Sox Crush Phillies (7/9/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Connor Wong was optioned to Worcester and Danny Santana was placed on the Injured List. To take their spots, Kevin Plawecki was activated off the Injured List and Michael Chavis was recalled from Worcester.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                  IN

As for the game, what a massacre. The Sox are losing ground to the red hot Tampa Bay Rays but today they stopped the bleeding with a rare easy victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. For the first time in a week the Sox offense hit like they were designed to, pounding out 14 hits and 11 runs against Vince Velasquez and the Phillies bullpen. Kike Hernandez, JD Martinez and Rafael Devers all went yard to pace the offense. Garrett Richards (5-5, 4.91 ERA) got tagged for 3 runs in the first two innings but tossed 3 more scoreless innings to earn the win. Matt Andriese got tagged for another 2 runs but the Sox were so far ahead that it didn't matter. When the dust settled the Sox had won it 11-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Emily Bergl approves of the win

The Phillies wasted no time getting to Richards in the top of the first as Jean Segura tripled into the left field corner to start. JT Realmuto doubled off the Monster to score Segura to put Philly on top. Realmuto moved to third on the Bryce Harper grounder to second but Andrew McCutchen struck out swinging. Brad Miller struck out swinging to end the inning with Philly ahead 1-0.

                                                   Realmuto strikes first

The Sox answered against Velasquez in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez smashed his 11th home run of the year to tie the game. Alex Verdugo and JD Martinez drew back to back walks but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Rafael Devers walked to load the bases and Hunter Renfroe beat out a double play ball to score Verdugo to give Boston the lead. Christian Arroyo lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                          Hernandez ties it up

Richards crapped his pants in the top of the second inning as Rhys Hoskins singled to right. Didi Gregorius hit a line drive to Hernandez...dropped for an error. Naturally Alec Bohm singled home both men to put Philly back on top. Travis Jankowski forced Bohm at second but Segura lined out to short. Richards threw a pickoff throw away but struck out Realmuto swinging to end the inning with the Phillies up 3-2.

                                                          Bohm drives in a pair

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Christian Vazquez flied out to right to start. Bobby Dalbec doubled to left but Hernandez popped up to second. Verdugo walked and Martinez pounded his 18th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead back. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                              Martinez puts Boston ahead

Richards tried his best in the top of the third as Harper grounded out to second to start. McCutchen singled to left but Miller took strike three. Hoskins popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox knocked out Velasquez in the bottom of the third as Devers launched his 22nd homer of the year to start. Renfroe doubled to center but Arroyo grounded back to the mound. Vazquez singled home Renfroe to chase Velasquez. Enyel De Los Santos took over on the mound and Dalbec singled to center. Hernandez flied out to right to move Vazquez to third and Christian scored on the Verdugo single to right. Martinez doubled home Dalbec but Bogaerts struck out swinging AGAIN to end the inning with the Sox up 9-3.

                                                             Devers punched one out

Gregorius grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth but Bohm walked. Richards made a hell of a play to create a double play on a grounder by Jankowski to end the inning. Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Renfroe grounded out to third. Arroyo grounded out to first to end the inning.

Richards got Segura to ground out to short to start the top of the fifth but Realmuto singled to right. Harper forced Realmuto at second  and McCutchen flied out to left to end the inning. That was it for Richards who allowed 3 runs in 5 innings, not great but it'll do.

                                                            Richards goes 5 innings

Brandon Kintzler came on to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Vazquez walked to start. Christian moved to second on a Dalbec grounder to short but Hernandez hit a ground rule double down the right field line to score Vazquez with another run. Hernandez moved to third on the grounder to first by Verdugo but Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-3.

                                                            Another run for Vazquez

Yacksel Rios took over for the top of the sixth and Miller popped up to third to start. Hoskins lined out to center and Gregorius struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the sixth as Bogaerts singled in the hole at short to start. Devers lined out to right but Renfroe singled to left. Arroyo took strike three and Kintzler was done. Connor Brogdon came in to pitch and Vazquez dropped a base hit to right to score Bogaerts. Dalbec forced Vazquez at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-3.

                                                          Vazquez drives in another run

Matt Andriese came in to crap his pants again in the top of the seventh as Bohm walked to start. Jankowski singled to left and both runners moved over on the Segura grounder to third. Realmuto grounded out to short to score Bohm and Harper singled to center to score Jankowski to cut the lead. McCutchen took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 11-5.

                                                        Harper drives in a run

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the seventh against Jose Alvarado as Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Verdugo singled past the mound and Martinez walked before Bogaerts beat out a double play ball. Devers walked to load the bases but Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Luke Williams pinch hit for Miller. Williams and Hoskins both struck out swinging and Gregorius grounded out to second to end the inning. Andrew Knapp took over behind the plate with Ronald Torreyes the infielder now on the mound for Philly. Arroyo flied out to right, Vazquez grounded out to short and Dalbec popped up to second to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bohm took strike three to start. Jankowski struck out swinging and Segura grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-5.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. His 3 run homer put the Sox up for good

                                                                  JD Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 2 total rbis including a home run.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a home run.

Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

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

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Garrett Richards allowed 3 runs in 5 innings to earn the win.

Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Matt Andriese allowed 2 runs in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

This game was just what the doctor ordered. The Sox have been wining games all season long but had to scratch and claw in most of them. This was a rare easy win that was never in doubt. Richards looked like he was on the ropes in the second inning but pulled through to keep the Sox in the game. Apart from Matt Andriese, the bullpen shut the door on the Phils in the final few innings. The thing about this game is the offense drew 7 walks, showing a lot more patience than they usually do. The rumor is after the All-Star break, Andriese is gone and Tanner Houck will be called up provided he's healthy. Andriese is clearly not helping them and the sooner he's gone, the better. Its too bad a game like this is an anomaly rather than the norm because that's what made the 2018 Red Sox so deadly. They got a lead and added to it rather than try to sit on it the rest of the game. Hopefully in the second half the Sox can get rid of the garbage and become a juggernaut. The win improved the Sox to 55-34, 2.5 games in front of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Martin Perez (7-4) takes on former Rays ace Matt Moore of the Phillies in the second game of this set. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Royals Drop Unclutch Red Sox (6/18/21)

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! The Boston Red Sox were handed a golden opportunity to jump back into first place but blew it with a loss to the embarrassing Kansas City Royals. Nick Pivetta (6-3, 4.36 ERA) continued Boston's string of starter ineptitude by taking the loss, lasting just 5 innings. The real story of the game was the lack of clutch hitting by the Red Sox. All nine hitters got on base at least once but rarely did somebody get a big hit to drive someone in. Royals "starter" Kyle Zimmer lasted just 2 innings but the rest of the Royals bullpen held the Sox to 3 runs in 7 innings. The Royals jumped ahead for good on a 3 run homer by Adalberto Mondesi and maintained the lead throughout the game. The Sox blew a chance to take back first place by dropping the game 5-3 to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Zimmer got the ball in the top of the first inning and Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo singled to center but JD Martinez struck out swinging. Xander Bogaerts lined out to center to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first as Whit Merrifield doubled to left to start. Carlos Santana walked but Salvador Perez flied out to right. Jorge Soler flied out to left and Adalberto Mondesi grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance in the top of the second inning as Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start. Hunter Renfroe and Christian Vazquez got back to back base hits but Marwin Gonzalez banged into a double play to end the inning. Hunter Dozier lined out to left to begin the bottom of the second and Kelvin Gutierrez grounded out to third. Michael A Taylor singled to center but Nicky Lopez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third inning with Kris Bubic now on the mound Danny Santana lined a base hit to right  before Arroyo also singled to right. Verdugo dropped a base hit to right to score Santana, moving Arroyo to third to give the Sox the lead. The Sox then made the blunder of the night when Martinez hit a double play ball to to third. Gutierrez forced Verdugo at second but Arroyo tried to come home and was thrown out by a mile. Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox only up 1-0.

                                                       Sox strike first

Naturally the Royals capitalized on the bad baserunning in the bottom of the third as Merrifield grounded out to third to start. Santana walked and Perez singled to left, but Soler struck out swinging. All of a sudden Mondesi hit a home run all the way to St. Louis to put the Royals up for good. Dozier grounded out to third to end the inning with the Royals up 3-1.

                                                            Mondesi hits one WAY out of here

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Devers grounded out to second to start. Renfroe struck out swinging and Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning. Pivetta struck out Gutierrez swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Taylor also went down hacking. Lopez singled to left but Merrifield flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox blew another potential tying rally in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez singled to left to start. Santana walked but Arroyo forced Santana at second. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez ripped a base hit up the middle to score Gonzalez. Ervin Santana came in to pitch and Bogaerts walked to load the bases. With a chance to be a hero...Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                      Martinez drives in a run

Pivetta returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Santana singled to right to begin. Perez and Soler both struck out swinging but Mondesi walked. Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning and close the book on Pivetta. Once again Pivetta damn near threw 100 pitches in 5 innings and left after allowing 3 runs in 5 innings.

                                                   Not good enough from Nick

The Sox blew another chance to tie the game in the top of the sixth as Renfroe lined out to second to start. Vazquez doubled to right but Gonzalez went down hacking. Vazquez took third on a balk but Santana grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Andriese came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the sixth as Gutierrez lined out to right to start. Taylor flied out to right but Lopez singled to left. Merrifield then doubled to right to score Lopez with the insurance run. Santana popped up to second to end the inning with the Royals ahead 4-2.

                                             RBI double for Merrifield

Jake Brentz came in for the top of the seventh inning and Arroyo struck out swinging to start. Verdugo grounded out to first and Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Royals iced it in the bottom of the seventh as Perez hit a home run all the way to Austria to increase the lead. Soler singled to center and Jarrod Dyson pinch ran for him. Mondesi banged into a double play and Dozier took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                           Perez hits one out

The Sox did try to fight back in the top of the eighth with Scott Barlow now in to pitch. Bogaerts popped up to third but Devers clobbered his 17th home run of the season to cut the lead. Renfroe took strike three but Vazquez singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                               Devers hits number 17

Yacksel Rios came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Gutierrez walked to start. Taylor forced Gutierrez at second but got picked off by Rios. Lopez walked but Merrifield struck out swinging to end the inning.

Greg Holland came in to close out the top of the ninth and the Sox went quietly. Santana flied out to center and Arroyo was rung up for strike three on a pitch not even close. Arroyo took a swing at home plate umpire Jim Wolf with a roundhouse right but missed. Arroyo was ejected and hauled off in handcuffs by armed policemen. Verdugo flied out to left to end the game. The Royals had won it 5-3.

                                                                Royals win

Jackass of the Night is Matt Andriese. The two runs he allowed ended up being the difference in the game.

                                                  Watch it go, Jackass

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Christian Vazquez was 3 for 4.

Danny Santana was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Pivetta took the loss by allowing 3 runs in just 5 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Final Thoughts:

This was one of the worst losses of the season due to the ramifications of it. Both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays lost which would have put the Sox a half game in front of the Rays and 6.5 games in front of the Yankees. The lack of clutch hitting shows what happens when you fall behind almost every game, you can't bop your way back into all of them. Pivetta was painfully average tonight but the story was Andriese coughing up 2 runs and the Sox unable to get more than three. Against the Atlanta Braves it didn't feel like the Sox would lose and they got the big hits when they needed it. Tonight was an entirely different vibe and it never seemed like the Sox could come back. The worst part was losing to Andrew Benintendi's Royals was neither Benintendi nor Franchy Cordero played. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-28, 1/2 game behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Martin Perez (4-4, 4.52 ERA) takes on Brad Keller of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Outslug Astros (6/10/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Phillips Valdez was sent down to Worcester and in his place the Sox called up 29 year old veteran pitcher Brandon Brennan. Valdez was one of the holdovers from 2020 but stopped being effective lately. Brennan spent the last two years with the Seattle Mariners so it's a fresh face in the bullpen.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, it took almost four hours to complete but tonight's game against the Houston Astros was hardly boring. The Sox and Astros engaged in a slugfest that had Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez knocked out in the fifth inning and Houston starter Zack Greinke lasted just three innings. The Astros blasted Rodriguez for 6 runs and Matt Andriese for another to take a 7-4 lead. Christian Arroyo hit a clutch 3 run home run to tie the game in the fifth. Jose Altuve homered off Darwinzon Hernandez to give the Astros the lead but a bizarre bottom of the sixth had the Sox rally for 5 runs off the Astros bullpen. The Boston bullpen shut down the Astros the rest of the way and the Sox avoided a sweep with an eventful 12-8 win at Fenway Park.

                                                       Clare Kramer approves of the win

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Altuve led off by flying out to left. Carlos Correa walked but Alex Bregman struck out swinging. Yordan Alvarez popped up to third to end the inning. Greinke cruised in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to short and JD Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. 

As usual the Astros struck first in the top of the second when Yuli Gurriel effortlessly hit a home run all the way to Idaho to put the Astros on top. Kyle Tucker grounded out to second, Taylor Jones grounded out to short and Martin Maldonado went down hacking to end the inning with the Astros ahead 1-0.

                                                    Gurriel goes yard

Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Rafael Devers somehow beat out a roller to third. Hunter Renfroe singled Devers to third and Christian Vazquez singled home Devers to tie the game. Christian Arroyo lined out to right but Bobby Dalbec singled to left to load the bases. Hernandez walked to score Renfroe but Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                        Vazquez drives in a run

The Astros were personally offended that the Sox scored and immediately took the lead in the top of the third. Myles Straw struck out swinging to start before Altuve dropped a base hit to left. Altuve tried for second and Verdugo gunned him down for the second out. Correa walked, Bregman singled to left and Alvarez doubled both of them home to put the Astros back on top. Gurriel popped up to second to end the inning with the Astros up 3-2.

                                                        Alvarez puts Houston on top  

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Martinez smashed his 13th home run of the season to tie the game immediately. Bogaerts doubled to left but Devers flied out to right. Renfroe moved Bogaerts to third with a grounder to third and Vazquez scored Bogaerts with a base hit to center. Arroyo lined out to short but the Sox were in the lead 4-3.

                                                      Martinez goes yard

Somehow Rodriguez kept the Astros off the board in the top of the fourth as Tucker lined out to center to start. Jones struck out swinging and Maldonado took strike three to end the inning. Brandon Bielak replaced Greinke in the bottom of the fourth and Dalbec flied out to right to start. Hernandez doubled to right but Verdugo grounded out to third. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Astros finished off Rodriguez in the top of the fifth as Straw worked a ten pitch at bat, getting a base hit to left. Altuve flied out to center and Correa popped up to short, but Bregman singled to center. Alvarez walked and Sox manager Alex Cora slammed down a bag of sunflower seeds and kicked over a tub of Gatorade before telling Rodriguez to get the hell off the mound. With diminished velocity, Rodriguez couldn't even last 5 innings, eventually being charged with 6 runs. Matt Andriese came in and walked Gurriel on four straight pitches not even close to tie the game. Tucker laughed as he effortlessly ripped a base hit...UNDER THE GLOVE OF HERNANDEZ. All 3 runners scored and Renfroe had to climb the right field wall to rob Jones of a home run to end the inning. As usual the Astros effortlessly put up 4 runs in one inning to take the lead 7-4.

                           "Gimmie that ball....and...AND GET OUTTA HERE!" - Cora

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Devers got a seeing eye single to left but Renfroe popped up weakly to second. Vazquez got a base hit to right to move Devers to third and Arroyo clobbered a 3 run bomb to tie the game. Dalbec grounded out to short to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

                                                           Arroyo ties it up

Darwinzon Hernandez came in for the top of the sixth and, big surprise, the Astros struck again. Maldonado flied out to center to start and Straw took strike three, but Altuve effortlessly hit a home run all the way to Cuba to put the Astros up again. Correa took strike three but the Astros took the lead 8-7.

                                                    Altuve does it again

Blake Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and the Sox rallied when Hernandez doubled off the Monster to start. Hernandez moved to third on the grounder to short by Verdugo and Martinez hit a pop up to right...DROPPED BY TUCKER! Hernandez scored  to tie the game and Martinez took first on the error. Bogaerts walked and both runners moved over on an infield fly pop up by Devers. That was it for Taylor as Enoli Paredes came in to pitch to Renfroe. Renfroe walked to load the bases before a streaker ran out on the field, coming within 10 feet of Paredes. Fenway security got rid of the intruder and Vazquez was hit by the rattled Paredes to give the Sox the lead. Arroyo scored Bogaerts with a walk and all of a sudden Astros manager Dusty Baker and the trainer sprinted to the mound. Paredes had to leave with an injury and Brooks Railet came in to pitch to Dalbec. Dalbec pounded a double odd the Monster to drive in 2 runs. Hernandez popped up to Altuve to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-8.

                                                        Dalbec ices it

Controversy erupted as Adam Ottavino came in for the top of the seventh. Bregman took strike three to start but Alvarez singled high off the Monster. Gurriel looked to have fouled a ball off his foot but home plate umpire Sean Barber pointed at it to signify fair ball. Vazquez threw to first to get the force but Alvarez thought the ball was foul so he trotted back to first only to be caught in a rundown. Dalbec fired to Arroyo who tagged out Alvarez for the double play. Astros manager Dusty Baker sprinted out of the dugout screaming like a maniac with a crowbar and took a swing at Barber before he was escorted out of Fenway by armed policemen to end the inning.

                                        "HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN OUT!" - Baker

Verdugo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh before Martinez flied out to right. Bogaerts singled to left but Devers popped up to third to end the inning.

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez made a great catch to rob Tucker of a double to start. Jones took strike three and Maldonado grounded out to third to end the inning. Nivaldo Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Renfroe grounded out to short to start. Vazquez grounded out to third but Arroyo was plunked. Dalbec lined out to second to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth but Straw beat out a roller to third to start. Altuve hit a bullet but right to Bogaerts for the out. Correa popped up to first and Bregman flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-8.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Christian Arroyo. His 3 run homer tied the game and he drew a walk to drive in a run later.

                                                      Shopping cart Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Christian Vazquez was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch, 3 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Eduardo Rodriguez was shelled for 6 runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Matt Andriese allowed 3 inherited runners to score and one of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez vultured the win by allowing a run in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 but threw out Altuve at second.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run, drove in 2 total runs and scored 2 runs.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with a walk but scored 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

What a game that was. The Astros have the Sox number but they put up a fight big time tonight. That was a good old fashioned slugfest and the Sox came away the winners. The bottom of the order carried the load with 9 of the runs driven in by Dalbec, Arroyo and Vazquez. The Sox needed those guys to step up and tonight they did. This game had everything from errors to hit batsmen to dropped infield fly pop ups and streakers. The bad news was Eduardo Rodriguez looks completely broken. His velocity is down and his ERA is now over 6.00. If his problem isn't physical and its in his head again, send him home or to Worcester because he's not helping the team at all. Andriese didn't look good either and now that Valdez is gone, he may be next on the chopping block. The Sox are only a game out of first and have a realistic chance of hanging with the Tampa Bay Rays. They can't afford to have a repeat of last year with the production line of bums they sent to the mound. Guys like Ottavino and Taylor haven't allowed a run in over a month and Hernandez and Whitlock got tagged for the first time in weeks. The good news was not only did the Sox gain a half game on the idle Rays but the Minnesota Twins stunned the New York Yankees with a 4 run rally in the bottom of the ninth to knock them off. The Rays get to feast on the Baltimore Orioles this weekend so its imperative the Sox keep pace with them. The win improved the Sox to 38-25, 1 game behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome the Toronto Blue Jays for a four game set starting tomorrow night. Garrett Richards (4-4, 3.88 ERA) takes on Ross Stripling of the Jays. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Astros Pound Perez, Sox (6/8/21)

Last week when the Houston Astros smacked around the Boston Red Sox in 3 out of 4 games, the one game the Sox won was when Martin Perez (4-3, 3.88 ERA) shut down the Astros in the final game. 5 days later the Astros took that personally as they ambushed Perez and the Red Sox in tonight's game. Carlos Correa smashed a home run in the first inning and the Astros jumped on Martin for another 5 runs in the second inning to knock him out of the game. The Sox bullpen valiantly held the Astros to just 1 run in 7 innings but the story of the game was Framber Valdez. Valdez allowed 1 run in his first start against Baltimore and just 1 run in 7 innings against the Red Sox last week. Tonight it was more of the same as he held the Sox to just 5 hits and a run in 7 innings. The Sox had no answer for Valdez, the Houston bats or the bullpen as the Astros laid waste to the Sox 7-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                 Barnaby hates ambushes by the Astros

Things went bad right from the start for Perez in the top of the first inning. Jose Altuve lined out to second but Carlos Correa effortlessly homered all the way to San Diego, California to give the Astros the lead. Alex Bregman took strike three but Yordan Alvarez walked. Yuli Gurriel flied out to right to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0. 

                                                         Correa starts the destruction

Valdez cruised in the bottom of the first as Christian Arroyo grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to first and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Astros bushwhacked Perez in the top of the second as Michael Brantley doubled to left to start. Kyle Tucker doubled to center but Kike Hernandez held Brantley at third. It didn't matter as Martin Maldonado singled home both runners and Myles Straw walked. Somehow Altuve took strike three but Correa doubled home Maldonado. Bregman was intentionally walked to load the bases and Perez hit Alvarez to score Straw. Gurriel singled home Correa but Brantley forced Bregman at home. Tucker lined out to center to end the inning with the Astros up 6-0. That was it for Perez who didn't have it, allowing 6 runs in just 2 innings.

                                                 Perez didn't have it tonight

JD Martinez returned from his wrist injury by striking out swinging to start the bottom of the second. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to short and Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Matt Andriese came in for the top of the third and Maldonado struck out swinging to start. Straw grounded out to third and Altuve took strike three to end the inning. Kevin Plawecki singled to right to start the bottom of the third but Kike Hernandez struck out swinging. Bobby Dalbec and Arroyo both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Astros added injury to insult in the top of the fourth as Correa singled to left to start. Bregman then bashed Plawecki in the face with a foul ball to knock him out of the game. Christian Vazquez came in to catch and Bregman banged into a double play. Alvarez laughed at Andriese as he hit a home run to the moon to increase the lead. Gurriel singled to center but Brandley lined out to third to end the inning with the Astros up 7-0.

             "How many fingers am I holding up?" - Trainer    "A thousand" - Plawecki

The Sox somehow got a run in the bottom of the fourth as Devers was plunked to start. Bogaerts hit a little roller to third for a single but Martinez beat out a double play ball. Renfroe grounded out to third but Devers scored to cut the lead. Gonzalez lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 7-1.

                                                 Devers "Golly gee willikers!"

Andriese cruised in the top of the fifth as Tucker took strike three to begin. Maldonado and Straw both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Vazquez got a base hit to center to start. Hernandez singled Vazquez to third but Dalbec took strike three. Arroyo struck out swinging and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                "omnomnomnom" - Arroyo

Brandon Workman came in for the top of the sixth inning and Altuve walked to start. Correa took strike three and Bregman flied out to right. Alvarez flied out to center to end the inning. Bogaerts lined out to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Martinez singled to center. Renfroe hit a bullet to short and Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Gurriel singled to center to start the top of the seventh but Brantley banged into a double play. Tucker grounded out to second to end the inning. Valdez dominated one last inning in the bottom of the seventh as Vazquez grounded out to short to start. Hernandez grounded out to third and Dalbec struck out swinging again to end the inning.

Phillips Valdez came in for the top of the eighth and Maldonado struck out swinging to start. Straw and Altuve worked back to back walks but Corrrea grounded into a double play to end the inning. Chas McCormick came in for Brantley to start the bottom of the eighth and Arroyo was plunked to start. Devers forced him at second and that was it for Valdez after 7 1/3 powerful innings. He has Boston's number for sure. Enoli Paredes came in to pitch and a wild pitch moved Arroyo to second before Bogaerts drew a walk. Martinez and Renfroe both went down hacking to end the inning.

Bregman singled to center to start the top of the ninth but Alvarez flied out to center. Gurriel walked but McCormick struck out swinging. Tucker flied out to center to end the inning.  Blake Taylor came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Vazquez took strike three but Hernandez doubled to center. Dalbec grounded out to second to end the game. The Astros had won it 7-1.

                                                         Sox lose

Jackass of the Night is Martin Perez. In his worst start of the season, he got lit up for 6 runs in just 2 innings to take the loss.

                                                   Jackass Perez

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 1 before leaving the game.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4.

Brandon Workman tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Phillips Valdez tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a strikout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Matt Andriese allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

That was an epic beatdown and it seems like the Astros' eyes light up when they see the Red Sox. So far they've played 5 games this year and won 4 of them. If the season ended right now the wild card game would be Houston vs Boston and I don't give the Sox half a chance of winning it. Its a good learning experience for Sox GM Chaim Bloom to see how the Astros are better right now and try to match them. Framber Valdez blinded the Sox twice now and unless Tanner Houck can get healthy, the Sox will have no answer for him at the moment. The good news is Plawecki is going to be okay but the bad news was both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays won to lose some of the momentum the Sox built over the weekend. The Yankees are playing the one team that's worse than they are in the Minnesota Twins so the Sox better find a way to beat the Astros in a hurry. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-24, 1.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against Houston when Nathan Eovaldi (7-2) takes on Jake Odorizzi of the Astros. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Beat Braves after 3 Hour Delay (5/26/21)

Sometimes extra baseball isn't always a good thing, The Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox played an action packed, exciting baseball game for 6 innings until the rains came in Boston. The Rays jumped on Sox starter "The Undefeated" Nick Pivetta (6-0, 3.86 ERA) for 3 runs early. Hunter Renfroe and Rafael Devers both hit home runs off of Atlanta starter Drew Smyly to tie the game but Pivetta allowed a home run to Austin Riley in the top of the fifth. The Sox then pulled off a killer rally for 4 runs in the bottom of the sixth and the game was delayed THREE hours because of rain. By the time the game resumed at midnight, The Sox rallied for two runs in the eighth and the Braves rallied in the ninth. Matt Barnes got Freddie Freeman to bang into a double play at 1 AM to end the game and give the Sox a 9-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                   Sox fans at 1 AM

The Braves bushwhacked Pivetta in the top of the first inning as Ronald Acuna struck out swinging to start. Freddie Freeman walked and Ozzie Albies tripled into the right field corner. Austin Riley struck out swinging but Dansby Swanson doubled home Albies to increase the lead. Pablo Sandoval popped up to third to end the inning with the Braves ahead 2-0.

                                                 The Braves struck first.

Smyly got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez grounded out to third to start.  Alex Verdugo grounded out to short and JD Martinez flied out to left to end the inning.

The Braves struck again in the top of the second as Guillermo Heredia doubled to left to start. Heredia moved to third on the Ender Inciarte grounder to first and scored on the Wilson Contreras sac fly. Acuna singled to short and Freeman doubled to left, but Albies struck out swinging to end the inning with the Braves ahead 3-0.

                                                           Heredia scores a run

The Sox did get a run back in the bottom of the second although Xander Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to second but Hunter Renfroe crushed his sixth home run of the season to cut the lead. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                   Renfroe hits one out

Riley walked to start the top of the third but Swanson flied out to right. Sandoval struck out swinging and Heredia popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Christian Vazquez grounded out to short to start. Christian Arroyo made his return off the Injured List and naturally struck out swinging. Hernandez lined back to Smyly to end the inning.

Inciarte grounded out to first to start the top of the fourth but Contreras singled to center. Acuna took strike three and Freeman flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth although Verdugo grounded out to third to start. Martinez flied out to right but Bogaerts walked. Devers clobbered his 14th home run of the season to tie the game. Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                    Tie game

Just as the soon as the Sox tied it, the Braves instantly got the lead back in the top of the fifth. Albies flied out to left but Riley hit a home run to the lost city of Zinjj to put Atlanta back on top. Swanson took strike three and Sandoval popped up to third to end the inning but the Braves were up 4-3.

                                               Riley puts Atlanta on top

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Dalbec struck out swinging again to start. Vazquez struck out swinging and Arroyo flied out to center to end the inning.

Pivetta finished with a flurry in the top of the sixth inning as he struck out Heredia looking to begin. Inciarte struck out swinging and Contreras took strike three to end the inning. It didn't look good for Pivetta who had allowed 4 runs in 6 innings of work.

                                                            Pivetta needed some help

The Sox picked up Pivetta in the bottom of the sixth as Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Verdugo and Martinez stroked back to back singles before moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. Bogaerts hit a grounder to third and Verdugo beat the throw home to tie the game. Devers stepped up with a double to left to score JD and chase Smyly. Luke Jackson came in and got a big out by punching Renfroe out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora had enough of Dalbec and sent in Danny Santana to pinch hit. Santana walked to load the bases and Vazquez got a base hit to score Bogaerts & Devers. Vazquez swiped second but Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-4.

                                                          Verdugo beats the tag to tie it

Pivetta looked to be coming back out for the top of the seventh at 102 pitches but the game was delayed by rain for THREE HOURS. When play resumed at midnight, Josh Taylor came in to pitch and promptly hit Acuna. Freeman flied out to left on a full count and Albies forced Acuna at second before Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout. Apparently all he wanted Taylor to do was pitch to three batters and Adam Ottavino was brought in. Albies stole second but Riley popped up to first to end the inning. 

Sean Newcomb came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez popped up to first to start. Verdugo grounded out to second and Martinez lined out to right to end the inning.

Ottavino returned for the top of the eighth and Swanson grounded out to short to start. Sandoval flied out to right and Heredia grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Grant Dayton came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts walked to start. Devers struck out swinging but Renfroe hit a ground rule double to right. Santana hit a routine grounder to short but Swanson booted it for an error to score Bogaerts, moving Renfroe to third. Vazquez scored Renfroe with a sac fly but Arroyo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                         Swanson boots one

Matt Andriese came in to close out the top of the ninth and Inciarte popped up to second to start. All of a sudden Contreras hit a home run to Jupiter and Acuna singled to right to chase Andriese. Sox closer Matt Barnes had to be summoned at 12:57 AM and Freeman banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had finally won it 9-5.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. His 2 run homer tied the game and he hit the go-ahead rbi double in the sixth to put the Sox up for good.

                                                Bogaerts fires up our Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts walked twice, drove in a run and scored 3 times.

Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 4 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Danny Santana walked and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with 3 rbis and a stolen base.

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

Adam Ottavino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes got the final two outs of the top of the ninth.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Matt Andriese allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

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

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Nick Pivetta got the win but allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9 in six innings.

Final Thoughts:

That took way too long but at least the Sox came out on top. They showed some serious balls to rally in the bottom of the sixth to pick up Pivetta. Pivetta didn't have his best stuff but still remains undefeated with his sixth win of the year. Devers really stepped it up to first tie the game then give the Sox the lead. The Sox made the move to send Michael Chavis down because he somehow was getting progressively worse. Also both Triston Casas and Jarred Duran are trying out for the US Olympic baseball team so neither one can be called up right now. The Braves aren't where they were last year but they're still a good team, knocking them off the way they did was impressive. If the umpires called the game at 9 PM Pivetta would have had a complete game, oh well. The win improved the Sox to 30-20, 0.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Friday night with a three game set with the Miami Marlins. Martin Perez (2-2, 3.55 ERA) takes on Cody "Little" Poteet of the Marlins this Friday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.