Crochet, Sox Drop Royals (8/5/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a mercy roster move. Jorge Alcala was designated for assignment and the Sox called up Isaiah Campbell to take his place. Alcala started off in low leverage situations but once he was put into big game trouble, he crumbled. Now he can't even pitch in garbage time without giving up runs and baserunners. Campbell isn't much better, but he can't be worse...right?

                                                                          OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, make it seven wins in a row for the red hot Boston Red Sox. Garrett Crochet (13-4, 2.24 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young Award by tossing 7 innings where he allowed just 2 runs against the Kansas City Royals. Offensively the two teams fought to a 1-1 tie going into the sixth when  Trevor Story knocked in two runs in the bottom of the frame. The Royals got a run in Crochet's final inning but Wilyer Abreu hit a 2 run single. Story added another rbi and the bullpen locked it down. The Sox had taken their seventh game in a row with a 6-2 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                     Naomi Russell approves of the win

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan India grounded out to short to start. Bobby Witt Jr struck out swinging and Vinnie Pasquantino hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Bergert got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Alex Bregman lined out to center and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Maikel Garcia struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning before Salvador Perez grounded out to short. Randal Grichuk struck out swinging to end the inning. Trevor Story led off the bottom of the second with a grounder to third. Masataka Yoshida walked but Carlos Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Nick Loftin struck out swinging to open the top of the third inning before Luke Maile went down hacking. John Rave grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Abraham "El" Toro grounded out to second to start. Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to center and took second on a fly out to center by David Hamilton. Duran ripped a double off the Monster to score Gonzalez to put Boston on top. Bregman flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                               Duran drives in a run

India took strike three to start the top of the fourth but Witt Jr tripled into the centerfield triangle. Somehow Pasquantino grounded out to first but Garcia doubled off the Monster to score Witt. Perez flied out to a running Abreu at the wall to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                          Garcia ties it up

Abreu popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Story took strike three. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Grichuk grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Loftin flied out to right. Maile got a base hit to left but Rave lined out to first to end the inning. Narvaez grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth and El Toro lined out to second. Gonzalez lined out to right to end the inning.

India grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Witt grounded out to second. Pasquantino grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Hamilton flied out to left to start. Duran grounded out to first but Bregman walked. Angel Zerpa came in to face Abreu and Wilyer doubled to left. Story then ripped a base hit to center to score both runners. Yoshida got a base hit to left and Ceddanne Rafaela ran for him. Narvaez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                               Story drives in a pair

The Royals struck back in the top of the seventh as Garcia walked to start. Perez flied out to right but Grichuk doubled off the Monster just our of reach of Duran to score Garcia. Loftin and Maile both struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Sale who allowed just 2 runs in 7 innings off 4 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                                    Crochet gets it done

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh with John Schreiber now on the mound. El Toro flied out to right and Gonzalez grounded out to third, but Hamilton walked. Duran singled to center and Bregman walked to load the bases. Abreu smacked a base hit to right to score both Hamilton and Duran. Story added a base hit to center to score Bregman with another run. Daniel Lynch 4th came in to face Rafaela and Ceddanne popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                           Abreu supplying the insurance runs

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rave flied out to right to start. Bregman booted a grounder by India for an error but Witt Jr popped up to second. Pasquantino flied out to center to end the inning. Narvaez flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth before El Toro grounded out to short. Gonzalez singled to right but Hamilton grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Garcia singled to left to start. A wild pitch moved Garcia to second but Perez grounded out to short. Mike Yastrzemski pinch hit for Grichuk and popped up to third. Adam Frazier pinch hit for Loftin and grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Garrett Crochet. He held the Royals to just 2 runs in 7 dominant innings. He struck out 8 batters.

                                                                Hero Crochet

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was 0 for 2 with an error but walked twice and scored 2 runs.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are rolling again and its been a total turnaround since falling to 41-44 on June 29th. The New York Yankees have also totally collapsed, going from 9 games up to now 3.5 games behind. Crochet continues to be worth every penny and prospect traded to get him and the Sox have a serious shot at October with him as the ace. The offense still may not have a lot of talent on paper but they've been getting on base. More importantly, unlike April, May and parts of June, the Sox are driving in runs with men on base. The Sox don't just score a few runs and try to sit on the lead anymore, they add to it. If Hicks ever learns how to control his fastball, the Sox would have one of the most devastating bullpens in baseball. Once Justin Slaten comes back, they're going to be VERY tough to beat. Still, if they can't beat or pass Toronto, they don't deserve to go anywhere when the weather gets cold. The win improved the Sox to 64-51, 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 8 wins in a row and a series sweep tomorrow night when Dustin May makes his Red Sox debut against old pal Michael Wacha of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off Royals (8/4/25)

For seven innings the Boston Red Sox were cruising to an easy victory over the Kansas City Royals. The Sox jumped on Royals starter Bailey Falter for five quick runs in the bottom of the first, capped off by a Jarren Duran three run blast. Rob Refsnyder, Alex Bregman and Wilyer Abreu all drove in runs to add to the lead. Brayan Bello (8-5, 3.03 ERA) gutted through six solid innings allowing just one run. Then in the top of the eighth both Jorge Alcala and Justin Wilson got rocked for 4 runs, causing Sox manager Alex Cora to turn to his closing tag team in a game they led by 7. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door as the Sox won the game 8-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Kody Evans approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan India struck out swinging to start. Bobby Witt Jr popped up to third and Vinnie Pasquantino flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Falter in the bottom of the first as Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to right to start. Alex Bregman got a base hit to center and Wilyer Abreu walked to load the bases. Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to center to score both Gonzalez and Bregman, but Trevor Story popped up to third. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first but Jarren Duran smoked a three run home run to dead center to put the Sox up big. Abraham Toro grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were up 5-0.

                                                     Duran puts the Sox up big

Maikel Garcia grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second but Salvador Perez doubled to center. Mike Yastrzemski struck out swinging and Adam Frazier lined out to short to end the inning. Connor Wong took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Gonzalez lined out to right. Bregman struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals threatened in the top of the third as John Rave got a base hit to center to start. Kyle Isbel ate up Bello on a grounder who threw the ball away for an error to move both runners into scoring position. Bello battled back to strike out India swinging, but India walked to load the bases. Pasquantino lined out to second and Garcia struck out swinging to end the inning. Abreu ripped a base hit to right to start the bottom of the third but Refsnyder banged into a double play. Story walked and promptly stole second. Rafaela stepped up with a base hit to center to score Trevor with another run. Rafaela swiped second but Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                               Rafaela drives in a run.

Things went south in the top of the fourth as Gonzalez booted a grounder by Perez to start. Yaz doubled to center and Frazier hit a sac fly to left to score Perez. Rave grounded out to first to move Yaz to third and Isbel lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                          Perez scores a run

El Toro got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fourth and moved to second on a Wong grounder to second. Gonzalez grounded out to short but Bregman got a base hit to left to score Toro. Abreu flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                             Bregman drives in another

India flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Witt Jr got a base hit to left. Pasquantino grounded into a double play to end the inning. Taylor Clarke came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Refsnyder grounded out to third to start. Story got a base hit off the glove of Clarke but Rafaela banged into a double play to end the inning.

Bello came back for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Garcia singled to right to start. Perez struck out swinging and Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft. Frazier flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Bello who tossed 6 solid innings allowing 1 run, 6 hits and a walk.

                                                          Bello gets the job done

Sam Long came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Toro struck out swinging and Wong popped up to second to end the inning.

Steven Matz came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Nick Loftin grounded out to third to start. Isbel grounded out to short but India walked. Witt Jr took strike three to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Gonzalez doubled down the first base line to start. Bregman walked but Abreu singled to right to score Gonzalez. Refsnyder flied out to right to move Bregman to third but Story struck out swinging. Angel Zerpa came in to pitch to Rafaela and Ceddanne flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                     Abreu with the killshot

Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pasquantino hit a home run to Kelly's Roast Beef to start. Maikel Garcia then hit a home run all the way to Bill & Bob's as the crowd booed. Perez struck out swinging but Yaz got a base hit to left. The ball went under Duran's glove to move Yaz to third and that was it for Alcala. Justin Wilson came in but Frazier got a base hit to center to score Yaz. Loftin doubled to center to score Frazier and Randal Grichuk pinch hit for Isbel. Grichuk struck out swinging and Garrett Whitlock had to come into the game. India walked to load the base and put the tying run at the plate. Witt Jr singled to right but Abreu gunned down Loftin at home to end the inning with the Sox up 8-5.

                                                           Yerrrr out!

Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth and El Toro flied out to left. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with David Hamilton at second base and Pasquantino struck out swinging to start. Garcia flied out to center and Perez grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-5.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Wilyer Abreu. He drove in 2 big runs and gunned down Loftin at the plate to preserve a 3 run lead.

                                                           Abreu Hero

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Alex Bregman was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

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

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Steven Matz pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock got the final out of the eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 21st save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jorge Alcala was charged with 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

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

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and drove in a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with an error but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

David Hamilton played second base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Think its time to end the Jorge Alcala experiment as the Sox just got Steven Matz and have Brennan Bernardino buried in Worcester. The Sox had this game won and had no need to use Chapman and Whitlock. Cora was visibly angry with Alcala because he knows the less wear and tear on Aroldis and Garrett means possibly bullets left in October. If Steven Matz can keep doing what he's doing, that gives the Sox a 7-8-9 of Matz, Chapman and Whitlock which would be tough to beat. Bello did the good job and the Sox bats once again did a good job piling on rather than sit on the lead. The Sox are getting timely hitting and they'll take any run they can get. The Toronto Blue Jays crushed the Colorado Rockies tonight but the Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees. The Sox now are up 2.5 games on them for the first wild card and 4 games in front of Texas for the third wild card. Its too early for a magic number but it would be 44 as of today. They still can set their sights on the first seed if they can catch Toronto and Detroit since they're only 3 games out. Winning 6 games in a row is great and hopefully they can keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 63-51, 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it seven wins in a row tomorrow night when Garrett Crochet (12-4, 2.23 ERA) takes on Ryan Bergert of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Story Powers Sox Past Astros (8/2/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. After Cooper Criswell dominated the Houston Astros last night, he was rewarded by being sent back to Worcester to make room for Dustin May to be activated. If Walker Buehler continues to struggle, we may see Criswell back sooner than later.

                                                                       OUT

                                                               IN

As for the game, the Red Sox historically have streak hitters that can carry a team when hot. Tom Brunansky and Brian Daubach couldn't hit a ball off a tee for two weeks then turn into American League MVP the next two. Trevor Story is heading in that direction as he once again was the difference maker in today's win against the Houston Astros. The Astros teed off on Walker Buehler and knocked him out of the game in the 5th inning. However the bullpen and the suddenly alive Red Sox offense picked up the slack. Trevor Story belted a two run home run to give the Sox a 4-2 lead in the third inning and Abraham Toro hit a two run shot of his own to ice it. Story drove in another run in the seventh and the Sox had won the game 7-3 at Fenway Park.

                                          The Dangerous Alliance approves of the win

The Astros wasted no time getting to Buehler in the top of the first inning as Jose Altuve grounded out to short to start. Jesus Sanchez lined out to second but Carlos Correa walked. Christian Walker hit a home run all the way to Met Life Stadium to put Houston on top. Yainer Diaz singled to left and Victor Caratini singled to right, but Cam Smith lined out to center to end the inning with the Astros up 2-0.

                                                                 Houston strikes first

Colton Gordon got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Romy Gonzalez led off by belting his 6th home run of the season. Alex Bregman struck out swinging but Roman Anthony walked. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging but Trevor Story was hit with a pitch. Carlos Narvaez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1. 

                                                               Gonzalez steps up

Taylor Trammell got a base hit to right to start the top of the second and Ramon Urias singled to left as well. Altuve grounded into a double play and Sanchez grounded out to second to end the inning. Jarren Duran flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Abraham "El" Toro grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Correa grounded out to second to start the top of the third inning but Walker got a base hit ti center. Diaz flied out to left but Caratini singled to right. Smith flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third as Gonzalez hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to start. Bregman lined out to left and Anthony took strike three, but Refsnyder got a base hit to right to score Gonzalez. Story then annihilated his 18th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 4-2 Sox.

                                                       Story gets the Wally head

Trammell walked to start the top of the fourth but Urias grounded into a double play. Altuve lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Duran popped up to second to start. Rafaela doubled to left and Toro bashed his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead. Gonzalez grounded out to first and Bregman struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                               Toro gets the Wally head

The Astros knocked out Buehler in the top of the fifth as Sanchez grounded out to short to start. Correa got a base hit to left, Walker walked and Diaz got a base hit to center to score Correa. That was it for Buehler who got lit up for 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Justin Wilson came in and struck out Caratini swinging. Smith took strike three to end the inning with Houston down 6-3.

                                                               Buehler wasn't good enough

Anthony singled in the hole at third to start the bottom of the fifth and that was it for Gordon. Old friend Kaleb Ort came in to pitch and Refsnyder took strike three. Story took strike three but Narvaez walked to chase Ort. Steven Okert froze Duran for strike three to end the inning.

Steven Matz made his Sox debut in the top of the sixth and Mauricio Dubon pinch hit for Trammell. Dubon popped up to first but Urias walked. Altuve struck out swinging and Sanchez flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                            Good start for Matz

Rafaela struck out swinging to open the bottom of the sixth and El Toro popped up to short. Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Correa got a base hit to center to start. Walker forced Correa at second then moved to second on the grounder to first by Diaz. Caratini singled to left but Walker was thrown out at home by Duran to end the inning.

                                                             Yerrrrr out!

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh with Hector Neris now on the mound. Bregman hit one up the elevator shaft to start and Anthony struck out swinging. Refsnyder doubled off the glove of Sanchez and Story doubled to right to score Rob. Story took third on a balk but Narvaez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 7-3.

                                                        Another rbi for Story

Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Smith flied out to right to start. Dubon got a base hit to right but Urias struck out swinging. Altuve got a base hit to right and Sanchez walked, but Correa took strike three to end the inning. Nick Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran lined out to first to start. Rafaela doubled to center but Toro flied out to right. Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Walker walked to start. Diaz popped up to third but Caratini singled to center. Sox manager Alex Cora kicked the dirt as he pulled Alcala in favor of closer Aroldis Chapman. Smith struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved both runners over. Dubon grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-3.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of the Night is Trevor Story. His 2 run homer put the Sox on top and added an insurance run later.

                                                             Hero Story

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Roman Anthony was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Justin Wilson tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Steven Matz pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 20th save with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Alex Bregman was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Walker Buehler allowed 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 9 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Jorge Alcala only retired one of the three batters he faced.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but with the New York Yankees epic collapse against the Miami Marlins, the Sox are now the owner of the first Wild Card slot. The Sox got ripped apart for having the trade deadline they did but have won the first two games following. Once again Buehler bit the big one but the bullpen stepped up to get the final 4 2/3 innings. Jordan Hicks loaded the bases and Alcala got knocked around again so Brennan Bernardino may be back sooner rather than later. The benches cleared in the 8th inning and Will Middlebrooks had the best line "The Astros are complaining about sign stealing??". Let them complain all they want because the Sox are red hot. Trevor Story becoming the modern day streak hitter that can carry a team isn't what they signed him for, but he's delivering right now. It may be time to end the Walker Buehler experiment because at least Richard Fitts has upside, there is no upside to Buehler. All in all it was a good win and hopefully they can finish the sweep tomorrow. The win improved the Sox to 61-51, 4 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the series tomorrow morning when Lucas Giolito (7-2) takes on Houston ace Framber Valdez. The game begins at 11:30 AM tomorrow morning at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Walkoff Astros in 10 Innings (8/1/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Brennan Bernardino was the odd man out as the Sox activated Steven Matz for tonight's game. Jorge Alcala would have made sense to be the one to go but apparently the Sox don't want too many lefties in the bullpen.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game, the talking heads in the Boston media predicted the Sox were toast after the lackluster trade deadline but they started the second half with a walkoff victory against the Houston Astros. Cooper Criswell tossed 7 amazing innings, holding the Astros to just 1 run to give the Sox a chance. Hunter Brown was equally tough, holding the Sox to just a Wilyer Abreu sac fly through seven innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Roman Anthony drilled a base hit to center to score Abreu to win the game. The Sox had walked off the Astros 2-1 in 10 innings.

                                                       Liv Morgan approves of the win

Criswell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jeremy Pena got a base hot to center to start. Jose Altuve grounded into a double play but Jesus Sanchez got a base hit to right. Criswell threw a pickoff throw away but Sanchez was thrown out trying to get to third to end the inning. Brown got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony grounded out to first to start. Alex Bregman got a base hit to right but Jarren Duran struck out swinging. Abraham "El" Toro popped up to short to end the inning.

The Astros struck first in the top of the second as Carlos Correa popped up to third to start. Yainer Diaz grounded out to third but Christian Walker hit a home run all the way to Sweden to put the Astros on top. Trammell struck out swinging to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0.

                                                     Houston strikes first

Trevor Story lined out to center to start the bottom of the second before Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging. Carlos Narvaez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Cam Smith grounded out to short to start the top of the third before former Sox prospect Mauricio Dubon lined out to second. Pena singled to left and Altuve walked, but Sanchez grounded out to first to end the inning. Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to start the bottom of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third. Anthony got a base hit to right and Bregman lashed a base hit to left, then Sanchez threw the ball away allowing both runners to move up. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Correa lined out to center to start the top of the fourth and Diaz grounded out to third. Walker struck out swinging to end the inning. El Toro struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Story also went down hacking. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Trammell grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth but Story threw a grounder by Smith away for an error. Smith made a boo-boo by getting doubled off first on a fly out to right by Dubon to end the inning. Narvaez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Abreu flied out to center. Rafaela grounded out to first to end the inning.

Pena got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but was forced at second by Altuve. Altuve was picked off by the alert Narvaez but Sanchez got a bae hit to left. Correa struck out swinging to end the inning. Anthony grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth and Bregman lined out to third. Duran doubled to center but El Toro flied out to left to end the inning.

Diaz doubled to center to start the top of the seventh but Walker popped up to second. Trammell took strike three but Smith walked. Dubon flied out to center to end the inning. Criswell was outstanding, holding the Astros to just 1 run off 7 hits and 2 walks.

                                                         Great effort by Criswell

The Sox picked up Criswell in the bottom of the seventh as Story walked to start. Story swiped second and Yoshida was plunked. Shocking the whole world, Narvaez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. The gamble worked as Abreu hit a sac fly to left to score Story to tie the game. Rafaela hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Abreu ties it up

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pena flied out to right to start. Whitlock booted a grounder by Altuve for an error but Sanchez took strike three. Correa flied out to center to end the inning. Bryan Abreu came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Anthony grounded out to second to start. Bregman popped up to third and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Diaz struck out swinging to start. Walker flied out to right and Chas McCormick pinch hit for Trammell. McCormick grounded out to third to nd the inning. Josh Hader came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Toro. Gonzalez grounded out to short but Story doubled to left. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Yoshida and walked. Narvaez popped up to second and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the 10th with McCormick starting at second base. Smith lined out to center to move McCormick to third, but Chas was thrown out at home on a grounder to short by Dubon. Pena flied out to left to end the inning. Ramon Urias came in for Pena with Bennett Sousa on the mound for the bottom of the 10th. Abreu started at second and Rafaela caught Diaz asleep at the plat with a swinging bunt to put runners at the corners. Rafaela took second on defensive indifference and Anthony belted a ball into the centerfield triangle to score Abreu. The Sox had walked it off 2-1 in 10 innings.

                                                               Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Roman Anthony. His walkoff hit in the 10th won the game.

                                                   Roman Hero

The Good:

Alex Bregman was 2 for 4.

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

Rob Refsnyder walked as a pinch hitter.

Cooper Criswell tossed 7 innings allowing 1 run off 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Arolids Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Greg Weissert got the win with a scoreless 10th inning.

The Bad:

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Fans were ready to riot after the lackluster trade deadline but that took some serious balls to win this game. Criswell was basically last man standing in terms of rotation depth and he responded with one of the best games of the season. Ceddanne Rafaela and Carlos Narvaez have cooled off but Alex Bregman and rookie Roman Anthony have stepped it up big time. The way Whitlock and Chapman have pitched this season, you have essentially 7 innings to beat the Sox. The Sox may have committed 3 errors but Weissert getting out of that jam in the 10th inning led to victory. The Sox have been finding ways to lose winnable games but outlasting Hunter Brown and taking this one was huge. Steven Matz and Dustin May aren't going to light the world on fire but that's who they're going to have to depend on moving forward. As of right now the Sox are in a playoff spot. Where they end up in 51 games remains to be seen. The win improved the Sox to 60-51, 4 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Astros tomorrow afternoon when Walker Buehler goes for the Sox against Colton Gordon of Houston. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Annihilate Twins (7/30/25)

Before the game there was some organizational moves made. David Sandlin (the guy they got for John Schreiber) and Connelly Early were promoted to Worcester and the Salem Red Sox released Nathanael Cruz. Early and Peyton Tolle are the big time lefties in the organization right now and Sandlin was 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA for the Portland Sea Dogs. With the draft class of 2024 bumping up to Salem, everybody is moving up, down or out. The 22 year old Cruz was 1-2 with a 5.08 ERA. With some of the class of 2025 making their debuts this season, he was the odd man out.

                                                                 Bye bye Cruz

As for the game, very few wins this year have been considered easy due to the inconsistent offense or bullpen woes. This game was was a laugher and a half as the Boston bats woke up to pound Zebby Matthews and the Minnesota Twins for 16 hits and 13 runs. Masataka Yoshida, Romy Gonzalez, Jarren Duran and Trevor Story all went yard with Yoshida and Gonzalez driving in 3 runs apiece. Duran drove in four total runs as the bats feasted. On the other side of the ball, Brayan Bello (7-5, 3.19 ERA) held the Twins to just 5 hits and 1 run in 7 strong innings. The Sox led 8-1 after 6 and added 5 more runs to run away with this one 13-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Ethan Page approves of the win

Matthews got the ball in the top of the first and Roman Anthony flied out to center to start. Abraham "El" Toro popped up to short and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Trevor Larnach flied out to right to start. Brooks Lee grounded out to second but Kody Clemens walked. Ryan Jeffers got a base hit to left and Clemens tried to score from first. Ceddanne Rafaela threw home.....YOU'RE OUT! Clemens was out at home to end the inning.

                                                      You're out, you dummy

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Trevor Story belted his 17th home run of the season to begin. Wilyer Abreu took strike three but Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to center. Masataka Yoshida flied out to right and Rafaela lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Story goes yard

The lead lasted 10 seconds in the bottom of the second as Willi Castro flied out to right to start. Royce Lewis grounded out to third but Matt Wallner hit a home run all the way to Michigan to tie the game. Harrison Bader struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Home run for Wallner

Connor Wong surprised everyone with a double to right to start the top of the third and Anthony got a base hit to right to move him to third. El Toro hit a sac fly to left to score Wong to put the Sox back on top but Duran grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                               Toro hits a sac fly

DeShawn Keirsey Jr grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third but Larnach walked. Lee flied out to center but Clemens walked on four pitches not even close. Jeffers popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Story doubled to left to start. Abreu popped up to short and Gonzalez struck out swinging, but Yoshida's strike three ball got away allowing him to make first. Story moved to third on the wild pitch and Yoshida swiped second. Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. Castro grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth before Lewis lined out to right. Wallner grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Wong got a base hit to center to start. Anthony doubled to right but El Toro grounded out to short. Duran got a base hit to center to score both runners and chase Matthews. Justin Topa came in and Story walked, but Abreu struck out swinging. Gonzalez walked to load the bases and Yoshida singled to right to score Duran and Story. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                        Yoshida drives in a pair

Bader got a base hit in the hole at short to start the bottom of the fifth before Keirsey Jr took strike three. Larnach got a base hit to center to move Bader to third but Lee grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Noah Davis came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Anthony was hit with a pitch but El Toro lined out to short. Duran clobbered his 11th home run of the season to turn this game into a laugher. Story took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                          Duran hits one out

Clemens flied out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Jeffers grounded out to short. Castro lined out to short to end the inning.

Abreu flied out to center to start the top of the seventh but Gonzalez struck out swinging. Yoshida took strike three to end the inning. Bello returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Lewis grounded out to third to start. Wallner walked and Bader got a base hit to left, but Keirsey Jr took strike three. Larnach took strike three to end the inning. Bello was masterful, tossing 7 innings allowing just the 1 run on 5 hits.

                                                             Bello was great

Cole Sands came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Wong walked but Anthony struck out swinging. Keirsey made a great sliding catch to rob Toro of a hit to end the inning. Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with David Hamilton now at short. Lee grounded out to third, Clemens grounded out to first and Jeffers popped up to short to end the inning.

Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Ty France coming in for Castro. Duran doubled to right and Hamilton got a base hit to right to move Duran to third. Abreu got a base hit to right to score Duran and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said screw this game. Infielder Kody Clemens made like his father Roger and came in to pitch with Mickey Gasper taking his previous spot. Gonzalez hit a three run home run followed by Yoshida's first home run of the season. Rafaela got a base hit to center before Wong flied out to center. Anthony flied out to center and El Toro forced Rafaela at second to end the inning with the Sox up 13-1.

                     Pitcher named Clemens on the mounds....where have we seen that before?

Murphy returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and France flied out to right to start. Lewis popped up to second and Wallner grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-1.

                                                       Sox win

Hero of the Night is Brayan Bello. He dominated the Twins for 7 innings allowing just 1 run off 5 hits and 4 walks.

                                                               Bello Hero

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 5 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with a home run, 4 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 2 total runs scored.

David Hamilton singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Chris Murphy tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Abraham Toro was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

There's only been a handful of games where you can sit back and just go ahhhhhh, this was one of them, The way Bello was pitching, the game was over in the 5th inning. It was nice to see the Sox add to the lead so the game didn't get tight. Now the bullpen is totally rested for the Houston Astros this Friday. It was nice to see Yoshida go yard even if it was against Kody Clemens. Maybe that'll help him get his power stroke back. The offense did what they had to do to win 2 out of 3 but Monday's loss is the difference between a good series and a five game win streak. The Toronto Blue Jays narrowly defeated the Baltimore Orioles so the Sox gained no ground there. Still, it was an easy win and now the Sox can rest for a day before taking on Houston. The trade deadline tomorrow and rumors are swirling that they'll make a move, that they won't make a move, etc. Either way the Sox need to do something if they want to play in October or they could trade Duran & Aroldis Chapman and play for next year. Whatever they do, Sox GM Craig Breslow better be prepared to explain either way. He can't afford to have another deadline like last year where all four pickups didn't even make it out of August while the prospects they traded made their ML debuts. The win improved the Sox to 59-51, 5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox are back in action Friday night against the Astros when Captain TBD of the Sox takes on Hunter Brown of Houston. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.