Rays Pound Sox, Take Two of Three (8/12/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Phillips Valdez was sent down to Worcester after his dreadful performance in last night's game and Tanner Houck was called up to make today's start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Houck didn't get much run support this season but he's pitched better than his record indicates.

                                                                           OUT

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As for the game, what did I tell ya? After the Sox scored 20 runs last night against the Tampa Bay Rays they scratched out just ONE tonight as the AL East front runners dominated the Sox on their home field. Tanner Houck (0-3, 2.92 ERA) remains winless on the season as he was smacked around for 4 runs in just 5 innings. Meanwhile the Rays "bullpen game" actually worked as Drew Rasmussen and Colin McHugh held the Sox to just 1 run in 6 innings combined. The Rays put the game away with a four run rally in the eighth against Austin Davis and Yacksel Rios to take two of three in this crucial series with the Sox including this game 8-1 at Fenway Park.

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brandon Lowe flied out to center to start. Wander Franco flied out to left but Nelson Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning. Rasmussen got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Kike Hernandez walked to start. Jarren Duran struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning.

Austin Meadows grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Joey Wendle flied out to center. Yandy Diaz singled to right but Brett Phillips struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers popped up to short to start the bottom of the second before JD Martinez took strike three. Huntr Renfroe grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the third inning as Kevin Kiermaier singled to center to start, Mike Zunino struck out swinging but Kevin Plawecki inexplicably threw the ball into the right field bleachers to allow Kiermaier to take second and third on the error. Lowe made Plawecki pay with a sac fly to score Kiermaier but Franco grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                    Kiermaier is a menace on the bases

Plawecki flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Marwin Gonzalez took strike three. Franchy Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning.

Houck cruised in the top of the fourth as Cruz struck out swinging to start. Meadows lined out to short and Wendle took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez walked to start. Duran flied out to center and Bogaerts flied out to right but Devers doubled to center to score Hernandez with the tying run. Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Devers drives in a run

Houck struck out Diaz swinging to start the top of the fifth before Phillips went down hacking. Kiermaier singled to right but Zunino went down swinging to end the inning. Collin McHugh came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Renfroe grounded out to third to start. Plawecki beat out an infield single to short but Gonzalez took strike three. Cordero whiffed to end the inning and the Sox wouldn't have a hit the rest of the game.

Houck fell apart in the top of the sixth as Lowe singled off the glove of Devers to start. Franco then hit a home run off the centerfield wall and Cruz doubled to left to chase Tanner. The one time Houck was allowed to go 6 innings he crashed and burned, being charged with 4 runs in 5 plus innings. Josh Taylor came in to pitch and Meadows grounded out to second to move Cruz to third but Wendle struck out swinging. Diaz was intentionally walked and Kevin Cash sent in Manny Margot to pinch hit for Phillips. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by bringing in Hansel Robles to pitch to Margot but he walked him anyway to load the bases. Robles then BALKED home Cruz and intentionally walked Kiermaier to reload the bases. Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1.

                                                          Houck crashed in the sixth

The Sox quit in the bottom of the sixth as Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Duran struck out swinging again and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lowe walked to start the top of the seventh before Franco flied out to left. Cruz flied out to right and that was it for Robles. Austin Davis came in to punch out Meadows swinging to end the inning.  JT Chargois came in for the bottom of the seventh and Devers lined out to center to start. Martinez flied out to right and Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rays pounced in the top of the eighth as Wendle tripled to right to start. Diaz was intentionally walked and Yacksel Rios came in to vomit up his intestines. Margot hit a sac fly to center to score Wendle and Kiermaier doubled to left. Zunino then iced the game with a home run all the way to Nigeria to put the game out of reach. Lowe flied out to center and Franco grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays ahead 8-1.

                                                     Zunino launches a home run

Louis Head came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Plawecki flied out to right to start. Gonzalez popped up to first and Cordero struck out swinging to earn the hat trick to end the inning.

Rios returned for the top of the ninth and Cruz flied out to right to start. Meadows grounded out to first and Wendle grounded out to short to end the inning. Ryan Sherriff came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and  Hernandez walked for the third time today. Duran took strike three for his third strikeout of the day and Bogaerts forced Hernandez at second. Devers took strike three to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-1.

                                                  Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Tanner Houck. He got lit up for 4 runs in just 5 plus innings and put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                    Jackass Houck

The Good:

Kike Hernandez walked 3 times and scored a run.

Josh Taylor got the first two outs of the sixth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Hansel Robles balked in a run in an inning of work.

Austin Davis was charged with 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Yacksel Rios allowed 2 inherited runners to score and two of his own in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

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

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3 but made an error.

Final Thoughts:

What an utter disaster. The Sox usually never score runs after winning a blowout but there's a difference in not scoring and looking completely lifeless. The Sox amassed just 2 hits in the game and 3 walks by Hernandez. The most concerning thing is the lack of offense from Duran, Gonzalez and Cordero at the bottom of the order. Its obvious Duran isn't ready yet, Gonzalez should be riding the bench and trading Andrew Benintendi for Cordero and "prospects" has completely blown up in Sox GM Chaim Bloom's face. He was supposed to be home run or nothing like Wily Mo Pena but he can't even get on base yet alone hit home runs. The Sox ship is sinking with their bullpen arms tired from overuse and now a black hole in the bottom of the order. There's rumors Kyle Schwarber won't even be back until the end of August and who knows when Chris Sale will pitch. All in all the Rays are starting to pull away in the AL East and the Sox are running out of time to get their act together. The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are right behind them and the Sox may not even make the playoffs if they keep sliding the way they are. Unless Schwarber comes out of the gate swinging and Sale pitches like he does in 2017, the Sox are in big trouble. The loss dropped the Sox to 66-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the horrible Baltimore Orioles and hope to get back on track against a team that's 38-75 going into the series. Tomorrow night Nick Pivetta (8-4) takes the mound against Spenser Watkins of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Massacre Rays (8/11/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Christian Vazquez was placed on the Bereavement List and Connor Wong was called up from Worcester to take his place. Condolences go out to Vazquez.

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As for the game, holy mackerel what an epic beat down. The Sox have been in a tailspin for about a month now and they took their frustrations out on the Tampa Bay Rays. Their offense has been struggling for weeks and they put out a week's worth of offense in one game against the Rays. The bats pounded the Rays for TWENTY runs off of 19 hits. JD Martinez was 4 for 4, Hunter Renfroe was 3 for 5 and Xander Bogaerts hit a 3 run home run off catcher Francisco Mejia...yes you read that right. Meanwhile Nathan Eovaldi (10-7, 3.92 ERA) was outstanding, holding the Rays to one run in seven innings of work while striking out 10 batters. A huge rally in the ninth against Phillips Valdez made the final score a bit better but overall this was a straight demolition as the Sox won the game 20-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                   Heather Hunter approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brandon Lowe struck out swinging to start. Ji-Man Choi struck out swinging and Nelson Cruz flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox began the massacre against Josh Fleming in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez doubled to center to begin. Hunter Renfroe doubled down the right field line to score Hernandez and Bogaerts doubled into the gap in center to score Hunter. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to move Bogaerts to third and Xander scored on the base hit by JD Martinez to left. Kevin Plawecki banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-0.

                                                        Renfroe starts to party

Austin Meadows got a base hit to center to start the top of the second before moving to second on a wild pitch. Wander Franco popped up to third before Randy Arozarena struck out swinging. Joey Wendle struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to third to start. Bobby Dalbec walked but Jarren Duran struck out swinging. Hernandez doubled to left and Renfroe doubled home both runners to ice the game. Bogaerts drew a walk but Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                             All smiles for the Sox so far

Brett Phillips struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Francisco Mejia flied out to center. Lowe took strike three to end the inning. Martinez got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third before moving to second on a Plawecki grounder to first. Gonzalez grounded to short to move Martinez to third and Dalbec was intentionally walked to put runners at the corners. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Choi flied out to center to start the top of the fourth before Cruz grounded out to short. Meadows popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez singled to center to start. Renfroe walked but Bogaerts struck out swinging. Devers ripped a double to left to score Hernandez and Martinez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Plawecki walked home Renfroe and Gonzalez slapped a base hit to right to score Devers. Dalbec got a base hit to right to score Plawecki and Martinez to chase Fleming. Dietrich Enns came in to pitch and Duran moved the runners over with a grounder to first. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 10-0.

                                                          Sox pour it on

Franco struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth but Arozarena doubled to left. Wendle grounded out to short and Phillips struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox were relentless in the bottom of the fifth although Renfroe popped up to first to start. Bogaerts and Devers drew back to back walks and Martinez singled to right to score Bogaerts. Plawecki flied out to center but Gonzalez walked to load the bases. Dalbec cleared the bases with a scintillating triple into the right field corner to increase the lead. Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up two touchdowns 14-0.

                                                             Dalbec with a triple

The Rays struck back in the top of the sixth although Mejia grounded out to second to start. Lowe hit a home run all the way to New Mexico to cut the lead but Choi grounded out to third. Jordan Luplow pinch hit for Cruz and struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 14-1.

                                                        Lowe hits one out

Hernandez lined out to right to start the bottom of the sixth before Renfroe popped up to second. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonathan Arauz took over for Devers to give him the night off to start the top of the seventh and Meadows hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Franco walked but Arozarena struck out swinging and Wendle flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Eovaldi who was outstanding by striking out 10 Rays while allowing just the solo shot to Lowe in 7 innings.

                                                     Eovaldi gets it done

Arauz grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh but Martinez doubled to left. Plawecki struck out swinging and Gonzalez popped up to first to end the inning.

The bench emptied in the top of the eighth as Franchy Cordero took over for Hernandez, Connor Wong took over behind the plate and Yacksel Rios came in to pitch. Phillips and Mejia both grounded out to first and Lowe struck out swinging to end the inning. Mejia himself took over on the mound to take a beating in the bottom of the eighth with Mike Zunino coming in to catch. Dalbec was plunked and Duran ripped a base hit to right to move Dalbec to third but Cordero popped up to third in foul territory. Renfroe got a base hit to left to score Dalbec and Bogaerts pounded his 17th home run of the year to increase the lead. Arauz popped up to third but Martinez was plunked as well. Wong then hit a triple into the centerfield triangle and scored on the base hit to right by Gonzalez. Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 20-1.

                                                       Bogaerts with a 3 run shot

All of a sudden the Rays sprang to life in the top of the ninth against Phillips Valdez as Choi singled to right to begin. Luplow walked, Choi took third on a wild pitch and Meadows walked to load the bases. Franco singled to right to score Choi but Arozarena struck out swinging. Wendle got  abase hit to left and Phillips cleared the bases with a grand slam. Mejia grounded out to second but Zunino hit a home run all the way to Uranus to further cut the lead. Imagine if the Sox had been leading 7-1? Choi grounded out to second to end the game as the Sox had won it 20-8.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 10 Rays.

                                                           Eovaldi The Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.

Hunter Renfroe was 3 for 5 with a walk, 4 rbis and 3 runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 2 walks, 4 total rbis, 3 runs scored and a 3 run homer.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 4 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

Connor Wong tripled and scored a run in his only at bat.

Marwin Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, 5 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Phillips Valdez allowed 7 runs in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its only one game but the Sox took their frustrations out on the Rays big time. They've been in a slide since the All-Star break and for one night they made the Rays and their fans suffer for four hours. The Sox couldn't miss tonight and more importantly, Eovaldi looked damn good against a possible playoff opponent. The only drawback in the game was Valdez but relievers have off-nights all the time. He would have been pulled a lot sooner if the game was closer than what it was. The bats knocked around one of the best teams in the league and that's an encouraging sign moving forward. The only problem is usually when the Sox go off on a game like this, they have absolutely nothing for the next day. Hopefully that's not the case but don't be surprised if the Sox don't score more than 3 runs tomorrow. Their only hope to take the rubber game of this series is if Tanner Houck can pitch a shutout. The win improved the Sox to 66-50, 4 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. Houck (0-2) gets the ball up against rookie Drew Rasmussen of Tampa. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Rally Past Sliding Sox (8/8/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a few roster moves. JD Martinez and Jarren Duran were activated from the Covid List while Alex Verdugo was placed on the paternity list and Connor Wong was sent back to Worcester. Thank goodness Martinez is okay and congratulations to the new father Verdugo.

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                                                                     IN

As for the game, the Red Sox are officially in trouble. The vaunted bullpen that carried them through the first three and a half months of the season has officially fallen apart. The Sox broke out to a 7-2 lead on Hyun-Jin Ryu after 4 innings but Garrett Richards lasted just 5 innings while allowing 4 runs to the Jays. The Sox added a run in the sixth to take a 9-4 lead but the A-Team was crushed for five runs in the next three innings. The Jays got two runs in the seventh off of Hiro Sawamura and Adam Ottavino and George Springer hit a back-breaking three run homer off Matt Barnes to put the Jays up for good. The Sox went quietly in the ninth and the Sox dropped yet another game that they had the lead in 9-8 to the Blue Jays at the Skydome.

                                                 Blowing 5 run leads to Toronto causes this

Ryu got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Hunter Renfroe flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. The Jays wasted no time getting to Garrett Richards in the bottom of the first as George Springer got a base hit to left to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Marcus Semien both flied out to right but Teoscar Hernandez beat out a roller to third. Corey Dickerson got a base hit to right to score Springer to put the Jays on top but Lourdes Gurriel Jr forced Dickerson at second to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                       Dickerson drives in a run

The Sox rallied in the top of the second as Rafael Devers beat out a roller to third to start before JD Martinez doubled to left. Gurriel threw the ball away to allow Devers to score and Martinez to reach third on the play. Kevin Plawecki dropped a base hit to left to score Martinez and Bobby Dalbec also singled to left. Jonathan Arauz popped up a bunt to third and that proved to be a big play in the grand scheme. Jarren Duran flied out to center but Hernandez ripped a base hit to right to score Plawecki and send Dalbec to third. Renfroe popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1 instead of four to one.

                                                             Hernandez knocks in a run

Richards cruised in the bottom of the second as Breyvic Valera grounded out to second to start. Santiago Espinal flied out to center and Reese McGuire grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the third as Bogaerts got a base hit to left to start. Devers singled to right but Martinez popped up to right in foul territory. Plawecki stepped up with a double to left to score Bogaerts but Dalbec struck out swinging. Arauz popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                    Plawecki with a big double

The Jays got one back due to shoddy defense in the bottom of the third as Devers threw a routine grounder by Springer away for an error to start. Guerrero Jr ripped a base hit to center to move Springer to third but Semien went down hacking. Hernandez singled to left to score Springer but Dickerson banged into a double play to end the inning with the Jays down 4-2.

                                                    Hernandez drives in a run

Durran got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but was called out on slider's interference on a Hernandez double play ball. Renfroe flied out to right but Bogaerts singled off the glove of Guerrero to put runners at the corners. Devers walked to load the bases and chase Ryu from the game. Patrick Murphy came in to pitch and Martinez got a base hit to left to score Hernandez and Bogaerts. Plawecki got a base hit to left to score Devers and both runners moved up on the throw. With a chance to break the game open...Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-2.

                                                        Plawecki drives in another run

Richards cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Gurriel popped up to second to start. Valera lined out to left and Espinal grounded out to second to end the inning.

Arauz lined out to center to start the top of the fifth but Duran got a base hit to left. Hernandez flied out to center and Renfroe grounded out to third to end the inning. The Jays clawed back in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire walked to start. Springer flied out to right but Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to Sorrento, Italy to cut the lead. Semien popped up to first and Hernandez took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Richards despite throwing just 86 pitches as he allowed 4 runs in 5 innings although only 3 were earned.

                                                     Not the best start for Richards

The Sox rallied again in the top of the sixth against Kirby Snead although Bogaerts lined out to first to start. Devers grounded out to short but Martinez singled to left. Plawecki walked and Dalbec stepped up with a base hit to center to score Martinez with another run. Plawecki moved to third on the hit but Arauz took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-4.

                                                    Martinez scored a run

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth inning and Dickerson walked to start. Gurriel Jr struck out swinging but Valera singled to left to chase Taylor. Hiro Sawamura got Espinal to pop up to short and McGuire grounded out to third to end the inning.

Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Hernandez flied out to center to chase Snead. Rafael Dolis punched out Renfroe swinging to end the inning. The Sox fell apart in the bottom of the seventh as Springer walked to start. Sawamura threw two straight wild pitches to move Springer to third before clutching his arm and falling to the ground. Sawamura had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU. Adam Ottavino came in and Guerrero Jr walked to put runners at the corners and Semien scored Springer with a sac fly to center. Guerrero Jr stole second and scored on the base hit to center by Hernandez. Ottavino had Hernandez picked off but threw the ball away on an error. Hernandez tried to go from first to third on a grounder to short by Dickerson but was thrown out by Boagerts at third. Dickerson stole second but was picked off trying to go to third to end the inning with the Jays down 8-6.

                                                     Sawamura gets hurt

Bogaerts lined out to left to start the top of the eighth but Devers took strike three. Martinez doubled to center but Plawecki popped up to second to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the bottom of the eighth as Gurriel Jr flied out to center to start. Valera singled to right but Espinal flied out to right. Rather than let Ottavino finish, Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Matt Barnes for the four out save. The move backfired as McGuire walked and Springer hit a home run that still hasn't landed yet to put the Jays on top. Guerrero Jr struck out swinging but the Jays had come all the way back to take a 9-8 lead.

                                                    Springer with the killshot

Randal Grichuk came in for Gurriel with Jordan Romano now in the game to close out the top of the ninth. In another move that made no sense, Cora sent Marwin Gonzalez to pinch hit for Dalbec to start. Naturally Gonzalez took strike three right down the middle and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Arauz. Vazquez grounded out to first and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The Jays had stunned the Sox 9-8.

                                                             Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He served up the go-ahead home run to Springer in the eighth inning.

                                                      Barnes The Jackass

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 4 for 5 with 3 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 rbis and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5.

The Bad:

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Marwin Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Hiro Sawamura was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Adam Ottavino allowed an inherited runner to score and one of his own in 1 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Garrett Richards lasted just 5 innings while allowing 4 runs but only 3 were earned.

Josh Taylor allowed a hit and a walk while only getting one out.

Final Thoughts:

This season is going to hell in a handbasket and I called it months ago. The A-Team is falling apart because Cora kept going to the bullpen early every day it seemed from April to June. Ottavino, Sawamura and Barnes got lit up and Hiro had to leave with a right arm injury. The new pickups Hansel Robles and Austin Davis have stunk so far and if the rotation doesn't pick it up, this once promising season may circle the drain faster than we think. The offense came alive to pound out 16 hits and 8 runs so you can't even blame them. The A-Team giving up 5 runs in 3 innings shouldn't happen but it did and its becoming more frequent. Its nice to see the offense come alive though and they'll be able to bop their way back into games hopefully if things take a turn for the worse. The Sox need to pick it up because they're falling further behind the Tampa Bay Rays and both the Jays and New York Yankees are hot on their tail. The loss dropped the Sox to 65-49, 4 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow is an off-day and Tuesday begins a very important series with the Rays themselves. If the Sox have any hope of getting back in the race, they need to send a statement against Tampa. Eduardo Rodriguez gets the start for Boston against Luis Patino of the Rays this Tuesday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Edge Jays in Game 2 (8/7/21)

The bad news was without JD Martinez the Sox bats were held to just two runs in 8 innings giving a grand total of just two runs in 15 innings. The Good news was Tanner Houck and the Boston Red Sox bullpen held the high powered Toronto Blue Jays to just 1 run to squeak out a win against them. Houck was called up from Worcester and tossed 3 shutout innings before Sox manager Alex Cora AGAIN pulled a starter early. Josh Taylor relieved Houck and gave up an rbi single to Breyvic Valera to put the Jays on top. Alex Verdugo tied the game with a home run in the sixth and the Sox took the game to extra innings. Jonathan Arauz got the rbi single in the top of the eighth and Adam Ottavino slammed the door in the bottom of the eighth. It wasn't pretty but the Sox won the game 2-1 in 8 innings at the Skydome.

                                                      Halle Berry approves of the win

Jose Berrios got the ball to start the top of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to right to start. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to right but Xander Bogaerts flied out to right. Rafael Devers flied out to center to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and George Springer struck out swinging to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr beat out a roller to third but Marcus Semien whiffed. Bo Bichette went down hacking to end the inning.

Hunter Renfroe grounded out to first to open the top of the second but Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez grounded out to first to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Corey Dickerson doubled to right. Randal Grichuk walked but Breyvic Valera lined out to center. Reese McGuire lined out to third to end the inning.

Franchy Cordero flied out to left to start the top of the third before Jonathan Arauz grounded out to second. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Houck cruised in the bottom of the third as Springer grounded out to third to open. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third and Semien struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Verdugo singled in the hole at second to begin. Bogaerts and Devers both flied out to right but Renfroe got a base hit to right. Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning. The Jays struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Bichette singled to left to start. Bichette moved to second as Hernandez grounded out to third before Dickerson was intentionally walked. Grichuk took strike three but for some reason Sox manager Alex Cora pulled Houck. Houck was in trouble but had only thrown 74 pitches to get 11 outs. Josh Taylor came in and immediately Valera singled to center to score Bichette. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                 Cora pulls Houck too early

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Vazquez struck out swinging to start. Cordero struck out swinging and Arauz grounded out to first to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Springer struck out swinging to start. Guerrero Jr struck out swinging but Semien hit a ground rule double down the left field line. Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the sixth as Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Verdugo then launched his 11th home run of the season to tie the game. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Devers doubled off the glove of Guerrero into left field. Renfroe grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Verdugo ties it up

The Lock returned for the bottom of the sixth and Hernandez grounded out to first to start. Dickerson singled in the hole at second but Grichuk lined out to right. Valera popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh with Trevor Richards now on the mound. Gonzalez walked and Vazquez singled to left, but Gonzalez got picked off while Vazquez moved to second. Cordero struck out swinging and Vazquez was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning. Matt Barnes looked for redemption in the bottom of the seventh and McGuire grounded out to first to start. Springer struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr flied out to center to end the inning. Good work Barnes.

                                                  Barnes gets it done

Adam Cimber came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Cordero starting at second. Arauz got a clutch base hit up the middle to score Cordero with the go-ahead run. Hernandez lined out to right and Verdugo popped up to second but Bogaerts singled to right to move Arauz to third. Brad Hand came in to pitch and Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                     Cordero scores a run

Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Guerrero Jr starting at second. Guerrero moved to third on the fly out to right by Semien but Ottavino got a big out when Bichette grounded out to second. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-1.

                                                      Ottavino saves the game

Hero of the Night is Jonathan Arauz. His clutch rbi single in the 8th inning won the game for the Sox.

                                                    Arauz The Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with a home run.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 3.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.

Tanner Houck allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings.

Garrett Whitlock tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes got the win with a scoreless seventh inning.

Adam Ottavino got the save with a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4.

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Josh Taylor allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox offense was cold without JD Martinez but the pitching held up. Good to see Barnes bounce back just hours after serving up the game winning home run in Game 1. Houck looked good but was pulled too early and Cora paid for it again when Taylor gave up the lead. How sad is it the Sox only scored two runs in 15 innings and one of them was driven in by the guy brought up just for the game? Bogaerts, Devers and Renfroe did almost nothing in today's doubleheader. The offense hasn't looked right in weeks but the bullpen got the job done. How much longer can this continue? Especially against an offense like Toronto who's due to bust out. Still, getting a win by hook or crook is important with 49 games left in the season and the Sox looking up at the Tampa Bay Rays. The win improved the Sox to 65-48, 3 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Richards gets the start for Boston against Hyun-Jin Ryu of Toronto. The game begins at 1:05 PM at the Skydome.

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.