Gibson, Twins Shut Down Sox (7/22/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Junichi Tazawa was activated off the Disabled List and Noe Ramirez was sent back to Worcester. The Sox bullpen was dangerously thin with Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrell out. Getting Tazawa back helps.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                       IN

So much for the Boston Red Sox high powered offense. Tonight Kyle Gibson had only two wins going into the season but tonight earned his third big time. Holding the Sox to just 2 hits and a walk in 8 innings, the Twins survived a ninth inning rally to defeat the Sox. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-4, 6.70 ERA) was the hard luck loser but it would be the Twins that took the game 2-1 at Fenway Park.

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Eduardo Nunez greeted him by flying out to the right field warning track. Robbie Grossman singled to center but Joe Mauer whiffed. The alert Sandy Leon gunned down Grossman trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox got one of their only hits off Gibson 2 pitches into the top of the first when Mr. Mookie Betts swatted a solo home run into the Monster Seats to give the Sox the quick lead. Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging but the ball got away so he made it to first. Xander Bogaerts beat out an infield single but David Ortiz banged into a double play to kill the rally. Hanley Ramirez lined out to center to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                           Mookie puts the Sox on top

The Twins wasted no time tying in the game in the top of the second as Brian Dozier hit a 400,000 foot home run into the Atlantic Ocean to tie the game. Miguel Sano whiffed but Max Kepler singled to center. Kepler was erased on the force by Eduardo Escobar but Juan Centeno whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Dozier ties it up

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to start. Travis Shaw and Sandy Leon both flied out to right to end the inning.

Rodriguez settled down in the top of the third as Byron Buxton whiffed to start. Nunez grounded out to third before Grossman flied out to center to end the inning. Gibson began to dominate the bottom of the third as Brock "The Hitman" Holt whiffed to start. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Pedroia flied out to center to end the inning.

Rodriguez struck out Mauer to begin the top of the fourth but Dozier doubled to....BUT WAIT! Sox manager John Farrell challenged that Dozier was out at second and he was indeed. Sano singled to right but Kepler looked at strike three to end the inning. Bogaerts whiffed to open the bottom of the fourth before Ortiz grounded out to third. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning.

All of a sudden Mookie Betts keeled over grabbing his hamstring and had to be hauled off in an ambulance headed to Mass General's ICU. Michael Martinez took over in right to begin the top of the fifth. Escobar lined out to center before Rodriguez snared a liner off the bat of Centeno. Buxton beat out an infield single to third but Nunez whiffed to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the fifth as JBJ flied out to right, Shaw whiffed and Leon popped up to third to end the inning.

The Twins struck in the top of the sixth although Grossman whiffed to start. Mauer walked and that was it for Rodriguez. The lefty lasted just 5 1/3 innings before Farrell pulled the plug although he didn't pitch bad. Heath Hembree came in and poured gas on the fire by walking Dozier and allowing an rbi double to Sano to put Minnesota on top. Sox manager John Farrell stormed out of the dugout and chased Hembree away, kicking dirt at him as Robbie Ross Jr was summoned. Kepler whiffed and Escobar flied out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 2-1.

                                                      Rodriguez deserved better

The Sox tried to rally when Holt walked to begin the bottom of the sixth but was forced at second by Martinez. Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning.

Ross dominated the top of the seventh although Centeno singled to center to begin. Buxton popped up a bunt back to Ross and Nunez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Gibson cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts flied out to center, Ortiz lined out to center and Ramirez took strike three to end the inning.

Junichi Tazawa came in for the top of the eighth and Grossman lined out to right to begin. Mauer grounded out to second but Dozier and Sano stroked back to back singles. Kepler flied out to center to end the inning. Eddie Rosario took over for Grossman in left as JBJ whiffed to open the bottom of the eighth. Shaw grounded out to second but Leon reached when Escobar dropped a pop up for an error. The Sox failed to capitalize as Holt grounded out to short to end the inning. Gibson had hurled 8 innings of 1 run ball, how???

Tommy Layne came in for the top of the ninth and Escobar grounded out to third to begin. Centeno was snuffed out on a bunt attempt before Buxton grounded out to third to end the inning. Brandon Kintzler came in to close out the bottom of the ninth but the Sox refused to go quietly. Martinez and Pedroia stroked back to back singles before Bogaerts walked to load the bases with nobody out. The normally reliable Ortiz suddenly banged into a double play to kill any hope. Ramirez lined out to right to end the game. The Twins had won it 2-1.

                                                    Nice try Hanley


Jackass of the Night is David Ortiz. He was 0 for 4 including banging into two double plays in key spots, once in the first and once in the ninth.

                                                        Ortiz is the Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 2 with a solo home run before leaving.

Michael Martinez was 1 for 2.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Robbie Ross Jr tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Tommy Layne pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3.

Heath Hembree allowed a walk and an rbi double.



The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4.

Brock Holt was 0 for 2 but walked.

Eduardo Rodriguez took the loss but managed to toss 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball, normally that would be good enough for a win. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 8




Final Thoughts:

Have a day Kyle Gibson, the normally .500 pitcher pitched the game of his life at Fenway and had to be because Rodriguez kept pace. That was a beautiful and unlikely pitcher's duel but the wrong team came out on top. The big guns such as Ramirez and Ortiz didn't do much and the loss of Betts didn't help either. Hopefully Mookie just pulled a hammy but you never know. Games like this happen so there's no need to panic but the Sox can't afford to lose ground with the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles neck and neck with the Sox in the AL East race. The less said about this offensive ineptitude the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 54-40, 0.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox are back in action at home against the Twins. David Price goes for the Sox up against Ricky Nolasco at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Blank Sox, Take Three of Four (4/28/22)

What more can be said about the incompetence of the Boston Red Sox offense? The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff isn't that good but they looked like the 1970 Baltimore Orioles in this series. If the walkoff losses and grand slams weren't enough, today the Sox scored NO runs against the Jays. Alek Manoah tossed a 7 inning shutout allowing just 3 hits and a walk. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock (1-1, 0.54 ERA) lasted just three innings and allowed the game's only run. The Boston bullpen stepped up by tossing five scoreless innings but the bats couldn't generate any offense. Number 5 through 9 in the order were a combined 1 for 15 with 4 strikeouts and fans want changes immediately. It all added up to a 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Manoah got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off by flying out to right. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to right but Rafael Devers flied out to right. Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Jays almost pounced on The Lock in the bottom of the first although George Springer popped up to first to start. Bo Bichette and Lourdes Gurriel Jr stroked back to back base hits before Raimel Tapia flied out to center to move Bo to third. Matt Chapman struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Christian Arroyo popped up to second. Bobby Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. Alejandro Kirk grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the second but Santiago Espinal singled to right. Espinal swiped second and Gosuke Katoh drew a walk but Bradley Zimmer forced Katoh at second. Springer popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Travis Shaw popped up to third to start. Christian Vazquez and Trevor Story both struck out swinging to end the inning. The  Jays caught a break in the bottom of the third although Bichette grounded out to short to start. Gurriel Jr hit a routine grounder to short but Arroyo tried to catch the ball in his hat for an error. Tapia walked but Chapman struck out swinging...only for Kirk to get a base hit to left to score Gurriel. Espinal grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0. That was it for Whitlock who only lasted three innings but only gave up the one run.

                                                                Jays strike first

Verdugo struck out swinging after a ten pitch at bat to begin the top of the fourth before Devers was rung up for strike three. Hernandez flied out to right after a ten pitch at-bat to end the inning. If nothing else they made Manoah throw 26 pitches in one inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Katoh flied out to right to start. Zimmer grounded out to short but Springer walked to chase Davis. John Schreiber came in and got Bichette to ground out to second to end the inning.

JBJ flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Arroro somehow singled up the middle. Arroyo stole second but both Dalbec and Shaw struck out swinging to end the inning. Gurriel Jr flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Tapia did the same. Chapman doubled to left but Kirk popped up to third to end the inning.

Vazquez flied out to the right field wall to start the top of the fifth but Story drew a walk. Verdugo flied out to left and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Espinal lines out to center to start. Katoh grounded out to second and Zimmer struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the seventh as Hernandez doubled to right to start. Hernandez moved to third on the JBJ grounder to the mound but Arroyo lined out to short and Dalbec popped up to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Springer flied out to right to start. Bichette struck out swinging and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Adam Cimber came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for Shaw. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound, Vazquez grounded out to second and Story lined out to right to end the inning. Hansel Robles came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning and Tapia flied out to center to start. Chapman flied out to center but Kirk singled off the glove of Robles but Espinal struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Jordan Romano came in to close out the top of the ninth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Devers singled to center to put the tying run on but Hernandez lined out to left. JBJ took strike three to end the game. The Jays had shutout the Sox 1-0.

                                                                      Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including leaving the tying run on in the ninth.

                                                        Swing the bat next time, Jackass

The Good:

Austin Davis got the first two outs of the fourth inning.

John Schreiber tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Hansel Robles tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with a stolen base but his error led to the only run scoring.

Garrett Whitlock took the loss by allowing an unearned run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble if the bats don't improve. It doesn't matter how good your pitching is if you can't score runs, the 1992 Red Sox are proof of that. JD Martinez and Xander Bogaerts getting most or all of the day off didn't help but the bottom of the order is a bonafide black hole. Arroyo, Vazquez, JBJ, Shaw, Hernandez and Dalbec are all hitting under .210 and Story isn't much better at .224. Fans are screaming at Chaim Bloom for trading Hunter Renfroe for JBJ and keeping Shaw over Jose Iglesias. Fans want Triston Casas and Jarren Duran called up and Brock "The Hitman" Holt signed off the street. Arroyo had a good run last year but if the magic ran out on him then maybe bringing back The Hitman could spark this team. Then again NOBODY is hitting so it doesn't matter. The Sox are at the bottom of the league in runs scored and home runs and the slump has gone on too long to just ignore it. Casas and Duran aren't ready but something has to be done soon or else they'll be too far behind to keep up in the division or wild card race. The Sox held the Jays to 2 runs in the last 18 innings and only one win to show for it. The Sox now travel to Baltimore to end the month and the first game is tomorrow night. Rich Hill (0-1, 4.85 ERA) takes the mound against Captain TBD of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Kiermaier, Rays Walkoff Red Sox (4/23/22)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of their first round NBA playoff series. The bad news was the Boston Red Sox invented a new way to lose against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox were legitimately no-hit by JP Feyereisen and the Rays bullpen for 9 innings, wasting a great performance by Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock and the Red Sox bullpen who shut out the Rays through 9 innings as well. Bobby Dalbec and Christian Vazquez drove in runs in the top of the tenth but a 2 out Trevor Story error led to Kevin Kiermaier hitting a walkoff home run to win it for Tampa. Hansel Robles served up the jack and it led to the 3-2 walkoff win by the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Feyereisen got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off with a pop up to first to begin. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. The Lock got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brandon Lowe struck out swinging to start. Wander Franco popped up to short and Randy Arozarena took strike three to end the inning.

Verdugo led off the top of the second by grounding out to short. Kike Hernandez hit one up the elevator shaft and Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. Ji-Man Choi struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Josh Lowe took strike three. Taylor Walls also was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Javy Guerra came in to pitch the top of the third and Bobby Dalbec grounded out to short to start. Christian Vazquez grounded out to short and Rob Refsnyder made his Red Sox debut by drawing a walk. Story hit a routine grounder to second but Brandon Lowe booted it for an error. Old pal Jeffrey Springs came in to pitch and Devers popped up to second to end the inning. Kevin Kiemaier grounded out to short on the first pitch of the bottom of the third before Brett Phillips struck out swinging on three pitches. Mike Zunino grounded out to short on two pitches to end the inning.

Bogaerts struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Verdugo seemed to have beat out a roller to short. Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the play and sure enough, the call was overturned to an out. Hernandez and JBJ drew back to back walks but Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Brandon Lowe got the first hit of the game with a double to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Franco flied out to right. Arozarena struck out swinging and Choi flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Whitlock who held the Rays to just 1 hit in 4 innings of work.

                                  The Lock says know your damn role

Vazquez lined out to left to start the top of the fifth before Refsnyder grounded out to third. That was it for Springs and Jason Adams came in to pitch to Story. Story walked and stole second but Devers flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox no-hit through five. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Josh Lowe flied out to center to start. Walls popped up to short but Kiermaier walked. Phillips flied out to right to end the inning.

Still no hits for the Red Sox in the top of the sixth as Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Verdugo walked but Hernandez flied out to center. JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. For some reason acting Sox manager Will Venable turned to Kutter Crawford to pitch the bottom of the sixth. JBJ made a running grab on a Zunino liner to start before Lowe lined out to Story. Franco struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Ryan Thompson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec flied out to left to start. Vazquez flied out to right and Travis Shaw pinch hit for Refsnyder only to ground out to third to end the inning. Arozarena grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh and Choi struck out swinging. Josh Lowe struck out swinging to end the inning.

Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Story popped up to first to start. Devers lined back to the mound on the first pitch and Bogaerts flied out to center on the first pitch to end the inning. The Sox were 3 outs away from being no-hit. Crawford returned for the bottom of the eighth and Walls struck out swinging to start. Kiermaier struck out swinging but Phillips singled to center, only for Zunino to fly out to center to end the inning. Kudos to Crawford for slamming the door in the last three innings.

Verdugo flied out to center to start the top of the ninth before Hernandez popped up to third. JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox had officially been no-hit through nine innings, 7 of which by the Rays bullpen. Tyler Danish came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Brandon Lowe walked to start. Franco forced Lowe at second and Arozarena hit into a double play to send the game to extras.

JBJ started at second with Matt Wisler on the mound for the top of the tenth. Somehow Dalbec tripled into the right field corner past the diving Phillips to put the Sox on top just like that. Vazquez hit a sac fly to left to score Dalbec but Shaw lined out to right. Story lined a base hit to left but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                    Dalbec puts the Sox on top

Hansel Robles came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Arozarena starting at second base. Choi struck out swinging before Josh Lowe was caught looking. Arozarena moved to third on a balk but Walls hit a routine grounder to Story....thrown into the dugout for an error to score Arozarena. Walls swiped second and Kiemaier hit a walkoff two run home run to Kiermaier to end the game. The Rays had shocked the Red Sox with a 3-2 win.

                        SonovaBITCH!!!

Jackass of the Night is Trevor Story. His error led to the walkoff home run by Kiermaier.

               Here's a Story of a Jackass

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder walked in two plate appearances.

Garrett Whitlock allowed just 1 hit in 4 innings while striking out 7.

Austin Davis pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Kutter Crawford tossed 3 scoreless innings.

Tyler Danish pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2.

Hansel Robles took the loss by giving up the walkoff home run to Kiermaier.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but walked.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

This is going to be a bad year. The Red Sox were literally no-hit through nine innings, scored two runs in the tenth only for the closer who hadn't been scored upon all season giving up a walkoff bomb to lose the game. Teams that are destined to win don't lose games like this in fashion like this. Story made the game winning play last night only to make the error to essentially lose the game tonight. The Sox offense that pretty much took the month off literally had no hits through nine innings. The big free agent signing Trevor Story and the two superstars that want superstar money (Devers and Bogaerts) did nothing against the Rays bullpen tonight. On the other side of the ball, the Sox pitchers were outstanding including the unsung heroes Crawford and Danish. Can't even blame Robles for a guy starting at second base and Story making the error at the end. The game should have been over and the Sox would have been laughing at the Rays. Instead everyone in baseball is now laughing at the under .500 Red Sox who can't score runs to save their lives. Its only one game and its only April but the season has a very bad vibe going on so far. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow when Rich Hill (0-1, 7.00 ERA) takes on Shane McClanahan of the Rays. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Survive Rays Rally (4/22/22)

Everyone's blood pressure is now significantly higher thanks to tonight's Boston Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Rays. It what would have been a classic if it wasn't in April, the Sox and Rays battled to the very last pitch of the game. Boston pounded on an ineffective Corey Kluber for four early runs but couldn't score after the third inning. Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.88 ERA) won his first game with the Red Sox by holding the Rays to just two Wander Franco home runs in five innings. The Rays added a run against Matt Strahm in the seventh inning which set the stage for the ninth. Jake Diekman walked the bases loaded and with two outs, Matt Barnes was brought in to face Franco. Trevor Story made a great grab to rob Franco of a hit to end it. The Sox survived by the skin of their teeth to beat the Rays 4-3 at Tropicana Field.

                                                      Nikkita Lyons approves of the win

Kluber got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Story led off by beating out an infield single to short. Rafael Devers took strike three but Xander Bogaerts singled to right ro move Story to third. Alex Verdugo blooped a single to center to score Story and Kike Hernandez got a base hit to left to load the bases. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second but Bogaerts scored to add to the lead. Bobby Dalbec lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                          Sox strike first

The Rays wasted no time getting to Wacha in the bottom of the first although Brandon Lowe grounded out to first to start. Wander Franco hit a home run all the way to Fort Worth, Texas to cut the lead and Randy Arozarena hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts. Bogaerts tried to field the ball in his hat and it went through for an error. JBJ made a great catch to rob Ji-Man Choi of a base hit and doubled off Randy at first to end the inning with the Rays down 2-1.

                                                      Franco goes yard

Travis Shaw struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Christian Vazquez singled to left. Story banged into a double play to end the inning. Yandy Diaz singled to center to start the bottom of the second but Josh Lowe flied out to left. Former Sox prospect Manny Margot flied out to left but Kevin Kiermaier walked. Mike Zunino popped up to second to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Devers crushed his third home run of the season to start. Bogaerts doubled to left and moved to third on the grounder to first by Verdugo before Hernandez singled to left to score Xander with another run. JBJ singled Hernandez to third but Dalbec flied out to right. JBJ swiped second but Shaw struck out swinging again to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                          Devers hits one out

Brandon Lowe grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Story threw a routine grounder by Franco into the centerfield bleachers for an error. Arozarena hit one up the elevator shaft but Choi walked. Diaz lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Vazquez flied out to right to start. Story grounded out to second and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Wacha cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Josh Lowe took strike three to start. Margot lined out to second and Kiermaier grounded out to second to end the inning. 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Bogaerts blooped a single to center to start. Verdugo singled to left but Hernandez banged into a double play. Verdugo moved to third on a wild pitch and JBJ walked, but Dalbec grounded out to short to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Zunino took strike three to start. Brandon Lowe popped up to first but Franco hit another home run into the Baltic Sea to cut the lead. Arozarena took strike three to end the inning with the Rays down 4-2. As usual that was it for Wacha despite only throwing 81 pitches, he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in 5 innings.

                                     Wacha gives up another homer but goes 5 strong

Java Guerra came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Shaw lined out to center to start. Vazquez popped up to short and Story took strike three to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Choi struck out swinging to start. Diaz singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Josh Lowe went down hacking to end the inning. 

Colin Poche came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers took strike three to start. Bogaerts grounded out to third and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. The Rays tagged Matt Strahm in the bottom of the seventh as Margot singled to right to start. Kiermaier forced Margot at second and Zunino hit a bullet to short. Bogaerts threw the ball away to put runners at the corners and Kiermaier scored on the grounder to short by Brandon Lowe. Zunino took second on the play amd Hansel Robles was brought in to pitch to Franco. Franco flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays down 4-3.

                                                             Kiermaier scores a run

Phoenix Sanders came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez popped up to first to end the inning. JBJ struck out swinging and Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning. Robles returned for the bottom of the eighth and Arozarena struck out swinging to start. Choi grounded out to first and Diaz grounded out to third to end the inning.

Sanders returned for the top of the ninth and Shaw lined out to right to start. Vazquez struck out swinging and Story flied out to center to end the inning. Jake Diekman came in to blow the save in the bottom of the ninth as Taylor Walls pinch hit for Josh Lowe and walked to start. Margot walked and Harold Ramirez pinch hit for Kiermaier and Story made a hell of a dive to force Margot at second to put runners at the corners. Brett Phillips pinch ran for Ramirez  a Zunino walked to load the bases. Somehow Doekman froze Brandon Lowe for strike three and acting Sox manager Will Venable wanted Matt Barnes to pitch to Franco. Franco hit a bullet on the ground but Story snagged it and tossed to first to end the game. The Sox barely survived but hung on to win 4-3.

                                              "That was CLOSE, that was close!" - Barnes

Hero of the Night is Trevor Story. He made not one but two outstanding defensive plays in the ninth to save the game.

                                                    Here's a Story about a Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Michael Wacha earned his first win with the Red Sox by tossing 5 innings and allowing 2 runs on just 3 hits.

Austin Davis pitched a scoreless sixth inning.  

Hansel Robles tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes got the final out in the ninth inning to earn the save.

The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Matt Strahm was charged with an unearned run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Christian Vazauez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jake Diekman walked the bases loaded but got the first two outs of the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That was too close for comfort but a win is a win. Once again the Sox got to a starter early but was shut down the rest of the way offensively. Once again pulling a starter early nearly backfired as the Sox needed 5 relief pitchers and nearly gave the game away. The Sox were Jekyll and Hyde on defense as they committed 3 errors but made some great defensive plays in the game. The bargain shopping for starters this past off-season and Michael Wacha may be their best pickup of the group. He's been pitching every well albeit only 5 innings at a time. Hopefully his workload increases before the bullpen's arms fall off like last year. Speaking of the bullpen, due to the Bogaerts error the bullpen held the Rays to just one run in the final four innings including stranding the bases loaded in the ninth. Diekman was ice water against the New York Yankees and piss water tonight. In 1982 the trio of Mark Clear, Bob Stanley and Luis Aponte rotated the closer's role and so far that seems to be the battle plan so far with Robles, Diekman and Barnes sharing duties. Its only one game so Diekman should bounce back next time. All in all it was a road win against a divisional rival and that's nothing to laugh at. The Sox look to make it two in a row tomorrow evening when Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock (1-0, 0.93 ERA)  makes his first start in a Sox uniform against J.P. Feyereisen of Tampa. The game begins at 6:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Jays Hold Off Sox Rally (4/21/22)

Before the game it was announced that Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora tested positive for Covid and will be out for the short term. Bench coach Will Venable will take over when the Sox go to Tampa. Maybe he won't remove the starters 5 innings into their starts.

                                                               Get well soon

As for the game, close but no cigar for the Boston Red Sox. The slumping Sox bats slept walked through 8 innings, getting dominated for 7 innings by Kevin Gausman. Tanner Houck (1-1, 3.21 ERA) allowed 2 runs in 5 innings of work as the Sox continued to get shutout. The Jays scored a run off Matt Barnes in the sixth but the Sox rallied in the ninth inning. The Sox got two runs in and had Xander Bogaerts at third but Bobby Dalbec and Jackie Bradley Jr failed to get him in as the Sox dropped their second straight game to the Jays 3-2 at Fenway Park.

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Raimel Tapia struck out swinging to begin. Bo Bichette went down hacking and Vladimir Guerrero Jr popped up to first to end the inning. Gausman got the ball in the bottom of the first and Trevor Story struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound and Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. 

Zack Collins took strike three to start the top of the second and Lourdes Gurriel Jr flied out to center. Matt Chapman doubled to center but Cavan Biggio grounded out to second to end the inning. Alex Verdugo went down swinging to open the bottom of the second but Bobby Dalbec got a base hit to right. Both Jackie Bradley Jr and Christian Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Jays struck first in the top of the third as Gosuke Katoh walked to start. Bradley Zimmer flied out to left but Raimel Tapia singled to center. Bichette hit line drive off the glove of Story to score Katoh and advance Tapia to third. Guerrero Jr hit a sac fly to score Tapi and Bichette swiped second base. Collins lined out to center to end the inning with the Jays up for good 2-0.

                                                         Jays strike first

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Gausman snuffed out Travis Shaw's bunt attempt to start. Christian Arroyo grounded out to first and Story struck out swinging to end the inning.

Houck cruised in the top of the fourth as Gurriel Jr flied out to center to open. Chapman grounded out to third and Biggio took strike three to end the inning.  Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth but Bogaerts singled to center. Verdugo banged into a double play to end the inning. 

Houck cruised in the top of the fifth as Katoh grounded out to second to start. Zimmer grounded back to the mound and Tapia grounded out to third to end the inning. Even though he had only thrown 71 pitches, Sox manager Alex Cora ORDERED Will Venable to remove Houck from the game. He had one bad inning where he allowed 2 runs but that was it through five.

                                               "Will these idiots ever score for me?" - Houck

The Sox were in a rut in the bottom of the fifth as Dalbec flied out to right to start. JBJ lined out to third but Christian Vazquez dumped a base hit to the wall....only to be thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the sixth and Bichette lined out to right to start. Guerrero Jr doubled to right but Collins flied out to left. Gurriel Jr walked and Chapman hit a routine pop up to Shaw who....let the ball drop amd shrugged his shoulders for a "single" that scored Guerrero Jr. George Springer pinch hit for Biggio and that was it for Brasier as Austin Davis came in to pitch. Springer struck out swinging to end the inning but the Jays had iced it and were up 3-0.

                                                              Complete clown show

As usual the Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Shaw popped up to short to start. Arroyo singled to left and moved to second on the grounder to third by Story, but Devers was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Santiago Espinal pinch hit for Katoh and struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Davis snuffed out Zimmer's bunt attempt. Tapia singled to right and that was it for Davis. Horo Sawamura came in to pitch and Bichette singled to right to put runners at the corners. Guerrero Jr flied out to center to end the inning. Bogaerts tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh but after a review, Verdugo hit into a double play. Dalbec singled to right but JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Collins lined out to second to start the top of the eighth but Gurriel Jr singled to left. Chapman slapped a base hit to left but Verdugo gunned down Gurriel at third. Springer struck out swinging to end the inning. Vazquez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Shaw flied out to center. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning and Gausman was three outs from a complete game shutout at 87 pitches. Cora told Venable to pull Houck after 71 in comparison.

Phillips Valdez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Espinal grounded out to short to start. Zimmer struck out swinging and Tapia grounded out to first to end the inning. Gausman returned very briefly in the bottom of the ninth but Story hit a seeing eye single to right to chase him. Jordan Romano came in to pitch and Devers walked. Bogaerts doubled home Story but all Verdugo could do was drive home Devers with a grounder to short. Bogaerts moved to third on the play but was stranded as Dalbec grounded out to third. With the game on the line, JBJ grounded out to first to end the game. The Jays had held on to win 3-2.

                                                           Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr.  He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including leaving the tying run at third in the ninth.

                                                 Jackie Bradley Jackass

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

Austin Davis pitched a full scoreless inning.

Hiro Sawamura tossed 1 1/3 scoreless inning.

Phillips Valdez pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3.

Ryan Brasier was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Tanner Houck took the loss but allowed just 2 runs in 5 innings of work while striking out 4.

Final Thoughts:

Things are going from bad to worse around here. Not only are the Sox not hitting but the PR department took a hit when former Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo announced that he was asked to do a video tribute to Jerry Remy during last night's game but Sox brass told him "thanks but no thanks" at the last second. If the product on the field wasn't bad enough, this isn't sitting well with Sox fans. Fans haven't been this upset at the Sox on and off the field since 2017 when the fans were ready to riot in July when it was discovered David Price and several Sox players mocked Dennis Eckersley on a flight. This is not the time to panic as there's plenty of games still to play but this is all leaving a bad taste in the mouths of Red Sox fans. With Alex Cora out with Covid, bench coach Will Venable takes control of the team but is basically just a figurehead with Cora calling the shots from wherever he quarantines. Hopefully this doesn't become an epidemic because that's the last thing they need since they're already struggling. The Sox now head to Tampa without their manager and play tomorrow night. Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.96 ERA) goes up against former Indians/Guardians ace Corey Kluber. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Twins Bash Sox On Patriots Day (4/18/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a sudden roster move. Catcher Kevin Plawecki tested positive for Covid-19 and was placed on the Injured List. Connor Wong was brought up from Worcester for as long as needed.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, what a complete and total disaster. On a day when Rich Hill (0-1, 7.00 ERA) was honoring his late father, he pitched like absolute garbage against the Minnesota Twins. He allowed 4 runs and was knocked out in the fifth inning. The Red Sox bats left 13 men on base and for some reason Sox manager Alex Cora let an ineffective Kutter Crawford turn a 4-2 game into 8-2 in the eighth inning. In what was supposed to be a day of celebration in the first Boston Marathon since 2019, the Twins smacked the Red Sox 8-3 on Patriots Day at Fenway Park.

                                                "They lost....on Patriots Day....."

The Twins wasted no time getting to Hill in the top of the first although Jorge Polanco struck out swinging on three pitches to start. Carlos Correa ripped a base hit to center but Gio Urshela popped up to center. Kyle Garlick seemed to have doubled high off the wall but when the umpires looked at it, replays showed it was a home run to put the game away four batters into it. Gary Sanchez grounded out to third to end the inning but the Twins were up for good 2-0.

                                                  Umps signal for home run

"King Kong" Bundy got the ball in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernadez struck out swinging on three pitches to start. Rafael Devers grounded out weakly to short but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit in the hole at short. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Trevor Larnach flied out to center to start the top of the second before Miguel Sano flied out to right. Ryan Jeffers struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo grounded out to short to start. Christian Arroyo popped up to second and Travis Shaw took strike three right down the middle to end the inning.

The Twins pounded Hill in the top of the third as Gilberto Celestino hit a rocket to center for a base hit and Polanco hit a home run to Jupiter to ice the game. Correa walked and Urshela ripped a base hit to life. Verdugo had to climb up the wall to rob Garlick of a double and Sanchez popped up to short. Larnach grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 4-0 Twins.

                                                              Polanco ices it 

The Sox didn't even try in the bottom of the third as Christian Vazquez flied out to center to start. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging and Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Somehow Hill was allowed to return for the top of the fourth and Hernandez had to climb the wall in center to rob Sano of extra bases to start. Jeffers walked but shockingly Celestino banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox didn't even bother in the bottom of the fourth as Devers grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts and Martinez both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hill returned for the top of the fifth and Polanco grounded out to short to start. Correa flied out to right but Urshela singled to left to chase Hill. Rich got pounded for 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings and Sox manager Alex Cora now was making the bullpen throw another four innings. Phillips Valdez came in to face Max Kepler who was pinch hitting for Garlick and froze him for strike three to end the inning.

                            "Gimmie that ball....and...AND GET OUTTA HERE!" - Cora

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Arroyo ripped a base hit to center to put runners at the corners but Shaw flied out to left, moving Christian to second. All Vazquez could do was ground out to short to score Verdugo and JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                      Vazquez drives in a run

Sanchez popped up to first to start the top of the sixth and Larnach grounded out to second. Sano grounded out to third to end the inning. Hernandez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth but somehow Devers got a base hit to left then went sliding into third on a base hit to left by Bogaerts. Xander took second on the throw BUT WAIT! Twins manager Rocco Baldelli challenged that Devers was out on the crazy slide even with third base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt standing right over the play. Thankfully the call was upheld and Joe Smith came in to replace Bundy to face Martinez. Martinez then hit a grounder to third and Sano fired home to get Devers in a rundown but Sanchez tried to get Martinez at first. With Bogaerts heading to third Devers had to came home and was thrown out, but both runners moved into scoring position. Verdugo was intentionally walked and naturally Arroyo flied out to center to end the inning. All that work for absolutely nothing.

                                                The Houdini act by Devers

Kutter Crawford came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Jeffers walked to start. Celestino struck out swinging and Polanco flied out to left, but Correa moved Jeffers to third with a base hit to right. Urshela flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox got one back in the bottom of the seventh although Shaw struck out looking to start. Vazquez then mashed his first home run of the season to cut the lead in half. JBJ walked to bring the tying run to the plate but Hernandez struck out swinging. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

 

                                                Vazquez inches the Sox closer

Naturally the Twins rallied in the top of the eighth when Kepler and Sanchez drew back to back walks to start. Larnarch struck out swinging but Kepler moved to third on the fly out to left by Sano. Luis Arraez pinch hit for Jeffers and Crawford uncorked a wild pitch to score Kepler. Sanchez swiped second and Arraez was intentionally walked. Celestino walked to load the bases and Polanco ripped a base hit to right to score Sanchez and Arraez, breaking the game open. Cora woke up from his nap to pulled the incompetent Crawford for Hiro Sawamura. The first thing Sawamura did was throw a wild pitch to score Celestino to increase the lead. Correa struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was all but over 8-2 Twins.

                                                       Twins pour it on

Griffin Jax took over in the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Martinez and Verdugo ripped back to back singles but Arroyo struck out swinging and the 0 for 8 Shaw made it 0 for 9 with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

Urshela singled to right to start the top of the ninth and moved to second on the Kepler grounder to short. Sanchez popped up to first and Larnach flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox ineptitude with men on base continued in the bottom of the ninth as Vazquez beat out a roller to third to start. JBJ doubled down the left field line but Hernandez lined out to right. Devers popped up to short but Bogaerts singled in the hole at second to score Vazquez. With 2 men on, Martinez struck out swinging to end the game. The Twins won it 8-3.

                                                         Twins win

Jackass of the Night is Kutter Crawford. He was charged with 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings to put the game away.

                                                         Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Phillips Valdez tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rich Hill took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hiro Sawamura allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Where do begin on this one? One thing is for sure, fans have had enough of what's going on. They were all over social media complaining on why Rich Hill is starting when its clear that the second time through the order, other teams hammer his slow crap. Travis Shaw looks completely lost at the plate and he's not the same hitter he was in 2016-17 clearly. The biggest cataclysm was leaving Kutter Crawford to get shelled when he's pulled Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha, Nathan Eovaldi and how many others in the middle of shutouts and less than 90 pitches? Kike Hernandez is hitting .167 out of the leadoff spot yet Cora refuses to take him out of there. Jarren Duran has four hits in 3 games so far in Worcester and if he shows any improvement at the plate, we may say goodbye to Jackie Bradley Jr or Hernandez by June. The ineptitude of Shaw has fans clamoring for the Red Sox number 1 prospect Triston Casas but he needs more seasoning in Worcester. The problem begins and ends with pitching and Cora continuing to pull guys out of games early. We all saw last year how The A-Team carried the Sox into July but once they started getting hurt, the Sox went 30-31 to finish the season. That can also be blamed on ineffective starting pitching, but that's something Sox GM Chaim Bloom barely addressed. If Bloom honestly thought 42 year old Rich Hill and James Paxton coming off Tommy John surgery was the answer, its a wonder how the Tampa Bay Rays were even competitive under his watch. Banking on Paxton and Chris Sale coming off the Injured List and pitching like studs is insane but that's exactly what he's doing. Its bad news for all of us because none of the other AL East teams look strong this season and the Sox have as good a chance as any to win the division or one of the two wild cards. If you thought this was all bad news, it gets even worse. In about a week the Sox travel to Toronto to face the Blue Jays and Toronto implemented laws stating if you don't have the Covid-19 vaccine, you can't play. The Boston Celtics had to rest players against the Toronto Raptors and the Sox are going to be missing a few guys including scheduled Game 3 starter Tanner Houck who's unvaccinated. I'm not going to bring politics into this other than the Sox are going up against the best offense in the AL without some guys....this ain't good. The Jays actually come here first and tomorrow night Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 4.50 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Yusei Kikuchi of Toronto. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Tigers Best Sox Late (4/11/22)

Stop me if you've heard this one. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora pulled his starting pitcher early only to have the bullpen blow the game because the offense did absolutely nothing. It started last July and it's still the theme as the Sox dropped today's game against the Detroit Tigers. Sox starter Michael Wacha was pulled after just 72 pitches in the 5th inning. The inept Boston bats were held to just 4 measly hits while Javier Baez struck a two run home run in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox brought the tying run to the plate but couldn't do anything as the Tigers stunned the Sox 3-1 at Comerica Park.

                                                    "That bats aren't hitting"

Manning got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez led off with a pop up to third to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Robbie Grossman grounded out to short to start. Austin Meadows blooped a base hit over the head of Devers, Javier Baez walked and Jeimer Candelario walked to load the bases. Miguel Cabrera hit a sac fly to left to score Meadows and Jonathan Schoop grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                          Tigers strike first

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as JD Martinez popped up to second to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to left and Christian Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning. Harold Castro got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Tucker Barnhart struck out swinging. Akil Baddoo popped up to short and Grossman flied out to left to end the inning.

Travis Shaw made his season debut with a grounder back to the mound to begin the top of the third before Jonathan Arauz flied out to left. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. Meadows went down swinging to open the bottom of the third before Baez flied out to right. Candelario grounded out to first to end the inning.

The perfect game continued in the top of the fourth as Hernandez popped up to first to start. Devers lined out to second and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Wacha struck out Cabrera swinging to open the bottom of the fourth before Schoop grounded out to third. Castro grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox broke up the perfect game in style as Martinez clubbed his first home run of the season to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Verdugo grounded out to second, Vazquez flied out to center and Shaw lined out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 JD ties it up

Naturally Barnhart walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Baddoo took strike three. Once again Sox manager Alex Cora refused to let his starter get out of the fifth inning and pulled Wacha after just 4 1/3 innings. "Shaggy" Matt Strahm came in to pitch to Grossman and struck him out swinging. Meadows struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    Short and sweet for Wacha

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Arauz grounded out to second to start. JBJ grounded out to first and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Matt Barnes made his season debut in the bottom of the sixth and Baez popped up to short to start. Candelario flied out to center but Cabrera doubled to right. Schoop struck out swinging to end the inning.

Alex Lange came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers ripped a base hit to right to begin. Bogaerts struck out swinging, Martinez took strike three and Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Spencer Torkelson pitch hit for Castro only to line out to left. Barnhart singled to right and Eric Haase pinch hit for Baddoo. Haase struck out swinging and Grossman popped up to third to end the inning.

Victor Reyes took over in center with Michael Fulmer now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Vazquez singled to center to start but Shaw struck out swinging. Arauz forced Vazquez at second and JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning. The Tigers rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Meadows singled to right to chase Davis. Ryan Brasier came in and coughed up a 2 run bomb to Baez to put Detroit up for good. Candelario grounded out to second but Cabrera ripped a base hit to left to chase Brasier. Phillips Valdez came in and Schoop doubled to center before Torkelson took strike three. Barnhart also took strike three to end the inning with the Tigers up 3-1.

                                                                  Baez ices it

Gregory Soto came in to close out the top of the ninth and Hernandez continued his slump by flying out to right to start. Devers got a lucky double to left but Bogaerts flied out to center. Martinez flied out to right to end the game. The Tigers had won it 3-1.

                                                           Tigers win

Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He served up the go-ahead home run to Baez in the eighth.

                             Jackass Brasier

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.

Michael Wacha tossed 4 1/3 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 4.

Matt Strahm struck out the only two batters he faced.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Phillips Valdez got the last two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.

Austin Davis took the loss by being charged with a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

Remember how bad 2019 started under Cora and the Sox? This year's going to be far worse if the Sox keep playing like this. The Sox offense has been virtually shut down the first four games of the season and not a single starter has gone six innings. Cora making the bullpen come in for four innings a game is not a recipe for success and it sure wasn't today. Hernandez, Bradley and Arauz are automatic outs at this point and Brasier can't get anyone out with men on base. At what point are Sox fans going to hold Cora accountable for his quick hooks? Didn't going 30-31 to end the season with the bullpen on fumes and blowing Game 4 against the Astros give everyone enough of a clue something was wrong? If Hernandez and Bradley can't hit then the team isn't going to generate much offense with nobody on base. The Sox have just 14 hits in the last three games and the Tigers had 8 alone today. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to bounce back when Rich Hill pulls a Wendel Clark and begins his third go-around with the Red Sox. He faces Tyler Alexander at 1:10 PM at Comerica Park.