Gray, Red Sox Blank White Sox (8/5/26)

One thing is for sure, if the Boston Red Sox ever get Garrett Crochet back they might not ever lose again with the pitching they have. Sonny Gray (14-2, 2.78 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young Award by tossing 6 shut out innings against the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox. After that, the trio of Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Jovani Moran shut the door without allowing a single run. Offensively the Sox used a balanced attack against Chicago starter Sean Burke & the White Sox bullpen. Willson Contreras drove in a run in the bottom of the first and Wilyer Abreu smashed a home run in the bottom of the third. Andruw Monasterio drove in a run in the bottom of the seventh and Caleb Durbin drove in Abreu in the bottom of the eighth. Moran shut the door in the top of the ninth and the Red Sox made it seven wins in a row as they knocked off the White Sox 4-0 at Fenway Park.

                                           Jeremy Swayman approves of the shutout win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first and Sam Antonacci grounded out to first to start. Munetaka Murakami flied out to left. Miguel Vargas walked but Colson Montgomery struck out swinging to end the inning. Burke got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Nick Sogard took strike three to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to left but Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to center. Abreu took second on a wild pitch and Willson Contreras got a base hit to left to score him. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Red Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Sox strike first

Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Braden Montgomery flied out to left. Tristan Peters flied out to right to end the inning. Caleb Durbin lined out to right to start the bottom of the second and Jarren Duran grounded out to second. Andruw Monasterio got a base hit to left then stole second. Monasterio took third on a balk but Connor Wong lined out to short to end the inning. 

Chase Meidroth struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Drew Romo flied out to center, but Antonacci was hit with a pitch. Murakami walked and Vargas got a base hit inside the bag at third. Antonacci ran for home but Durbin threw him out to end the inning. Sogard struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third and Rafaela did the same. Abreu then smashed his 20th home run of the year to increase the lead before Contreras walked. Yoshida popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Abreu watches it go

Colson Montgomery struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Benintendi doubled off the Monster. Braden Montgomery struck out swinging and Peters did the same to end the inning. Durbin lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Duran doubled off the glove of Murakami. Duran took third on a wild pitch but Monasterio popped up to first. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

All of a sudden Contreras keeled over in the dugout and had to leave the game in the top of the fifth. Sogard moved over to first and Anthony Seigler came in for Contreras at second. Meidroth struck out swinging but naturally Seigler booted a grounder by Romo for an error. Romo took second on a grounder to the mound by Antonacci but Murakami struck out swinging to end the inning. Sogard popped up to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Rafaela walked to chase Burke. Old pal Sean Newcomb came in to face Abreu and Wilyer hit a bullet.....right to Murakimi who got Rafaela at first to end the inning.

Vargas got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but Colson Montgomery grounded into a double play. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Gray agter 6 shutout innings at only 83 pitches. He allowed 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                         Good work Gray

Seigler struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida lined out to right. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Braden Montgomery struck out swinging to start. Peters' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Durbin and Meidroth grounded out to short to end the inning. Duran got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the seventh to chase Newcomb. Huascar Brazoban came in to fsce Monasterio and Duran took off for second. Romo's throw got away and Duran took third on the error. Monasterio hit a sac fly to left to score Duran but Wong struck out swinging. Sogard walked but Rafaela forced him at second to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-0.

                                                       Sox score another run

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Joey Bart pinch hit for Romo to start. Bart struck out swinging but Antonacci got a base hit to center. Murakami flied out to left and Vargas struck out swinging to end the inning. Old pal Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Abreu walked to start. Abreu stole second but Seigler struck out swinging. Jahmai Jones pinch hit for Yoshida and took strike three. Durbin blooped a base hit to right and Abreu came home....SAFE! Durbin was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 4-0.

                                                       Durbin drives in a run

Jovani Moran came in to close out the top of the ninth and Colson Montgomery walked on four pitches not even close. Randal Grichuk pinch hit for Benintendi and took strike three. Braden Montgomery struck out swinging and Brenton Doyle pinch hit for Peters. Colson Montgomery took second on defense indifference but Doyle struck out swinging to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 4-0.

                                                                     Sox win

Hero of The Night is Sonny Gray. He pitched 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

                                                             Gray Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run, a stolen base and 3 total runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 1 for 1 with a walk and an rbi before leaving the game.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 2 with a stolen base and an rbi.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Jahmai Jones struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

What a torrid run the Red Sox are on. Not only have they won seven games in a row but the last five have come against potential playoff teams. Sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers and taking 2 of 3 from the AL Central leading White Sox is no joke. Its not just that they win, its how. The Sox 5 man rotation are under or just over 3.00 which means the starters are only giving up 3 runs or fewer per start. As long as the bullpen doesn't melt down, the Sox have a chance to win almost every night. The offense that was once the worst in not just all of baseball but heading toward historic incompetence is now a strength. With Andruw Monasterio and Caleb Durbin turning their seasons around and Connor Wong replacing Carlos Narvaez, the Sox are 7 guys deep out of nine. The only stragglers are Sogard and Seigler but they're only playing because Curtis Mead got hurt and Trevor Story is still out. Tonight's game went according to formula, get lights out pitching and scratch out enough runs to win. Duran's average might be .206 but he was about .190 a few weeks ago and he's definitely picked it up. That little ruckus with Contreras and Chad Epperson might have woke him up. He admitted that he thought for sure he would be released at the trade deadline and now that he's safe, he's been playing his ass off. Hopefully that continues moving forward because if HE gets hot, there's no stopping them. They're 7 guys deep in the bullpen, the rotation is averaging 3 runs or fewer and the offense is rolling. One pipe dream is the Detroit Tigers started their historic 1984 season by going 35-5. If the Red Sox somehow win five more games in a row, they'll have gone 35-5 since losing to the Colorado Rockies on June 24th. A tall task but not impossible. The bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the worthless Colorado Rockies but the good news was the St. Louis Cardinals knocked off the New York Yankees. The 15 game lead the Yankees had is now down to just 1. Overtaking them is crucial because they don't want a repeat of last year with 3 straight games in Yankee Stadium. It seems unfair but the Sox need to go on these major win streaks just to keep pace with the Rays and Yankees. Just have to keep winning and winning. The win improved the Sox to 62-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to sweep the White Sox and win their eighth game in a row tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA) takes on Luis Castillo of Chicago. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Tempers Flare as Sox Stun A's (7/30/26)

The good news was the Boston Red Sox once again rallied past the Sacramento A's to continue their scorching hot July, the bad news was once again Jarren Duran caused a scene. Before that, Sonny Gray (13-2, 2.93 ERA) might have lost his Cy Young Award bid by allowing 4 runs in 7 innings. The Sox kept it close with rbis from Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela off Sacramento starter Mason Barnett. In the top of the sixth, the Sox had second and third with one out and Duran hit a short fly ball to left. Willson Contreras at third wisely stayed put because the throw would have beaten him. Duran caused a scene screaming at him to run with Wilyer Abreu just looking at Duran like he had 3 heads. Speaking of which, it was back to back home runs by Abreu and Contreras to put the Sox ahead in the top of the eighth. Greg Weissert and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox had won the game 5-4 at Sutter Health Park.

                                                                Live look at Duran

Barnett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu went down hacking to end the inning. Gray got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nick Kurtz lined out to first to start. Jacob Wilson doubled to left and moved to third on the grounder to the mound by Tyler Soderstrom. Jonah Heim grounded out to first to end the inning.

Willson Contreras flied out to right to start the top of the second and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to third. Caleb Durbin flied out to right to end the inning. Tommt White flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and Lawrence Butler flied out to center. Jeff McNeil grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Andruw Monasterio flied out to right. Connor Wong took strike three to end the inning. The A's struck first in the bottom of the third as Carlos Cortes walked to start. Donovan Walton grounded back to the mound to move Cortes to second and Monasterio booted a grounder by Kurtz to put runners at the corners. Wilson got a base hit to center to score Cortes but Soderstrom grounded into a double play to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                                 A's strike first

Seigler flied out to left to start the top of the fourth but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Abreu took strike three but Rafaela stole second. Contreras walked but Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning. The A's struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Heim doubled to center to start. White grounded out to short but Butler doubled to right to score Heim. McNeil got a base hit to right to move Butler to third but Cortes struck out swinging. Walton got a base hit to right to score Butler to increase the lead. Kurtz walked and Wilson popped up to second to end the inning with the A's up 3-0.

                                                            Walton drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Durbin was hit with a pitch to start. Duran grounded out to second to move Durbin to third and Monasterio got a base hit to center to score Caleb. Wong struck out swinging and Seigler singled off the glove of McNeil. Rafaela doubled to left to score both runners and Walton threw the ball away to move Ceddanne to third. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Rafaela ties it up

Soderstrom lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Heim grounded out to first. White lined out to center to end the inning.

Scott Blewett came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Contreras got a base hit to left to start. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Durbin dropped down a bunt to move both runners over. Duran then hit a short fly ball to left and Contreras stayed put, causing Duran to pitch a fit. Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning with Duran still mad at Chad Epperson and Willson Contreras.

                                                        "Run!!!" - Duran

The A's took command in the bottom of the sixth and Butler doubled to center to start. McNeil flied out to center to move Butler to third and Lawrence scored on the sac fly to left by Cortes. Walton took strike three to end the inning with the A's up 4-3.

                                                           A's take the lead

Wong lined out to right to start the top of the seventh and Seigler grounded out to second. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning. Gray returned for the bottom of the seventh and Kurtz struck out swinging to begin. Wilson watched strike three go by and Soderstrom went down hacking to end the inning. Gray didn't have his best stuff but still battled to allow 4 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings.

                                                     Gray did the best he could

The Sox suddenly sprang to life in the top of the eighth with Luis Medina now on the mound. Abreu smashed his 16th home run of the year to tie the game and Contreras clobbered his 23rd home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Yoshida struck out swinging, Durbin grounded back to the mound and Duran grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                        Abreu ties it up

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Heim got a base hit to center off the glove of Abreu to start. Henry Bolte pinch ran for Heim but White grounded into a double play. Butler struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brian Serven came in to catch and Elvis Alvarado came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Monasterio struck out swinging but Wong walked. Seigler grounded into a double play to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and McNeil grounded out to thrid to start. Alika Williams pinch hit for Cortes and doubled to left before Colby Thomas pinch hit for Walton. Thomas struck out looking and Kurtz struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His go-ahead home run put the Sox up for good

                                                          Hero Contreras

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a stolen base.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 26th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but hit the game tying home run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but drove in a run & scored a run.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts

Sonny Gray got the win by lasting 7 innings but allowed 4 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Final Thoughts:

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the days ahead. Duran has been a headache all season and you can deal with that if a guy is hitting .300 or so like prime Manny Ramirez or 2000 Carl Everett. Duran isn't hitting .200 and at what point is he not worth it anymore? We're just days away from the trade deadline and between his outbursts against fans, shouting at teammates and hitting .200 his trade value is non-existent. Abreu and Contreras could have easily gotten in his face in the dugout but they didn't. Sox manager Chad Tracy after the game said it was a nothing burger but we'll know sooner or later if he's right. The incident overshadowed another great comeback where they rallied in the later innings. Contreras has been a hell of a trade pickup and he's inspired Abreu to be a better player as well. The two of them aren't quite as potent as David Ortiz and Manny but they've been great this year. Gray looks like he's coming back to Earth but he was still battling. Weissert and Chapman shut the door pretty good and like I mentioned yesterday, the Sox are five guys deep in the bullpen. If Chapman and Weissert are unavailable in tomorrow night's game, you still have Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Tyron Guerrero to step up. That's crucial for the final 2 months of the season if they can stay healthy.  The win improved the Sox to 57-51, 7 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to end their historic month tomorrow night on NBC Sunday Night baseball against the Dodgers. Jake Bennett (6-4) takes on Emmet Sheehan of Los Angeles. The game begins at 7:20 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Cease, Jays Blank Sox (7/25/26)

If the Boston Red Sox needed a reminder that they miss Garrett Crochet, they got one courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays. In a battle of two AL Cy Young candidates, Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays put a cigarette out on Sonny Gray (12-2, 2.78 ERA) and the heads of the Red Sox. Cease tossed a complete game 1 hit shutout while allowing just 3 walks. Meanwhile the Jays ripped Gray a new bunghole in the third inning scoring 5 runs to put the game out of reach. Alec Gamboa heroically tried to keep the Sox in the game for a comeback that never happened. Gamboa allowed a ninth inning rbi to Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Cease finished the job in the bottom of the ninth. The Jays had blanked the Red Sox 6-0. How many Sox did the Sox score John Cena?

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nathan Lukes grounded back to the mound to start. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third and Kazuma Okamoto struck out swinging to end the inning. Cease got the ball in the bottom of the first and Anthony Seigler popped up to third to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. 

The Jays blew a rally in the top of the second as George Springer got a base hit to left to start. Daulton Varsho got a base hit to right but Ernie Clement lined out to left and Springer got doubled off second on a line drive to Rafaela by Yohendrick Pinanfo to end the inning. Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida flied out to center. Caleb Durbin popped up to second to end the inning. 

The Jays struck first in the top of the second as Andres Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Brandon Valenzuela grounded out to second but Lukes doubled to left. Guerrero effortlessly singled to left to score Lukes, putting the Jays up for good. Okamoto beat out a roller to third  and Springer hit a home run all the way to Mexico to ice the game. Varsho got a base hit to center and Clement doubled to left to score him as the boos rained down. Pinango struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.

                                                             Springer ends it early

The Sox gave up in the bottom of the third as Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Andruw Monasterio flied out to center and Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Gimenez got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Valenzuela lined out to right. Lukes grounded out to first and Guerrero got a base hit to left. Gimenez tried for home but Duran threw him out at the plate to end the inning. Seigler flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela grounded back to the mound. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Okamoto grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Springer lined out to third. Varsho lined out to left to end the inning. That was it for Gray who got rocked for 5 runs in 5 innings off 10 hits.

                                                              Gray gets pounded

Contreras struck out swinging to start. Yoshida grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Alec Gamboa came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Clement beat out a roller to start. Myles Straw pinch hit for Pinango and struck out swinging. Gimenez struck out swinging but Clement stole second in the process. Valenzuela hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Monasterio broke up the perfect game with a double to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Wong grounded out to short. Rafaela popped up to second to end the inning. 

Lukes struck out swinging to start but Guerrero Jr walked and Okamoto banged into a double play to end the inning. Abreu grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Contreras walked. Yoshida flied out to right and Contreras got caught stealing second to end the inning. 

Springer grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Varsho lined out to center. Clement singled to left but Straw flied out to right to end the inning. Durbin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Duran took strike three. Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gimenez beat out a roller to short to start the top of the ninth but Valenzuela struck out swinging. Lukes doubled to left and Guerrero Jr singled off Gamboa to score Gimenez. Okamoto struck out swinging and Springer took strike three to end the inning with the Jays up 6-0.

                                                                Guerrero Jr drives in a run

Cease came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Wong struck out swinging to start. Seigler walked but Rafaela took strike three. Abreu took strike three to end the game. The Jays had won it 6-0.

                                                         Blue Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Sonny Gray. He got lit up for 5 runs in 5 innings off 10 hits.

                                                                 Jackass Gray

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Caleb Durbin wad 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Alec Gamboa allowed a run in 4 innings of work.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 3 with a strikeout with a walk.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a wakeup call for not just the Red Sox players but the front office as well. Cease is a real ace and guys like him and the Cam Schittler of the New York Yankees are going to be what you face in October. In order to beat those guys you need elite bats, which they don't have. Breslow has a week before the deadline to go get a bat, preferably right handed. If Trevor Story's not coming back until the end of August, you can't afford to wait that long to see if anyone else steps up. The Sox need some help right away so Breslow has about a week to do something. Otherwise you're banking on Roman Anthony and Triston Casas to come back and that hasn't worked out for the past year at all. As for the fans that want the Sox to sell, that's not happening. The bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays won but the good news is they beat the Cleveland Guardians so the Sox didn't lose any ground in the wild card race. The Sox still have two months to make a run at Tampa but they're right in the thick of things right now. Just the more reason to buy at the deadline instead of sell. Just tip your cap to Cease and say "ya got me" because that was a hell of a performance. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-50, 8 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when Ranger Suarez comes off the Injured List to face Kevin Gausman of Toronto. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sweep Rays, Win 13 Straight (7/19/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox officially released Danny Coulombe. Just like Tommy Kahnle, he didn't have it anymore. The Red Sox have been white hot lately and a lot of that was due to their shutdown bullpen. Coulombe wasn't getting it done and rumors are Patrick Sandoval is going to the bullpen when Ranger Suarez comes back. Oh well.

                                                                      OUT

As for the game, how about the white hot Boston Red Sox. The Sox took the first place Tampa Bay Rays and chewed them up & spat them out in four straight games. Today Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young award by tossing 6 innings and holding the Rays to 1 run. He wasn't as sharp but he got the outs when he had to. Meanwhile the Sox got to Rays ace Shane McClanahan for 6 runs. The Sox scored 3 runs in the third inning without getting a hit and Willson Contreras hit a 2 run jack to put it out of reach. The trio of Greg Weissert, Jovani Moran and Ryan Watson slammed the door and the Sox had won 13 straight including a 4 game sweep of the Rays 6-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                           Ryan Fox approves of the win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz led off by grounding out to first. Jonathan Aranda walked and Junior Caminero singled in the hole at third. Cedric Mullins struck out swinging and Jarren Duran nearly ran into Ceddanne Rafaela on a pop up to center by Chandler Simpson to end the inning. McClanahan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jahmai Jones led off with a base hit to left. Ceddanne Rafaela bunted foul, then popped up to first and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center.  Willson Contreras flied out to center as well to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the second as Victor Mesa Jr hit a ball into the centerfield triangle that Rafaela had trouble picking it up. Mesa tried for the home run and the throw beat him....but Connor Wong dropped the ball to put the Rays on top. Richie Palacios got a base hit to center and they had him picked off...but Contreras dropped the ball. It looked like Palacios was thrown out at second trying to steal but the Rays challenged. Replays showed Romy Gonzalez missed the tag and Taylor Walls walked. Hunter Feduccia took strike three, Diaz flied out to right and Aranda flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                            Mesa scores...barely

The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Caleb Durbin ripped a base hit to left to start. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Durbin took off for second. The throw by Feduccia got away and Durbin took third. Andruw Monasterio beat out a double to left to score Durbin and Jarren Duran walked. Duran was thrown out at second on a double steal but Monasterio made it to third. Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Sox tie it up

Caminero struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Mullins walked. Simpson doubled to right but Mesa Jr took strike three. Palacios flied out to left to end the inning. Jones walked to start the bottom of the third Rafaela flied out to center. Abreu was hit with a pitch and Contreras walked to load the bases. Feduccia allowed a passed ball to score Jones and Durbin hit a grounder to third. Caminero hit Abreu with the throw to score him and the runners moved over. Gonzalez grounded out to second but Contreras scored with another run. Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Walls lined out to short to start the top of the fourth and Feduccia grounded out to first. Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Wong struck out swinging. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aranda got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth but was forced at second by Caminero. Mullins grounded back to the mound to move Caminero to second and Simpson grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafaela beat out a grounder to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Abreu flied out to left. Contreras pounded his 22nd homer of the year to dead center to increase the lead but Durbin flied out to center. Gonzalez flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                      Contreras hits another one out

Gray returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Mesa Jr lined out to right to start. Palacios walked but Walls grounded into a double play to end the inning. Gray wasn't the sharpest but hung in there to allow just 1 run in 6 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

                                                           Gray battled in this one

Craig Kimbrel came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Monasterio struck out swinging to start. Duran grounded out to short and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Feduccia doubled to center to start. Diaz grounded out to second to move Hunter to third, but Aranda took strike three. Caminero lined out to left to end the inning. Chris Roycroft came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jones grounded out to third to start. Rafaela got a base hit to right but Abreu lined out to center. Contreras lined out to third to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Mullins grounded out to short to start. Simpson got a base hit in the hole at second then move to second on the grounder to third by Mesa. Palacios grounded out to second to end the inning. Durbin grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth and Gonzalez grounded out to short. Monasterio walked and Duran grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Walls got a base hit to center to start. Feduccia walked but Diaz struck out swinging. Aranda struck out swinging and Caminero lined out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His two run home run essentially iced the game.

                                                           Hero Contreras

The Good:

Jahmai Jones was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Sonny Gray got the win with 6 innings of run 1 ball allowing 5 hits and 4 walks.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Ryan Watson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 but stole a base, drove in a run and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

On June 24 the Red Sox got embarrassed by the Colorado Rockies 2 out of 3 to drop to 14 games out and 14 games under .500. The Sox have lost 2 games since, winning 18 out of 20 and 13 straight to get back into the race. The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees also lost today so everything is coming up Red Sox. Gray didn't have his best stuff today but he got the outs he needed to win this one. Contreras is unquestionably the team leader and its fired the team up any time there's a big hit. He got the big two run homer to ice it in this one. They scored three runs without getting a hit and that's the kind of game the Rays were known for with their speed. Yandy Diaz getting held in check was the main reason the Sox won this series. The Rays go to Toronto next so the Jays are going to be facing an angry, due Diaz. Good luck with that. All in all this win streak brought hope back, the fans back and good spirits back. It'll be a shame when the streak ends but if the Sox can win consistently in the next two months, they'll be right in the thick of things by the end. Getting a healthy Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suarez back would make Boston very deadly come October. Have to make it there first with 64 games left on the schedule. The win improved the Sox to 50-48, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to continue the momentum against the equally hot Baltimore Orioles who have won 7 in a row in the next series. Tomorrow night Shane Baz goes for Baltimore against Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.11 ERA) of Boston at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Tired Red Sox Knock Off Mets (7/10/26)

Almost a year to the day of the infamous "bad Minnesota flight" that last year's Boston Red Sox rallied around, the Red Sox found themselves in another bad situation. After their game against the Chicago White Sox yesterday, the Sox not only couldn't get a flight out that night, they couldn't get one out this morning either. They didn't land in New York until 5 PM with a 7:15 start time. The Sox went right to the park and with the game delayed only 30 minutes, they beat the fading New York Mets. Sonny Gray (11-1, 2.54 ERA) continued his march toward AL Cy Young by holding Juan Soto's crew to just 1 run in 6 innings of work. Meanwhile the Sox got two runs against Mets starter Nolan McLean immediately with a 2 run Masataka Yoshida double in the first. A Soto sac fly cut the lead in half but Anthony Seigler clobbered a 2 run home run in the seventh and Wilyer Abreu launched a 2 run homer in the ninth. Greg Weissert allowed a run in the ninth but it wasn't enough as the jet lagged Sox beat the Mets 6-2 at Citi Field.

                                                         Remember this?

McLean got the ball in the top of the first and Juan Soto dropped a routine fly ball by Anthony Seigler to start. Ceddanne Rafaela dropped down a sac bunt to move Seigler to third and Wilyer Abreu walked. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Masataka Yoshida doubled to left to score both runners. Caleb Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                               Sox strike first

Gray got the ball in the bottom of the first and AJ Ewing flied out to left to start. Juan Soto took strike three and Francisco Lindor flied out to center to end the inning.

Jarren Duran flied out to center to start the top of the second but Connor Wong walked. Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging and Seigler took strike three to end the inning. Carson Benge grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the second and Polanco flied out to left. Young doubled to right and Alvarez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rafaela grounded out to second to start the top of the third but Abreu got a base hit in the hole at short. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Yoshida popped up to second to end the inning. Brett Baty got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third and immediately stole second. Old pal Zack Short walked and Ewing beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Soto hit a sac fly to left to score Baty and Duran threw the ball away for an error to boot. Lindor flied out to left to end the inning with the Mets down 2-1.

                                                            Soto cuts the lead in half

Durbin grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Duran struck out swinging. Wong was hit with a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal....but wait! Sox manager Chad Tracy challenged that Wong was safe and sure enough, replays showed he was. Cheng got a base hit to right and Wong came around to score....wait....now it was the Mets turn to challenge and Wong was called out on review to end the inning. Benge got a base hit in the hole at second to start the bottom of the fourth and Polanco flied out to left. Benge stole second but Young took strike three. Alvarez grounded out to shirt to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Seigler got a base hit to left to start. Rafaela forced Anthony at second but Abreu doubled to right. Gonzalez took strike three and Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning. Baty lined out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Short took strike three. Ewing got a base hit to right but Soto grounded out to second to end the inning.

Durbin grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Duran popped up to short. Wong took strike three to end the inning. Gray returned for the bottom of the sixth and Lindor got a base hit to center to start. Benge grounded into a double play and Polanco grounded out to second to end the inning. Gray was outstanding allowing just 1 run off 5 hits and a walk in 6 innings.

                                                          Great work by Gray

AJ Minter came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cheng caught Lindor asleep with a bunt to start. Seigler then mashed his second home run of the season to ice the game. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Abreu struck out swinging. Gonzalez forced Rafaela at second but Yoshida doubled to center. Durbin popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                           Seigler jacks one

Tyron Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Young got a base hit to center to start. Alvarez grounded into a double play but Baty got a base hit to right. Tyrone Taylor pinch hit for Short and grounded out to short to end the inning.

Kodai Senga came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Duran flied out to left to start. Wong flied out to right but Cheng took strike three to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ewing singled off the glove of Whitlock to start. Soto singled off the glove of Gonzalez to move Ewing to third but Lindor flied out to center. Benge flied out to right and Polanco popped up to second to end the inning.

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Seigler grounded out to third to start. Rafaela walked and Abreu launched his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Gonzalez struck out swinging but Yoshida walked. Durbin got a base hit to center and Duran walked to load the bases. Xzavion Curry came in to face Wong and Connor flied out to left to end the inning with Boston up 6-1.

                                                      Another home run for Abreu

Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Young grounded out to second to start. Rafaela made a great sliding catch to rob Alvarez of a hit but Baty hit a home run all the way to Brooklyn to cut the lead. Taylor popped up to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Sonny Gray. He got the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 5 hits and a walk.

                                                               Sonny Hero

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 5 with an error.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, stole a base and was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

Who needs sleep when you're the Boston Red Sox? They had every reason to phone it in after not getting off the plane until two hours before the game and they still won. The win streak has revitalized not only the team but the fan base as well. It also helped the Seattle Mariners have lost four in a row to get the Sox back into the wild card race. The Sox have been road warriors all year but to be 7-0 on the trip with 7 straight wins after winning 5 out of 7 previously is on another level. Gray continues to be one of the best pitchers in the AL and now the tide is turning on the Kyle Harrison deal. Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio and Caleb Durbin have been paying off with Seigler getting the big home run in this one. Everything's coming up Boston and its about time. Apart from the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees, the Sox are right there in the thick of things in terms of the wild card. The Sox will face the Rays after the break but they still have two more games with the Mets to go. Its unfair to expect them to win both games but its a possibility. The win improved the Sox to 44-48, 11 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Mets and eight straight total tomorrow afternoon when Eduardo Rivera gets called up from Worcester to face Freddy Peralta of New York. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Citi Field.

Sox Have Fourth of July Bash Against Angels (7/4/26)

Happy fourth of July everyone! The Boston Red Sox celebrated 250 years of American history by beating the daylights out of the Los Angeles Angels. The soon to be suspended Willson Contreras hit a three run home run right off the bat against Angels starter Sam Aldegheri to set the tone. Sonny Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) took another step toward American League Cy Young Award by tossing 6 innings and allowing just one run. The Sox continued the onslaught with a 2 run double by Wilyer Abreu, a 2 run home run by Romy Gonzalez and an rbi double by Ceddanne Rafaela. The trio of Jovani Moran, Greg Weissert and Alec Gamboa didn't allow a run the rest of the way as the Sox exploded some fireworks with an 8-1 victory over the Angels at Angel Stadium.

                                                          Torrie Wilson approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Angels starter Sam Aldegheri as Anthony Seigler walked to start. Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Willson Contreras pounded his 19th home run of the season to put Boston on top but Caleb Durbin lined out to center. Romy Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                            Sox strike first

Gray got the ball in the bottom of the first and Zach Neto flied out to right to start. Jarren Duran made a great sliding catch to rob Denzer Guzman of a hit and Nolan Schanuel struck out swinging to end the inning.

Duran walked to start the top of the second but Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging. Duran stole second but Connor Wong struck out swinging. Seigler grounded out to short to end the inning. The Angels struck back in the bottom of the second as Jorge Soler flied out to center to start. Josh Lowe hit a home run all the way to Syracuse to cut the lead and Jo Adell walked. Wade Meckler got a base hit to center but Donovan Walton struck out swinging. Tyler Heineman also went down hacking to end the inning with the Angels down 3-1.

                                                         Angels strike back

Rafaela flied out to right to start the top of the third and Abreu popped up to third. Contreras hit a routine grounder to third but Schanuel dropped the throw for an error. Durbin popped up to third to end the inning. Neto took strike three to start the bottom of the third but Guzman singled in the hole at short. Schanuel grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Gonzalez grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth but Duran walked. Jarren took second on a grounder to second by Monsasterio but Wong grounded out to second to end the inning. Soler walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Lowe forced him at second. Adell and Meckler were both rung up on strike three by the alert Wong's ABS challenges to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the fifth with Samy Natera Jr now on the mound. Seigler doubled to right and Rafaela drew a walk before both runners scored on the Abreu doubled to right. Contreras flied out to left and Durbin flied out to center, but Gonzalez launched his first home run of the season to make this one a laugher. Duran was hit with a pitch and that was it for Natera. Old farmhand Ryan Zeferjahn came in and Duran stole second, but Monasterio popped up to Ryan to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                             Romy's first of 2026

Walton got a base hit to right off the glove of Contreras to start the bottom of the fifth but Heineman grounded into the Angels third double play in consecutive innings. Neto struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wong struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth but Seigler was hit with a pitch. Rafaela struck out swinging but Abreu walked. Contreras flied out to center to end the inning. Gray returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Guzman flied out to right to start. Schanuel grounded out to second and Soler flied out to left to end the inning. He had only thrown 70 pitches but with a six run lead, Sox manager Chad Tracy wanted to save some bullets for next time and Gray was done after 6 solid innings. He allowed 1 run off 4 hits and 2 walks.

                                                              Good work Gray

Chase Silseth came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Durbin grounded out to third to start. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Duran went down hacking as well. Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Lowe struck out swinging to start. Adell grounded out to short and Jose Siri pinch hit for Meckler. Siri struck out swinging to end the inning,

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the eighth as Brent Suter took the mound. Monasterio got a base hit to right and Wong did the same. Seigler flied out to left but Rafaela doubled to left to score Monasterio. Abreu lined out to second and Contreras popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                          Another rbi for Ceddanne

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Walton walked to start. Heineman hit into LA's fourth double play of the game and Neto grounded out to third to end the inning.

Durbin grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth and Gonzalez lined out to right. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Gamboa came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Guzman grounded back to the mound to start. Schanuel grounded out to first and Soler flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His 3 run home run set the tone and outscored the Angels by himself

                                                            Our Hero jumps for joy

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 1 for 3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and scored 2 runs.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran walked twice, was hit with a pitch and stole two bases.

Sonny Gray got the win with 6 solid innings allowing 1 run off 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Alec Gamboa pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 5.

The Ugly:

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

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Save for the back to back disasters against the Washington Nationals, the Sox starting pitching has been amazing all season but really stepped up in the last nine games. They utterly dominated the Yankees and if Connelly Early didn't get hurt, the second game against the Nationals might have gone differently. Either way the Sox are getting hot before the All-Star break for the second year in a row but a dark cloud is hanging over them. The suspensions of Contreras and Nate Eaton are going to hurt them big time. However the return of Romy Gonzalez might off-set the loss a little bit. Before the season when the Sox traded for Sonny Gray I was weary of him being the number 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet, and here he is in the running for the AL Cy Young award as the ace. Beating the Angels on the surface doesn't seem like a big deal but the Sox are only 5 games behind the Texas Rangers for the final Wild Card spot with 3 months to play. Every win and loss from here on in could be the difference in a playoff push or not. Most Red Sox fans wanted to blow the team up not only after the two losses to the Colorado Rockies but after the two losses to Washington. Now the Sox are a win away from another 3 game sweep on the road. The win improved the Sox to 39-48, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox go for the sweep tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 2.94 ERA) goes up against Ryan Johnson of Los Angeles. The game begins at 9:30 PM eastern time at Angel Stadium.