Sox Pound Astros, Take Game 3 (10/18/21)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox are halfway to the 2021 World Series after laying waste to the bungholes of the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Kyle Schwarber capped off a six run second inning rally with a grand slam and the Sox bats were relentless the rest of the night. JD Martinez, Christian Arroyo and Rafael Devers all went yard as the Sox pounded out 12 runs off 11 hits. On the other side of the ball Eduardo Rodriguez pitched his best post-season game of his career. Rodriguez stepped up his velocity and survived a three run home run by Kyle Tucker to hold the high powered Astros to just three runs. The Sox bullpen tossed shutout ball the rest of the way and the Sox cruised to an easy 12-3 victory in Game 3 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Halfway to the World Series

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Altuve flied out to the centerfield wall to start. Michael Brantley struck out swinging on a 95 mph fastball and Rafael Devers made a great diving place to rob Alex Bregman of a single to end the inning. Jose Urquidy got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kyle Schwarber flied out to right to begin. Kike Hernandez popped up to first and Devers popped up to Bregman to end the inning.

Rodriguez turned up the heat in the top of the second as Yordan Alvarez swung and missed at a nasty slider for strike three to start. Carlos Correa took a sick cutter for strike three and Kyle Tucker whiffed to end the inning. The Sox blew rallied in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Alex Verudgo walked, JD Martinez doubled off the Monster and Hunter Renfroe walked to load the bases. Christian Vazquez dumped a base hit to right to score Verdugo to put the Sox on top and Jose Altuve bobbled a Christian Arroyo double play ball to score Martinez on the error. Schwarber made Urquidy pay with a grand slam to right to put the Astros in a huge hole. Hernandez followed with a base hit to left but Devers popped up to center. Bogaerts ripped a base hit to center and FINALLY Astros manager Dusty Baker pulled Uquidy. Yimi Garcia came in to pitch and uncorked a wild pitch to move both runners over. Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox led 6-0.

                                                        Party time at Fenway

Rodriguez stayed tough in the top of the third although Yuli Gurriel ripped a base hit to center to start. Hernandez made a diving catch to rob Jose Siri of a base hit and Martin Maldonado struck out swinging on a 92 mph fastball. Altuve grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the third as Martinez struck out swinging to start. Renfroe walked and took off for second, moving to third when Maldonado threw the ball away. Vazquez singled to left to score Renfroe and Arroyo smashed a two run home run to add to the lead. Schwarber grounded out to first but Hernandez ripped a base hit to left. Devers flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 9-0.

                                           Arroyo crushes one into the Monster Seats

The Astros roared back as Rodriguez' velocity faded in the top of the fourth. Brantley effortlessly singled to right but Bregman somehow popped up to second. Alvarez singled high off the Monster but somehow Correa popped up to short. Tucker then hit a 3 rub home run into the Atlantic Ocean to put the Astros back in it. Gurriel singled over the head of Arroyo but Devers made a great play to rob Siri of a hit to end the inning. The Astros had rallied but still trailed 9-3.

                                                           Tucker inches the Astros closer

Blake Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Verdugo ripped a base hit to left and Martinez walked, but Renfroe struck out swinging. Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Rodriguez had a huge bounce back inning in the top of the fifth as Maldonado took strike three to start. Altuve flied out to right and Brantley hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Brooks Raley came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Arroyo grounded out to third to start. Schwarber flied out to left and Hernandez popped up to first to end the inning.

Rodriguez would not be denied in the top of the sixth as Bregman hit a bullet to Hernandez to start. Alvarez went down hacking and Correa grounded out to second to end the inning. Rodriguez then turned and looked at Correa while pointing at his wrist as a bit of an F--- You. Sox manager Alex Cora was caught on camera telling E-Rod never to do that again but internally was happy. Rodriguez pitched his best postseason game of his career, holding the Astros to 3 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 7 and walked nobody, good stuff.

                                              "Nooooo! Noooooo!!!"

Moved by E-Rod's effort, the Sox added to the lead in the bottom of the sixth as Devers walked to start. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Verdugo flied out to center to chase Raley. Astros manager Dusty Baker brought in Phil Maton to pitch to Martinez and JD hit a no doubt two run bomb into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Renfroe grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-3.

                                                      Martinez launches another one

Danny Santana came in for Hernandez and Hansel Robles came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning. Tucker walked on four straight pitches not even close but Gurriel banged into a double play. Siri popped up to first to end the inning. Aledmys Diaz came in for Gurriel and Jason Castro came in to catch the bottom of the seventh. Vazquez flied out to right and Arroyo grounded out to short before Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Schwarber. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martin Perez came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning as Castro walked to start. Altuve banged into a double play and Chas McCormick pinch hit for Brantley. McCormick flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with Ryne Stanek now on the mound. Santana struck out swinging but Devers clobbered an opposite field home run into the Monster Seats to light up the crowd. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Verdugo grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-3.

                                                      Devers with one last home run

Hiro Sawamura came in to mop up the top of the ninth and Bregman struck out swinging to start. Alvarez hit a bullet but right to Arroyo in shallow right and Renfroe made a great sliding catch off a Correa line drive to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-3.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. He held the high powered Astros to just 3 runs in 6 innings to earn the win.

                                                      Rodriguez the TIMEly Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 total runs scored and a 2 run home run.

Hunter Renfroe walked twice, stole a base and scored two runs.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Martin Perez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Hiro Sawamura pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec struck out as a pinch hitter.

Danny Santana struck out in his only plate appearance.

The Ugly:

Kyle Schwarber was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a grand slam.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but walked, hit a home run and scored 2 runs.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but had a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but scored two runs, hit a two run homer and drove in 3 total runs.

Final Thoughts:

Three games into the ALCS and this has been the most prolific Red Sox offense in October EVER. Not even the 2003-05 Idiots, 2007 corporate champs, 2013 Bearded Brothers or the 2018 team had poured it on like this in eight post-season games. The Sox have already hit a record 20 home runs and no team has ever hit 3 grand slams in a single post-season series. The Astros are missing Lance McCullers but losing the likes of Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole has crippled their starters. The Astros had the number 2 offense in baseball which carried them during the regular season but they've been held mostly in check the first three games this series. The Astros are reeling and going to the bullpen in the third inning three games in a row is going to take its toll as the series goes on. Tomorrow night the Sox have Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock, Adam Ottavino and Tanner Houck ready to roll if Nick Pivetta falters while the Astros have god knows what if Zack Greinke can't go. So far everything is coming up Red Sox but the series is far from over. Still, after the last two years Sox fans need something to cheer about so they'll be celebrating tonight. As if the game wasn't fun enough, David Ortiz on the FS1 postgame had the Fenway faithful partying throughout the half hour show. Chants of "Yankees suck" and "Papi! Papi! Papi!" were so loud you could barely hear Ortiz or A-Rod talk. As fun as tonight was, the Sox have two more wins to get to reach the Fall Classic Tomorrow night the Sox look to go for the jugular when they send Nick Pivetta to the mound against 37 year old Zack Greinke of the Astros. The game begins at 8:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Outslug Twins (8/24/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The struggling Jarren Duran was sent back down to Worcester and Tanner Houck was called up to start tonight's game. Duran wasn't ready for the big time although he could be back in a few weeks when rosters expand. They're going to need Houck for the stretch run in case somebody gets hurt.

                                                                       OUT

                                                               IN

As for the game, the bad news was the Sox pitching staff was hammered for nine runs and 14 hits by the Minnesota Twins. Tanner Houck was knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 3 runs. Martin Perez, Hiro Sawamura and Matt Barnes all got tagged for 6 runs as well. The good news was the Boston bats exploded for 11 runs off 11 hits to outscore the Twins. Travis Shaw and Kike Hernandez both hit home runs while Hunter Renfroe hit two of them. Alex Verdugo had 3 hits as well as the Sox survived a seventh and ninth inning meltdowns to win the game 11-9 at Fenway Park.

                                                   Irina Voronina approves of the win

The Twins wasted no time getting to Houck in the top of the first as Max Kepler led off with a triple to right. Brent Rooker struck out swinging but Jorge Polanco singled to right to score Kepler. Josh Donaldson flied out to left and Luis Arraez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins up 1-0.

                                                             Polanco drives in a run

Griffin Jax got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez led off with a line out to right but Kyle Schwarber popped up to third. Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning.

Umpire Tom Haillon had to leave the game as Mitch Garver got a base hit to right to start the top of the second. Nick Gordon banged into a double play but Miguel Sano drew a walk. Jake Cave got a base hit in the hole at second but Kepler struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and JD Martinez lined out to right. Alex Verdugo walked and took second on a wild pitch, but Hunter Renfroe was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start.

Rooker took strike three to start the top of the third but Polanco lined out to right. Josh Donaldson singled to center but was thrown out at second by Verdugo trying to stretch a double to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Travis Shaw hit his eighth home run of the season to start. Christian Vazquez struck out swinging and Hernandez flied out to right but Schwarber walked. Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Shaw turns back the clock 5 years

The Twins struck again in the top of the fourth as Arraez singled to left to start. Garver struck out swinging but Gordon doubled to center. Sano ripped a base hit to center to score both runners but Cave took strike three. Kepler flied out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 3-1.

                                                    Twins take the lead

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Devers walked to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Verdugo doubled to right. Renfroe then clubbed his 24th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Shaw struck out swinging and Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3.

                                                      That's one for Renfroe

Rooker was hit with a pitch to start the top of the fifth and took second on a wild pitch. Polanco struck out swinging and Donaldson popped up to third....all of a sudden Sox manager Alex Cora came out of the dugout to a chorus of boos with Houck at just 90 pitches. That's right, once again he yanked a starter early as Houck couldn't get credit for the win. Josh Taylor came in and got Arraez to ground out to second to end the inning. Will Cora ever learn?

                                                       90 pitches for Houck and got yanked

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez hit a ground ball to third that was thrown away by Arraez to allow Kike to reach second on the hit/error. Schwarber lined out to first and Bogaerts popped up to first, but Devers hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Hernandez. Martinez walked and Verdugo doubled to center to score both runners. Renfroe put the exclamation point on the inning with a two run home run to increase the lead and chase Jax. Juan Minaya came in and walked both Shaw and Vazquez, but Hernandez forced Christian at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

                                                   That's two for Renfroe

Martin Perez came in to get tagged in the top of the sixth as Garver doubled to right to start. Gordon grounded out to second to move Mitch to third and Garver scored on the grounder to short by Sano. Cave struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 9-4.

                                                        Perez allows another run

Schwarber got a base hit in the hole at second to start the bottom of the sixth but Bogaerts flied out to right. Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Twins inched closer in the top of the seventh as Shaw booted a grounder by Kepler to start. Rooker forced Kepler at second but Polanco hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to cut the lead. That was it for Perez as Hiro Sawamura was brought in only to walk Donaldson. Arraez singled to left and a wild pitch moved both runners over. Garver struck out swinging but Gordon singled to center to score both runners. Sano grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins down 9-8. Cora pulling Houck early bit him again as the bullpen once again imploded.

                                                        Polanco hits one out

Tyler Duffey came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Martinez grounded out to second to start. Verdugo singled to center but Renfroe struck out swinging. Shaw took strike three to end the inning.

Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Cave singled to center to start. Cave was thrown out at second trying to steal....but wait! Twins manager Rocco Baldelli challenged the call but it was upheld. Kepler flied out to left but Rooker drew a walk. Rob Refsnyder ran for Rooker but Polanco struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox got some insurance in the bottom of the eighth with Caleb Theilbar now on the mound. Vazquez got a base hit to center and Hernandez clocked his 16th home run of the season to increase the lead. Schwarber grounded out to short, Bogaerts hit one up the elevator shaft and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-8.

                                                   Hernandez hits one out

Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Christian Arroyo now in left. Donaldson hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Siberia before Arraez walked on four pitches not even close. Garver walked and Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on Barnes who imploded AGAIN. Hansel Robles came in and somehow struck out Gordon swinging. Sano struck out swinging and Cave lined out to second to end the game. The Sox had hung on to win 11-9.

                                                                Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is Hunter Renfroe. He hit a three run bomb and a two run homer to put the Sox in front for good.

                                                    Devers salutes our Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with a two run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and two runs scored.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Josh Taylor retired the only man he faced.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Hansel Robles earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5.

Martin Perez was charged with 3 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Hiro Sawamura allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Kyle Schwarber was just 1 for 4 but walked.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Travis Shaw was 1 for 3 with a home run but struck out twice and committed an error that led to a run.

Tanner Houck allowed 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed 8 hits and struck out 6.

Honorable Mention:

Christian Arroyo played second base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Thank goodness for the bats being hot tonight because the Sox pitching staff is in ruins. Alex Cora's constantly pulling starters early has Barnes, Sawamura, Ottavino and Garrett Whitlock on fumes and Martin Perez isn't good at all. All Cora had to do was let Houck finish the fifth and at least start the sixth, instead the Sox bullpen allows 6 runs in 4 innings and look spent. Robles saved the day but how long will he last until his arm falls off too? Pulling Houck, Chris Sale and others after 5 innings has the Sox looking up at the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. On the other side of the ball, the bats beat up the Twins and they needed each and every run scored. The Sox won't be able to outslug everyone the next month so the pitching HAS to improve or else they'll be missing the playoffs. When will enough be enough for Cora to stop pulling the starters? Barnes is finished as the closer so they may as well use Robles or Whitlock from here on. Its a shame all the bad news overshadowed the good because the bats did very well and they won the game. The win improved the Sox to 72-55, 2.5 games behind the Yankees for the first wild card spot. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta takes the mound, taking on Bailey Ober of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Sweep Pivetta, Sox (8/18/21)

Wow....what a difference a month makes. Going into July 6th the Sox were 3.5 games in front of the Tampa Bay Rays and on August 18th they're 5 games behind the Rays and a game behind the New York Yankees for the first wild card after tonight's loss to the Yankees. The Yankees swept the Sox in a series both teams needed and it looks like the Sox season is going down the drain. Nick Pivetta (9-6, 4.43 ERA) got shelled in the second inning for four runs before he was yanked. Garrett Richards and the Boston bullpen heroically pitched one run ball the rest of the way but the problem was the Boston bats were once again quiet. Andrew Heaney held the Sox to a single run in 7 innings of work before turning the game over to the bullpen. The Sox did manage to rally against Aroldis Chapman and have the tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth....but Kevin Plawecki grounded out to end the game. The Yankees completed the sweep of the Red Sox with a 4-2 win at Yankee Stadium.

                                               Live look at the Sox in the AL East standings

The Sox did manage to strike first in the top of the first inning although Kike Hernandez flied out to right to start. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to first but Xander Bogaerts smashed his 19th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0. They would have just three hits the rest of the game.

                                               Bogaerts taunts the Yankees

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and DJ LeMahieu took strike three to start. Anthony Rizzo lined out to center but Aaron Judge walked. Joey Gallo flied out to left to end the inning.

JD Martinez struck out swinging to begin the top of the second and Kevin Plawecki flied out to right. Alex Verdugo popped up to short to end the inning. The Yankees exploded in the bottom of the second as Giancarlo Stanton singled to left to start. Rougned Odor drew a walk and Gary Sanchez singled to right to load the bases. Brett Gardner hit a sac fly to center to score Stanton with the tying run and Andrew Velazquez got a base hit to right to score Odor, moving Sanchez to third. Velazquez stole second but LeMahieu grounded out to third. Rizzo smashed a base hit down the first base line to score both runners and Judge walked to finally pull the plug on Pivetta, Nick had nothing and got yanked before the damage could get worse. Garrett Richards came in and got Gallo to ground out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-1.

                                                     Velazquez serves it back

The Sox rolled over in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec flied out to right to start. Christian Vazquez grounded out to third and Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Stanton drew a walk to start the bottom of the third but Odor took strike three. Sanchez went down hacking and Gardner forced Stanton at second to end the inning.

Renfroe walked to start the top of the fourth but Bogaerts forced him at second. Bogaerts took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on the grounder to third by Devers. Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Velazquez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before LeMahieu lined out to center. Rizzo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Plawecki singled to left to start the top of the fifth but Verdugo flied out to left. Dalbec lined out to second and Vazquez popped up to Heaney to end the inning. Judge grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth and Gallo struck out swinging. Stanton flied out to center to end the inning.

Hernandez walked to start the top of the sixth before Renfroe flied out to right. Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the inning. Odor grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez flied out to left. That was it for Richards who tossed 4 shutout innings to keep the Sox in the game. Martin Perez came in and Gardner singled inside the third base bag but Velazquez took strike three to end the inning.

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Martinez lined out to left. Plawecki flied out to center to end the inning. Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and LeMahieu grounded back to the mound to start. Rizzo popped up to short but Judge walked before swiping second. Gallo was intentionally walked but Stanton grounded out to third to end the inning.

Zack Britton came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Dalbec grounded out to short and Vazquez grounded out to second to end the inning. The Yankees got a run in the bottom of the eighth with Josh Taylor on the mound. Odor flied out to center but Sanchez doubled to right. Sanchez moved to third on the grounder to second by Gardner but Velazquez got a base hit to left to score Gary. LeMahieu grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-2.

                                                         Yankees are all smiles

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Renfroe somehow cracked his 22nd home run of the season but Bogaerts walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Devers grounded out to first but Martinez singled to right to move Xander to third. Lucas Luetge came in to pitch to Plawecki but he grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Sox out of the wild card spot with a 5-3 win.

                                                              Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Nick Pivetta. He got shelled for 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings to put the game out of reach early.

                                                      Cora takes the ball from the Jackass

The Good:

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run.

Garrett Richards tossed 4 scoreless innings.

Martin Perez got the final out of the sixth inning.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.

Josh Taylor allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox earned this ass kicking by the Yankees. They couldn't hit in the clutch, couldn't keep the Yankees off the scoreboard when it matters and just generally looked defeated. Every move Yankees manager Aaron Boone made turned to gold and everything Sox manager Alex Cora did backfired. Pivetta had nothing and Cora did the right thing to get them out of there but the Sox couldn't generate any offense against a pitcher they should have lit up. That's been the problem since the all-star break is they simply stopped hitting. The lack of Andrew Benintendi in the lineup is rearing its ugly head because they're not getting much production outside of a home run or two from Renfroe. Hopefully the Sox can right the ship because they just gave up the division and now the wild card in under a month. They need to get their heads straight because they're blowing a chance of redemption after the last two years of misery. The loss dropped the Sox to 69-54, a game behind the Yankees for the first wild card. The Sox have an off-day tomorrow to regroup and they're back in action Friday night against the Texas Rangers. Chris Sale (1-0) gets the ball up against Dane Dunning of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Blank Sox in Game 2 (8/17/21)

It may be time to hit the panic button if you're in the Boston Red Sox. The New York Yankees pulled within a tie in the AL Wild Card race by sweeping today's doubleheader against the Red Sox. In Game 1 Sox manager Alex Cora pulled Tanner Houck after 4 innings and the Yankees pounced on the Sox bullpen for three runs. In Game 2 the Sox bats were completely silenced against the immortal Luis Gil and the Yankees bullpen. Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.91 ERA) allowed just two runs to the Yankees in 5 innings but the Sox were shut out by Gil, Wandy Peralta and Chad Green. A home run by Luke Voit and one by Giancarlo Stanton was all the Yankees would need in the nightcap. The Sox bats amassed just 5 hits in the game as the Yankees pulled within a tie of the Wild Card race with a 2-0 win in 7 innings in Game 2. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Gil got the ball in the top of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to right to start. Alex Verdugo walked but Xander Bogaerts lined out to center. Rafael Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and DJ LeMahieu singled to right to start. Brett Gardner forced DJ at second but stole second on the swinging strikeout by Aaron Judge. Joey Gallo flied out to left to end the inning.

JD Martinez got a base hit to center to start the top of the second before Kyle Schwarber drew a walk. The rally ended as Kevin Plawecki took strike three while both Jarren Duran and Travis Shaw struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the second although Giancarlo Stanton took strike three. Rougned Odor struck out swinging but Luke Voit hit a home run all the way to the moon to put the Yankees up for good. Tyler Wade popped up to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                             Voit ends it early

Hernandez popped up to first to start the top of the third before Verdugo walked. A passed ball moved Alex to second but naturally Bogaerts grounded out to short and Devers lined out to center to end the inning. Kyle Higashioka got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third before LeMahieu singled to right. Gardner popped up to short, Judge flied out to center and Gallo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Schwarber popped up to third. Plawecki popped up to first to end the inning. The Yankees iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Stanton hit a home run that hasn't landed yet to put the game out of reach. Odor doubled to left but Voit struck out swinging. Wade flied out to left but Higashioka walked. LeMahieu popped up to first to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                       Stanton goes yard

The Sox blew their best chance to tie the game in the top of the fifth as Duran singled to right to start. Shaw struck out swinging but Hernandez singled off the glove of Wade to move Jarren to third. Verdugo flied out to deep left to move Hernandez into scoring position and Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Wandy Peralta came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning. Eovaldi came back for the bottom of the fifth and Gardner grounded out to short to start. Judge singled to right and stole second but Gallo struck out swinging. Stanton lined out to center to end the inning. Even though he was only at 83 pitches, Cora felt Eovaldi had done enough despite using four relievers in Game 1 and two innings still to go in this one. Nate just made two mistakes and the Sox couldn't generate any offense.

                                                              Eovaldi deserved better

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the sixth as Martinez flied out to right to start. Schwarber got a base hit to center but was forced at second by Plawecki. Hunter Renfroe pinch hit for Duran and got a base hit to center to move Plawecki to third. Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Shaw only to line out to Peralta to end the inning. Martin Perez came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Odor flied out to right to start. Voit struck out looking but Wade beat out a roller to first. Cora then brought in Hiro Sawamura once again and he got Higashioka to fly out to right to end the inning.

Jonathan Davis took over for Voit, Andrew Velazquez came in for Stanton and Chad Green came in to close out the top of the seventh. Hernandez popped up to first, Verdugo struck out swinging and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees had blanked the fading Sox 2-0 to sweep the doubleheader.

                                                       Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but we'll go with Travis Shaw. He was 0 for 2 and left 3 men on base in a game where one swing could have made a difference

The Good:

Alex Verdugo walked twice in four plate appearances.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3.

Kyle Schwarber was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Martin Perez got the first two outs of the sixth inning.

Hiro Sawmaura got the final out of the sixth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

Nathan Eovaldi took the loss by allowing 2 solo home runs but tossed 5 innings while striking out 6.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox earned this ass-kicking today. Not getting hits in the clutch, running into outs and just not being patient against bad pitchers. Not to mention Boone managed circles around Cora, especially with the pitchers. In two 7 inning games Cora used a combined SIX relief pitchers. Both Whitlock and Eovaldi could have easily gone six innings apiece but Cora just had to manage both games like they were Game 7 of the world series. Technically the Yankees didn't even bat in each 7 innings so Cora needed six relief pitchers for 12 innings. Its all adding up as the bullpen is tired and the offense is beginning to fade as well. The Sox only scored 3 runs in 14 innings and now they relinquished the 1st Wild Card spot. In just over a month the Sox have blown the AL East and the 1st Wild Card. Its all on Cora for overusing his pitchers and for the bats for not being patient enough.The loss dropped the Sox to 69-53, percentage points behind the Yankees for the 1st Wild Card. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow against the Yankees when they send Nick Pivetta (9-5) to the mound up against Andrew Heaney of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Jays Bash Fading Sox (8/6/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Jarren Duran was placed on the Covid List and Jonathan Arauz was brought up from Worcester to take his place. Zipadee doo dah!

                                                                          OUT

                                                                     IN

As for this game, what a bloodbath. The Sox are fading fast and now their pitching is as bad as their collective hitting. Nathan Eovaldi (9-7, 4.07 ERA) got shelled in a NINE run fifth inning by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth when Eovaldi fell apart, being charged with 7 runs before being pulled. Hansel Robles allowed two of his own and a 2-0 lead turn into a 9-2 deficit. The Sox did fight back with a two run homer by Hunter Renfroe in the 6th inning but Austin Davis, Martin Perez and infielder Jonathan Arauz all allowed runs to the red hot Jays offense. It all added up to a 12-4 beating by the Jays at the Skydome.

                                                   Randy Quaid is angry again

Alek Manoah got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez lined out to short to begin. Alex Verdugo singled to center but JD Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning. Eovaldi  got George Springer to pop up to short to start the bottom of the first and Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to third. Marcus Semien doubled to left but Bo Bichette flied out to center to end the inning.

Xander Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second but Rafael Devers drew a walk. Hunter Renfroe went down hacking and Marwin Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Lourdes Gurriel Jr flied out to center. Alejandro Kirk walked but Randal Grichuk popped up to third to end the inning.

Christian Vazquez flied out to left to start the top of the third but Franchy Cordero grounded out to first. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Breyvic Valera grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Springer struck out swinging. Guerrero Jr flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Verdugo doubled to right to start. Martinez grounded out to short to move Verdugo to third and Alex scored on the sac fly to right by Bogaerts. Devers lined out to second to end the inning with Boston up 1-0.

                                                               Bogaerts drives in a run

Semien grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Bichette got a base hit to left. Hernandez flied out to center and Gurriel Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

Boston got another one in the top of the fifth although Renfroe struck out swinging to start. Gonzalez singled in the hole at short and Vazquez walked, but Cordero struck out swinging. Hernandez got a base hit to center to score Gonzalez and increase the lead. Verdugo walked to load the bases but Martinez popped up to first to end the inning. That out would be huge as the Sox only led 2-0.

                                                               Hernandez drives in a run

All hell broke loose in the bottom of the fifth as Kirk, Grichuk and Valera stroked three straight doubles to tie the game in an instant. Springer flied out to left to move Valera to third and Guerrero Jr was intentionally walked to set up a double play. The gamble initially worked as Semien struck out swinging but Bichette singled home Valeria and Hernandez cleared the bases with a double to center. Gurriel Jr compounded the attack with a 2 run home run to chase Eovaldi. He was cruising through four and just fell apart, just one of those days. Hansel Robles came in to pour gas on the fire as Kirk singled to left, Grichuk was plunked and Valera singled to the left of Robles to load the bases. Springer hit a ground rule double down the left field line to score Kirk and Grichuk. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to end the inning but the Jays had scored 9 runs to ice the game 9-2.

                                                            What a massacre

Ryan Borucki came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Devers walked and Renfroe smashed his 18th home run of the season to cut the lead. Gonzalez popped up to first but Vazquez singled to left to chase Borucki. Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Cordero and Rafael Dolis was brought in to face him. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 9-4.

                                                        Renfroe hits a home run

Austin Davis came in to get tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Semien doubled to left to start. Bichette struck out swinging but Semien swiped third and scored on the Hernandez base hit to center. Gurriel Jr forced Hernandez at second and Kirk lined out to center to end the inning but it was 10-4 Jays.

                                                  Hernandez drives in a run

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez singled to left. Bogaerts and Devers worked back to back walks to load the bases but Renfroe popped up to short to end the inning. Martin Perez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Grichuk singled to center to start. Valera popped up to third but Springer tripled tp center to score Grichuk. Guerrero Jr grounded out to first and Semien struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays ahead 11-4.

                                                     Springer triples in a run

Brad Hand came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Vazquez flied out to center but Dalbec singled in the hole at short. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Jonathan Arauz the infielder came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bichette lined out to right to start. Hernandez singled to left, Gurriel Jr doubled to to left and Kirk hit a sac fly to right to score Hernandez. Grichuk hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Jays up 12-4.

                                                  Jonathan Arauz...pitcher

Santiago Espinal took over at third with Tayler Saucedo now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Verdugo struck out swinging, Arauz grounded back to the mound and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the game. The Jays had won it 12-4.

                                                              Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He was charged with 7 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                             Jackass Eovaldi

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers walked 3 times and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2 at the plate.

The Bad:

Hansel Robles allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 2 of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

Austin Davis allowed a run in the sixth inning.

Martin Perez allowed a run in the seventh inning.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 1 at the plate and allowed a run in the eighth inning.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Marwin Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are totally out of sync and haven't looked right since the All-Star break. Tonight's ass whooping was just another sign of the times that the first half magic is gone. The Jays hit everything that moved in this game and even if the bullpen held up, they still would have lost because they didn't generate enough offense. The Sox are fading fast out of the AL East race as now they're 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and only 4 games in front of the fourth place Jays. This is the time where the Sox should be making a run but instead they've dropped another crucial game. Eovaldi's had an up and down year and today was definitely a downer. Can't blame Sox manager Alex Cora for pulling the plug on him today, he simply didn't have it. The fact that the big trade deadline acquisitions Davis and Robles got tagged is also pretty frightening. The loss dropped the Sox to 64-47, 2.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow is a doubleheader with the Jays and Game 1 will be Nick Pivetta taking on Robbie Ray. The game starts at 3:05 PM at the Skydome.

Tigers Smash Perez, Sox (8/5/21)

Yesterday the Boston Red Sox offense wasn't great but the pitching did enough to win. Today the pitching and offense both failed as the Detroit Tigers mauled the Sox into submission. The bats managed to put guys on base but the Sox couldn't get a clutch hit to save their lives. The problem was Martin Perez (7-84.77 ERA) got shelled for 3 runs and was knocked out in the second inning. The bullpen, specifically the trade deadline acquisitions Hansel Robles and Austin Davis, allowed 5 runs the rest of the way to put the game out of reach. Tarik Skrubal has had a mediocre season to say the least but he blanked the Sox for 5 innings. When the dust settled the Tigers had bashed the Sox for 13 hits and 8 runs to beat Boston 8-1 at Comerica Park.

                                                            Sad Jerry

Skrubal got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez led off by striking out swinging to start. Rafael Devers lined out to right and JD Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Tigers wasted no time getting Perez in the bottom of the first inning as Robbie Grossman hit the third pitch of the game into the Pacific Ocean to put the Tigers up for good. Jonathan Schoop struck out swinging and Miguel Cabrera, but Eic Haase doubled to right. Jeimer Candelario struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                               Grossman ends it early

The Sox blew their first rally in the top of the second although Xander Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Hunter Renfroe flied out to left but Kevin Plawecki singled to center. Alex Verdugo got a seeing eye single to right but Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. The Tigers finished off Perez in the bottom of the second as Victor Reyes tripled past the diving Verdugo to start. Zack Short hit a sac fly to center to score Reyes to increase the lead. Willi Castro singled to left and Derek Hill singled him to third before taking second on the throw. Grossman was hit in the elbow with a pitch and that was it for Perez after just 1 1/3 innings. Phillips Valdez came in and Schoop grounded back to the mound but Castro scored to ice the game. Cabrera struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 3-0.

                                                     Perez had nothing today

Grossman left the game after getting hit and Akil Baddoo came in to lay left to begin the top of the third. Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to short before Hernandez walked. Devers beat out a roller to short but Martinez watched strike three go by. Bogaerts lined out to center to end the inning. Haase grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Candelario grounded out to second. Reyes struck out swinging to end the inning.

Renfroe popped up to short to begin the top of the fourth and Plawecki grounded out to second. Verdugo doubled to left but Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning. Short grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Castro flied out to left. Hill grounded out to short to end the inning.

Gonzalez tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to begin the top of the fifth but Hernandez flied out to center. Gonzalez moved to second on the play but Devers flied out to center. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Hansel Robles came in to take a pounding in the bottom of the fifth although Baddoo popped up to third to start. Schoop singled to center but Cabrera walked, yet Haase struck out swinging. Candelario pounded a ground rule double into the centerfield stands to score Schoop and Reyes hit another bases clearing triple past Hernandez. Short struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 6-0 Tigers.

                                                 Reyes with another triple

Kyle Furkhouser came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Bogaerts lined out to right to start. Renfroe popped up to second and Plawecki grounded out to first to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to cough up another run in the bottom of the sixth as Castro lined out to left to begin. Hill flied out to right but Baddoo grounded a base hit to right. Hernandez ran over, picked up the ball and fired it into the right field stands for no apparent reason for an error to move Baddoo to second. Schoop did the honors with a base hit to center to score Baddoo. Cabrera grounded out to third to end the inning with the Tigers up 7-0.

                                           Schoop producing more than the whole Sox team

Ian Krol came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo flied out to center to start. Dalbec singled to left but Gonzalez lined out to second. Hernandez walked but Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Jarren Duran gave Hernandez the day off as the Tigers tagged Davis again in the bottom of the seventh. Haase singled to right before moving to third when Candelario singled off the glove of Gonzalez. Reyes beat out a double play ball to score Haase but Short struck out swinging. Castro singled off of Davis into left to move Reyes to third and chase Austin from the game. Yacksel Rios got Hill to pop up to second to end the inning with the Tigers up 8-0.

                                                        Davis gets tagged too

The Sox finally broke through in the top of the eighth against old friend Erasmo Ramirez although Martinez grounded out to short to start. Franchy Cordero pinch hit for Bogaerts to give him the day off and got a base hit to center. Renfroe walked and Plawecki got a base hit to center to load the bases. Verdugo hit a sac fly to left to score Cordero but Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 8-1.

                                                   Verdugo drives in a run

Rios returned for the bottom of the eighth with Dalbec taking over at short and Cordero at first. Baddoo flied out to center, Schoop struck out swinging and Cabrera grounded out to second to end the inning.

Gonzalez grounded out to first to start the top of the ninth and Duran struck out swinging. Devers got a base hit to center but Martinez lined out to center to end the game. The Tigers had won it 8-1.

                                                        Tigers win

Jackass of the Night is Martin Perez. He got shelled for 3 runs in just 1 1/3 innings and was pulled before the damage got worse.

                                                       Perez The Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5.

Franchy Cordero singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 4.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Phillips Valdez threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Yacksel Rios tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran struck out in his only at-bat.

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3.

Hansel Robles allowed 3 runs in an inning of work.

Austin Davis allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error but walked twice.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 but walked.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Marwin Gonzalez was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

That's six losses in the past seven games and things are getting ugly for the Sox. The Rays blew right past them in the AL East standings and the Sox pretty much have stopped driving in runs after the all-star break. Even if the bullpen was lights out, they still would have lost 3-1. The Sox had 9 hits as a team but none of them were when it counted. This team is too talented to go on a slump for this long so injuries may be a factor. Kyle Schwarber is still out so the Sox may need to switch up their lineup to get a spark back. Perez is a .500 pitcher and games like this are expected but the tag team of Robles and Davis allowed 5 runs, that can't keep happening moving forward. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 64-46, 1.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now continue their road trip to Toronto for a set with the Blue Jays. Nathan Eovaldi (9-6) takes on Alek Manoah of Toronto tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.