Imanaga, Cubs Drop Sox (4/26/24)

With all the injuries the Boston Red Sox have suffered, the only thing keeping them afloat have been the starting pitching. Well tonight the starting pitching failed as well. Kutter Crawford (1-1, 1.35 ERA) looked mortal for the first time all season as the Chicago Cubs pounded him for 10 hits and 4 runs in six innings. The Cubs jumped out to a 3-0 lead when Tyler O'Neill hit a home run. That was the highlight as Crawford departed after allowing a fourth run and Joely Rodriguez allowed 3 runs by himself in the seventh inning to put the game on ice. Crawford got pounded and the AAA lineup failed to score as the Cubs had won the game 7-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Ja'Lynn Polk is disgusted with the Sox

Crawford the ball in the top of the first inning and Nico Hoerner who beat out a roller to second to start. Mike Tauchman flied out to center, Ian Happ took strike three and Christopher forced Hoerner at second to end the inning. Imanaga got the ball in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran lined out to him to start. Tyler O'Neill grounded out to short. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Cubs struck first in the top of the second as Michael Busch doubled to center to start. Dansby Swanson got a base hit to center and Matt Mervis singled to right to score Busch, putting Chicago up for good. Miguel Amaya hit a bullet to Bobby Dalbec who doubled off Mervis for a double play. Pete Crow-Armstrong originally ruled as being hit with a pitch but Sox manager Alex Cora appealed that he wasn't actually hit. The good news was the umpire ruled he wasn't hit, the bad news was Armstrong ripped a base hit to left to score Swanson to ice the game. Hoerner popped up to second to end the inning but the Cubs were up for good 2-0.

                                                             Mervis puts Chicago up

The Sox laid down in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start. Connor Wong was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Pablo Reyes grounded out to third to end the inning.

Tauchman struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Happ struck out swinging. Morel doubled to center an Busch struck out swinging to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging as well. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning.

The bungling Sox appeared again in the top of the fourth as Swanson singled to left to start. Mervis flied out to center and Amaya hit a routine grounder to Reyes who spiked the ball like a football for an error to move Swanson to third. Armstrong then scored Swanson with a safety squeeze to increase the lead. Hoerner grounded out to short to end the inning with the Cubs up 3-0.

                                                            Good play by Armstrong

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth although Duran's bunt attempt was snuffed out. O'Neill belted his eighth home run of the year to cut the lead and Refsnyder walked. Devers singled to right but was forced at second by Wong. Reyes lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                     Home run O'Neill

The Cubs took the run scored personally in the top of the fifth as Tauchman singled to center to start. Happ singled to right to move Tauchman to third but Morel popped up to first. Busch hit a sac fly to left to score Tauchman and Swanson grounded out to second to end the inning with the Cubs ahead 4-1.

                                                             Cubs get another run

Dalbec struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Valdez flied out to center. Swanson threw a grounder by Rafaela away for an error to put Ceddanne at second but Duran flied out to right to end the inning.

Mervis flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Amaya flied out to left. Armstrong singled to center but Hoerner grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who allowed 4 runs in 6 innings off TEN hits.

                                                  "Some offense would have been nice" - KC

O'Neill tried to start a rally with a base hit down the third base line but Refsnyder popped up to second. Devers took strike three and Reyes went down hacking to end the inning.

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Tauchman walked to start. A wild pitch moved Mike to second but Happ grounded out to third. Tauchman stole third and scored on the Morel base hit to left. Busch reached on a swinging bunt in front of the plate but Swanson struck out swinging. Patrick Wisdom pinch hit for Mervis and hit a double to the Monster to score both runners but Amaya grounded out to first to end the inning with the Cubs up 7-1.

                                                      Wisdom with an rbi double

Somehow Dalbec got a base hit down the third base line to start the bottom of the seventh but Valdez flied out to right. That was it for Imanaga as Keegan Thompson came in to face Rafaela. Ceddanne lined out to second and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Armstrong flied out to center to start. Horner grounded out to first and Tauchman grounded out to first to end the inning. O'Neill popped up to first to start the bottom of the eighth but Refsnyder walked. Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Happ flied out to left to start the top of the ninth and Morel took strike three. Busch got a base hit to left but Swanson popped up to short to end the inning. Nick Madrigal came in to play third in the bottom of the ninth and Wong flied out to center to start. Reyes singled to left but Dalbec struck out swinging. Valdez pounded a ground rule double down the right field line but Rafaela lined out to center to end the game. The Cubs had won it 7-1.

                                                                  Cubs win

Jackass of The Night is Joely Rodriguez. He allowed 3 runs in the seventh inning to put the game completely out of reach.

                                                     Joely Jackass

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Rob Refsnyder walked twice in four plate appearances.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was0 for 4.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 innings of work. He allowed 10 hits and struck out four.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4.

Pablo Reyes was just 1 for 4 with an error and a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Another dreary loss in a game that was over before the second inning was over. The lack of offense and defense is appalling but tonight the pitching let them down. The worst part is there's nothing the Sox can do about it. Most of the lineup doesn't belong in the big leagues but injuries have AAA backups starting in MLB. Joely Rodriguez also has no business on the team but again, the 40 man roster is decimated. Just have to hang on until some of the guys that can come back, do. In the era of the third wild card where you can make the playoffs with a mediocre record, the Sox are not out of anything yet. Hopefully Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock and Vaughn Grissom come back soon. One last thing to squawk about is Masataka Yoshida was 6 for 11 against Imanaga in Japan and he was benched for tonight's game. Not that he was going to go 4 for 4 with 4 home runs but the fact he had success wasn't a good look for Sox manager Alex Cora. The grumbling is that Cora doesn't want to play him because he's not a good defender and isn't a true power threat as DH. Sox are paying 18 million dollars for a pinch hitter, gotta love it. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Cubs in the second game of this set when Josh Winckowski (1-1, 4.20 ERA) takes on Ben Brown of Chicago. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Criswell, Sox Blank Guardians (4/24/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got even more bad news. Brayan Bello was placed on the Injured List with a strained lat muscle and becomes the next member of the team to be knocked out. Zack Kelly was called up to take his place and now the Sox are down 4/5's of their intended starting rotation. Lucas Giolito, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock and now Bello are gone. The rumor is Pivetta may not be as injured as initially feared and lat/obliques take a few weeks to heal so they may get all three of them back by the middle of May. No idea what they're going to do until then.

                                                                          IN

                                                                                IN

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff series but the good news was not only did the Boston Bruins defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series but the Boston Red Sox finally defeated the Cleveland Guardians. The road warrior Sox have done it again. Facing a red hot Guardians team, the Sox shut them out due to the brilliant pitching of Cooper Criswell (1-1, 2.38 ERA), Joely Rodriguez and the returning Zack Kelly. The undermanned Sox also got big lifts from the returning Rafael Devers and big games from Wilyer Abreu and Connor Wong. Wong slugged two home runs while Abreu went 4 for 5 with an rbi. The Sox as a unit pounded out 16 hits and 8 runs while holding the Guardians scoreless the entire game. The Sox may be losing players on a daily basis but they won tonight's game 8-0 at Progressive Field.

                                                    The Bruins approve of the win

The Sox jumped on Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco in the top of the first inning although Jarren Duran grounded out to first to start. Rafael Devers singled to center but Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging. Wilyer Abreu hit a double to left to score Devers and put the Sox on top. Enmanuel Valdez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Abreu drives in a run

Criswell got the ball in the bottom of the first and Steven Kwan flied out to right to start. Andres Gimenez was hit with a pitch but Jose Ramirez flied out to right. Josh Naylor flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Connor Wong belted his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Pablo Reyes struck out swinging and Bobby Dalbec grounded out to first, but Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to left. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                                   Home run Wong

Will Brennan flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Tyler Freeman flied out to left. Estevan Florial got a base hit to right but Bo Naylor grounded out to second to end the inning.

Devers walked to start the top of the third but O'Neill banged into a double play. Abreu ripped a base hit to center and moved to second on a wild pitch, but Valdez grounded out to first to end the inning. Brayan Rocchio struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Kwan singled to left. Gimenez struck out swinging and Ramirez popped up to second to end the inning.

Wong was plunked to start the top of the fourth and moved to second on a passed ball. Reyes grounded out to short but Wong moved to third on a fly out to center by Dalbec. Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning. Josh Naylor popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Brennan flied out to center. Freeman grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth although Duran took strike three to start. Devers pounded his third home run of the season to increase the lead but O'Neill flied out to center. Abreu singled to right but Valdez took strike three to end the inning with Boston up 3-0.

                                                             Home run Devers

Florial took strike three to start the too of the fifth but Bo Naylor singled to center. Rocchio banged into a double play to end the inning. That was it for Criswell as he did the best he could, throwing 5 innings of shutout ball while allowing just 3 hits.

                                                           Criswell gets it done

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Wong blasted his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Reyes singled to left and that was it for Carrasco. Tyler Beede came in to face Dalbec and Reyes promptly stole second. Dalbec struck out swinging but Rafaela ripped a base hit to left. Reyes came around to score and Rafaela took second on the throw. Ceddanne stole third but Duran grounded out to first. Devers pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Rafaela but O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                         That's two for Wong

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Kwan grounded out to third to start. Gimenez struck out swinging but Ramirez hit a ground rule double to left. Ramirez stole third but Josh Naylor grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Pedro Avila came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Abreu grounded out to first to start. Valdez grounded out to first but Wong singled to right. Reyes flied out to center to end the inning. Brennan grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh before Freeman lined out to third. Florial grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Dalbec singled off the glove of Rocchio to start the top of the eighth but was forced at second by Brennan when Rafaela's line drive fell in. Duran and Devers both struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth and Bo Naylor struck out swinging to start. Rocchio grounded out to second and Kwan beat out an infield single to short....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Kwan was out and sure enough, he was out to end the inning.

O'Neill singled to center to start the top of the ninth and Abreu doubled to left. Valdez scored Tyler with a sac fly and Wong got a base hit to left to score Abreu but Reyes lined out to left. Wong took second on a wild pitch but Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 8-0.

                                                            Valdez drives in a run

Kelly returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Ramirez also went down hacking and Josh Naylor grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-0.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Connor Wong. He hit two home runs, went 4 for 4 and drove in 3 total runs.

                                                        Connor The Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 3 for 4 with a walk, a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 4 for 5 with an rbi.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a stolen base, rbi and a run scored.

Cooper Criswell got the win by tossing 5 shutout innings. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 3 batters.

Joely Rodriguez tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Pablo Reyes was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

A 16 hit Boston attack is just what the doctor ordered. Abreu and Wong have been hot lately and they definitely carried the load in this one. Devers made a triumphant return but the real story was the pitching. Criswell and Kelly started the year in Worcester and tossed a combined 7 shutout innings in this one. The other two were provided by the much maligned Joely Rodriguez. Offensively the Sox have been struggling big time but getting to Carrasco early set the pace. Even Rafaela got a couple of hits and that's encouraging considering the Sox are going to be without Triston Casas and Trevor Story pretty much the rest of the season. Losing Brayan Bello is going to hurt long term but for now the Sox got it done. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon when Triston McKenzie goes for Cleveland against Captain TBD of the Red Sox. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Progressive Field.

Sox Lose Casas, Defeat Pirates (4/20/24)

The good news was the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their first round NHL series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, the bad news was the Sox lost Triston Casas one inning into the game with a serious rib injury. Wilyer Abreu knocked home Jarren Duran after a leadoff triple and Bobby Dalbec beat out a double play ball with the bases loaded to give the Sox an early first inning lead. Kutter Crawford (1-0, 0.66) ERA held the Pirates to just one run in six strong innings. In the top of the sixth, Masataka Yoshida hit a two run bomb for some big insurance runs. Joely Rodriguez allowed another run but Greg Weissert and Kenley Jansen slammed the door to give the Sox a 4-2 win at PNC Park.

                                          Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman approve of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Pirates starter Mitch Keller in the top of the first as Jarren Duran tripled to right to start. Wilyer Abreu hit a roller down the third base line to score Jarren to put the Sox up instantly. Rob Refsnyder forced Abreu at second but Triston Casas walked and Masataka Yoshida singled to right to load the bases. Bobby Dalbec beat out a double play ball to score Refsnyder but Enmanuel Valdez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0. 

                                                          Sox take the lead

Unfortunately Casas keeled over in the dugout, was hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU, being replaced by Pablo Reyes for the bottom of the first. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Edward Olivares grounded out to third to start. Brian Reynolds got a base hit to right but Ke'Bryan Hayes flied out to left. Jack Suwinski struck out swinging to end the inning.

Reese McGuire led off the top of the second inning with a grounder to first and Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Joey Bart got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez grounded into a double play. Jared Triolo flied out to center to end the inning.

Abreu walked to start the top of the third but both Refsnyder and Reyes struck out swinging. Yoshida lined out to first to end the inning. Oneil Cruz popped up to short to begin the bottom of the third before Michael A Taylor flied out to right. Olivares got a base hit to left but Reynolds flied out to left to end the inning.

Dalbec flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Valdez drew a walk. McGuire hit into a double play to end the inning. The Pirates struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Hayes doubled to right to start. Suwinski popped up to second but Bart walked. Tellez somehow hit one up the elevator shaft but Triolo singled to left to score Hayes. Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning with the Pirates back in it down 2-1.

                                                             Pirates get one back

Rafaela grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth. Duran grounded out to second and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. The Pirates threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Taylor singled to right to start. Somehow Olivares lined out to left but naturally Reynolds singled to left. Hayes walked to load the bases but somehow Suwinski struck out swinging. Bart struck out swinging as well to end the threat and the inning.

                                                      Crawford was fired up for that one

The Sox picked up Crawford in the top of the sixth although Refsnyder grounded out to third to start. Reyes walked and Yoshida clubbed his second home run of the season for some much needed insurance. Dalbec struck out swinging but Valdez got a base hit to right. McGuire flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                     Yoshida hits one out

Crawford was still fired up on the bottom of the sixth as Tellez flied out to left to start. Triolo struck out swinging but Cruz walked. Sox manager Alex Cora stormed out of the dugout and instead of taking Crawford out, he gave him a tongue lashing to finish the damn inning. Cruz stole second but Crawford punched out Taylor swinging to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who tossed 6 solid innings allowing just the 1 run on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out six batters.

                                                              Crawford gets it done

Luis L Ortiz came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rafaela grounded out to third to start. Duran grounded back to the mound but Abreu walked. Refsnyder walked but Reyes grounded out to third to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Olivares grounded out to short to start. Reynolds singled to center but Hayes grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Yoshida doubled to left to start the top of the eighth but Dalbec struck out swinging. Valdez struck out swinging and McGuire flied out to center to end the inning. Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Pirates manager Derek Shelton pinch hit Connor Joe for Suwinski. Naturally Joe hit a home run all the way to Philadelphia to cut the lead. Bart struck out swinging but Andrew McCutchen pinch hit for Tellez only to fly out to center. That was it for Rodriguez as Sox manager Alex Cora wanted Greg Weissert to face the righty Triolo. Jared flied out to right to end the inning with the Pirates still down 4-2.

                                                            Pinch hit home run

Colin Holderman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran popped up to third but Abreu walked. Refsnyder doubled to left but Reyes took strike three to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cruz took a questionable strike three to start. Somehow Taylor managed to take a time clock violation for strike three and Derek Shelton ran out to scream his head off at home plate umpire DJ Reyburn. DJ had it up to here with Shelton and had him thrown out of the building by armed security. When play resumed, Olivares struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball while allowing 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out six.

                                                              Crawford Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and an rbi.

Triston Casas walked before leaving the game with injury.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Greg Weissert retired the only man he faced.

Kenley Jansen picked up his fifth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Joely Rodriguez allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

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

Final Thoughts:

Good win but the Sox are dropping like flies, and its not like these are bumps and bruises either. Sox manager Alex Cora looked somber after the game not only saying Casas "doesn't look good" but Rafael Devers' knee isn't doing well either. For those keeping track, Nick Pivetta, Trevor Story and Lucas Giolito are out for the year while Garrett Whitlock, Tyler O'Neill, Vaughn Grissom, Romy Gonzalez are already on the Injured List. Putting Devers and Casas on the Injured List would cripple the offense but what are you gonna do? Now for the flip side, that was a damn good win. Crawford got challenged by Cora to finish the job and Kutter did it. Joely Rodriguez allowed a run AGAIN but Weissert and Jansen shut the door. Its hard to expect offense out of a team of backups which is why that Yoshida home run ended up being the difference in the game. Its a shame because the Sox aren't as bad as people expected them to be going into the season. You can blame ownership for not signing top flight free agents but you can't blame them for all these injuries. If they got all the guys that aren't out for the year back, they might actually win more than they lose. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon when Josh Winckowski (1-1, 4.63 ERA) gets the spot start against old friend Martin Perez of Pittsburgh. The game begins at 1:35 PM at PNC Park.

Sox Lose Whitlock, Devers in Extra Innings Loss to Guardians (4/16/24)

Just when you thought the season couldn't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, it did. Not only did the Red Sox rally down 5-1 only to blow it in the ninth and lose to the Cleveland Guardians in extra innings, they lost Garrett Whitlock and Rafael Devers too. Whitlock left with an oblique strain after just four innings and the tired Boston bullpen was hammered for eight runs after he left. The Guardians broke out to a 2-0 lead before Whitlock left then took a 5-1 lead on Joely Rodriguez. A furious Sox rally in the sixth gave the Sox a 6-5 lead but Kenley Jansen blew the game in the ninth inning. Greg Weissert and Josh Winckowski allowed four runs in the tenth and eleventh as the Sox woes continued, dropping into last place in the AL East 10-7 in 11 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                 "Well this sucks....." - Triston Casas

Whitlock got the ball in the top of the first and Steven Kwan flied out to right to start. Andres Gimenez flied out to left and Jose Ramirez grounded out to first to end the inning. Bibee got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to third to start. Rafael Devers flied out to right and Masataka Yoshida grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Guardians struck first in the top of the second as Josh Naylor grounded out to second to start. Bo Naylor lined out to Enmanuel Valdez but Ramon Laureano walked. Will Brennan hit a double to right to score Laureano and put the Guardians up for good just two innings into the game. Gabriel Arias doubled to left to ice the game by scoring Brennan. Tyler Freeman took strike three to end the inning but the game was already over, 2-0 Guardians.

                                                       Guardians strike first

The Sox stupidity reared its ugly head in the bottom of the second as Triston Casas smacked a double off the Monster.....only to get picked off. Wilyer Abreu popped up to second but Valdez got a base hit into right field. Connor Wong got a base hit to left but David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                        Cora's expression says it all

Bad defense reared its ugly head in the top of the third inning as Kwan hit a blooper to Valdez that bounced off Valdez' glove. Kwan thought the ball was caught then made a mad dash to first base. The throw came in but Casas failed to get his glove down in time for a technical "single". Gimenez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Kwan to second but Ramirez flied out to left. Josh Naylor grounded out to first to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the second and Duran flied out to left. Somehow Devers drew a walk but Yoshida lined out to second to end the inning.

Bo Naylor grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Laureano grounded out to short. Brennan flied out to center to end the inning. All of a sudden Whitlock started clutching his shoulder and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. He lasted four innings throwing 54 pitches and allowed two runs.

                                                           Whitlock leaves the game

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Casas grounded out to third to start. Abreu struck out swinging but somehow Valdez pounded his second home run of the season to cut the lead. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                          Valdez hits one out

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Arias struck out swinging to start. Freeman then hit a home run all the way into Manchester, New Hampshire to increase the deficit. Kwan ripped a base hit to left and moved to third on the base hit to right by Gimenez. Ramirez hit a sac fly to center to score Kwan and Josh Naylor got a base hit to right....booted by Abreu. Gimenez came all the way around but was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-1....but wait! Guardians manager Stephen Vogt challenged that Wong missed the tag and sure enough, he did. Gimenez was safe and the inning continued, but Bo Naylor took strike three to end the inning with the Guardians up 5-1.

                                                        Wong missed the tag

Hamilton grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela flied out to left. Duran doubled to left and Devers walked, but Yoshida popped up to third to end the inning.

Laureano grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Brennan grounded out to first. Arias took strike three to end the inning. Somehow the Sox exploded in the bottom of the sixth with Tyler Beede now on the mound. Casas crushed his fifth home run of the season to cut the lead and Abreu drew a walk. Valdez struck out swinging but Wong mashed his second home run of the season to get the Sox back in the game. That was it for Beede as Cade Smith came in to strike out Hamilton swinging but Rafaela doubled to center. Duran walked and Devers cleared the bases with a double into the gap in center to put the Sox on top. Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning but the Sox had rallied to take a 6-5 lead.

                                                              Devers caps off the rally

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Freeman struck out swinging to start. Kwan walked but Gimenez forced him at second. A wild pitch moved Gimenez to second and Ramirez was intentionally walked. Josh Naylor took strike three to end the inning. Eli Morgan came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas walked to start. Abreu forced Triston at second but Wilyer stole second. Valdez flied out to center and Wong grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec took over for Devers who jammed his knee running to second with Chris Martin now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Bo Naylor lined out to center and Estevan Florial pinch hit for Laureano, grounding out to first. Brennan lined out to right to end the inning. Hamilton got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the bottom of the eighth but Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran went down hacking and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth with Pablo Reyes at second for Valdez. Arias lined out to center but Freeman doubled to center. Kwan got a base hit to left and Gimenez ripped a base hit to center to score Freeman to tie the game. Abreu made a great catch to rob Ramirez of extra bases and Josh Naylor forced Gimenez to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                         Gimenez ties it up

Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Casas took strike three and Abreu flied out to left to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the 10th with Brayan Rocchio pinch running for Josh Naylor to start. Naturally Bo Naylor singled to center and stole second base just like that. Florial popped up to third and Brennan was walked to set up the double play....only for Arias to get a base hit to center to score Rocchio. Freeman flied out to left and Kwan grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Guardians ahead 7-6.

                                                              Guardians take the lead

Emmanuel Clase came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Abreu starting at second. Reyes grounded out to short to move Abreu to third and Wong hit a sac fly to right to score Abreu to tie the game. Hamilton doubled to left and took third on a wild pitch to put the winning run at third. Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 7-7.

                                                               Wong ties it up

Josh Winckowski came in to take a beating in the top of the eleventh with Kwan starting at second base. Gimenez walked and Ramirez hit a base hit to center to score Kwan. Rocchio moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt and Bo Naylor was intentionally walked to load the bases. Naturally Florial singled to right to ice the game, scoring Gimenez and Ramirez. Brennan grounded out to second to move the runners over but Arias struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 10-7.

                                                             Ramirez with the dagger

Scott Barlow came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh with Rafaela starting at second. Duran flied out to right before Dalbec was booed out of Fenway for striking out swinging. Yoshida also went down hacking to end the game. The Guardians had won it 10-7 in 11 innings.

                                                             Cleveland wins

Jackass of the Night is Kenley Jansen. The Sox don't blow it in extras if he didn't blow the game in the ninth inning.

                                                           Jackass Jansen

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and 2 rbis before leaving with injuries.

Triston Casas was 2 for 4 with a walk and a home run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a home run and three total rbis.

David Hamilton was 2 for 5.

Garrett Whitlock left with injury but allowed just 2 runs in four innings of work, He allowed 3 hits and a walk.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 6 with a strikeout.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Joely Rodriguez allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of work.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the 10th inning.

Josh Winckowski took the loss allowing 3 runs in the 11th inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but walked, stole a base and scored two runs.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

So far the Boston Red Sox have lost Lucas Giolito, Trevor Story and Nick Pivetta for the season and the Injured List has Vaughn Grissom, Rob Refsnyder, Isaiah Campbell, Romy Gonzalez on it already. Whitlock has an oblique strain, Tyler O'Neill has a concussion, Devers has a bad knee and Jansen has been claiming a bad back. The bottom line is Alex Cora came into this season completely unprepared physically and mentally with all the errors the team makes not only on the stat sheet but the ones that won't show up. How can THIS many guys get hurt just 18 games into the season and lead the league in errors? A lot of the blame falls on the players and you can't judge freak accidents like Story or O'Neill, but still. The bullpen is already exhausted with Cora pulling guys early just like he did in 2021 but he doesn't have The A-Team to bail his sorry ass out this time. Attendance is beginning to drop at Fenway as none of the games besides Opening Day and Patriots Day have come anywhere close to selling out. As long as the owners don't care, why should the fans? The general manager and pitching coach put together a pitching program that's getting guys hurt, the owners put the general manager on a budget so he can't just go out and get guys to plug in and the manager has to manage this lame duck roster. Its an organizational mess from top to bottom and a cautionary tale of what happens when owners simply stop caring. The Sox look to avoid the sweep tomorrow night against the Guardians when Tanner Houck (2-1, 2.04 ERA) takes on Ben Lively of Cleveland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Injuries Mount, Orioles Beat Sox in Home Opener (4/9/24)

Before the game, the Boston Red Sox made roster moves based on terrible news. Mercifully, Bobby Dalbec was sent back to Worcester and infielder Romy Gonzalez was called up in his place. Dalbec couldn't hit a foul ball at the big league level and with the Sox desperate for offense, cutting Dalbec loose was the right move to make. Gonzalez isn't a good bat either but at least he might make contact once in a blue moon. Also as expected the MRI revealed Trevor Story suffered a fractured shoulder and is out for the year. Six years, $140 million for 3 straight seasons with injuries. Even worse, workhorse Nick Pivetta was also placed on the Injured List and is also feared to need Tommy John surgery like Lucas Giolito. Brennan Bernardino was called up to take Nick's place. So much for this season.

                                                                               OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the 2023 stench reared its ugly head in the 2024 home opener as the Sox once again couldn't hit or field against the Baltimore Orioles. Orioles ace Corbin Burnes held the pitiful Sox offense to just 2 hits, just one after the first inning. The Sox took a 1-0 lead on a Tyler O'Neill home run but the O's tied it in the second and a comedy of errors put Baltimore on top in the fourth. Sox starter Brayan Bello (1-1, 4.11 ERA) left trailing 3-1 and the bullpen only made it worse. The O's got four runs off Josh Winckowski and combined with the injury news, it made for a bad day with a 7-1 Orioles victory at Fenway Park.

                                  The only highlight today was Brianna Wakefield's first pitch

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Gunnar Henderson grounded out to first to start. Adley Rutschman grounded out to second and Anthony Santander popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Burnes in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran grounded out to first to start. Rafael Devers flied out to left but Tyler O'Neill belted his 6th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Triston Casas singled to center but Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Sox take the lead

The O's got the run right back in the top of the second as Ryan O'Hearn flied out to center to start. Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to second but Cedric Mullins walked. Mullins stole second and scored on the Colton Cowser double off the Monster. Ramon Urias popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1. 

                                                             O's tie it up

Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Enmanuel Valdez lined out to center. Reese McGuire walked but David Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Tony Kemp struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Henderson grounded out to second. Rutschman grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Duran hit a bullet to Burnes to start. Devers grounded out to second  and O'Neill hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. 

Santander struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth inning and O'Hearn flied out to left. Mountcastle singled off the glove of Devers and Duran dropped a pop up by Mullins in the shadows to put both runners in scoring position. Naturally Cowser annihilated a double off the centerfield wall. Rafaela had Cowser at second but Valdez dropped the ball, allowing both runners to score. Urias beat out a roller to third but Kemp popped up to short to end the inning with the O's up for good 3-1.

                                                               Safe!

Casas walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Yoshida popped up to second. Rafaela struck out swinging and Valdez popped up to short to end the inning.

Bello recovered in the top of the fifth as Henderson lined out to right to start. Rutschman struck out swinging and Santander popped up to second to end the inning. Burnes breezed through the bottom of the fifth as McGuire struck out swinging to start. Hamilton flied out to right and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Bello walked O'Hearn to start the top of the sixth but Mountcastle grounded into a double pl.....but wait! The O's challenged that Ryan was safe at first and the call was overturned. That was it for Bello who was failed by his defense as he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out three. Joely Rodriguez came in and got Mullins to ground out to first to move Mountcastle to second. Cowser struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                           Bello deserved better.

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Devers popped up to short to start. O'Neill took strike three and Casas also watched strike three go by to end the inning. 

Urias grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh and that was it for Rodriguez. Josh Winckowski came in to pitch to Kemp and got him to ground out to second. Henderson doubled to right, stole third and scored on the Rutschman single to center to ice the game. Santander struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 4-1.

                                                            O's ice the game

Jorge Mateo came in to play second in the bottom of the seventh as Yoshida grounded back to the mound to start. Rafaela struck out swinging and Valdez grounded out to second to end the inning. Burnes was outstanding today.

The horrible defense continued in the top of the eighth as O'Neill gave up on a pop up by O'Hearn for a "Single". Hamilton booted a ground ball by Mountcastle and threw to the wrong base on a grounder by Mullins. Cowser hit a sac fly to right to score O'Hearn but Urias took strike three. Mateo ripped a base hit to left but Mullins was forced at second on the account that it was hit too hard to Duran to end the inning with Baltimore up 5-1.

                                                        Another rbi for Cowser

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for McGuire. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Connor Wong pinch hit for Hamilton. Wong simply watched strike three go by and Duran didn't even swing on three straight pitches down the middle to end the inning.

The O's put the exclamation point in the top of the ninth as Henderson got a base hit to right to start. Rutschman got a base hit to right and Santander once again got a base hit to right to score Henderson. Austin Hays pinch ran for Santander and O'Hearn walked to load the bases. Mountcastle popped up to short but Mullins got a base hit to center to score Rutschman. Cowser struck out swinging and Urias took strike three to end the inning with the O's up 7-1.

                                                    Mullins drives in a run

Jacob Webb (not the Sox draftee) came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Devers grounded out to third to start. O'Neill struck out swinging and Casas grounded back to the mound to end the game. The O's had won it 7-1.

                                                      "You guys sucked today" - Cora

Jackass of the Night is Josh Winckowski. Not that the Sox offense was doing much but allowing 4 runs to put the game out of reach is never a good thing.

                                                            Winckowski is a Jackass

The Good:

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Reese McGuire walked in two plate appearances.

Joely Rodriguez tossed a full scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez struck out in his only plate appearance.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2 with an error.

Connor Wong struck out in his only plate appearance.

The Ugly:

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Brayan Bello took the loss by allowing 3 runs but only 1 earned in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out three.

Final Thoughts:

This was an all around disaster on and off the field. The news of Trevor Story and possibly Nick Pivetta being out for the year might have drained the life out of the offense because once again they were held to just 1 run or less. Bello was failed by his defense big time and it doesn't look like things will be any better with Story gone for the year. Its only 11 games into the season but two starting pitchers and their starting shortstop are out for the year while their starting second baseman and top utility player are still out. The Sox have way too many holes and too many injuries to compete this year, its going to be a long year. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Orioles against Cole Irvin of Baltimore against.....nobody knows. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.