Game Postponed Until August (6/26/24)

Tonight's Boston Red Sox game has been suspended and postponed as apart of a doubleheader on August 26th. Here's what happened leading up to it.

                                                            So much for this one

Kutter Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Bo Bichette struck out swinging to start. Spencer Horowitz flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero Jr walked. Justin Turner grounded out to second to end the inning. Yariel Rodriguez got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound to start. David Hamilton grounded out to second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

George Springer was rung up for strike three to start the top of the second before Davis Schneider drew a walk. Crawford threw a first pitch strike to Danny Jansen and that's when the came was called. The funny thing is, the game won't be played until two months from now. Who knows what will be in the lineup by then.

Despite the game being postponed, the New York Yankees lost meaning the Sox remain 43-37 but are now 8 games back of first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Friday night as the San Diego Padres come to town. Nick Pivetta (4-4, 4.06 ERA) takes on Randy Vasquez of San Diego at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Braves Bash Crawford, Sox (6/4/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Wilyer Abreu was placed on the 10 Day Injured List and Tyler Heineman was called up to take his place. Tyler O'Neill should be back tomorrow so Taylor's stay might be brief.

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As for the game, what a disaster for the Red Sox. For five innings the Sox matched the Atlanta Braves blow by blow. The Braves tagged Kutter Crawford (2-5, 3.51 ERA) for three runs but the Sox got three of their own off ace Max Fried. The killing blow came in the sixth when Ozzie Albies struck a three run home run off Crawford to put the game out of reach. Chase Anderson allowed two runs in relief and the Sox bats could do nothing else. The Braves had won the game 8-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Sam Winchester dislikes Sox losses

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Michael Harris Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the first inning before Austin Riley took strike three. Marcell Ozuna grounded out to third to end the inning. Fried got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Connor Wong also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second inning as Smith booted a grounder by Matt Olson for an error to start. Ozzie Albies doubled to right and Smith dropped the throw from Jamie Westbrook on an Adam Duvall grounder to score Olson and Albies. Jared Kelenic took strike three and Sean Murphy grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                    "I don't got it" - Smith

Rafael Devers led off the bottom of the second with a fly out to left. Jamie Westbrook lined out to center and Garrett Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

Orlando Arcia grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Harris Jr flied out to center. Riley struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Bobby Dalbec took strike three to start. Dominic Smith belted his second home run of the season to cut the lead but Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                That's one way to make up for the errors

Ozuna walked to start the top of the fourth before Olson grounded back to the mound to move Marcell to second. Albies struck out swinging and Duvall grounded out to third to end the inning. Refsnyder took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Wong drew a walk. Devers got a base hit to left Westbrook reached on catcher's interference, but Cooper struck out swinging. Somehow Dalbec got a base hit to right to score Devers and Wong to put Boston on top. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Dalbec gives Boston the lead

Naturally Crawford coughed up the lead in the top of the fifth as Kelenic doubled to center to start. Murphy singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Kelenic and was forced at second by Arcia. Harris hit into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Tie game

Rafaela reached on an error by Riley to start the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Duran flied out to center but Refsnyder singled to center. Wong took strike three to end the inning.

The Braves took command in the top of the sixth inning as Riley walked to start. Ozuna singled off the glove of Devers but Olson popped up to short. Albies then hit a home run all the way to Spain to put Atlanta up for good. Duvall struck out swinging and Kelenic flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 6 runs in 6 innings off five hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Yeah that'll do it

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Westbrook was hit with a pitch. Cooper and Dalbec both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Murphy grounded out to third to start. Arcia hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to increase the lead but Harris Jr grounded out to second. Riley lined out to center to end the inning with the Braves up 7-3.

                                                           So much for this game

Smith lined out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Rafaela went down hacking as well. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ozuna flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Olson grounded out to first. Albies grounded out to second to end the inning. Pierce Johnson relieved Fried for the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder lined out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Devers could only move Connor to second with a grounder to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning.

Anderson returned for the top of the ninth and Duvall grounded out to first to start. Kelenic struck out swinging but Murphy got hit with a pitch and had to leave the game. Zack Short came in to run for Murphy and Arcia singled to left. Harris singled to center to score Short and move Arcia to third, but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Braves up 8-3.

                                                        All Braves tonight

Travis d'arnaud took over for Short with Jesse Chavez now on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and blooped a single to left. David Hamilton pinch hit for Dalbec and flied out to left before Smith grounded into a double play to end the game. The Braves had won it 8-3.

                                                         Braves win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got tagged for 6 runs in 6 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 batters.

                                                        Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked, got hit with a pitch and scored a run.

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

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but got hit with a pitch.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but did hit a home run.

Chase Anderson allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

I know the Braves threw their ace against the Sox but the injuries on the offensive side are rearing their ugly heads big time. Tyler O'Neill, Trevor Story, Triston Casas and Vaughn Grissom all out for a while is not looking good so far. Smith, Cooper, Westbrook and Dalbec aren't going to get it done long term. Crawford got jacked up in this one although had he not served up the meatball to Albies, it might have been a different story. The bottom line is the Sox suffered way too many injuries and they're gonna have to salvage something in the second half of the year once some guys come back, because its going to be a struggle until then with no ace pitchers and bench players in the lineup. The Braves are good but the Sox are down too many guys. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-31 on the season, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Nick Pivetta (3-3) takes on Spencer Schwellenbach of Atlanta. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

O's Slam Crawford, Sox (5/29/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tyler O'Neill was placed on the Injured List with a bad knee and Enmanuel Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. O'Neill has looked awful at the plate lately so this is more addition by subtraction. Hope he feels better soon.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

So much for beating the Baltimore Orioles. The Boston Red Sox were defeated by a real ace and their impotent offense was shut completely down. Corbin Burnes held the Sox to just 1 unearned run through 7 innings and 3 measly hits. Meanwhile Kutter Crawford (2-4, 3.29 ERA) crashed down to earth as he got rocked for 5 runs in the bottom of the second courtesy of a Gunnar Henderson grand slam. Chase Anderson allowed a home run to Ramon Urias as the inept Sox offense accomplished nothing else. The O's had taken two of three with their 5-1 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                       "This offense is awful"

Burnes began his dominance in the top of the first inning when Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder flied out to center to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Gunnar Henderson took strike three to start. Ryan Mountcastle lined out to right and Ryan O'Hearn struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Rafael Devers grounded out to third to start. Connor Wong lined a base hit to left and Colton Cowser threw the ball away, allowing Connor to reach second. Burnes had Wong picked off but Henderson dropped the throw for another error. Dominic Smith hit a grounder to second and Wong came all the way around to score the go-ahead run. A wild pitch moved Smith to second but Vaughn Grissom popped up to short. Smith was picked off to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Sox strike first

The O's iced the game early in the bottom of the second as Cowser was hit with a pitch to start. Anthony Santander got a base hit to left but Cedric Mullins popped up to short. Jorge Mateo flied out to center but Ramon Urias got a base hit to center to score Cowser. James McCann walked and Henderson hit a grand slam to the moon to ice the game. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up for good 5-1.

                                                         Henderson ends it early

The Sox gave up in the top of the third as David Hamilton walked to start. Hamilton stole second but Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third, Duran lined out to center and Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. O'Hearn grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the third before Cowser flied out to center. Santander flied out to right to end the inning.

Refsnyder struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth before Devers walked. Wong struck out swinging and Smith grounded out to first to end the inning. Mullins went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth but Mateo walked. Urias was hit with a pitch and Mateo was gunned down at third after a swinging strikeout by McCann to end the inning.

Grissom grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Hamilton grounded out to second. Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning. Henderson flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth but Mountcastle singled to center. O'Hearn forced Mountcastle at second and Cowser flied out to left to end the inning.

Duran grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth but somehow Abreu got a base hit to right. Refsnyder forced Abreu at second and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Santander grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the sixth and Mullins grounded out to second. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who had one bad inning but it was a killer, allowing 5 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                      One bad inning doomed Crawford

Wong caught the O's asleep with a bunt single down the third base line to start the top of the seventh. Smith grounded back to the mound to move Wong to second and Grissom walked....but Hamilton lined out to left. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Chase Anderson came in to get tagged in the bottom of the seventh as Urias hit a home run all the way to North Korea to wrap up the scoring. Abreu made a great diving catch to rob McCann of a double before Henderson took strike three. Mountcastle got a base hit to center but O'Hearn hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the O's up 6-1.

                                                          Urias adds to the lead

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Duran. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Abreu. Cooper popped up to second but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez came in for Cooper to start the bottom of the eighth and Cowser flied out to center to start. Santander flied out to right and Mullins struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dillon Tate came in to close out the top of the ninth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Smith popped up to short but Grissom got a base hit to right. Hamilton got a base hit to center to move Grissom to third but Rafaela forced David at second to end the game. The O's had won it 6-1.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings including the backbreaking grand slam.

                                                             Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chase Anderson allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Enmanuel Valdez played left field in the final inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are now 0-7 in a series against a team over .500 this season which means the Sox haven't had a season where they've beaten good teams since 2021 and 2019 before that. The worst part is the Sox have just 1 win where they've fallen behind by 3 runs and ZERO when its four. The grand slam to make it 5-1 essentially ended the game because this team can't score. They get guys on base then they completely fall apart. Tyler O'Neill (before he got hurt) and Wilyer Abreu hit a bunch of solo home runs but suddenly can't do it when there's men on base. Crawford made one mistake to Henderson (which many have done all year as well) and that was the game. The rumors are floating that the Sox are going to be sellers at the trade deadline with Kenley Jansen and Tyler O'Neill as the prime targets. The problem is they aren't going to get much for them. The Sox have plenty of organizational depth for bats, outfielders and infielders but they need pitching. Dick Fitts had a perfect game after seven innings for Worcester tonight but they don't have much depth otherwise. Chaim Bloom drafted a ton of good hitting prospects but neglected the pitching and the Sox are paying for it now. Unless they can get a pitching prospect for Jansen or O'Neill, Sox GM Craig Breslow should just fart into the phone when they call about them. Corbin Burnes shut the Sox down and that's the kind of arm the Sox are missing. Hopefully they can either trade for or draft an ace in the upcoming draft/trade deadline. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-28, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a four game set with the Detroit Tigers beginning tomorrow night. Nick Pivetta (2-3, 4.20 ERA) takes the hill up against Jack Flaherty of Detroit. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Contreras, Brewers Bullpen Sinks Sox (5/24/24)

So much for the Boston Red Sox and their four game win streak. The Milwaukee Brewers came to Boston and laid waste to the bungholes of Kutter Crawford (2-3, 2.89 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox. The Brewers bullpen pitched all nine innings and held the hapless bats to just two runs. William Contreras smashed a two run home run and the Brewers scored three runs in the fifth inning to put the game away. The Brewers scored another run against Chase Anderson in the ninth and added to Boston's misery with a 7-2 victory over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                       Another loss

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brice Turang hit a routine grounder to first. Dominic Smith heaved the ball over his head like a grenade and stuck his fingers in his ears for an error. William Contreras hit into a double play but Christian Yelich walked. Willy Adames struck out swinging to end the inning. Koenig got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran got a base hit up the middle to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Duran to second. Connor Wong drew a walk but Rafael Devers lined out to center. That was it for Koenig as Brewers manager Pat Murphy now had to go to his bullpen for the entire game. Bryse Wilson came in to face Tyler O'Neill and naturally O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jake Bauers led off the top of the second by striking out swinging before Joey Ortiz lined out to center. Sal Frelick lined out to left to end the inning. Dominic Smith led off the bottom of the second by striking out swinging on a full count fastball right down the middle. Vaughn Grissom grounded out to short and David Hamilton flied out to left to end the inning.

The Brewers struck first in the top of the third as Jackson Chourio doubled to center to start and Blake Perkins caught Crawford asleep with a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Turang hit a sac fly to left to score Chourio and Contreras hit a home run all the way to Germany to ice the game. Yelich struck out swinging and Adames hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but the game was already over 3-0 Brewers.

                                                  That'll do it early

The Sox naturally rolled over in the bottom of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to start. Duran got a base hit to left but Abreu struck out swinging and Wong flied out to right to end the inning.

Bauers flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Ortiz dumped a base hit inside the first base bag. Frelick grounded out to third to move Ortiz to second but Chourio struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Devers popped up to third to start. O'Neill struck out swinging but Smith got a base hit to center. Grissom walked and Hamilton lined a double past Adames to score Smith. With a chance to tie the game....Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                       Hamilton drives in a run

Naturally the Brewers rallied in the top of the fifth as Perkins got a base hit just past Hamilton to start. Perkins stole second but Turang popped up to short. Contreras walked and Yelich iced the game with a double to center to score Perkins. Adames doubled to right to score both runners and chase Crawford. Kutter got hammered for six runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Brennan Bernardino came in and got Bauers to ground out to second to move Adames to third but Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning with the Brewers up 6-1.

                                                         "I sucked tonight" - Crawford

Duran tried to rally the Sox in the bottom of the fifth with a double to left but Abreu struck out swinging. Wong grounded out to third and Devers took strike three to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Frelick grounded out to short to start. Chourio grounded out to third and Perkins grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as O'Neill took strike three to start. Smith belted his first home run of the season to cut the lead but Grissom grounded back to the mound. Hamilton got a base hit to center but Rafaela popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                         Smith hits his first in Boston

Turang grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh but Contreras singled to right. Yelich singled to right and Adames walked to load the bases, but Bauers struck out swinging. Ortiz went down hacking to end the inning. Bryan Hudson came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Duran lined out to left to begin. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu and struck out swinging, but Wong got a base hit to right. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning.

Frelick grounded out to first to begin the top of the eighth and Chourio grounded out to second. Perkins walked and stole second, but Turang popped up to second to end the inning. O'Neill struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Smith. Cooper lined out to short and Frelick made a great catch to rob Grissom of a base hit to end the inning.

The Brewers wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth as Contreras lined out to center to start. Yelich singled to left and Adames doubled to center. Bauers was intentionally walked to load the bases but Ortiz hit a sac fly to center to score Yelich. Frelick grounded out to second to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 7-2.

                                                             Safe!

Joel Payamps came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Hamilton singled to right to start. Rafaela grounded into a double play and Duran grounded out to short to end the game. The Brewers had won the game 7-2.

                                                               Brewers win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got hammered for six runs in 4 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                            Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

David Hamilton was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Brennan Bernardino got the final two outs of the fifth inning.

Chase Anderson allowed just 1 run in 4 innings.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Just when you think the Sox are going to turn a corner, they end up smashing into a wall. They did good to win four in a row and then they get hammered by the Brewers at home. Crawford looked mortal for the first time in a month and the bats went to sleep against the Brewers bullpen. The bottom of the order has been a black hole and it definitely was in this one. The only bright spots was Smith, Duran, Anderson and Hamilton, everyone else crapped the bed. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-25, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Brewers when Jared Koenig becomes the first "starter" to pitch two straight days since the 1900's takes on Nick Pivetta (2-2) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Cards Explode Late, Beat Sox (5/18/24)

Guess the Boston Red Sox are who we thought they were. Their offense has been bad all season long and tonight was no different, but the bullpen for the second straight game got bashed by the St. Louis Cardinals. Kutter Crawford and Miles Mikolas battled to a 1-1 tie when both bullpen gave up a run to put the game at 2-2 going into the bottom of the eighth. Justin Slaten (2-2, 3.38 ERA) got rocked for 5 runs in the bottom of the eighth with the Sox making yet another error. Kyle Leahy slammed the door in the top of the ninth amd the Sox fell another game under .500 in a 7-2 defeat by the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

                                            "Haha you suck" - James Busch Orthwein

Mikolas got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Wilyer Abreu walked, stole second and took third when Nolan Gorman booted a grounder by Connor Wong. Naturally Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Tyler O'Neill forced Wong at second to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Brendan Donovan grounded out to short to start. Lars Nootbaar grounded out to short but Paul Goldschmidt singled to left. Nolan Arenado walked but Ceddanne Rafaela made a good diving catch to rob Alec Burleson of a hit to end the inning. 

Dominic Smith struck out swinging to open the top of the second before Vaughn Grissom grounded out to third. David Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning. The Cards struck first in the bottom of the second as Ivan Herrera lined out to right to begin. Nolan Gorman then hit a home run all the way to Kentucky to put the Cards on top. Maysn Winn flied out to left but Michael Siani singled to right. Donovan flied out to left to end the inning with the Cardinals ahead 1-0.

                                                              Cards strike first

Rafaela flied out to center to begin the top of the third and Duran went down hacking. Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. Nootbaar got a base hit in the hole at short to begin the bottom of the third but Goldschmidt took strike three. Arenado popped up to second and Burleson lined out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Wong flied out to right to start, but Devers bashed his eighth home run of the season to tie the game. O'Neill grounded out to short and Smith watched strike three go by to end the inning with the game tied 1-1. 

                                                          Devers ties it up

Herrera grounded out to third to open the bottom of the fourth and Gorman froze for strike three. Winn flied out to left to end the inning. 

Grissom grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Hamilton doubled to center. Rafaela flied out to center to move Hamilton to third but Duran popped up to third to end the inning. Siani walked to start the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Donovan grounded out to third and Nootbaar struck out swinging to end the inning. 

John King came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Abreu grounded out to first to start. Wong grounded out first and Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Goldschmidt struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth but Arenado singled to center. Burleson caught Devers asleep with a bunt single but Herrera struck out swinging. Rather than let Crawford go over 100 pitches, Sox manager Alex Cora yanked him after 5 2/3 innings where he allowed 1 run off 6 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino came in and Arenado got picked off by Wong to end the inning. 

                                                   "Run support would be nice" - Crawford

Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the top of the seventh and O'Neill struck out swinging to start. Smith and Grissom both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Cards took command in the bottom of the seventh although Gorman struck out swinging to start. Winn singled to center and Dylan Carson pinch hit for Siani. Carlson singled to right and Bernardino had him picked off...if he didn't throw the ball away for an error. Donovan walked to load the bases and Winn scored on the grounder to first by Nootbaar. Cora got rid of Bernardino and Justin Slaten came in to get Goldschmidt to ground out to short to end the inning with the Cardinals up 2-1.

                                                      Cards get the lead back

The Sox fought back in the top of the eighth with JoJo Romero oh the mound. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton and lashed a base hit to left.....but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was safe but the umpires upheld the call. Rafaela grounded out to short but Duran got a base hit to left. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu and doubled to center to score Duran. Wong flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                        Refsnyder ties it up

Everything fell apart in the bottom of the eighth as Arenado got a base hit to left to start. Burleson got a base hit to right and Herrera lashed a single to left to score Arenado. Gorman singled to right to score Burleson and Winn hit a sac fly to right to score Herrera. Carlson took strike three but Donovan best out a roller to short to chase the incompetent Slaten. Zack Kelly came in and immediately Nootbaar got a base hit to right....under the glove of Refsnyder. Gorman and Donovan scored on the error but Goldschmidt flied out to center to end the inning with the Cardinals up 7-2.

                                                            What a disaster

Kyle Leahy came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers flied out to center to start. O'Neill got a base hit to center but Smith grounded into a double play to end the game. The Cardinals had won it 7-2.

                                                                Cardinals win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Slaten. He got nailed for 5 runs in the seventh inning to take the loss.

                                                            Jackass Justin

The Good:

David Hamilton was 1 for 2.

Kutter Crawford allowed just 1 run in 5 2/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks. He also struck out 5.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 4.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run and committed an error in 1 inning of work.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 but walked and stole a base.

Rob Refsnyder got a base hit and an rbi but his error allowed 2 runs to score.

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

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez got a base hit as a pinch hitter but was thrown out at second on the play.

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

Final Thoughts:

Well if this is how the rest of the season is going to go, at least the Sox made it look interesting for two months. The lack of offense and the lack of aces on the pitching staff combined with the frightening amount of injuries has the Sox two games under .500. This time not only was the offense pretty bad, but the bullpen was as well. That's two games in a row the bullpen got lit up. Not even Cora's fault as Crawford was already at 99 pitches and Bernardino was coming in for the seventh inning anyway. Slaten getting lit up represents a common problem in rookie pitchers where they start out like a house of fire but hitters start figuring them out. Hitters looked to have figured out Slaten so its up to him to re-adjust. The only saving grace about this year's team is the three wildcards mean the Sox can play mediocre for four months then turn it on at the end. Problem is they still need to keep it close and they won't at this pace. The less said of this game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-24, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to snap their four game losing streak tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta (1-2) takes on Matthew Libatore of St. Louis. The game begins at 7:15 PM Eastern time at Busch Stadium.

Rays Down Crawford, Sox (5/13/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their second round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays once again asserted their dominance over the Red Sox by holding the pathetic Sox offense to just one big hit the entire game. The Rays pounced on Kutter Crawford (2-2, 2.24 ERA) for three runs in the top of the first but the Sox answered with a three run bomb by Tyler O'Neill off Zach Eflin in the bottom of the first. The Sox would be held scoreless the rest of the game while the Rays would get another run off Crawford and one more against Greg Weissert. Eflin and the Rays bullpen would allow just 5 hits and a walk after the first while winning the game 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                         "SCORE SOME RUNS!!!"

The Rays jumped on Crawford in the top of the first inning as Yandy Diaz got a base hit to center to start. Randy Arozarena lined out to center and Josh Lowe did the same, but Harold Ramirez walked. Amed Rosario tripled off the glove of a diving Ceddanne Rafaela and scored on the Richie Palacios base hit to center.  Jose Caballlero got a base hit to right to move Palacios to third then promptly stole second. Alex Jackson took strike three to end the inning with the Rays up 3-0.

                                                      "I don't got it" - Rafaela

The Sox answered against Eflin in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran took strike three to start. Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to left but Connor Wong lined out to short. Rafael Devers doubled down the right field line and Tyler O'Neill belted his 10th home run of the season to tie the game. Dominic Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Sox tie it up

Jose Siri grounded out to first to start the top of the second but Diaz doubled to center. Arozarena grounded out to first and Lowe lined out to left to end the inning. Vaughn Grissom grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the second but Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to right. Rafaela flied out to center but Gonzalez stole second. Duran lined out to first to end the inning.

Ramirez struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Rosario flied out to center. Palacios popped up to third to end the inning. Abreu doubled to center to start the bottom of the third but Wong flied out to left. Devers popped up to short and O'Neill flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rays took command in the top of the fourth as Smith let a pop up by Callabero drop in for a double then Jose stole third. Jackson took strike three but Siri hit a sac fly to left to score Jose. Diaz got a base hit to right but Arozarena flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-3. 

                                                         Rays take the lead

Smith grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Grissom grounded out to third. Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning.

Lowe flied out to center to start the top of the fifth before Ramirez took strike three. Rosario grounded out to third to end the inning. Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Duran got a base hit to left. Duran was thrown out at second trying to steal and Abreu hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Crawford returned for the top of the sixth and Palacios flied out to right to start. Caballero took strike three and Jackson struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford battled but allowed 4 runs in 6 innings of work off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                               Crawford went six

Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wong hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Devers was retired on a nubber in front of the plate and O'Neill lined out to left to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Siri grounded out to first to start. Diaz grounded out to short but Arozarena singled to center. Arozarena was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Smith grounded out to first to start the bottom of the seventh but Grissom got a base hit to right. Grissom moved to second on the grounder to first by Gonzalez but Rafaela lined out to second to end the inning.

The Rays struck again in the top of the eighth as Lowe doubled to left to start. Austin Shenton pinch hit for Ramirez and walked before Rosario doubled to left to score Lowe. Palacios struck out swinging and Jonny DeLuca pinch ran for Shenton. Caballero struck out swinging and Jackson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 5-3.

                                                         Another rbi for Rosario

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and somehow Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Rob Refsnyder for Duran. Refsnyder struck out swinging and even more inexplicable, Garrett Cooper pinch hit for Abreu and also struck out swinging. Wong got a base hit to left but Devers took strike three to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Siri popped up to first to start. Diaz flied out to right and Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. Jason Adam came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and O'Neill walked to put the tying run on. Naturally Smtih struck out swinging, Grissom took strike three and Gonzalez whiffed to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-3.

                                                             Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Dominic Smith. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including the ninth inning with a man on base.

                                                                   Jackass Smith

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Garrett Cooper struck out as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4.

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

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 innings on 7 hits and a walk. He also struck out six.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in two innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox HAVE to do something to create some offense. Either call up Niko Kavadas, make a trade, anything. The Sox offense hasn't scored more than 4 runs in eight days now and its not getting any better. Vaughn Grissom looks completely lost along with Rafaela, Cooper and Smith. Apart from Refsnyder and Abreu, nobody is hitting well and Devers isn't jacking the ball anymore. Who knew losing 2 of your 3 best hitters would cause this to happen? The problem is Trevior Story has an injury history but nobody thought Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas would go down. Apart from the first inning, the Rays won the game 2-0 meaning the Sox pitching did the best they could. Crawford looked mortal and Weissert gave up a run but the Sox bats were silent apart from one lucky hit in the first inning. The Sox have no chance to compete if they can't score. The loss dropped the Sox to 21-20, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Rays when Nick Pivetta (1-2, 3.60 ERA) takes on Aaron Civale of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Can't Get Clutch Hit, Braves Win (5/7/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their second round NBA playoff series but the Boston Red Sox lost to the Atlanta Braves. The story of the game was the incompetent offense and defense displayed by the Red Sox. The Sox went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base. Meanwhile Red Sox manager Alex Cora yanked Kutter Crawford after just 87 pitches and six innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Marcell Ozuna and Orlando Arcia drove in two runs against Justin Slaten (2-1, 1.80 ERA) to put the Braves ahead. The Sox failed to score against Raisel Iglesias and the Braves had won the game 4-2 at Truist Park.

                                                    "13 men left on base...."

Reynaldo Lopez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran doubled to left to start. Rafael Devers popped up to first and Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging, but Wilyer Abreu walked. Vaughn Grissom grounded out to third to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ronald Acuna Jr beat out a roller to third to start. Acuna Jr was thrown out at second trying to steal and Ozzie Albies struck out swinging. Austin Riley flied out to left to end the inning.

Dominic Smith grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second and Garrett Cooper struck out swinging. Reese McGuire got a base hit to right and Ceddanne Rafaela singled to right but Duran flied out to right to end the inning. Matt Olson struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second but Marcell Ozuna walked. Orlando Arcia grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Devers got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but O'Neill grounded into a double play. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. The Braves struck first in the bottom of the third as Michael Harris popped up to third to start. Travis d'Arnaud was hit with a pitch and Jarred Kelenic hit a home run all the way to Cuba to put the Braves up. Acuna Jr flied out to right but Albies walked. riley singled to left but Olson flied out to left to end the inning with the Braves ahead 2-0.

                                                         Braves take the lead

Grissom got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Smith flied out to left. Cooper lined out to right and McGuire popped up to first to end the inning. Ozuna took strike three to begin the bottom of the fourth and Arcia went down hacking. Harris lined out to short to end the inning.

Rafaela grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Duran tripled into the right field corner. Naturally Devers and O'Neill both struck out swinging to end the inning. d'Arnaud took stirke three to start the bottom of the fifth but Kelenic got a base hit to right. Acuna lined out to left and Albies flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Abreu walked to start. Arcia booted a grounder by Grissom for an error but Smith struck out swinging. Cooper walked to load the bases and McGuire walked to score Abreu. That was it for Lopez as Aaron Bummer came in to pitch and Rafaela lined a base hit off his leg to score Grissom. Duran and Devers both struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                          Rafaela ties it up

Crawford returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and Riley flied out to center to start. Olson got a base hit down the third base line but Ozuna was rung up for strike three. Arcia popped up to third to end the inning. As usual, Cora pulled Crawford early after just 87 pitches, however Kutter allowed just 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs in his outing.

                                                            Good work by Crawford

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the seventh with Jesse Chavez now on the mound. O'Neill doubled to left to begin but Abreu flied out to left. Grissom flied out to right but Smith walked. Cooper flied out to right to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Harris popped up to third to start. d'Arnaud flied out to right and old buddy Adam Duvall pinch hit for Kelenic. Duvall walked and Sox manager Alex Cora lifted Bernardino for Greg Weissert. Weissert got Acuna to ground into a force to end the inning.

Joe Jimenez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McGuire flied out to left to start. Rafaela struck out swinging and Olson dropped a pop up by Duran. Devers was intentionally walked but O'Neill got robed of extra bases on a great catch by Duvall to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Albies walked to start. Riley got a base hit to center but Olson struck out swinging. Ozuna then got a base hit up the middle to score Albies. Riley moved to third on the hit and he scored when Arcia beat out a double play ball. Harris flied out to left to end the inning with the Braves ahead 4-2.

                                                         Arcia gets it done

Raisel Iglesias came in to close out the top of the ninth and Abreu struck out swinging to begin. Grissom grounded out to third and Smith grounded out to short to end the game. The Braves had won the game 4-2.

                                                                 Braves win

Jackass of the Night is Justin Slaten. He allowed the go-ahead runs to score in the eighth inning.

                                                                Justin Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Kutter Crawford tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out six.

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

Greg Weissert got the final out of the seventh inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

You're not going to win too many games going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and leaving 13 men on base. Its going to take time for Smith, Cooper and Grissom to get adjusted but until then this is going to be a BAD offense. The good news is fresh troops are on the way as Brayan Bello claims he felt no pain during his rehab assignment in Portland while both Romy Gonzalez and Nick Pivetta are expected to be activated for tomorrow. Gonzalez is an upgrade over Zack Short (who might be gone) and Pivetta will push one of the bottom of the pile relievers like Chase Anderson or Naoyuki Uwasawa back to Worcester. The Sox need to get as healthy as they can because in the era of the third wild card, a 90 win team is right there in contention. Hopefully the Sox will be better with runners on base in the next game because they were AWFUL tonight. The Sox now face an old friend tomorrow night in Chris Sale for the Braves and Nick Pivetta (1-1, 0.82) comes off the Injured List to make the start for the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:20 PM at Truist Park.