Angels Massacre Red Sox (7/2/16)

GADZOOKS! 36 years almost to the day that diminutive Freddy Patek and the California Angels slaughtered the Boston Red Sox 20-2 at Fenway Park.....CJ Cron and the modern day Anaheim Angels laid waste to the collective bungholes of the Sox. Cron was 6 for 6 with two home runs and 5 rbis as the Angels as a whole beat around Clay Buchholz (3-9, 5.91 ERA) and a host of relievers for 22 hits and 20 runs. Albert Pujols launched a two run home run in the first inning and the Angels cruised from there. On the other side of the ball, Hector Santiago held the Sox bats to one unearned run in 6 innings. Mookie Betts did manage to hit a home run but it all added up to a disaster Freddy Patek would have enjoyed as the Angels beat the Sox 21-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                              "We surrender!"

The beat down started in the bottom of the first although Buchholz got Yunel Escobar grounded out to second to start. Kole Calhoun grounded back to the mound but Mike Trout pounded a ground rule double into the right field corner. Albert Pujols then hit a home run all the way to Bangor, Maine to put the Angels on top. Daniel Nava flied out to the left inning warning track to end the inning with the Angels up 2-0.

                                                          Pujols hits one a mile

Some Red Sox fan cost the Sox a run immediately in the top of the first when a fan reached over to try to grab a line drive hit by Mookie Betts off Santiago. The umpires took a look and ruled fan interference double instead of a triple. The interference call proved costly as Dustin Pedroia hit a fly ball to right that sent Betts to third and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. David Ortiz banged into a double play to end the inning, tell that fan thanks for nothing.

                                                                 You imbecile!

Things spiraled out of control in the top of the second inning as CJ Cron hit a chopper to Travis Shaw who turned around and threw the ball a mile to the left of first base for an error to start. Johnny Giatovella flied out to right but Carlos Perez hit a seeing eye single past Bogaerts to put runners at the corners. Andrelton Simmons scored Cron with a sac fly to increase the lead but Escobar hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning with the Angels up 3-0.

                                                            Nice throw Shaw

Hanley Ramirez tried to start a rally with a base hit up the middle but Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging. Bryce Brentz took strike three and Shaw grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Buchholz settled down in the top of the third as Calhoun grounded out to second to start. Trout flied out to center and Pujols grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the third as Christian Vazquez missed a home run by 10 feet down the left field line before walking to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to left, Pedroia popped up to short and Bogaerts popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

The Angels struck again in the top of the fourth as Nava took strike three to start. Cron then hit a home run all the way to the Azores to increase the lead. Giatovella grounded out to second but Perez doubled into the left field corner. Simmons grounded out to short to end the inning but the Angels led 4-0.

                                                              Cron hits one out

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz flied out to center to start. Ramirez doubled into the left field corner but JBJ went down hacking. A wild pitch moved Ramirez to third but Brentz grounded out to third to end the inning.

The floodgates opened in the top of the fifth inning although Escobar popped up to first to start. Calhoun walked and Trout hit a bullet past Shaw to chase Buchholz of the game. Clay lasted just 4 1/3 innings and would be charged with 6 runs. Heath Hembree came in and Pujols hit a grounder to third, Shaw airmailing Pedroia at second for an error to load the bases. Sox manager John Farrell challenged that Trout was out at second but the call was upheld. Nava went down hacking but Cron blooped a single to center to score Calhoun and Trout. Giatovella singled in the hole at second to re-load the bases and Perez doubled off the centerfield wall to clear the bases. Simmons flied out to right to end the inning with the game out of reach 9-0.

                                                       This got out of hand real fast

The Sox got a lucky run in the bottom of the fifth as Shaw lined out to center to start. Vazquez lined out to short but Mr. Mookie hit a ground rule double over the head of Calhoun. Pedroia hit a routine grounder to Escobar who threw the ball away for an error that scored Betts. Bogaerts walked but Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                        Bad throw by Escobar

Hembree returned for the top of the sixth as Escobar walked to start. Calhoun popped up to shallow left before Trout popped up to shallow right. Pujols went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth although Ramirez walked to start. JBJ struck out swinging and Simmons made a great running catch to rob Brentz of a bloop single. Shaw popped up to second to end the inning.

Shane Robinson pinch hit for Nava to start the top of the seventh with Robbie Ross Jr now on the mound to take a beating. Robinson walked, Cron singled to center and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Giatovella grounded out to second but Perez hit a seeing eye single to left to score Robinson with another run. Simmons singled to right to score Cron and Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Ross that 10 yards is a first down. Escobar singled to right to load the bases and Gregorio Petit pinch ran for him. Calhoun singled to right....off the glove of Brentz for an error that scored two runs. That was it for Ross as rookie Pat Light took the mound only to plunk Trout to re-load the bases. Pujols doubled to the right field wall to clear the bases and Jefry Marte ran for him. Robinson struck out swinging but Cron hit a home run all the way to Concord, New Hampshire. Giatovella bashed a double to the centerfield wall and Perez clobbered a home run all the way to Peru to increase the lead. Simmons grounded out to third to end the inning but the Angels scored 11 runs and now led 20-1.

                                                       What a disaster

Fernando Salas came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez flied out to right to start. Mr. Mookie got a mock cheer with his 17th home run of the season to cut the lead but Pedroia popped up to first. Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 20-2.

                                                      Mr. Mookie home run

Light came back to get tagged in the top of the eighth with Marco Hernandez taking over for Ramirez. Petit hit a triple past a jumping JBJ to start but Shaw made a great stab off a Calhoun line drive. Somehow Light struck out Trout looking but Bogaerts threw a routine grounder by Marte away for another error that scored Petit. Robinson popped up to right to end the inning with the Angels ahead 21-2.

                                             "Its okay Pat, we all sucked tonight" - Pedroia

Deolis Guerra came to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Sandy Leon pinch hitting for Ortiz to start. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft and Marte fell down but still made the catch on a Hernandez line drive. JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning.

Ryan LaMarre, yes HIM, came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and Cron nearly hit another home run with a line drive off the top of the Monster. Cron settled for a double but Giatovella flied out to center. Perez was finally retired by lining out to left but Simmons singled to center. Petit flied out to right to end the inning and how sad is it that LaMarre was the only reliever that didn't allow a run.

                                                The only "pitcher" to not allow a run

Mercifully the game came to an end in the bottom of the ninth with Guerra returning to the mound. Brentz slapped a base hit to center but Shaw flied out to left. Mr. Mookie forced Brentz at third but Pedroia ripped a base hit to left to load the bases. Bogaerts hit a slow roller to first to end the game. The Angels had won it 21-2.

                                                            Epic beatdown

Jackass of the Night could be anyone but Clay Buchholz makes the most sense. He got lit up for 6 runs and Hembree, Light, Ross and LaMarre wouldn't have had to come in if he pitched well.

                                                             Jackass Buchholz

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 3 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 2 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Ryan LaMarre pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 3.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4.

Heath Hembree allowed 2 inherited runners to score and was charged with 3 runs himself.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed 6 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Pat Light allowed 2 inherited runners to score and was charged with 6 of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with an error but walked twice.

Bryce Brentz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Between the Freddy Patek game, the 22 to 1 massacre by the Yankees in 2000 and this....there have been some decisive beatdowns at Fenway Park in its 114 year history. The worst part is how bad the Sox played on both sides of the ball. They couldn't do anything offensively against Santiago and it seemed like any ball not hit 400 feet was booted by someone. JBJ missing an easy catch that turned into a triple, Shaw throwing balls away....it was just bad baseball all around. Although as Fox analyst Harold Reynolds pointed out, its only 1 loss. As bad as it was, its just one game. CJ Cron and Carlos Perez combined to go 11 for 12 with 11 rbis combined, shockingly Trout didn't have an rbi. Not much you can say about a game like this apart from the Sox got their brains beat in. If the June swoon was supposed to be rock bottom then this game is going all the way to hell. The worst part is the Sox are bringing up someone from Pawtucket to start tomorrow's game. The swoon could continue all the way to the All-Star break, putting the Sox further behind in the AL East race. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-37, 4 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the Angels when they bring up Sean O'Sullivan from Pawtucket to face Matt Shoemaker of the Angels. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Outslug Sox (6/27/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. William Cuevas was sent back to Pawtucket and in his place is veteran minor league infielder Mike Miller. Cuevas was basically only here to give the tired Sox bullpen a rest the last few days and he did just that. Anything Miller gives until Chris Young comes back is a bonus.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, the Red Sox have officially hit rock bottom. If going 9-14 on the month wasn't bad enough, the Tampa Bay Rays came into tonight's game having lost 11 in a row. The Sox turned out to be the tonic the Rays needed as they pounded the daylights out of the Red Sox for 18 hits and 13 runs. Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 8.59 ERA) needs to go back to Pawtucket because he looks worse than ever. He looked timid and couldn't do anything right as the Rays pounded him for 11 hits and 9 runs. Surprisingly the Boston bats woke up to try to bop their way back in the game, scoring 7 runs off 12 hits of their own. Unfortunately the hole was too much to climb out of as the Rays snapped their 11 game losing streak and pasted the Sox 13-7 at Tropicana Field.

Blake Snell got the start for the Rays and he dominated the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie hit a bullet but right to Taylor Motter to begin. Dustin Pedroia flied out to right and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The Rays smacked Rodriguez around in the bottom of the first as Logan Forsythe effortlessly singled to left to start. Mookie Betts had to climb the wall to rob Tim Beckham of a home run and Evan Longoria dumped a base hit to left. Marco Hernandez missed the relay throw completely and there were runners at second and third after the error. Logan Morrison made Hernandez pay by lashing a single to right to score both runners to put the Rays up. Desmond Jennings popped up to Hanley Ramirez but Oswaldo Arcia singled into the shift to move Morrison to third. Motter effortlessly doubled home Morrison and Nick Franklin doubled into the right field corner to score both runners. Curt Casali whiffed to end the inning but the Rays had blown the doors off Rodriguez to lead 5-0.

                                                           Rays jump in front big time

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second inning when David Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Hanley Ramirez popped up to second and Jackie Bradley Jr went down hacking to end the inning. Rodriguez tried to settle down in the bottom of the second as Forsythe was rung up for strike three to start. Beckham walked but Longoria lined out to center. Morrison reached on a nubber to short but Beckham was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Bryce Brentz beat the shift with a base hit but Sandy Leon popped up to center. Marco Hernandez hit a tapper to Morrison but Snell was out of position and everyone was safe on the hit. Mr. Mookie hit a liner to a running Jennings and Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning. The Rays finished off Rodriguez in the bottom of the third as Jennings hit a line drive home run into left on the first pitch. Arcia doubled to the left field wall and moved to third on the deep fly to center by Motter. Franklin lined a base hit past a diving Bogaerts to score Arcia with another run. Pedroia dropped a pop up by Casali and Franklin was forced at second as a result. Forsythe then smashed a home run all the way to Disney World to increase the lead. Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough and pulled the incompetent Rodriguez from the game. He was shelled for NINE runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Robbie Ross Jr came in and struck out Beckham swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 9-0.

                                                          Not E-Rod's day

The Sox did try to fight back in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Ortiz walked and Ramirez hit a grounder up the middle for a base hit. JBJ took strike three that was actually outside but Brentz hit a gap shot to right. Ramirez and Ortiz scored but Brentz was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                        Yerrrrrr out!

Longoria flied out to the right field wall to open the bottom of the fourth and Morrison grounded out to second. Jennings walked but Arcia grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox blew a major rally in the top of the fifth as Leon took strike three to start. Hernandez singled up the middle but was forced at second by Mr. Mookie. Pedroia singled to center to send Betts to third and Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Ortiz walked home Betts to cut the lead and re-load the bases...but Hanley took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 9-3.

                                                 Dammit Hanley!

The Rays tagged Tommy Layne in the bottom of the fifth as Layne threw a grounder by Motter all the way to Miami for an error. Franklin grounded out to short and Casali struck out swinging, but Forsythe doubled off the left field wall to score Motter. Pedroia leaped to snare a line drive by Beckham to end the inning with the Rays up 10-3.

                                                Layne airmails everyone

The Sox blew another  rally in the top of the sixth as JBJ drew a walk to start. Brentz flied out to left but Leon dumped a single to right to advance Bradley to third. Hernandez hit a roller to Morrison and the Rays were out of position again, allowing JBJ to score. That was it for Blake Snell as Ryan Garton came in to pitch. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Pedroia popped up to Arcia to end the inning with the Sox down 10-4.

                                                     JBJ scores a run

Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Longoria dumped a base hit to left to start. Morrison lined out to Betts and Jennings struck out swinging before Arcia also went down hacking to end the inning.

Danny Farquhar came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Ortiz flied out to the right field wall and Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. The Rays tagged Koji Uehara in the bottom of the seventh as Motter walked to start. Franklin launched his first home run of the season to right to put the Sox further behind. Uehara struck out Casali and Forsythe swinging and got Beckham to fly out to left to end the inning but the Rays were up 12-4.

                                                        Dammit

The Sox did manage to tag Farquhar in the top of the eighth although JBJ earned a hat trick with a swinging strikeout to start. Brentz doubled down the left field line and Leon pulverized his first home run of the season to cut the lead. Hernandez flied out to the centerfield wall and Mr. Mookie also flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 12-6.

                                               First homer for Leon this year

Sox manager John Farrell emptied the bench in the bottom of the eighth as Travis Shaw came in for Hanley, Ryan LaMarre came in for Betts and Mike Miller made his Sox debut by taking over for Pedroia. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch and Longoria hit a chopper off the glove of Hernandez for a "single" to start. Morrison struck the catwalk with a pop up but eventually struck out swinging. Jennings took strike three but Arcia singled Longoria to third. Motter hit one in the hole at short to score Longoria to increase the lead. Franklin needed a triple to hit for the cycle but watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Rays up 13-6.

                                              "I got it...I got it....I don't got it" - Hernandez

Xavier Cedeno had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Miller ended his first ML at-bat with a ground out to short to start. Bogaerts beat out an infield single to second and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Ortiz. Vazquez dumped a base hit to center that send Bogaerts to third and Shaw scored Bogaerts with a sac fly to wrap up the scoring. Vazquez moved to second on defensive indifference but JBJ earned the golden sombrero with a swinging strikeout to end the game. The Rays had won it 13-7.

                                                         Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. E-Rod got lit up for NINE runs in just 2 2/3 innings to take the loss.

                                                    E-Jackass

The Good:

David Ortiz walked twice, scored a run and drove in a run in four plate appearances.

Christian Vazquez singled as a pinch hitter.

Travis Shaw drove in a run in his only plate appearance.

Bryce Brentz was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Marco Hernandez was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Robbie Ross tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Junichi Tazawa tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Mike Miller was 0 for 1 in his ML debut.

Tommy Layne allowed a run in the fifth inning.

Koji Uehara allowed 2 runs in the seventh inning.

Craig Kimbrel allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 but scored a run.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4.

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

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Ryan LaMarre played right field in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing went right for the Boston Red Sox this month. Bad pitching, lack of offense, bad relief pitching, bad defense. You name it, it was all bad. The Sox can't get out of the month of June fast enough now that they're 9-15 on the month with two games left. The Sox are spiraling down the drain and the Sox are going to need some major pitching help if they're to get back in the AL East race. They're falling behind the Baltimore Orioles big time but at least they have a month before the trade deadline to pull off a winning streak or two. Rodriguez needs to go back to Pawtucket or back on the Disabled List because he looks completely lost out there. He's been a liability since he came off the DL and it may be time to put him back on it. Not only Rodriguez but the normally reliable Kimbrel and Uehara got tagged today too. The Rays had lost 11 in a row coming in so naturally they score a weeks worth of runs in one game. Hopefully the Sox can send them back to their losing ways in the next game. The loss dropped the Sox to 41-35, 4.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to break their three game losing streak when they send "Slick" Rick Porcello (8-2) up against Tampa ace Chris Archer. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Texas Downs Slumping Sox (6/26/16)

Another game, another frustrating loss for the Boston Red Sox. The Sox haven't looked good at all since the beginning of June and today's loss to the Texas Rangers was just another potential nail in the Sox coffin this season if they can't turn it around. Clay Buchholz (3-8, 5.90 ERA) turned in yet another miserable performance as a starter. He got lit up for 3 runs in the first inning and never recovered. The Texas bats knocked around the Boston bullpen for another run while Rangers starter Martin Perez held the supposedly good offense to just 1 run through six. The Sox managed just 2 runs and 8 hits as the Rangers laughed at them 6-2 at Arlington Park.

                                                           Sox fans sentiments exactly

Perez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts singled under the glove of Perez to start. Pedroia hit a bullet but right to Nomar Mazara and Xander Bogaerts hit a little roller to third. Adrian Beltre threw low to Mitch Moreland for the out...but wait! Sox manager John Farrell bolted out of the dugout to argue that Moreland didn't have control of the ball when Bogaerts hit the bag. The call stood and Farrell had to to be escorted back to the dugout by armed security. Hanley Ramirez drew a walk which would have loaded the bases but Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to Beltre to end the inning.

                                             "HE NEVER HAD THE BALL!" - JF

The Sox needed a good start from Buchholz and instead he crapped his pants in the bottom of the first inning. Shin-Soo Choo singled in the hole at second and Ian Desmond dumped a base hit to center. Mazara dumped a base hit to right and Choo raced around to score the first run. Adrian Beltre singled up the middle to score Desmond and Prince Fielder walked to load the bases. Rougned Odor then dropped a pop up in no man's land to score Mazara. Just like that a switch was flipped as Elvis Andrus grounded into a 5-2-3 double play and Mitch Moreland was intentionally walked to re-load the bases. Bryan Holloday popped up to left to end the inning but the game was over already 3-0.

                                                   Odor laughs at the Red Sox

Bryce Brentz tried to start a rally with a base hit to center to start the top of the second but Travis Shaw banged into a double play off the hand of Perez. Sandy Leon walked but Ryan LaMarre sliced a line out to right to end the inning. Choo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Desmond walked. Mazara grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to start. Pedroia flied out to center and Bogaerts hit a swinging bunt back to Perez to end the inning. Buchholz cruised in the bottom of the third as Sox analyst Jerry Remy said when Nolan Ryan was with the California Angels, he was nice to rookies. Beltre struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third before Fielder grounded into the shift in shallow right. Odor went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance to get back in the game in the top of the fourth although Ramirez dropped a base hit to right. JBJ forced Ramirez at second then advanced on the grounder to third by Brentz. JBJ swiped third but Shaw went down hacking to end the inning. Andrus began the bottom of the fourth by grounding one to Shaw. Shaw's throw pulled Hanley off the bag for an error....BUT WAIT! Eagle eyed Red Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call saying Hanley got the foot back in time since Andrus wasn't hustling. Sure enough, the call was reversed and Andrus was out. Moreland flied out to left but Holoday worked a walk. Holoday was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

                                              "No no no, he was out!" - HR

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the fifth as Leon flied out to deep center to start. LaMarre went down hacking but Mr. Mookie grounded a base hit up the middle. Pedroia also hit a single up the middle to move Betts to third....but Bogaerts popped up to right to end the inning. Choo opened the bottom of the fifth by slapping a single past the shift to start, but was thrown out at second when Desmond watched strike three go by. Mazara flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

The Sox finally broke through in the top of the sixth although Ramirez popped up to right to start. JBJ grounded out to first but Brentz clobbered his first ML home run to left to cut the lead. Shaw flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were on the board down 3-1.

                                                  First homer for Brentz

All Buchholz needed to do was hold the fort for one more inning but he failed in the bottom of the sixth. Beltre hit a routine grounder to short but Bogaerts threw high that pulled Ramirez off the bag for an error. Fielder made Bogaerts pay by hitting a line drive home run into the right field corner to ice the game. Sox manager John Farrell himself came out to tell Buchholz to get his head out of his rear and Clay responded by getting Odor to ground out to second. Andrus walked and that was it for Buchholz. He got lit up in the first inning, settled down, then served up the backbreaking homer to Fielder. Tommy Layne came in to pitch to Moreland and got him to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 5-1.

                                                 Sad Clay

Matt Bush came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox went quietly. Leon looked at strike three, LaMarre grounded out to third as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien told how Arlington security had to wrestle the Brentz home run ball away from a young kid who caught the ball. Mr. Mookie grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Heath Hembree came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh although he punched out Holaday swinging to start. Choo doubled over the head of LaMarre and took third on a passed ball by Leon. Desmond grounded out to second but Mazara was intentionally walked to set up a double play. The gamble failed as Beltre grounded a single to the left side to score Choo. Fielder lined out to a running JBJ to end the inning but the Rangers led it 6-1.

                                                 Choo scores another run

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the eighth as Pedroia walked to start. Bogaerts lined a base hit through the hole at short but Hanley forced Pedroia at third. JBJ popped up to left and Sox manager John Farrell pinch hit David Ortiz for Brentz. Rangers manager Jeff Banister countered by bringing in lefty Jake Diekman to pitch to him. Ortiz singled through the shift into right to score Bogaerts. With a chance to get the Sox back in the game....Shaw flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                  Ortiz drives in a run

William Cuevas came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Odor lined a base hit to center to start. Andrus hit a bullet to Shaw who doubled off Odor at first for the double play. Moreland walked and Jurickson Profar pinch hit for Holaday. Cuevas struck out Profar swinging to end the inning.

Shawn Tolleson came in to close out the top of the ninth and Leon grounded out to Odor to start. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for LaMarre and popped up to Odor. Mr. Mookie grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Rangers had won it 6-2.

                                                          Rangers win

Jackass of the Night is Clay Buchholz. He allowed 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                               Carl Willis telling Clay he's a Jackass

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5.

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bryce Brentz was 2 for 3 with his first ML home run.

David Ortiz singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Tommy Layne got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

William Cuevas pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan LaMarre was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Heath Hembree allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with an error but scored a run.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a passed ball and a strikeout, but walked.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have gone an abysmal 9-14 in June so far and are plummeting out of the division race. The pitching has completely fallen apart and even the bats have gone quiet. The rotation has been god awful besides Rick Porcello and even Steven Wright got lit up in his last start. The Red Sox usually go through a June swoon so maybe getting out of this month will get them back on track. Even Sox analyst Jerry Remy mentioned during the game the Sox need to make a move immediately because they don't want to fall to far behind the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the standings. You never know when the New York Yankees will make a surge too so the Sox better get with the program quick or else this season is going to turn out like the last two. If Buchholz didn't give up that home run to Fielder, he actually would have had a quality start after that terrible first inning. Hopefully the Sox can rebound in the next series. The loss dropped the Sox to 41-34, 4 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Tampa Bay to play a three game set with the Rays who have lost 11 games in a row. Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2) takes on Blake Snell of the Rays tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Red Sox Walkoff White Sox (6/23/16)

What a game! The Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox had a back and forth game full of drama, twists and turns. The Red Sox trailed 4-1 when they pulled off a huge rally to take the lead 5-4. Jose Abreu clobbered a 3 run homer to give Chicago the lead back but the Sox fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. In the end it was Xander Bogaerts who knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth. The Red Sox snapped their losing streak with a thrilling 8-7 victory over the White Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                             Big win

"Slick" Rick Porcello got the ball in the top of the first and the White Sox wasted no time tagging him. Tim Anderson singled to right and Adam Eaton was plunked. Jose Abreu singled off the glove of Porcello to load the bases and Melky Cabrera banged into a double play to score Anderson. Eaton scored on a wild pitch and Todd Frazier took strike three to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                   Eaton's safe

"Big game" James Shields took the ball in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a base hit up the middle. Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley heroically snared a foul ball to save Dave O'Brien as Dustin Pedroia forced Betts at second. Xander Bogaerts popped up to left and David Ortiz swung and missed for strike three to end the inning.

                                                            "I got it!" - Eck

Porcello recovered in the top of the second inning as Brett Lawrie grounded out to second to start. Alex Avila flied out to deep center and Avisail Garcia flied out to right to end the inning. Disaster struck in the bottom of the second as Chris Young hit a shot off the Monster but pulled up lame and grabbed his leg. Young had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Addison Gilbert Hospital's ICU. Ryan LaMarre pinch ran for Young and was erased on the Jackie Bradley Jr force. Hanley Ramirez singled to center and both runners moved over on the Christian Vazquez grounder to short. Marco Hernandez lined out to left to end the inning.

                                                        "Owwwwwowowowoww!!!!" - Young

LeMarre took over in left to start the top of the third. JB Shuck lined out to a running JBJ to start before Anderson flied out to right. Eaton caught Porcello asleep with a bunt single and Abreu was plunked, but Cabrera grounded into a force to end the inning. Mr. Mookie popped up to short to start the bottom of the third and Pedroia flied out to the centerfield warning track. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. 

The White Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Frazier popped up to first to start. Lawrie dumped a single to right and Avila punched a base hit to center. Garcia took strike three but Shuck dropped a base hit into right. Lawrie scored but Avila was thrown out at third to end the inning with the ChiSox up 3-0.

                                                          Yerrrrr out!

Ortiz walked to start the bottom of the fourth but LeMarre banged into a double play. JBJ walked but Ramirez popped up to short to end the inning.

Porcello looked strong in the top of the fifth as Anderson grounded out to third to start. Eaton walked but Abreu banged into a double play to end the inning. The BoSox finally showed some life in the bottom of the fifth as Vazquez took strike three to start. Hernandez grounded out to second but Mr. Mookie dropped in a bloop single to right. Pedroia doubled down the left field line to score Betts to put the Sox on the board. Bogaerts popped up to the middle of the mound and nearly all of the White Sox infielders ran into each other, but Abreu caught it for the third out. The BoSox were on the board and trailed 3-1.

                                                     Betts scores a run

The ChiSox chased Porcello in the top of the sixth as Cabrera led off with a triple over the head of Bradley. Sox manager John Farrell challenged that Cabrera was out at third but replays showed he was safe. Frazier scored Cabrera with a sac fly and Lawrie singled off the bumbling Porcello. Farrell had seen enough and pulled Porcello after 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 4 runs and just wasn't sharp. Tommy Layne came in and Avila singled Lawrie to third. Garcia banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 4-1 Chicago.

                                                       Bye bye Rick

The Red Sox exploded in the bottom of the sixth as Ortiz led off by drawing a walk. LaMarre walked to chase Shields. Matt Alberts came in and JBJ was plunked was to load the bases. Hanley hit a routine grounder to Lawrie who fired to first....NOWHERE NEAR THE BAG! Ortiz and LeMarre scored on the error with Bradley moving to third. Sandy Leon pinch hit for Vazquez and singled home Bradley to tie the game with Hanley moving to third. Dan Jennings came in to pitch and Hernandez beat out a double play ball to score Hanley with the go-ahead run. Mr. Mookie forced Hernandez at second and then got picked off to end the inning with Boston ahead 5-4.

                                                             Oops

The White Sox answered in the top of the seventh although Shuck grounded back to the mound to start. Anderson singled to left and Eaton caught Layne asleep with a bunt single to chase Tommy. Junichi Tazawa came in and Abreu pounded a home run to South America to put Chicago back on top. Cabrera and Frazier both flied out to center to end the inning but it was 7-5 White Sox.

                                                 Things didn't look good

Chris Beck took over for the bottom of the seventh and the BoSox rallied again. Pedroia walked to start but Bogaerts hit a routine grounder to third....THROWN AWAY by Frazier. Both runners moved into scoring position and Ortiz was intentionally walked to load the bases with nobody out. Travis Shaw pinch hit for LaMarre and hit a sac fly to the right field warning track to score Pedroia. JBJ popped up a bunt to second and Hanley whiffed to end the inning with the BoSox down 7-6.

                                                   Oops....again

Heath Hembree came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lawrie hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts. Xander picked up the ball and threw it straight up in the air for an error. Avila then missed taking Hembree's head off with a liner to center and Garcia dumped a single to right to load the bases with nobody out. Somehow Hembree got Shuck to fly out to short left to hold the runners. Hembree struck out Anderson swinging and got Eaton to ground out to second to houdini his way out of the inning. The BoSox tied it in the bottom of the eighth with Nate Jones now on the mound. Eaton robbed Leon of extra bases with a great running catch and Hernandez missed the go-ahead home run by inches, settling for a Monster double. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Pedroia lashed a base hit to left to score Hernandez with the tying run. Bogaerts check swing popped up to Abreu to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

                                                        Hernandez scores to tie it up

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Abreu flied out to right to start. Cabrera also flied out to right and Frazier went down hacking to end the inning. White Sox closer David Robertson took over for the bottom of the ninth and Ortiz pounded a ground-rule double into the right field bleachers to start. Deven Marrero pinch ran for Ortiz and Shaw drew a walk. JBJ watched strike three go right down the middle and Hanley hit a bullet, but right to Eaton. Leon whiffed to end the inning, what a waste.

Kimbrel returned for the top of the tenth and walked Lawrie to start. Avila singled Lawrie to third and Tyler Saladino pinch ran for Avila. Saladino took second on defensive indifference and Garcia walked to load the bases. Somehow Shuck popped up to short and Kimbrel blew away Anderson with a 97 mph fastball. Eaton whiffed to end the inning as Kimbrel houdini'd his way out of the jam to end the inning. Dioner Navarro took over behind the plate with Matt Purke now on the mound for the bottom of the tenth. Hernandez walked to start but was erased on the force by Mr. Mookie. Pedroia walked and Bogaerts singled home Betts to win the game. The Sox had won it 8-7 in 10 innings.

                                                              RED SOX WIN!    

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He got the game winning base hit in the bottom of the tenth.

                                                             X-Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Chris Young was 1 for 1 before leaving with injury.

Ryan LeMarre walked and scored as a pinch hitter.

Travis Shaw walked and hit a sac fly to drive in a run.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Heath Hembree tossed a scoreless eighth innings.

Craig Kimbrel got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rick Porcello was lit up for 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings.

Tommy Layne was charged with 2 runs in an inning.

Junichi Tazawa served up the 3 run homer to Abreu.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 2 for 6 but scored 2 runs.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Deven Marrero pinch ran for Ortiz in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a great comeback win but holy moly did the Red Sox look silly in four straight games. They got clowned in the first three games and nearly blew this one as well. Not only did the White Sox tee off on the Sox bullpen but Boston needed some really bad defense to win today's game. If James Shields didn't come back for the sixth inning, its possible the White Sox complete the sweep. Hopefully Chris Young isn't out too long because the Sox are painfully thin on the bench, especially with Brock Holt still in Pawtucket rehabbing. We may see one of the outfielders from Pawtucket get called up tomorrow if Young's injury is serious enough. Its too bad a lot of negatives overshadow a walkoff, feel good win but that's where we are. The win improved the Sox to 40-32, 1.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road for a set with the Texas Rangers. David Price (8-4, 4.24 ERA) gets the start for the Sox against Nick Martinez of the Rangers. The game begins at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.