Sox Homer Barrage Drops Rangers (5/7/25)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 2 of their second round NBA playoff series to the New York Knicks but the good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers. Alex Bregman smashed home run number 200 for his career and Wilyer Abreu smacked not one but two home runs. Sox starter Tanner Houck lasted just 4 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs but the Sox bullpen almost pitched a shutout the rest of the way. The Rangers bolted to a 2-0 lead but Bregman homered in the fourth and Abreu followed with one to tie the game. Abreu tied the game again in the sixth and Bregman put the Sox on top in the seventh with a 2 run single. Abreu hit another home run in the 8th but Josh Jung went deep against Aroldis Chapman. Chapman still slammed the door as the Sox had won the game 6-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Charles Heller approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Josh Smith grounded out to first to start. Wyatt Langford struck out swinging and Corey Seager grounded out to second to end the inning. Jacob Webb got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers walked but Alex Bregman grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Joc Pederson singled to left to start the top of the second but Marcus Semien flied out to right. Adolis Garcia grounded out to second to move Pederson to second and Carter flied out to center to end the inning. Kristian Campbell grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and Wilyer Abreu hit one up the elevator shaft. Trevor Story flied out to right to end the inning.

Jonah Heim walked to start the top of the third and Josh Jung doubled to left. Smith struck out swinging and Houck threw the ball away allowing Langford to reach on an error to load the bases. Seager grounded out to second but Heim scored to put Texas on top. Pederson walked to reload the bases but Semien forced him at second to end the inning with the Rangers up 1-0.

                                                                 Rangers strike first

Seager threw a ball away allowing Romy Gonzalez to reach first to start the bottom of the third, but Connor Wong popped up to short. Ceddanne Rafaela forced Gonzalez at second and Duran flied out to left to end the inning.

The Rangers struck again in the top of the fourth as Garcia hit a home run all the way to Sweden to start. Carter grounded back to the mound but Heim was hit with a pitch. Jung flied out to right but Smith got a base hit to right. Langford flied out to center to end the inning with the Rangers up 2-0.

                                                              Home run Garcia

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Devers grounded out to short to start. Bregman then smashed his 200th career home run to cut the lead but Campbell grounded out to first. Abreu then clocked his 8th home run of the season to tie the game. Story lined out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Abreu ties it up

The Rangers finished off Houck in the top of the fifth as Seager lined a ball off him to start. Pederson hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Semien grounded out to first. Garcia hit a sac fly to center to score Seager to put Texas back on top. That was it for Houck after 4 2/3 innings and 3 runs allowed. Justin Wilson came in and Carter grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 3-2.

                                                            Houck didn't last long

Gonzalez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Wong grounded back to the mound. Rafaela got a base hit to center and Duran got a base hit to right. but Devers lined out to right to end the inning.

Heim got a base hit to center to start the top of the sixth but Jung flied out to right. Heim took second on a wild pitch but Smith struck out swinging. Langford also went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Hoby Milner came in to pitch. Bregman doubled to left and Campbell got a base hit to right to move Alex to thrid. Abreu doubled to center and Bregman scored easily, but Campbell was thrown out at the plate. Jacob Webb came in to pitch and Story grounded back to the mound to move Abreu to third. It looked like Gonzalez beat out a grounder to third to score Abreu but the Rangers challenged that he was out. Sure enough, the umps overturned the call to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                                Yerrrr out

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Abraham Toro came in for Gonzalez to start. Seager flied out to center and Blaine Crim pinch hit for Pederson. Crim grounded out to short and Semien lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Wong caught Jung asleep with a bunt to start. Rafaela singled to left and Robert Garcia came in to face Duran. Jarren lined out to short and Devers grounded out to move the runners along. Suddenly Bregman got a base hit to left to score both runners to put the Sox ahead. Campbell hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                             Bregman puts Boston ahead

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Garcia flied out to right to start. Carter grounded out to first and Heim grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox got more insurance in the bottom of the eighth with Caleb Boushley now on the mound. Abreu smashed his second home run of the game to start. Story took strike three, Toro was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Wong grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                      Abreu with another bomb

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Jung led off with a home run into the Atlantic Ocean to start. Smith grounded back to the mound but Langford walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Seager flied out to right and Crim struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                           Chapman locks it down

Hero of The Night is Alex Bregman. He hit his 200th career home run and his two run single put the Sox up for good.

                                                             Bregman Hero

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and 3 total rbis.

Justin Wilson tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brennan Bernardino got the win with a scoreless seventh inning.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 1.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tanner Houck allowed 3 runs in just 4 2/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

Aroldis Chapman allowed a run in the ninth inning although he got the save.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Kristian Campbell was just 1 for 4.

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

Final Thoughts:

Houck and Chapman got tagged but other than that, not much to complain about in this one. Abreu had a hell of an April and it carried over to May so far and Bregman has been worth every penny. Hopefully Houck can get his act together because Lucas Giolito isn't right and it doesn't look like Kutter Crawford will pitch this season. Its a good thing no one in the AL East has gotten off to a start like they've had the last 3 years because the Sox are still within striking distance. Hopefully the Sox can win a few games in a row to jockey for position in the race. The Sox may be .500 but the year is young. The win improved the Sox to 19-19, 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello goes for the Sox against Jack Leiter of Texas. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Blow Another Lead To Toronto (5/1/25)

For the second straight night it looked like the Boston Red Sox were going to beat the Toronto Blue Jays. Tanner Houck held the Jays to just 4 hits and one run through 7 strong innings. Unfortunately the Sox bats could only muster 2 runs on an Alex Bregman double off Jose Berrios. Then with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Justin Slaten (0-2, 5.56 ERA) served up a 3 run meatball to Vladimir Guerrero Jr to put the game away. Yimi Garcia shut the door in the ninth and the Sox dropped their second straight game to the Blue Jays 4-2 at the Skydome.

                                                            Sox keep blowing leads

Berrios got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran led off with a base hit in the hole at short. Rafael Devers took strike three but Duran stole second. Alex Bregman struck out swinging and Daulton Varsho robbed Wilyer Abreu at the wall to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Bo Bichette grounded out to third to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr took strike three and Anthony Santander popped up to third to end the inning.

Trevor Story got a base hit in the hole at short to start the top of the second but Triston Casas grounded out to third. Story moved to second on the play but Rob Refsnyder and David Hamilton both struck out swinging to end the inning. Varsho flied out to right to start the bottom of the second but Alejandro Kirk got a base hit to left. Addison Barger lined out to second and Alan Roden struck out swinging to end the inning.

Carlos Narvaez flied out to right to start the top of the third before Duran grounded out to second. Devers got a base hit to right but Bregman flied out to left to end the inning. Ernie Clement lined out to center to start the bottom of the third before Nathan Lukes got a base hit to center. Bichette struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr went down hacking to end the inning.

Abreu took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Story grounded out to third. Casas went down swinging to end the inning. Santander got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Varsho swung at air. Kirk banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Refsnyder got a base hit to center to start. Hamilton got a base hit to right to move Refsnyder to third and David promptly stole second. Narvaez popped up to first but Duran struck out swinging. Devers walked to load the bases and Bregman doubled to left to score both Refsnyder and Hamilton. Abreu lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                         Another big hit for Bregman

Barger flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth before Roden grounded out to third. Clement grounded out to second to end the inning.

Story grounded out to to second to start the top of the sixth before Casas got a base hit to right. Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. Lukes struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Bichette grounded out to short. Guerrero Jr grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hamilton struck out swinging to begin the top of the seventh and Narvaez popped up to second. Mason Fluharty came in to pitch to Duran and Jarren flied out to center to end the inning. Houck returned for the bottom of the seventh and Santander grounded out to second to start. Suddenly Varsho hit a home run off the roof of the Skydome to cut the lead. Kirk grounded out to short but Barger was hit with a pitch. Roden grounded out to short to end the inning and that was it for Houck. He was outstanding, allowing just the home run to Varsho in 7 strong innings. He allowed 4 hits and didn't walk anyone.

                                                              Houck got it done

Devers flied out to left to start the top of the eighth and Bregman flied out to center. Abreu popped up to short to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Clement popped up to second to start. Lukes got a base hit to center and Bichette doubled him to third to put Guerrero at the plate. Rather than walk him to set up a double play, Guerrero hit a straight fastball 500 feet off the Skydome wall to put the Jays up for good. Santander popped up to short but Varsho walked. Kirk lined out to center to end the inning but the Jays were up 4-2.

                                                      Vlad does it again

Andres Gimenez came in to play third and Yimi Garcia came in to close out the top of the ninth. Story and Casas both struck out swinging before Refsnyder grounded out to first to end the game. The Jays had won it 4-2.

                                                                 Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Slaten. He served up the 3 run bomb to Guerrero that cost the Sox the game.

                                                                Jackass Slaten

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Tanner Houck tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 4 hits while striking out 6.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Two nights in a row the Sox have a lead only to piss it away. Not only that, this team does not come back when trailing either. They went right in the tank after that Guerrero home run and it sank the boat. Its a shame because that was Houck's best game of the season and Slaten was just two outs away from potentially Aroldis Chapman ending it in the ninth. As it is, its yet another frustrating loss in a season full of them. The Sox don't have to play the Blue Jays until June 27th and that's best for everyone involved at this point. The loss dropped the Sox to 17-16, 2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a six game stretch and they face the Minnesota Twins tomorrow night. Brayan Bello gets the ball against Joe Ryan of Minnesota. The fame begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Guardians Edge Sox in Game 1 (4/26/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox brought up Cooper Criswell to be the extra guy in today's doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians. Yippie....

                                                                     IN

As for the game, here we go again. The Red Sox dropped another close game in today's day/night doubleheader against the Guardians. The Red Sox bolted out to a 3-0 first inning lead on Blake Lively but Tanner Houck gave up four runs right back in the bottom of the first. Rafael Devers tied the game with a home run in the third but that was it for the offense. Steven Kwan drove in a run against Brennan Bernardino in the bottom of the sixth and the score held. The Sox had the tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position in the ninth but Trevor Story struck out to end the game. The Indians had won it 5-4 at Progressive Field.

                                               "GREAT FIRST INNING HOUCK!"

Lively got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Rafael Devers walked and Alex Bregman got a single to right, but Trevor Story forced Bregman at third. Wilyer Abreu hit a three run bomb to put the Sox ahead. Kristian Campbell sliced a base hit inside the first base line but Triston Casas grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                            Abreu goes yard

Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Steven Kwan effortlessly doubled to left to start. Nolan Jones closed his eyes, stuck his bat out and doubled to right to move Kwan to third. Jose Ramirez laughed as he ripped a base hit to right to score Kwan. Ramirez stole second but somehow Kyle Manzardo took strike three. Carlos Santana hit a sac fly to center to score Jones and Gabriel Arias singled to left to score Ramirez to tie the game. Daniel Schneemann got a base hit to right to score Arias to put the Guardians up for good. Angel Martinez forced Daniel at second to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-3.

                                                             That didn't take long

Blake Sabol grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to right. Duran took strike three to end the inning. Austin Hedges took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Kwan grounded out to third. Jones took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Devers hit a cut fastball a mile for his third home run of the season to tie the game. Bregman doubled off the top of the left field wall but Story struck out swinging. Campbell lined out to center to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                           Devers jacks one

Ramirez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Manzado grounded back to the mound. Santana walked but Aria struck out swinging to end the inning.

Casas ripped a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth before Sabol drew a walk. Rafaela popped up to right in foul territory but Duran beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Devers flied to left to end the inning, another waste. Schneemann grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Martinez got a base hit in the hole at short. Hedges got a base hit to left but Kwan flied out to left. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bregman struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Story flied out to right. Abreu walked but Campbell took strike three to end the inning. Houck returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth and Ramirez got a base hit to center to start, Manzardo struck out swinging and Ramirez was thrown out at second trying to steal. Santana was hit with a pitch but Arias flied out to left to end the inning. Houck recovered to go 5 but still allowed 4 runs off 8 hits and a walk.

                                                       "Aye carumba" - Houck

Tim Herrin came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas walked to start. Sabol took strike three but Rafaela flied out to left. Duran flied out to right to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to get tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Will Wilson pinch hit for Schneemann. Wilson was hit with a pitch and Martinez got a base hit off the glove of Bernardino. Hedges dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and Kwan singled past Story to score Wilson. Jones struck out swinging and that was it for Bernardino. Greg Weissert got Ramirez to line out to right to end the inning with the Guardians up 5-4.

                                                        Kwan puts Cleveland on top

Devers was plunked to open the top of the seventh and Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch to Bregman. Alex struck out swinging, Story popped up to second and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Manzardo flied out to left to start the bottom of the seventh before Santana struck out swinging. Arias also went down hacking to end the inning.

Emmanuel Clase came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Campbell struck out swinging to start. Casas took strike three and Sabol grounded out to second to end the inning. Luis Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wilson struck out swinging to start. Martinez grounded out to first and Hedges struck out swinging to end the inning.

Cade Smith came in to close out the top of the ninth and Rafaela got a base hit to left to start. Duran walked and Devers lined out to left. Bregman flied out to right to move Rafaela to third before Duran stole second. With a chance to put the Sox ahead, Story struck out swinging to end the game. The Guardians had won it 5-4.

                                                         Guardians win

Jackass of the Night is Tanner Houck. He got bum rushed for 4 runs in the first inning and the Sox couldn't score more than four runs.

                                                                Jackass Houck

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch and a home run.

Alex Bregman was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Luis Guerrero pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Brennan Bernardino took the loss by allowing a run in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

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

Trevor Story was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Kristian Campbell was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Blake Sabol was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Its always frustrating when you jump out to a lead and your starter gives it right back. Houck getting blasted in the first inning set the tone for the game. To be fair, the Sox allowed just one run the rest of the game, but that first inning was a killer. The other side is the Sox scored no runs after the third inning and failed big time in the ninth inning with runners in scoring position. Trevor Story can hit a 3 run home run in the first or second inning but in the ninth inning he can't? Worst is the Sox have the worst record in baseball when trailing after 6 innings. Houck had Dice K disease in this one but at least he recovered to at least go 5 innings. The Sox won't have any time to dwell on it because there's another game to play. Hopefully the Sox can salvage that one. The Sox look to bounce back in about 3 hours when the Sox play game two of this series when Walker Buehler (3-1, 4.23 ERA) takes on Doug Nikhazy of Cleveland. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Progressive Field.

Bullpen Melts Against White Sox (4/20/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Michael Fulmer has elected free agency after being designated for assignment. So much for this reclamation project. The 2016 AL Rookie of The Year hadn't pitched in two years and was sent down to Worcester after one game. Guess he decided to seek his fortunes elsewhere. 

                                                                             OUT

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox were once again embarrassed by the Chicago White Sox. For six innings the Red Sox had the game in hand, Tanner Houck held Chicago to just 2 runs in 6 solid innings and Wilyer Abreu's three run home run gave the Sox a cushion. Then came the bullpen. Zack Kelly allowed three runs in the seventh inning, Liam Hendriks made his Sox debut by allowing a 2 run home run and the worthless Sox defense cost Brennan Bernardino an unearned run. The Chicago White Sox have just five wins this year and three of them are against Boston, including this one 8-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                      "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and Nick Maton took strike three to start. Andrew Benintendi popped up to third but Luis Robert Jr walked. Matt Thaiss hit a home run all the way to Chelmsford to put Chicago on top. Lenyn Sosa took strike three to end the inning with Chicago up 2-0.

                                                             That didn't take long

The BoSox answered in the bottom of the first against Burke as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers reached on an error by Sosa and Alex Bregman reached on an error by Miguel Vargas. Wilyer Abreu made the ChiSox pay for their blunders with his fourth home run of the season to put the BoSox on top. Kristian Campbell grounded back to the mound and Triston Casas flied out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-2.

                                                            Abreu hits it out

Joshua Palacios struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Vargas doubled off the third base wall. Jacob Amaya grounded out to third and Maton struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging but David Hamilton lined out to short. Blake Sabol doubled into the right field corner and Duran lashed a base hit to right to score him for another run. Devers walked and Bregman got hit with a pitch. Abreu lined out to right to end the inning with the BoSox up 4-2.

                                                            RBI for duran

Benintendi grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Robert Jr struck out swinging. Thaiss grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Campbell doubled into the left field corner to start. Casas grounded out to third and Rafaela did the same, but Hamilton walked. Sabol flied out to left to end the inning.

Vaughn grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Sosa struck out swinging. Palacios grounded out to first to end the inning. Duran grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth but Devers drew a walk. Bregman flied out to center and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Vargas lined out to right to start the top of the fifth before Amaya walked. Maton lined out to center but Amaya stole second. Benintendi flied out to left to end the inning. Campbell got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Casas struck out swinging. Campbell was picked off and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Robert Jr took strike three to start the top of the sixth before Thaiss was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Vaughn grounded out to third to end the inning. Despite throwing just 89 pitches, that was it for Houck as he allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings off 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                         Houck with his best start of the year

Brandon Eisert came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Hamilton popped up to third to start. Sabol struck out swinging and Duran lined out to left to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Sosa singled to center to start. Palacios and Vargas both got hit with a pitch to load the bases with Brooks Baldwin pinch hitting for Amaya. Justin Wilson came in to pitch and Baldwin hit a sacrifice bunt to score Sosa and move the runners over. Edgar Quero pinch hit for Maton and ripped a base hit to center to score both runners. Quero was picked off by Sabol and Benintendi hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the White Sox up 5-4.

                                                           White Sox take the lead

Benintendi made a great diving catch to rob Devers of a single to start the bottom of the seventh. Bregman singled to left and moved to second on an Abreu grounder to second. Steven Wilson came in to face Campbell and Kristian flied out to center to end the inning.

Liam Hendriks made his Red Sox debut in the top of the eighth and Robert Jr singled to left to start. Robert stole second but Thaiss popped up to third. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to ice the game. Sosa struck out swinging but Palacios got a base hit down the third base line. Palacios was picked off by Sabol to end the inning with the White Sox up 7-4.

                                                            Vaughn hits a home run

Chase Meidroth took over for Palacios for the bottom of the eighth and Casas flied out to left to start. Rafaela walked but Hamilton lined out to short. Sabol struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Vargas grounded out to short to start. Baldwin got a base hit to center before promptly stealing second. Quero hit a routine grounder to Bregman who threw the ball away for an error. Benintendi grounded out to first to move the runners over and Robert was intentionally walked to load the bases. Thaiss then got plunked to score Baldwin with the final run. Vaughn flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago up 8-4.

                                                     "Ow" - Thaiss

Michael Taylor came in for Baldwin with Cam Booser on the mound to start the bottom of the ninth and Duran grounded out to second. Devers grounded out to second and Bregman also grounded out second to end the game. The White Sox had won it 8-4.

                                                          White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Zack Kelly. He loaded the bases that led to the bullpen meltdown

                                                            Jackass Kelly                     

The Good:

Kristian Campbell was 2 for 4.

Tanner Houck tossed 6 solid innings allowing 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Liam Hendriks allowed 2 runs in the eighth inning.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with an error but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but hit a three run home run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 but walked.

Blake Sabol was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Justin Wilson allowed all 3 inherited runners to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

How do you lose to the White Sox as much as the Red Sox do? They've won 5 games all year and three of them are against the Red Sox. Worst part is this is supposed to be the soft part of the Red Sox schedule and they're still a .500 team. There's still plenty of time to turn things around but the team is a mess. They still don't hit in the clutch consistently, they have too many black holes in the lineup and four starters are out injured. Thankfully its only April 20th so there's no reason to panic just yet, but its very annoying to see the Red Sox look like a high school team year after year. That all falls on the manager, the same one who pulled Houck after 89 pitches only to watch the bullpen implode. If he doesn't stress small ball, fundamentals and goes with the "analytics", what good is he? There's a lot to be upset about and they better work the kinks out quick before one of the AL East teams goes on a hot streak. The Red Sox look to salvage this series tomorrow morning on Patriots Day Monday when Walker Buehler (2-1, 5.23 ERA) faces Jonathan Cannon of Chicago. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.

Rays Massacre Lifeless Red Sox (4/14/25)

Throughout the season the Boston Red Sox have been stumbling and bumbling, either not hitting well, not fielding well or not pitching well. Tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays the Red Sox did all three of them in one of the most embarrassing losses since the infamous game against Toronto in 2022. Tanner Houck (0-2, 9.16) got absolutely creamed for 12 runs in just 2 1/3 innings. He clearly had nothing but so did the Sox defense. Once again they made mental and physical errors that didn't help their beleaguered pitchers. Worse yet, the Boston bats were once again silenced by Shane Baz and the Tampa pitching. The Sox damn near had many strikeouts as a team (14) as the Rays scored runs (16). The Red Sox got just 6 hits, allowed  16 runs and committed yet another error as they lost a big one 16-1 to Tampa at Steinbrenner Field.

                                                         "TRADE THEM ALLLLLLL!!!"

Baz got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to to left to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Alex Bregman grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays set the tone early as Yandy Diaz hit the first pitch Houck threw in the bottom of the first into the Atlantic Ocean to put the Rays up for good one pitch into the game. Brandon Lowe lined out to third, Junior Caminero grounded out to short and Jonathan Aranda grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                       That didn't take long

Wilyer Abreu took strike three to start the second inning before Trevor Story struck out swinging. Triston Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays absolutely pounded Houck in the bottom of the second as Christopher Morel singled in the hole at second to start. Kameron Minser hit a home run all the way into the Arctic Ocean to ice the game. Taylor Walls walked but old pal Danny Jansen popped up to second. Jake Mangum singled in the hole at short but Diaz took strike three. Lowe got a bae hit to center and Duran inexplicably threw to second base allowing both runners to score. Caminero forced Lowe at second to end the inning with the Rays up 5-0.

                                                         Misner hits one out of here

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Kristian Campbell belted his third home run of the season to start. David Hamilton flied out to center, Carlos Narvaez popped up to first and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-1.

                                                        Home run Campbell

The Rays finished off Houck in the bottom of the third as Aranda singled to center to start. Morel got a base hit to left and Minser got a base hit in the hole at second to load the bases with nobody out. Walls beat out a double play ball to score Aranda and Bregman booted a grounder by Jansen for an error to score Minser. A wild pitch moved Walls to third and he scored on the base hit to center by Mangum. Jansen moved to third on the play and Mangum promptly stole second. Diaz got a base hit to right to score Jansen and Lowe walked to FINALLY chase Houck. He had absolutely nothing today, allowing 12 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks. Michael Fulmer made his Red Sox debut by allowing a base hit by Caminero to score Mangum. Aranda pounded a ground rule double to center to score Diaz & Lowe and Morel doubled to center to score both Caminero and Aranda. Misner walked but Walls flied out to right. Jansen struck out swinging with Tampa ahead 14-1.

                                                         Houck gets rocked

Devers took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Bregman grounded out to third. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Mangum walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Diaz grounded into a double play. Lowe lined out to center to end the inning.

Baz turned up the heat in the top of the fifth as Story struck out swinging to start. Casas and Campbell both went down hacking to end the inning. Caminero hit a home run all the way to Argentina to start the bottom of the fifth before Aranda popped up to short. Morel took strike three and Misner popped up to short to end the inning with the Rays up 15-1.

                                                             Rays pour it on

Hamilton took strike three to start the top of the sixth before Narvaez grounded out to short. Duran got a base hit to center but Devers popped up to third to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Walls struck out swinging to start. Jansen got a base hit to left but was forced at second by Mangum. Curtis Mead pinch hit for Diaz and struck out swinging to end the inning.

Coco Montes took over for Morel and Hunter Bigge came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Bregman and Abreu both struck out swinging, but Story got a base hit to center. Casas grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Lowe struck out swinging. Caminero struck out swinging and Aranda took strike three to end the inning.

Eric Orze came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Campbell got a base hit to left to start. Hamilton forced Kristian at second and Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Brennan Bernarino came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Montes grounded out to third to start. Misner clocked his second home run of the game to wrap up the scoring and Walls took strike three. Jansen grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 16-1.

                                                         Misner does it again

Duran flied out to left to start the top of the ninth before Blake Sabol pinch hit for Devers. Sabol got a base hit to right but Bregman took strike three. Abreu got a base hit to right but Story flied out to center to end the game. The Rays had won it 16-1.

                                                                Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Tanner Houck. He got left out to dry by Cora and the defense but he still allowed 12 runs in just 2 1/3 innings off 10 hits and 2 walks.

                                                                  Jackass Houck

The Good:

Blake Sabol got a hit as a pinch hitter.

Kristian Campbell was 2 for 3 with a home run.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Josh Winckowski pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Bregman was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Christian Narvaez was 0 for 3.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth.

Michael Fulmer allowed 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

That was, without a doubt, the most humiliating loss of the season. They were in most of their games to begin the season but lately they aren't even competitive. The Sox allowed 16 hits and 16 runs while striking out 14 times at the plate. At what point do heads roll for this mediocre start to the season? They've changed some personnel around on the field but they're making the same errors, pitching terribly and not hitting well at all. Houck has looked like garbage since the second half of last season and once some of the injured starters come back, he'll be in the bullpen with Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman instead of Michael Fulmer or Sean Newcomb. Either way a change needs to be made because this clearly isn't working. After the game Alex Cora took the blame for not having his team prepared, but its also the players too. Hopefully they can snap out of it quickly before the AL East starts to slip away. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Walker Buehler takes on Ryan Pepiot of Tampa. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Steinbrenner Field.

Jays Beat Slumping Sox in 11 (4/9/25)

 For the third straight game the Boston Red Sox offense went ice cold against the Toronto Blue Jays. After scoring 18 runs on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, they've scored just four since. Kevin Gausman allowed an unearned run in eight innings against the pathetic Sox bats that once again went 0-11 with runners in scoring position. Tanner Houck went 6 2/3 strong innings to keep the Sox in the game but the story was the inept offense failing to do anything. Both bullpens remained strong into extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Bo Bichette hit a sacrifice fly off Josh Winckowski (0-1, 0.00 ERA) to put the Jays up. The Sox didn't even hit the ball out of the infield after the eighth inning and suffered an ignominious 2-1 defeat by the Jays at Fenway Park.

                                                  Gary's message to the Boston offense

The Jays wasted no time getting to Houck in the top of the first inning as Bo Bichette grounded out to short to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr singled to third, Anthony Santander got a base hit to center and Andres Gimenez got a base hit to left to load the bases. Will Wagner beat out a double play ball to put the Jays on top by scoring Guerrero. Alejandro Kirk flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                                    Jays go on top

The Sox answered against Gausman in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran got a base hit to center to start. Duran took off for second and Kirk's throw went into centerfield allowing Duran to take second and third. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Alex Bregman hit a sac fly to center to score Duran to tie the game. Triston Casas flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Bregman ties it up

Alan Roden grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Ernie Clement struck out swinging. Nathan Lukes grounded out to third to end the inning. Trevor Story lined out to right to start the bottom of the second before Wilyer Abreu grounded back to the mound. Kristian Campbell took strike three to end the inning.

Bichette grounded out to first to start the top of the third before Guerrero Jr popped up to first. Santander flied out to right to end the inning. Hamilton flied out to left to start the bottom of the third before Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning.

Gimenez walked to start the top of the fourth before Wagner hit a bullet to Abreu, who doubled off Gimenez for the double play. Kirk struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Devers smacked a double to center to start. Bregman, Story and Casas all struck out swinging to end the inning.

Roden grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Clement flied out to right. Lukes lined out to left to end the inning. Abreu struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Campbell took strike three. Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning.

Bichette grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth but Guerrero Jr lashed a base hit to center. Santander hit a bullet to Casas who doubled off Guerrero to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the sixth as Narvaez struck out swinging to start. Duran struck out swinging but Devers pounded a ground rule double down the right field line. Once again with a runner on second....Bregman grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Jays went up for good in the top of the seventh as Gimenez got a base hit to right to start. Wagner walked but Kirk grounded into a double play to chase Houck. For whatever reason, Sox manager Alex Cora left Garrett Crochet in to freeze to death last night but yanks Houck after just 90 pitches with the inning not even over. Houck allowed just 1 run in 6 2/3 innings giving up just 5 hits and 2 walks. Justin Wilson came in to get Roden to ground out to second to end the inning.

                                                               Houck did what he could

Casas flied out to left to start the bottom of the seventh before Story flied out to right. Abreu popped up to third to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Clement grounded out to short to start. Lukes lined out to a running Duran and Bichette lined out to short to end the inning. Gausman returned for the bottom of the eighth but Campbell got a base hit to left to start. Hamilton flied out to right and Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and Guerrero Jr singled to left to start. Santander struck out swinging and Gimenez also went down hacking. George Springer pinch hit for Wagner and flied out to center to end the inning. Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Duran grounded out to second to start. Devers popped up to third and Bregman took strike three to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the tenth inning with Gimenez starting at second base. Kirk popped up to first but Roden grounded out to second to move Gimenez to third. Clement flied out to left to end the inning. Bregman started the bottom of the tenth and second and moved to third on the Casas grounder to second. With a chance to end it....Story struck out swinging on a pitch not even close. Abreu was intentionally walked and he took second on defensive indifference. Campbell struck out swinging to end the inning.

Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the top of the eleventh with Clement starting at second base. Lukes grounded out to short to move Ernie to third and Clement scored on the sac fly to center by Bichette. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 2-1.

                                                         Jays go up for good

Nick Sandlin came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh with Campbell starting at second. Hamilton struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Narvaez. Refsnyder hit one up the elevator shaft and Duran grounded out to second to end the game. The Jays had won it 2-1.

                                                               Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Trevor Story. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including with the winning run on third in the tenth.

                                                                    Jackass Story

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Tanner Houck tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2.

Justin Wilson got the final out of the seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Alex Bregman was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Kristian Campbell was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Josh Winckowski took the loss by allowing an unearned run in the 11th inning.

Final Thoughts:

This is a team wide epidemic that was masked by a brief hot streak by Wilyer Abreu and Kristian Campbell. Once those two cooled off, the offense has been pretty much non-existent all season with men on base. The Sox were 0 for 11 with a runner in scoring position and had not one but two chances to win or tie the game in extra innings. The Sox aren't just not hitting, they're not even making contact. Some of the pitches they're missing are straight fastballs right down the middle, in the dirt or 3 feet over their heads. Fans on social media are upset at Alex Cora for his in-game managerial decisions but he himself could grab a bat and it won't make a difference. Fans are also calling for the head of hitting coach Pete Fatse. At some point the players are going to have to execute, coaching won't matter when the bat is in their hands. Hopefully this is just cold April jitters because this is going to be a long season if this continues. The sad part was the pitching was outstanding tonight and Tanner Houck deserved better. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Jays when Walker Buehler (1-1, 8.68 ERA) takes on Chris Bassitt of Toronto. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.