Red Sox Crush Hapless A's (8/7/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Ryan Watson was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels so he's gone. Sox fans were calling him the "best last arm out of the bullpen ever" and its hard to argue. His 4.53 ERA is on par with a lot of middle relievers so he most likely is one of the Angels best relievers automatically. Thanks for the yeoman's work, Ryan. The Sox brought back veteran relief pitcher John Brebbia and put him in Worcester where he pitched last year. Then the big one, needing a relief arm with the bullpen taxed, the Sox sent Greg Weissert to Worcester for a temporary vacation and called up 27 year old relief pitcher Raymond Burgos. Burgos had a one game cup of coffee with the San Francisco Giants last season but has been a career minor league journeyman since 2018. They picked Weissert because he still had an option so he'll be back soon.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, the train kept-a-rollin all night long, train kept a rollin all night long. The Red Sox won their ninth straight game in convincing fashion to show how terrible the Sacramento A's really are. Facing a team completely exhausted after a 13 inning marathon the night before, the A's got their brains beat in as the relentless Red Sox offense pounded out FIFTEEN hits and 13 runs. The Sox put the game away early with a 5 run rally in the second inning off of A's starter Jack Perkins highlighted by a Jarren Duran 2 run bomb. Rbis from Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida and Andruw Monasterio made it a 9-0 game in the bottom of the fourth. Meanwhile Payton Tolle (7-6, 3.20 ERA) turned into Roger Clemens for one night, striking out FOURTEEN A's in just 6 innings. The lone blemish was a Tyler Soderstrom fifth inning home run but rbis from Caleb Durbin, Ceddanne Rafaela and Yoshida made up for it. Raymond Burgos made his Red Sox debut by firing 3 scoreless innings to earn the save as Boston won their tenth straight game by whipping Oakland 13-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Rocket Roger approves of the win

Tolle got the ball in the top of the first inning and Henry Bolte struck out swinging to begin. Jacob Wilson grounded out to short and Jonah Heim struck out swinging to end the inning. Perkins got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nick Sogard struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right but Wilyer Abreu walked. Caleb Durbin popped up to short to end the inning. 

Tyler Soderstrom struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Tommy White did the same. Brian Serven took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Andruw Monasterio walked and Jarren Duran launched his 16th home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Anthony Seigler doubled to center and Jake Rogers doubled to center to score Seigler. Sogard walked and Abreu doubled to right to score both runners. Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                                That ball is gone

Lawrence Butler flied out to left to start the top of the third and Max Muncy struck out swinging. Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob Jonathan Ornelas of a hit to end the inning. Yoshida got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the third but Monasterio flied out to right. Duran and Seigler both took strike three to end the inning.

Tolle made a statement in the top of the fourth by striking out Bolte, Wilson and Heim swinging in short order. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Hayden Juenger came in to take a beating. Rogers doubled to left to start and Sogard got a base hit to right to move Jake to third. Juenger tried to pick off Rogers and the ball got away for an error to score Jake. White made an absolutely amazing stab to rob Rafaela of a hit but Abreu got a base hit to right to score Sogard. Durbin grounded out to third to move Wilyer to second and Abreu scored on the Yoshida double to right. Monasterio got a base hit to left to score Yoshida but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                          Monasterio drives in a run

Soderstrom broke up the perfect game by leading off the top of the fifth with a home run all the way to Kansas to start. White took strike three, Serven struck out swinging and Butler grounded out to third to end the inning with the A's down 9-1.

                                                           A's break up the shutout

Luis Medina came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Duran grounded out to first to start. Seigler got a base hit to right but Rogers struck out swinging. Sogard struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tolle returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth with Eli White now in for Abreu in right. Muncy singled off Tolle but Ornelas took strike three. Bolte and Wilson both struck out swinging to end the inning. Tolle was on his way to 20 strikeouts but Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled the plug with an 8 run lead. Tolle allowed 1 run off 2 hits while striking out 14 batters.

                                                           Tolle was outstanding

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth with Scott "I" Blewitt on the mound. Rafaela got a base hit to right and Ornelas threw a grounder by White away for an error to move both runners into scoring position. Durbin hit a sac fly to center to score Rafaela and move White to third, then Eli scored on the sac fly to center by Yoshida. Monasterio got a base hit to center and Duran walked, but Seigler lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                            The Sox pour it on

Raymond Burgos made his Sox debut in the top of the seventh and Heim grounded out to short to start. Soderstrom flied out to center and White grounded out to third to end the inning. Carlos Cortes took over for Soderstrom with Alika Williams in for Wilson to start the bottom of the seventh. Rogers walked and moved to second on the Sogard grounder to first. Rafaela got a base hit in the hole at second to score Rogers but White popped up to second. Jose Suarez came in to face Durbin and Caleb doubled off the Monster to score Rafaela. Yoshida lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 13-1.

                                                        The Durbinator with the final run

Serven struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth and Butler grounded out to short. Muncy lined out to short to end the inning. Donovan Walton came in for Serven at second while Ornelas went to left and Cortes himself took over on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Monasterio flied out to right, Duran flied out to left and Seigler flied out to center to end the inning.

Burgos returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Ornelas took strike three to start. Bolte grounded out to second and Williams grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-1.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Payton Tolle. He dazzled the A's for 6 innings allowing 1 run off 2 hits while striking out 14

                                                        Our Hero tips his cap

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 2 with a walk, 3 rbis and a run scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Anthony Seigler was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Jake Rogers was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 3 runs scored.

Raymond Burgos got the save by tossing 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored 2 runs.

Eli White was 0 for 2 but scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and hit a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

You know the Red Sox are back when other team fans on social media are crying that they must be "cheating". One yahoo even went as far to say Alex Cora was secretly managing the team behind the scenes. Absolute nonsense aside, the Red Sox do find new ways to shock the fans. People were expecting a let down after last night and instead they pounded out fifteen hits and thirteen runs while Payton Tolle transformed into Roger Clemens for 6 innings. He possibly could have struck out 20 if Chad Tracy wasn't concerned about load management. The biggest shock of this entire run is Andruw Monasterio is hitting .272 now, Trevor Story even at his best hit .263 last year. Monasterio doesn't have Trevor's power numbers but it'll be interesting to see how the Sox handle this when Story comes back from hernia surgery. Anthony Seigler is hitting .246 and has been a sparkplug at second base, what are they going to do with Curtis Mead comes back from wrist surgery? Jake Rogers was only supposed to be a temporary stopgap until Adley Rutschman came back from his injury but how do you take him or Connor Wong out at this point? Sox fans have gone from how are they going to survive the regular season at the end of June to "who's gonna start in October" in less than 2 months. The only downturn of the night is the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees completed a dramatic comeback against the Atlanta Braves so the Sox gained no ground. It seems like just a matter of time until they catch the Yankees but the Rays have been the most consistent team in the American League even during this run. The Sox have won 32 out of 37 and are still comfortably behind the Rays. Just keep winning and winning, eventually they might be able to catch Tampa. The Sox have a 6.5 game lead on the Texas Rangers for the second wild card but all eyes are on the Yankees and Rays. All in all it was a great win tonight and hopefully the train keeps rolling tomorrow. The win improved the Sox to 64-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it ten straight victories and 2 in a row against Sacramento tomorrow afternoon when Jake Bennett (7-4, 2.90 ERA) takes on Gage Jump of Sacramento. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Stun Yamamoto, Dodgers (8/1/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Once again Tommy Kahnle was released and probably for good this time. With everyone moving up and certain trades to be made, may as well run with the kids in AAA rather than an aging veteran like Kahnle. In other news, 2023 draft pick Jojo Ingrassia was sent to the Detroit Tigers as the PTBNL in the Jahmai Jones trade. He was 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA for the Greenville Drive. Good luck in Detroit.

                                                                        OUT

As for the game, its a new month but the same red hot Red Sox. Facing the ace of the back to back world series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Sox needed someone to step up. Sox starter Payton Tolle gutted through six innings to hold LA to a two run Teoscar Hernandez home run while Ceddanne Rafaela went deep twice against Yamamoto. In the eighth inning the Sox had first and third with nobody out and Connor Wong banged into a double play, but Andruw Monasterio scored the go-ahead run. The trio of Justin Slaten (2-4, 4.45 ERA), Tyron Guerrero and Aroldis Chapman held the fort and the Sox had beaten the Dodgers and Yamamoto 3-2 at Dodger Stadium

                                                    Angel Eyes approves of the win

Yamamoto got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela then clobbered his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second and Caleb Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Rafaela hits one out

Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani got a base hit to center to start. Andy Pages hit a rocket to right and Ohtani tried to tag up and go to second, only to be gunned down by Abreu at second. Tommy Edman struck out swinging to end the inning.

Masataka Yoshida took strike three to start the top of the second but Nick Sogard walked. Andruw Monasterio flied out to center and Jarren Duran forced Sogard at second to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the second as Freddie Freeman got a base hit to left to start. Enrique Hernandez popped up to second but Teoscar Hernandez hit a home run all the way back in time to the medieval era to put LA on top. Max Muncy got a base hit to right and Miguel Rojas doubled to left, but Dalton Rushing flied out to center. Ohtani was intentionally walked to load the bases and Pages grounded out to second to end the inning with the Dodgers up 2-1.

                                                         Hernandez puts LA ahead

Connor Wong flied out to right to start the top of the third and Seigler took strike three. Rafaela then smashed his second home run of the game to tie it up. Abreu popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Rafaela with another one

Edman walked to start the bottom of the third but Freeman grounded into a double play. Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Durbin popped up to first to start the top of the fourth and Yoshida flied out to center. Sogard grounded out to first to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Muncy struck out swinging. Rojas took strike three and Rushing struck out swinging to end the inning.

Monasterio grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Duran lined out to center. Wong flied out to center to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Pages got a a base hit to right. Pages tried to stretch a double but slid off the bag and was tagged out. Edman flied out to right to end the inning.

Seigler took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Rafaela flied out to right. Abreu grounded out to short to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Enrique Hernandez flied out to right. Teoscar Hernandez got a base hit to left but Muncy took strike three. Rojas flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Tolle who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks. 

                                                       Tolle held the Dodgers in check

Durbin popped up to third to start the top of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to first. Sogard grounded out to first to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rushing grounded out to second to start. Ohtani grounded out to second and Pages took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox surged ahead in the top of the eighth as Mr. Mookie Betts came in for Rojas. Monasterio hit a ground rule double into the left field stands and Duran caught Freeman asleep with a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Wong grounded into a double play but Monasterio scored to give the Sox the lead. Seigler lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                        The Sox take the lead

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Edman grounded out to second to start. Freeman got a base hit to right but Kyle Tucker pinch hit for Enrique Hernandez. Tucker flied out to center and Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Durbin popped up to second to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Muncy took strike three to start. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Alex Call pinch hit for Rushing. Call flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His 2 home runs off one of the best pitchers in the game kept the Sox in it.

                                                          Rafaela Hero

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3.

Payton Tolle tossed 6 solid innings allowing 3 runs off 9 hits and 2 walks.

Justin Slaten got the win by pitching a scoreless seventh inning.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 27th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Once again this was not a game the Sox would have won from April to June. They were held to just 4 hits and found a way to win. Lights out pitching against the world champs apart from one swing from Teoscar Hernandez sealed the deal. Rafaela hitting the two bombs off Yamamoto and Monasterio's ground rule double followed by Duran's bunt was just the offense they needed. The trade deadline is 2 days away and Sox GM Craig Breslow has to decide whether to hope & pray Curtis Mead, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, etc come back healthy or make a trade for another bat to go for it all. There probably isn't a 2027 season next year so may as well go for broke. As for this game, maybe now the talking heads will shut up about "The Sox haven't beaten good teams." They just beat Yamamoto and the world champs with a bullpen that's five guys deep and a rookie starter that isn't afraid of anything. The more the Sox win, the more they establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the American League. Just have to keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 59-51, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Dodgers tomorrow night on NBC's Sunday Night Baseball and run their win streak to five games when Jake Bennett (6--4) takes on Emmet Sheehan of Los Angeles. The game begins at 7:20 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Rafaela, Sox Slam A's (7/27/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tsung Che-Cheng was sent back to Worcester to make room for Curtis Mead. Mead would be starting at second base moving forward. Cheng was a fun sparkplug during that 15 game win streak but now they need true power.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the bad news was Curtis Mead lasted just two at-bats as a member of the Red Sox as he took a 99 mph fastball to the wrist in his second at-bat. Leaving the game and probably won't be seen again until Spring Training next year. The good news Ceddanne Rafaela and the Boston pitching staff was up to the task against the Sacramento A's. Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32 ERA) gave up two solo home runs but not much else in 5 1/3 gutty innings. In the top of the sixth with the A's leading 1-0, Ceddanne Rafaela belted a grand slam to put the Sox on top. The red hot Boston bullpen relieved Tolle in the bottom of the inning and didn't give up a run after. 2 men got on in the bottom of the ninth, but Aroldis Chapman struck out the final two batters. The Sox now wait on the status of Curtis Mead but they at least won tonight's game 4-2 at Sutter Health Park.

                                                   Raquel Rodriguez approves of the win

Jack Perkins got the ball in the top of the first inning and Masataka Yoshida walked to start. Curtis Mead took strike three and Willson Contreras flied out to left. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacob Wilson grounded out to third to start. Tyler Soderstrom then hit a home run all the way back to Oakland to put the A's on top. Jonah Heim took strike three but Colby Thomas singled to center. Tommy White grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                          Soderstrom hits one out

Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to short to start the top of the second and Caleb Durbin took strike three. Jarren Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Jeff McNeil singled to left to start the bottom of the second but Henry Bolte forced him at second. Alika Williams got a base hit to left but Bolte was thrown out at third trying to steal. Lawrence Butler grounded out to short to end the inning.

Andruw Monasterio walked to start the top of the third but Connor Wong grounded into a double play. Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning. Wilson grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third but Soderstrom walked. Heim and Thomas both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Disaster struck in the top of the fourth as Mead was hit in the wrist with a pitch to start. Contreras struck out swinging, Abreu popped up to second and Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. 

                                  "HABOOOOOWOWOWOWOWWWWW!!!!!" - Mead

White grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and McNeil hit one up the elevator shaft. Monasterio booted a grounder by Bolte but Williams struck out swinging to end the inning.

Durbin flied out to right to start the top of the fifth and Duran struck out swinging. Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning. All of a sudden Mead had to be helped into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU, so much for him. Anthony Seigler came in for him to start the bottom of the fifth as Butler struck out swinging to start. Wilson struck out swinging and Soderstrom grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the sixth as Wong doubled to left to start. Yoshida grounded back to the mound but Seigler grounded out to second to move Wong to third. Contreras walked and that was it for Perkins. Jose Suarez came in and Abreu walked as well. Suddenly Rafaela smashed a grand slam just over the wall in left to put the Sox on top. Durbin hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                      Rafaela's first career grand slam

The A's finished off Tolle in the bottom of the sixth as Heim hit a home run to South America to start. Thomas struck out swinging and that was it for Payton. He allowed 2 runs off 5 hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and White grounded out to first. McNeil grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's down 4-2.

                                                              Tolle did his best

Elvis Alvarado came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox fumbled and bumbled big time. Monasterio led off with a double only for Wong to pop up a bunt to first and Andruw getting thrown out at third trying to steal. To add insult to injury, Yoshida got a base hit to center which would have scored Monasterio. Seigler struck out swinging to end the inning, what a waste. Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Bolte struck out swinging to start. Williams lined out to left but Butler took strike three to end the inning.

Hayden Juenger came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Contreras was hit with a pitch to start. Abreu popped up to third, Rafaela lined out to right and Durbin flied out to left to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jacob Wilson grounded out to first to start. Soderstrom grounded out to second and Heim took strike three to end the inning.

Hogan Harris came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran lined out to third to start. Monasterio struck out swinging and Wong flied out to left to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Thomas singled in the hole at short to start. White struck out swinging and Nick Kurtz pinch hit for McNeil. Kurtz hit what should have been a game ending double play ball to Seigler....booted for an error. Donovan Walton came in to run for Kurtz but Bolte struck out swinging. Williams also struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His first career grand slam propelled the Sox to victory.

                                                       Our Hero gets the Wally Head

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Curtis Mead was hit with a pitch before leaving with an injury.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Payton Tolle got the win by allowing just 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk.

Justin Slaten got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 25th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was certainly good news, bad news for sure. For all we know Mead could be out for the season with a wrist fracture and Connelly Early wins NL rookie of the year with Washington. Or, he just suffered a bruise and he'll be back tomorrow. The defense in this one wasn't up to snuff with Monasterio and Seigler booting grounders and Tolle might be at the rookie wall. Also apart from one swing of the bat by Rafaela, the offense accomplished nothing. Monasterio getting thrown out stealing third, Wong popping up a bunt and guys swinging at air against Jack Perkins reminded fans of April and May. The other side of the coin is the pitching was once again great. Jovani Moran stepped up big time in the seventh to bridge the game to Whitlock and Chapman. Chapman lately has a problem allowing baserunners but manages to get the final outs when he has to. It was a sloppy game but a win is a win. The Cleveland Guardians got rained out and the Tampa Bay Rays didn't play so the Sox gained a half game on both. The New York Yankees knocked off the Chicago White Sox so the Red Sox are now tied with Chicago for the third best record in the American League. Literally just over a month ago the Red Sox were percentage points ahead of the Colorado Rockies for the second worst record in all of baseball and now they have the third best record in the American League. This has been a hell of a comeback and hopefully Tracy's Turnaround continues. If Mead is okay, then we can laugh at this and move on. If not, this might be what get Craig Breslow fired in the end. The win improved the Sox to 55-50, 7 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for their third straight win and second in a row against the A's tomorrow night when Jake Bennett (6-3, 2.58 ERA) takes on Gage Jump of Sacramento. The game begins at 9:40 PM eastern time at Sutter Health Park.

Sox Rally Past O's For 14th Straight Win (7/20/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made a roster move. Outfielder Matt Lloyd was released by the Worcester Red Sox after hitting just .206 with 5 home runs in 30 games. With the incoming crop of draft picks and Dominican kids, not to mention the trade deadline, a lot of guys are going to be coming up. Lloyd hitting just .206 wasn't going to cut it.

                                                                     Bye bye Lloyd

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox came into this game riding a 13 game win streak while the Baltimore Orioles had won 7 in a row themselves. Somebody's O had got to go and luckily for the Red Sox, they hung on to win this one. In what was arguably the best back and forth game of the year the Sox rallied against the Orioles three times after the O's took a 1-0 lead off the bat against Payton Tolle of Boston. The Sox answered in the bottom of the second and scored two more in the third to take the lead. The O's rallied for 3 runs in the top of the sixth but the Sox got one back to tie it in the bottom of the frame. The O's got to Tyron Guerrero for a run in the seventh but Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Tsung-Che Cheng to tie it again. Caleb Durbin then struck the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth and Cheng made a game saving stab in the ninth to save Aroldis Chapman & the streak. The Sox made it 14 straight with a 6-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                               Stephanie McMahon approves of the win

The O's wasted not time getting to Tolle in the top of the first inning as Taylor Ward popped up to first to start. Pete Alonso struck out swinging but Gunnar Henderson doubled into the gap in left. Old friend Tyler O'Neill hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Gunnar but Coby Mayo struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            It had to be him?

Baz got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Anthony Seigler lined out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Leody Taveras walked to start the top of the second but Jeremiah Jackson struck out swinging. Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out swinging and Sam Huff also went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Willson Contreras got a base hit to center to start. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right and Contreras moved to third on a fly ball to right by Caleb Durbin. Jarren Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Contreras to tie the game but Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Duran ties it

Ward grounded out to third to start the top of the third and Alonso flied out to right. Henderson doubled to left but O'Neill popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to start. Seigler flied out to left but Jackson threw a grounder by Rafaela away for an error. Abreu ripped a double to center to score Rafaela and Henderson's throw home got away to move Wilyer to third. Contreras got a base hit off the glove of Henderson to score Abreu and Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                        4 errors in this one for Baltimore

Mayo struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Taveras struck out looking. Jackson grounded out to first to end the inning. Durbin flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Duran got a base hit to right. Wong grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The O's fought back in the top of the fifth as Strand hit a home run all the way to Portugal to start. Huff struck out swinging and Ward grounded out to third. Alonso was hit with a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Cheng struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Seiger grounded out to first. Rafaela took strike three to end the inning. 

Henderson grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but O'Neill beat out a roller to third. Mayo struck out swinging but Taveras singled to center. Naturally Jackson singled to left to score O'Neill and Strand got a base hit to center to score Taveras, putting Baltimore on top. That was it for Tolle who once again ran out of gas after 75 pitches, allowing 4 runs off 8 hits and a walk. Tyron Guerrero froze Huff for strike three to end the inning with the O's ahead 4-3.

                                                           Wasn't good enough

The Sox refused to quit in the bottom of the sixth as Baz threw a ball away allowing Abreu to reach second. Contreras doubled to left to score Abreu and took third on a grounder to second by Yoshida. Unfortunately Durbin grounded out to short and Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                     "This is MY house" - Contreras

Naturally the Os rallied in the top of the seventh as Ward doubled to right to start. Alonso got a base hit to center but somehow Henderson struck out swinging. O'Neill grounded out to second to score Ward to put the O's up again. Dylan Beavers pinch hit for Mayo and took strike three to end the inning with the Orioles up 5-4.

                                                           He did it again

The Sox rallied again in the bottom of the seventh as Yennier Cano came in to pitch. Wong got a base hit to left but was forced at second by Cheng. Seigler grounded out to second to move Cheng to second Rafaela got a base hit to left. Cheng came around third and Ward threw the ball away to allow Cheng to score & Rafaela to take second. Tyler Wells came in to face Abreu and Wilyer flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                          Sox tie it again

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Taveras struck out swinging to start. Jackson grounded out to second and Jackson Holliday pinch hit for Strand. Holliday grounded out to second to end the inning. Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida did as well. Suddenly Durbin crushed his 10th home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-5.

                                                             Durbin puts Boston on top

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with Colton Cowser pinch hitting for Ruff. Naturally Cowser walked after sitting all game but somehow Ward struck out swinging. Alonso struck out swinging but two strikes away from victory, Henderson doubled to left. Naturally O'Neill hit a bullet....RIGHT TO CHENG TO END THE GAME. THE RED SOX WIN 6-5!

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Caleb Durbin. His home run in the 8th inning put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Our Hero gets the Wally Head

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Garrett Whitlock got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4.

Payton Tolle got rocked for 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 8 hits and a walk.

Tyron Guerrero allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run and made the game saving catch.

Final Thoughts:

Something special might be happening here. Its one thing to go on a win streak, its another thing to run into another red hot team and find a way to win. The O's had won 7 in a row and fought to the bitter end, the Sox just happened to come out on top. The O's looked better on paper by battering the Sox for 11 hits and 5 runs but committing 5 errors and allowing the home run to Durbin was the backbreaker. The Sox got contributions from just about everyone including the unsung Tsung-Che. Fans were asking if Marcelo Mayer or Trevor Story makes that catch and the fact Cheng made it means something's brewing. The Sox have won 14 in a row and 19 out of 21 to claw their way back to respectability. Unfortunately the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays all won so the Sox didn't gain any ground on them, but the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays and the Sox beat the O's to knock both Toronto & Baltimore another game back. The roar of the crowd when Durbin hit the home run was matched by the reaction in the dugout. Every big hit the last 3 weeks has the dugout pouring out for support. Anyone who wants to sell now is an absolute fool. It would be unfair for Sox fans to expect the streak to go any longer but, why not? The win improved the Sox to 51-48, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 15 in a row and match a franchise record tomorrow night against the Orioles when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA) comes off the Injured List to face Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sweep Mets in 10 Innings (7/12/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Danny Coulombe was designated for assignment last night and super sleuths discovered that he would have gotten a cash bonus if he made 30 appearances.....and last night was appearance 29. Not that he didn't deserve to be DFA'd, but they couldn't have waited one more game? In his place the Sox called up Brayan Bello from Worcester. The rumor is he's going to piggyback Payton Tolle to save Tolle's bullets for later.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, three weeks ago if the Red Sox were trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning the game was over. They hadn't won a game trailing in the ninth or by multiple runs all season. Now after the Red Sox had won 8 straight games and 13 out of 15, Sox fans thought the Sox had a chance. Turns out they were right. The New York Mets behind rookie Zach Thornton built a 2-0 lead with runs against Payton Tolle and Brayan Bello as Thornton allowed just 2 hits in 7 innings. In the ninth inning Devin Williams came in to lock it down, instead the Sox rallied to load the bases. Andruw Monasterio walked home Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran blooped a base hit to score Tsung-Che Cheng to tie it. In the tenth inning, Anthony Seigler hit a sac fly to score Masataka Yoshida to put the Sox ahead. Garrett Whitlock shut the door in the ninth inning and the Sox not only had swept the Mets, but had won their ninth straight game heading into the all-star break. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 10 innings at Citi Field.

                                                               Tom Kim approves of the win

Thornton got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to short to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu flied out to right to end the inning. The Mets wasted no time getting to Tolle in the bottom of the first as AJ Ewing doubled over the head of Seigler to start.  A wild pitch moved Ewing to third but Juan Soto struck out swinging. Francisco Lindor doubled to left to score Ewing and a wild pitch moved Lindor to third. Eric Wagaman took strike three and Carson Benge struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                               Mets struck first

Romy Gonzalez walked to start the top of the second and Caleb Durbin dropped down a bunt to move him to second. Andruw Monasterio flied out to right and Jarren Duran grounded out to short to end the inning. Tyrone Taylor walked to start the bottom of the second but Luis Torrens took strike three. Brett Baty struck out swinging and Zach Short flied out to center to end the inning.

Nate Eaton struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Connor Wong popped up to second. Seigler flied out to right to end the inning. Ewing struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Soto flied out to right. Lindor flied out to left to end the inning.

Rafaela flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Abreu lined back to the mound. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Wagaman grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Benge took strike three. Taylor doubled to left and that was it for Tolle. Sox manager Chad Tracy wanted to conserve Tolle's arm for the second half of the season and pulled him after 3 2/3 innings and allowing a run. The much maligned Brayan Bello came in and struck out Torrens swingingh to end the inning.

                                                          Short and sweet for Tolle.

Durbin lined out to center to start the top of the fifth but Monasterio doubled to left. Duran struck out swinging and Eaton grounded out to short to end the inning. Baty grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Short struck out swinging. Ewing struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wong got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth and Seigler flied out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mets struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Soto was retired on a swinging bunt to start. Lindor then hit a home run all the way to Yankee Stadium to increase the lead. Wagaman grounded out to first and Benge grounded out to second to end the inning with the Mets up 2-0.

                                                            Home run Lindor

Gonzalez grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh and Durbin struck out swinging. Wagaman dropped a pop up by Monasterio in foul territory for an error allowing Andruw to walk. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. Taylor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh but Torrens got a base hit to right. Baty grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Luke Weaver came in for Thornton to start the top of the eighth and Short flied out to left to start. Ewing struck out swinging and Soto flied out to center to end the inning. Bello returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Short flied out to left to start. Ewing struck out swinging and Soto flied out to center to end the inning. Bello allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings. If Garrett Crochet comes back, the Tolle/Bello combo might work.

                                                                Good work Bello

Devin Williams came in to close out the top of the ninth with Jared Young taking over at first. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Abreu popped up to second. The game was over when Gonzalez hit a double play ball to Lindor....booted for an error. Given new life, Tsung-Che Cheng ran for Gonzalez and Durbin walked to load the bases. Monasterio walked to score Rafaela and Duran blooped a base hit to right that Benge trapped to score Cheng with the tying run. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Eaton and hit a bullet....right to Short who doubled of Monasterio to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                               The game is tied

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Lindor popped up to second to start. Young got a base hit to right but Benge struck out swinging. Taylor flied out to left to end the inning.

Brooks Raley came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Yoshida starting at second base. To show Alex Cora wasn't around anymore, Wong dropped down a bunt to move Yoshida to third and Seigler hit a sac fly to left to score Yoshida to put the Sox ahead. Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                              Seigler puts Boston on top

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Taylor starting at second base. Jorge Polanco pinch hit for Torrens and struck out swinging before Baty flied out to left. Bo Bichette pinch hit for Short and grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 10 innings.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. His RBI single tied the game in the ninth and led the team to victory.

                                                           Hero Duran

The Good:

Tsung-Che Cheng scored a run as a pinch runner.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a crucial sacrifice bunt.

Payton Tolle went 3 2/3 innings allowing 3 hits, a walk and a run.

Brayan Bello allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings of 2 hits.

Aroldis Chapman got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Garrett Whitlock earned the save with a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

Nate Eaton was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 but drove in the winning run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored 2 runs.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Chad Durbin was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 at the plate but scored the winning run.

Final Thoughts:

3 weeks ago the game was over when they fell behind 2-0 but ironically the two times they rallied in the ninth was against New York teams. First the Yankees and now the Mets. Two years in a row the Sox rallied before the all-star break. Last year it was a ten game win streak, but this year not only was it a nine game win streak but they had won 5 out of 7 beforehand. The Sox have won 14 out of 16 to get back into this thing and not only are they 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead but they're 0.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third wild card. Apart from the Rays and Yankees the rest of the American League is clustered together. If the Sox can get Contreras back on Friday night (he's suspended Game 1) and hopefully get some of their injured guys back healthy like Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony and Triston Casas, they might have a September run in them. Just the fact the Sox went from blow everything up territory after dropping 2 of 3 to the Rockies to winning 14 of 16 is remarkable. Enjoy it while it lasts. The win improved the Sox to 46-48, 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the all-star break and don't come back until the big doubleheader Friday the 17th. Nobody knows who's pitching until then.