Rays Pound Bello, Sox (7/11/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Kevin Plawecki was placed on the Covid List and Connor Wong was called up from Worcester to replace him. This marks the first time all three players the Sox got in the Mookie Betts trade are on the same roster.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, the Sox simply cannot beat AL East teams. It doesn't help the Sox are trudging out rookie pitchers that can't get it done like Brayan Bello, but the overall fact is the Sox cant get over the hump. The Tampa Bay Rays proved that by knocking out Bello and the Boston bullpen for 14 hits and 10 runs. The Sox bats rallied down 5-1 to tie the game 5-5 but the Rays kept coming. They rallied for 2 runs in the sixth and 3 in the eighth against Jake Diekman and Phillips Valdez. Just another sign the Sox can't compete this year as the Rays stomped them 10-5 at Tropicana Field.

Matt Wisler got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Christian Vazquez popped up to second and JD Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and the Rays wasted no time pounding him. Yandy Diaz was plunked and Ji-Man Choi walked, but somehow Randy Arozarena struck out swinging. Jonathan Aranda got a base hit to right to load the bases and Josh Lowe effortlessly singled to center to score two runs to put the Rays up just 8 batters into the game. Francisco Mejia banged into a double play to end the inning with the score 2-0 Tampa.

                                                     Lowe puts the Rays up

Josh Fleming came in to pitch the top of the second and Xander Bogaerts doubled to right to begin. A wild pitch moved Xander to third and Verdugo hit a grounder to Choi who did nothing with it to score Bogaerts. Bret Phillips made an amazing catch to rob Trevor Story of a double and Franchy Cordero struck out swinging. Rob Refsnyder forced Verdugo at second to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                     Phillips keeps the Rays up for good

Bello got pounded in the top of the second inning as the .111 hitting Luke Raley walked on 6 pitches not even close to start. Taylor Walls lined out to left and Phillips took strike three, but Diaz doubled down the left field line to score Raley. Choi effortlessly got a base hit to left to score Diaz, Arozarena walked and Aranda easily got a base hit to right to score Choi. Somehow Lowe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 5-1.

                                                            Rays pour it on

The Sox rallied in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec somehow drew a walk to start. Dalbec was forced at second by Duran but Vazquez doubled to left and Martinez cleared the bases with a double to left as well. Bogaerts walked to put the tying run on but Verdugo lined out to left and Story struck out swinging to end the rally with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                               JD with a double

Sox manager Alex Cora left Bello in to pitch the bottom of the third and Mejia doubled to right to start. Raley struck out swinging but Walls dropped down a bunt to catch the Sox asleep only for the alert Vazquez to throw him out at first with no advancement. Phillips flied out to left to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth although Cordero struck out swinging to start. Refsnyder got a base hit to center and moved to second on the grounder to second by Dalbec. Duran got a base hit to left to score Refsnyder but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Sox down 5-4.

                                                      Nice going Duran

Bello trudged out for the bottom of the fourth and Diaz got a base hit to left to start. Choi struck out swinging and Arozarena banged into a double play to end the inning. That was it for Bello who recovered to end his day allowing 5 runs in just 4 innings. Not good enough at all.

                                                          Bello struggles again

The Sox rallied against Luke Bard in the top of the fifth although Vazquez lined out to right to start. Martinez doubled to right and Bogaerts ripped a base hit to right to score JD to tie the game. Verdugo singled to left and both runners pulled off a double steal...but Story grounded out to third. Naturally Cordero earned the hat trick by striking out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                                   Tie game!

Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Aranda struck out swinging to start. Lowe struck out swinging but Mejia singled to right. Raley grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Refsnyder tried to start a rally by walking to start the top of the sixth but Dalbec lined out to second. Duran forced Refsnyder at second and got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning....but wait, Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Duran was safe. Umps ruled Duran was safe but Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning. That's six men left on base to this point. Jake Diekman came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and guess what he did? Hit Walls with a pitch to put the first guy on AGAIN! Phillips would have walked but swung at ball four and lined out to left. Diaz effortlessly pounded a double to left to score Walls to put the Rays up for good. That was it for Diekman as Kaleb Ort came in with Harold Ramirez pinch hitting for Choi. Of course Ramirez ripped a base hit to right to score Diaz to ice the game. Ramirez was thrown out at second trying to steal and Arozarena grounded out to short to end the inning with the game all but over 7-5.

                                                        Rays go up for good

The Sox quit in the top of the seventh as Martinez flied out to right to start. Bogaerts flied out to left and Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning. Phillips Valdez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Aranda flied out to center to start. Lowe grounded back to the mound and Mejia popped up to short to end the inning.

Yu Chang came in for Aranda with Colin Poche now on to pitch the top of the eighth. Story grounded out to third, Cordero earned the golden sombrero by striking out swinging and Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning. Valdez returned for the bottom of the eighth and got his lunch handed to him. Raley hit a routine grounder to Dalbec who kicked the ball over to first for an error although Walls forced Raley at second. Phillips got a base hit to right to move Walls to third and Diaz hit a sac fly to right to score Walls. Ramirez singled to center, Arozarena singled to right and Chang singled to left to score Ramirez. Lowe flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays up 10-5.

                                                        Rays are all smiles in this one

Mercifully Jason Adam put an end to the torture in the top of the ninth. Dalbec, Duran and Vazquez all struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 10-5.

                                                           Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Jake Diekman. He allowed the go-ahead runs to score in the sixth inning.

                                                           Jackass Diekman

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi, stolen base and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a stolen base.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Austin Davis pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Franchy Cordero earned the golden sombrero by going 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts.

Brayan Bello got lit up for 5 runs in just 4 innings. He allowed 7 hits and 3 walks.

Phillips Valdez allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base, drove in a run and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Kaleb Ort allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning. 

Final Thoughts:

Bello clearly isn't ready for the big time yet but the only reason he's here is 4 out of the 5 starters are out with injuries. He was thrown right in the fire and was told to sink or swim....and he sank. Still, even when he was gone the bullpen allowed 5 more runs. The Sox might have been able to come back if the bullpen did their job. Its just a sign of the times that the Sox can't compete with the AL East. They've yet to win a series this year and we're a week out from the all-star break. Things need to change and fast or else they'll be sellers at the deadline. Bogaerts, Devers, Martinez, Eovaldi and Vazquez are free agents at the end of the year and we could be seeing the last of them unless they can start beating teams in their own division. The loss dropped the Sox to 47-40, 14.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Rays when Chris Sale makes his long awaited season debut against Corey Kluber of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Pivetta, Sox Top A's (6/14/22)

One of the keys to the Boston Red Sox resurgence since their horrendous start has been Nick Pivetta (6-5, 3.50 ERA). Pivetta has gone 6-1 since starting the season 0-4 and he was outstanding tonight, holding the hapless Oakland A's to just 1 run allowed in 8 dominating innings. Meanwhile the Sox bats attacked A's starter Jared Koenig for six runs in four innings highlighted by a three run homer by Rafael Devers. JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rob at all drove in runs to put the game away early. Pivetta held the A's to just a solo home run and Phillips Valdez closed out the ninth as the Sox beat the A's 6-1 at Fenway Park. 

                                                Dutch Leonard approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tony Kemp grounded out to short to start. "Razor" Ramon Laureano popped up to first and Christian Bethancourt flied out to center to end the inning. Koenig got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to left to start. Rafael Devers forced Rob at second but JD Martinez drew a walk. Both runners advanced on a balk and Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right to score Devers. Trevor Story grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Bogaerts knocks in a run

Seth Brown grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Chad Pinder took strike three. Elvis Andrus popped up to short to end the inning. Alex Verdugo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Christian Vazquez got a base hit to left. Bobby Dalbec also singled to left and Franchy Cordero was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Refsnyder hit a sac fly to center to score Vazquez but Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                              Sac fly Refsnyder

Stephen Vogt walked to start the top of the third but Sean Murphy grounded into a double play. Jonah Bride grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third when Martinez belted his 8th home run of the year to increase the lead. Bogaerts singled in the hole at second but Story popped up to second. Verdugo walked but Vazquez flied out to center. Dalbec took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                            Martinez goes yard

Kemp singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Laureano hit one up the elevator shaft. Bethancourt grounded out to third to move Kemp to second and Tony took third on a wild pitch. Brown struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Cordero got a base hit to left to start. Refsnyder beat out a roller to third amd Devers smashed his 15th home run of the year to increase the lead. Martinez struck out swinging but Bogaerts was plunked. Story struck out swinging and Verdugo popped up to short to end the inning with Boston ahead 6-0.

                                                             Kiss that one goodbye

Pivetta got in trouble in the top of the fifth inning although Pinder struck out swinging to start. Andrus grounded out to second but Vogt walked. Murphy singled to center but Bride forced him at second to end the inning. Adam Oller came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Vazquez grounded out to second to start.  Dalbec grounded out to short but Cordero walked. Kemp somewhat booted a grounder by Refsnyder for a "single" Andrus booted a grounder by Devers for another error to load the bases but Martinez flied out to left to end the inning.

Pivetta cruised in the top of the sixth as Kemp flied out to left to start. Laureano flied out to center and Bethancourt flied out to right to end the inning. Bogaerts walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Story struck out swinging again. Verdugo banged into a double play to end the inning. 

Pivetta returned for the top of the seventh and Brown popped up to second to start. Pinder was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Andrus flied out to right to end the inning. Lou Trivino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez grounded out to third to start. Dalbec struck out swinging and Cordero went down hacking as well to end the inning.

Pivetta was sent back out for the top of the eighth and naturally Vogt hit a home run into the Charles River to break up the shutout. Murphy lined out to second before Bogaerts made a hell of a throw to get Bride at short. Kemp grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta who went 8 innings and allowed just 3 hits including a home run in 100 pitches. He was outstanding.

                                                                 Pivetta goes 8 strong

Austin Pruitt came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder lined out to center to start. Devers grounded out to first and Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. 

Phillips Valdez came in to close out the top of the ninth and naturally walked Laureano. Bethancourt singled off of Valdez but Brown lined out to a running Verdugo. Pinder grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of the Night is Nick Pivetta. He shut down the A's for 8 inning and allowed just 3 hits and a run.

                                                                Pivetta The Hero

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 2 with a walk, hot NY pitch and an rbi.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch and a run scored.

Phillips Valdez pitched a scoreless ninth inning. 

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a 3 run homer, he also scored two runs.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but walked.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

As mentioned earlier with surprise injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock, Pivetta has been the key to the Sox 9-2 run through the AL West the last two weeks. He's won 6 of his last 7 decisions and the Sox are going to need him to step up in the next few weeks with two starters down. Offensively the Sox didn't do much after the fourth inning but they did enough to have a commanding lead throughout the game. Refsnyder stepped up in the leadoff spot and maybe he can seize the spot from Kike Hernandez if Hernandez continues to hit around the mendoza line. All in all it was a good win and the Sox need to continue to beat around the A's the next two games with all four other AL East teams playing each other. The win improved the Sox to 33-29, good for fourth place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it two in a row against the A's when the Sox called up Josh Winckowski (0-1, 12.00 ERA) from Worcester to take on Jake Kaprielian of Oakland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park. 

Sox Homer Past Orioles (5/29/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox sent Josh Winckowski back to Worcester. He made one mistake to Rougned Odor in his start yesterday and definitely needs more seasoning. No sense having him take one loss after another on this year's MLB team the way things are going.

                                                                           OUT

It was a great day in Boston sports as the Boston Celtics eliminated the Miami Heat in Game 7 of their NBA East Finals series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles. After scoring just 7 runs in 18 innings in yesterday's doubleheader, the offense pounded out 15 hits in 12 runs against the hapless Baltimore Orioles in today's game. The Sox hit five home runs early and often to put this game away early. Meanwhile Nick Pivetta (4-4, 3.95 ERA) won his fourth game in a row as he tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball to hold the O's down. Bobby Dalbec, Franchy Cordero, Rafael Devers, Christian Arroyo and Kike Hernandez all went yard for the Red Sox. Xander Bogaerts knocked in two runs of his own and the Sox survived a ninth inning hiccup by Phillips Valdez to win this one easily, 12-2 at Fenway Park.

        The 2022 Eastern Conference Champions approve of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Cedric Mullins grounded out to second to start. Trey Mancini doubled to left but Anthony Santander lined out to left. Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to short to end the inning. Zimmermann got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez lined out to center to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to first but JD Martinez got a base hit to center. Xander Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning. 

Adley Rutschman flied out to center to start the top of the second and Rougned Odor struck out swinging. Ramon Urias flied out to center to end the inning. Trevor Story flied out to center to start the bottom of the first but Christian Vazquez doubled to left. Bobby Dalbec then belted his third home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Christian Arroyo grounded out to third but Franchy Cordero followed with his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                            Two home runs

Robinson Chirinos struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Jorge Mateo doubled to left. Mullins took strike three but Mancini walked. Santander walked to load the bases but Mountcastle lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Devers clobbered his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Martinez struck out swinging but Bogaerts doubled to left. Story walked and Bogaerts took third on a wild pitch, but Vazquez grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                            Devers hits one out

Rutschman walked to start the top of the fourth but Odor popped up to third and Urias hit into a double play to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the fourth as Dalbec flied out to center to start. Arroyo joined the homer parade with his 3rd moonshot of the season. Cordero lined out to center but Hernandez smashed his fourth home run the season as well. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                        Hernandez goes yard

Chirinos struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Mateo grounded out to short. Mullins doubled to left and scored when Arroyo dropped a pop up by Mancini. Santander grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's down 6-1.

                                                         Mancini "drives" in a run

Cody Sedlock made his ML debut on the mound in the bottom of the fifth and Martinez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Bogaerts singled in the hole at second but Story struck out swinging. Vazquez doubled to right to score Bogaerts and increase the lead and took third on an error by Odor. Dalbec grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                         Vazquez drives in a run

Naturally Mountcastle got a base hit to center to start the top of the sixth but Rutschman struck out swinging. Odor flied out to left and Urias hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Pivetta had thrown 106 pitches and held the O's to just one run in 6 solid innings. He allowed just 5 hits and walked 3.

                                                         Pivetta gets the job done.

Arroyo took strike three to start the bottom of the sixth and Cordero went down hacking. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Tanner Houck came in to pitch the top of the seventh with Jackie Bradley Jr now in right field. Chirinos popped up to second but Mateo lined one past Houck for a base hit. Mullins grounded into a double play to end the inning. Devers flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh but Martinez singled to center. Bogaerts flied out to left and Story flied out to center to end the inning.

Houck returned for the top of the eighth with Kevin Plawecki taking over behind the plate. Mancini singled to left to start but Santander lined out to center. Mountcastle hit into a double play to end the inning. Plawecki walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Dalbec singled to center. JBJ singled to right to load the bases and Cordero doubled to right to score Plawecki and Dalbec. That was it for Sedlock as Marcos Diplan came in to pitch to Hernandez. Kike struck out swinging but Devers walked to load the bases. Martinez walked to score JBJ and Bogaerts doubled home Cordero and Devers. Story took strike three but Plawecki walked to reload the bases. Dalbec took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-1.

                                                            Bogaerts drives in a pair

Phillips Valdez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rutschman walked to start. Ryan McKenna pinch hit for Odor and was plunked, but Urias struck out looking. Chris Owings pinch hit for Chirinos and hit a double play ball to second. Story flipped to Bogaerts for the out and Xander spiked the ball like a football and did a dance for an error to score Rutschman. A wild pitch moved Owings to second but Mateo took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-2.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of the Night is Bobby Dalbec. His two run homer set the tone for the day and matched Baltimore's entire output. 

                                                           Dalbec The Hero

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a walk.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki walked twice and scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Franchy Cordero was 2 for 4 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Nick Pivetta earned the win by tossing six innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 5.

Tanner Houck tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Phillips Valdez allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, hit a home run and scored two runs.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Now that's more like it. Beating up on the hapless O's doesn't accomplish much but a win is a win. The most encouraging signs are guys like Cordero, Vazquez and Hernandez getting hot and starting to hit home runs more frequently. Cordero had been a colossal failure since the Sox traded Andrew Benintendi for him last February but he's picked it up this past month for sure. The only piece of the puzzle that needs to pick it up is Alex Verdugo, he's too good to continue to hit this badly. Pivetta won his fourth straight start and the fact Sox manager Alex Cora is letting guys go longer into the games might be signs that he's learned his lesson from past mistakes. Again, the Sox are supposed to beat up the Orioles so its not that exciting but at least they're another step closer in getting out of the hole they dug themselves in after April. The win improved the Sox to 23-25, good for 4th place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the fifth and final game of this series tomorrow night when Rich Hill (1-2, 3.86 ERA) takes on Tyler Wells of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Pound Sox in Rain Soaked Game (5/1/22)

It was bad news all around for the city of Boston as the Milwaukee Bucks crushed the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their second round NBA playoff series and the lowly Baltimore Orioles once again embarrassed the Boston Red Sox. Arguably an offense worse than the Red Sox managed to pound Red Sox pitching for 13 hits and 9 runs, most of them came after a four hour rain delay in the middle of the sixth inning. Once again the impotent Red Sox offense was held to just a single run after 5 innings while Nick Pivetta (0-4 7.84 ERA) got knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 3 runs. After a four hour rain delay, the Orioles pounced on Kutter Crawford and Phillips Valdez for six runs to put the game out of reach. JD Martinez hit a grand slam off old friend Travis Lakins in the top of the ninth but it wasn't nearly enough as the O's dropped the Sox a half game out of last place with a 9-5 victory over Boston at Camden Yards.

Jordan Lyles got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off with a walk. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts also went down hacking but JD Martinez singled to center to move Story to third. Franchy Cordero grounded out to first to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins beat out a single to third. Mullins was thrown out trying to steal and Anthony Santander popped up to third. Ryan Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to third. Christian Vazquez doubled to right and Jaylin Davis singled to center to put runners at the corners, but as usual Story struck out swinging to end the inning. Austin Hays lined out to third to start the bottom of the second before Rougned Odor took strike three. Ramon Urias grounded out to third to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to first to start the top of the third before Bogaerts grounded out to third. Martinez got a base hit to left, Cordero walked and Hernandez was plunked to load the bases. JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning. Tyler Nevin popped up to first to start the bottom of the third before Anthony Benboom struck out swinging. Jorge Mateo lined out to second to end the inning. 

Vazquez flied out to center to start the top of the fourth but Davis singled to center. Story walked but Devers banged into a double play to end the inning. The Orioles blew their own rally in the bottom of the fourth as Cordero dropped a throw from Devers on the grounder by Mullins for an error. Santander singled to right to move Mullins to third but Mountcastle popped up to right. Santander took off for second on the swinging strikeout by Hays and was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Bogaerts tried to start a rally with a double to left to start the top of the fifth but could only move to third on the grounder to short by Martinez. Cordero somehow hit a sac fly to right to score Bogaerts to put Boston on top. Hernandez singled to left but JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Sox take the lead

Naturally the O's got it right back in the bottom of the fifth as Odor singled off the glove of Cordero to start. Urias doubled to left and Nevin ripped a base hit to left to clear the bases, putting the O's up for good. Benboom struck out swinging but Mateo singled to left to chase Pivetta. The incompetent starter would charged with 4 runs in just 4 1/3 inning. Austin Davis came in and Mullins beat out a single in the hole at second to load the bases. Santander hit a sac fly to the wall to score Nevin and Mountcastle was intentionally walked to re-load the bases. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch to Hays and got him to fly out to right to end the inning with the O's up 3-1.

                                              "Yeah you're out Nick, now beat it!" - AC

The Sox rolled over in the top of the sixth as Vazquez flied out to center to start. Davis and Story both struck out swinging to end the inning. Kutter Crawford came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Odor hit a home run to the Klingon Homeworld to ice the game. Urias walked and finally the umps called the game for four hours because of rain.

                                                            Game should have ended here

When play resumed Phillips Valdez came in to take a beating as he plunked Nevin to start. Bemboom walked to load the bases and Mateo doubled home Urias and Nevin. Mullins popped up to third and Santander scored both runners with a base hit to left. Santander took second on a balk and Mountcastle lined a base hit up the middle to score Anthony. Hays took strike three and Odor grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 9-1 Orioles.

                                                            There goes this game

Old friend Travis Lakins came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers singled to right to start. Bogaerts banged into a double play and Martinez lined out to second to end the inning. Urias flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Nevin walked. Benboom singled to right but Mateo flied out to left. Mullins grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cordero doubled to right to begin the top of the eighth but Hernandez popped up to short. Cordero moved to third on the JBJ grounder to second and Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning. Kevin Plawecki the catcher came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ryan McKenna pinch hit for Santander. McKenna beat out an infield single to short and Kelvin Gutierrez pinch hit for Mountcastle. Gutierrez flied out to right, Hays flied out to center and Odor flied out to left to end the inning. Plawecki pitched better than Valdez, Crawford and Pivetta.

                                                        Plawecki pitches better than he hits

Somehow the Sox rallied in the top of the ninth although Davis struck out swinging to start. Story walked, Devers singled to right and Bogaerts was plunked to load the bases. Martinez then blasted a grand slam to cut the lead and make everyone groan. Joey Khrebiel came in to pitch and Cordero grounded out to short to end the rally. Hernandez popped up to second to end the game with the Orioles winning 9-5.

                                                   O's win

Jackass of the Night is Phillips Valdez. He turned a 4-1 game into 9-1 in 8 seconds flat

                                                            Valdez The Jackass

The Good:

Trevor Story walked three times and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

JD Martinez was 3 for 5 with a grand slam.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Jaylin Davis was 2 for 4.

Hiro Sawamura got the final out of the fifth inning.

Kevin Plawecki pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Nick Pivetta took the loss by allowing 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits.

Kutter Crawford allowed 2 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored 2 runs.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.

Austin Davis allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

With every loss it feels like the Sox have hit rock bottom but they just keep topping themselves. If getting walked off by the Orioles wasn't bad enough, how about getting blown out by an offense that's ten times worse than theirs on paper? The warts on the team are as clear as pimples on the face of a teenager. They're getting no help from the bottom of the order and the bullpen is garbage. The sins of last year carried over to this year as Matt Barnes and Hiro Sawamura haven't been anywhere close to where they were last year. The only silver lining is eventually the trio of Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Jeter Downs will be ready at some point this year and hopefully one or all of them will be good enough to make an impact. Chaim Bloom looks like a complete fool right now for trading Hunter Renfroe for JBJ and letting Jose Iglesias walk for Travis Shaw. The Sox need to have a team meeting or start cutting people because they're going to be in last place pretty soon if things don't improve. Thankfully the Sox have an off-day but run smack into the Los Angeles Angels at home on Tuesday night. Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.77 ERA) goes for the Sox up against former New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Drop Unlikeable Sox (4/24/22)

Before the game the Sox made a roster move. Rich Hill was activated from the Bereavement List and Tyler Danish was sent back to Worcester to make room. Danish definitely helped win the game the other night.

                           OUT

                                     IN

Quite frankly the Boston Red Sox suck right now. In yet another chapter of the team's futility this season, the Sox managed to get to the Tampa Bay Rays and its starter Shane McClanahan for four hits and 2 runs in the first inning. Naturally the Sox would have just TWO hits the rest of the game. Meanwhile Rich Hill came back from his bad start to toss four scoreless innings and be at just 61 pitches. Naturally acting Sox manager Will Venable under orders from Alex Cora pulled Hill and the Sox bullpen proceeded to give up FIVE runs in the next three innings. The pregame plan was supposed to be Tanner Houck after Hill but Venable decided to bring in Phillips Valdez, Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes only to watch the trio blow the game. McClanahan ended up going 7 innings as the Rays once again humiliated the Sox 5-2 at Tropicana Field.

The Sox wasted no time getting to McClanahan in the top of the first inning as Trevor Story doubled to right to start. Kike Hernandez singled to right to score Story but Rafael Devers struck out swinging. Xander Bogaerts singled to right and Alex Verdugo singled to right to score Hernandez. Bobby Dalbec flied out to right and Christian Arroyo forced Verdugo at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. The Sox would have just two hits the rest of the game.

                                                  Hernandez drives in a run

Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first and Randy Arozarena popped up to first to start. Wander Franco grounded out to third but Harold Ramirez doubled to left. Yandy Diaz walked and Taylor Walls singled to left to load the bases. Manny Margot flied out to right to end the inning.

Christian Vazquez grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second. Story lined out to center to end the inning. Vidal Brujan grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Mike Zunino beat out a roller to third. Kevin Kiermaier flied out to left but Arozarena singled to right. Arozarena was thrown out at second to end the inning....BUT WAIT! Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged that Randy was safe but the umps upheld the call.

Hernandez struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Devers lined out to third. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Hill got in trouble again in the bottom of the third as Franco flied out to left to start. Ramirez was plunked but Diaz flied out to right. Walls walked but Margot popped up to first to end the inning.

Verdugo lined out to left to start the top of the fourth before Dalbec struck out swinging. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning and the Sox haven't had a hit since the first inning. Brujan walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Zunino popped up to third. Brujan was thrown out at second trying to steal and Kiermaier struck out swinging to end the inning. Despite only throwing 61 pitches, that was it for Rich Hill and this decision would cost acting Sox manager Will Venable big time.

                                                    Hill does the best he can

Vazquez grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Refsnyder doubled to right. Story grounded out to second and Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Apparently was to bring in Tanner Houck after Hill was done but Venable brought in Phillips Valdez instead. Arozarena was plunked, Franco walked, pinch hitter Brandon Lowe (for Ramirez) flied out to the centerfield wall and Diaz was plunked to load the bases. Ryan Brasier came in to pour gas on the fire as Choi doubled home two runners and Margot grounded out to short to score Diaz to put the Rays up for good. Brujan grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays ahead 3-2.

                                                            The Rays strike back

Devers tried to start a rally in the top of the sixth with a base hit to left but Bogaerts flied out to center. Verdugo flied out to center and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to get tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Zunino grounded out to second to start. Kiermaier singled in the hole at second and Arozarena beat out a roller to third. Franco grounded out to short to move the runners over and Jake Diekman was brought in to face Lowe. Diekman's first pitch went 100 feet over the head of Vazquez to score Kiermaier but Arozarena was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Rays up 4-2.

                                                        Its a wild pitch a VERY wild pitch!

Arroyo flied out to right to start the top of the seventh before Vazquez grounded out to second. The Rays settled matters in the bottom of the seventh when Lowe grounded out to first, but Diaz hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to increase the lead. Choi singled to center and for some reason NOW Venable decided to bring in Tanner Houck after the other guys in the bullpen allowed 5 runs in three innings. Margot flied out to center and Brujan lined out to left to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2.

                                                                 Diaz hits one out

Colin Poche came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Story flied out to right to start. Hernandez walked but Devers struck out swinging. Bogaerts forced Hernandez at second to end the inning. Houck cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Zunino grounded back to the mound to start. Kiermaier took strike three and Arozarena also watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Rich Thompson came in to close out the top of the ninth and the Sox offered no resistance. Verdugo grounded back to the mound, Dalbec took strike three and Travis Shaw pinch hit for Arroyo. Shaw flied out to right to continue his 0 for the season slump to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-2.

                                                                   Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Phillips Valdez. Yes, Ryan Brasier allowed the 3 runners to come home but it was Valdez that put them on to begin with.

                                              Valdez The Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3.

Rich Hill pitched four scoreless innings.

Tanner Houck tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

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

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

Jake Diekman allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Ryan Brasier allowed 2 inherited runners to score in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

Lot of Red Sox fans are getting increasingly frustrated with this team. They're not scoring, their pitching is sporadic and the worst part is the whole Don Orsillo situation created some very bad vibes surrounding the franchise. Devers, Bogaerts and Story are doing almost nothing and Will Venable proved he's not ready for big league managing. Hill only threw 61 pitches and the Sox bullpen didn't wait around to blow it after being almost unhittable last night. The key to the game is the Sox had 4 hits and 2 runs in the first inning against Shane McClanahan and had just two the rest of the game. If Devers and Bogaerts want a big payday like their friend Mookie Betts, they're certainly not earning it at all. This is looking more like the 1992 Red Sox every day where a talented team just evaporates offensively with Travis Shaw playing the Jack Clark role and Devers and Bogaerts as Mo Vaughn and Phil Plantier. Fans are tired of the team already and we're only a few weeks into the season. Things go from bad to worse as now the Sox travel to Toronto for a set with the Blue Jays. Canada has strict covid vaccination laws which prohibits anyone un-vaccinated from playing, which includes Tanner Houck. Nobody knows who else won't play until it'll be revealed tomorrow night. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.68 ERA) goes for the Sox against Jose Berrios of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.