Sox Pound Rodon, Yankees (6/15/24)

Turnabout is fair play a day after the Boston Red Sox were knocked around by the New York Yankees. This time it was the Red Sox that ambushed Carlos Rodon and the Yankees early on in tonight's game for five runs. The Yankees did manage two runs off Sox starter Cooper Criswell but Justin Slaten (4-2, 3.06 ERA) and the Boston bullpen held the fort. Enmanuel Valdez and Jarren Duran drove in some late runs and Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the ninth as the Sox beat the Yankees 8-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                    George Clinton approves of the win

Criswell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Volpe struck out swinging to start. Juan Soto walked but Aaron Judge forced him at second. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox blitzed Rodon in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran doubled to left to start. Rob Refsnyder flied out to right but Tyler O'Neill doubled off the Monster to score Duran. Rafael Devers walked and Connor Wong singled off the glove of Gleyber Torres to score O'Neill. Masataka Yoshida flied out to left but Jamie Westbrook doubled off the Monster to score Devers. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                          Westbrook caps off the rally

The Yankees answered in the top of the second as Giancarlo Stanton singled to left to start. Anthony Rizzo walked and Torres moved both runners over with a grounder to second. Austin Wells struck out swinging but DJ LeMahieu got a base hit to center to score both runners. Volpe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees down 3-2.

                                                      LeMahieu brings the Yankees closer

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the second as Ceddanne Rafaela singled to right to start. Duran lined out to left and Refsnyder forced Rafaela at second. O'Neill got a base hit to right and Devers doubled to center to score both runners. A wild pitch moved Devers to third and Wong walked. Yoshida lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.

                                                              Devers drives in a pair

Soto took strike three to start the top of the third and Judge grounded out to second. Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning. Westbrook struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third before Dalbec watched strike three go by. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Stanton ripped a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth but Rizzo took strike three. Torres lined out to left and Wells also was frozen for strike three to end the inning. As usual Alex Cora pulled a guy too early and Criswell was done after 88 pitches, 4 innings and 2 runs allowed so he couldn't get the win.

                                                     Short and sweet for Criswell

Duran took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Refsnyder walked. O'Neill and Devers both went down hacking to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Rafaela booted a grounder by LeMahieu for an error to start. Volpe forced LeMahieu at second then Soto walked. Judge walked to load the bases and Verdugo forced Volpe at home. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning. Wong grounded back to the mound to open the bottom of the fifth before Yoshida did the same. Westbrook struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rizzo grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth before Torres popped up to third. Wells took strike three to end the inning. Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Dalbec walked to start. Rafaela caught LeMahieu asleep at third with a bunt but Duran struck out swinging. Refsnyder took strike three and O'Neill flied out to right to end the inning.

LeMahieu struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Volpe lined out to second. Suddenly Soto hit a home run all the way to Nepal to cut the lead. Judge got a base hit to right and that was it for Slaten. Brennan Bernardino got Verdugo to force Judge at second to end the inning with the Yankees down 5-3.

                                                         "That's a home run"

The Sox got the run back in the bottom of the seventh as Devers flied out to left to start. Wong struck out swinging but Yoshida pounded a ground rule double into the bullpen. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Westbrook and drilled a base hit to center. Yoshida looked to have scored but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged that he was out. Replays showed Yoshida was safe and the run counted. Valdez stole second but Dalbec flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 6-3.

                                                         SAFE!

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Stanton struck out swinging to start. Rizzo and Torres drew back to back walks before Wells singled to center to load the bases. Jahmai Jones pinch ran for Wells and LeMahieu hit a grounder to short. It looked like Jones was out at second as Rizzo scored but once again Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged the call. Once again Boone was told to shove it and Jones was out. Kenley Jansen came in for the 4 out save and Oswaldo Cabrera pinch ran for LeMahieu. Volpe flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                          "We scored?" - LeMahieu

Jose Trevino took over for Jones with Victor Gonzalez now on the mound for New York to start the bottom of the eighth. Rafaela doubled to left and Duran lined a base hit to center. Rafaela scored and Duran took second on the throw home. Refsnyder walked but O'Neill grounded into a double play. Trevino tried to pick Duran off the third, but the throw went wide allowing Jarren to score. Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-4.

                                                          Duran adds to the lead

David Hamilton took over for O'Neill to start the top of the ninth and Soto flied out to center to start. Judge also flied out to center and in a symbolic twist of fate, Verdugo made the last out with a liner to left. The Sox had won it 8-4.

                                                           Jansen locks it down

Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. His 2 run double in the second gave the Sox all the runs they'd need.

                                                          Devers The Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Enmanuel Valdez singled, scored and stole a base.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 4.

Cooper Criswell allowed 2 runs in 4 innings while striking out 6.

Brennan Bernardino retired the only man he faced.

Kenley Jansen earned is 11th save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Justin Slaten got the win but allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

David Hamilton played short in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

The shoe was on the other foot in this one. After the Yankees and Verdugo embarrassed the Red Sox last night, it was Boston's turn. Getting to Rodon early was very important considering Criswell started and things got hairy in the eighth. Thankfully Jansen put the fire out and the Sox got some insurance in the later innings. The Yankees one weakness is the bullpen and the Sox exploited it tonight. They may be a mile out of first place but beating the Yankees is never a bad thing. There's still 90 games left to turn it around, as unlikely as that may seem. The win improved the Sox to 36-35, 13 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win the series tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Kutter Crawford (2-6) takes on Marcus Stroman of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Rally In 5th Sinks Phillies (6/12/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some interesting news. Former 2020 5th round pick Shane Drohan was returned to the Worcester Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox. As bad as Chicago has been this season, they STILL didn't give Drohan a chance to start. The joke's on them now. Welcome back Shane.

                                                          He's baaaaaaackkkkkkkk

It was a great night all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in tonight's game. The Phillies got 4 runs off starter Nick Pivetta through four innings but the Sox got a run in the fourth and plated five in the fifth to go ahead. David Hamilton hit a two run home run in the sixth inning although the Phillies rallied late for a run against Zack Kelly. Kenley Jansen got tagged for a run in the ninth but still slammed the door on the Phillies. The Sox had pulled it out 8-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Jayson Tatum approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kyle Schwarber walked to start. Nick Castellanos doubled to left but Bryce Harper got a base hit off the glove of Bobby Dalbec to score Schwarber. Alec Bohm struck out swinging but Bryson Stott scored Castellanos by beating out a double play ball. Whit Merrifield popped up to short to end the inning with the Phillies up 2-0.

                                                        Phillies go up early

Cristopher Sanchez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran led off with a liner to third to start. Rob Refsnyder lined out to left and Tyler O'Neill got a base hit to left but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning.

David Dahl led off the top of the second with a grounder to short before Rafael Marchan lined out to left. Johan Rohas got a base hit to center and Schwarber walked again, but Castellanos lined out to right to end the inning. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the second before Connor Wong flied out to right. Jamie Westbrook hit a bullet to Harper, who doubled off Devers to end the inning.

The Phillies got another run in the top of the third as Harper walked to start. Bohm forced him at second but Stott walked. Merrifield singled to right to score Bohm with another run. Dahl doubled to left to score Stott to seemingly ice the game. Marchan took strike three and Rojas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies up 4-0.

                                                              Phillies are up big....for now

Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before David Hamilton lined out to second. Ceddanne Rafaela walked and Duran got a base hit to short, then a wild pitch moved the runners over. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

Schwarber flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Castellanos tripled to right. Harper took strike three and Bohm struck out swinging to end the inning. Pivetta got rocked for 4 runs in 4 innings and Sox manager Alex Cora felt he had to take him out to give the Sox a chance.

                                                             Not good enough, Nick

The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as O'Neill grounded out to third to start. Devers tripled into the right field corner and Wong drew a walk. Westbrook hit a sac fly to right to score Devers to break up the shutout. Dalbec forced Wong at second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                    Sox get a run back.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Stott took strike three to start. Merrifield popped up to second and Dahl flied out to left to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth as Hamilton got a base hit to right to start. Rafaela got a base hit to left to move Hamilton to third and Duran hit a routine grounder to Merrifield...thrown away for an error to score Hamilton and Rafaela. That was it for Sanchez as Jose Ruiz came in to allow Refsnyder to get a base hit to left. O'Neill hit a sac fly to left to score Duran but Devers took strike three. Wong got a abse hit off the glove of Merrifield to move Refsnyder to third. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Westbrook and smacked a double to center. Refsnyder and Wong scored but Valdez was thrown out in a rundown to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                             Valdez drives in a pair

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Marchan grounded out to second to start. Rojas struck out swinging and Schwarber went down hacking to end the inning. Spencer Turnbull came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Dalbec walked to start. Hamilton launched his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Rafaela grounded out to short but Duran doubled to left. Refsnyder grounded out to second but Duran foolishly was thrown out at home trying to score from second to end the inning with the Sox up 8-4.

                                                                    Home run David

Castellanos walked to start the top of the second and that was it for Kelly. Brennan Bernardino came in and got Harper to line out to third. A wild pitch moved Castellanos to second and Bohm grounded out to short. Stott doubled to right to score Castellanos and Merrifield walked. Dahl grounded out to first to end the inning with the Phillies down 8-5.

                                                          Stott gets an rbi

O'Neill walked to start the bottom of the seventh and Devers walked as well. Wong struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved the runners over. Valdez walked to chase Turnbull. Seranthony Dominguez got Dalbec to fly out to right and Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Marchan grounded out to third to start. Rojas flied out to center but Schwarber singled to center. Castellanos was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Gregory Soto came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela singled in the hole at third to start. Duran forced Rafaela at second but Refsnyder was hit with a pitch. O'Neill struck out swinging and Devers lined out to left to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Harper hit a ground rule double into the left field line. Harper went to third on a balk and Bohm hit a sac fly to score Harper. Stott struck out swinging but Merrifield walked. Dahl flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had held on to win it 8-6.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Hamilton. He started the fifth inning rally and his two run homer in the sixth proved the be the margin of victory.

                                                                   Hamilton Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

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

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jamie Westbrook drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Enmanuel Valdez knocked in two runs and walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Pivetta allowed 4 runs in 4 innings off 6 hits and 4 walks.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

Rob Refnsyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth inning but still earned his 10th save.

Final Thoughts:

Well that's more like it. What looked to be another routine loss turned into a good win. The Sox rallied big time in this one and it came at a good time. The Sox came into this one after losing 3 of their last 5 games and needed a win. Pivetta got rocked but the bullpen held Philly to just 2 runs in 5 innings so the Sox could surge ahead. One thing to watch for is the 8-9-1 speed threat of Hamilton, Rafaela and Duran. That could be a lot of stolen bases and 1st to 3rds on a team desperate for offense and no ace pitcher. Still, rather have a win than a loss. The win improved the Sox to 34-34, 14 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the NL East leaders tomorrow night when Tanner Houck (6-5) takes on Aaron Nola of Philadelphia. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Phillies Drop Lifeless Sox (6/11/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Garrett Cooper was designated for assignment and Masataka Yoshida was finally activated off the Injured List. Cooper was only here because Triston Casas and Tyler O'Neill got hurt. Now that Yoshida is healthy, Cooper is expendable.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, you'd think after playing their hearts out against the Chicago White Sox to avoid losing 3 of 4 and an off-day would rejuvenate the Red Sox. WELL YOU'RE WRONG! HA HA HA! The Sox slept walked in tonight's game against Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies. Wheeler held the Sox to 3 measly hits and a walk in 7 innings. Meanwhile old pal Kyle Schwarber added to his old team's misery with two home runs off Kutter Crawford (2-6, 3.47 ERA). Crawford himself was charged with 4 runs but the incompetent Red Sox defense contributed to 2 of them being unearned. The bullpen hung tough but the offense gave up as the Phillies took the game 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Live look at the Red Sox

The Phillies tagged Crawford immediately in the top of the first as old pal Kyle Schwarber hit the first pitch of the game out of the yard for a home run. Nick Castellanos flied out to right, Bryce Harper lined out to left and Alex Bohm popped up to short to end the inning with the Phillies ahead 1-0.

                                                            That didn't take long

The Sox answered against Wheeler in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran got a base hit to left to start. David Hamilton doubled to center and Rob Refsnyder hit a sac fly to score Duran, moving David to third. Rafael Devers popped up to first and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1. The Sox would have just two hits the rest of the game.

                                                           Sox tie it up

Bryson Stott singled to right and Refsnyder booted the ball for an error to move Stott to second to start the top of the second. Edmundo Sosa popped up to third, David Dahl struck out swinging and Garrett Stubbs went down hacking to end the inning. Connor Wong singled to center before Dominic Smith flied out to center. It looked like Wong stole second on the Enmanuel Valdez swinging strikeout, but the Phillies challenged the call. Sure enough, replays showed Wong was out to end the inning.

Johan Rojas grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Schwarber struck out swinging. Devers made a hell of a play to rob Castellanos of a hit to end the inning. Rafaela popped up to short to start the bottom of the third before Duran popped up to third. Hamilton lined out to first to end the inning.

Bad defense cost the Sox in the top of the fourth as Harper walked to start. Bohm struck out swinging but Stott doubled to center. Sosa took strike three and Dahl hit a routine grounder to second. Valdez threw to first and Smith dropped the ball for an error to score both runners. Stubbs singled to right to move Dahl to third but Rojas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies up 3-1.

                                                         Phillies score on an error

Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Devers also went down hacking. Yoshida walked but Wong grounded out to second to end the inning.

Schwarber struck again with another home run to begin the top of the fifth. Castellanos struck out swinging and Harper grounded out to first, but Bohm got a base hit to center. Stott flied out to left to enf the inning with Philly up 4-1.

                                                         That's two for Tazawa

Smith grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth before Valdez flied out to left. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Crawford returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Sosa struck out swinging to start. Dahl lined out to left and Stubbs took strike three to end the inning. Kutter was game but was charged with 4 runs in 6 innings although only 2 were earned.

                                                     Crawford deserved better

Duran lined out to second to start the bottom of the sixth before Hamilton watched strike three go by. Refsnyder grounded out to second to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rojas took strike three to start, Schwarber struck out swinging and Castellanos grounded out to third to end the inning. Dahl made a great running catch to rob Devers of a double to start the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida flied out to right. Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Harper got a base hit to right to start. Bohm grounded into a double play and Stott grounded out to first to end the inning. Old pal Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Smith. Westbrook struck out swinging and Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Valdez. Dalbec struck out swinging and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Sosa walked to start. Dahl flied out to center and Stubbs forced Sosa at second. Stubbs stole second but Rojas grounded out to second to end the inning. Cristian Pache came in to play left with Jose Alvarado in to close out the bottom of the ninth. Duran grounded out to short but Hamilton got a base hit to center. Refsnyder popped up to first and Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Phillies had won the game 4-1.

                                                               Phillies win

Jackass of the Night is Dominic Smith. He was 0 for 2 at the plate and his error cost the team two crucial runs.

                                                                 Nice error, Jackass

The Good:

David Hamilton was 2 for 4.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jamie Westbrook struck out as a pinch hitter.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was o for 2 with a hit by pitch.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 but was thrown out trying to steal.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 innings, but only 2 of the runs were earned. He allowed 6 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

Final Thoughts:

Watching Kyle Schwarber hit home runs left and right is another reason Chaim Bloom should be fired. He banked on Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec being the answer and not re-signing Schwarber killed them ever since. Having Schwarber in 2022 and especially this season might be the difference in the playoffs and last place. I'd say Matt Strahm had a middle finger game as well but bullpen arms are a lot more common to replace. The bullpen was a strength in this one as they didn't allow a run after Crawford left the game. The offense just didn't have it in this one, give credit to Wheeler for pitching a hell of a game. Just have to tip your cap and come back tomorrow. The loss dropped the Sox to 33-34, 14 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Phillies when Nick Pivetta takes on Cristopher Sanchez of Philadelphia. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Outlast White Sox in 10 Innings (6/9/24)

It was good news all around for the city of Boston. The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago White Sox in 10 innings. For eight innings it looked like Chicago was about to take three out of four from the Red Sox. The Red Sox' bullpen game went south as Justin Slaten and Brennan Bernardino allowed 4 runs to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead going into the ninth inning. Then David Hamilton's double and steal of third allowed Reese McGuire to hit a sac fly to tie the game. A routine grounder by Jarren Duran fielded by Andrew Vaughn was dropped by Michael Soroka to allow Duran to reach first with Ceddanne Rafaela taking third. After Duran swiped second, Jamie Westbrook drove in Ceddanne with a sac fly. A Rob Refsnyder base hit scored the insurance run and Cam Booser slammed the door in the bottom of the frame. The Red Sox salvaged the game, series and possibly the season with a 6-4 victory in 10 innings at Comiskey Park.

                                                      Jaylen Brown approves of the win

Chris Flexen got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Enmanuel Valdez flied out to left and Rob Refsnyder grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Zack Kelly took the mound in the bottom of the first and Corey Julks grounded out to short to begin. Nicky Lopez grounded out to first and Luis Robert Jr took strike three to end the inning.

Dominic Smith took strike three to start the top of the second before Connor Wong lined out to short. David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning. Gavin Sheets walked to start the bottom of the second before Andrew Vaughn took strike three. Paul DeJong forced Sheets at second but Oscar Colas walked. A wild pitch moved both runners over but Lenyn Sosa struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                               Good start by Kelly

Bobby Dalbec flied out to left to start the top of the third before Reese McGuire grounded out to short. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the third and Martin Maldonado flied out to right to start. Julks singled to left before Julks stole second. Lopez struck out swinging and Robert Jr flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Duran tripled into the right field corner to start. Valdez walked and Refsnyder grounded into a double play, but Duran scored. Smith walked but Wong popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Duran scores a run

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Sheets singled in the hole at short. Hamilton then threw a routine grounder by Vaughn away for an error and McGuire had Sheets picked off...if he didn't throw the ball away for another error. DeJong then hit a home run all the way to the Romulus to put the White Sox on top. Colas flied out to center, Sosa struck out swinging and Maldonado flied out to left to end the inning with the White Sox up 3-1.

                                                              DeJong goes long

The BoSox fought back in the top of the fifth as Hamilton atoned for his error with his third home run of the season to cut the lead. Dalbec flied out to center, McGuire popped up to third and Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning with the BoSox down 3-2.

                                                         Home run Hamilton

Julks struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Lopez also went down hacking. Robert Jr grounded out to third to end the inning.

Sammy Peralta came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Duran walked to start. Jamie Westbrook punch hit for Valdez and lined out to third but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. Duran took third and Rob second on the throw. Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Smith and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol sent in Justin Anderson to face him. Cooper grounded out to third but Duran scored to tie the game. Wong was hit with a pitch and stole second, but Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                               Tie game

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Sheets struck out swinging to start. Vaughn singled to center and DeJong hit a ground rule double into the bullpen. Colas took strike three and Sosa was intentionally walked to load the bases. Maldonado flied out to center to end the inning.

Dalbec struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before McGuire got a base hit to right. Rafaela struck out swinging and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. The White Sox took command in the bottom of the seventh as Julks doubled to center to start. Duke Ellis pinch ran for Julks and Lopez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Ellis to second. Robert Jr was intentionally walked but Sheets got a base hit to left to score Ellis. Brad Keller came in to pitch and Vaughn flied out to right to move Robert to third. DeJong struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                           Sheets drives in a run

John Brebbia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Westbrook took strike three to start. Refsnyder flied out to right but Cooper got a base hit to center. Wong popped up to second to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Colas struck out swinging to start. Sosa doubled to left then promptly stole third. Maldonado struck out swinging and Ellis froze for strike three to end the inning.

Tanner Banks came in to close out the top of the ninth but Hamilton doubled to right to start. Dalbec struck out swinging but Hamilton stole third. McGuire hit a sac fly to left to score David to tie the game and Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                  Tie game

Lopez flied out to left to start the bottom of the ninth before Robert Jr struck out swinging. Sheets struck out swinging to end the inning.

Michael Soroka came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Rafaela starting at second base. Duran hit a routine grounder to Vaughn who threw to Soroka....dropped for an error to put runners at the corners. Duran stole second and Westbrook hit a sac fly to score Rafaela and move Duran to third. Refsnyder got a base hit to center to score Duran with another run. Cooper took strike three but Wong beat out a grounder to the mound but Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Red Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                               Refsnyder hits the killshot

Cam Booser came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Sheets starting at second base. Vaughn struck out swinging before DeJong went down hacking. Danny Mendick pinch hit for Colas and lined out to left to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                                Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Hamilton. His home run, double, stolen base and run scored helped tie the game before the Sox won it in extras.

                                                                  Hero Hamilton

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez walked before leaving the game.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith walked in two plate appearances.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Zack Kelly tossed two scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless inning.

Brad Keller got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Kenley Jansen got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

Cam Booser earned his first save of the season with a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of work.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base and scored three runs.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but hit a sac fly.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and stole a base.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That's the kind of game that could turn a season around. 2 outs away from losing 3 out of 4 to the worst team in baseball turns into a come from behind win. Playing without almost all of their offensive firepower, the Sox still battled to win the game. They may have no brains with all the errors they make but they have tons of heart. Even the role players like Westbrook and Cooper at least made contact to drive in runs rather than simply strike out. The running game worked with Duran, Hamilton and Wong all getting steals and it helped lead to victory. The Sox can do without bullpen games but blame the front office for not having enough starting pitching depth. Still, a win is a win and this one was badly needed. The win improved the Sox to 33-33, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox look to carry momentum back home against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kutter Crawford (2-5) takes on Zack Wheeler of Philadelphia this Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

White Sox Slam Bello, Red Sox (6/8/24)

The Boston Red Sox have officially hit rock bottom as they now can't even beat the worthless Chicago White Sox. The 17-48 ChiSox allowed a Bobby Dalbec home run in the top of the fifth but blitzed Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (6-3, 4.78 ERA) for five runs including a Gavin Sheets grand slam in the bottom of the frame. That sucked the life right out of the Red Sox bats as they managed just 5 hits against the worst team in baseball. Alex Cora was ejected arguing balls and strikes and Paul DeJong smacked a home run off Chase Anderson to wrap up the scoring. The BoSox took the humiliating defeat as the White Sox had beaten them 6-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                          This season certainly does suck

Nick Nastrini got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran walked to start. Duran stole second but Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging. Duran swiped third base but Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging. Rafael Devers lined out to first to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Corey Julks grounded out to second to start. Zach DeLoach hit a bullet to Devers and Andrew Vaughn took strike three to end the inning.

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the second as Connor Wong and Dominic Smith drew back to back walks to start. Bobby Dalbec and David Hamilton both watched strike three go by and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. Gavin Sheets singled in the hole at short to start the bottom of the second and Paul DeJong lined out to center. Oscar Colas flied out to left but Lenyn Sosa singled to left. Danny Mendick popped up to first to end the inning.

Duran popped up to short to start the top of the third before Valdez grounded out to short. Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning. Martin Maldonado walked to start the bottom of the third but Julks grounded into a double play. DeLoach grounded out to first to end the inning.

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth but Wong forced him at second. Smith grounded into a double play to end the inning. Vaughn grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Sheets got a base hit to center. A wild pitch moved Sheets to second but DeJong flied out to center. Colas took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Dalbec smashed his first home run of the season to start. Hamilton got a base hit to left and promptly stole second. Rafaela struck out swinging but Hamilton took third. Duran walked to chase Nastrini from the game. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez to face Tanner Banks....but Duran got picked off. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox up 1-0.

                                                            Home run Dalbec

The ChiSox rallied in the bottom of the fifth after BoSox manager Alex Cora was given the heave-ho after screaming at home plate umpire Alan Porter to get his eyes checked on the Westbrook call. Sosa grounded out to short but Mendick doubled to left. Maldonado flied out to center but Julks walked. DeLoach walked and Vaughn singled past Westbrook to score Mendick. Sheets then hit a grand slam all the way to Wrigley Field to put the game away. DeJong got a base hit to left, Colas got a base hit to left and Sosa got an infield single to third to load the bases. FINALLY that was it for Bello who got crushed for 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Zack Kelly came in and got Mendick flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago up 5-1.

                                                   "I'm outta here, you all suck" - Cora

Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Devers grounded out to second. Wong got a base hit to right but Smith flied out to left to end the inning. Chase Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Maldonado struck out swinging to start. Julks grounded out to second but DeLoach walked. Duke Ellis pinch ran for DeLoach and stole second, but Vaughn flied out to left to end the inning.

John Brebbia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Gamilton struck out swinging but Rafaela singled off the glove of Ellis. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. The White Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Sheets popped up to third to star. DeJong hit a home run all the way to Soviet Russia to increase the lead and Colas grounded out to second. Sosa hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with Chicago ahead 6-1.

                                                      Home run DeJong

Jordan Leasure came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Westbrook took strike three to start. Refsnyder took strike three and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Devers. McGuire flied out to right to end the inning. Mendick grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth before Maldonado flied out to right. Julks flied out to center to end the inning.

Old pal Michael Kopech came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Wong lined out to center to start. Smith was hit with a pitch and Dalbec walked before Hamilton got a base hit to right to load the bases. Rafaela took strike three and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. Chicago had won it 6-1.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He got crushed for 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 9 hits and 3 walks.

                                                          "Go on, go on, git" - Wong

The Good:

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Zack Kelly got the final out of the fifth inning.

The Bad:

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and stole two bases.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 but walked.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 but walked and was hit with a pitch.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Chase Anderson allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

This is officially rock bottom. Dropping 2 out of 3 to the worst team in baseball and being one game under .500 this late in the season is embarrassing. Its clear Sox owner John Henry doesn't want to spend money anymore and they can fire the general manager or the manager and it won't make a difference. Alex Cora is an analytical puppet but you can't say he doesn't care about the team. His frustration today isn't just with how things are going but with the front office not supplying him with championship caliber talent. He's supposed to mold a winning team out of Jamie Westbrook, Enmanuel Valdez and Dominic Smith? Granted Trevor Story is out and Masataka Yoshida didn't play but things are getting dire. The Sox are on the verge of their third straight last place finish and the only thing the fans can do is just not go to games. Why put money into a team that's going to spit in your face and drop 2 out of 3 to the worst team in baseball? Bello made one mistake to Sheets but the offense scoring just one run is inexcusable. If the Sox lose tomorrow they should fire Cora & Breslow, trade half the team and start all over again. Its embarrassing to call a regular season game in June a "must win" but tomorrow classifies as such. If they lose, its over. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-33, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow against the White Sox in a damn bullpen game. Zack Kelly gets the start fort the Red Sox against Chris Flexen of Chicago. The game begins at 2:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

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

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

                                                          Losing to the White Sox now?

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

                                                             Robert goes yard

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

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

                                                    "I really fooled em" - Duran

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

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

                                                           Chicago takes the lead

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

                                                          Need more from Criswell

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

                                                            Back to back home runs

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

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

                                                              DeJong with an rbi

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

                                                           White Sox win

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

                                                             Jackass Weissert

The Good:

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

Connor Wong was 2 for 4.

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

The Bad:

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

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brad Keller allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

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