Rangers Attack Boston Bullpen, Avert Sweep (9/26/19)

The fact David Price and Chris Sale are out for the season is the reason why today's game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers was a "bullpen game" for Boston. It turned into one of the most boring, frustrating and excruciating losses to sit through this season. Rangers starter Mike Minor needed some chicanery to pad his strikeout totals for the season but the Rangers offense teeing off on the Sox bullpen was the real story. The Rangers got just 7 hits but made them count with a 5th inning grand slam being the exclamation point. When the dust settled the Rangers had averted a sweep with a 7-4 victory at Arlington Park.

Mike Minor got the start for Texas in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for Boston and Shin-Soo Choo walked to start. Choo moved to second on the Elvis Andrus grounder and Willie Calhoun hit a routine grounder to Sam Travis. Travis dove on the ball and wrestled it for an error but luckily Danny Santana grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Travis grounded out to third to open the top of the second inning before Brock "The Hitman" Holt popped up to first. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Lakins struck out Rougned Odor swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Nick Solak grounded out to short. Ronald Guzman flied out to right to end the inning. Lakins did his job by pitching 2 perfect innings of this dreary game.

                                                           Lakins finishes strong

Minor turned up the heat in the top of the third by blowing away Jackie Bradley Jr to start. Both Sandy Leon and Chris Owings were called out on strikes to end the inning. Brian Johnson was first out of the pen for the Sox in the bottom of the third and Jose Trevino lined out to left to start. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to third but Choo walked. Andrus lined out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth when Marco Hernandez caught the Rangers asleep with a bunt single to start. Benintendi whiffed but Martinez singled Hernandez to third. Travis made up for his earlier error with a base hit to score Hernandez with the game's first run. Holt beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Gorkys Hernandez doubled home Martinez. JBJ singled home Holt but the rally ended when Leon grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                               Nice going Leon

The Rangers answered right back in the bottom of the fourth when Calhoun walked to start. Calhoun was erased on the force by Santana but Danny swiped second. Odor whiffed but Solak doubled home Santana. Guzman walked and Sox manager Alex Cora started the musical chairs in the bullpen by bringing in Trevor Kelley. Kelley struck out Trevino to end the inning but the Rangers were down 3-1.

                                             Nice going Johnson

Owings led off the top of the fifth by drawing a walk but got himself thrown out at second trying to steal. Marco Hernandez whiffed and Sox manager Alex Cora said to hell with this game and sat Andrew Benintendi in favor of Juan Centeno. Centeno grounded out to short to end the inning. Centeno took over behind the plate with Leon moving to first and Travis going to right with Mike Shawaryn now on the mound for the bottom of the fifth. Kiner started the rally with a single but Choo froze for strike three. Kiner swiped second and Andrus singled him to third. Andrus swiped second and Calhoun walked to load the bases. Santana then mashed a 500,000 foot grand slam to put the Rangers on top. Odor flied out to center but Solak singled to chase the incompetent Shawaryn. Colten Brewer came in as Solak swiped second on the incompetent Centeno but Guzman grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rangers up 5-3.

                                               Great bullpen help.....

Martinez tried to start a rally in the top of the sixth with a base hit to center but Travis ended it by grounding into a double play. Holt singled to left but Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Weber got the ball in the bottom of the sixth and Trevino whiffed to start. Kiner grounded out to first but Choo walked. Andrus grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox showed some life in the top of the seventh when JBJ clubbed his 21st home run of the season to cut the lead. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Owings of all people tied the game with his third home run of the season. Marco Hernandez grounded out to first but Centeno singled to left to keep the rally going. Martinez walked and somehow the Sox pulled off a double steal with the two slowest guys on the team. Naturally Travis whiffed to end the inning but the game was tied 5-5.

                                              Owings ties it up

The Rangers immediately retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Weber served up a 8,000,000 foot home run into the Gulf of Mexico to Calhoun to start. Santana struck out swinging but Odor smashed a 5,000 foot home run for the big insurance run. Solak lined out to right and Sox manager Alex Cora decided to piss everyone off with an unnecessary pitching change, bringing in Bobby Poyner to pitch to Guzman. Poyner got Guzman to fly out to left to end the inning but it was 7-5 Rangers.

                                                    Odor ices it

The Sox went quietly in the top of the eighth as Holt grounded out to first to start. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short and JBJ popped up to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the bottom of the eighth and Trevino grounded out to short to start. Kiner grounded out to third and Choo flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rangers pulled off some chicanery to get Minor his 200th strikeout of the season in the top of the ninth. Leon flied out to left and Owings popped up to first only for Guzman to drop it on purpose. Naturally Owings whiffed and the sparse crowd went wild for Minor's 200th strikeout. Even worse, rather than let Minor finish the game, Rangers manager Chris Woodward lifted him after 8 2/3 innings for Jose Leclerc. Leclerc punched out Marco Hernandez to end the game and give the Rangers the 7-5 win.

                                              Yeah yeah yeah....whoopie


Jackass of the Night is Ryan Weber. He served up not one, but two home runs after the Sox had fought to tie the game in the seventh.

                                                          Jackass Weber



The Good:

Juan Centeno was 1 for 2 at the plate and stole a base.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis including a solo home run.

Chris Owings was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Travis Lakins tossed two scoreless innings.

Colten Brewer retired the only man he faced.

Trevor Kelley struck out the only guy he faced.

Bobby Poyner retired the only man he faced.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Shawaryn gave up a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Gorkys Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Brian Johnson allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

Thank God there's only 3 games left in this awful season. The real death of the Sox were the lack of starting pitching depth. That fell squarely on former Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski who's only acquisition was Andrew Cashner who's been a titanic bust as both starter and reliever. These bullpen games are hard enough to sit through once per week, twice is just simply torture. The constant pitching changes slow the game to a crawl and since the games are meaningless to begin with, there's really no point in watching anymore. The next two games are about as useful as pants on a pig with the only drama left is if Eduardo Rodriguez can win 20 games in the season finale. Old time MLB writers are squawking about Guzman dropping the ball on purpose so Minor could pad his stats....are they forgetting Don Baylor dropping a pop up so Roger Clemens could strike out 20 in 1986? Eh, who cares?  The loss drops the Sox to an unimpressive 83-76 on the season. Tomorrow night the Sox begin their final homestand of the season when they welcome to the terrible Baltimore Orioles to Fenway. Asher Wojciechowski goes for the Orioles against Nathan Eovaldi (2-0) at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Walkoff in 11...Again (9/21/19)

The Boston Red Sox played Groundhog Day in tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. After making a late comeback just to lose in 11 innings last night, the Sox did the exact same thing tonight against the Rays. The Sox trailed 3-1 going into the eighth inning but but a clutch 2 run bomb by Rafael Devers tied the game. 3 innings later Mitch Moreland put the Sox on top with a home run...only for Josh Smith to serve up a double and a home run to Nate Lowe in short order to give the game to the Rays. The Sox came back just to lose 5-4 in 11 innings to the soon to be wild card champion Rays at Tropicana Field.

                                                Groundhog Day

Tyler Glasnow got the "start" for the Rays and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers took strike three but Xander Bogaerts doubled to center. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for the Sox and Austin Meadows flied out to center to begin. Tommy Pham walked but Ji-Man Choi was rung up for strike three. Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to first to end the inning.

Glasnow turned up the heat in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland flailed away for strike three to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt watched strike three go by and Christian Vazquez was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Nate Lowe whiffed to start the bottom of the second but Matt Duffy doubled to right and remained there as Joey Wendle beat out an infield single to second. Both runners moved over on the Kevin Kiermaier grounder and Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout. In what was going to be another 5 hour game with one pitching change after another, Bobby Poyner was brought in to finish the inning. Willy Adames whiffed to end the inning, here we go again.

                                                      Short and sweet for Lakins

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to begin the top of the third before Marco Hernandez went down swinging. Mr. Mookie singled to left but Devers whiffed to end the inning. Mike Shawaryn took over for the bottom of the third and Meadows singled off the glove of Hernandez to start. Pham whiffed but Choi walked. d'Arnaud singled home Meadows to put the Rays up first. Lowe grounded out to first. Duffy was plunked to chase Shawaryn. Colten Brewer was summoned and naturally Joey Wendle singled to right. Choi scored but d"arnaud was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Rays up 2-0.

                                                                  2-0 Rays

The Sox fought back against Yonny Chirinos in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts crushed his 32nd homer of the season to cut the lead in half. Martinez and Moreland both whiffed and Holt lined out to third to end the inning but the Sox were back in it down 2-1.

                                              Number 32 for Bogaerts

Ryan Weber took over for the bottom of the fourth and and Kiermaier grounded back to the mound to start. Adames took strike three and Meadows lined back to Weber to end the inning.

Andrew Kittredge came in for the top of the fifth and Vazquez whiffed to start. JBJ singled to right but Hernandez whiffed. Mr. Mookie grounded into a force to end the inning. Weber froze Pham for strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Choi lined out to left. d'Arnaud popped up to first to end the inning.

Peter Fairbanks cruised in the top of the sixth as Devers grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts lined out to left before Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. Weber returned for the bottom of the sixth as Lowe grounded out to second to start. Duffy whiffed but Wendle singled to second. Dr. Quick Hook Alex Cora pulled Weber for Josh Taylor. The alert Taylor picked off Wendle to end the inning.

Colin Poche came in for the top of the seventh and Moreland took strike three to start. Holt lined out to left butVazquez walked. JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. The Rays got to Taylor in the bottom of the seventh although Kiermaier whiffed to start. Adames then blasted a 500,000 foot home run to increase the lead. Meadows single and Dr. Quick Hook pulled Taylor for Ryan Brasier. Meadows was erased on the force by Meadows and Choi flied out to left to end the inning but it was 3-1 Rays.

                                                    Adames goes yard

Guillermo Heredia took over for Pham with Nick Anderson now on the mound for the Sox big rally. Hernandez went down hacking but Mr. Mookie singled. Devers then belted a 2 run home run to tie the game. Bogaerts and Martinez both grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                           A miserable Devers ties it up

Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the eighth and d'Arnaud flied out to center to start. Lowe whiffed and Duffy took strike three to end the inning.

Oliver Drake came in for the top of the ninth and Moreland grounded out to first to start. Holt grounded out to short but Vazquez walked. Andrew Benintendi pinch ran for Vazquez but JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning. Sandy Leon took over behind the plate for the bottom of the ninth with Gorkys Hernandez now in left and Matt Barnes now on the mound. Barnes turned up the heat by getting Wendle to go down hacking to start. Kiermaier also whiffed and Adames also swung and missed for strike three to end the inning.

Emilio Pagan came in for the top of the tenth and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to begin. Mr. Mookie flied out to center and Devers popped up to second to end the inning. Sox closer Brandon Workman came in for the bottom of the tenth and Meadows walked to start. Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Heredia but whiffed. Choi was rung up for strike three and Meadows was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox took the lead in the top of the eleventh with Michael Brosseau in left field and Diego Castillo on the mound. Bogaerts grounded out to short to start before Martinez struck out swinging again. Moreland then put the Sox on top with his 18th home run of the season. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox led 4-3.

                                                     Moreland steps it up

The good feeling lasted 30 seconds as Josh Smith gave away the game in almost record time in the bottom of the eleventh inning. d'Arnaud doubled to left and Lowe pulverized a game winning, walkoff home run to give the game to the Rays. This season sucks.

                                                         Ugh


Jackass of the Night is Josh Smith. Staked to a one run lead, Smith coughed it up in just two batters to give up the walkoff home run to Lowe.

                                                       Nice going Smith



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a two run home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Christian Vazquez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Travis Lakins tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Ryan Weber tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Andrew Cashner tossed a scoreless inning.

Matt Barnes struck out the side in his inning of work.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Mike Shawaryn was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Colten Brewer gave up an rbi single to Joey Wendle.

Josh Taylor was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but hit a solo home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Andrew Benintendi ran for Vazquez in the top of the ninth.

Sandy Leon caught the final three innings.




Final Thoughts:

Its bad enough the Sox are almost completely unwatchable due to the bad pitching they have but Alex Cora trudging to the mound 7-8 times a game slows it down considerably. I understand if he's trying to bring in as many pitchers as he can to showcase them for either future teams or to show what they've got, but one pitching change after another slows the game down. The worst part is most of the guys he brings in are scrubs who probably won't be on the team next year because they keep giving up runs. The sad part was the Sox still was in position to win the game but they blew it. Luckily there are only 8 more games of torture remaining. No more Cora bringing in 75 pitchers and losing by 7 runs every game. The loss dropped the Sox to 80-74. The Rays look to sweep the Sox tomorrow afternoon when Ryan Yarbrough shuts down the Sox and Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) takes a beating at 1:05 PM at Tropicana Field.

Giants Pound Sox (9/18/19)

One thing is for sure, priority number one for the next Boston Red Sox general manager will be to fix the starting rotation. The Sox inability to come back from late deficits is annoying and the bullpen being worthless for most of the first half was why the general manager is now unemployed, but the destruction of the rotation is the main reason why the season went down the drain. Chris Sale and David Price couldn't stay healthy while Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello went down the drain. Apart from Eduardo Rodriguez, the rotation has been a disaster. Tonight the Sox were forced to start Jhoulys Chacin (3-11, 5.66 ERA) off the scrap heap against the San Francisco Giants. Naturally he and the JV bullpen got beat up by the Giants for 11 runs and 15 hits. The Sox offense barely even tried with just 6 hits of their own and the Giants curbstomped the Sox with an 11-3 win at Fenway Park.

                                              "Your rotation sucks!" Dr. Pierce

The Giants wasted no time tagging Chacin in the top of the first inning as Mike Yastrzemski walked to start. Brandon Belt doubled Yaz to third and Kevin Pillar scored him with a ground out. Alex Dickerson took strike three but Stephen Vogt homered to ice the game 5 batters in. Brandon Crawford singled but Cristhian Adams whiffed to end the inning with the Giants up 3-0.

                                                That didn't take long

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the first against Giants starter Jeff Samardzija as Andrew Benintendi lined out to center to start. Xander Bogaerts popped up to third but Rafael Devers walked. Christian Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning.

Chacin recovered in the top of the second as Mauricio Dubon whiffed to start. Aramis Garcia struck out swinging and Mike Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to first to start. Mitch Moreland flied out to center before Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Giants knocked Chacin out in the top of the third inning although Belt struck out swinging to start. Pillar beat out an infield single but Dickerson took strike three. Pillar stole second, Vogt walked and Crawford doubled home Pillar to increase the lead. Dr. Quick Hook Alex Cora decided enough was enough from Jhoulys. Chacin didn't have it as he allowed 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Bobby Poyner came in and punched out Adames to end the inning with the Giants up 4-0.

                                                      Another awful start

Marco Hernandez lined out to left to start the bottom of the third but Sandy Leon. Benintendi banged into a double play to end the inning.

Brian Johnson was summoned for the top of the fourth and Dubon grounded out to third to begin. Garia whiffed and Mike Yaz lined out to right to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to begin. Devers grounded out to third as well before Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning.

Belt took strike three to begin the top of the fifth before Pillar grounded out to second. Dickerson flied out to center to end the inning. Holt tried to rally the Sox by drawing a walk in the bottom of the fifth but Moreland flied out to right. JBJ walked but Hernandez beat out a double play ball. Leon popped up to short to end the inning.

Travis Lakins got the call for the top of the sixth and Vogt grounded out to third to start. Crawford grounded out to second but Adames singled to center. Dubon grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth although Benintendi watched strike three go by to start. Bogaerts was rung up for strike three but Devers blast his 30th home run of the season to break up the shutout. Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were down 4-1.

                                                           Devers hits number 30

Mike Shawaryn came in to pitch the top of the seventh an blew away Garcia to start. Mike Yaz swung at air and Belt popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Holt singled to center to start. That was it for Samardzija as Fernando Abad came in and Moreland banged into a double play. JBJ and Hernandez stroked back to back singles and Leon singled home Leon to cut the lead in half. Representing the go-ahead run.....Benintendi grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                   Leon drives in a run

Shawaryn came back for the top of the eighth and promptly crapped his pants. Pillar and Dickerson stroked back to back singles before Joey Rickard ran for Dickerson. Vogt hit a sac fly to score Pillar and Rickard stole second on the Crawford strike out. Alex Cora brought in Colten Brewer and the first thing he did was give up an rbi single to Adames. Dubon whiffed to end the inning but the Giants had iced it 6-2.

                                               Giants ice the game

Tyler Rogers came in for the bottom of the eighth and the Sox laid down. Bogaerts grounded out to third, Devers grounded out to second and Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth. Garcia doubled to left and Mike Yaz singled him home. Devers dropped a pop up by Belt for a base hit and Pillar singled to load the bases Rickard popped up to first and Vogt banged into a double play to end the inning....but wait! Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call and the umps reversed it, Vogt was safe at first and Mike Yaz scored another run. That was it for Velazquez as Ryan Weber came in and Crawford hit a routine grounder to short. Bogaerts went OLE! for an error that scored Belt. Adames single to left to re-load the bases and Dubon singled home Vogt and Crawford as the boo birds rained down. Garcia lined out to right but the Giants scored 5 runs off the JV bullpen to take an 11-2 lead.

                                                          Yaz scores another run

Enderson Franco came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Juan Centeno pinch hit for Holt. Centeno popped up to short and Chris Owings pinch hit for Moreland only to strike out swinging. JBJ prolonged the agony with his 20th home run of the year. Hernandez flied out to center to end the game. The Giants had won it easily 11-3.

                                                            Mike Yax is 2-0 at Fenway


Jackass of the Night is Jhoulys Chacin. He took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings, putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of and having to rely on the JV bullpen to wreck the day.

                                                       Keep the head down, Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and his 30th homer.

Brock Holt was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 total runs scored and his 20th home run.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Brian Johnson tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Travis Lakins pitched a scoreless 6th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Chris Owings struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mike Shawaryn allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Hector Velazquez allowed 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Ryan Weber allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Colten Brewer allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1/3 of an inning.




Final Thoughts:

Just 11 more games and this miserable season is over. The Sox are clearly going through the motions as the season comes to a close. Getting bitchslapped by the San Francisco Giants is just par for the course when it comes to this year's team. Even the Fenway crowd is giving louder ovations to Mike Yastrzemski than any member of the Red Sox. That actually sends a louder message to ownership that the fans have had enough of the team. At least the silver lining is that Sox owner John Henry told the primary culprit to please leave the premises. The less said about this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-72, just about mathematically eliminated. The Sox look to avoid a sweep by the Giants when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (17-6) up against former ace Madison Bumgarner tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Blanked By Yankees, Yankees Win Division (9/9/19)

Before the game started the Boston Red Sox tried to deflect some of the backlash from firing Dave Dombrowski last night by having David Ortiz make his first appearance at Fenway Park since he was shot back on June 9th. As ridiculous as the past few days have been, it was nice to see Big Papi alive, well and recovering nicely.

                                                           Welcome back Ortiz

As for the game, good riddance to the New York Yankees. The Yankees have laid a thorough beat down on the Sox all season and the exclamation point was tonight's game. James Paxton tossed nearly 7 innings of shutout ball, the Yankees pounced on the Sox bullpen and the Sox dropped to 3-64 when trailing after 6 innings. The Yankees improved to 14-5 on the season against Boston and the win also wrapped up the AL East Division crown for the Bombers. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer in the 5-0 loss at Fenway Park?

Eduardo Rodriguez (17-6, 3.73 ERA) got DJ LeMahieu to ground back to the mound to begin the top of the first before Aaron Judge took strike three. Gleyber Torres doubled to center but Edwin Encarnacion was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Paxton began his domination in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers singled to left and moved to second on a passed ball but Xander Bogaerts watched strike three go by. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning.

Luke Voit whiffed to start the top of the second before Brett Gardner also struck out swinging. Gio Urshela grounded out to second to end the inning. Christian Vazquez whiffed to start the bottom of the second before Sam Travis grounded out to third. Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Cameron Maybin flied out to right to begin the top of the third but Austin Romine walked. LeMahieu was frozen for strike three and Judge grounded out to short to end the inning. Gorkys Hernandez whiffed to start the bottom of the third but Jackie Bradley Jr doubled to left. Mr. Mookie flied out to left but Devers walked. Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning.

The Yankees threatened in the top of the fourth although Torres popped up to short to start. Encarnacion singled and Voit doubled him to third. Gardner grounded to third but Devers nailed Voit at home for the second out. Urshela whiffed to end the inning. As usual the Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez grounded out to third to begin. Vazquez popped up to second and Travis whiffed to end the inning.

The Yankees iced the game in the top of the fifth although Maybin took strike three. Austin Romine crushed a 45,000,000 foot home run to put the Yankees up for good. LeMahieu was rung up for strike three but Judge singled to left. Torres lined out to center to end the inning with the game all over, 1-0 Yankees.

                                                        Yankees end it early

Naturally the Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Holt grounded back to the mound to begin. Hernandez took strike three but JBJ singled to left. Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning.

Rodriguez finished strong in the top of the sixth as Encarnacion popped up to a diving Travis to start. Voit watched strike three go by and Gardner grounded out to second to end the inning. Rodriguez was the hard luck loser as he allowed just 1 run in 6 innings while striking out 9.

                                                    Eduardo deserved better

The Sox did threaten in the bottom of the sixth although Devers grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts lined out to center but Martinez walked. Vazquez singled to left but Travis grounded into a force to end the inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez crapped himself in the top of the seventh as Urshela belted a 8,000 foot home run to begin. Maybin struck out swinging but Romine doubled to left. A wild pitch moved Austin to third before LeMahieu singled him home. Trevor Kelley came in to take a beating as Judge doubled to center and Torres hit a sac fly to score LeMahieu. Encarnacion flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.

                                              All smiles for New York

Holt grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh before Hernandez flied out to center. JBJ walked to chase Paxton after pitching a gem. Zack Britton came in and Mr. Mookie greeted him with a single but Devers whiffed to end the inning.

Travis Lakins came in for the top of the eighth and Voit flied out to center to start. Gardner flied out to right but Urshela doubled. Maybin took strike three to end the inning. Cory Gearrin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Martinez took strike three but Vazquez singled to left. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Travis as a passed ball moved Vazquez to second. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning.

Mike Shawaryn came in to pitch the top of the ninth and the Yankees tagged him. Romine walked but LeMahieu flied out to right. Judge walked and Torres singled to left to load the bases. Encarnacion flied out to right but Voit drove in Romine with a base hit to left. Colten Brewer came in to get Gardner to strike out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-0.

The end came in the bottom of the ninth with Tyler Lyons on the mound. Chris Owings pinch hit for Holt and whiffed. Hernandez grounded out to short and JBJ singled to right. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had dominated all season and tonight included 5-0.

Jackass of the Night is Darwinzon Hernandez. Not that the Sox had a chance in hell of scoring a run in this game but he was charged with 3 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                               Raise your hand if you're a Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 3 with a walk.

Eduardo Rodriguez took the loss but tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball, striking out 9.

Travis Lakins pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Colten Brewer struck out the only man he faced.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marco Hernandez flied out as a pinch hitter.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3.

Chris Owings struck out as a pinch hitter.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Shawaryn allowed a run in the top of the ninth.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Trevor Kelley allowed an inherited runner to score in the top of the seventh but none of his own.




Final Thoughts:

The horrible season against the Yankees ends with the Yankees blasting "New York, New York" in the clubhouse and there's nothing the Sox can do about it. The Sox earned their ass kicking because they haven't competed against the Yankees or anyone really all season. The Sox have just 3 wins all year when trailing after 6 and its pathetic. The fact the Sox were in contention until September was a testament to how good the offense was to get leads. They may have blown 22 of them but at least they got the lead. Anytime they fell behind it was almost a guaranteed loss like tonight. This team just simply quits when the going gets tough. Its a far cry from last year when they scratched and clawed no matter how bad the deficit was. It feels like this team got complacent this year and paid for it. Hopefully next year they'll come out kicking everyone's ass like when they started 17-2 last year. The loss drops the Sox to 76-68, only 18 games left in this garbage season. The Sox now travel to Toronto for a set with the Blue Jays. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 5.77 ERA) gets the start for the Sox against  TJ Zeuch of the Jays at 7:10 PM at the Skydome.

Yankees Defeat Lifeless Sox (9/7/19)

After a season of playing from behind and trying to pick up the often times useless Boston Red Sox pitching staff, it seems like the offense is out of gas. During many losses this season the offense at least kept the Sox in the game but during the last week the Sox offense looks like its on its last legs. Tonight JA Happ of the New York Yankees was the latest to shut the Sox down. If it wasn't for a JD Martinez home run in the bottom of the ninth, they would have been held to no runs and just 4 hits. Martinez himself had a terrible day defensively as he committed two blunders that led to 4 Yankee runs. As it was, the Yankees took another step toward the division title as they beat the Sox 5-1 at Fenway Park.

                                        "I'M DONE WITH THIS YEAR'S TEAMMMM!!"

Travis Lakins was the opener today and DJ LeMahieu lined out to a wall climbing Mookie Betts to start. Aaron Judge whiffed and Didi Gregorius flied out to center to end the inning. Mr. Mookie greeted Happ with a single to center to begin the bottom of the first. Xander Bogaerts whiffed and Rafael Devers banged into a double play to end the inning.

Lakins returned for the top of the second inning and Gary Sanchez whiffed to start. Edwin Encarnacion flied out to center and Gleyber Torres struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez grounded out to short to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to short as well and Christian Vazquez whiffed to end the inning.

First out of the bullpen was Bobby Poyner and he got Brett Gardner to ground out to second to start the top of the third inning. Luke Voit flied out to center and Mike Tauchman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the third as Mitch Moreland flied out to left to start. Sam Travis flied out to right and Brock "The Hitman" Holt flied out to left to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first against Ryan Weber in the top of the fourth inning as LeMahieu singled to left to begin. Judge whiffed but Martinez lost Gregorius' routine fly ball in the sun, allowing it to drop in for a double. Colten Brewer came in and Sanchez hit a routine pop up to Martinez....and he let it drop for a ground rule double to put the Yankees up. Encarnacion then crushed a 9,000 foot home run to ice the game. Torres lined out to right but Gardner singled. Gardner swiped second and Voit walked, but Tauchman lined out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0, game over.

                                                 Poor Martinez

Happ laughed at the Sox as they came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Mr. Mookie lined out to right but somehow Bogaerts singled to right for his 1,000th career hit. Naturally Devers and Martinez both whiffed to end the inning.

Trevor Kelley came in to pitch the top of the fifth but Judge lined out to center to start. Gregorius lined out to right but Sanchez walked. Encarnacion hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox laid down in the bottom of the fifth as Benintendi whiffed badly to start. Vazquez flied out to center and Moreland whiffed to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the top of the sixth and Torres effortlessly doubled to right before Gardner walked. Somehow Voit whiffed and LeMahieu banged into a double play to end the inning. As usual the Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Travis flied out to center to start. Holt popped up to second but Mr. Mookie walked. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Josh Smith came in for the top of the seventh and Judge flied out to left to start. Gregorius grounded out to short but Sanchez walked. Encarnacion whiffed to end the inning. Devers whiffed to open the bottom of the seventh and that was it for Happ after 6 1/3 nearly no-hit innings. Adam Ottavino came in and easily whiffed Martinez. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning.

Mike Shawaryn came in for the top of the eighth and Torred whiffed to start. Gardner struck out swinging but Voit doubled. Tauchman grounded into a force to end the inning. Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez gronded out to second to start. Somehow Moreland singled and Marco Hernande pinch hit for Travis, getting a base hit to right. Zack Britton came in to pitch and effortlessly struck out Holt. Mr. Mookie lined out to right to end the inning.

Shawryn returned for the top of the ninth and Judge flied out to center to start. Gregorius popped up to third but Sanchez was plunked. Encarnacion laughed at the Sox as he doubled home Sanchez to increase the lead. Torres singled Edwin to third but Gardner lined out to center to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-0.

                                                      Sox are finished

The carnage ended with at least a run in the bottom of the ninth as Aroldis Chapman easily got Bogaerts to fly out to center to start. Devers grounded out to second but Martinez crushed his 35th home run of the year to break up the shutout. Benintendi popped up to first to end the game but the Yankees had won it 5-1.

                                               Dammit


Jackass of the Night is Colten Brewer. Not that the Sox were going to score any runs and he got no help from Martinez but he still served up the 2 run jack to Encarnacion to put the Yankees up for good.

                                                  Poor Brewer the Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Travis Lakins pitched two scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner pitched a scoreless third inning.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3.

Marco Hernandez singled as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Kelley pitched a scoreless 5th inning.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Josh Smith pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with a strikeouts.

Ryan Weber took the loss with 2 runs allowed in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 and made several defensive blunders but hit a solo home run.

Mike Shawaryn allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

As the season goes down the drain one can only wonder what could have been if general manager Dave Dombrowski had gotten some real bullpen help in the off-season instead of putting his faith into Tyler Thornburg and Colten Brewer. One also has to wonder what could have been if Alex Cora didn't sandbag spring training and the Sox pitchers were ready to start the season. Maybe Nathan Eovaldi, David Price and Chris Sale wouldn't have gotten hurt. All those factors are the reason the Sox are almost officially done in terms of the season. They could never go on a sustained win streak because the pitching was just that bad. The fact they had to have 2 bullpen games in a row, in September, against the damn YANKEES shows you how unprepared Dombrowski had been this season. He may not be back next year but if he is, he better learn from his mistakes. If the Sox were still in contention, Alex Cora's job would be on the hotseat as well. If they missed the playoffs by 2 games you'd have to look at the terrible start out of the gate or pinch hitting Chris Owings over Brock Holt. Either way the fact they couldn't hang with the Yankees is a microcosm of a lost season. There's no point about talking about tonight because there's nothing that can be done at this point. The loss dropped the Sox to 76-66. There's only 20 games of misery remaining. Tomorrow night the Sox and Yankees go head to head with the New England Patriots season opener for some ungodly reason. The Sox start "Slick" Rick Porcello (12-11) up against Masahiro Tanaka at 8:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Porcello, Sox Whack Orioles (8/16/19)

Even though it was against the lowly Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox made it 3 wins in a row going back to the Cleveland series. "Slick" Rick Porcello (11-9, 5.49 ERA) looked like himself for once with 6 solid innings of 1 run ball. Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers paced a 12 hit attack that helped the Sox inch closer in the wild card race with a 9-1 victory over the Orioles at Fenway Park.

                                               Cole Phelps approves of the win

Porcello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan Villar slapped a single to center to start. Trey Mancini lined out to a running Mookie Betts in right before Andrew Benintendi ran down a liner from Anthony Santander. Reynato Nunez popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time scoring off Orioles starter Aaron Brooks in the bottom of the first inning. Mr. Mookie launched the second pitch high off the Monster for a double and he scored on the Devers wall ball single to give the Sox the lead. Devers took second on a wild pitch before Xander Bogaerts walked. The rally ended as JD Martinez banged into a double play and Benintendi grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                Devers puts the Sox on top

Jace Peterson led off the top of the second inning by popping up to center to start. DJ Stewart also popped up to Jackie Bradley Jr before Rio Ruiz was frozen for strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Christian Vazquez grounded out to second to begin. Mitch Moreland also grounded out to second before Marco Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning.

The O's struck back in the top of the third although Chris Davis hit a 400 foot out to JBJ to begin. Chance Sisco grounded out to first but Villar slapped a single to right. Mancini doubled into the right field corner as Villar made a mad dash home. The relay throw came in....SAFE! Santander was caught looking to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

JBJ singled to right to open the bottom of the third but Mr Mookie flied out to left and Devers banged into a double play to end the inning.

Nunez popped up to short to start the top of the fourth and Porcello made personal history when Peterson flied out to left. Rick had reached 2,000 innings pitched for his career and he celebrated by getting Stewart to pop up to short to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fourth although Bogaerts got jammed and lined out to Brooks to start. Martinez hit a chopper to Ruiz but he whiffed on it and JD ended up at second with a "double". Benintendi tripled into the gap to score JD but Vazquez whiffed on a very high fastball. Moreland hit a routine pop up to right but Stewart missed it completely. Moreland motored around for a "triple" to score Benintendi. Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                Moreland "triples" home a run

The O's threatened in the top of the fifth although Ruiz grounded out to short to begin. Davis walked and Sisco singled to right but Villar popped up to third. Mancini flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as JBJ looked at strike three to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to center but Devers doubled again. Bogaerts lined out to second to end the inning.

Porcello came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth inning as Santander flied out to left to start. Nunez walked but Peterson banged into a double play to end the inning. Even though it was against the O's, Porcello finished up with 6 innings of 1 run ball.

                                         Porcello gets it done

The Sox hit the killshot in the bottom of the sixth as Martinez was plunked to start. Benintendi singled and Vazquez dropped down a bunt to move both runners over. Richard Bleier came in to relieve Brooks and Sam Travis pinch hit for Moreland. For whatever reason Bleier intentionally walked Travis to load the bases. Chris Owings pinch hit for Hernandez and doubled home Martinez and Benintendi to ice it. JBJ scored Travis with a sac fly and that was it for Bleier. Miguel Castro got Betts to fly out to center to end the inning but it was 6-1 Sox.

                                                    Good work Owings

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Stewart lined out to right to begin. Ruiz grounded out to second and Davis grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox got some more runs off Tom Eshelman (no relation to Vaughn) in the bottom of the seventh. Devers walked and Bogaerts doubled him to third. Martinez hit a bomb to right but it was caught at the wall, scoring Devers on a sac fly and sending Xander to third. Benintendi doubled home Bogaerts to increase the lead. Vazquez popped up to second as did Travis to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                        Benintendi helps out the cause

Travis Lakins came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Sisco singled to center to begin. Sisco was erased on the force by Villar before Mancini walked. Santander lined out to right and Nunez flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth although Owings whiffed to start. JBJ grounded out to second but Mr. Mookie pounded his 21st home run of the year to center. Devers lined out to center to end the inning with the score now 9-1 Boston.

                                              Betts hits one out

Lakins returned for the top of the ninth and finished strong. Peterson, Stewart and Ruiz all struck out swinging to begin and end the inning. The Sox had won the game 9-1.

                                                        Sox won a game?



Hero of the Night is Chris Owings. The journeyman came off the bench to hit the killshot in the 7th inning.

                                              A handshake for the Hero



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a solo home run.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 2 with a hit by pitch, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Sam Travis walked and scored after coming in for Moreland.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Rick Porcello earned the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Travis Lakins tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 2.



The Ugly:

None




Final Thoughts:

Even though it was against the Orioles, that was a good team win. The entire offense pitched in and the pitching held the O's to just 5 hits and 1 run. Porcello after the game said he felt like himself and it was good to see him go 6 strong. Devers has been unstoppable and if Betts can hit like he did last year down the stretch, then the Sox may actually have a chance at the wild card. They're gonna have to beat up on the bad times like the O's and they did it tonight at least. It was a feel good win but it was against a terrible team. The win improved the Sox to 65-59, 6.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it 2 in a row against Baltimore and 4 in a row overall when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (13-5) to the mound against Asher Wojciechowski. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Massacre Orioles (6/14/19)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Brian Johnson was activated from the Injured List and Heath Hembree was placed on it. Also Sam Travis was sent back to Pawtucket and Josh Taylor was called up. With the Sox desperate for good starting pitching, Johnson needs to stay healthy and consistent moving forward. Losing Hembree is a bad blow because he had been pitching great out of the bullpen.

                                                                              OUT

                                                                              IN

As for the game, looks like the Red Sox got hot. The walkoff win over the Rangers sparked the Sox after all and they showed flashes of their 2018 selves in tonight's game against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox offense came alive to slap the Orioles around for 16 hits and 13 runs. The Sox hit 6 home runs in the game, 2 of them from JD Martinez. On the other side of the ball, Eduardo Rodriguez (7-4, 4.67 ERA) was brilliant tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball. Everyone in the lineup contributed one way or another as the Sox devastated the Orioles 13-2 at Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

                                                          Mika Tan approves of the win

Orioles starter Luis Ortiz initially had no problems in the top of the first inning as Michael Chavis grounded out to first to start. Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging but JD Martinez walked. Rafael Devers flied out to center to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the first although Hanser Alberto grounded out to third to start. Trey Mancini hit a home run into the Potomac River to give the O's the lead but Renato Nunez flied out to left. Pedro Severino singled to left but Anthony Santander grounded out to third to end the inning with the O's ahead 1-0.

                                                       Mancini goes yard

The Sox answered in the top of the second inning as Xander Bogaerts walked and Brock "The Hitman" Holt clocked his first home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Christian Vazquez watched strike three go by but Jackie Bradley Jr walked. Eduardo Nunez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                   First homer for Holt

Rodriguez got in trouble in the bottom of the second as Jonathan Villar singled to left and Chris Davis was plunked to start. Keon Broxton moved both runners over with a bunt but Rodriguez got a big out by striking out Richie Martin swinging. Alberto flied out to center to end the inning.

Chavis lined out to center to start the top of the third before Benintendi popped up to third. Martinez walked again and Devers singled to right, but Holt took strike three to end the inning. Mancini grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Nunez popped up to first. Severino lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the fourth as Vazquez blasted his 8th home run of the season to start. JBJ doubled to right but Nunez lined out to center. That was it for Ortiz as Dan Straily came in to allow Chavis to single home JBJ to increase the lead. Benintendi grounded out to second but Martinez cracked his 14th home run of the year to ice the game. Devers singled to right but Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                       Vazquez adds to the lead

Rodriguez cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Santander grounded out to third to start. Villar struck out swinging and Davis popped up to third to end the inning.

Rio Ruiz took over for Alberto to start the top of the fifth and the Sox poured it on. Holt was plunked but Vazquez took strike three. JBJ joined the homer parade with his 7th of the season to increase the lead. Nunez singled to left and Chavis crushed his 12th home run of the season to add to the total. Benintendi whiffed but Martinez pulverized his second homer of the game to make this a laughter. Josh Rogers replaced the shaky Straily and Devers singled to center. Bogaerts lined out to short to end the inning but the Sox hit three home runs and led 11-1.

                                                       What a nightmare for Baltimore

Broxton flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Martin struck out swinging. Ruiz grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up their scoring in the top of the sixth as Holt singled to right to start. Vazquez singled to center but JBJ took strike three. Both runners moved over on the Nunez grounder but Chavis walked to load the bases. Benintendi singled home Holt and Vazquez to increase the lead. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 13-1.

                                                             Vazquez adds to the lead

Marco Hernandez came in to give Xander Bogaerts the rest of the night off in the bottom of the sixth as the Sox flashed the leather. Mancini singled to center but Nunez popped up to short. Severino looked to have hit a home run but JBJ kept it in play for just a double that sent Mancini to third. Santander lined out to Martinez who gunned home to nail Mancini for the double play to end the inning.

                                                         YERRRR OUT!

Devers was plunked to start the top of the seventh before Hernandez flied out to left. Holt flied out to center and Vazquez flied out to left as well to end the inning. Rodriguez came back for the bottom of the seventh with Sandy Leon now behind the plate in Devers' spot with Vazquez moving to third. Villar popped up to first and Davis took strike three. Broxton singled to center but Martin flied out to JBJ to end the inning. Lost in the sea of offense was Rodriguez quietly holding the O's to just 1 run in 7 innings. Great job by E-Rod.

                                                          E-Rod goes 7

JBJ flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Nunez walked. Chavis banged into a double play to end the inning. Travis Lakins came on for the bottom of the eighth and Ruiz grounded out to second to start. Mancini grounded out to second and Nunez flied out to left to end the inning.

Steve Wilkerson took over in right for the top of the ninth and Benintendi grounded out to short to begin. Martinez singled to left but was forced at second by Leon. Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Josh Smith came on for the bottom of the ninth and the O's rallied. Severino whiffed but Santander doubled to right. Villar flied out to left but Davis singled Santander to third and Broxton singled him home. Martin whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won it easy 13-2.

                                                          Another victory

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. He was 3 for 4 with 2 walks, 2 home runs and an outfield assist.

                                                              JD Hero

The Good:

Michael Chavis was 2 for 5 with a walk, 3 total rbis, 2 total runs scored and a 2 run bomb.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch.

Xander Bogaerts walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Brock Holt was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch, 2 run home run and 3 total runs scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 5 with 2 total runs scored and a home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 total runs scored and a 2 run home run.

Eduardo Rodriguez got the win by pitching 7 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and no walks.

Travis Lakins pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Sandy Leon was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Josh A Smith allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 6 but drove in 2 runs.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Guess the Sox needed that game big time. Belting 6 home runs made up for the horrendous week they had previously and hopefully the momentum carries them back in the AL East race. The entire offense pitched in and that's what they are capable of when they're not 7 runs behind every game. Rodriguez was just as important as all the runs scored because he kept the O's off the board long enough for the offense to take over. It was a good team win that also showed good defensive work by JBJ and Martinez as well. Very rare do you get a complete all around effort like this so this one is for the books for sure. Unfortunately the Sox have no time to enjoy the win because they still have work to do to catch the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. The win improved the Sox to 37-34, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it four wins in a row and two against the Orioles when they send the struggling Chris Sale (2-7, 3.79 ERA) to the mound opposite Dylan "King Kong" Bundy of the Orioles. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Camden Yards.