Sox Hold Off Royals (8/4/25)

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

                                                    Kody Evans approves of the win

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

                                                     Duran puts the Sox up big

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

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

                                                               Rafaela drives in a run.

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

                                                          Perez scores a run

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

                                                             Bregman drives in another

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

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

                                                          Bello gets the job done

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

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

                                                     Abreu with the killshot

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

                                                           Yerrrr out!

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

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

                                                          Sox win

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

                                                           Abreu Hero

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

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

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

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

Steven Matz pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock got the final out of the eighth inning.

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

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mention:

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Outlast Twins (7/29/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. "Big" Dick Fitts was sent back to Worcester and Cooper Criswell was called up to take his place. Can't predict 3 starters being lost for the season but the Quinn Priester trade is looking REAL bad right now since all that pitching depth was supposed to prevent seeing the likes of Criswell again. Sox have 3 days to make a move or else they're going to have to go with this down the stretch.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the Boston bats woke up for one game at least against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins called up Pierson Ohl to make his major league debut and the Sox jumped on him. Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman drove in runs before Trevor Story belted a two run home run to give the Sox a cushion. Lucas Giolito (7-2, 3.80 ERA) gave the Sox 6 much needed innings surrendering just one run in the process. Jarren Duran also went yard and Ceddanne Rafaela drove in runs but the Boston bullpen faltered again. Justin Wilson allowed a 2 run bomb to Brooks Lee but rbis from Story and Wilyer Abreu put the game away. Jorge Alcala allowed a 2 run home run in the ninth to Brooks Lee but Aroldis Chapman blew away Mickey Gasper to end it. The Sox had won the game 8-5 at Target Field.

                                                   Lindsay Lohan approves of the win

Ohl got the ball in the top of the first inning and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to start. Alex Bregman struck out swinging and Jarren Duran had a stand up triple....but stopped at second base for no reason. Didn't matter anyway as Trevor Story struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins wasted no time threatening Giolito in the in the bottom of the first as Trebor Larnach walked to start. Carlos Correa singled to center but Willi Castro struck out swinging. Royce Lewis lined out to left and Kody Clemens lined out to center to end the inning.

More ineptitude in the top of the second as Harrison Bader outright robbed Wilyer Abreu of a home run. Carlos Narvaez popped up to second and Abraham "El" Toro flied out to center to end the inning. Ty France grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Matt Wallner got a base hit to left. A wild pitch moved Wallner to second but Harrison Bader struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Brooks Lee had to come in for Carlos Correa to start the top of the third and the Sox struck. David Hamilton grounded out to first but Ceddanne Rafaela tripled into the centerfield gap. Anthony struck a base hit to center to score Rafaela and Bregman drove a line drive to left, misplayed by Castro. Anthony scored and Bregman got a "double". Duran struck out swinging but Story belted his 16th home run of the season to increase the lead. Abreu walked but Narvaez lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                            Story gets the Wally head

Larnarch popped up to third to start the bottom of the third before Lee grounded out to first. Castro was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Michael Tonkin came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Toro was hit with a pitch to start. Hamilton lined out to left, Rafaela lined out to center and Anthony grounded out to second to end the inning. Lewis grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Clemens flied out to right. France lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox got another one in the top of the fourth although Bregman flied out to right to start. Duran clobbered his 10th home run of the season to increase the lead but Story struck out swinging. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                       Duran causing some turbulence

The Twins struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Wallner flied out to center to start. Bader got a base hit and Vazquez was hit with a pitch, but Larnach struck out swinging. Lee got a base hit to center...under the glove of Rafaela. Bader scored and the runners moved into scoring position. Castro grounded out to third to end the inning with the Twins down 5-1.

                                                     Twins get a run back

The Sox got that run right back in the top of the sixth against Kody Funderburk. Narvaez singled to left but Toro pounded a ground rule double down the right field line. Hamilton struck out swinging and Rafaela hit a sac fly to center to score Narvaez. Anthony walked but Bregman popped up to first to end the inning.

                                                           Rafaela drives in a run

Lewis popped up to first to start the bottom of the sixth before Clemens popped up to second. France got a base hit to center and Wallner walked, but Bader went down hacking to end the inning. Giolito tossed 6 solid innings allowing 1 run off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                          Good work by Giolito

Duran walked to start the top of the seventh and promptly stole second. Story grounded out to short and Abreu grounded out to second to move Duran to third. Narvaez grounded out to short to end the inning. Justin Wilson came in to vomit up his intestines in the bottom of the seventh as Vazquez flied out to left to start. Ryan Jeffers pinch hit for Larnach and got a base hit to center. Lee then hit a home run all the way to Aruba to cut the lead. Rafaela absolutely robbed Castro of a sure triple with a diving catch and Lewis struck out to end the inning with the Twins down 6-3.

                                                           Great catch by Rafaela

Cole Sands came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Toro grounded out to first to start. Hamilton flied out to right and Rafaela grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Clemens got a base hit to right. France struck out swinging, Wallner struck out swinging and Bader popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox got some insurance in the top of the ninth with Louis Varland on the mound. It looked like Anthony had beaten out a grounder to first, but the Twins challenged the call. Replays ruled Anthony out but Lewis booted a grounder by Bregman. Duran flied out to left but Story doubled to right to score Bregman. Abreu doubled to right to score Story and Narvaez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                Abreu's turn to cause some turbulence

Jorge Alcala was brought in to close out the bottom of the ninth and failed. Vazquez flied out to center but Story booted a grounder by Jeffers. Lee hit yet another home run all the way to New Mexico, but Castro struck out swinging. Lewis got a base hit to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough. Aroldis Chapman was summoned to finish it and Mickey Gasper pinch hit for Clemens. Chapman blew away Gasper on 3 pitches to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of the Night is Lucas Giolito. The Sox desperately needed a good start to save the bullpen and he went 6 innings allowing just the 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 5.

                                                             Gio-Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run, a stolen base, and a walk.

Trevor Story was 2 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Abraham Toro was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 19th save by striking out Gasper to end it.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Justin Wilson allowed a 2 run home run in the seventh.

Jorge Alcala allowed a 2 run home run in the ninth.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and sored a run.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored two runs.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Once again this game was a half glass empty or full situation. The Sox bats woke up but pessimists can say they beat up a rookie making his debut and a bad bullpen. Still, you HAVE to win games like this and they got the job done. Now that the story has come out, the whole airplane thing and part of the bullpen woes came from the plane ride to Minnesota from Boston. Apparently the plane damn near crashed and the turbulence caused motion sickness to both Chapman and Whitlock. The Sox used it as a rallying cry any time they got on base tonight. Also explains why Whitlock and Chapman were absent last night. Fans were expecting the worse then Chapman left with a bad back on Sunday but he looks okay now. The most important part was the Sox built the lead rather than sit on it for once. They might have beat up on a bad team, but hopefully it woke them up. The Baltimore Orioles swept a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays so the Sox gained some ground on the Jays. The Detroit Tigers also have been inconsistent lately so believe it or not, the Sox are literally 5 games out from the best record in the American League. This year is wide open and the Sox can blow the doors off the hinges by adding another starter at the trade deadline. Peyton Tolle and Connelly Early tore up Portland this season and Kyson Witherspoon might be a stud, but if the Sox want to win now, one of them must go. Unless they hope that Patrick Sandoval can magically appear out of thin air and save the season. They have 3 days left to figure it out. The win improved the Sox to 58-51, 5 games behind the Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win the series tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA) takes on Zebby Mathews of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:10 Eastern time at Target Field.

Sox Drop Game To Mother Nature, Twins (7/28/25)

Of all the ways to lose a game, the Boston Red Sox were upended by not only the Minnesota Twins but mother nature as well. Mostly it was due to Alex Cora's pure stupidity but the facts are the Sox were trailing 2-0 when "Big" Dick Fitts escaped a bases loaded jam in the fourth. Despite being down Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman, Sox manager Alex Cora still yanked him after four and after the bullpen tossed nearly 5 full innings yesterday. Alex Bregman put the Sox on top with a 3 run bomb in the fifth but Cora had Jorge Alcala pitch the sixth, where the Twins tied the game. The Sox took the lead in the top of the ninth on a Roman Anthony rbi single, but then the rains came. 90 minutes later Jordan Hicks was thrust into the closer's role and he fell apart. Brooks Lee drove in the winning runs to win the game 5-4 at Target Field.

                                                      "CORAAAAAA!!!!"

The Sox blew a rally immediately in the top of the first against Woods-Richardson as Roman Anthony singled off of Simeon. Woods threw the ball away allowing Roman to take second and Anthony took third when Alex Bregman lined one off of Woods as well. Jarren Duran had a 3-0 count but struck out swinging and Trevor Story popped up to left. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Fitts got the ball in the bottom of the first and Trevor Larnach lined out to short to begin. Willi Castro lined out to right and Carlos Corrrea lined out to short to end the inning with Fitts throwing just 6 pitches.

Carlos Narvaez grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu flied out to left. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. Kody Clemens got a base hit to right to begin the bottom of the second but Royce Lewis flied out to center. Matt Wallner struck out swinging and Ty France forced Clemens at second to end the inning.

Abraham "El" Toro grounded out to first to start the top of the third but Anthony walked. Bregman popped up to second and Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Naturally the opposing team scored first as old pal Christian Vazquez walked to start the bottom of the third. DaShawn Keirsey Jr then hit a home run all the way to Seattle to put the Twins up. Larnach walked but Castro forced him at second. Correa grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                          Twins strike first

Story struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Yoshida got a base hit to center. Narvaez lined out to left but Abreu got a base hit to right to move Yoshida to third. Abreu stole second but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Fitts got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Clemens walked to start. Lewis got a base hit to left and Wallner singled to center to load the bases with nobody out. France struck out swinging and Vazquez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Fitts pulled the Houdini but was out after just 4 innings and 2 runs allowed.

                                                            Fitts pulls the Houdini

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as El Toro singled to center to start. Anthony walked and Bregman pulverized his 14th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Duran doubled to center but Story struck out swinging. Yoshida grounded out to second to move Duran to third and Justin Topa came in to face Narvaez. Carlos grounded out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Another Breggy Bomb

Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Keirsey Jr took strike three to start. Larnach grounded out to third but Castro was hit with a pitch. Castro swiped second but Correa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Abreu got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth and moved to second on the Rafaela grounder to third. Toro grounded out to second to move Abreu to third but Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Sox manager Alex Cora struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Clemens flied out to center to start. Lewis got a base hit to center and Harrison Bader pinch hit for Wallner. Rather than let Murphy finish, Cora brought in Jorge Alcala to face him. A wild pitch and a passed ball moved Lewis to third and Bader walked. Bader stole second and France walked to load the bases. Vazquez hit a sac fly to center to score Lewis but Keirsey Jr struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                          Vazquez ties it

Griffin Jax came in to dominate the top of the seventh as Bregman struck out swinging to start. Duran struck out swinging and Story grounded out to third to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and old pal Mickey Gasper pinch hit for Larnach. Gasper walked but Castro flied out to left. Correa got a base hit to left and Brooks Lee pinch hit for Clemens. Lee struck out swinging and once again Cora overmanaged by bringing in Greg Weissert. Lewis popped up to first to end the inning.

Brock Stewart came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Narvaez struck out swinging but Lewis missed a pop up by Abreu for a "double". Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning. Bader popped up to first to start the bottom of the eighth before France flied out to center. Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jhoan Duran came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Toro walked to start. David Hamilton ran for Toro and stole second. Hamilton stole third and Anthony drilled a base hit to center to score him to put Boston on top. All of a sudden it started raining and Bregman flied out to center. Anthony was thrown out at second trying to steal and Duran walked. Duran stole second but Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3. Then it started raining....and raining....

                                                            Anthony drives in a run.

After nearly a ninety minute long rain delay, Jordan Hicks came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Romy Gonzalez now in for Anthony. Naturally Keirsey Jr got a base hit to right to start and Gasper was hit with a pitch. Castro was hit with a pitch to load the bases with nobody out, but Correa forced Keirsey Jr at home on a grounder to third. Lee did the honors with a 2 run single to walkoff the Red Sox 5-4.

                                                             Twins win

Jackass of The Night is Jordan Hicks. He got shelled in the ninth inning to lose the game.

                                                             Jordan Jackass

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Alex Bregman was  for 5 with a 3 run home run.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a stolen base.

Abraham Toro was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

David Hamilton stole two bases and scored a run as a pinch runner.

Brennan Bernardino got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Murphy was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dick Fitts allowed just 2 runs but in just 4 innings of work.

Jorge Alcala allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

Honorable Mention:

Romy Gonzalez played first base in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

This one was on Cora as it was the bullpen. The Sox were down Aroldis Chapman (bad back) and Garrett Whitlock (stomach bug) and Cora STILL pulled Fitts after 4 and asked his depleted bullpen to throw another 5 innings. Jorge Alcala and Jordan Hicks failing isn't surprising because that's why they had ERAs over 6. The injury to Justin Slaten and the ineffectiveness of Luis Guerrero has Alcala in this position even if its unfair. Some fans are saying Hicks getting up and down to warm up multiple times due to the rain delay screwed up his rhythm but still, he couldn't find the plate at all. The offense is still lost apart from Bregman and Anthony but this was a very winnable game. That's the difference in winning another series 2 out of 3 and a five game win streak. Bottom line is Cora can't be blamed for trying to make due with the roster of backups and cheap relief options, but managing every game like its Game 7 of the world series is not sustainable. The Sox better make some moves at the deadline because this team is going to crash and burn if they don't. The loss dropped the Sox to 57-51, 6 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night when Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.97 ERA) takes on rookie Pierson Ohl making his ML debut. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Crochet, Sox Stomp Cubs (7/20/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a minor league signing. Old pal Roberto Hernandez was signed as a minor league free agent after getting cut from the Scranton RailRaiders. Hernandez spent 3 years as a catcher in Worcester from 2021 to 2023 before moving on in 2024. Like mentioned yesterday, he can't possibly be any worse than Connor Wong.....right?

                                                                  Welcome back

As for the game, thank goodness for Garrett Crochet (11-4, 2.19 ERA). After the Red Sox dropped the first two games to the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs, the Sox needed a stopper. Crochet once again picked the team up on his back, tossing 6 innings and allowing just 1 run. Meanwhile for six innings the Boston Red Sox were held in check by Cade Horton. Going into the top of the seventh the Sox had scored 1 run in 24 innings. Then they exploded. Wilyer Abreu hit a 2 run bomb off Ryan Pressly in the seventh to put Boston on top. Then Alex Bregman hit a pinch hit three run home run to ice the game in the eighth. Abreu hit another home run for good measure and the Sox took the game 6-1 at Wrigley Field.

                                               Scottie Scheffler approves of the win

Horton got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Roman Anthony got a base hit to right but Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. Crochet got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nico Hoerner greeted him with a base hit to center. Kyle Tucker struck out swinging but Hoerner swiped second. Seiya Suzuki grounded back to the mound to send Hoerner to third but Carson Kelly grounded out to first to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu grounded out to short. Carlos Narvaez also struck out swinging to end the inning. The Cubs struck first in the bottom of the second as Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled to right to start. Dansby Swanson got a base hit in the hole at short and PCA was thrown out at third in a rundown trying to steal. Swanson moved to second on the play and he scored on the Ian Happ base hit to right. Old pal Justin Turner flied out to right and Happ got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Cubs up 1-0.

                                                        Cubs strike first again

Marcelo Mayer lined out to left to start the top of the third before Romy Gonzalez grounded back to the mound. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Shaw singled to center to start the bottom of the third before Duran made a sliding catch to rob Hoerner of a hit. Tucker grounded out to first and Suzuki popped up to third to end the inning.

Anthony walked to start the top of the fourth but Rafaela popped up to first. Yoshida lined out to right and Story lined out to left to end the inning. Kelly took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and PCA went down hacking. Swanson got a base hit to left but Happ flied out to left to end the inning.

Abreu walked to start the top of the fifth but Narvaez struck out swinging. It looked like Abreu had stolen second but Cubs manager Craig Counsell challenged that he was out. Sure enough, replays overturned the call and naturally Mayer got a base hit to center. Tucker then made a great diving catch to rob Gonzalez of a hit to end the inning. Turner grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth then Shaw did the same. Hoerner got a base hit to left before Tucker walked. Suzuki walked to load the bases but Kelly forced Suzuki at second to end the inning.

Duran walked to start the top of the sixth before moving to second on the grounder to third by Anthony. Rafaela grounded out to third and that was it for Horton. Caleb Thielbar struck out Yoshida swinging to end the inning. Crochet returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and PCA doubled to right to start. Swanson struck out swinging and Happ grounded out to third. A wild pitch moved PCA to third but Turner struck out swinging to end the inning. Crochet had held the Cubs to just 1 run in 6 innings off 8 hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Crochet gets it done

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the top of the seventh against Ryan Pressly. Story walked and Abreu hit his 19th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Narvaez took strike three, Mayer flied out to center and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-1.

                                                      Boston takes the lead

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock took over for the bottom of the seventh and Michael Busch pinch hit for Shaw. Busch struck out swinging but Rafaela booted a grounder by Hoerner for an error. Tucker grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Drew Pomeranz came in for the top of the eighth and Duran walked to start. Anthony singled to center but was forced at second by Rafaela. Alex Bregman pinch hit for Yoshida and blasted his 12th home run of the season to ice the game. That was it for Pomeranz as Ethan Roberts came in to pitch. Story flied out to center but Abreu launched his 20th home run of the season for good measure. Narvaez doubled to center but Mayer flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                       THAT'S how you pinch hit

Jordan Hicks came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Suzuki took strike three to start. Kelly lined out to left and PCA popped up to short to end the inning.

Brooks Kriske came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Duran flied out to right and Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Swanson struck out swinging to start. Happ flied out to right and Turner lined out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of the Night is Wilyer Abreu. His two run home run put the Sox ahead and he hit another one for good measure.

                                                             Home run Hero

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Alex Bregman hit a pinch hit 3 run home run.

Garrett Crochet got the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Garrett Whitlock tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 but scored a run.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Better late than never. Going into the seventh inning the Sox had scored just 1 run in 24 innings this series. Then with a snap of a finger Abreu and Bregman go off and the Sox never look back. Crochet did a good job but kudos to Whitlock and the others for holding the fort as well. Anthony continues to look like he belongs and if Bregman ever gets healthy, good things will happen. Crochet continues his march toward the AL Cy Young Award, hopefully he can stay upright the next two months as well. The Sox are running into a gauntlet and need a strong showing against Philadelphia and Los Angeles if they want to keep their spot in the wild card race. The Tampa Bay Rays lost as well so the Sox at least gain a game on them. The win improved the Sox to 54-47, 5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Philadelphia to play Dave Dombrowski's Phillies. Tomorrow night Walker Buehler takes on Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Citizen's Bank Park.

Rafaela, Sox Walkoff Rays (7/11/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made two roster moves. Alex Bregman was finally activated off the Injured List and returned to active duty tonight. Also activated for tonight's game was Hunter Dobbins. David Hamilton and Isaiah Campbell was sent down to Worcester to make room for them. Kudos to Isaiah Campbell for eating key innings on Wednesday night so the Sox bullpen could rest for last night's win. Hamilton will be back if and when someone is traded or hurt.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, for most of it things looked like April & May. Starter Hunter Dobbins came off the injured list and lasted just 1 2/3 innings before being knocked out with a knee injury. Then in the top of the third, a two out error and a passed ball led to three unearned runs scoring to give the Rays a 4-1 lead. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth for two runs but couldn't deliver the knockout blow. The Sox had chances to do it but failed each time. Then with one out in the ninth, Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Roman Anthony to pinch hit. Anthony walked and the red hot Ceddanne Rafaela mashed a a two run home run to win the game. The Sox had won their eighth game in a row and second straight over the Rays 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                8 in a row....ah ah ah

The Rays jumped on Dobbins in the top of the first inning as Yandy Diaz walked to start. Jonathan Aranda took strike three but Jake Mangum and Junior Caminero stroked back to back singles to load the bases. Josh Lowe beat out a double play ball to score Diaz and put the Rays up just 5 batters into the game. Taylor Walls struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                           Caminero loads the bases

Rasmussen got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran lined out to first to start. The returning Alex Bregman grounded out to third but Masataka Yoshida doubled to left. Carlos Narvaez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Things went south in the top of the second inning as Jose Caballero grounded out to second to start. Chandler Simpson hit a routine grounder to first but Dobbins fell down grabbing his knee and screaming after stepping on the back. Dobbins had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Jorge Alcala came in ice cold and Danny Jansen doubled to center only for Diaz to ground out to short to end the inning. The Sox had lost their starter just 2 innings into the game.

                                                          Dobbins is hurt

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to center to start. Trevor Story walked but Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging. Abraham "El" Toro beat out a double play ball and Ceddanne Rafaela drilled a base hit to right to score Abreu. Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Rafaela drives in a run

Everything fell apart in the top of the third as Aranda doubled to left to start. Mangum got a base hit to left to move Aranda to third but Caminero popped up to first. Lowe popped up to first but Mangum stole second. Walls walked to load the bases and chase Alcala. Brennan Bernardino came in and Caballero hit a routine grounder to first.....booted by Toro for an error to score Aranda. Back to back passed balls on Narvaez scored both Mangum and Walls before Simpson walked. Jansen flied out to right to end the inning but the game was over with the Sox down 4-1 on 2 passed balls and an error.

                                                      Carlos couldn't catch a cold

The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the third with Joe Boyle now on the mound. Bregman took strike three, Yoshida flied out to left and Narvaez popped up to second to end the inning.

Diaz grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth but Aranda got a base hit to left. Mangum flied out to right and Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox suddenly rallied in in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu walked to start. Story got a base hit to right and Mayer doubled to center to score Abreu. El Toro made up for his error by grounding out to second to score Story, moving Mayer to third. Naturally Rafaela hit a bullet right to Walls, who doubled off Mayer to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                           Mayer drives in a run

Lowe grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Walls grounded out to short. Caballero struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Bregman grounded out to third. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.

Greg Weissert took over on the mound for the top of the sixth and Simpson doubled to center to start. Jansen struck out swinging but Simpson moved to third on the grounder to second by Diaz. Aranda popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Narvaez walked to start. Abreu lined out to right but Story got a base hit to right. Mayer flied out to center and El Toro hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Justin Wilson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mangum walked to start. Caminero struck out swinging and Lowe forced Mangum at second. Walls got a base hit to left but Lowe was thrown out by Narvaez trying to steal third to end the inning. Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Durran grounded out to first but Bregman doubled to center. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jordan Hicks took over on the mound for the top of the eighth and Caminero grounded out to second to start. Simpson grounded out to second and Jansen took strike three to end the inning. Narvaez grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth and Garrett Cleavinger was brought in to face Abreu. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Rob Refsnyder. Refsnyder and Story both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Chris Murphy (2-0, 0.00 ERA) came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Story made an absolutely amazing catch and throw to rob Diaz of a hit to start. Aranda flied out to center and Mangum took strike three to end the inning. Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and things looked bleak when Mayer grounded out to second to start. Then Cora made a bold move by sending in rookie Roman Anthony ice cold to pinch hit for El Toro. The gamble worked as Anthony walked and Rafaela mauled a walkoff two run bomb to win the game. The Sox had stunned the Rays 5-4.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of The Night is obviously Ceddanne Rafaela. He drove in 3 runs including the walkoff home run to win the game.

                                                             Ice water veined Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Roman Anthony walked and scored as a pinch hitter.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless inning.

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Chris Murphy got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 passed balls but drew a walk.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.

Hunter Dobbins allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings before leaving with injury.

Jorge Alcala was charged with 3 earned runs but none of them were earned.

Final Thoughts:

Is it time to start believing in this team? After the Sox took 7 of 9 from the New York Yankees and the Rays, including the three game sweep, Fenway Park was rocking. Then the Sox traded Rafael Devers and after winning 3 of the next 4 games, they started their 1-8 slide. Now after winning 8 games in a row, Fenway is alive again. Beating up on bad teams is one thing, winning two in a row against a playoff position team like the Rays is another. Not only that, the Sox went into this series 2-32 when trailing after 7 innings and won both games in the later innings. Rafaela was snubbed for the All-Star game and he's put them on his back with Devers traded and Alex Bregman out until today. Someone had to step up and he did. Its unfortunate that Dobbins got hurt again but kudos to the bullpen to limit the damage. Because of El Toro's error and the two passed balls, all three runs allowed by Alcala were unearned. The bullpen essentially didn't allow an earned run after Dobbins left and it was a big part in the win. The much maligned Jordan Hicks pitching a clean inning with Weissert and Wilson overcoming men on base, the Sox had little margin for error and still found a way. The bad news was the Sox had to deplete their bullpen in tonight's game, the good news is Garrett Crochet is going tomorrow afternoon. Before the series started I wanted the Sox to take 3 out of 4 and tonight's game was the one I'd thought they'd lose. Instead, they've won the first two games and have Crochet and the rejuvenated Brayan Bello ready for the final two. A series sweep is a tall task but just got a little bit more believable. Can they not trade anyone please? Rumors are swirling about the San Diego Padres desperately wanting Jarren Duran and Aroldis Chapman is the most sought after reliever in baseball. If I was Craig Breslow, I'd be looking to deal some of the prospects for a second starter. If Dobbins' knee injury is serious, the Sox are looking at a rotation of Crochet, Giolito, Buehler, Bello and Fitts. Buehler and Fitts have been inconsistent and they need something more solid. Still, the team as it is now is rolling and it just got Bregman and Yoshida back. The Sox look to make it 9 in a row tomorrow afternoon when they send ace Garrett Crochet (9-4, 2.39 ERA) to the mound against Shane Baz of Tampa. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.