Sox Drop Embarrassing Game to A's (7/19/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Jake Faria cleared waivers and returned to Worcester. Yippie.....

                                                                 Back to Worcester

As for the game, talk about taking two giant steps backward. After winning 8 of 9, the Sox fell flat on their face against the worst team in baseball. After getting blanked yesterday, Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.60 ERA) got hammered by the A's for three 2 run home runs in today's game. Meanwhile the Sox offense put up 5 runs on the board through six innings but couldn't get a clutch hit when it counted the rest of the way. With Connor Wong at second base, Rob Refsnyder hit a measly pop up to end the game to give the A's a 6-5 win at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                     "Can't get a clutch it!"

Ken Waldichuk got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox immediately struck. Rob Refnsyder walked to start but Masataka Yoshida flied out to center. Justin Turner then belted his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Rafael Devers flied out to right but Adam Duvall got a base hit to left. Duvall took off for second and Shea Langeliers threw the ball away, allowing Duvall to reach third on an error. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                               Home run Turner

The A's answered against Bello in the bottom of the first as Tony Kemp got a base hit to center and JJ Bleday hit a home run all the way to San Jose just like that. Jordan Diaz struck out swinging, Seth Brown popped up to third and Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                     Kiss that one goodbye

Kike Hernandez tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to start the top of the second. Connor Wong forced Hernandez at second but Yu Chang flied out to right. Wong got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Langeliers grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second but Jace Peterson walked. Cody Thomas then hit his first home run of the season to put the A's up for good. Nick Allen struck out swinging but Kemp was plunked. Bleday forced Kemp at second to end the inning with the A's up 4-2.

                                                             That one is gone

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Refsnyder grounded out to short to start. Yoshida struck out swinging and Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Diaz grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third but Brown walked. Soderstrom banged into a double play to end the inning.

Devers took strike three right down the middle to start the top of the fourth before Duvall did the same. Verdugo drew a walk but Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. The A's iced it in the bottom of the fourth as Langeliers doubled to right and Peterson hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Mongolia to put the game out of reach. Thomas struck out swinging, Allen grounded out to third and Kemp grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 6-2. That was it for Bello who got beat up by the worst team in baseball, allowing 6 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                      "I sucked today" - Bello

The Sox did fight back in the top of the fifth as Wong walked to start. Chang struck out swinging and Wong scored all the way around on a base hit to center by Refsnyder. Yoshida doubled to right to chase Waldichuk and Lucas Erceg came in to face Turner. Turner grounded out to second but Refsnyder scored to cut the lead. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                       Refsnyder brings the Sox closer

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and it was the A's turn for stupidity. Bleday doubled to right and Diaz beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners. Brent Rooker pinch hit for Brown and hit a grounder to second. For some reason Bleday hesitated going home so after Rooker was thrown out at first, Bleday was gunned down at home by Turner for the double play. Solderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning. Had the Sox come back to win, that would have been the play of the game.

It looked like the Sox would come back when Duvall singled to left to pen the top of the sixth. Verdugo struck out but Peterson threw Hernandez' grounder into the stands to score Duvall. Angel Felipe came in to pitch and Wong struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by having Triston Casas pinch hit for Chang but he too struck out swinging to end the inning with the A's ahead 6-5.

                                                                       Whoooooops!!!

Josh Winckwoski came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Langeliers struck out swinging to start. Peterson grounded out to short but Thomas hit a seeing eye single to left. Allen took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox failed to tie the game in the top of the seventh as Refsnyder lined out to center to start. Yoshida popped up to third and Turner lined out to short to end the inning. Kemp singled to center to start the bottom of the seventh but Bleday flied out to center. Diaz singled to left but Rooker struck out swinging. Soderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning.

The ineptitude continued in the top of the eighth with Sam Long now on the mound. Devers flied out to left, Duvall also flied out to left and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Just to get him some work, Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Langeliers popped up to third to begin. Peterson walked but Thomas flied out to center. Allen struck out swinging to end the inning. Valiant effort by the bullpen to shut the door after Bello left the game.

Aledmys Diaz came in for Soderstrom with Trevor May in to close out the top of the ninth. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Hernandez and flied out to left, but Wong walked to put the tying run on. Casas struck out swinging again but Wong stole second. With the tying run in scoring postion......Refsnyder lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had lost 2 of 3 to the worst team in baseball 6-5.

                                                          A's win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He got lit up by the worst team in baseball, allowing 6 runs off three home runs in just 4 innings.

                                                            Jackass Bello

The Good:

Adam Duvall was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth inning

Josh Winckowski tossed two scoreless innings

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2 with a strikeout

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base, drove in a run and scored twice

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 but drove in 3 total runs including a two run homer.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drew a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Its been that kind of season for the Sox who have lost series to all three of the last place teams in baseball this year. Unlike last year where they beat up the bad teams but were completely incompetent against AL East teams, this year is the total opposite. If the Sox end up missing the playoffs this year by a few games when all is said and done, look at all these losses to bottom feeding teams as to the reason why. Losing two of three to a team that's not even trying to hide the fact they're tanking is inexcusable. The worst part is Paxton and Bello got beat up and they've been their best starters this season. They desperately need another starter since Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and Chris Sale remain out. They got plenty of talent in the minors to make a move so its up to Sox GM Chaim Bloom whether he wants to blow it up or add in a few weeks. As of right now they're an incomplete team due to injuries. The loss dropped the Sox to 51-46, 9 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox have an off-day tomorrow and they come back home Friday night to play the enigmatic New York Mets. James Paxton (5-2, 3.51 ERA) looks to rebound the Sox against Kodai Senga of the Mets. The game begins Friday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Cubs Pound Paxton, Sox (7/15/23)

It took James Paxton's (5-2, 3.51 ERA) worst start all season to snap the Boston Red Sox's six game win streak as the Chicago Cubs took their advantage. After bad defense put the Sox in a 2-0 hole in the bottom of the third, Cody Bellinger hit a backbreaking grand slam to put the game out of reach. Triston Casas hit a 2 run bomb to put the game at 8-3 but Brandon Walter allowed two runs in the seventh inning. The Cubs pounded out 12 hits and 10 runs to take the game 10-4 at Wrigley Field.

                                                           Angry Sox fan

Marcus Stroman got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Masataka Yoshida took strike three but Justin Turner pounded a ground rule double down the left field line. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Paxton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nico Hoerner struck out swinging to start. Seiya Suzuki struck out swinging and Ian Happ grounded out to second to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to open the top of the second before Triston Casas grounded out to short. Christian Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning. Cody Bellinger flied out to right to start the bottom of the second before Yan Gomes flied out to right. Trey Mancini struck out swinging to end the inning.

Connor Wong singled to center to start the top of the third before Enrique Hernandez flied out to center. Duran walked but Yoshida banged into a double play to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the bottom of the third as Christopher Morel walked to start. Miguel Amaya was plunked and Patrick Wisdom walked to load the bases with nobody out. Hoerner then hit a routine grounder that Hernandez failed to corral for a "base hit" to score Morel, putting the Cubs up for good. Suzuki then hit a grounder to Devers who stepped on third to force Wisdom then turned and inexplicably fired the ball into the left field bleachers for an error to score Amaya. Hoerner and Suzuki pulled off a double steal and Happ drew a walk. Bellinger then crushed a grand slam all the way to Edenia, Minnesota to ice the game. Gomes singled to center but Mancini forced him at second. Morel struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 6-0. That was it for Paxton who allowed 6 runs in just 3 innings

                                                               So much for this game

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the fourth as Turner doubled to right to begin. Devers grounded out to short to move Turner to third and Justin scored on the grounder to short by Verdugo. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                                Sox get one back

Tayler Scott came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the fourth as Amaya doubled to right to start. Wisdom hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to make this one a laugher. Hoerner lined out to right but Suzuki got a base hit to right. Happ popped up to second but Bellinger walked. Gomes struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 8-1.

                                                        That one's out of here

Arroyo grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Wong lined out to right. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Mancini grounded out to third to start. Morel struck out swinging and Amaya took strike three to end the inning.

Duran took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to left. Turner flied out to center to end the inning. Joe Jacques came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wisdom grounded out to third to start. Hoerner grounded out to second and Suzuki took strike three to end the inning.

Julian Merryweather took over for Stroman in the top of the seventh and Dervers doubled to center to start. Verdugo flied out to center but Casas belted his 11th home run of the season to cut the lead. Arroyo and Wong both struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 8-3.

                                                           Casas gets two back

Jorge Alfaro came in for Wong and Brandon Walter came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh only for Happ to get a base hit to center to start. Bellinger got a base hit to center and Gomes flied out to right. Both Bellinger and Happ got into rundowns but Happ was thrown out at third. Mancini got a base hit to right and Morel got a base hit to left to score Bellinger. Amaya got a base hit to center to score Mancini but Wisdom flied out to right to end the inning with the Cubs up 10-3.

                                                     The beating continues

Michael Fulmer came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez walked to start. Duran walked and Yoshida moved both runners over with a grounder to first. Turner grounded out to third but Hernandez scored to cut the lead. Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 10-4.

                                                          Sox get a run back

Walter returned for the bottom of the eighth and Hoerner struck out swinging to start. Suzuki struck out swinging but Happ got a base hit to right. Bellinger struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Daniel Palencia came in to close out the top of the ninth and Verdugo lined out to right to start. Casas struck out swinging but Arroyo doubled to left. A wild pitch moved Arroyo to third but Alfaro was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the game. The Cubs had won it 10-4.

                                                               Cubs win

Jackass of The Night is James Paxton. He allowed 6 runs in 3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                          Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran walked twice in four plate appearances.

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Joe Jacques pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jorge Alfaro was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Tayler Scott allowed 2 runs in the fourth inning.

Brandon Walter allowed 2 runs 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

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

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a two run home run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a root canal with no painkiller. The Cubs beat their brains in for 12 hits and 10 runs. The sad part was that was James Paxton's worst start all season as he had been solid up to this point. Another problem the Sox have is relief pitching, especially when they're down. A good bullpen has relievers that can settle things down for the bats to bop their way back but Tayler Scott and Brandon Walter prevented any hope of a comeback. Granted some of the Sox best relievers are down but this is a concern moving forward. The Sox bullpen turned a 6-1 game into 10-4 and that can't happen in the second half. Rafael Devers and Kenley Jansen are practically screaming at Sox GM Chaim Bloom to do something to help the team at the trade deadline and another good reliever will help. The best thing to do about this game is to forget about it and try to start a new win streak. The loss dropped the Sox to 49-44, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series with the Cubs tomorrow afternoon when Kutter Crawford (3-4) takes on Justin Steele of Chicago. The game begins at 2:20 PM eastern time at Wrigley Field.

ChiSox Bullpen Shuts Down BoSox (6/25/23)

Just when you think things can't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, it does. The 34-44 White Sox were doing a bullpen game against Kutter Crawford (2-4, 4.01 ERA). Naturally Chicago scored four runs off Crawford on the back of Luis Robert's two home runs and an rbi from...you guessed it....Andrew Benintendi. Meanwhile the White Sox bullpen allowed just one measly run to Boston on an Adam Duvall rbi double. Brennan Bernardino and Kaleb Ort didn't allow any runs in relief, but the anemic Red Sox offense were held to just 5 hits as Chicago took the game 4-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                  ''Lost to the White Sox bullpen...ugh''

Tanner Banks got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner grounded out to second and Rafael Devers struck out swinging on a pitch not even close to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second to start. Andrew Vaughn flied out to right and Luis Robert Jr popped up to center to end the inning. 

The BoSox tried to rally in the top of the second inning as Adam Duvall doubled to right to start. Masataka Yoshida then got drilled in the right hand. Naturally Bobby Dalbec and Christian Arroyo struck out swinging but Kike Hernandez beat out a roller off the glove of Banks to load the bases. Caleb Hamilton took a curveball right down the middle for strike three to end the inning. Elroy Jimenez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Yasmani Grandal lined out to center. Jake Burger flied out to center to end the inning.

The BoSox struck first but Refsnyder lined out to right to start the top of the third inning. Turner and Devers both walked and Duvall somehow doubled off the left field wall to score Turner. Naturally Yoshida popped up to left and that was it for Banks. Jesse Scholtens came in to pitch and Sox manager Alex Cora countered by bringing in Triston Casas to hit for Dalbec. As usual, Casas popped up to left to end the inning with Boston up 1-0.

                                                            Duvall drives in a run

Gavin Sheets struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third inning but Elvis Andrus got hit with a pitch. Zach Remillard grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Arroyo flied out to right to start. Hernandez popped up to short and Hamilton struck out swinging again to end the inning. Benintendi ripped a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Vaughn struck out swinging. Robert then hit a home run all the way to Indonesia to put the ChiSox up for good. Jimenez grounded out to short but Grandal hit a swinging bunt down the third base line. Burger forced Grandal at second to end the inning but the White Sox up for good, 2-1.

                                                          Robert goes yard

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the fifth inning as Refsnyder grounded out to short to start before Turner took strike three. Devers walked but Duvall popped up to right to end the inning. Sheets walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Andrus lined out to right. Remillard flied out to center but Benintendi iced the game with a triple down the right field line to score Sheets. Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning with the ChiSox icing it 3-1.

                                                             Benintendi slides in safe

Once again the BoSox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Seby Zavala took over for Grandal. Yoshida grounded out to short, Casas popped up to center and Arroyo lined out to second to end the inning. Naturally Robert hit a home run to the moon to start the bottom of the sixth. Jimenez flied out to center, Zavala flied out to center as well and Burger took strike three to end the inning with Chicago up 4-1. That was it for Crawford who made essentially three mistakes, two of them to Robert to allow 4 runs in 6 innings of work.

                                                            Not his best stuff

The BoSox left more men on base in the top of the seventh as Hernandez lined out to center to start. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Hamilton and got a base hit to left. Refsnyder took strike three right down the middle but Turner moved Duran to third with a single in the hole at third. The ChiSox brought in Aaron Bummer to pitch to Devers and naturally he hit a pop up to right to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate in Refsnyder's spot with Brennan Bernardino coming in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Clint Frazier pinch hit for Sheets and struck out swinging before Andrus also took strike three. Remillard singled to center but Bernardino picked him off to end the inning.

Duvall hit a bullet right to Bummer's face to start the top of the eighth before Yoshida took strike three right down the middle. Casas also struck out swinging to end the inning, pathetic. Benintendi grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and that was it for Bernardino. Kaleb Ort came in and Vaughn popped up to short. Robert Jr then dumped a base hit to left but Jimenez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Keynan Middleton effortlessly closed the door in the top of the ninth as Arroyo lined out to second to start. Hernandez grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The White Sox had won the game 4-1.

                                                             White Sox win

Jackass of The Night is Triston Casas. He allowed Benintendi to score the third run and went 0 for 3 at the plate

                                                          Jackass Casas

The Good:

Justin Turner was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances.

Adam Duvall was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Kaleb Ort tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only plate appearance.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Hamilton was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in just 6 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out four.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Can things get any worse for the Red Sox? Its bad enough they penny pinched in the off-season and now the product on the field is suffering. With Chris Sale on the downside of his career, the Red Sox don't have a legitimate ace anymore. Trotting out Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta isn't going to cut it. Not to mention the real cataclysm was not scoring runs in a bullpen game against a team 10 games under .500. To say Chaim Bloom's tenure as GM has been a disaster class is an understatement. Apart from 3 months in 2021, they've been a sub .500 team since he took over. Not resigning ANY of their free agents and signing a washed up Kluber + unproven commodity in Yoshida would have most GM's on the unemployment line. Let's see how long Chaim lasts at this rate. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-39, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action at home against the Miami Marlins. Garrett Whitlock (4-2) takes on Sandy Alcantara of Miami this Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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.

Twins Walkoff Sox in 10 Innings (6/21/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox placed Corey Kluber on the Injured List with right shoulder inflammation and called up 25 year old speedster David Hamilton from Worcester. The Sox got Hamilton in the Hunter Renfroe trade where he stole 70 bases last year for the Portland Sea Dogs. He had already swiped 30 for Worcester this year so it'll be interesting to see if he becomes the next Dave Roberts.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, its one thing to lose because the other team played better, pitched better and or hit better but its another thing to lose on pure stupidity. That's what the Red Sox did against the Minnesota Twins in this game. The Sox took a 1-0 lead on Sonny Gray but the Twins took a 2-1 lead on Boston starter Garrett Whitlock. With the game tied at 3, the Sox had first and third with nobody out in the top of the sixth but Arroyo was thrown out trying to steal and the Sox didn't score. The Twins took the lead in the sixth and Alex Verdugo was thrown out trying to stretch a double in the seventh. In the eighth inning, David Hamilton made his ML debut by scoring the tying run on a Triston Casas double. In the top of the tenth, Alex Cora refused to play small ball and the Sox didn't score. Max Kepler did the honors with an rbi single off Kaleb Ort in the bottom of the tenth to win the game 5-4 in 10 innings at Targer Field.

                                                          Message to the Red Sox

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first but Justin Turner walked. Turner stole second and Rafael Devers doubled to center to score Justin. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Sox strike first

Whitlock got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Edouard Julien flied out to center to start. Alex Kirilloff popped up to third and Carlos Correa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Triston Casas flied out to left to start the top of the second but Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center. Reese McGuire flied out to center and Enrique Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Twins took command in the bottom of the second as Byron Buxton doubled to right to start. Max Kepler got a base hit to center to score Buxton then moved to second on a Royce Lewis grounder to second. Joey Gallo took strike three and Christian Vazquez singled off the glove of Hernandez to score Kepler. Michael Taylor popped up to first to end the inning with the Twins up 2-1.

                                                          Twins take the lead

The Sox fought back in the top of the first and Duran took strike three to start. Verdugo popped up to third but Turner belted his 11th home run of the year to tie the game. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                            Turner ties it

It looked like Julien hit a home run to start the bottom of the third but it was ruled a double at the last second. Kirilloff flied out to left to move Julien to third and Edoard scored on the grounder to third by Correa. Buxton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins up 3-2.

                                                             Twins lead again

Yoshida got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and took second when Taylor booted the ball for an error. Casas grounded out to second to move Yoshida to third but Arroyo struck out swinging. McGuire walked but Hernandez lined out to left to end the inning. Kepler struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Lewis doubled to left. Lewis took third on a wild pitch but got picked off by Whitlock. Gallo took strike three to end the inning. 

Gallo and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli were so irate they both grabbed samurai swords and chased home plate umpire David Rackley into the Twins bullpen, getting ejected from the game. When play resumed Willi Castro took over in left for the top of the fifth. Duran took strike three but Verdugo tripled to right. Turner got a base hit to center to score Verdugo but Devers struck out swinging. Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                            Turner ties it again

Vazquez flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Taylor took strike three. Julien singled to center and Kirilloff did the same, but Correa forced Kirilloff at second to end the inning. 

Brock Stewart came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas singled to center to start. Arroyo got a base hit to right to move Triston to third and everything went to hell. Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and Arroyo was foolishly thrown out at second trying to steal. Wong and Hernandez both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Buxton popped up to short to start. Kepler then hit a home run all the way to Indiana to put Minnesota ahead again. Lewis lined out to left and Castro popped up to third to end the inning with the Twins up 4-3.

                                                    Kepler puts the Twins ahead

Kyle Farmer came in for Julien and Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran's bunt was snuffed put by Jax to start. Verdugo got a base hit to center but was foolishly thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Whitlock came back for the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez lined out to center to start. Taylor grounded out to first and Farmer grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Whitlock who got tagged for 4 runs off 8 hits but lasted 7 innings.

                                                             Wasn't good enough

The Sox rallied in the top of the eighth with Jhoan Duran now on the mound. Devers grounded out to first but Yoshida walked. Speedster David Hamilton made his ML debut by running for Yoshida, promptly stealing second. Casas doubled to center to score Hamilton but Arroyo grounded out to short. Wong grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4. 

                                                                       Casas ties it

Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Kirilloff struck out swinging to start. Correa grounded out to second and Buxton struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Hernandez to start the top of the ninth and struck out swinging. Duran struck out swinging and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Kepler struck out swinging to start. Lewis popped up to third amd Castro's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Jansen to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Verdugo starting at second base. Rather than bunt, Turner grounded out to short to start. Devers struck out swinging and Adam Duvall pinch hit for Hamilton. Duvall was intentionally walked and Pablo Reyes ran for him. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth with Castro on second. Vazquez was intentionally walked to start and Taylor dropped down a bunt to move Castro to third. Farmer got a base hit to center to score Castro with the winning run. The Twins had won it 5-4.

                                                               Twins win

Jackass of The Night should be Alex Cora but Christian Arroyo getting thrown out trying to steal with nobody out then killing the 8th inning rally didn't help.

                                               "Thanks for the help, Jackass" - EH

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with a stolen base, a walk, a home run, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton stole a base and stole a run as a pinch runner.

Adam Duvall walked as a pinch hitter.

Triston Casas was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Reese McGuire walked in 2 plate appearances.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

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

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Kaleb Ort took the loss by allowing the winning run in the 10th.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Garrett Whitlock went 7 innings but allowed 4 runs off 8 hits while striking out 6.

Honorable Mention:

Pablo Reyes ran for Duvall in the 10th.

Final Thoughts:

Games like that are frustrating because running into outs and being stubborn will cost you more games than win them. Arroyo getting thrown out at second when a double play would have scored a run was ridiculous and Verdugo getting greedy was big too. The worst was the 10th inning when Turner should have dropped down a bunt. Sox manager Alex Cora when asked said "We play for two, not one." That's a slap in the face to the bullpen thinking they can't get 3 outs without giving up the ghost runner and also extremely foolish, especially on the road when you get first dibs. Whitlock looked mortal in this one after two consecutive great starts but he still went 7. If he can keep up this pace, he can team with Chris Sale and James Paxton nicely. Hopefully tomorrow the Sox can clean up the mess because they can't afford to lose too many games like that when they're in last place. The loss dropped the Sox to 39-36, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon and take the series against the Twins when Justin Garza (0-1) is the "opener" for the Sox against Joe Ryan of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:10 PM eastern time at Target Field.