Yankees Bash Scared Price, Sox Out of First (7/1/18)

Quite simply, David Price (9-6, 4.28 ERA) absolutely cannot pitch well in big games. With first place in the AL East on the line Price laid yet another egg in the Bronx, getting shelled by the frontrunning New York Yankees. They pounded Price for 9 hits and 8 earned runs while never looking back. Luis Severino, a real ace, held the Sox to no runs in 6 2/3 innings. When it was over the Yankees had taken the season series lead (5-4), taken over first place and taken this game 11-1 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                                   Nice going Price

Severino took the mound in the top of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a routine fly out to center. Andrew Benintendi whiffed badly on 3 fastballs right down the middle but JD Martinez walked on four pitches. Mitch Moreland whiffed as well to end the inning. Price timidly got the ball in the bottom of the first and somehow got Aaron Hicks to ground out to third to begin. Naturally Aaron Judge effortlessly crushed a 50,000 foot solo home run off the scared Price to give the Yankees the lead they would never relinquish. Giancarlo Stanton laughed at Price as he crushed a single just barely cut off by Benintendi. Didi Gregorious also effortlessly doubled off the wall off a shaken Price to put runners on second and third. Gleybar Torres yawned as he crushed a 3 run 980 foot bomb to put the Yankees up by four in a blink of an eye. Somehow Miguel Andujar grounded out to second and even more miraculous that Price got Greg Bird to ground out to first but the Yankees had ended the game early 4-0.

                                                        The rout was on

The Sox gave up at that point as Xander Bogaerts weakly grounded out to short to open the top of the second inning. Rafael Devers grounded out pathetically to first and Brock "The Hitman" Holt weakly grounded out to second to end the inning. Kyle Higashioka led off the bottom of the second by watching strike three go by but naturally Brett Gardner slapped an infield single to second. Hicks then effortlessly launched a 570,000 foot home run to right to extend the massacre. Somehow Judge popped up to right on an easily hittable meatball and Stanton popped up to left to end the inning but it was 6-0 Yankees.

                                                             Hicks goes yard

The Red Sox didn't even try in the top of the third as Christian Vazquez lined out to left and Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed badly on a slider in the dirt. Somehow Mr. Mookie drew a lucky walk and Benintendi poked a single to advance Mookie to third. Benintendi swiped second but Martinez whiffed badly to end the inning. Price returned for the bottom of the third and somehow got Gregorius to ground back to the mound before striking out Torres. Andujar effortlessly crushed a single to right but Price somehow whiffed Bird to end the inning.

The Sox continued to do nothing against Severino in the top of the fourth as Moreland weakly grounded out to first, Bogaerts weakly grounded out to second and Devers popped up to short to end it. The Sox hadn't even hit a ball hard yet. Meanwhile Price managed to give up a home run to KYLE HIGASHIOKA to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Moreland needed to make a huge drive to snare a rocket hit by Gardner and Hicks blasted yet another 800 foot bomb to extend the massacre. Price finally had enough and ran away screaming into the dugout with his arms flailing over his head after 3 1/3 innings and EIGHT runs allowed on five home runs. The 31 million dollar ace pissed down his leg in the biggest game of the year to date.

                                                         Price sucks again

Justin Haley was summoned to be the sacrificial lamb and naturally Judge singled followed by a Judge double. It took a miracle catch by Benintendi to hold Gregorius to a sac fly and had to make a diving catch to rob Torres of a triple to end the inning with the Yankees up 9-0.

Severino continued the domination by inducing Holt to hit a weak ground ball to third to begin the top of the fifth. Vazquez popped up meekly to center but JBJ somehow drew a lucky walk. Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning an the Sox still had not hit a ball hard yet. Meanwhile Andujar hit a rocket into left for a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Miguel moved to second on the ground out into the shift by Bird but Mr. Mookie robbed Higashioka of his second home run. Betts then had to run up the wall to rob Gardner of a double to end the inning.

Guess what Benintendi did in the top of the sixth? Grounded out meekly to second. Martinez grounded out softly to third but FINALLY the Sox hit a ball hard when Moreland singled. Bogaerts whiffed badly to end the inning. 6 innings 0 runs against Severino. Hicks drew a walk to start the bottom of the sixth before Judge effortlessly singled. Somehow Stanton popped up to first and Neil Walker pinch hit for Gregorius, erasing Judge at second on a force. Torres walked to load the bases but somehow Andujar grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox failed to hit a ball hard in the top of the seventh as Devers grounded out weakly to shot and Holt grounded out weakly to second. That was it for Severino who had allowed just 5 baserunners in 6 2/3 innings. The complete opposite of Price that's for sure. David Robertson came in for Severino and Vazquez lined out weakly to center to end the inning.

                                                 A real ace came through tonight

Sox manager Alex Cora emptied the bench in the bottom of the seventh as Steve Pearce replaced Betts in right, Blake Swihart took Bogaerts' spot in the order but when to second, Holt switched to short and Brandon Workman took over for Haley. Bird popped up to third to start before Higashioka flied out to left. Gardner grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Robertson easily struck out both JBJ and Pearce to start the top of the eighth before Dellin Betances came in to get Bogaerts to weakly ground to first to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to allow Hicks to hit his 3rd homer of the game to increase the lead. Judge walked and Brandon Drury pinch hit for Stanton only to hit the hardest hit single all year. Walker laughed as he effortlessly singled Judge home. JBJ had to make a great diving catch to rob Torres of a triple and somehow Andujar banged into a double play with the Yankees ahead 11-0.

                                                        Hicks goes yard again

Mercifully it ended in the top of the ninth as Martinez swung at strike three that bounced in front of the plate to start. Aroldis Chapman came in just to get some work in and Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Sandy Leon for Moreland. Leon doubled and Swihart singled him to third. Leon scored as Devers forced Swihart at second but Holt grounded into a force to end the inning. The Yankees had taken first place, the lead in the head to head series and this game 11-1.

Jackass of the Night is obviously David Price. Once again Price got lit up by the Yankees for 8 runs off 9 hits including 5 home runs. Yuck!

                                                             Price the ultimate Jackass


The Good:

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3.

Sandy Leon singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Blake Swihart singled in his only at-bat.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce struck out in his only at-bat.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.

Hector Velazquez allowed 2 runs in one inning of work.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 2 but walked.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with a stolen base.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was -0 for 2 but walked.

Justin Haley allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

What a complete embarrassment. Not only did the Sox look totally outclassed this weekend but its become evident neither Eduardo Rodriguez or David Price can handle the bright lights of big game situations. Price continues to be a $217 million dollar bust in every big game situation he's been put in. Not only that but the Yankees must be dancing around in joy knowing the Sox can't match their starters when it comes to big spots. If this is the beginning of the end for the Sox and they stumble to 90-95 wins on the season, they only have themselves to blame for not only losing this series but get beaten soundly. The loss dropped the Sox to 56-29, 1 game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to pick up the pieces as they continue on the road to Washington for a three game set with the Nationals. The only problem is "Slick" Rick Porcello (9-3) runs smack into Nationals ace Max Scherzer tomorrow at 7:00 PM at Nationals Park. So much for the Red Sox.

Yankees Crush Rodriguez, Sox (6/29/18)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox activated newly acquired OF/1B Steve Pearce to the active roster. He's got an rbi bat and infield depth and should be a nice platoon with Mitch Moreland. The Sox sent down infielder Tzu-Wei Lin to Pawtucket to clear room for him.

                                                                   OUT

                                                             IN

As for the game, what a disaster. The Sox walked right into a New York buzzsaw and were completely unprepared. CC Sabathia of the Yankees continued to be the big game pitcher he's always been by tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball. The relentless Yankee offense pounded Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3, 4.11 ERA) into submission and rode four home runs to a 11-1 spanking of the Sox at Yankee Stadium to put the Yankees in first place.

Sabathia began his domination in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center to begin. Andrew Benintendi whiffed before JD Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Rodriguez started strong in the bottom of the first by getting Aaron Hicks to fly out to center to start. Aaron Judge lined out to center before Giancarlo Stanton walked. Didi Gregorius flied out to left to end the inning.

Steve Pearce made his Red Sox debut with a double to left then moved to third on the Xander Bogaerts fly out to right. He was stranded as Eduardo Nunez popped up to first and Rafael Devers lined out to center to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the second as Gleyber Torres tripled past Jackie Bradley Jr in center before Miguel Andujar singled him home. Greg Bird looked at strike three and Austin Romine banged into a double play but it was 1-0 New York.

                                                The Yankees strike first

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third inning as Christian Vazquez grounded out to third to start. JBJ looked at strike three but Mr. Mookie singled. Betts swiped second and Benintendi walked, but Martinez lined out to center to end the inning. Rodriguez cruised in the bottom of the third as Brett Gardner grounded out to third to begin. Hicks grounded out to third and Judge lined out to center to end the inning.

Pearce singled to open the top of the fourth but Bogaerts banged into a double play. Nunez singled but Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. The Yankees iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Stanton walked to start before Gregorius doubled him to third. Torres scored Stanton with a sac fly and Andujar crushed a 30,000 foot home run to ice the game. Bird then hit a 950 foot blast for another run to rub it in. Romine grounded out to second but Gardner singled. Hicks flied out to left to end the inning but it was 5-0 Yankees and that was that.

                                             Rodriguez couldn't get it done

The Sox did manage to fight back in the top of the fifth although Vazquez lined out to left to begin. JBJ flied out to center but Mr. Mookie doubled and Benintendi doubled him home. Benintendi swiped third but Martinez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 5-1.

                                                         Betts scores the only run

Rodriguez returned for the bottom of the fifth and cruised. Judge looked at strike three before Stanton grounded out to second. Gregorius lined out to third to end the inning.

Any hopes of a rally were dashed in the top of the sixth as Pearce whiffed to start. Bogaerts grounded out to second and Nunez flied out to center to end the inning. Rodriguez came back for one more inning in the bottom of the sixth but gave up a single to Torres to start. Andujar popped up to first, Bird popped up to second and Romine flied out to right to end the inning. Rodriguez got lit up for 5 runs but did manage to last 6 innings.

                                             Rodriguez failed to keep the Sox in first

Sabathia came back for the top of the seventh and dominated. Devers and Vazquez both whiffed but JBJ was plunked. Mr. Mookie grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Sabathia has been a big game pitcher his whole career and with first place on the line, he stepped up. Justin Haley was the sacrificial lamb to pitch the rest of the game and he got tagged in the bottom of the seventh. Gardner grounded out to second but Hicks singled. Judge crushed a 300,000 foot home run into the Long Island Sound to increase the lead. Stanton flied out to center and Gregorius grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 7-1 Yankees.

                                                          What a bomb by Judge

Chad Green had the top of the eighth and the Sox went quietly. Benintendi looked at strike three, Martinez lined out to right and Pearce flied out to center to end the inning. Haley came back to finish the bottom of the eighth but the Yankees got him again. Torres flied out to right before Andujar singled, only to get thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Bird then smashed a 14,000 foot home run to wrap up the scoring. Romine flied out to right to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-1.

                                                     Bird hits another one out

Chasen Shreve had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Bogaerts grounded out to second to start. Nunez whiffed and Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had taken the game and first place with a 8-1 victory.

Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. With first place on the line he got shelled for 5 runs in 6 innings of work while giving up 2 long bombs. So much for him stepping up as a big game pitcher.

                                                        Rodriguez the Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and an rbi.

Steve Pearce was 2 for 4.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Justin Haley gave up 3 runs in 2 innings.



The Ugly:

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch.




Final Thoughts:

So much for coming into New York and sending a message to the Yankees, unless the message was "WE GIVE UP!" That was embarrassing not only to get their asses handed to them but to not even put up a fight. Sabathia had them out of sorts all night and whatever the Yankees hit seemed to go a long way. For a team that could be destined to win 100 games, the Yankees could be on pace to win 105. This kind of effort is not going to cut it for the Red Sox, especially on the road in New York. Steve Pearce got two hits in his debut but Martinez, Bogaerts, Devers and Vazquez were a combined 0 for 15 with 3 strikeouts. There are two games left in this set but they better improve in a hurry or else they're not walking out of New York in first place. The loss drops the Sox to 55-28, 1 game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox turn to Chris Sale (7-4) to bail them out against Yankees starter Sonny Gray at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Bats Bash Angels (6/26/18)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Steven Wright's knee acted up again and he was placed on the Disabled List. The Sox called up Justin Haley to take Steven's place on the roster before tonight's game.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                        IN

After Chris Sale mowed down the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, David Price (8-5, 3.65 ERA) said "Hey don't forget about me!" Price took on the Los Angeles Angels and held them to just 1 run through 6 innings. Mookie Betts put the Sox up early with a home run and the red hot Jackie Bradley Jr paced the offense to put 9 runs on the board. The Sox are looking to build momentum for their end of the month showdown with the New York Yankees and they took a step toward that with a 9-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                            El Mariachi approves of the win

Price took the mound in the top of the first inning and Ian Kinsler popped up to second to start. Mike Trout flied out to center and Justin Upton flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck immediately in the bottom of the first when Mr. Mookie Betts swatted the first pitch John Lamb threw to dead center for his 20th home run of the season. Andrew Benintendi lined out to right but JD Martinez doubled. Xander Bogaerts flied out to right before Mitch Moreland whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                     Betts jacks one out

Price cruised in the top of the second inning as Albert Pujols whiffed to start. Andrelton Simmons lined out to right before Martin Maldonado whiffed to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the second inning as Eduardo Nunez singled to center to begin. Rafael Devers hit a double play ball to Kinsler but he botched it and everyone was safe. Both runners moved into scoring position on the Christian Vazquez grounder and JBJ doubled home both men to increase the lead. Mr. Mookie walked and Benintendi doubled JBJ home to ice the game. Martinez looked at strike but Bogaerts was intentionally walked to load the bases. Moreland beat out an infield single to short to bring home Betts and chase Lamb from the game. Deck McGuire came in and got Nunez to hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but it was 5-0

                                                             Devers scores a run

The Angels struck back in the top of the third although David Fletcher grounded out to short to start. Old friend Chris Young swatted a 50,000 foot home run off Price to cut the lead. Michael Hermosillo looked at strike three but Kinsler and Trout stroked back to back singles. A wild pitch moved the runners over and Upton walked to load the bases, but Pujols grounded out to third to end the inning. It was 5-1 Sox but that could have gone a lot worse.

                                              Old buddy Young goes yard

The Sox got that run right back in the botom of the third although Devers flied out to right to begin. Vazquez grounded back to the mound but JBJ smashed his 5th home run of the year to increase the lead. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi lined out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                   JBJ goes yard to increase the lead

Price settled down in the top of the fourth inning as Simmons grounded out to short to start. Maldonado grounded out to third but Fletcher walked. This time Price got Young to look at strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez grounded out to short to start. Bogaerts flied out to center before Moreland grounded out to first to end the inning.

Price froze Hermosillo for strike three to begin the top of the fifth. Kinsler singled but was erased on the force by Trout. Upton looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox got a run in the bottom of the fifth although Nunez looked at strike three to begin. Devers flied out to right but Vazquez crushed his 3rd home run of the year to up the lead. JBJ was finally retired on a grounder to second to end the inning but it was 7-1 Sox.

                                                Vazquez goes yard

Price returned for one more inning in the top of the sixth and froze Pujols to start. Simmons singled but Maldonado popped up to first. Fletcher flied out to left to end the inning and that was it for Price. He tossed a solid game of 6 innings while allowing just 1 run while striking out 7.

                                                      Price gets the job done

The Sox added to the lead in the bottom of the sixth although Mr. Mookie lined out to left to begin. Benintendi grounded out to second but Martinez blasted his 24th home run of the year. Bogaerts doubled to chase McGuire and Akeel Morris replaced him. Moreland grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 8-1 Sox.

                                                        Martinez hits one out.

Heath Hembree took over for the top of the seventh inning and whiffed Young to start. Hermosillo popped up to second and Hembree blew away Kinsler to end the inning. Kole Calhoun came in for Upton but went to right, Luis Valbuena replaced Simmons but went to third with Fletcher moving to  short and Hermosillo going to left. Blake Swihart pinch hit for Nunez and singled to start the bottom of the seventh but Devers whiffed. Vazquez doubled and the red hot JBJ singled in Swihart. Mr. Mookie flied out to left before Tzu-Wei Lin pinch hit for Benintendi. Lin whiffed to end the inning but it was 9-1 Sox.

Brandon Workman got the call to pitch the top of the eighth inning as Lin took over at second, Brock Holt took over for Moreland at first and Swihart went to left. Trout whiffed to start before Calhoun lined out to center. Pujols flied out to center to end the inning. Jose Briceno took over at first in the bottom of the eighth as Martinez flied out to center to begin. Bogaerts walked and Holt doubled him to third but a pitch bounced in front of the plate. Bogaerts made a mad dash home but was thrown out as Holt made it to third. Swihart lined out to right to end the inning.

New call-up Justin Haley got the ball in the top of the ninth and Valbuena flied out to right to start. Maldonado was retired on a squibber in front of the plate before Fletcher popped up to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-1.

                                              Good work Haley


Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. He was on fire going 3 for 4 with 4 total rbis, 2 total runs scored including a 2 run home run.

                                                 Jackie Bradley Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

Brock Holt was 1 for 1 at the plate.

Eduardo Nunez was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Blake Swihart was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a solo home run.

David Price earned the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 7.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Justin Haley pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Tzu-Wei Lin struck out in his only plate appearance.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

For the second game in a row the bats woke up but also for the second game in a row the Sox got good starting pitching. Bashing the Seattle Mariners and LA Angels has their rewards but so does shutting them down. Price was good in this game and JBJ led the charge on offense with almost everyone pitching in at some point. One guy can't carry the offense so days like today where everyone gets involved are a welcome rarity. If JBJ can raise his average to .240 that would be a huge bonus to his amazing defense. With the big showdown in the Bronx just 3 days away, the Sox may need to sweep the Angels in order to keep close enough to decide first place by July 1st. The win propelled the Sox to 53-27, percentage points behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night "Slick" Rick Porcello goes for the Sox opposite Andrew Heaney at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sale, Sox Sweep Orioles (6/13/18)

After Chris Sale (6-4, 2.75 ERA) couldn't get a win even if his life depended on it for three weeks, no one would have been shocked if he demanded a trade. Finally, FINALLY, the Boston Red Sox offense produced for him. Riding some timely home runs from Mookie Betts and JD Martinez, the Sox pounded rookie pitcher Yefry Ramirez and the Baltimore bullpen for 5 runs and left Baltimore with the series sweep, winning 5-1 at Camden Yards.

                                                      Harley Kiner approves of the win

Yefry Ramirez made his major league debut in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him by flying out to right to begin. Andrew Benintendi singled to left and took second on the error by Jace Peterson. Xander Bogaerts whiffed and JD Martinez popped up to first to end the inning. Sale made quick work of the O's in the bottom of the first by getting Joey Rickard to ground out to short to start. Trey Mancini whiffed and Manny Machado grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Rafael Devers popped up to third to begin. Eduardo Nunez grounded out to short but Brock "The Hitman" Holt was plunked. Sandy Leon whiffed to end the inning. Sale turned up the heat in the bottom of the second to strike out both Danny Valencia and Jonathan Schoop to start. Mark Trumbo was plunked but Craig Gentry grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Jackie Bradley Jr extended his latest slump by lining out to center. Mr. Mookie served notice he was back with his 18th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Benintendi struck out but Machado booted a ground ball by Bogaerts, allowing Xander to be safe at first. Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                     Betts says "I'm a BADDDDDD man!"

Sale was unhittable in the bottom of the third as Austin Wynns whiffed to start. Peterson walked but Rickard whiffed too. Peterson stole second but Mancini struck out to end the inning.

The Sox ran into yet another out in the top of the fourth as Devers stuck out to begin. Nunez singled but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Holt singled but Leon whiffed to end the inning. The O's got their first hit in the bottom of the fourth although Machado flied out to left to start. Schoop whiffed but Trumbo walked. Gentry flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the fifth although JBJ whiffed badly to begin. Mr. Mookie and Benintendi both walked to chase the rookie. He ran out of gas but that was a much better debut by Ramirez than Twin Beeks last week. Mike Wright Jr came in and a wild pitch moved Betts to third and he scored on the Bogaerts sac fly. Martinez walked and Devers singled home Benintendi. Nunez singled and Martinez motored around trying to score only for Gentry to airmail the throw, scoring JD. Holt looked at strike three to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

Sale cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Wynns struck out to begin. Peterson lined out to left and Rickard popped up to center to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth inning as Leon grounded out to second to begin. JBJ hit one up the elevator shaft and Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning. Sale gave up his second hit when Mancini singled to open the bottom of the sixth but Machado grounded out to third. Valencia whiffed and Schoop grounded out to short to end the inning. 96 pitches through 6 for Sale with a shutout going.

The Sox got another run in the top of the seventh as Benintendi drew a leadoff walk. Bogaerts banged into a doubled play but Martinez clobbered his 22nd homer of the year to increase the lead. That was it for Wright as Richard Bleier came in to get Devers to ground out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

Sale came back for the bottom of the seventh but walked Trumbo. Sale thought he had Gentry punched out but home plate umpire felt otherwise and Craig walked. That was it for Cora who made the move to bring in Brandon Workman. Suddenly after Sale gave the ball to Cora he bolted toward home plate umpire Brian Knight shouting invectives and throwing his glove at him. Knight ran around the infield saying Sale was out of the game before Cora and Workman was able to calm Sale down and politely told him to please leave the premises. A tough way for Sale to go but he did manage to toss a shutout through 6.

                                              Sale leaves in line for the win

Chance Sisco pinch hit for Wynns and grounded out to first but moved both runners over in the process. Peterson hit a sac fly to score Trumbo and break up the shut-out. It was rumored Sale trashed the clubhouse after Trumbo crossed home plate. Rickard flied out to left to end the inning but it was 5-1 Sox with six outs to go.

Nunez grounded out to second to open the top of the eighth with Brad Brach coming in to face Holt. Brock singled but Leon banged into a double play to end the inning. Justin Haley made his Red Sox debut in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mancini grounded out to second but Machado walked. Machado was erased on the force by Valencia and Schoop lined out to right to end the inning. Good work Justin.

Mychal Givens got the call for the top of the ninth and JBJ lined out to first. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Benintendi singled. Bogaerts popped up to first to end the inning. Haley returned for the bottom of the ninth to close it out and retired Trumbo on a line drive back to him to begin. Gentry grounded out to third but Sisco singled and Peterson doubled. One hit away from making things interesting, Haley got Rickard to ground out to third to end the game. The Sox had swept Baltimore in Baltimore and won this game 5-1.

Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. He tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball (1 run charged) when the Sox desperately needed a good start with their offense sputtering lately.

                                                       Sale the Hero



The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored with the hit being a 2 run home run.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 2 for 3.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Justin Haley pitched 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a walk but scored 2 runs and the hit was a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but drive in  arun.




Final Thoughts:

Finally the Sox scored some runs with Sale on the mound. Maybe now he won't want to choke the entire Boston Red Sox offense to death for screwing up time and time again. Getting Betts back healthy was huge with the big roadtrip the Sox are currently on, now they just need Dustin Pedroia back to be whole again. Holt and Nunez are great in the 6th man role but they need a full time .300 hitter and that's what Pedroia is. If Brandon Workman is as good as he showed last season after missing the previous 2 seasons, fans will wonder why Bobby Poyner and Marcus Walden got the nod over him to start the year. The win improved the Sox to 47-22, percentage points behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox head to Seattle for one of those damn late night west coast trips. David Price (7-4, 4.00 ERA) goes for the Sox opposite "King" Felix Hernandez in Game 1 at 10:10 PM at Safeco Field. It should be noted that at this time in 2013, the eventual world champion Sox were 41-28, 6 games behind where the Sox are now.