second before Franchy Cordero struck out swinging. Bobby Dalbec took strike three to end the inning. 

Luke Maile swung at air to start the top of the third and Myles Straw popped up to right. Kwan popped up to short to end the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third and Jeter Downs flied out to center. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. 

The Guardians struck first in the top of the fourth although Rosario grounded out to third to start. Ramirez then hit a home run all the way to Luxembourg to put Cleveland on top. Naylor lined out to left but Gimenez was hit with a pitch. Gimenez stole second but Reyes popped up to second to end the inning with the Guardians up 1-0.

                                                              Home run Ramirez

Verdugo got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Bogaerts struck out swinging. Martinez flied out to right and Vazquez lined out to right to end the inning.

Jones lined out to right to start the top of the fifth and Maile flied out to center. Straw lined out to right to end the inning. Cordero took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Dalbec flied out to right. JBJ grounded out to third to end the inning. Cordero took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Dalbec flied out to right. JBJ grounded out to third to end the inning.

Crawford returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Kwan got a base hit to left to start. Rosario lined out to left and Ramirez grounded back to the mound to move Kwan to left. Defying all logic, Sox manager pulled Crawford after just 69 pitches and not letting him at least finish the inning. Jake Diekman came in to get Naylor to ground out to second to end the inning.

                                                         Crawford deserved better

Naturally the Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Downs beat out a roller to third to start. Duran dropped down a bunt that got Downs thrown at second but Verdugo singled to center. Bogaerts then launched his 8th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Martinez lined out to third and Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                         Bogaerts puts the Sox on top

Diekman returned for the top of the seventh and Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Reyes struck out swinging and Jones grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Cordero doubled to center to start. Dalbec got a base hit to left to score Franchy but JBJ grounded into a double play. Downs struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                        Dalbec is all smiles

The Guardians tagged Garrett Whitlock in the top of the eighth as Maile walked to start. Straw singled to right to put runners at the corners and Maile scored on the double play hit by Kwan. Rosario struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians down 4-2.

James Karinchak came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran lined out to left to start. Verdugo  grounded out to second but Bogaerts walked. Bogaerts looked to have stolen second but Guardians manager Terry Francona challeged the call. The umps ruled Bogaerts safe and Martinez walked. Bogaerts stole third and Vazquez took strike three to end the inning.

Whitlock returned for the top of the ninth with Yolmer Sanchez in for Franchy Cordero. Ramirez flied out to center to start but Naylor doubled to center. Gimenez grounded out to first and Reyes grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. His 3 run bomb put the Sox in front for good.

                                                           X Gon Hero To Ya

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Jeter Downs was 1 for 3.

Kutter Crawford allowed just a run in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 2.

Jake Diekman got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in 2 innings of work but earned his 3rd save of the year.

Honorable Mention:

Yolmer Sanchez played second base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a much needed win just days before the trade deadline. The rumors of Christian Vazquez and JD Martinez being dealt are swirling but Bogaerts himself says he's safe. Words don't mean anything but I'd rather they keep those guys and get themselves an ace pitcher. If Cora wants to pull Kutter Crawford after 69 pitches, he better not wonder why the bullpen is toast by September. Still, with all the injuries in the rotation it may not matter. If they sell, they better get a pitcher or two for Martinez, Bogaerts, etc. The win improved the Sox to 50-50, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in row when they welcome in the Milwaukee Brewers to Fenway Park tomorrow night. Brayan Bello (0-2) takes on Brandon Woodruff of Milwaukee. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.