Houck, Duran Top Jays in Game 2 (7/28/21)

When the Boston Red Sox brought up Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck on July 16th, fans and brass alike wanted them to contribute and today both did at the same time. In Game 2 of today's doubleheader Houck tossed 4 innings of 1 run ball to keep the Toronto Blue Jays off the scoreboard. Duran hit a little league home run to put the Sox ahead enough to coast the rest of the game. Duran and Houck are a much needed shot in the arm that needs all the help they can get if they hope to win the division this year. After Houck left the A-Team of Garrett Whitlock (4-1, 1.26 ERA) and Matt Barnes slammed the door as the Sox took Game 2 by a score of 4-1 in 7 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                        Gloria Estefan approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and dominated. George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging before Marcus Semien took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Matz in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez led off with a double to center. Rafael Devers lined a base hit to center to score Hernandez but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double.  Xander Bogaerts singled to right but JD Martinez flied out to center. Hunter Renfroe flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                       Devers is out but drives in a run

Houck cruised in the top of the second inning as Bo Bichette lined out to third to start. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to second and Lourdes Gurriel Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo singled to right to begin. Kevin Plawecki ripped a base hit to left and both runners moved over on the Bobby Dalbec grounder to first. Jarren Duran hit a sac fly to right to score Verdugo and Hernandez walked. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Duran with a sac fly

Randal Grichuk flied out to right to start the top of the third but Santiago Espinal walked. Espinal swiped second but Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Springer struck out swinging again to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Martinez grounded out to second but Renfroe reached on a throwing error by Bichette. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the fourth as Guerrero Jr doubled to left to start. Semien flied out to right but Guerrero took third on a passed ball. Bichette easily sliced a base hit to left to score Guerrero to cut the lead. Hernandez struck out swinging but Bichette stole second base. Gurriel Jr lined out to first to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1. That was it for Houck after just 75 pitches, didn't even get credit for the win either.

                                                   Houck goes 4 innings

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Plawecki singled to right to start. Dalbec took strike three but Dalbec hit a shot into the centerfield triangle. Plawecki scored easily and Duran motored all the way around to try to score. Springer's bobble was just enough for Duran to beat the throw home for the little league home run. Hernandez singled to right and Devers doubled to left to chase Matz. Patrick Murphy came into pitch and Bogaerts was plunked. The rally ended as Martinez popped up to second and Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                  Duran triples and scores on the "error"

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Grichuk singled off of him to start. Espinal banged into a double play and McGuire lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew yet another rally in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo walked to start. Plawecki singled to right but Dalbec struck out swinging. Kirby Snead came in to pitch to Duran and he grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Lock returned for the top of the sixth with Michael Chavis now playing for Devers. Springer popped up to second and Guerrero Jr grounded out to short, but Semien singled to left. Bichette singled in the hole at short but Hernandez grounded into a force to end the inning. Trent Thornton came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Hernandez popped up to second to start. Chavis tripled into the centerfield triangle but Bogaerts popped up to first. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the seventh and Gurriel Jr was plunked to start. Cavan Biggio pinch ran for Gurriel but Grichuk took strike three. Espinal banged into another double play to end the game. The Sox had won the game 4-1.

                                                          Sox win on a twin killing

Hero of the Night is Jarren Duran. He drove in a run with a sac fly then hit a little league home run to ice the game.

                                                           Duran The Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Michael Chavis tripled in his only at-bat.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 3 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Tanner Houck tossed 4 innings of 1 run ball and struck out seven batters.

Garrett Whitlock earned the win with 2 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes earned his 23rd save with a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

None

Final Thoughts:

There's a lot going on around the league these days with the trade deadline days away and so far the biggest splash was made by the New York Yankees. The Yankees traded four prospects (three in their top 20) to the Texas Rangers for slugger Joey Gallo which could help their offensive woes. As for the Sox, they're going to bank their hopes on Duran and Houck to take the next step. Duran is giving 2007 Jacoby Ellsbury vibes and hopefully Cora can let Houck off the hook to throw some real gutty innings. As for Red Sox trade rumors, how's this one? Apparently the Sox are in talks with the Washington Nationals for 37 year old Max Scherzer. The Sox can't rely on Martin Perez and Garrett Richards to take them deep into October and Sox GM Chaim Bloom knows it. It would be unfair to expect Chris Sale to come off Tommy John surgery like it never happened so the Sox needed another pitcher with post-season experience. Also there's a rumor the Sox are interested in former Sox prospect and Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo. The Sox need a Steve Pearce/Doug Mientkiewicz type of veteran bat and he fits the description perfectly. Whether or not the Sox can get Scherzer and Rizzo is up in the air but the Sox have a legitimate chance for October at this point. It would be sad to see some of the prospects Bloom carefully manuvered to acquire get traded, but it would be for a good cause if the Sox can blitz through the American League in August and September. The next few days are going to be interesting but the Sox need to keep on winning. Tomorrow night the Sox look to take 3 out of 4 from Toronto when Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5, 5.23 ERA) takes on Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Jays. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Dominate Sox in Game 1 of Doubleheader (7/28/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox called up Connor Wong to be the extra in today's doubleheader. Yippie.

                                                                        IN

This could be the end of Garrett Richards (6-6, 5.15 ERA) in the Boston Red Sox rotation and its not a moment too soon. Needing to win a doubleheader to gain ground on the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox and Richards laid an egg in Game 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Richards got knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 4 runs and 2 big home runs. The Sox were held to just 5 measly hits by Robbie Ray and Jordan Romano and the Jays took Game 1 by a score of 4-1 in 7 innings at Fenway Park.

Richards got the ball in the top of the first inning and George Springer greeted him with a double to right. Springer looked to have beat a tag to third on a fly ball to center by Vladimir Guerrero Jr but Spx manager Alex Cora challenged the call. Replays showed Springer was out and Marcus Semien flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Ray in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez walked to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to move Hernandez to third. Devers took second on the throw and Hernandez scored on the grounder to short by JD Martinez. Hunter Renfroe flied out to left and Christian Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Martinez drives in a run

The Jays tied it in the top of the second as Bo Bichette walked to start. Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging but Bichette swiped second and moved to third on the Lourdes Gurriel Jr fly ball to center. Bichette scored on an infield single off of Richards by Randal Grichuk and Cavan Biggio singled to center. Alejandro Kirk lined out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                              "Where's the dad gum ball?" - Richards

The Sox blew the game in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo singled in the hole at second to start. Kevin Plawecki hit a ground rule double down the left field line and Bobby Dalbec walked to load the bases with nobody out. The rally ended as Michael Chavis struck out swinging, Hernandez struck out swinging and Devers flied out to center to end the inning. They had the bases loaded & nobody out and did not score.

Somehow the Jays failed to capitalize in the top of the third as Springer lined out to right to start. Guerrero Jr popped up to second but Semien beat out a roller to third. Bichette flied out to right to end the inning. Ray cruised in the bottom of the third as Martinez flied out to right to start. Renfroe grounded out to third and Vazquez lined out to center to end the inning.

The Jays took command in the top of the fourth inning although Hernandez flied out to right to begin. Gurriel Jr doubled to left and Grichuk smashed a home run all the way to Wisconsin to pur the Jays up for good. Biggio struck out swinging and Kirk grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays ahead 3-1.

                                                      Grichuk puts the Jays up for good

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Plawecki walked but Dalbec struck out swinging. Chavis struck out swinging to end the inning,.

The Jays knocked out Richards in the top of the fifth as Springer hit a home run to Pluto to start. Guerrero Jr singled to center to chase Richards. Garrett stunk again, allowing 4 runs in just 4 plus innings. Yacksel Rios cane in and Semien flied out to left, but Guerrero took second on a wild pitch. Bichette grounded out to short and Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 4-1.

                                                       "I sucked today" - Richards

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez took strike three to start. Devers doubled off the glove of Springer and took third on the base hit to left by Martinez. Renfroe struck out swinging and Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning, another waste.

Rios struck out Gurriel swinging to start the top of the sixth and Grichuk flied out to left. Biggio took strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Verdugo lined out to left to start. Plawecki and Dalbec both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in for the top of the seventh as Kirk lined out to left to start. Springer struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr flied out to center to end the inning. Reese McGuire took over behind the plate with Jordan Romano in to close out the bottom of the seventh. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Chavis and struck out swinging before Hernandez popped up to short. Devers flied out to center to end the game. The Jays had won it 4-1.

                                                                Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Garrett Richards. He got lit up for 4 runs in 4 plus innings to take the loss and jack his ERA to over 5.

                                                           Jackass Richards

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Yacksel Rios pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Brandon Workman tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Think its time to get Richards out of the rotation. If Tanner Houck can prove he can be the pitcher from last year, that makes Richards the odd man out if and when Chris Sale returns. He just isn't giving them a chance to win with an ERA over 5 although once again, its hard to win when the offense only gets 5 hits as a team. Robbie Ray shut them down big time and the Sox either score 10 runs or 1, there is no in between it seems. Hopefully the Sox can get it together in the nightcap because the Sox really can't afford to lose this series with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees playing each other the next few days. The Sox should be able to come back in the nightcap but damn, what a disaster. Tonight Tanner Houck (0-2, 2.50 ERA) looks to salvage Game 2 of this series when he takes on Steven Matz of the Jays at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Verdugo, Sox Stun Jays (7/26/21)

For the second straight night the Boston Red Sox were trailing going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Bo Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays took a 4-3 lead on Nick Pivetta and the Red Sox with a 2 run homer in the top of the fifth inning. With one out and Hunter Renfroe on first, Alex Verdugo smashed a home run over the Red Sox bullpen to give Boston the lead. Matt Barnes slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox pulled their second game in a row out of their collective behinds. Phillips Valdez and Adam Ottavino did good jobs keeping the Sox in the game long enough for them to pull the game out 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Gina Careno approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and George Springer led off with a walk. Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to a running Jarren Duran and Marcus Semien popped up to left but Springer took second on a wild pitch. Bo Bichette grounded out to second to end the inning. Hatch got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to right to start. Duran took strike three as Sox radio analyst Joe Castiglione told a story of how Hatch was out pitched in the college world series semi-finals by none other than Bobby Dalbec who pitched for Arizona. JD Martinez doubled odd the Monster and took third on a wild pitch but Rafael Devers took a full count fastball down the middle for strike three to end the inning.

Pivetta struck out Teoscar Hernandez swinging to start the top of the second before Lourdes Gurriel Jr lined out to a running Hunter Renfroe. Randal Grichuk got a base hit up the middle but Cavan Biggio popped up to Devers to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Hunter Renfroe doubled to center to start. Alex Verdugo ripped a base hit to center to score Renfroe and Christian Vazquez drew a walk. Franchy Cordero lined a base hit to left to load the bases and Michael Chavis scored Verdugo by grounding out to short. Hernandez struck out swinging and Duran popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                        Verdugo gets the party started

The Jays struck back in the top of the third as Reese McGuire led off with a bloop single to left before Springer walked. Guerrero Jr hit a seeing eye single to left to score McGuire to cut the lead. Semien blooped a single to center to score Springer and tie the game before Bichette went down swinging. Hernandez flied out to shallow center and Gurriel Jr grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Semien ties the game up

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third although Martinez hit a bullet to third to start. Devers then pounded his 27th home run of the season down the right field line to give the Sox the lead. Renfroe got a base hit to the Monster and Semien threw a double play ball away on a Verdugo grounder for an error. Verdugo took second on the error but Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                            Devers jacks one gone

Pivetta cruised in the top of the fourth as Grichuk grounded out to short to start. Biggio grounded out to short and McGuire took strike three to end the inning. 

                                                       Pivetta wasn't going to last long

Cordero tried to start a rally with a base hit off the Monster to start. Chavis forced Cordero at second and Hernandez struck out swinging to chase Hatch. Tayler Saucedo came in to pitch and Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. Thats 5 men left on base so far.

The Jays struck back in the top of the fifth as Springer pounded a ground rule double off of Devers into the stands to start. Guerrero Jr popped up to center and Sox manager Alex Cora bounded to dugout. Cora told Pivetta that Rick & Morty was on in the dugout and Semien flied out to right once Alex left. Bichette hit a home run all the way to Maine to put the Jays on top. That was it for Pivetta after getting just 11 outs and Phillips Valdez came in to pitch. Hernandez struck out swinging on 3 pitches to end the inning with the Jays up 4-3.

                                                          Bichette puts Toronto on top

Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Devers ate up Springer on a grounDer for a single. That was it for Saucedo as Adam Cimber came in to face Renfroe. Devers moved to second on the Renfroe grounder to third but Verdugo lined out to right to end the inning with 6 men left on.

Valdez got Gurriel Jr to ground out to second to open the top of the sixth before Grichuk grounded out to third. Biggio struck out swinging on a change up down and in to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez flied out to center to start. Cordero flied out to left and Chavis missed a home run off the Pesky Pole by 6 feet before popping up to first to end the inning.

Valdez came back for the top of the seventh and McGuire dropped a bass hit to left to start. Springer forced McGuire at second and Guerrero ripped a base hit to left. Semien hit a bullet to Hernandez who doubled off Springer to end the inning. Trevor Richards came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Duran grounded out to first and Martinez lined out to Guerrero to end the inning.

Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Bichette flied out to right to start. Hernandez doubled to center and took third on the fly ball to left by Gurriel Jr. Grichuk popped up to short to end the inning. Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth but Renfroe walked. Verdugo pounded his tenth home run of the season over the Sox bullpen to give the Sox the lead. Vazquez walked to chase Richards and Jordan Romano came in to face Cordero. Franchy took strike three and Vazquez was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                                  Sox take the lead

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Biggio popped up to third to start. McGuire grounded out to second and Springer popped up to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Alex Verdugo. His two run home run put the Sox up for good in the bottom of the eighth.

                                                      Verdugo Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Christian Vazquez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Franchy Cordero was 2 for 4.

Phillips Valdez tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Adam Ottavino got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta allowed 4 runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Coming back late every night isn't a good thing but at least the Sox are showing some balls to win these games. The last two seasons, 2019 in particular, the Sox were as good as dead when trailing after 6 innings and this year its like they don't even get warmed up until the seventh. The Sox are finding ways to win and that's what you need to have a successful season. The Sox have essentially 4 days until the trade deadline and they still need their Steve Pearce/Doug Mientkiewicz type veteran and another starter. Sox GM Chaim Bloom can't afford to roll the dice by expecting Chris Sale and Tanner Houck to be dominant. So far the Sox have been extremely lucky injury wise this season to the rotation but you never know when someone may go down. The Rays went into a tailspin when Tyler Glasnow went down and only managed to pull themselves out in the last few weeks when the Sox sputtered offensively. If Tanner Houck can pitch like he did at the end of last season and Chris Sale comes back healthy, someone has to leave the rotation. Pivetta, Martin Perez and Garrett Richards are essentially pitching for their jobs from here on in but that creates the good kind of competition. Sox manager Alex Cora went mad scientist in the 2018 postseason by bringing in starters randomly in games for relief purposes so those three (and Houck if he falters) better get used to coming on in relief. Still, the Sox are 101 games into the season and are in first place, who saw that coming the first week of the season? The win improved the Sox to 62-39, 1.5 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take game 2 of this four game set tomorrow night when Garrett Richards (6-5, 4.99 ERA) takes on Robbie Ray of the Jays. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Stun Sox With Eighth Inning Rally (7/24/21)

For 7 innings the Boston Red Sox were cruising toward their fifth straight win and third in a row over the New York Yankees. Nathan Eovaldi was pitching a shutout and the Sox had a 3-0 lead. Then it all fell apart in the eighth inning as Eovaldi ran out of gas and the Yankees bats came to life against Adam Ottavino. Brett Gardner hit a two out, 0-2 count single to chase Nathan and the Yankees rallied for 3 runs against Ottavino. The Sox had just 6 hits in the entire game as Jameson Taillon and the Yankees bullpen almost effortlessly shut them down. It was a stunning collapse by the Red Sox who went from 4 outs away from victory to a bitter 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Yankees at Fenway Park.

                                                   "Dammit Ottavino!"

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and retired DJ LeMahieu on a grounder back to himself to start. Brett Gardner ate up Rafael Devers on a grounder and Devers threw wide of first for a base hit. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging on a nasty splitter and Rougned Odor also went down hacking to end the inning. Taillon got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez led off with a little league home run off the top off the Monster when Odor threw the ball into the dugout to give the Sox the lead. Jarren Duran popped up to Chris Glittens, Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging and Rafael Devers flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                            Run, Hernandez, run!

Eovaldi struck out Gleyber Torres swinging on a slider to start the top of the second before Greg Allen took a curveball for strike three. Chris Glittens flied out to right to end the inning. JD Martinez led off the bottom of the second with a double just over the head of DJ LeMahieu into the left field corner. Alex Verdugo popped up to Gardner but Kevin Plawecki doubled off the top of the Monster to score Martinez. Franchy Cordero drew a walk but Michael Chavis struck out swinging on a high fastball. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                     Plawecki drives in a run

The Yankees rallied in the top of the third as Estevan Florial ate up Michael Chavis at second on a grounder and Rob Brantly singled to left to begin. LeMahieu grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to put Florial at third and Gardner whiffed on a nasty curveball to end the inning. Duran ate up Odor on a grounder for an error and Jarren used his speed to make it to second to start the bottom of the third. Durran made it to third on a grounder to second by Bogaerts and scored on the Devers sac fly to right. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                       Devers drives in a run

Eovaldi got Stanton swinging on a curveball to start the top of the fourth before Odor hit one up the elevator shaft. Torres struck out swinging on a nasty splitter to end the inning. Verdugo was originally ruled safe by first plate umpire Chris Guicione on a grounder to Odor but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged the call. Verdugo was correctly called out to begin the bottom of the fourth but Plawecki got a base hit to left. Cordero banged into a double play to end the inning.

Durran almost lost a pop up by Allen but recovered to begin the top of the fifth inning. Glittens popped up to Hernandez and Florial popped up to center to end the inning. Eovaldi was through 5 innings at just 53 pitches, outstanding. Chavis was rung up for strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Hernandez grounded out to third. Duran flied out to deep right to end the inning.

Brantly grounded into the shift to start the top of the sixth before LeMahieu doubled off the top of the Monster. Gardner struck out swinging and Cordero made a great catch on a Stanton line drive to end the inning. Taillon cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Bogaerts popped up to Odor to start. Devers popped up to LeMahieu in foul territory but Martinez walked. Verdugo popped up to LeMahieu to end the inning.

Odor grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh before Cordero made a great sliding catch to rob Torres of a hit. Allen blooped a base hit to right but Chavis made a great pick on a bad throw by Bogaerts on a grounder by Glittens to end the inning.

                                                            Eovaldi pitched great

Plawecki led off the bottom of the seventh by striking out on an elevated fastball before Cordero drew a walk. Cordero was thrown out trying to steal second and Chavis flied out to left to end the inning.

Eovaldi ran out of gas in the top of the eighth as Florial doubled into the centerfield gap to start. Brantly popped up to Devers and LeMahieu popped up to center to bring up Gardner. Eovaldi had Gardner down 0-2 but naturally Gardner poked a single to right score Florial. That was it for Eovaldi who would be charged with 2 runs in 7 2/3 innings, he deserved better. Adam Ottavino came in and crapped his pants, allowing a ground rule double to Stanton into the right field seats. Tyler Wade ran for Stanton and Odor effortlessly doubled to left to score both runners to tie the game. Torres ripped a base hit to left to score Odor and complete the comeback. Torres swiped second and Allen was pitched as thunderous boos rained down on Ottavino. Torres and Allen pulled off a double steal but Glittens was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-3.

                                                         Yankees take the lead

Yankee fans gloated saying the game was in the bag with Jonathan Loaisiga on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. They were right as Hernandez grounded out to first to start. Duran grounded back to the mound but Bogaerts beat out a roller to short. Devers got a base hit to left to move Bogaerts to third but Martinez blew it by popping up to right to end the inning.

Yankee fans danced in the Fenway stands as Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Florial walked on four pitches not even close but Brantly forced him at second. LeMahieu hit a rocket to Durran who doubled off Brantly to end the inning. Yankee fans celebrated as Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with ease. Verdugo grounded out to second to start before Plawecki struck out swinging. Hunter Renfroe pinch hit for Cordero and drew a walk before Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Chavis. More Yankee luck occurred when Vazquez pounded a ball to right but it hopped into the stands for a ground rule double that prevented Renfroe from scoring. Naturally Hernandez struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees stole it from the Sox 4-3.

                                                            Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Adam Ottavino. He allowed an inherited runner to score and 2 of his own to take the loss.

                                               The team surrounds the Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Franchy Cordero walked twice in three plate appearances.

Hunter Renfroe walked as a pinch hitter.

Christian Vazquez doubled as a pinch hitter.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 7 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. He struck out 8 batters and allowed 7 hits.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 but scored a run and threw out a runner at first.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Similar to the Phillies game when they scored 8 runs in the top of the eighth back on July 10th, the real key to this game was the Sox only had 4 hits on offense. They led 3-0 after 3 innings but did NOTHING the rest of the way. Cora made the right move to let Eovaldi start the eighth and Ottavino should have protected the lead like he's done mostly all season. The worst part is the Sox had two guys on in the bottom of the eighth and another two in the ninth but couldn't drive any of them in. The Yankees looked like the Jeter Yankees, down for the whole game and rallied when they had to. The Sox desperately need a bat at the trade deadline because their problem all season is getting a lead then sitting on it rather than add to it. Last night was the anomaly rather than the norm. The worst part is the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians AGAIN to catch the Sox in a virtual tie. The Sox have a lot of work to do in the second half of the season and Sox GM Chaim Bloom better make the right moves or else the Rays are going to blow right past them. Its a shame the Sox couldn't pull this one off but the Yankees wanted it more, making the plays they needed to on both sides of the ball. The loss dropped the Sox to 60-39, tied for first place with the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound by trying to take 3 out of 4 from the Yankees tomorrow afternoon. Martin Perez (7-6, 4.16 ERA) takes on Domingo German of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Walkoff Yankees In Wild 10th (7/22/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox placed Danny Santana on the Injured List after hurting his groin last night. In his place the Sox brought back Franchy Cordero from Worcester. Santana has been a complete disappointment since his call-up so they may as well give Franchy one last shot to give them something.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, what the hell was THAT? In one of the strangest games of the season, the Red Sox needed a lot of guts and a little bit of luck to defeat the New York Yankees for the eighth time in 10 games this season. The Yankees took a 1-0 lead into the top of the fifth inning against Tanner Houck when the rains came...again. After the delay was over, Houck was gone but the Sox tied the game in the seventh. Things looked bleak in the top of the eighth when the Yankees scored two runs off Adam Ottavino but Kike Hernandez hit a two out, two run double in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. The Yankees took the lead in the top of the tenth but Brooks Kriske threw not one, not two, not three, but four wild pitches to allow the Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the frame. Hunter Renfroe then scored Xander Bogaerts with a sac fly to win the game and knock out the Yankees 5-4 at Fenway Park in 10 innings.

                                                            Fan Bingbing approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and DJ LeMahieu lined out to right to start. Brett Gardner struck out swinging and Giancarlo Stanton lined out to center to end the inning. Montgomery got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to short and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rougned Odor lined a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Gleyber Torres struck out swinging. Rob Brantly struck out swinging and Greg Allen went down hacking to end the inning. Montgomery cruised in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez struck out swinging to start. Hunter Renfroe lined out to center and Christian Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Estevan Florial grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Tyler Wade struck out swinging. LeMahieu went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Alex Verdugo singled to left to start. Bobby Dalbec flied out to left but Michael Chavis sent Verdugo to third with a base hit to left. Hernandez struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Chavis to second. Devers walked to load the bases but Bogaerts lined out to short to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the fourth as Gardner and Stanton drew back to back walks to start. Odor struck out swinging but a passed ball moved the runners over and Gardner scored on the Torres grounder to short.

                                                  Yankees take the lead

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez grounded out to third to start. Renfroe struck out swinging and Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning.

All of a sudden a torrential downpour hit Boston as the top of the fifth inning began. Allen took strike three and Florial lined out to second, but Wade beat out a roller to third. The rain became too much and the game was delayed for 2 hours by the rain. When play resumed, Houck was gone after 4 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. Josh Taylor came in and walked LeMahieu but got Gardner to ground out to second to end the inning.

                                              There was no singing in the rain for Houck

Montgomery returned for the bottom of the fifth and Verdugo grounded out to first to start. Dalbec and Chavis both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Taylor returned for the top of the sixth inning and Stanton grounded out to third to start. Odor struck out swinging but Torres singled in the bhole at second. Torre stole second base but Brantly struck out swinging to end the inning. Hernandez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Devers did the same. Bogaerts lashed a base hit to right and that was enough to chase Montgomery. Sal Romano came in to pitch and Martinez greeted him with a base hit to right. Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Allen grounded back to the mound to start. Florial struck out swinging and Wade took strike three to end the inning. The Sox finally showed some life in the bottom of the seventh against Lucas Luetge as Verdugo beat out an infield single to short. Dalbec singled to right and Chavis hit a grounder to third that ate up Wade to load the bases. Hernandez hit a sac fly to center to score Verdugo and Devers hit one in the hole at short. Dalbec foolishly tried for home and was thrown out to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                               Verdugo scores to tie the game

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Yankees took the game over against Adam Ottavino in the top of the eighth. LeMahieu walked to start before swiping second. Gardner walked and Stanton ripped a base hit in front of Hernandez to score LeMahieu to give the Yankees the lead back. Odor dropped down a bunt to move the runners over and Torres hit a sac fly to right to add to the lead. Brantly struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-1.

                                                                Yankees take the lead

Luis Cessa came in to dominate the bottom of the eighth as the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Bogaerts grounded out to first, Martinez grounded out to third and Renfroe was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Yacksel Rios came in to pitch the top of the ninth as Allen popped up to third to start.. Florial walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Wade grounded out to first to end the inning. With Aroldis Chapman unavailable, the Yankeed turned to Chad Green to close out the bottom of the ninth. Vazquez took strike three but Verdugo and Dalbec stroked back to back singles. Kevin Plawecki pinch hit for Chavis and Jarren Duran pinch ran for Dalbec, but Plawecki lined out to left. One out away from a loss, Hernandez ripped a double to the left field wall to score both runners to tie the game. Devers flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                          Duran scores the tying run

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Wade starting at second base. Wade moved to third on the grounder to the mound by LeMahieu and scored on the Gardner sac fly to Verdugo. Stantom went down swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-3.

                                                          Yankees take the lead

With Covid wiping out key members of the Yankees and most of the bullpen already used, Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to rookie Brooks Kriske in the bottom of the tenth with just 9 innings of ML experience under his belt. Devers started at second but a wild pitch moved him to third and another one scored him to tie the game. Bogaerts walked and a wild pitch moved him to second with another wild pitch moving him to third. Martinez struck out swinging but Renfroe cracked a sac fly to right to score Bogaerts with the winning run. The Sox had won it 5-4 in 10 innings.

                                                        SOX WIN!

Hero of the Night is Kike Hernandez. His two out, two run double in the ninth inning saved the Sox from defeat.

                                                     Hernandez the Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4.

Jarren Duran scored the tying run as a pinch runner in the ninth.

Michael Chavis was 1 for 3.

Tanner Houck held the Yankees to 1 run in 4 2/3 innings while striking out 8 batters.

Josh Taylor tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Adam Ottavino allowed 2 runs in the top of the eighth.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but hit the game winning sac fly.

Matt Barnes allowed an unearned run in the top of the tenth to vulture the win.

Final Thoughts:

What a difference two years makes. The Yankees and their fans spent the last two seasons laughing at the Red Sox but now the tables have turned. The Sox are a few key moves at the trade deadline away from going after the AL East crown while the Yankees are teetering on oblivion. In essence, this is a mirror image of 2019 only with the roles reversed. The Yankees went into the season expecting to walk away with the AL East title and instead are drifting on mediocrity. Tonight's game was just another nail in the coffin because the Yankees had the Sox down 3-1 and down to their last out....but without Aroldis Chapman the Yankees coughed up the lead and blew the game in hilarious fashion in the bottom of the tenth. The Sox needed to win this game because, as usual, the Tampa Bay Rays came back in the ninth inning to defeat the Cleveland Indians. The Rays just won't roll over and die this season and its a testament to both teams' ability to come back to win games. The Sox can pretty much turn the Yankees into sellers at the deadline if they can win 2 of the next three games against them. The win improved the Sox to 59-38, 1 game ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5, 5.19 ERA) to match Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in the second game of this set. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Offense, Bullpen Knock Out Jays (7/21/21)

For the second time in three days the Boston Red Sox used the Toronto Blue Jays pitchers as proverbial punching bags and the bullpen pitched shutout baseball. Rafael Devers, Kike Hernandez, JD Martinez, Michael Chavis and Hunter Renfroe all went yard for Boston and Garrett Richards (6-5, 4.99 ERA) left in the sixth inning after allowing back to back home runs. Sox manager Alex Cora called in the A-Team to close the game out and they did. Garrett Whitlock, Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes didn't allow a run the rest of the game while the Sox delivered the knockout punches in the eighth inning. After the dust settled, the Sox had beaten the Blue Jays 7-4 at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York.

                                                        Eriak Eleniak approves of the win

Robbie Ray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez flied out to center to start. Danny Santana flied out to right and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Richards got the ball in the bottom of the first and Marcus Semien struck out swinging to start. Bo Bichette grounded out to second and Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rafael Devers walked to start the top of the second inning and moved to second on the JD Martinez ground out to third. Hunter Renfroe took strike three and Christian Vazquez whiffed to end the inning. George Springer grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the second but Teoscar Hernandez singled to center. Hernandez moved to second on the Randal Grichuk grounder to second and Lourdes Gurriel Jr lined out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec doubled to left to start. Dalbec moved to third on the Michael Chavis fly out to center but Hernandez smashed his 14th home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Santana grounded back to the mound and Bogaerts popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Hernandez goes yard

Cavan Biggio flied out to left to start the bottom of the third but Rafael Devers threw a ground ball by Danny Jansen all the way to Brooklyn for an error. Semien grounded out to short and Bichette was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth inning as Devers crushed his 24th home run of the season to increase the lead. Martinez flied out to center, Renfroe struck out swinging and Vazquez went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                  Devers goes yard

The Jays got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to Montreal to cut the lead. Springer flied out to center, Hernandez struck out swinging and Grichuk went down hacking to end the inning with the Jays down 3-1.

                                                        Kiss that one goodbye

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Dalbec popped up to short to start. Chavis smashed his second home run of the season to increase the lead and Hernandez doubled to center. Santana grounded out to third and Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                 Chavis blasts one out of Buffalo

Richards cruised in the bottom of the fifth inning as Gurriel Jr struck out swinging to start. Biggio grounded out to first and Danny Jansen grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox got another run against Adam Cimber in the top of the sixth as Devers popped up to short to start. Martinez doubled to center but Renfroe grounded out to third. Vazquez dropped a base hit to left to score Martinez but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                      Sox score another run

Richards fell apart in the bottom of the sixth as Semien grounded out to third to start. Bichette grounded out to short but Guerrero Jr walked on four pitches not even close. Springer then hit a home run all the way to Syracuse and Hernandez hit a home run all the way to Albany to chase Richards. Just like that he had allowed 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Sox manager Alex Cora turned to The A-Team and Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to get Grichuk to pop up to second to end the inning with Boston still ahead 5-4.

                                                   Richards falls apart in the sixth

Trevor Richards came in for the top of the seventh inning and Chavis went down hacking to start. Hernandez flied out to right and Santana went down swinging to end the inning. The Sox suffered an injury in the bottom of the seventh although The Lock struck out Gurriel Jr swinging to start. Biggio struck out swinging but Santana fell down trying to catch a ball hit by Jansen that turned into a double. Santana had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mercy Hospital's ICU. Alex Verdugo came in for Santana with Reese McGuire now running for Jansen. Semien lined out to right to end the inning but Santana was hurt again.

                                                 Cora "Dammit Danny"

The Sox iced the game in the top of the eighth with Jordan Romano now on the mound. Bogaerts grounded out to short to start before Devers popped up to third. Martinez then clubbed his 20th home run of the season and Renfroe smashed his 15th for back to back jacks, putting the game away. Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-4.

                                                             Back to back jacks

Adam Ottavino came in for the bottom of the eighth inning and Bichette struck out swinging to start. Guerrero Jr walked but Springer banged into a double play to end the inning.

Tim Mayza came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Dalbec took strike three to start. Chavis grounded out to second but Hernandez walked. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Grichuk grounded out to short and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is a tough one with such a balanced offensive attack. I'll go with JD Martinez for scoring the fifth run and smashing the home run for the big insurance run.

                                                   JD Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a 2 run bomb.

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

Garrett Whitlock tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Danny Santana was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

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

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Garrett Richards got the win but allowed 4 runs in just 5 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Between the 6 home runs Monday night and the 5 tonight, either Buffalo has some pretty thin air or the Sox revamped lineup is for real. Its too bad the Sox can't keep up this pace of home runs because its been pretty fun to watch the last few games. Its a shame the Tuesday night game got rained out because its possible they could have swept the Jays out of Buffalo with the way the new look lineup has been clicking. The Sox offense can be absolutely deadly with Hernandez delivering at the leadoff and Martinez, Bogaerts and Devers being their usual selves. The keys moving forward are going to be Jarren Duran, Verdugo and Vazquez. Vazquez had his best season in 2019 and Verdugo looked damn good last year. Not that either have been terrible but they're going to need to elevate their games if the Sox want a real chance to win the AL East. Pitching wise the A-Team saved the day again when Richards faltered and its just a question of when Alex Cora pulls the plug on Richards. The Sox invested 10 million dollars in him to put up the same numbers former Sox pitcher Brian Johnson could for 500 grand. Still, if the biggest problem the Sox have is bench depth, that means they're a pretty good team. The win improved the Sox to 58-38, 1.5 games in front of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now take on the New York Yankees in an important 4 game set at Fenway Park. The Sox need to take at least 3 of the games if they hope to keep pace with the Rays. Tomorrow night Tanner Houck (0-1) makes his return to the rotation as he opposes Jordan Montgomery of the Yankees at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.