O's Down Lifeless Red Sox (9/27/19)

The Boston Red Sox can't wait for the season to be over and it showed in tonight's ho-hum loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox offense scratched out just 6 total hits and 1 run while the O's got 3 against Nathan Eovaldi (2-1, 5.99 ERA). The Sox were shut down by the immortal Asher Wojciechowski who tossed 6 shutout innings. Thank goodness there are only 2 games left in the season because the Sox dropped this borderline unwatchable game 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                               Barnaby hates lifeless offenses

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan Villar flied out to center to start. Austin Hays took strike three but Trey Mancini walked. Dwight Smith Jr flied out to left to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first by lining out to center to begin. Rafael Devers whiffed but Xander Bogaerts doubled to left. Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to end the inning.

Renato Nunez flied out to right to open the top of the second before Rio Ruiz lined out to second. Hanser Alberto hit a routine fly ball to right but Gorkys Hernandez tried to catch the ball in his hat and it dropped for an error. DJ Stewart walked but Chance Sisco grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox bungled a rally in the bottom of the second although Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled to right to start. Both Sam Travis and Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging but Gorkys Hernandez atoned for his error by drawing a walk. Naturally Juan Centeno whiffed to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third inning although Villar flied out to left to start. Hays doubled to right but Mancini walked. A passed ball moved the runners overs but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez then pounded his 30th home run of the year into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning but it was now 3-0 Orioles.

                                                        Nunez ends it early

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they did not come back. Mr. Mookie singled to center to start the bottom of the third but was doubled off first when Devers hit a bullet to Alberto. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Eovaldi recovered in the top of the fourth inning as Alberto lined out to third to start. Stewart walked but Sisco struck out swinging. Villar grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland grounded out to short to start. Holt flied out to right but Travis was hit with a pitch. JBJ doubled to right and Travis tried to motor around home. Mancini threw home and Travis was out by a mile to end the inning.

                                                     YERRRRR OUTTA THERE!

Eovaldi came back for one last inning in the top of the fifth and Hays singled to right to begin. Mancini banged into a double play and Smith Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi made one mistake to Nunez but it was a big one as he left after 5 innings of 3 run ball in his final start of the season.

                                               See you next year Eovaldi

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez whiffed to start. Centeno grounded out to first and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the top of the sixth and Nunez grounded out to second to start. Ruiz grounded out to short but Alberto singled to right. Stewart doubled to center and Sisco walked to load the bases. Somehow Velazquez got Villar to pop up to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth inning as Devers flied out to center, Bogaerts lined out to right and Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Wojciechowski was 3-8 going into this game and the Sox made him look like Jim Palmer as he tossed 6 shutout innings.

Colten Brewer came in for the top of the seventh inning and Hays took strike three to start. Mancini walked but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning. Steve Wilkerson came in for Smith but went to right with Stewart going to left and Tanner Scott on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Holt lined out to center to start before Travis whiffed. JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ruiz grounded out to first to start. Alberto also grounded out to first but Stewart walked. Sisco walked but Villar flied out to left to end the inning. Mychal Givens put on a clinic in the bottom of the eighth as he blew away Hernandez, Centeno and Betts swinging in short order.

Marcus Walden came in to throw up on himself in the top of the ninth. Hays walked and stole second although Mancini went down swinging. Wilkerson grounded out to third but Nunez singled home Hays to increase the lead. Ruiz lined out to third to end the inning but Nunez had outscored the Red Sox all by himself with the O's leading 4-0.

                                                Nunez with another rbi

The Sox suddenly had a too little too late rally against Richard Bleier in the bottom of the ninth. Devers doubled to left and Bogaerts singled him home. Unfortunately Bogaerts was picked off and Moreland whiffed again. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Holt which made no sense at all and naturally Vazquez grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won it 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is Mitch Moreland. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including a key one in the ninth inning down 3 runs.

                                                         Nice strikeout Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Andrew Cashner pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in the top of the ninth



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and was thrown out at the plate, but was hit with a pitch.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 2 with an error and 2 strikeouts, but walked.

Nathan Eovaldi took the loss by allowing a 3 run home run in 5 innings pitched.




Final Thoughts:

Just 2 games left in this miserable season and they can't come fast enough. The Sox managed to make Asher Wojciechowski look like Mike Cuellar and Renato Nunez look like Frank Robinson. Nothing went right this year and things don't look good for next year as well. JD Martinez is a free agent and the rumor is Mookie Betts is leaving in free agency after 2020 so the Sox may trade him before then. We may be seeing a lot of these guys for the final time in the next few games. In some cases that's a good thing but in others, it will be sad to see them go. As for this disaster, the good news is its over and only 2 more defeats are left. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox lose to John Means of the Orioles. Jhoulys Chacin takes the loss for the Sox at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rangers Attack Boston Bullpen, Avert Sweep (9/26/19)

The fact David Price and Chris Sale are out for the season is the reason why today's game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers was a "bullpen game" for Boston. It turned into one of the most boring, frustrating and excruciating losses to sit through this season. Rangers starter Mike Minor needed some chicanery to pad his strikeout totals for the season but the Rangers offense teeing off on the Sox bullpen was the real story. The Rangers got just 7 hits but made them count with a 5th inning grand slam being the exclamation point. When the dust settled the Rangers had averted a sweep with a 7-4 victory at Arlington Park.

Mike Minor got the start for Texas in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for Boston and Shin-Soo Choo walked to start. Choo moved to second on the Elvis Andrus grounder and Willie Calhoun hit a routine grounder to Sam Travis. Travis dove on the ball and wrestled it for an error but luckily Danny Santana grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Travis grounded out to third to open the top of the second inning before Brock "The Hitman" Holt popped up to first. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Lakins struck out Rougned Odor swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Nick Solak grounded out to short. Ronald Guzman flied out to right to end the inning. Lakins did his job by pitching 2 perfect innings of this dreary game.

                                                           Lakins finishes strong

Minor turned up the heat in the top of the third by blowing away Jackie Bradley Jr to start. Both Sandy Leon and Chris Owings were called out on strikes to end the inning. Brian Johnson was first out of the pen for the Sox in the bottom of the third and Jose Trevino lined out to left to start. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to third but Choo walked. Andrus lined out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth when Marco Hernandez caught the Rangers asleep with a bunt single to start. Benintendi whiffed but Martinez singled Hernandez to third. Travis made up for his earlier error with a base hit to score Hernandez with the game's first run. Holt beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Gorkys Hernandez doubled home Martinez. JBJ singled home Holt but the rally ended when Leon grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                               Nice going Leon

The Rangers answered right back in the bottom of the fourth when Calhoun walked to start. Calhoun was erased on the force by Santana but Danny swiped second. Odor whiffed but Solak doubled home Santana. Guzman walked and Sox manager Alex Cora started the musical chairs in the bullpen by bringing in Trevor Kelley. Kelley struck out Trevino to end the inning but the Rangers were down 3-1.

                                             Nice going Johnson

Owings led off the top of the fifth by drawing a walk but got himself thrown out at second trying to steal. Marco Hernandez whiffed and Sox manager Alex Cora said to hell with this game and sat Andrew Benintendi in favor of Juan Centeno. Centeno grounded out to short to end the inning. Centeno took over behind the plate with Leon moving to first and Travis going to right with Mike Shawaryn now on the mound for the bottom of the fifth. Kiner started the rally with a single but Choo froze for strike three. Kiner swiped second and Andrus singled him to third. Andrus swiped second and Calhoun walked to load the bases. Santana then mashed a 500,000 foot grand slam to put the Rangers on top. Odor flied out to center but Solak singled to chase the incompetent Shawaryn. Colten Brewer came in as Solak swiped second on the incompetent Centeno but Guzman grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rangers up 5-3.

                                               Great bullpen help.....

Martinez tried to start a rally in the top of the sixth with a base hit to center but Travis ended it by grounding into a double play. Holt singled to left but Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Weber got the ball in the bottom of the sixth and Trevino whiffed to start. Kiner grounded out to first but Choo walked. Andrus grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox showed some life in the top of the seventh when JBJ clubbed his 21st home run of the season to cut the lead. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Owings of all people tied the game with his third home run of the season. Marco Hernandez grounded out to first but Centeno singled to left to keep the rally going. Martinez walked and somehow the Sox pulled off a double steal with the two slowest guys on the team. Naturally Travis whiffed to end the inning but the game was tied 5-5.

                                              Owings ties it up

The Rangers immediately retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Weber served up a 8,000,000 foot home run into the Gulf of Mexico to Calhoun to start. Santana struck out swinging but Odor smashed a 5,000 foot home run for the big insurance run. Solak lined out to right and Sox manager Alex Cora decided to piss everyone off with an unnecessary pitching change, bringing in Bobby Poyner to pitch to Guzman. Poyner got Guzman to fly out to left to end the inning but it was 7-5 Rangers.

                                                    Odor ices it

The Sox went quietly in the top of the eighth as Holt grounded out to first to start. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short and JBJ popped up to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the bottom of the eighth and Trevino grounded out to short to start. Kiner grounded out to third and Choo flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rangers pulled off some chicanery to get Minor his 200th strikeout of the season in the top of the ninth. Leon flied out to left and Owings popped up to first only for Guzman to drop it on purpose. Naturally Owings whiffed and the sparse crowd went wild for Minor's 200th strikeout. Even worse, rather than let Minor finish the game, Rangers manager Chris Woodward lifted him after 8 2/3 innings for Jose Leclerc. Leclerc punched out Marco Hernandez to end the game and give the Rangers the 7-5 win.

                                              Yeah yeah yeah....whoopie


Jackass of the Night is Ryan Weber. He served up not one, but two home runs after the Sox had fought to tie the game in the seventh.

                                                          Jackass Weber



The Good:

Juan Centeno was 1 for 2 at the plate and stole a base.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis including a solo home run.

Chris Owings was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Travis Lakins tossed two scoreless innings.

Colten Brewer retired the only man he faced.

Trevor Kelley struck out the only guy he faced.

Bobby Poyner retired the only man he faced.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Shawaryn gave up a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Gorkys Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Brian Johnson allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

Thank God there's only 3 games left in this awful season. The real death of the Sox were the lack of starting pitching depth. That fell squarely on former Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski who's only acquisition was Andrew Cashner who's been a titanic bust as both starter and reliever. These bullpen games are hard enough to sit through once per week, twice is just simply torture. The constant pitching changes slow the game to a crawl and since the games are meaningless to begin with, there's really no point in watching anymore. The next two games are about as useful as pants on a pig with the only drama left is if Eduardo Rodriguez can win 20 games in the season finale. Old time MLB writers are squawking about Guzman dropping the ball on purpose so Minor could pad his stats....are they forgetting Don Baylor dropping a pop up so Roger Clemens could strike out 20 in 1986? Eh, who cares?  The loss drops the Sox to an unimpressive 83-76 on the season. Tomorrow night the Sox begin their final homestand of the season when they welcome to the terrible Baltimore Orioles to Fenway. Asher Wojciechowski goes for the Orioles against Nathan Eovaldi (2-0) at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Eovaldi Wins 1st Start, Beats Rays (9/22/19)

Better late than never for Nathan Eovaldi (2-0, 6.03 ERA). After a season full of disappointments and injuries, Eovaldi won his first start this season...with only 7 games left in the season. Eovaldi tossed 6 innings of 3 run ball to keep the Boston Red Sox in the game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Christian Vazquez hit a 3 run bomb to pace the offense that cranked out 7 total runs. The Sox defeated Ryan Yarbrough and the Rays 7-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Scary Terry approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Yarbrough in the top of the first inning. Jackie Bradley Jr led off by striking out swinging but Rafael Devers dumped a single to center. Xander Bogaerts singled to center and JD Martinez drove home Devers with a base hit to give the Sox the lead. Christian Vazquez stepped up with a 3 run blast, his 22nd home run of the year, to put the Sox up big. Sam Travis got a base hit to center but Gorkys Hernandez popped up to first. Chris Owings singled to left and Juan Centeno was plunked to load the bases. JBJ took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0

                                                         Vazquez goes deep

The Rays fought right back in the bottom of the first as Joey Wendle walked to start. Austin Meadows singled Wendle to third and Wendle scored on the double play hit by Tommy Pham. Ji-Man Choi whiffed to end the inning with the Rays down 4-1.

                                                  Double play!

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Devers grounded out to second to start. Bogaerts popped up to first and Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. The Rays struck back in the bottom of the second as Brandon- Lowe singled to left to start. Nate Lowe took strike three but Willy Adames singled. Kevin Kiermaier singled home Brandon Lowe to cut the lead. Mike Zunino whiffed and Kiermaier was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                       YERRRR OUT!

Vazquez singled to center to start the top of the third but Travis flied out to center. Hernandez grounded out to first and Owings grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rays inched closer in the bottom of the third as Wendle bashed a 500,000 foot home run to start. Meadows flied out to center but Pham singled to right. Choi took strike three and Brandon Lowe flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays down 4-3.

                                                      Rays inching closer

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth although Centeno grounded out to second to begin. JBJ hit a double to center and Kiermaier threw the ball away, allowing Jackie to reach third. Devers walked to chase Yarbrough and Andre Kittredge came in. Bogaerts was plunked to load the bases and Martinez drew a walk to score Jackie. Vazquez struck out swinging and a wild pitch scored Devers. Travis grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox led 6-3.

                                                      JD walks in a run

Nate Lowe singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but was doubled off first on the line drive to Eovaldi off the bat of Adames. Kiermaier was plunked but Zunino popped up to second to end the inning.

Hernandez grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Owings went down hacking. Centeno lined out to center to end the inning. Eovaldi cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Wendle flied out to left to start. Meadows also flied out to left and Pham grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jalen "Twin" Beeks came in for the top of the sixth and JBJ grounded out to short to begin. Devers lined out to left and Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi had one last inning in him and finished the bottom of the sixth. Choi and Brandon Lowe both whiffed but Nate Lowe walked. Adames grounded into a force to end the inning. Eovaldi pitched his best game of the season with 6 innings of 3 run ball, a far cry from his successes last season.

                                                  Eovaldi with a solid start

Boston rallied off Trevor Richards in the top of the seventh as Martinez got a base hit to right and Vazquez singled him to third. Travis and Hernandez both struck out swinging but Wendle threw a routine grounder by Owings away, allowing Travis to score. Centeno walked to load the bases but JBJ flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                              "Aww man I crapped mah pants!" - Wendle

Sox manager Alex Cora rubbed his hands maniacally because now it meant he could bring in 117 pitchers the rest of the game and Darwinzon Hernandez was first out of the gate in the bottom of the seventh. Kiermaier lined out to second and Zunino grounded out to short, but Wendle walked. Meadows singled and Cora trudged to the mound to bring in Colten Brewer. A wild pitch moved both runners but Pham grounded out to short to end the inning.

Devers whiffed to begin the top of the eighth and Bogaerts grounded out to third. Martinez got a base hit to center but Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning. Matt Barnes came on for the bottom of the eighth and struck out Choi swinging to start. Brandon Lowe walked but Barnes punched out Nate Lowe. Adames lined out to right to end the inning.

Cole Sulser took over for the top of the ninth and Travis whiffed to start. Hernandez also struck out swinging but Owings walked. Centeno flied out to left field to end the inning. Andrew Benintendi took over in left field with Trevor Kelley on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Kiermaier flied out to center but Brendan McKay pinch hit for Zunino. McKay annihilated a home run all the way to the Red Sea for his first home run of the year. Wendle flied out to center and Cora came out to bring in Brandon Workman for god knows what reason. Meadows grounded out to end the game, the Sox had somehow beaten Tampa Bay 7-4.

                                                   Sox win it


Hero of the Night is Christian Vazquez. He went 3 for 5 including smashing the big 3 run home run in the first inning to give the Sox the lead they wouldn't give up.

                                                 Vazquez The Hero




The Good:

JD Martinez was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Nathan Eovaldi tosssed 6 innings of 3 run ball to earn the win. He struck out 6 batters.

Darwinzon Hernandez got the first 2 outs of the 7th inning.

Colten Brewer got the final out of the 7th inning.

Brandon Workman got the final out of the game.



The Bad:

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Trevor Kelley allowed a run in just 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored two runs.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Chris Owings was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 3 but walked and was hit with a pitch.



Honorable Mention:

Andrew Benintendi played left field in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Good to see Nathan Eovaldi end the season on a high note after being a disappointment all season. Hopefully next season he can stay healthy all season and be the pitcher he was last year. It may be too much to ask, but what the hell. One thing is for sure, the Sox are going to need more bench depth in 2020 because their September call-ups have been atrocious this month. The rise of Christian Vazquez also gives hope for next year if they potentially lose JD Martinez to free agency. Speaking of Martinez, this could be it for him so better enjoy him while you can. The win improved the Sox to 81-74 with just 7 games left in the season. The Sox look to annoy the Rays some more tomorrow night when they send Jhoulys Chacin to the mound against Blake Snell at 7:05 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Offense Wakes Up, Defeat Jays (9/12/19)

At this point the Boston Red Sox are just looking for some positives to go on next year because this season is a washout. One of them has to be Xander Bogaerts joining the 30 homer and 50 double club. Bogaerts cracked his 50th double in tonight's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The offense as a whole attacked old buddy Clay Buchholz, took advantage of 3 errors by the inexperienced Jays defense and finally got back in the win column with a 7-4 victory at the Skydome.

                                                     Evil Morty approves of the win

Buchholz cruised in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to left to begin. Brock "The Hitman" Holt flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. Jhoulys Chacin got the "start" for the Sox in the bottom of the first inning and Bo Bichette flied out to center to begin. Cavan Biggio struck out swining and Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the second inning when JD Martinez walked to begin. Andrew Benintendi swung at air but Mitch Moreland got a base hit to left. Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed but Marco Hernandez doubled home both runners. Juan Centeno grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                      Moreland comes around to score

Chacin got the pain in the ass Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez to freeze for strike three to start the bottom of the second. Justin Smoak took strike three but Randal Grichuk doubled to left. Reese McGuire walked but Billy McKinney flied out to right to end the inning. Good work Chacin for what its worth.

                                                           2 and out for Chacin

The Sox got another one in the top of the third although Mr. Mookie popped up to first to start. Holt popped up to third but Bogaerts doubled to right. Martinez doubled home Bogaerts to increase the lead but Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                        Tough day for Clay

Chacin ran out of gas in the bottom of the third although Derek Fisher flied out to center to start. Bichette doubled to left and Biggio walked, but Guerrero Jr flied out to left. That was it for Chacin as Darwinzon Hernandez came in to catch Tellez looking to end the inning.

The doubles parade continued in the top of the fourth although Moreland struck out swinging to start. JBJ doubled to center but Hernandez whiffed. Centendo singled home JBJ for his first rbi of the season. Mr. Mookie singled to third but Holt grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                               First rbi this year for Centeno

Josh Taylor came in for the bottom of the fourth and Smoak flied out to left to begin. Grichuk whiffed and McGuire grounded out to second to end the inning.

Brock Stewart replaced Buchholz for the top of the fifth and Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Martinez walked before Benintendi lined out to left. Moreland flied out to left to end the inning. Brian Johnson came in for the bottom of the fifth and Anthony Alford pinch hit for McKinney. Alford flied out to left and Fisher grounded out to first, but Bichette walked. Biggio tripled home Biggio to chase Johnson. Ryan Brasier came in and Guerrero Jr singled home Biggio to cut the lead in half. Tellez grounded into a force to end the inning with the Jays down 4-2.

                                                    Jays are back in it

Buddy Boshers came in for the top of the sixth and JBJ took strike three to start. Hernandez flied out to left and Centeno grounded out to first to end the inning. Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the sixth and Smoak popped up to short to begin. Grichuk grounded back to the mound and McGuire popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh against Jordan Romano. Mr. Mookie singled to left and Holt singled to right. Alford threw the ball away which allowed Betts to score and put Holt at second. Bogaerts singled home Holt to increase the lead. Martinez whiffed to chase Romano. Thomas Pannone came in and Benintendi banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                 Holt scores a run

Marcus Walden came in for the bottom of the seventh and hit Alford, but he was erased on the force by Fisher. Bichette flied out to right but Biggio singled to left. Guerrero Jr whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth as Moreland grounded out to short to start. JBJ and Hernandez both whiffed to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in for the bottom of the eighth and Tellez whiffed to start. Smoak walked but Grichuk struck out swinging. McGuire walked and Alford singled to load the bases. Fisher walked in a run to re-load the bases, cut the lead in half, and chase Barnes. Brandon Workman came in and got Bichette to fly out to right to end the inning with the Jays down 6-3.

The Sox got the run back in the top of the ninth as Centendo lined out to right to begin. Fisher dropped a routine pop up by Betts which allowed Mookie to make it all the way to third. Fisher then lost Holt's pop up in the lights and it dropped in for a hit to score Betts. Bogaerts flied out to right and Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 7-3.

Mercifully the game concluded in the bottom of the ninth as Biggio singled to right to begin. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to advance Biggio to second and he took third on a passed ball. Tellez scored Biggio with a sac fly but Smoak went down swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

                                                  Another win



Hero of the Night is Brock Holt. He drove in 2 of the runs including the kill shot in the 9th inning

                                                Hitman Hero



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Jhoulys Chacin tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Darwinzon Hernandez struck out the only man he faced.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless 4th inning.

Andrew Cashner pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Johnson allowed two runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jackie Bradley was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4 and the one hit drove in 2 runs.

Juan Centeno was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run

Ryan Brasier allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Brandon Workman allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings but earned his 12th save.




Final Thoughts:

15 games of torture remaining in this miserable season. Now that the games are essentially worthless, the games are becoming unbearable. The 400 pitching changes, endless commercials, stepping out in between pitches, its all too painful. Even though the Sox won, it meant almost nothing. Good for Centeno to get his first rbi of the year and Bogaerts to join the 30-50 club, but apart from that its a waste of time. It should never have come to this if Dave Dombrowski properly prepared for possibly losing a few starters. The less said about this season the better. The win improved the Sox to 77-70, too many games out of wild card contention. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Saturday on the road in Philadelphia. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox up against Phillies ace Tommy Nola at 7:05 PM at Citizen Banks Park.