Rays Annihilate Red Sox (9/11/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Josh Taylor was placed on the Injured List with left shoulder tendinitis. In his place the Sox didn't call up any top level prospects, they called up somebody named Domingo Tapia. I know Sox GM Chaim Bloom is desperate to get the first overall pick, but he's bordering on being fined by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for being blatantly obvious about tanking.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                         IN

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their second round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. What a massacre. It seems the Rays offense hits .200 against everyone else and a Jack Parkman-esque .900 against the Red Sox. Once again Tampa had a field day with the incompetent Red Sox pitching staff, pounding out 12 hits and 11 runs. The sad thing was the Sox offense had 11 hits themselves but couldn't get a clutch hit against Tampa ace Blake Snell. Matt Hall (0-3, 18.69) continued to be the hands down worst pitcher in baseball by allowing 4 runs in just 2 1/3 innings as the Rays effortlessly beat the Sox 11-1 at Tropicana Field.

                                                       "Matt Hall....."

Snell got the ball in the top of the first inning and cruised. Alex Verdugo grounded back to the mound to start before Rafael Devers went down hacking. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Andrew Triggs got the "start" for the Sox in the bottom of the first and Austin Meadows popped up to first to start. Joey Wendle grounded out to second but Brandon Lowe singled to second. Lowe stole second and Ji-Man Choi walked, but Kevin Kiermaier grounded out to second to end the inning.

Christian Vazquez lined out to right to start the top of the second before Kevin Plawecki grounded out to second. Jackie Bradley Jr doubled to left but Bobby Dalbec whiffed to end the inning. The Sox threw in the towel early when they brought in Matt Hall to replace Triggs in the top of the second. Yoshi Tsutsugo effortlessly hit the longest home run of his career to start but Nate Lowe struck out swinging. Brett Phillips grounded out to second but Michael Perez singled to left. Meadows grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                  Tsutsugo hits one out

Chavis walked to start the top of the third but Arroyo banged into a double play. Verdugo and Devers stroked back to back singles but Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third as Wendle and Brandon Lowe stroked back to back singles to start. Choi lined out to center and the runners pulled off a double steal. Kiermaier grounded out to short to score Wendle with another run. Tsutsugo lined out to left to end the inning.

Vazquez singled to left to start the top of the fourth but Plawecki flied out to right. Vazquez tried to steal second and was thrown out by a mile before JBJ lined out to center to end the inning. The Rays finished off Hall in the bottom of the fourth as Nate Lowe singled to left to start. Phillips whiffed but Perez walked. Meadows doubled home both runners to ice the game. Wendle walked and that was it for Hall. The worst pitcher of the team (and that's saying something) lived up to his billing by turning a 0-0 game into a rout in less than three innings. Phillips Valdez came in and got Brandon Lowe to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Rays up 4-0.

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

Dalbec walked to open the top of the fifth but Chavis whiffed to start. Arroyo struck out swinging and Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Valdez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Choi lined out to third to start. Kiermaier whiffed and Tsutsugo took strike three to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to first to open the top of the sixth but Bogaerts singled to left. Vazquez hit a routine grounder to Tsutsugo who tried to run over and tag Bogaerts himself rather than throw the ball and everyone was safe. Pete Fairbanks replaced Snell and Plawecki banged into a double play to end the inning. 29 year old "rookie" Domingo Tapia made his MLB debut in the bottom of the sixth and naturally Nate Lowe hit his first home run of the season off of him to start. Phillips flied out to center and Perez flied out to left, but Meadows walked. Wendle whiffed to end the inning with the Rays up 5-0. Welcome to the club of useless relievers.

                                                   Tanner Houck isn't ready but HE is?

John Curtiss came in for the top of the seventh and JBJ flied out to left to start. Dalbec singled to right but Chavis flied out to center. Arroyo grounded into a force to end the inning. Robinson Leyer came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh as Brandon Lowe whiffed to start. Lowe and Kiermaier drew back to back walks and Tsutsugo singled home Choi. Nate Lowe then pulverized his second homer of the day to turn this into a laughter.  Robert Stock came in and Phillips popped up to third. Perez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays up 9-0.

                                              Need to break a slump? Face the Red Sox

Ryan Sherriff came in for the top of the eighth and Verdugo singled to left to begin. Devers singled to center but Bogaerts beat out a double play to put runners at the corners. Vazquez banged into a double play to end the inning. Jonathan Arauz came in to play third for the bottom of the eighth with Tzu-Wei Lin taking over for Bogaerts at short. Meadows took strike three but Wendle doubled to right and took third on a wild pitch. Brandon Lowe walked and Choi doubled home Wendle. Kiermaier grounded out to second but Lowe scored to wrap up the scoring. Tsutsugo whiffed to end the inning with the Rays hanging 10+ runs on the Sox again with their now 11-0 lead.

                                    Rays score more runs in one game than the Sox do in a week

Aaron Loup had mop up duty in the top of the ninth but the Sox rallied. Plawecki lined out to left but JBJ doubled to left and Dalbec doubled to right to score Bradley. Chavis singled Dalbec to third but Arroyo took strike three. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had won it 11-1.

                                               Too little, too late but nice to see

Jackass of the Night is Matt Hall. He allowed the 4 runs to put the Rays up for good.

                                                               Jackass Hall

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Michael Chavis was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Andrew Triggs tossed a scoreless inning.

Phillips Valdez tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 4.

Chistian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Domingo Tapia allowed a run in an inning of work.

Robinson Leyer allowed 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Robert Stock allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Jonathan Arauz played third base in the bottom of then eighth.

Tzu-Wei Lin played shortstop in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

14 games left....we're almost there. Even if the Sox are a .500 team next year it'll be a huge improvement over what Sox fans had to endure this season. I know the goal was not to win but there's a difference in being competitive and being dragged across the field for 3 hours. The Sox became the first team to lose 30 games this season and most of them have been blowouts. Hopefully none of the pitchers they have left will be around next year. Somehow Chaim Bloom has to fix the entire pitching staff from top to bottom. They need a new closer, new set-up men, new long men and new starters. Its going to take a hell of an effort but it can be done. As for this game? The less said about this disaster the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 16-30, good for last place in the AL East. Tomorrow evening the Sox face the Rays again when they pick a name out of a hat to start against Rays ace Tyler Glasnow at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Jays Outslug Unwatchable Sox (9/6/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Robert Stock was sent packing to the Alternate Training Site and in his place the Sox called up Matt Hall. Replacing one bum with another, yippie.

                                                                     OUT

IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster. In a game that took an unacceptable 4 hours and 27 to complete, the Toronto Blue Jays outslugged the Red Sox in one of the most god-awful events of all time. Both pitching staffs combined for 18 runs, 16 walks and 25 hits in the game that would have made Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens throw up. The Sox had a 4-1 lead going into the top of the sixth when the Blue Jays managed to score 9 runs in the next two innings. A host of bums in the Boston bullpen gave up one hit after another but so did the Blue Jays. The Sox offense ripped Toronto apart for 10 hits and 8 runs of their own but it wasn't enough as the Jays won the game 10-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                           Jays and Sox fans unite

Triggs got the ball to start the top of the first inning and somehow struck out the side. Cavan Biggio took strike three to start before Jonathan Villar also watched strike three go by. Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the first although Yairo Munoz pulled his right hamstring on a base hit to left to start. Jonathan Arauz pinch ran for Munoz as Christian Vazquez whiffed. Xander Bogaerts singled to left but JD Martinez was rung up for strike three. Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castigleone said Kevin Plawecki was due for his first Fenway homer and right on cue he blasted a three run bomb to center to give the Sox the lead. Michael Chavis walked but Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                    Plawecki's first Fenway homer

Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez led off the top of the second with a lineout to Arauz to start. Travis Shaw grounded out to second but Lourdes Gurriel Jr singled to center.  Joe Panik grounded out to second to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec popped up to first to start the bottom of the second but Jose Peraza walked. Peraza swiped second and the throw got away, moving Peraza to third. The rally ended as Arauz took strike three down the middle and Vazquez popped up to right to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the third as Caleb Joseph hit a home run all the way to Weirs Beach to put Toronto on the board. Derek Fisher whiffed but Biggio walked. Villar walked but Guerrero Jr lined out to a running JBJ. Tellez hit one in the hole at short to load the bases and Shaw missed a grand slam by ten feet as JBJ caught it at the centerfield wall to end the inning. The Jays had cut the lead to 3-1. Andrew Triggs ladies and gentlemen.

                                       Strangely the best pitcher that would be seen all day

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts popped up to short to start. Martinez lined out to left but Plawecki dumped a base hit to right. Chavis hit one just inside the left field foul line but Plawecki was thrown out at third to end the inning.

Matt Hall replaced Triggs to start the top of the fourth and Gurriel Jr grounded out to second to start. Panik walked but Joseph lined out to left. Fisher walked but Hall got Biggio swinging on a nice curve to end the inning. JBJ popped up to second to start the bottom of the fourth but "Way Back" Dalbec lined his 3rd homer of the year into the Jays bullpen to increase the lead. Peraza whiffed but Arauz drew a walk. Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                        Dalbec goes yard

The Jays struck back in the top of the fifth although Villar grounded out to second to start. Guerrero Jr walked and the pain in the ass Tellez singled him to third. Shaw walked to load the bases and Gurriel Jr singled to center to score Guerrero to cut the lead. Panik dropped a base hit to right to score Tellez and Shaw to tie the game. Somehow Joseph took strike three but Hall bobbled a routine grounder by Fisher to allow Gurriel Jr to score the go-ahead run. Sox manager Ron Roenicke finally pulled the plug on Hall and brought in Robinson Leyer.  Biggio hit a routine fly ball to left but Peraza lost it in the sun for a 2 run double to increase the lead. Villar walked but Guerrero Jr popped up to second to end the inning. The Jays went from down 4-1 to up 7-4....pathetic.

                                                    Jays take the lead

Wilmer Font came in for the bottom of the fifth and the Sox went quietly. Bogaerts popped up weakly to center, Martinez hit a weak chopper to short and Plawecki took strike three to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the sixth when who else but Tellez blasted a 70,000 foot home run to increase the lead. Shaw singled to left and Gurriel Jr singled to center to chase Leyer. If there were fans in the stands, they'd be booing. Jeffrey Springs came in and walked Panik to load the bases on 4 straight pitches. Arauz then added to the misery by refusing to throw to first on a double play ball by Joseph to score Shaw with another run. Fisher singled to right to score Gurriel Jr but Biggio flied out to center. Villar walked to re-load the bases but Guerrero Jr whiffed to end the misery. The Jays scored another 3 runs to lead 10-4. The Sox pitchers allowed NINE walks and 12 hits so far.

                                              8 home runs this season, 4 against Boston

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the sixth when Chavis and JBJ stroked back to back singles to start. Dalbec walked to load the bases and Chavis scored on the sac fly by Peraza. Arauz walked to reload the bases but Thomas Hatch came in to strike out Vazquez swinging. Bogaerts hit a piece of crap roller to short to end the inning with the Sox down 10-5.

Austin Brice came in for the top of the seventh and somehow whiffed Tellez to start. Shaw grounded out to third but Gurriel Jr singled to center and Panik doubled him to third. Joseph grounded out to short to end the inning. Martinez showed how much he cared in the bottom of the seventh by jogging to first base on a grounder to short. The throw was wide but since Martinez lollygagged, Guerrero Jr had enough time to step on the bag for the out. Plawecki was plunked and Chavis walked, but JBJ forced Chavis at second and Dalbec whiffed to end the inning.

Plawecki keeled over in the dugout and had to be hauled off on a gurney headed to Mass General's ICU. Vazquez moved behind the plate and Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth. Fisher whiffed and Biggio popped up to short, but Villar singled to left. Guerrero Jr earned the hat trick with his third strikeout to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the eighth against AJ Cole when Peraza hit his first home run in over a year to start. Arauz walked but Vazquez flied out to right. Bogaerts stepped up with his 10th homer of the season to cut the lead. Martinez flied out to left and Alex Verdugo pinch hit for Brasier. Ryan Borucki came in and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 10-8.

                                                Peraza and Bogaerts with home runs

Marcus Walden came in for the top of the ninth and Tellez grounded out to first to start. Shaw grounded out to short and Gurriel Jr lined out to center to end the inning. Rafael Dolis came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Danny Jansen behind the plate. The Sox went quietly as Chavis flied out to left to start. JBJ took strike three and Dalbec whiffed to end the game. The Jays had won it 10-8 in the longest nine inning game in their history.

                                                 Happy Jays


Jackass of the Night is Matt Hall. He was charged with 6 runs to give the game away.

                                                      Bogaerts stares at the Jackass




The Good:

Yairo Munoz singled before leaving the game.

Jonathan Arauz walked 3 times and scored twice.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a 2 run homer.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 3 with a 3 run home run and a hit by pitch before leaving.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Jose Peraza was 1 for 2 with a walk, stolen base, 2 rbis and a home run.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Robinson Leyer was charged with 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 but walked and hit a home run.

Andrew Triggs allowed 1 run in 3 innings of work.

Jeffrey Springs allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in an inning of work.




Final Thoughts:

This was unwatchable. Imagine if this was in front of paying customers? Sox owner John Henry and general manager Chaim Bloom would be dragged down Yawkey Way a the end of lassos if Henry charged Major League prices for a product this bad for 162 games. Part of the fanbase thinks this is why they're tanking, they have no one to answer to in an empty Park. Its been said a million times that this team just wasn't designed to win but now it seems like a huge mistake the way the AL East has gone this season. The pre-season pick to win the World Series, the New York Yankees, are 21-19 and in third place just two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. If the Sox gave a damn this season and didn't go 0-7 against the Yankees, they'd be right in the thick of things. Still, its an indictment on the Yankees to spend all that money on Gerrit Cole to be a .500 team where the Red Sox traded everyone remotely good including Mookie Betts and David Price back in February. As for this game, at least the offense looked good. The encouraging sign is if the offense hits the next few weeks because the pitching can be corrected, but a bad offense will kill you. The 1992 Red Sox led the league in ERA but finished dead last because their offense was that bad. The 2018 Red Sox fixed their offense from a year earlier and went from 93 wins to 108. To see Arauz, Munoz, Verdugo, Devers, Dalbec and Chavis all 25 or younger compliment Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, Martinez, Vazquez and JBJ is encouraging for the future. Chaim Bloom made a lot of moves to re-stock the farm system and will get a high draft pick to work with in next year's draft. The offense is there but the pitching needs to be fixed. The loss drops the Sox to 14-28, last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox play a ridiculous doubleheader on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Martin Perez (2-4, 4.07 ERA) goes for the Sox in Game 1 against the dreaded TBD at 4:05 PM at 4:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Off-Day News (8/6/20)

Today the Sox made a few roster moves. Chris Mazza and Matt Hall were sent down to the Alternate Training Site. With Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor returning soon, Sox general manager Chaim Bloom felt Mazza and Hall were the most expendable. Mazza looked good in his one appearance against the Yankees while Matt Hall stunk in his two appearances. Bye bye guys.

                                                                  OUT



On this day in Basebawful history:


2019 - Jorge Soler, Royals bash Sox

2017 - Red Sox sweep White Sox

2010 - Sox beat Yankees in series opener

1970 - Senators drop Sox




Tomorrow night the Sox return home to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto will pull a name out of a hat to start the game while the Sox counter with Ryan Weber (0-2, 11.57 ERA) at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Judge, Yankees Sweep Sox (8/2/20)

Xander Bogaerts was recently quoted saying its hard to win when you have to score 8-10 runs a game. He was right as the Boston Red Sox were effortlessly swept out of New York by the high powered Yankees. Aaron Judge couldn't miss as the Yankees pounded the Sox for 9 hits and 9 runs. He hit a 3 run homer in the second and a 2 run homer in the 8th to guide the Yankees to victory. The Sox pounded Yankees starter James Paxton for 5 runs and scored 2 runs off the bullpen, but Matt Barnes (0-1, 9.00 ERA) gave up 3 runs in the eighth to seal Boston's fate. The Sox can't outpitch or outhit the Yankees as they were swept out of New York 9-7 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                   "Damn Barnes"

Shockingly the Sox struck first in the top of the first against Paxton. Kevin Pillar lined out to left to start before Rafael Devers whiffed badly. JD Martinez doubled over the head of Aaron Hicks in center and moved to third on a wild pitch. Xander Bogaerts then pounded a home run just over the wall in right to put the Sox on top. Christian Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                    X gonna homer on ya

Naturally Brice almost gave the lead right back in the bottom of the first although he somehow struck out DJ LeMahieu swinging to start. Aaron Judge hit a routine pop up to Jose Peraza who tried to catch the ball in his hat and it dropped for an error. Somehow Brice punched out Gleyber Torres on a 94 mph fastball but Giancarlo Stanton walked. Aaron Hicks walked to load the bases but somehow Brice punched out Luke Voit on a full count to end the inning.

Michael Chavis whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to start the top of the second but Kevin Plawecki lined a base hit up the middle. Plawecki moved to second on the Jackie Bradley Jr grounder and Peraza popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. The Yankees lit up Matt Hall in the bottom of the second although Gary Sanchez was frozen for strike three to start. Gio Urshela singled to left but Devers made a hell of a play on a ground ball by Miguel Andujar to force Gio at second. LeMahieu walked and ESPN broadcasters had an on-air orgasm when Judge effortlessly hit a 700,000 bomb to put the Yankees up. Torres grounded out to second to end the inning but the Yankees now led 3-2.

                                                     Dammit

The Sox fought back in the top of the third when Pillar caught Hicks asleep in center with a ground rule double to start. Devers lined a base hit to right to score Pillar to tie the game just like that. Martinez whiffed badly but Bogaets hit a base hit to right...under the glove of Andujar. Devers came around to score and Bogaerts made it to third on the error. Vazquez then singled home Bogaerts with a base hit to right to increase the lead. Chavis was rung up on a questionable pitch for strike three and Plawecki flied out to deep right to end the inning but the Sox were back on top 5-3.

                                                       Sox take the lead

Hall came back to piss himself in the bottom of the third as Stanton walked to start. Hicks flied out to the centerfield wall and Voit was caught looking at strike three on the outside corner. Sanchez easily doubled over the head of Pillar to score Stanton to cut the lead. Urshela doubled home Sanchez to tie the game before Andujar flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 5-5. Hall pissed away two 2 run leads and allowed 5 runs, pathetic.

                                                         Yankees tie it up

Somebody named Michael King shut down the Sox in the top of the fourth as JBJ took strike three to start. Peraza flied out to center and Pillar grounded out to second to end the inning. Heath Hembree took the mound in the bottom of the fourth and LeMahieu popped up to right in foul territory. Judge beat out an infield single to third after a great throw by Devers....but wait! Sox manager Ron Roenicke challenged the call and shockingly the umpires got the call right, Judge was out. Torres popped up to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth although Devers and Martinez whiffed to start. Bogaerts then pounded his second homer of the night to left to give the Sox the lead. Vazquez grounded into the shift to end the inning but it was 6-5 Sox.

                                                        Bogaerts is on fire

Hembree returned for the bottom of the fifth and the Yankees struck again. Stanton grounded out to short to start. Hicks popped up to center but Voit effortlessly pounded a home run completely out of Yankee Stadium to tie the game. Sanchez took strike three to end the inning but it was tied 6-6.

                                                         Sox can't pitch at all

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Chavis grounded out to short to start. Plawecki took strike three and JBJ grounded into the shift to end the inning. Marcus Walden came in for the bottom of the sixth as Urshela easily singled to left to start. Andujar banged into a double play but LeMahieu slapped a single to right. A wild pitch moved LeMahieu to second before Judge walked. Torres flied out to right to end the inning.

Mike Tauchman replaced Andujar in the top of the seventh as Boston took the lead back. Peraza flied out to right before Judge made a shoestring catch on a Pillar line drive. Devers then hit a 450 foot bomb to right not even Judge could catch to give the Sox the lead back. Adam Ottavino replaced King and Martinez flied out to the left field wall to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                        Kiss it goodbye

Alex Verdugo replaced Martinez in the batting order but was playing left with Pillar moving to right to begin the bottom of the seventh. Peraza made a great stab to rob Judge of a base hit before Walden froze Hicks for strike three. Voit flied out to left to end the inning. Somehow the Sox were 6 outs away from winning this one.

Bogaerts tried to start a rally in the top of the eighth with a double to the left field fence but Vazquez did the one thing he couldn't do, ground out to short. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Chavis and struck out swinging. Plawecki took a full count walk but JBJ extended his slump to 0-17 with another strikeout swinging to end the inning. Matt Barnes came on for the bottom of the eighth and couldn't hold the lead. Sanchez popped up to center to start. Urshela was rung up on a check swing in the dirt for strike three before Tauchman walked. Tauchman swiped second and scored on the LeMahieu base hit past Peraza. Judge ended matters with his second bomb of the game as ESPN openly gushed over it. Torres flied out to left to end the inning but the Yankees led 9-7.

                                                     "Damn it!" - Peraza

The Sox were deflated by the Judge homer and Zack Britton finished them off in the top of the ninth with Tyler Wade now playing second, moving LeMahieu to first. Peraza grounded out to third, Pillar whiffed and Devers grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox simply cannot beat the Yankees in any stage of the game and the Yanks proved it by winning 9-7 to finish off the sweep.

                                                   Yankees sweep....damn


Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He was brought in with a one run lead and gave up 3 runs to take the loss.

                                                Barnes the Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis, 2 runs scored and a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 4 with 3 rbis, 3 runs scored and 2 home runs.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless first inning.

Marcus Walden tossed two scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mitch Moreland struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jose Peraza was 0 for 4 with an error.

Matt Hall allowed 5 runs in 2 innings.



The Ugly:

Kevin Pillar was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

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

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Heath Hembree allowed a run in 2 innings of work.



Honorable Mention:

Alex Verdugo played left field in the bottom of the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

At least the Sox were competitive tonight. Unlike the previous two games, they showed some life at the plate. Now if they had a major league pitching staff, maybe they'd win a few more games. As it is, they're stuck with their horrendous pitching staff. Matt Hall has no business being in the majors and Barnes completely blew it. Hembree was pitching well but Voit got ahold of a fastball, it happens. Barnes has been throwing nothing but curveballs for a week now. That's not going to cut it when guys like Judge are sitting on it. Again, at least the Sox were in the game. Xander Bogaerts said after the game the Sox actually had fun in this one. Hopefully the "fun" can carry over to their next series because the Sox are 3-7 and in trouble. The Baltimore Orioles are a better team than they are right now. The sad part is the Sox are not going to get any better with Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez out for the season. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night in Tampa against the Rays. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 2.45 ERA) goes for the Sox against Charlie Morton at an unusual 6:40 PM start time at Tropicana Field.

Mets Pound Sox at Fenway (7/28/20)

At this point its becoming painful to watch the Boston Red Sox this season. For the fourth day in a row they started someone off the scrap heap and for the fourth day in a row the pitching staff gave up at least 7 runs. Somebody named Matt Hall who only pitched in a few big league games previously got lit up for 3 runs in less than 3 innings against the New York Mets. Austin Brice and Ryan Brasier allowed 5 runs combined and the Sox offense remained asleep for the fourth game in a row. Hard to win games when you can't pitch or hit and the Sox didn't win this one. The Mets easily won this game 8-3 at Fenway Park.

Hall made his Red Sox debut in the top of the first inning and surprisingly did NOT crap his pants. Amed Rosario flied out to right and Pete Alonso went down hacking. Jeff McNeil grounded out to short to end the inning. Jose Peraza tried to start a rally in the bottom of the first against David Peterson with a base hit...but was thrown out at second trying to stretch. JD Martinez whiffed on a pitch not even close and Rafael Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

As usual the Sox fell behind in the top of the second as JD Davis singled to start. Michael Conforto took strike three but old friend Yoenis Cespedes was hit with a pitch. Robinson Cano effortlessly doubled to left to score Davis to put the Mets up for good. Wilson Ramos grounded out to third but Brandon Nimmo walked to load the bases. Naturally Rosario laughed as he singled to right to score both Cespedes and Cano. JBJ had to climb the centerfield wall to rob Alonso of a home run to end the inning but the game was over 3-0.

                                               "This is easy" - Rosario

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they failed to come back. Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to start but Kevin Pillar got a lucky infield single to short. Pillar took second when Conforto reached into the stands to get a pop up from Michael Chavis but Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left to end the inning.

The end came quickly for Hall in the top of the third as McNeil flied out to left to start. Davis whiffed but Conforto drew a walk to chase him. Once again the Sox went with a bum to start the game and for the fourth straight game, they failed because of it. Hall lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up 3 runs.

                                               Devers wants this season to end so bad

Austin Brice came in and Conforto stole second, but Cespedes struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox pulled off a perfect microcosm of their terrible season in the bottom of the third. Kevin Plawecki doubled to left to start and Andrew Benintendi walked. Jose Peraza drilled a single to load the bases but Martinez struck out swinging. Devers hit a bullet to Cano and the Mets caight Benintendi in a run-down to end the inning. Plawecki did score during the rundown, but in essence in the Sox had the bases loaded with nobody out and did nothing. The Sox were down 3-1 and the fans would boo if there were any.

                                                       "You're out you dummy!"

Somehow Brice didnt crap his pants in the top of the fourth inning. Cano walked but Ramos struck out swinging. Cano moved to second on the force by Nimmo but Rosario grounded back to the mound to end the inning. As usual the Sox failed to come back when trailing in the bottom of the fourth. Bogaerts lined out to right, Pillar lined out to center and Chavis flied out to right to end the inning.

The Mets iced the game in the top of the fifth although Alonso grounded out to second to start. McNeil singled and Davis bashed a 5,000,000 foot home run halfway to Delaware to put the game out of reach. That was it for Brice who surrendered two runs again. Colten Brewer came in and Confirto went down swinging. Cespedes grounded out to third to end the inning with the Mets up 5-1.

                                                             "Game over"

JBJ whiffed to begin the bottom of the fifth but Plawecki singled to third and took second on a throwing error. Benintendi walked but naturally Peraza banged into a double play to end the inning.

Plawecki made a rare error to allow Cano to reach in the top of the sixth. Ramos singled Cano to third but could only go to second on the Nimmo grounder. Somehow Brewer struck out Rosario swinging and got Alonso to fly out to left to end the inning. The Sox showed some life in the bottom of the sixth although Martinez grounded out to third to start. Devers doubled to center but Bogaerts lined out to left. Pillar doubled home Devers to cut the lead and chase Peterson. Drew Smith came in to pitch as Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Chavis. Naturally Moreland whiffed to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                            Pillar with an rbi

McNeil grounded out to second to open the top of the seventh but Davis was hit with a pitch. Conforto struck out swinging again and Cespedes also went down hacking to end the inning. Good to see Brewer toss 2 2/3 solid innings.

                                                  Yeoman's effort for Brewer

Jake Marisnick took over for Davis while playing center with Nimmo going to left with Justin Wilson on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. The Sox rolled over as JBJ popped to short, Plawecki grounded out to third and Benintendi whiffed to end the inning. Say what you will about the dumpster diving pitching, the offense has scored 4 runs a less in 4 straight games.

Ryan Brasier made his season debut in the top of the eighth and puked on himself. Cano singled to left and Andres Giminez ran for him. Giminez moved to second on the Ramos grounder and scored on the Nimmo double to right. Rosario grounded out to short but Alonso walked and McNeil cleared the bases with a double to center to wrap up the scoring. Marisnick flied out to center to end the inning with the Mets up 8-2.

                                                   "Make it stop" - Plawecki

Dellin Betances came in for the bottom of the eighth and Peraza grounded out to third to start. Martinez grounded out to short but Devers singled to left. Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning.

Sox closer Brandon Workman made his season debut in the top of the ninth inning but Conforto greeted him with a single to right. Cespedes banged into a double play and Giminez grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox had a too little too late rally against Hunter Strickland in the bottom of the ninth. Pillar doubled to right and moved to third on the Moreland grounder. JBJ grounded out to short to score Pillar but Plawecki singled. How big were the 5 runs allowed by Brice and Brasier now? Benintendi whiffed to end the game, the Mets had won it 8-3.

                                                Another loss


Jackass of the Night is Austin Brice. He turned a 3-1 game into a 5-1 one and the Sox couldn't recover

                                                  "This guy sucks!" - Umpire



The Good:

Jose Peraza was 2 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Kevin Pillar was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Colten Brewer tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless ninth.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 2.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Matt Hall allowed 3 runs in just 2 2/3 innings.

Ryan Brasier allowed 3 runs in the eighth inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and got caught in a run down, but walked twice.




Final Thoughts:

With MLB postponing games after the latest Covid outbreak, the Sox and their fans can't wait until the season gets cancelled. Its one thing for a pitching staff not to work out, like in 1997 and 2015, its another thing to not even make an attempt to improve it. The pitchers the Sox have sent out after Nathan Eovaldi aren't from the bargain bin, but from the bottom of the dumpster. Barely any of them should be in the league and they're in prominent positions on the Red Sox. How in the world can the Sox be competitive when they're down 3-5 runs before they even come to bat? The offense hasn't done themselves any favors either. They scored 13 runs on Opening Night and 12 runs total since. Having a new lineup by Sox manager Ron Roenicke every day isn't helping for consistency either. Can't even blame Roenicke because he's just an interim manager until Alex Cora comes back next year anyway. It would be nice if the Sox could find some starters that at least people have heard of. The Braves released Mike Foltynewicz because his velocity dropped from 94 to 89. As bad as all the guys that came after Eovaldi were, could he be any worse? The loss dropped the Sox to 1-4 on the season. The good news is tomorrow night the Sox will finally have a legitimate starting pitcher going. The bad news is Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 1.50 ERA) has to take on Mets ace Jake deGrom at 7:35 PM at Citi Field.