Ryan, Twins Blank Sox (6/22/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. The Sox sent a brown sack full of money to the Los Angeles Dodgers for veteran relief pitcher Tayler Scott. Scott has been cucka at the ML level but has dominated AAA wherever he's gone. He had a 1.37 ERA for Oklahoma City this season so hopefully this is just for emergency depth. In other moves, Alex Verdugo was placed on the Bereavement List due to a death in the family, condolences to him. Reese McGuire also strained his oblique so he's been placed on the injured list. In their places the Sox called up veteran catcher Caleb Hamilton and rookie 26 year old pitcher Brandon Walter. Hamilton was called up to the Minnesota Twins last year and Walter was a 26th round pick in the 2019 draft. Good luck to them.

                                                                 OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, usually when you throw out a bullpen game because you're too cheap to go get starting pitching against the other team's ace....you don't win. Ryan dominated the Red Sox tossing a complete game 3 hit shutout that wasn't even as close as that sounds. All 3 hits should have been caught or fielded. Meanwhile Justin Garza (0-2, 5.14 ERA) got rocked for 2 runs in the first inning to put the game out of reach early. Brandon Walter was then thrown into the fire in his ML debut and did considerably well, allowing 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings but got no run support. The Twins showed the Sox what a real ace looked like as they took the game 6-0 at Target Field. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Ryan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Justin Turner lined out to center and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning. The Twins wasted no time getting to Garza in the bottom of the first as Eduoard Julien took strike three to start. Carlos Correa hit a home run all the way to California to put the Twins up for good just like that. Alex Kiriloff struck out swinging but Byron Buxton hit a home run all the way to Brooklyn to increase the lead. Max Kepler got a base hit to center but Royce Lewis grounded out to third to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                           Buxton hits one out

Rafael Devers grounded out to first to start the top of the second and Adam Duvall struck out swinging. Triston Casas grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Ryan Jeffers singled off the glove of Devers to start the bottom of the second and finally Sox manager Alex Cora yanked Garza. Brandon Walter made his ML debut by giving up a base hit to right to Willi Castro. Michael A Taylor doubled to left to score both runners and Donovan Solano pinch hit for Julien. Solano walked but Correa flied out to center. Kyle Farmer pinch hit for Kirilloff and Taylor was thrown out in a rundown after Kyle flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins up 4-0.

                                                             Taylor ices it

Connor Wong struck out swinging to start the top of the third and David Hamilton popped up to third. Pablo Reyes lined out to left to end the inning. Buxton hit a home run all the way to Toronto to start the bottom of the third but Kepler took strike three. Lewis got a base hit to left and stole second while Jeffers struck out swinging. Castro lined out to left to end the inning with the Twins ahead 5-0.

                                                      Buxton does it again

Duran flied out to center to start the top of the fourth but Taylor couldn't come up with a "base hit" by Turner. Yoshida flied out to center and Devers popped up to first to end the inning. Enrique Hernandez came in for Reyes to start the bottom of the fourth and Taylor grounded out to third to start. Solano grounded out to short and Correa popped up to second to end the inning.

Duvall struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Casas did the same. Wong completed the trifecta by swinging at air to end the inning. The Twins wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the fifth as Farmer walked to start. Buxton grounded out to third to move Kyle to second and Kepler grounded out to second to move Farmer to third. Lewis got a base hit to center to score Farmer but Jeffers flied out to right to end the inning with the Twins ahead 6-0.

                                                            Twins pour it on

Hamilton grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Hernandez lined out to center. Duran lined out to right to end the inning. Castro lined out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Taylor popped up to first. Solano walked but Correa flied out to right to end the inning. 

Turner flied out to center to start the top of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to first. Castro misplayed a fly ball by Devers for a "single" but Duvall flied out to left to end the inning. Farmer grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Buxton popped up to first. Kepler flied out to right to end the inning. 

Casas struck out swinging to open the top of the eighth and Wong did the same. Hamilton hit a routine grounder to short but Correa went OLE! for a "single" since he never got a hand on it. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Lewis grounded out to short to start the bottom of the eighth but Jeffers doubled to left. Castro lined out to second and that was it for Walter. Yeoman's effort by Brandon to give the bullpen a rest with 6 2/3 innings. Joe Jacques froze Taylor for strike three to end the inning. 

                                                      Good effort by Walter

Ryan came back to finish his work in the top of the ninth as Duran struck out swinging to start. Turner popped up to second and Yoshida flied out to left to end the game. The Twins had won it 6-0.

                                                                    Twins win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Garza. Not that the Sox were going to do much offensively, but putting them in a 3-0 hole against Joe Ryan was the kiss of death.

                                                           "Yeah you're out of here, Jackass"

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3.

Brandon Walter made his ML debut by tossing 6 2/3 innings of 3 run ball allowing 6 hits and 3 walks.

Joe Jacques struck out the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Adam Duvall was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 1.

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

The outcome of this game is inconsequential compared to the message it sends. The Twins and the Red Sox are both hovering around .500 but the Twins have an ace, the Sox don't. In the era of the third wild card, the Twins are the team that can trade prospects for a number 2 or 3 to get them to the playoffs. Meanwhile the Sox are relying on broken down Chris Sale & James Paxton to get them to October. Give credit to Ryan for pitching very well and the Twins for hitting the AAA pitching the Sox threw at them. The sad part is there's still 86 games to go in this season so we're a long way from the finished line. If this doesn't motivate Sox GM Chaim Bloom to go get an ace, I don't know what will. Kudos to Walter for being thrown in the fire and putting up decent stats. Too bad the Sox couldn't score a run for him. The Sox now continue their road trip by motoring on to Chicago for a three game set with the White Sox beginning tomorrow night. Brayan Bello (4-4) goes up against Lucas Giolito of the White Sox. The game begins at 8:10 PM eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Guardians Drop Crawford, Sox (6/7/23)

This season its take two steps forward and two steps back for the Boston Red Sox. After rallying past the Cleveland Guardians last night, this time it was the Guardians that rallied past the Sox in tonight's game due to a comedy of errors. The Sox broke out to a 2-1 lead over Tanner Bibee but a 2 run rally in the bottom of the fourth against Kutter Crawford (1-3, 3.68 ERA) and a 2 run rally in the bottom of the fifth against Justin Garza proved to be enough offense for Cleveland. After Bibee left the game, the Cleveland bullpen allowed just a hit and 2 walks in four innings to put the game on ice. Emmanuel Clase slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Guardians took out the Sox 5-2 at Progressive Field.

                                                   Sox fans want the season over already

The Sox did strike first against Bibee in the top of the first as Alex Verdugo walked to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right but Justin Turner popped up to first. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left to score Verdugo. Triston Casas flied out to center and Enrique Hernandez forced Devers at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Steven Kwan struck out swinging to start. Amed Rosario got a base hit just past Crawford but Jose Ramirez hit a bullet to Devers who gunned down Rosario at first to end the inning.

Jarren Duran grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Connor Wong got a ground rule double down the right field line. Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging but Verdugo walked. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. The Guardians tied it up in the bottom of the second as Josh Naylor doubled to center to start. Josh Bell got a base hit to right to score Naylor and Andres Gimenez forced Bell at second. Gimenez was thrown out at second trying to steal and Will Brennan flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Guardians tie it up

Turner grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Devers grounded out to third. Casas flied out to center to end the inning. Mike Zunino struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Myles Straw flied out to right. Kwan also went down hacking to end the inning.

Hernandez hit a ground ball to second that Gimenez bobbled then threw away for an error to put Enrique on second base to start the top of the fourth. Duran grounded out to second to move Hernandez to third but Wong struck out swinging. Naylor booted a grounder by Valdez for an error to score Hernandez then promptly stole second. Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                            Oops!

The Guardians took command in the bottom of the fourth when Valdez failed to come up with a grounder by Rosario to start. Then Ramirez hit a bullet off the glove of Casas and Valdez threw the ball away for an error to put both runners in scoring position. Naylor got a base hit to right to score Rosario and that was it for Crawford after just 58 pitches. Despite Valdez throwing the ball away, Crawford was charged with 3 runs in 3 innings. Brennan Bernardino came in and Devers immediately booted a grounder by Bell for yet another error to score Ramirez. Gimenez grounded into a double play and Brennan lined out to left to end the inning with the Guardians up 3-2.

                                     Crawford should have thrown the ball into right field

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Turner flied out to left and Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Justin Garza came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Zunino got a base hit to center. Straw flied out to center and Kwan beat out a double play ball. Rosario doubled to left to score Kwan and Ramirez doubled to right to score Rosario to ice the game. That was it for Garza as Chris Murphy came in for his ML debut. Chris got Naylor to ground out to short to end the inning with Cleveland up 5-2.

                                                              Rosario ices it

Eli Morgan came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas struck out swinging to start. Hernandez watched strike three go by and Duran swung at air to end the inning. Bell struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Gimenez did the same. Brennan lined out to short to end the inning.

Sam Hentges came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong struck out swinging. Pablo Reyes pinch hit for Valdez and walked, but Verdugo forced Reyes at second. Yoshida hit a grounder to second and Verdugo lollygagged to the base which he would have beat out if he was hustling, instead he was "forced" to end the inning. Zunino struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the seventh but Straw singled off the glove of Reyes. Kwan walked but Rosario struck out swinging. Ramirez forced Straw at second to end the inning.

Trevor Stephan came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Turner grounded out to short to start. Devers got a base hit to right then took second on the grounder to first by Casas. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Christian Arroyo came in for Verdugo to begin the bottom of the eighth and Naylor got a base hit to left to start. Bell grounded into a double play and Gimenez struck out swinging....but Wong botched the pitch for a passed ball. A wild pitch moved Gimenez to second but Brennan flied out to center to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Murphy to keep the Sox in it.

                                                     Welcome to the big leagues

Emmanuel Clase came in to close out the top of the ninth and Duran walked to start. Duran stole second but Wong struck out swinging. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Reyes and struck out swinging. Arroyo flied out to center to end the game. The Guardians had won 5-2.

                                                            Guardians win

Jackass of the Night is Alex Verdugo for taking his sweet time getting to second that would have continued the rally if he hustled.

                                                 Ever heard of sliding, Jackass?

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Pablo Reyes walked as a pinch hitter.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless inning.

Chris Murphy tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4.

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Kutter Crawford was charged with 3 runs in 3 innings off 6 hits.

Justin Garza allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and stole a base.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error but walked and stole a base.

Final Thoughts:

This game was a disaster for the Red Sox with guys making errors both physically and mentally. Valdez throwing the ball away and Devers booting another grounder are physical errors, they happen. Verdugo practically walking to second base on that grounder is a mental error, those shouldn't happen. Even if he was out by a half step on a hustling slide, you can appreciate the effort. In a game that was this close, every run and base counted. Obviously the physical errors led to 5 runs crossing the plate and Crawford getting yanked was the primary cause. Justin Garza getting lit up was just another nail in the coffin. Games like these are why the Sox can't ever get a winning streak going, they can't get out of their own way. Losing 3 of their last 4 has sent this team into purgatory and it doesn't seem like they can get out of it any time soon unless a miracle happens. The loss dropped the Sox to 31-31, 13 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win the series tomorrow when they call up veteran Matt Dermody to start against Aaron Civale of the Guardians. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Progressive Field.

Rays Rally Past Sox Late in Game 2 (6/3/23)

Well that sucked. The Boston Red Sox were beaten in Game 2 of today's doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays off a late rally in the ninth inning. Kutter Crawford lasted just 3 innings and the Rays rallied for a run against Ryan Sherriff and two off Kenley Jansen (1-3, 3.86 ERA). Meanwhile Tyler Glasnow held the Sox to just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings and the Sox got a run against Colin Poche in the seventh. In the top of the ninth, Harold Ramirez hit a two run double to put the Rays on top. The Sox did get two men on in the bottom of the ninth but Jose Siri somehow caught a bloop by Jarren Duran to end the game. The Rays had taken Game 2 by a score of 4-2 at Fenway Park.

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz grounded out to short to start. Brandon Lowe struck out swinging and Harold Ramirez popped up to short to end the inning. Glasnow got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to start. Rafael Devers walked but Masataka Yoshida lined out to center. Jarren Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Randy Arozarena got a base hit to left to start the top of the second but Josh Lowe struck out swinging. Arozarena stole second but Isaac Parades lined out to right. Taylor Walls struck out swinging to end the inning. Raimel Tapia struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second but Triston Casas doubled to center. Pablo Reyes struck out swinging and Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the third as Manny Margot doubled to left to start. Francisco Mejia grounded out to second and Diaz grounded out to short to score Margot. Brandon Lowe flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0. That was it for Crawford who was yanked after just 3 innings and a run allowed.

                                                        Three and out for Crawford

Connor Wong flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Verdugo grounded out to first. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning.

Justin Garza came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Ramirez lined out to right to start. Arozarena struck out swinging and Josh Lowe lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox tied it in the bottom of the fourth as Yoshida doubled to left to start. Duran grounded out to second to move Masataka to third but Tapia struck out swinging but Casas tripled to left to score Yoshida. Reyes grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Casas ties it up

Parades walked to start the top of the fifth and Walls did the same. Margot struck out swinging and that was it for Garza. Ryan Sherriff came in and Mejia got a base hit to left to load the bases. Diaz forced Parades at home and Brandon Lowe struck out swinging to end the inning. Valdez got a base hit inside the bag at first to start the bottom of the fifth but Wong struck out swinging. Verdugo grounded out to first to move Valdez to second and Devers walked. Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Rays took command in the top of the sixth as Ramirez doubled to right to start. Ramirez stole third but Arozarena popped up to third. Jose Siri pinch hit for Josh Lowe and doubled to left to score Ramirez. Parades was hit with a pitch and Siri promptly stole third. Walls walked to load the bases but Margot popped up to second. Mejia flied out to right to end the inning with the Rays up 2-1.

                                                            Rays take the lead

Duran struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth but Tapia drew a walk to chase Glasnow. Robert "Louis" Stephenson came in to pitch and Tapia took off for second. The throw went wide and Tapia made it to third on the error. Casas struck out swinging and Reyes flied out to center to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Diaz lined out to right to start. Lowe struck out swinging but Ramirez singled in the hole at second. Arozarena took strike three to end the inning. Colin Poche came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Enrique Hernandez pinch hitting for Valdez. Hernandez struck out swinging but Wong drew a walk. Verdugo struck out swinging but somehow Lowe dropped a routine pop up by Devers to allow Hernandez to score all the way from first to tie the game. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                   "I don't got it" - Lowe

Siri struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth but Parades beat a roller to the mound. Walls took strike three and Margot grounded out to third to end the inning. Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran struck out swinging to start. Tapia grounded back to the mound but Casas walked. Reyes singled to right but Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Mejia singled to right to start. Diaz singled to left and Lowe flied out to right to move both runners over. Ramirez doubled to right to score both runners to ice the game. Arozarena walked but Siri struck out swinging. Parades hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Rays up 4-2.

                                                       Ramirez drives in the dagger

Jason Adam came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Reese McGuire pinch hitting for Wong. McGuire grounded out to third and Verdugo grounded out to first. Devers was plunked and took second on defensive indifference. Yoshida walked and Rob Refsnyder pinch ran for him. Duran looked to have blooped a base hit but somehow Siri made a great diving catch to end the game. The Rays had won it 4-2.

                                                Even Adam can't believe the Rays won

Jackass of the Night is Kenley Jansen. He took the loss by allowing 2 runs in the top of the ninth.

                                                            Hide your face, Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers walked twice and was hit with a pitch.

Triston Casas was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 2.

Justin Garza tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ryan Sherriff allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Raimel Tapia was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Pablo Reyes was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Kutter Crawford allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Rob Refsnyder ran for Yoshida in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

It was a stupid idea to make Jansen pitch in both games and he had nothing left for game 2. Still, if Crawford wasn't yanked after 3 innings maybe this game turns out different. Alex Cora has made a lot of bad decisions the last couple of years and the bloom might be coming off the rose. The Sox had a chance to win this one but Cora managing like it was Game 7 of the World Series cost them big time. Still, scoring only two runs against this team is inexcusable in itself. Glasnow is good but putting up a goose egg against the bullpen apart from a missed catch error doesn't look good moving forward. The Rays just keep pulling away and this season might be over sooner rather than later, unlike last year that dragged all the way to September. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-28, 10 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Tanner Houck (3-4) takes on Taj Bradley of Tampa. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Win Game, Lose Sale (6/1/23)

Worst case scenario for the Boston Red Sox reared its ugly head as once again Chris Sale has been injured and forced to leave a game. The MRI will be tomorrow but the news doesn't appear to be good. If the Sox are without Sale for a long period of time, the season is essentially over already. Sale left today's game against the Cincinnati Reds trailing 1-0 in the top of the fourth. The Sox tied it in the bottom of the fourth and the game was 2-2 going into the bottom of the eighth. The Sox then exploded for six runs, capped off by a Connor Wong home run to put the Sox up for good. Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the ninth and the Sox lost Sale but won the game 8-2 over the Reds at Great American Ballpark.

                                       Sale goes into The Barber of Seville before leaving

Sale got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kevin Newman singled to right to start. Matt McLain struck out swinging before Jonathan India also went down hacking. Spencer Steer struck out swinging to end the inning. Hunter Greene got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Justin Turner also went down hacking to end the inning.

Tyler Stephenson flied out to right to start the top of the second before Stuart Fairchild struck out swinging. Nick Senzel struck out swinging to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida walked to begin the bottom of the second but Jarren Duran swung at air. Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging and Triston Casas flied out to left to end the inning.

Jose Barrero struck out swinging to begin the top of the third but Curt Casali doubled to left. Newman doubled to center to score Casali but McLain grounded out to third. India lined out to left to end the inning with the Reds up 1-0.

                                                                Reds strike first

Connor Wong struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Enmanuel Valdez was rung up for strike three. Verdugo flied out to to center to end the inning. 

Tragedy struck in the top of the fourth as Steer doubled to center to start. Stephenson doubled to center as well and the play of the game occured. Fairchild flied out to right and Verdugo fired home. Steer bowled over Wong at the plate but was ruled out. Senzel walked and then Sale keeled over on the mound. He had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Brigham & Women's ICU. Justin Garza came in to pitch and Barrero popped up to first to end the inning. Not good!

                                                          Sale leaves in the fourth inning

The Sox tied the game in the bottom of the fourth as Devers doubled to center to start. Turner singled off the glove of Steer to score Rafael to tie the game. Yoshida flied out to left but Duran walked. Hernandez popped up to second and Casas flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Turner ties it up

Casali struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth before Newman grounded out to second. McLAin lined out to center to end the inning. Wong flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Valdez flied out to center. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the top of the sixth and India struck out swinging to start. Steer walked but Stephenson flied out to right. Jake Fraley pinch hit for Fairchild and Fraley grounded out to second to end the inning. Devers walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Turner struck out swinging. Yoshida flied out to left and Duran flied out to center to end the inning.

Nick Pivetta came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Senzel took strike three to start. Barrero struck out swinging and Casali was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Ian Gibaut came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez belted his 5th home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Casas popped up to short, Wong flied out to right and Valdez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                              Sox take the lead

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Newman doubled to right to start. A wild pitch moved Newman to third and he scored on the McLain single to center. India grounded into a double play and Steer flied out to center to end the inning, but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                                Reds tie it up

Kevin Herget came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo walked to start. Devers ripped a double to center to score Verdugo from first to put the Sox back on top. Turner singled to left and Devers was foolishly thrown out at home on a grounder to second by Yoshida. Raimel Tapia pinch ran for Turner and Duran was intentionally walked. A balk was called on Herget to score Tapia and Hernandez drove in both Yoshida & Duran with a base hit to right. Casas grounded out to first but Wong belted his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead. Valdez singled to right but Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 8-2.

                                                         Devers puts Boston on top

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Stephenson flied out to right to start. Fraley grounded out to short but Senzel walked. Senzel took second on defensive indifference but Barrero hit one up the elevator shaft to end the game. The Sox had won 8-2.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. His rbi double in the eighth inning was the decisive blow in the game.

                                                                 Devers Hero                               

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Raimel Tapia scored a run as a pinch runner.

Jarren Duran walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with 3 total rbis, a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Chris Sale allowed just a run in 3 2/3 innings before leaving with injury.

Justin Garza tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Josh Winckowski pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Nick Pivetta pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, threw a runner out and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but hit a 2 run home run.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Martin vultured the win by allowing a run in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Just when you thought the season couldn't get any worse, this happens. With Trevor Story and Adam Duvall out, the Sox are already challenged offensively but taking away their ace again could put this team headed to last place again. It was a good win but very costly considering they need Sale if they have any hope of escaping the basement after last year's disaster. The team showed heart to win this one after Sale went down, especially the bullpen. Kudos to the eighth inning rally to put the game away with Devers and Wong leading the charge. Still, they're going to need more out of the other starters now moving forward depending how long Sale is out. They JUST get Paxton back 3 weeks ago and bye bye Sale. This team can't catch a break. The win improved the Sox to 29-27, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow for a four game set beginning tomorrow night. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock takes on old friend Jalen "Twin" Beeks. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Falls Short Against Reds (5/30/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Corey Kluber was placed on the Paternity List and Ryan Sherriff was recalled from Worcester to take his place. Congratulations to Corey.

                                                                          OUT

                                                              IN

As for the game, that was a sucker punch to the gonads. For 7 innings it was all Cincinnati Reds as they took advantage of a hasty Alex Cora decision to score 8 runs. Brayan Bello (3-3, 3.89 ERA) had allowed just 1 run through four innings but the bullpen completely imploded. Thanks to a Jose Barrero grand slam, the Reds scored 7 runs off Justin Garza and Joely Rodriguez. The Sox rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh but Spencer Steer got a run off Ryan Sherriff. Suddenly the Sox sprang to life scoring 5 runs to put the tying run at third base against Alexis Diaz. Triston Casas struck out to end the rally and the game. The Reds had won the game 9-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                     ''Casas.......''

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and TJ Friedl grounded out to short to start. Matt McLain singled to right to right and moved to second on a Jonathan India grounder back to the mound. Jake Fraley walked and Tyler Stephenson walked to load the bases. Spencer Steer forced Tyler at second to end the inning. Blake Lively got the ball in the bottom of the first and Raimel Tapia grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers flied out to center and Justin Turner flied out to right to end the inning.

The Reds struck first in the top of the second as Kevin Newman took strike three to start. Will Benson singled to center and Stuart Fairchild singled to right to move Benson to third. Friedl beat out a double play ball to score Benson to give Cincinnati the lead. McClain took strike three to end the inning with the Reds up 1-0.

                                                               Safe...but not by much

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Masataka Yoshida walked to start. Jarren Duran doubled to center but Triston Casas grounded out to second. Kike Hernandez walked to load the bases but Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging and Reese McGuire lined out to short to end the inning.

India grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Fraley grounded out to second. Hernandez threw a ball by Stephenson away for an error and Steer got a base hit to right to move Tyler to third. Newman lined out to a running Yoshida to end the inning. Tapia flied out to left to start the bottom of the third before Devers flied out to center. Turner grounded out to third to end the inning.

Benson tripled to left to start the top of the fourth but Fairchild grounded out to short. Friedl struck out swinging and McLain whiffed as well to end the inning. That was it for Bello who tossed 4 innings allowing just 1 run, but took 97 pitches to do it.

                                                    Short and sweet for Bello

Jose Barrero came in for Friedl to start the bottom of the fourth as Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Duran and Casas both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin Garza came in to pitch the top of the fifth and India singled to left to start. Fraley doubled to center to score India just like that. Stephenson struck out swinging and Steer grounded out to short to move Fraley to third. Newman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Reds up 2-0.

                                                               Reds score another

The Sox blew it again in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez got a base hit to center to start. Valdez and McGuire both struck out swinging, but Tapia doubled to center. Hernandez tried to score from first but was thrown out at home to end the inning.

The Reds got another run in the top of the sixth as Benson got a base hit to right to start. A wild pitch moved Benson to second and Fairchild struck out swinging. Barrero walked and McLain hit a grounder to Hernandez who turned and spiked the ball like a football, doing a backflip for an error that scored Benson. Indian popped up to first and that was it for Garza. Joely Rodriguez struck Fraley out swinging to end the inning with the Reds up 3-0.

                                                          Bad throw by Hernandez

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Turner grounded out to third. Yoshida got a base hit to center and that was it for Lively. Alex Young got Duran to line out to right to end the inning.

The Reds looked to have put the game away in the top of the seventh as Stephenson walked to start. Steer got a base hit to left and Newman walked to load the bases. Benson forced Stephenson at home but Fairchild walked to score Steer. Barrero then pounded a grand slam into the Charles River to increase the lead. That was it for Rodriguez as Ryan Sherriff came in to get McLain to line out to third. India struck out swinging to end the inning with the Reds up 8-0.

                                                              That should do it

Suddenly the Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh against Fernando Cruz on the mound. Casas grounded out to first before Hernandez struck out swinging. Valdez got a base hit in the hole at third and McGuire doubled to center to score Enmanuel. Tapia then tripled into the right field corner to score McGuire and Devers drilled a base hit to right to score Raimel. Turner flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 8-3.

                                                          Devers drives in a run

Naturally the bullpen couldn't hold it down in the top of the eighth as Fraley grounded back to the mound to start. Stephenson tripled into the centerfield triangle and scored on the Steer sac fly to left. Newman grounded out to first to end the inning with the Reds up 9-3.

                                                            Reds score again

Buck Farmer came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida got a base hit to center to start. Duran grounded out to second to move Masataka to second but Yoshida got doubled off on the bullet to right by Casas to end the inning.

Benson popped up to short to start the top of the ninth and Fairchild struck out swinging. Barrero singled to left and McLain flied out to center to end the inning. Eduardo Salazar came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Hernandez lined out to right to start. The Sox rallied when Valdez walked, McGuire doubled him to third and Tapia got a base hit to right to score Enmanuel. Devers got a base hit to center to score McGuire and send Tapia to third and Turner got a base hit to right to score Raimel. Alexis Diaz came in to pitch and Yoshida doubled to center to score Devers, representing the tying run. Pablo Reyes ran for Yoshida and Duran grounded out to short to score Turner, sending Reyes to third. Unfortunately Casas struck out swinging to end the game. The Reds had won 9-8.

                                                             Reds win

Jackass of the Night is Joely Rodriguez. He allowed 5 runs including a grand slam to put the game out of reach.

                                                        Jackass Rodriguez

The Good:

Raimel Tapia was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Garza allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk but struck out and committed an error.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed just 1 run in 4 innings.

Ryan Sherriff allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Pablo Reyes pinch ran for Yoshida in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

This game was a microcosm of the season with the bullpen failing to keep the game close and the Sox being unable to land the knockout punch. The Sox damn near erased a 9-3 deficit but fell one base short. It shouldn't have gotten to that point if Bello didn't nibble for 4 innings to drive up his pitch count. It also would help if Justin Garza and Joely Rodriguez didn't vomit up their intestines. It also didn't help THAT is who the Sox have to rely on because Chaim Bloom neglected the bullpen in the off-season. After running The A-Team into the ground in 2021, the bullpen imploded at the end of 2022. Kenley Jansen and John Schreiber can't save them every day. Just another reason why Bloom shouldn't be here. Kudos to the offense for damn near pulling off the upset without Alex Verdugo and Trevor Story, just was just too big a hole to dig out of. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-26, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound night against the Reds when James Paxton takes on Luke Weaver of Cincinnati. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.