Sox Pound Orioles (9/23/20)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 4 of their NBA East Finals series to the Miami Heat. The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles. Amazing what happens when you have good starting pitching. The Red Sox have showed some life the last week and there's a big difference in Zack Godley throwing 88 mph fastballs down the middle and Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.72 ERA) throwing 100 miles an hour on the corners. Eovaldi in his potentially last start of the season threw harder than he had all year and the Orioles were his victims. Eovaldi held the Orioles to no runs in 6 innings while blowing away 8 batters. The rejuvenated Red Sox offense pounded out 10 hits and 9 runs and cruised to an easy 9-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                       Angie Everhart approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and blew away Cedric Mullins on a 100 mph fastball to start. DJ Stewart whiffed on a 95 mph fastball but Ryan Mountcastle fisted a single past Christian Arroyo nut Renato Nunez whiffed on a splitter in the dirt to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the first against Orioles starter Dean Kremer as Alex Verdugo doubled off the Monster to start. Rafael Devers went down swinging but Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. Verdugo took third on the fly ball to center by JD Martinez and Jackie Bradley Jr ripped a base hit to right that scored him. Bogaerts took third on the hit and scored on the seeing eye single by Kevin Plawecki to right. JBJ took third on the hit but Bobby Dalbec grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         JBJ drives in the first run

Eovaldi caught Chance Sisco swinging with a splitter to start the top of the second but Austin Hays singled to center. Rio Ruiz flied out to left and Pat Valaika hit a shot off the Monster. JBJ fired to second and Christian Arroyo applied the tag...SAFE! Arroyo demanded a challenge and the umpires reversed the call, Valaika was out and the inning was over. Michael Chavis grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Arroyo walked. Verdugo flied out to center and Devers whiffed badly to end the inning.

Eovaldi blew away Ramon Urias to start the top of the third before Devers snuffed out a bunt attempt by Mullins. Stewart swung and missed for strike three to end the inning. Bogaerts hit a seeing eye single in the hole at short to start the bottom of the third and Martinez doubled off the centerfield wall to score Xander. JBJ flied out to the right field wall to move Martinez to third when the Baltimore medical staff rushed to the mound to check on Kremer. Plawecki tripled past the diving Hays to score Martinez with another run. Dalbec hit a grounder to third but Plawecki was thrown out at home by a mile. Naturally Chavis doubled off the bottom of the Monster to score Dalbec and it should have scored Plawecki too. Arroyo walked to chase Kremer. Branden Kline came in and walked Verdugo to load the bases and Devers cleared the bases with a double into the right field corner. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning but it was now 8-0.

                                                  Devers clears the bases

Ryan Mountcastle singled to short to start the top of the fourth but Nunez banged into a double play. Sisco grounded out to second to end the inning. Martinez whiffed to start the bottom of the fourth before JBJ also struck out swinging. Plawecki lined out to left to end the inning.

The Orioles threatened in the top of the fifth as Hays singled to right to start. Ruiz whiffed but Valaika singled to right. Urias banged into a double play to end the inning. Bruce Zimmermann came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Dalbec swung and missed for strike three but the ball got away allowing Dalbec to reach first. Chavis lined out to right, Arroyo flied out center and Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Eovaldi returned for the top of the sixth and Mullins grounded out to third to start. Stewart walked but Mountcastle lined out to right. Nunez singled to left but Sisco whiffed to end the inning. That was it for Eovaldi who emptied the tank in what should be his last start of the season. He allowed 7 hits, no runs and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                   Eovaldi finishes this lost year strong

Zimmermann cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Devers whiffed to start. Bogaerts grounded out to third and Martinez also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Mike Kickham was first out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh and naturally Hays hit a home run to Argentina to put the Orioles on the board. Ruiz lined one off Kickham but Bogaerts threw him out at first. Valaika singled to left but Kickham got Urias swinging at air on a nasty curve. Mullins grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                       Hays hits one out

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as JBJ walked to start. Plawecki singled to left but Dalbec whiffed. Urias made a great stab to get Plawecki at second but a wild pitch scored JBJ. Arroyo popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                                     JBJ scores a run

Kickham returned for the top of the eighth and Stewart grounded out to second to start. Mountcastle singled to center, Nunez walked and Sisco walked to load the bases. Sox manager Ron Roenicke finally pulled the incompetent Kickham and Jeffrey Springs was brought in. Springs froze Hays with a 91 mph inside fastball for strike three and got Ruiz to ground out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Verdugo took strike three to start. Devers grounded out to third but Bogaerts beat out an infield single to short. Tzu-Wei Lin ran for Bogaerts but was forced at second by Martinez to end the inning.

Springs returned for the top of the ninth and Valaika whiffed to start. Urias singled to right but Mullins whiffed on an 83 mph fastball. Stewart whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won it easily 9-1.

                                                       Sox win!

Hero of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He was outstanding in his last start, throwing 6 shutout innings while touching 100 on the gun.

                                                  One final Hero for Eovaldi

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Christian Arroyo walked twice and scored a run in 2 innings of work.

Jeffrey Springs tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Mike Kickham allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored 2 runs.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but the one hit drove in 3 runs.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Honorable Mention:

Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Bogaerts and played short in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Sox fans are kicking trash cans because the Sox cost themselves the top 2 draft slots but what did they expect? What's the biggest difference between the Sox in August and the Sox the last few weeks? Starting pitching, that's what. When you have Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta tossing zeroes for 5-6 innings and an offense that's still good, that's at least a .500 team if not better. The Sox bullpen is still a mess but if Pivetta can be fixed and Houck is the real deal, the rebuild is going to go a lot quicker. Eovaldi was hitting 100 tonight only because this was his last start. If he did that 2 or 3 starts in a row, his arm would fall off. Still, Perez, Pivetta and Eovaldi could be 3, 4 and 5 in the rotation and Sox fans can live with it until Chris Sale comes back. As for this game, hate to tell the "tank" fans but the Sox are better than the Orioles. Baltimore played over their heads the first month of the season and the Sox completely underachieved. On paper, with Houck and Pivetta especially, the Sox are better. Hopefully the Sox won't be riddled by injuries and get Alex Cora back for 2021. As for this game, good win. The win improved the Sox to 22-34, 1 game behind the Orioles for fourth place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to sweep the Orioles when they send Martin Perez (3-4, 3.88 ERA) to the mound up against Orioles ace Alex Cobb. The final home game of the season begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Houck Dazzles, Sox Finally Beat Yankees (9/20/20)

Don't look now but Tanner Houck (2-0, 0.00 ERA) could be the real deal for the Boston Red Sox. The rookie passed a big test when he dismantled the high powered New York Yankees offense in today's game. Houck outwitted the Yankees by no-hitting them through 5 and allowing just one unearned run through 6 innings to earn his second win. Meanwhile the Sox offense had no problems scoring against Yankees rookie pitcher Deivi Garcia. Michael Chavis lit him up for two home runs and 5 total rbis as both JD Martinez and Bobby Dalbec hit home runs. The Yankees could be the odds on favorite to win the world series but the Red Sox took a dump in their championship strew by beating them soundly 10-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Kemba Walker approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and DJ LeMahieu lined out to right to start. Luke Voit was plunked but Aaron Hicks banged into a double play to end the inning. Garcia got the ball in the bottom of the first and Christian Vazquez grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers doubled to left but JD Martinez lined out to left. Bobby Dalbec whiffed to end the inning.

Houck struck out Giancarlo Stanton swinging to begin the top of the second before Gleyber Torres lined out to left. Brett Gardner flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr doubled to left to start before moving to third on a passed ball. Michael Chavis then smashed a home run into Landsdowne Street to put the Sox on top. Cesar Puello hit a seeing eye single to left but Tzu-Wei Lin flied out to center. Jonathan Arauz whiffed and Vazquez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                        Over everything for Chavis

Clint Frazier hit a routine grounder to Devers to start the top of the third but he threw the ball all the way to Montana for an error. Gary Sanchez banged into a double play but Tyler Wade walked. LeMahieu grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Devers atoned for his error with a base hit to third. Martinez flied out to left but Dalbec singled to left. JBJ brought home Devers with a base hit to center. Chavis then belted a line drive 3 run bomb into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Puello walked but Lin flied out to right. Arauz popped up to short to end the inning but it was 6-0 Sox.

                                                     That's two for Chavis

Houck cruised in the top of the fourth as Voit struck out swinging to start. Hicks flied out to center and Stanton grounded out to short to end the inning. Luis Cessa came in for the bottom of the fourth and Vazquez walked to start. Devers lined out to center and Vazquez was thrown out trying to steal on the swinging strikeout by Martinez to end the inning.

Torres walked to start the top of the fifth but Gardner flied out to left. Frazier went down hacking and Sanchez whiffed to end the inning. Houck had no-hit the Yankees for 5 innings. Dalbec lined out to center to start the bottom of the fifth but JBJ singled to center. Chavis lined out to right but Puello walked. Lin grounded out to first to end the inning.

Wade broke up the no-no in the top of the sixth and took third on a passed ball. LeMahieu walked to put Houck in trouble for the first time all game. Houck got Voit to bang into a double play to score Wade and Hicks to ground out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1. Houck showed good poise to finish strong with 6 solid innings of 1 run ball.

                                                            Houck mows them down

Jonathan Holder came on for the bottom of the sixth and Arauz grounded out to second to start. Vazquez doubled to right but Devers lined out to left. Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. 

Phillips Valdez was first out of the pen in the top of the seventh and Stanton whiffed to start. Torres grounded out to third but Gardner walked. Frazier whiffed to end the inning. The Sox removed all hope of a Yankees comeback in the bottom of the seventh as Dalbec clobbered his 7th home run of the year to increase the lead. JBJ singled to left and Chavis walked before both runners moved over on the Puello grounder, Lin scored JBJ with a sac fly as Gardner threw the ball away on an error. Arauz singled home Chavis before Vazquez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                                Dalbec hits number 7

Ryan Brasier cruised in the top of the eighth as Sanchez grounded out to short to start. Wade grounded out to first as some weirdo climbed into the Monster Seats to shout invectives at Michael Chavis. Alert Fenway Park security shoved the guy off the Monster and BPD arrested the guy. When play resumed LeMahieu whiffed to end the inning. The Sox finished off the scoring in the bottom of the eighth against Erik Kratz as Devers lined out to center to start. Martinez blasted his 6th homer of the year to wrap up the scoring. Dalbec was plunked and he laughed at Kratz before he moved to second on the JBJ grounder. Chavis grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                        Martinez hits one out

Jeffrey Springs had mop up duty in the top of the ninth as Voit hit a home run into Russia to start. Hicks struck out swinging and Stanton took strike three but Torres walked. Gardner singled to center but Frazier whiffed to end the inning. The Sox had beaten the Yankees for the first time all year 10-1.

                                                    Sox win!

We have Co-Heroes of the Night in this game. First up is Michael Chavis. He singlehandedly beat the Yankees on the offensive side with 2 home runs and 5 total rbis.

                                                          Hero 1: Chavis

Hero number 2 is Tanner Houck. The rookie stymied the high powered Yankees for 6 innings of 1 unearned run ball. He allowed just 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 4.

                                                     Hero 2: Houck

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, a hit by pitch and a home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 4 for 5 with an rbi and 3 runs scored.

Cesar Puello was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Phillips Valdez tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jeffrey Springs allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a home run.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Jonathan Arauz was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

As sad as it sounds, this was the most encouraging win of the season. Houck took a Yankees team headed to the playoffs and diced them up. Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec are considered part of the future and they both hit home runs. Jackie Bradley Jr may be traded but if not, he showed you why the Sox put up with his streaky hitting because he can get hot. Phillips Valdez has been one of the few bright spots out of the bullpen this season and should definitely be invited to Spring Training next year. The Sox may have torpedoed their chances for the top 2 draft picks but who cares? Bottom line is if your starting 5 next year are Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Houck, Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez....I can live with it. Sale won't be ready at the start of the season but that's why they went and got Nick Pivetta. Pivetta may suck hard facing American League batters but at least its an improvement over all the bums they trotted out this year. The Sox also pounded a nail into the coffin of the Yankees division title hopes with their win. There's no chance in hell the Minnesota Twins can beat the Yankees in the first round but they certainly are due. As for this game, one of the best wins of the season going back to Opening Day. If Houck is the real deal, and this game helped proved he might be, the re-build just got a lot easier. The win improved the Sox to 20-34, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow is an off-day so the Sox will be back in action for their final three home games of the season Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. None other than Nick Pivetta will be activated to make the start for the Sox. As it stands right now, the Sox rotation for the final six games will be Pivetta, Eovaldi, Perez, Houck, Mazza and Pivetta again. At least the Sox have starters now and the Orioles game begins Tuesday night at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Devers, Eovaldi Guide Sox Past Marlins (9/17/20)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their NBA East Finals series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Miami Marlins. Even though Red Sox fans want the Sox to lose to get Kumar Rocker or Jack Leiter in the draft, the Sox just keep on winning games. Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 4.25 ERA) tossed 5 shutout innings to put the Sox in position to win. Kevin Plawecki put the Sox on top with a 2 run single and Rafael Devers continued his second half surge with a three run bomb to ice the game. Sox manager Ron Roenicke pulled Eovaldi after just 5 innings and 76 pitches, causing the bullpen to toss another four innings. They allowed 3 runs but Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes slammed the door on the 5-3 Sox victory over the Marlins at Marlins Park.

                                                      Dona Speir approves of the win

Marlins starter Jose Urena got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox looked to rally when Alex Verdugo singled to right to start. Rafael Devers singled to right but Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez both struck out swinging. Kevin Plawecki hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Corey Dickerson whiffed to start. Starling Marte was hit with a pitch then stole second on the Jesus Aguilar strikeout. Matt Joyce grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jackie Bradley Jr lined back to the mound to start the top of the second before Yairo Munoz grounded out to third. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Eovaldi cruised in the bottom of the second as Brian Anderson grounded out to third to start. Garrett Cooper grounded out to second and Miguel Rojas flied out to right to end the inning.

Christian Arroyo went down hacking to begin the top of the third before Verdugo grounded out to second. Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Jazz Chisholm grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the third before Chad Wallach went down swinging. Dickerson hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who threw himself on the ball and swam on it for an error. Marte popped up to first to end the inning.

Bogaerts lined out to short to start the top of the fourth but Martinez drew a walk. Plawecki banged into a double play to end the inning. Aguilar took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Joyce lined out to center. Anderson whiffed to end the inning.

JBJ grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Munoz whiffed. Dalbec whiffed to end the inning and Munoz keeled over in the dugout clutching his back. Yairo had to be hauled out on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU. Tzu-Wei Lin took his place and the Marlins got their first hit when Cooper doubled to left to start the bottom of the fifth. Rojas singled Cooper to third but Eovaldi managed to strike out both Chisholm and Wallach swinging. Dickerson grounded out to short to end the inning. Even though he allowed just two hits on 76 pitches, that was it for Eovaldi. Another game the bullpen would have to throw multiple innings.

                                              Eovaldi goes 5 strong innings

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth although Arroyo grounded out to short to start. Verdugo singled to right but Devers forced him at second. Bogaerts singled Devers to third and Martinez walked to load the bases. Plawecki singled home Devers and Bogaerts to give the Sox the lead. Richard Bleier came in to pitch and he walked JBJ to reload the bases. Lin whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                Plawecki puts the Sox on top

Phillips Valdez was first out of the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth and Marte singled to left to start. Aguilar struck out swinging but Joyce flied out to left. Anderson grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh against John Quezada although Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Arroyo and Verdugo stroked back to back singles but Devers pulverized his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Bogaerts singled to right but Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                   Devers with the rocket

The Marlins rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Cooper singled to left to begin. Rojas walked and that was it for Valdez. Jeffrey Springs came in and Jorge Alfaro pinch hit for Chisholm. Alfaro singled home Cooper and Wallach doubled home Rojas. Somehow Springs got Dickerson to strike out swinging and Ryan Weber was brought in to face Marte. Marte grounded out to third but Alfaro scored to cut the lead. Aguilar took strike three to end the inning but the lead was cut to 5-3.

                                                         Alfaro does it again

Sean Rodriguez took over at second with Nick Neidert now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Plawecki whiffed but JBJ singled to center. Lin struck out swinging and JBJ was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came on for the bottom of the eighth and Joyce singled to right to begin. Anderson lined out to right and Cooper whiffed before Rojas grounded into a force to end the inning.

Dalbec earned the golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout of the game to start the top of the ninth. Arroyo grounded out to second and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and he blew away Rodriguez to start. Wallach lined out to right and Dickerson lined out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                               Another save for Barnes

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. His 3 run bomb turned out to be the difference in the game.

                                                    Our Hero homers

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

JD Martinez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 5 shutout innings while allowing just 2 hits, striking out 7.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 8th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Yairo Munoz was 0 for 2 with a strikeout before leaving.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Phillips Valdez was charged with 2 runs in an inning of work.

Jeffrey Springs was charged with a run in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run single.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Ryan Weber allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

If nothing else, its good to see Devers finish strong at the end of this season. He and Martinez couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for July and most of August but its good to see Devers snap out of it. When the offense is clicking, their top four is as good as anyone and should be 5 if you count Christian Vazquez when he plays. Eovaldi doing well is also encouraging but thankfully there's only 9 games left. Ron Roenicke's quick hooks have gotten so many pitchers hurt and who knows how many more will be saved with this only being a 60 game season. A lot of fans want the Sox to tank but they can go live in a tree. Watching them win is a lot more fun. Now the same fans have to make a choice if they want to see the Sox lose because they play none other than the New York Yankees next. Want to root for the Yankees? Didn't think so. The win improved the Sox to 19-32, good for last place in the AL East. Get ready for blood because the Yankees are coming to Fenway Park next. The Sox can prevent the Yankees from winning the AL East with a few victories and they'll get their chance tomorrow night. Martin Perez (3-4, 4.33 ERA) goes for the Sox against Captain TBD at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Edge Sox (9/12/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Matt Hall was once again sent back to the Alternate Training Site and in his place none other than Nathan Eovaldi was activated off the Injured List to start tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. With so many pitchers now on the injured list, Eovaldi needs to go deep into games if nothing else but to save who's left in the bullpen.

OUT

                                                                               IN

                                                                    

As for the game, at least the Sox were competitive tonight. Nathan Eovaldi made his first start in two weeks and did well for 3 innings. Then Ron Roenicke pulled him and guess what happened? That's right, the Sox bullpen allowed 4 runs in the next 6 innings. The Sox offense managed to make a game of it with home runs from Michael Chavis and Christian Arroyo, but Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was tough and the Rays bullpen slammed the door in the ninth. At least it was competitive, but the Rays still beat the Sox 5-4 at Tropicana Field.

                                                      "This guy Roenicke needs to go!"

Alex Verdugo led off the top of the first against Glasnow with a base hit to second to start. Rafael Devers whiffed and Verdugo started the steal parade by swiping second. Verdugo moved to third on the Xander Bogaerts grounder but JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi made his return in the bottom of the first and Austin Meadows greeted him with a home run to Jupiter to put the Rays up. Brandon Lowe grounded out to first and Randy Arozarena grounded out to second, but Ji-Man Choi doubled to left and Joey Wendle was plunked to load the bases. Willy Adames whiffed to end the inning.

                                                  That didn't take long

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Kevin Plawecki popped up to short to start. Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to third and Yairo Munoz whiffed to end the inning. Nate Lowe grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second but Manny Margot singled to center. Margot was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Plawecki and Michael Perez struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox got to Glasnow in the top of the third when Michael Chavis launched his third bomb of the year to tie the game. Christian Arroyo lined out to center, Verdugo grounded out to short and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Kiss it goodbye

Meadows whiffed to start the bottom of the third before Brandon Lowe flied out to center. Arozarena whiffed to end the inning and that was it for Eovaldi. Even though there's only two weeks left in the season, Sox manager Ron Roenicke decided not to push Eovaldi any further. Oh well.

                                                     Short and sweet for Eovaldi

The Sox stole Glasnow blind in the top of the fourth inning as Bogaerts walked to start. Martinez lined out to left but Xander swiped second, then third. Plawecki singled home Bogaerts to put the Sox on top but was forced at second by JBJ. JBJ swiped second which prompted Sox analyst Jerry Remy to quip "I'm 67 and I can steal on this guy." Munoz flied out to center with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                 Legendary robber Baby Face Nelson loves the base thefts

Chris Mazza came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the fourth inning Choi walked to start before moving to second on the Wendle strikeout. Adames walked and Nate Lowe singled home Choi who pulled a hamstring sliding home. Margot doubled home Adames and Lowe to give the Rays the lead. Margot moved to third on the Perez grounder and Meadows whiffed to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-2.

                                                  "Owowowowowwowowwowwww" - Choi

Chavis swung and missed for strike three to start the top of the fifth but the ball got away from the catcher so Michael reached at first. Arroyo flied out to center but Chavis swiped second. Chavis then forgot how many outs there were when he trotted home on a pop up to third by Verdugo, getting doubled off of second to end the inning. Nice going Chavis! Mazza returned for the bottom of the fifth and Brandon Lowe grounded out to second to start. Arozarena took strike three and Yoshi Tsutsugo pinch hit for Choi just to fly out to center to end the inning.

Devers singled to third to start the top of the sixth before moving to second on a wild pitch. Bogaerts grounded out to third, Martinez struck out swinging and Plawecki flied out to center to end the inning. Wendle singled to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Adames flied out to left. Nate Lowe whiffed but Wendle swiped second. Margot struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh as JBJ singled to center to start. Munoz whiffed but JBJ stole second. Chavis took strike three but Arroyo clobbered his first home run of the year to tie the game. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                        Sox tie it up

Marcus Walden came in to wreck the day in the bottom of the seventh although Perez grounded out to short to start. Meadows whiffed but Brandon Lowe crushed a home run to Neptune to give the Rays the lead. Arozarena whiffed to end the inning but the Rays led 5-4.

                                                    Lowe hits one out

Nick Anderson came in for the top of the eighth and the Sox went quietly. Devers struck out swinging, Bogaerts flied out to left and Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. Jeffrey Springs came in for the bottom of the eighth and Tsutsugo popped up to third to start before Wendle whiffed. Adames went down hacking to end the inning.

Diego Castillo came in to close out the top of the ninth with Brett Phillips now in right. Plawecki swung at air to start before JBJ watched strike three go by. Munoz hit a ground rule double to left to put the tying run at second but Chavis grounded out to third to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-4.

                                                       Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Marcus Walden. He gave up the backbreaking homer in the bottom of the seventh.

                                                        Walden the Jackass

The Good:

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 1 run in 3 innings while striking out 4.

Jeffrey Springs tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Chris Mazza allowed 3 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked, stole bases and scored a run.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole 2 bases and scored a run.

Yairo Munoz was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base and hit a solo home run.

Final Thoughts:

Its a good thing there are only 13 games left because now they're running out of expendable bums to pitch. Sox manager Ron Roenicke refusing to let some of these guys throw 5-6 innings regardless of the score wore down every arm they didn't trade. Colten Brewer, Zac Godley, Austin Brice, Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez all developed arm trouble from damn near pitching every game. Eovaldi was cruising in this game but Roenicke pulled him after 3 damn innings. Either you let him go or you shut him down, why waste the bullpen that already needed to pitch the whole game last night? Just 13 more games and Roenicke will be gone too. As of right now the Sox are percentage points ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the worst record in baseball. Kumar Rocker appears to be the number 1 overall pick regardless of who gets it although the consensus is Rocker's teammate Jack Leiter is another top rated pitcher that could go second. Leiter is the son of former New York Mets and Yankees pitcher Al Leiter. If Kumar is the real deal it won't be the end of the world if the Sox do end up the worst in baseball. As sad as it sounds, the Sox still could have won this game but couldn't crack the Rays bullpen. The loss dropped the Sox to a miserable 16-31 on the season, last place in the AL East. The Sox play their final regular season game with the Rays tomorrow afternoon. Martin Perez (2-4, 4.40 ERA) goes for the Sox against Charlie Morton at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Devers, Sox Down Rays (9/10/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a few roster moves. Jose Peraza was optioned to the Alternate Training Site. He had been below average all season and with the rise of Jonathan Arauz and Bobby Dalbec, Peraza has been expendable. In a case of "how dare they win a game". Austin Brice was placed on the Injured List with a strained right lat muscle. Zac Godley was also placed on the Injured List with a right elbow flexor strain. In their places, the Sox called up Robert Stock, Matt Hall and Dylan Covey....god help us.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                             IN

As for the game, if Bobby Dalbec is pulling a 1987 Sam Horn, at least he won't have time to cool off with only 15 games left in the season. His latest victim was the AL East frontrunning Tampa Bay Rays. After battling the Rays to a 2-2 tie through 4, Dalbec smashed his sixth homer of the season to give the Sox the lead. Ryan Weber (1-2, 5.35 ERA) coughed up the lead almost immediately but Rafael Devers hit the killshot in the seventh. The normally terrible bullpen slammed the door and somehow the Sox had beaten the Rays 4-3 at Tropicana Field.

                                                        Sam Horn approves of the win

The Sox did nothing against Rays starter Josh Fleming in the top of the first as Alex Verdugo took strike three to start. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound and Xander Bogaerts singled to first. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Kickham got the ball in the bottom of the first and Bobby Dalbec booted a ground ball by old Sox prospect Manny Margot to start. Randy Arozarena whiffed and Margot was thrown out at second by the alert Christian Vazquez. Austin Meadows walked and Mike Brosseau was plunked, but Hunter Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning.

Vazquez whiffed to start the top of the second before Yairo Munoz also went down hacking. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning.  Kickham struck out Brandon Lowe to begin the bottom of the second before Willy Adames also went down hacking. Kevan Smith was plunked but Joey Wendle whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Bobby Dalbec went down hacking to start. Christian Arroyo flied out to left but Verdugo singled to left. Devers stepped up and bashed his 10th homer of the season to right to put the Sox on top. Bogaerts walked but Martinez grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Devers hits one out

Margot singled to short to start the bottom of the third but was erased on the force by Arozarena...but wait! Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the call but was denied. Meadows and Brosseau both whiffed to end the inning.

Vazquez walked to start the top of the fourth but was erased on the Munoz force. JBJ banged into a double play to end the inning. The Rays finally figured out Kickham in the bottom of the fourth when Renfroe and Lowe hit back to back jacks to tie the game. Adames went down hacking, Smith struck out swinging and Wendle grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2. Kickham went 4 innings and struck out 8 batters, too bad about the home runs.

                                                     Not great but it'll do

The Sox took the lead in the top of the fifth when Dalbec homered in his 5th straight game to start. Arroyo singled to right but was erased on the force by Verdugo. Devers singled to right to chase Fleming. Ryan Thompson came in and Bogaerts popped up to second. Martinez whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2. 

                                              Dalbec homers again

Ryan Weber came in for the bottom of the fifth and immediately gave up a base hit to left to Margot. Yoshi Tsutsugo pinch hit for Arozarena and flied out to center but Margot swiped second. Meadows then hit a ground rule double down the left field line to tie the game. Ji-Man Choi pinch hit for Brosseau and struck out swinging. Renfroe took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 3.3

                                                        Meadows ties it up

Vazquez lined out to center to start the top of the sixth before Munoz whiffed. Ryan Sherriff came in to pitch to Bradley and JBJ popped up to short to end the inning. Weber returned for the bottom of the sixth and walked Lowe to start. Adames took strike three but Nate Lowe pinch hit for Smith, only to fly out to right. Brandon Lowe took second on a wild pitch but Wendle took strike three to end the inning.

Michael Perez took over behind the plate with Pete Fairbanks on the mound for the top of the seventh. The Sox rallied although Dalbec whiffed to start. Arroyo singled to short and Verdugo walked before Devers singled home Christian with the go-ahead run. Bogaerts flied out to center and Martinez whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 4-3.

                                                  Arroyo scores the go-ahead run

Weber returned briefly for the bottom of the seventh just to get Margot to fly out to left. Jeffrey Springs came in and froze Tsutsugo for strike three, but Meadows walked. Choi grounded out to second to end the inning.

John Curtiss came in for the top of the eighth and Vazquez lined out to right to start. Munoz and JBJ both whiffed to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in for the bottom of the eighth and Kevin Kiermaier pinch hit for Renfroe only to take strike three. Lowe flied out to left but Adames walked. Perez whiffed to end the inning.

Aaron Loup came in for the top of the ninth and Dalbec earned the hat trick with his third strikeout of the game. Arroyo flied out to right and Verdugo took strike to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in for the bottom of the ninth and walked Wendle to start. Margot forced Wendle at second before stealing second. Tsutsogo whiffed but a wild pitch moved Margot to third. With Sox fans pathetically hoping Meadows would hit a 2 run homer so the Sox could get a better draft pick, Barnes laughed at them as he froze Austin for strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it to stick it to their own fans 4-3.

                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. He drove in 3 runs with a home run and the go-ahead rbi single in the sixth.

                                                        Devers the happy Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Mike Kickham went 4 innings and allowed just 2 home runs while striking out 8 men.

Jeffrey Springs got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

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

The Bad:

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

Yairo Munoz was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error but the one hit was a home run.

Ryan Weber got the win by allowing a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

If nothing else, 2020 showed the Red Sox offense is in good hands for the future. Devers, Dalbec, Bogaerts and Verdugo could be a core for years to come. If Andrew Benintendi and JD Martinez come back strong next season and the Sox don't trade Vazquez, that's a powerful lineup. The pitching is a mess that needs to be fixed but with all the prospects the Sox traded for, the rebuild could take a lot less time. Rumors are going around that Tanner Houck may be making his ML debut soon. He was the first round pick in the 2017 draft and fans have been awaiting him for years now. With all the bad news that's gone on this season, him doing well could give a glimmer of hope for the future. As for this game, good for Kickham to toss 4 serviceable innings and the bullpen not to cough up the lead. JD Martinez looks totally lost and the Sox may sit him down the final week of the season. They fired Benintendi out of here when he wasn't producing so why are they holding on to JD when he's clearly not going to turn it around? Still, a good win is a good win and tonight was a good one. The win improved the Sox to a terrible 16-29 on the season. The Sox look to make it three wins in a row when they send Andrew Triggs (0-2, 9.95 ERA) to the mound against Rays ace Blake Snell at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Jays Outslug Sox in Game 1 (9/4/20)

Another day, another loss for the Boston Red Sox this season. As usual the horrendous Boston pitching staff lived up to their billing as the worst in the Majors by allowing the Toronto Blue Jays to pound out 11 hits and 8 runs. Zack Godley (0-4, 8.16 ERA) proved once again he had no business starting for a major league team by allowing 4 runs in just 3 innings. The rest of the bums combined to allow 4 more runs the rest of the way. The Sox offense did manage to crank out 11 hits and 7 runs of their own, but their two big guns Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez did absolutely nothing, leading to an 8-7 Blue Jays win in Game 1 of today's doubleheader at Fenway Park.

                                                  Sox fans have had enough

Godley got the ball in the top of the first and Cavan Biggio grounded out to second to start. Randal Grichuk grounded out to short but Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez singled to center. Teoscar Hernandez whiffed to end the inning. The Sox did nothing against Jays starter Tanner Roark in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo whiffed to start. Rafael Devers went down swinging and Xander Bogaerts took strike three to end the inning.

Naturally the Jays pounced on Godley in the top of the second although Guerrero Jr took strike three to start. Lourdes Gurriel Jr also took strike three but Travis Shaw smashed a home run all the way to North Adams to give the Jays the lead. Joe Panik walked and Danny Jansen effortlessly hit a 59,000 foot home run to ice the game. Biggio lined out to short but the game was all but over 3-0.

                                                  This was only the beginning

The Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez whiffed to start. Kevin Plawecki doubled to center and moved to third on the Jackie Bradley Jr grounder. Shockingly Yairo Munoz blasted his first home run of the season to cut the lead. Michael Chavis doubled to center but Jose Peraza lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                Munoz goes yard

The Jays were personally offended the Sox scored on them so Grichuk doubled to left to start the top of the third. Tellez singled Grichuk to third and Randall scored on the Hernandez double play. Guerrero Jr whiffed to end the inning with the Jays up 4-2.

                                                      Godley is a bum

Verdugo tried to start a rally in the bottom of the third when he got a base hit to center but Devers flied out to left and Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning.

Jeffrey Springs took over for the top of the fourth and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to start. Shaw doubled to right and moved over to third on the grounder to first by Panik. Jansen grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez flied out to right to start. Plawecki grounded out to short and JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

The Jays tacked it on in the top of the fifth as Biggio singled and took second on a wild pitch. Biggio moved to third on the grounder by Grichuk and scored on the Tellez sac fly. When was the last time the Sox used small ball to score a run? Hernandez whiffed to end the inning with the Jays ahead 5-2.

                                                 Springs sucks too

The Sox tried to rally when Munoz singled to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Chavis whiffed. Peraza doubled home Munoz and Verdugo singled Jose to third. A wild pitch scored Peraza and sent Verdugo to second before Devers walked to chase Roark. Julian Merryweather came in and Bogaerts lined out to right. Martinez whiffed to end the inning with the Sox down 5-4.

                                                     Peraza doubles in a run

Once again the inept bullpen failed to keep the Jays off the scoreboard in the top of the sixth as Marcus Walden came in to allow Guerrero Jr to reach on an error by Verdugo. The floodgates opened as Gurriel Jr walked, Shaw singled to load the bases and Panik singled home Guerrero Jr to increase the lead. Somehow Jansen popped up to second and Biggio took strike three, but Grichuk singled past Bogaerts to score 2 runs. That was it for the incompetent Walden as Robert Stock came in to allow an absolute rocket by Tellez....snared by JBJ to end the inning with the Jays up 8-4.

                                               What a catch by Bradley

The Sox still tried to fight back in the bottom of the sixth as Plawecki singled to right to begin. JBJ singled him to third and Munoz doubled down the left field line to score Plawecki. Chavis signled home JBJ and moved Munoz to third to knock Merryweather out. AJ Cole came in and Peraza beat out a double play ball to score Munoz to cut the lead. Verdugo walked but Devers popped up to second. A wild pitch moved both runners over but Bogaerts popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox down 8-7.

                                       Devers hits the ground harder than he hit that ball

Somehow Stock got out of the top of the seventh as Hernandez walked and Guerrero Jr singled to right to start. Jonathan Villar ran for Guerrero but Gurriel Jr banged into a double play and Shaw whiffed to end the inning. Anthony Bass came in to close out the bottom of the seventh and Martinez grounded out to short to start. Plawecki whiffed and JBJ grounded out to third to end the game. The Jays had won it 8-7 in seven innings.

                                                       Jays win


Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and left 5 men on base in a one run game.

                                              X is a Jackass


The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Yairo Munoz was 3 for 3 with 3 total rbis, 3 total runs scored and a 2 run home run.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Jose Peraza was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Robert Stock tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Zack Godley took the loss by allowing 4 runs in just 3 innings.

Marcus Walden allowed 3 runs in just 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Jeffrey Springs allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

At least the Sox showed some fight in this one. The bottom of the order got it done but the top of the order was asleep to say the least. The pitching was a mess but at least this game was watchable compared to most of them this season. Its too bad the Sox lost because they wasted a hell of an effort by Yairo Munoz. Its that kind of season where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. There's really no reason to bitch about the bullpen anymore because the Sox aren't trying to win or improve in any way. The worst part is there's still another game for them to lose tonight. Also more good news, there's only 21 games left in the season....yay. The loss dropped the Sox to 12-27, last place in the AL East. Tonight Chris Mazza (0-1, 7.88 ERA) goes in the nightcap against Ross Stripling at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.