Yankees Late Rally Sink Sox (9/23/22)

One thing is for sure when it comes time to turn the page to 2023, next year's Boston Red Sox team better be able to beat the AL East. It was very evident that they couldn't in 2022. It didn't matter the circumstances, other teams in the division all found ways to win against them. Tonight was no different as the Red Sox once again were dispatched late by the New York Yankees. The Sox did score first when Tommy Pham took Gerrit Cole deep in the top of the first but the Yankees scored four runs against Rich Hill to take a commanding lead. Suddenly Alex Verdugo hit a 3 run bomb off Cole to tie the game in the sixth. In the bottom of the eighth, Jose Trevino hit a two out rbi single off Matt Strahm to put the Yankees up for good. The Sox did manage to put two runners on in the ninth but Abraham Almonte and Reese McGuire failed to bring in a run and the Yankees had beaten the Red Sox 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                       "We lost to the Yankees again??"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Cole to start the top of the first inning as Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Tommy Pham belted his 17th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but JD Martinez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Pham goes yard

Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Aaron Judge struck out swinging to start. Giancarlo Stanton flied out to right and Gleyber Torres grounded out to third to end the inning.

Triston Casas struck out swinging to open the top of the second and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to first. Reese McGuire popped up to center to end the inning. Josh Donaldson flied out to right to begin the bottom of the second but Oswaldo Cabrera singled to right. Jose Trevino flied out to left and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yu Chang grounded out to short to start the top of the third but Hernandez singled to center. Devers struck out swinging and Hernandez was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the third as Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Aaron Hicks hit a home run all the way to Neptune to tie the game. Judge flied out to left and Stanton popped up to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Hicks goes yard

Pham lined out to left to start the top of the fourth and Verdugo took strike three. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. Torres walked to begin the bottom of the fourth but was immediately picked off. Donaldson singled to center and Refsnyder booted the ball for an error. Cabrera and Trevino both flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas walked to begin the top of the fifth but Refsnyder lined out to short. McGuire grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees took command in the bottom of the fifth as Kiner singled to center to start. Gonzalez walked and Hicks got a base hit to left to score Kiner. Judge struck out swinging and Stanton flied out to right to move Gonzalez to third. Torres got a base hit to left and Pham threw the ball away to allow Gonzalez & Hicks to score. Donaldson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-1. That was it for Hill who allowed 4 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                           Not good enough

Suddenly the Sox answered in the top of the sixth as Chang struck out swinging to start. Hernandez doubled to right and Devers walked, but Pham struck out swinging. Verdugo then launched his 10th home run of the season to tie the game. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                Verdugo ties it up

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Cabrera flied out to center to start. Trevino struck out swinging and Kiner popped up to short to end the inning.

Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Casas walked. Refsnyder and McGuire both struck out swinging before Chang grounded out to second to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez popped up to third to start. Hicks took strike three but Judge got a base hit to left. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Devers and Pham both grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Torres struck out looking to start. Donaldson grounded out to short but Harrison Bader pinch hit for Cabrera. Bader walked and Strahm threw the pickoff throw away to move Bader to third. Trevino ripped a base hit to center to score Bader to put the Yankees up for good. Kiner walked and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-4.

                                                           Yankees take the lead

Verdugo struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Martinez singled inside the third base bag. Bobby Dalbec ran for Martinez and Casas singled to right. Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Refsnyder with Connor Wong pinch running for Casas. Almonte took strike three and McGuire grounded out to first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 5-4.

                                                                   Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Matt Strahm. He allowed the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth partly due to his own error.

                                                             Thanks a lot, Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a 3 run home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with an error and a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

You Chang was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rich Hill allowed 4 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored.

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but the one hit was a home run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for Triston Casas in the ninth.

Bobby Dalbec pinch ran for JD Martinez in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Now that the Red Sox are just about mathematically eliminated, the Sox have to look to next year to right the ship. Chaim Bloom went cheap by going after Michael Wacha, James Paxton and Rich Hill and paid for it. When Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale went down, the season was over right then and there. They got absolutely murdered by the AL East in June and July and never really could beat the teams after August either. The Yankees just won back to back games in the late innings and it has to be in the minds of the players themselves. Just when they think they can win, everything goes wrong. Matt Strahm has been solid all year and now this happens. Alex Cora pinch hitting Abraham Almonte in the ninth was inexcusable but that's more to do with his limitations than anything. He deserves to be fired for blowing last year's ALCS but the starting rotation was decimated this year, I doubt they'll fire him for something out of his control. One thing is for sure, Bloom & the Red Sox need to spend actual money this off-season. The rumors are that Eovaldi, Bogaerts and Martinez are gonners and if that's true, why bother watching next year? Rolling out a broken down Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, etc doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The less said, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-78, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage this series tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta gets the ball for the Sox against Domingo German of New York. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Royals Blank Sox (9/17/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bizarre roster move. Kevin Plawecki was designated for assignment with just 18 games left in the season. He was a serviceable backup for 3 seasons and it looks like they're gonna go with a tandem of Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. Still, you won't let him finish the season? In his place the Sox called up relief pitcher Franklin German. The Sox got German from the Yankees along with Adam Ottavino before last season and hopefully he can be better than Jeurys Familia.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Red Sox looked totally lifeless against the worthless Kansas City Royals. With the season on the line, Rich Hill (7-7, 4.61 ERA) laid an egg by getting knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 4 runs. Meanwhile Brady Singer held the supposedly high power offense to no runs and 5 hits in 6 innings. Rookie Frankin German made his ML debut by getting shelled for 4 runs without getting an out. Tyler Danish gave up a run as well for good measure. The Sox were blanked by the Royals 9-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Hill got the ball in the top of the first inning and MJ Melendez grounded back to the mound to start. Bobby Witt Jr took strike three but Salvador Perez got a base hit to left. Vinnie Pasquantino flied out to center to end the inning. Singer got the ball in the bottom of the first as Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Rafael Devers flied out to left and JD Martinez was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Michael Taylor grounded out to third to begin the top of the second before Edward Olivares lined out to left. Michael Massey struck out swinging to end the inning. Witt Jr booted a grounder by Alex Verdugo for an error to start the bottom of the second but was immediately picked off. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to left but Triston Casas grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the third as Hunter Dozier grounded out to second to start. Nate Eaton singled in the hole at short and promptly stole second. Melendez got a base hit to right to score Eaton then took second on a grounder to short by Witt Jr. Perez ripped a base hit to center to score Melendez to ice the game. Pasquantino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 2-0.

                                                                Perez drives in a run

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Kike Hernandez singled to left to start. Yu Chang walked and Connor Wong singled in the hole at short to load the bases with nobody out. Naturally Pham hit one up the elevator shaft, Devers took strike three and Martinez popped up to first to end the inning. Couldn't even get the ball out of the infield.

Taylor grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth but Olivares singled to center. Olivares took second on a balk but Massey flied out to right to move Olivares to third. Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals finished off Hill in the top of the fifth as Eaton flied out to left to start. Melendez got a base hit to right and stole second. Witt Jr singled in the hole at short to score Melendez but Perez flied out to left. Pasquantino dumped a base hit to right....booted for Verdugo for an error to score Witt Jr. That was it for Hill who got croaked for 4 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Ryan Brasier came in and struck Taylor out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 4-0.

                                                           Hill didn't have it today

Hernandez singled in the hole at short to start the bottom of the fifth but Chang lined out to short. Wong struck out swinging but Pham flied out to left to end the inning.

Franklin German pissed down his leg in his major league debut to start the top of the sixth. Olivares walked, Massey singled to right and Dozier walked to load the bases with nobody out. Eaton singled to center to score Olivares and chase German. Eduard Bazardo poured gas on the fire as Melendez grounded beat out a double play ball to score Massey and Witt Jr got a base hit to right to score Dozier. Perez hit one up the elevator shaft and Pasquantino singled to right to score Melendez. Taylor grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals up 8-0.

                                                 "Thanks a lot Bazardo" - German

Devers got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Martinez flied out to left. Verdugo struck out swinging and Arroyo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Olivares doubled to right to start the top of the seventh but Massey lined out to first. Dozier grounded out to short and Eaton flied out to center to end the inning. Brad Keller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas grounded out to short to start. Hernandez popped up to second and Chang struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyler Danish came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Melendez doubled to left to start. Witt Jr grounded out to short and Perez did the same. Pasquantino got a base hit to right to score Melendez to wrap up the scoring. Taylor popped up to center to end the inning with the Royals up 9-0.

                                                     Another rbi for Pasquantino

Carlos Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Pham grounded out to second and Devers lined out to center to end the inning.

Danish returned for the top of the ninth and Olivares popped up to second to start. Massey struck out swinging and Dozier grounded out to third to end the inning. Anthony Misiewicz came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Martinez flied out to right to start. Verdugo grounded out to second but Arroyo got a base hit to left. Casas flied out to left to end the game. The Royals shut out the Red Sox 9-0.

                                                "GADZOOKS this game sucked!" - Arroyo

Jackass of the Night is Rich Hill. He allowed 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings to put the Sox in a position to fail.

                                                                 Nice game Jackass

The Good:

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Ryan Brasier got the only batter he faced.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Triston Casas was 0 for 4.

Franklin German was charged with 4 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Eduard Bazardo allowed 4 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 2 innings.

Tyler Danish allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

With the season all but over it looks like the Sox have given up. Yes Xander Bogaerts didn't play but where was the power from Devers and Martinez? Where was the contact from Pham and Verdugo? It was a totally lifeless performance. Rich Hill didn't have it but the bullpen didn't either. Frank German got lit up and Eduard Bazardo didn't help by allowing all those runners to score. It was an all around failure from the whole team on both sides of the ball. If Chaim Bloom isn't fired after this disaster, what will it take? 2 last place finishes in 3 years is inexcusable, especially with the rumors the Sox aren't signing any of their free agents back. To think they came within two games of the world series to THIS is disgusting. The less said of this game and this season, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 70-75, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta (9-11) takes on Kris Bubic of Kansas City. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Blank O's (9/11/22)

Before the game the Worcester Red Sox released Hirokazu Sawamura thus ending his tumultuous tenure with the Boston Red Sox. He was apart of The A-Team that kept the Sox in first place from April to July of 2021 but injuries and overuse killed the momentum. Sawamura was never the same, getting demoted after putting up a 3.76 ERA (which wasn't really that bad) and choosing to go home rather than finish the season in Worcester. So long Hiro The Hero.

                                                                  Bye bye Sawamura

As for the game, it took until the 142nd game of the season but the Red Sox finally won a series against an AL East team. The Sox BARELY beat the Baltimore Orioles but a win is win whether its by one run or ten. Rich Hill (7-6, 4.56 ERA) held the O's scoreless through five innings while a first inning sac fly by Xander Bogaerts proved to be the only run of the game. The much maligned Red Sox bullpen managed to toss four shutout innings, the last of which was a save by Matt Barnes to put the game away. The Sox had beaten the Orioles 1-0 at Camden Yards.

                                                     Trashcan Carla approves of the win

Kyle Bradish got the ball to start the top of the first and Tommy Pham got a base hit to right. Pham stole second and moved to third on a Alex Verdugo grounder to second. Xander Bogaerts hit a sac fly to center to score Pham and Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Bogaerts drives in the only run

Rich Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ryan McKenna struck out swinging to start. Anthony Santander took strike three and Ryan Mountcastle flied out to left to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning and JD Martinez grounded out to third. Triston Casas flied out to left to end the inning. Ramon Urias grounded out to third to start the bottom of the second before Jesus Aguilar popped up to short. Austin Hays singled to right but Jorge Mateo forced him at second to end the inning.

Kike Hernandez walked to start the top of the third and Connor Wong dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Pham popped up to first and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Rougned Odor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Robinson Chirinos also went down hacking. McKenna walked and Santander got a base hit to center, but Mountcastle flied out to left to end the inning.

Bogaerts walked to start the top of the fourth but Devers grounded into a double play. Story struck out swinging to end the inning. Urias lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Aguilar struck out swinging. Hays walked and Mateo flied out to right to end the inning.

Martinez reached first on catcher's interference to start the top of the fifth but Casas grounded into a double play. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Hill returned for one last inning in the bottom of the fifth and Odor was hit with a pitch to start. Chirinos walked but McKenna popped up a bunt to third. Santander and Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning. Hill lasted just 5 innings but didn't allow a run on 2 hits and 3 walks.

                                                       Not great but it'll do

Wong struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Pham popped up to second. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Urias grounded back to the mound to start. Gunnar Henderson pinch hit for Aguilar and struck out swinging, but Hays singled down the third base line. Mateo forced Hays at second to end the inning.

Bogaerts lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Devers got a base hit to left. Story grounded into a double play to end the inning. Christian Arroyo took over for Story with Matt Strahm now on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Odor was hit with a pitch to start before moving to second on a balk. Chirinos struck out swinging before McKenna grounded out to third. Odor stole third but Santander struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Martinez flied out to right to start. Casas struck out swinging but Hernandez walked. Wong took strike three to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Mountcastle struck out swinging to start. Urias struck out swinging but Henderson walked. It looked like Hays forced Henderson at second but Brandon Hyde the Orioles manager challenged that Henderson was safe. The call was upheld and the inning was over.

Dillon Tate took over on the mound with Terrin Vavra in for McKenna and Cedric Mullins in for Odor to start the top of the ninth. Pham took strike three but Verdugo and Bogaerts stroked back to back base hits to chase Tate. Cionel Perez came in and Devers struck out swinging, but Arroyo walked to load the bases. Martinez flied out to left to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Mateo struck out swinging to begin. Mullins struck out swinging and Adley Rutschman pinch hit for Chirinos. Rutschman lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 1-0.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rich Hill. His 5 shutout innings were enough to help the Sox take the eventual victory. He allowed 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7

                                                             Hero Hill

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Christian Arroyo walked as a pinch hitter.

Kike Hernandez walked twice in three plate appearances.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

How pathetic is it that the Red Sox took until there were just 22 games left in the season to win their first series of the year against an AL East team? Even if they were just halfway competent against them, they'd be in a playoff spot. As it is, they're just about mathematically eliminated. Still, a win is a win. Hill stayed tough for 5 innings but the bullpen held on in this one. All the injuries to the rotation sapped the bullpen this year but they put in a yeoman's effort in this one. Bogaerts got the only run of the game which is also sad considering the Sox offense is supposed to be elite. With Nathan Eovaldi, Bogaerts and Martinez on their way out, them lighting it up would look good in free agency. Too bad Bogaerts and Martinez aren't exactly doing that. Just another lost season and another nail in the coffin of the Chaim Bloom regime. The win improved the Sox to 69-72, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox look to start a winning streak with a two game set with the New York Yankees at home beginning on Tuesday night. Nick Pivetta takes on Gerrit Cole at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Crush Hill, Sox (9/6/22)

When the gravestone for the 2022 Boston Red Sox is finally cemented in a week or so, let it be known the primary cause of death was the AL East. The Sox absolutely could not beat any team in the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays made it two in a row against the Sox to take the series by bashing around Rich Hill (6-6, 4.79 ERA) for 5 runs in just 4 innings. Randy Arozarena hit a 3 run first inning home run but rookie Triston Casas answered with his first career homer in the top of the second. The Rays got two more runs off hill and two more home runs off Eduard Bazardo. Francisco Mejia provided the final run for the Rays as they knocked out the Red Sox 8-4 at Tropicana Field.

                                                 Sox fans realizing they can't beat the AL East

JT Chargois got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to center and Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. The Rays pounced on Hill in the bottom of the first as Yandy Diaz doubled to right to start. Old pal Manny Margot beat out a roller to second and Randy Arozarena hit a three run home run to end the game just like that. Harold Ramirez walked but Isaac Parades struck out swinging. Francisco Mejia lined out to right and Christian Bethancourt grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                            Rays jump ahead early

The Sox fought back in the top of the second as Rafael Devers popped up to third to start. Trevor Story lined out to left but Christian Arroyo singled to right. Triston Casas belted his first career home run to cut the lead, but Kike Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                  First of the year for Casas

Yu Chang singled to left to start the bottom of the second before Jose Siri flied out to center. Yandy Diaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the top of the third and Reese McGuire singled to left to start. Pham forced Reese at second and Verdugo flied out to left. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third as Margo dropped down a bunt to catch the Sox asleep to start. Arozarena doubled to left and Ramirez dropped a base hit to left. Both runners scored but Ramirez was thrown out at second. Paredes grounded out to third but Mejia beat out a roller to first. Bethancourt beat out a roller to third but Chang struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2.

                                                      Rays pour it on

Devers flied out to center to open the top of the fourth but Story walked. Arroyo and Casas both struck out swinging to end the inning. Siri took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Diaz flied out to right. Margot grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Hill who allowed 5 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                           Hill wasn't good enough

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Hernandez lined out to center. McGuire grounded out to third and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning. Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Arozarena flied out to center to start. Ramirez struck out swinging and Parades took strike three to end the inning.

Brooks Raley came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Verdugo got a base hit to center to start. Bogaerts grounded into a double play and Devers grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays poured it on in the bottom of the sixth as Mejia grounded out to second to start. Bethancourt hit a home run all the way to Santo Domingo and then Chang hit a home run off the roof of the dome. Siri flied out to right but Diaz was hit with a pitch. Diaz took second on a wild pitch and Margot struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 7-2.

                                                              Rays are all smiles

Story took strike three to start the top of the seventh before Arroyo lined out to right. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Tyler Danish came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Rob Refsnyder taking over for Bogaerts. Arozarena doubled to center to start before Ramirez grounded out to short. A wild pitch moved Arozarena to third but Paredes struck out swinging. Mejia doubled to center to score Arozarena but Bethancourt grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 8-2.

                                                              Rays get another run

The Sox had one last gasp against old pal Jalen "Twin" Beeks in the top of the eighth. Hernandez flied out to center to begin but McGuire walked. Pham then blasted a home run to cut the lead in half. Verdugo singled past the pitcher but Refsnyder forced him at second. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.

                                                            Home run Pham

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Chang walked to start. Siri struck out swinging and Diaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jason Adam came in to close out the top of the ninth and Story went down hacking to start. Arroyo popped up to left and Casas struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-4.

                                                                  Rays win

Jackass of The Night is Rich Hill. He allowed 5 early runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                             Jackass Hill

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3.

Eduard Bazardo allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

Tyler Danish allowed a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but hit a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

All it took was two games against the Tampa Bay Rays to send the Sox back to reality and pretty much out of the playoffs. When push came to shove against the AL East, the Sox just couldn't get it done. The sad part was they have a winning record against any other division but just couldn't beat Tampa, Toronto, New York or Baltimore. Hill got hammered in this game but so did the bullpen. The Sox bats were silenced by a bullpen game by Tampa and that's pretty embarrassing. The Sox need their offense to stay hot but its too little, too late. Sox GM Craig Breslow bargain bin shopping for starting pitchers didn't work but can't predict the entire rotation getting hurt. The bad news is the rumors are getting louder of Nathan Eovaldi, JD Martinez and Bogaerts are as good as gone in free agency. Hopefully they can keep them, but its doubtful. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-70, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the season tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta takes on old pal Jeffrey Springs of Tampa. The game begins at 6:30 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Stun Rangers in Ninth (9/1/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some September call-ups. Connor Wong and Eduard Bazardo were called up for tonight's game. Now the Sox have another reliever and a third catcher...yippie.

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As for the game, ITS A MIRACLE!!!! If the July 22nd game against Toronto was the low point in the season, tonight's comeback win against the Texas Rangers has to be one of the high points. The Rangers broke out to a 4-2 lead over Rich Hill in the top of the fifth but Alex Verdugo chased Texas starter Glenn Otto with a home run in the sixth. The Rangers got four runs off Zack Kelly and Eduardo Bazardo to give the Rangers an 8-3 lead. Game over right? WRONG! Rafael Devers and Christian Arroyo knocked in runs in the eighth inning and a furious rally in the ninth inning tied the game with the bases loaded. Rob Refsnyder did the honors with a base hit to left to score Devers with the winning run. The Sox trailed 8-3 in the 8th and won the game 9-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                             Mimsy approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first and Marcus Semien flied out to center to start. Corey Seager flied out to left but Nathaniel Lowe walked. Adolis Garcia took strike three to end the inning. Otto got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham took strike three to begin. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonah Heim flied out to center to start the top of the second before Leody Taveras caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single down the first base line. Taveras stole second and moved to third on the grounder to second by Mark Mathias. Charlie Culberson flied out to center to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Christian Arroyo flied out to center. Franchy Cordero took strike three to end the inning.

The Rangers struck first in the top of the third as Bubba Thompson walked to start. Semien got a base hit to left and Seager also got a base hit to left to score Thompson. Lowe walked to load the bases but Garcia popped up to second. Heim hit one up the elevator shaft and Taveras watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Rangers up 1-0.

                                                           Seager strikes first

Rob Refsnyder led off the bottom of the third with a grounder to second before Kevin Plawecki flied out to center. Pham took strike three to end the inning.

Mathias grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth before Culberson grounded out to short. Thompson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo beat out a roller to second to start. Bogaerts walked but Devers was frozen for strike three. Martinez grounded out to first to move the runners over and Arroyo doubled to right to score them both. Cordero flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

The Rangers blasted Hill in the top of the fifth as Semien walked to start. Seager doubled to right to score Semien and Lowe singled in the hole at short to move Seager to third. That was it for Hill who would be charged with 4 runs in just 4 innings. John Schreiber came in to pitch and Garcia beat out a double play ball to score Seager. Heim walked and Taveras beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Mathias got a base hit to center to score Garcia but Culberson popped up to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 4-2.

                                                               Hill doesn't last long

Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Plawecki lined out to third. Pham struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Thompson dropped down a bunt single down the third base line. Semien flied out to center but Thompson stole second. Seager and Lowe both struck out swinging to end the inning. Verdugo chased Otto with his 8th home run of the season to inch the Sox closer. Jesus Tinoco came in to get Bogaerts to ground out to second. Devers lined out to center but Martinez got a base hit to left. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                            Verdugo goes yard

Zack Kelly came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Garcia struck out swinging to start. Heim beat out a roller to third before Taveras walked. Mathias walked to load the bases and Kole Calhoun pinch hit for Culberson. Calhoun hit a sac fly to left to score Heim and Thompson beat out a roller to third to reload the bases. Semien singled in the hole at sort to score Taveras with another run. Seager grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rangers up 6-3.

Ezequiel Duran took over for Calhoun to start the bottom of the seventh and Cordero walked to start. Refsnyder got a base hit to center and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Plawecki. McGuire naturally banged into a double play and Pham grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo made his season debut in the top of the eighth and Lowe dumped a base hit to right. Garcia then hit a home run all the way to Anaheim to increase the lead. Heim grounded out to third, Taveras grounded out to second and Mathias also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 8-3.

                                                            Rangers pour it on

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the eighth as Matt Moore came in to pitch. Verdugo got a base hit to center but Bogaerts forced him at second. A wild pitch moved Bogaerts to second and he scored on the Devers double to right. Martinez walked and Arroyo singled to center to score Devers. Kike Hernandez pinch hit for Cordero and Jose Leclerc came in to pitch to him. Hernandez struck out swinging but Refsnyder walked to load the bases. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-5.

                                                         Devers drives in a run

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Thompson grounded out to second but Semien singled to left. Seager flied out to right to end the inning. Jonathan Hernandez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth but suddenly the Sox rallied. Pham and Verdugo drew back to back walks and Bogaerts singled in the hole at first to load the bases. Devers doubled to left to score Pham & Verdugo but Martinez struck out swinging. Arroyo was intentionally walked to set up a double play. It failed as Hernandez got a base hit to right to score Bogaerts to tie the game and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to score Devers with the winning run. The Sox had stunned the Rangers 9-8.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rob Refsnyder. His hit in the ninth won the game.

                                                         The Sox salute our Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with a walk, home run and 3 total runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 wit a walk and 3 rbis.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

John Schreiber tossed a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort tossed a scoreless inning.

Jeurys Familia got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rich Hill allowed 4 runs in 4 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

Eduardo Bazardo allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was a comeback win for the ages, too bad its for a team on the brink of missing the playoffs. Still, a win like that might spark a run. Rich Hill got lit up and so did both Bazardo and Kelly, but the offense came through big time. The team's strength is still its offense and with Trevor Story healthy, they still have a 1-6 that's as good as anyone. If the bats don't suffer any more catastrophic injuries like Eric Hosmer than they might have a chance to bop their way through September. Getting some good pitching for once would be nice. The win improved the Sox to 64-68, 9.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the wild card. The Sox look to make it three wins a row and second straight tomorrow night against the Rangers. Nick Pivetta takes the mound against Dallas Keuchel of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Hill, Sox Shut Down Rays (8/27/22)

It was a busy day for the Boston Red Sox organization as they made a series of roster moves. In less important news, the Salem Red Sox released three of their prospects today. 22 year outfielder Darel Belen, 24 year old pitcher Adenys Bautista and 25 year old pitcher Miguel Suero. In a few days a lot of the Florida Complex rookies are going to be promoted to Salem now that the FCL season is over, these guys were expendable. Belen was a 19 year old Dominican teenager signed by Dave Dombrowski in 2019 and hit a horrific .102 in 32 games this year. As mentioned back in May, Bautista was the guy the Sox got in the Sandy Leon trade and he was just 2-2 with a mediocre 4.19 ERA. Last year's draft pick Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez is on his way and they didn't need Bautista anymore. Suero was signed as a 20 year old by Dave Dombrowski at the end of the 2017 season but was 4-2 with a hideous 6.39 ERA. I mentioned in May that if Suero didn't pick it up he would be gone, well he didn't pick it up and now he's gone. In major league news, the Jarren Duran experiment is finally over as he was mercifully sent back to Worcester. Its amazing how far Duran crashed and burned in less than two months after looking like he had it all figured out at the end of June. In the end, he played embarrassing defense, got thrown out on the base paths and hit just .215. Not only did he fail to make an impact in Boston, his trade value nosedived because of his loafing in the field and lack of plate discipline. Who knows what the Sox can do with him now. In his place the Sox activated Trevor Story who's wrist has finally healed. Too bad the Sox are pretty much out of contention now. Maybe he'll hit some home runs in September or something.

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As for the game, don't look now but the Red Sox might win another series against an AL East team. Rich Hill (6-5, 4.32 ERA) tossed his best game of the season, shutting out the Rays for seven innings allowing just 3 hits. The Sox bats blitzed old pal Jeffrey Springs for four first inning runs. JD Martinez and Bobby Dalbec both had two run singles to set the tone. Kike Hernandez also hit a home run to put the game out of reach. Jeurys Familia got in trouble in the eighth but John Schreiber slammed the door to give the Sox a 5-1 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                 Dann Florek approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz lined out to right to start. Manny Margot lined out to short and Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox bum rushed Springs in the bottom of the first as Tommy Pham got a base hit to left to walk. Alex Verdugo doubled to center and JD Martinez got a single off the Monster to score both runners. Rafael Devers forced Martinez at second and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging, but the returning Trevor Story singled in the hole at short. Kike Hernandez walked to load the bases and Bobby Dalbec drilled a base hit to center to score Devers and Story. Kevin Plawecki struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                               Dalbec drives in a pair

Harold Ramirez took strike three to start the top of the second inning before Isaac Parades watched strike three go by. Christian Bethancourt grounded out to short to end the inning. Pham took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Verdugo grounded out to short. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yu Chang got a base hit down the line to third to begin the top of the third but Taylor Walls struck out swinging. Jose Siri went down hacking and Diaz also swung at air to end the inning. Devers went down hacking to begin the bottom of the third before Bogaerts grounded out to short. Story struck out swinging to end the inning.

Margot flied out to right to begin the top of the fourth before Arozarena singled in the hole at short. Ramirez flied out to right but Arozarana stole second. Parades lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez belted his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead.  Dalbec popped up to short and Plawecki watched strike three go by, but Pham got a base hit to left. Pham was thrown out at second trying to steal and Alex Cora's challenge of the call was unsuccessful, but the Sox still led 5-0.

                                                         Home run Hernandez

Bethancourt grounded out to third to begin the top of the fifth before Chang drew a walk. Walls struck out swinging and Siri forced Chang at second to end the inning. Verdugo got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Martinez struck out swinging. Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Diaz grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Margot struck out swinging. Arozarena flied out to right to end the inning. Bogaerts lined out to right to start the bottom of the sixth before Story flied out to center. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hill returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Ramirez struck out swinging. Parades got a base hit to center but Bethancourt took strike three. Chang was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Hill was outstanding, allowing just 3 hits and a walk in seven shutout innings.

                                                                 Good work Rich

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Plawecki grounded out to third and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jeurys Familia came in to get tagged in the top of the eighth as Walls lined out to left to start. Siri grounded out to third but Diaz got a base hit to right. Margot got a base hit to center and Arozarena got a base hit to right to score Diaz. That was it for Familia as John Schreiber came in to get Ramirez to ground back to the mound to end the inning with the Rays down 5-1.

Verdugo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth before Martinez took strike three. Devers popped up to second to end the inning.

Schreiber returned to close out the top of the ninth and Parades grounded out to short to start. David Peralta pinch hit for Bethancourt and drew a walk before Ji-Man Choi pinch hit for Chang. A wild pitch moved Peralta to second but Choi struck out swinging. Walls grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-1.

                                                            Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rich Hill. He shut out the Rays for 7 innings allowing just 3 hits and a walk while striking out 11.

                                                           Hero Hill

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

John Schreiber earned his fifth save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jeurys Familia allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Things are looking up slightly for the Red Sox with Trevor Story and Kike Hernandez back from injury and Rich Hill looking sharp. Too bad Eric Hosmer got hurt but Bobby Dalbec had a big hit in this one. The Sox will go as far as their rotation will take them and if Hill, Wacha, Eovaldi and Pivetta stay healthy they might still have a chance for October baseball....barely. Their inability to beat the AL East until the end of August might have put them in too tall of a hole to climb out of. Still, they have the talent to go on a winning streak, it just remains to be seen. The win improved the Sox to 62-65, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series from the Rays tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta (9-9) takes on Corey Kluber of Tampa. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.