Miley, Sox Blank A's (5/13/15)

Well that was unexpected. The much maligned Boston Red Sox starting pitching got a much needed boost from Wade Miley (2-4, 5.60 ERA) against Oakland A's ace Sonny Gray. Miley dazzled the A's, holding them scoreless for 6 2/3 innings allowing just 5 hits. Sonny Gray held the Sox in check apart from a Daniel Nava rbi single in the second inning. The Sox got another run in the seventh when Marcus Semien threw a Dustin Pedroia grounder away for the insurance run. The Orient Express finished things off as Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara slammed the door on a 2-0 Sox victory over the A's at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                     Brie Bella approves of the win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts swung at strike three in the dirt to start. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third and David Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning. Miley got the ball in the bottom of the first and Coco Crisp walked to start. Marcus Semien walked but Josh Reddick grounded out to first to move the runners over. Billy Butler grounded out to third and Brett Lawrie lined out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Hanley Ramirez got a seeing eye single into right to start. Pablo Sandoval struck out swinging and so did Brock "The Hitman" Holt, but Ramirez moved to second on a wild pitch. Daniel Nava dropped a base hit down the left field line to score Ramirez to put Boston on top. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                               Nava drives in a run

Mark Canha flied out to the centerfield warning track to start the bottom of the second before Josh Phegley walked. Billy Burns singled to center but Eric Sogard lined out to right to move Phegley to third. Crisp grounded out to third to end the inning.

Sandy Leon popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the third and Mr. Mookie struck out swinging. Pedroia singled in the hole at second but Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning. Semien tripled over the head of Betts to start the bottom of the third but Reddick popped up to second. Butler popped up to Bradley and Lawrie grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramirez took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Sandoval went down hacking. Holt struck out swinging to end the inning. Canha flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Phegley doubled over the head of Bradley. Burns grounded out to third and Sogard popped up to Bogaerts to end the inning.

Nava led off the top of the fifth with a liner to left to start. JBJ grounded out to second and Leon lined out to right to end the inning. Crisp singled in the hole at second to start the bottom of the fifth but Semien grounded into a double play. Reddick flied out to center to end the inning.

Mr. Mookie led off the top of the sixth with a pop up to second before Crisp robbed Pedroia of a hit with a diving catch. Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning. Miley got in trouble in the bottom of the sixth as Butler got a seeing eye single into left to start. Lawrie walked but Canha popped up to first. Phegley struck out swinging and Burns grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded out to third to begin the top of the seventh and Sandoval grounded out to short. Holt struck out swinging to end the inning. Miley returned briefly for the bottom of the seventh as Sogard grounded out to second to start. Crisp flied out to left and that was it for Miley. He tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings allowing 5 hits and 4 walks. Junichi Tazawa got Semien to ground out to third to end the inning.

                                                       "Good job Wade" - Farrell

The Sox got a big insurance run in the top of the eighth with Evan Scribner now on the mound. Nava got a base hit to center but JBJ popped up a bunt to Scribner. Leon got hit with a pitch but Mr. Mookie struck out swinging. Pedroia hit a routine grounder to Semien who threw the ball into the first base stands for an error to score Leon, moving Dustin to second. Fernando Abad came in to face Ortiz and David popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                       Over everything

Tazawa came back for the bottom of the eighth and Reddick struck out swinging to start. Butler grounded out to third and Lawrie went down hacking to end the inning.

Tyler Clippard came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Ramirez got a base hit to center to start. Sandoval grounded out to second to move Hanley to second and Holt grounded out to second as well to move Ramirez to third. Nava walked but JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning. Koji Uehara came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Ike Davis pinch hitting for Canha. Davis lined out to center and Max Muncy pinch hit for Phegley. Muncy struck out swinging and Stephen Vogt pinch hit for Burns. Vogt walked and took second on a wild pitch, but Sogard grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0.

   

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Wade Miley. With offense at a premium, he allowed no runs in 6 2/3 innings giving up 5 hits and 4 walks.

                                                      Wade Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Daniel Nava was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Junichi Tazawa tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Koji Uehara earned his 7th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Sandy Leon was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

This season has been a clown show so far but that was a very good win against a very good pitcher. The Sox faced Oakland's ace and outpitched him with Wade Miley. Offense was going to be short today and apart from a Nava knock and a Semien error, the Sox accomplished nothing. Still, just that little was enough with the way Miley pitched. Sox manager John Farrell made the right call to pull Miley when he did because the Orient Express finished off the A's in the eighth and ninth. If the Sox starters can go 6 or 7 innings, they can easily get back in the thick of things. Hopefully the other starters step up moving forward. Once again, the Sox faced Oakland's best pitcher so no sense harping on the offense too much. The win improved the Sox to 16-18, 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL  East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Oakland tomorrow night when Justin Masterson (2-1) takes on Drew Pomeranz of Oakland. The game begins at 10:00 PM Eastern time at the Oakland Coliseum.

Sanchez, Jays Blank Sox (5/8/15)

Before the game the Sox made roster moves. Edward Mujica was designated for assignment while David Ortiz was suspended for tonight's game after losing his appeal for his April 19th incident. 3rd baseman Travis Shaw was called up from Pawtucket to make his Major League debut. Mujica was having an up and down year, but so has everyone that pitched. Either way good for Travis Shaw.

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Also in a shocking move, the Red Sox fired pitching coach Juan Nieves. This was definitely a passing of the blame situation as Red Sox GM Ben Cherrington essentially bargain bin shopped for starting pitchers after trading away Felix Doubront, Jake Peavy, Jon Lester and John Lackey then failing to re-sign Lester. Wade Miley and Justin Masterson just haven't been good while Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly have been up and down. Still, the Red Sox starters ERA being last in the league at 5.54 isn't surprising but what IS surprising is the bullpen hasn't been good either, leading to a 4.86 team wide ERA. The Orient Express and Craig Breslow can only pitch in so many games, others have to step up. Firing Nieves and essentially Mujica is essentially passing the buck that Cherrington screwed up. Hope the next pitching coach knows what he's walking into.

                                                     YOU'REEEEEEE FIREDDDDDDDDDD

As for the game, things didn't get any better for the Boston Red Sox as they were walloped by the Toronto Blue Jays. Without David Ortiz for one game, the Sox bats once again were silenced, this time by Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez dominated the Sox for seven shutout innings allowing just 2 runs. Playing without Christian Vazquez, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez hampered the offense but Wade Miley (1-4, 6.91 ERA) hampered the pitching. He got rocked for 4 runs in 6 innings including two home runs. Robbie Ross Jr got his brains beat in for 3 runs and the Jays blanked the Sox by a touchdown 7-0 at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Sanchez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to center to start. Dustin Pedroia lashed a base hit to left. Pablo Sandoval grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Jays wasted no time getting to Miley in the bottom of the first as Devon Travis lined out to center to start. Josh Donaldson hit a home run off the roof of the dome to put the Jays up for good two batters into the game. Jose Bautista broke his bat on a base hit in the hole at short and Edwin Encarnacion doubled to the left field wall. Russell Martin hit a comebacker to Miley who caught Bautista in a rundown for the second out. Danny Valencia was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                       "Well this sucks" - Swihart

Mike Napoli led off the top of the second by striking out swinging but Daniel Nava drew a walk. Allen Craig moved Nava to second with a grounder to third and Blake Swihart lined out to short to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the second as Kevin Pillar struck out swinging to start. Chris Colabello hit his first home run in almost a year to increase the lead but Ryan Goins took strike three. Travis struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.

                                                       Home run for Framingham's own

It looked like Xander Bogaerts reached on an error to start the top of the third but Blue Jays manager John Gibbons challenged that Xander was out. The umps upheld the call and Travis Shaw made his major league debut by forcing Bogaerts at second. Mr. Mookie flied out to right but Pedroia walked. Sandoval grounded out to first to end the inning. Donaldson flied out to a running Nava to start the bottom of the third before Bautista grounded out to short. Encarnacion struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Napoli walked to start. Nava walked and Craig was hit with a pitch. Swihart took a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner for strike three and Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the threat. Martin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Valencia singled to left. Pillar popped up to Craig and Colabello struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt to start the top of the fifth as Shaw grounded out to short to start. Betts grounded out to second and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Goins lined out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth before Travis grounded out to second. Donaldson singled to left but Bautista was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Sandoval grounded back to the mound to start the top of the sixth and Napoli flied out to center. Nava flied out to center to end the inning. The Jays iced it in the bottom of the sixth as Encarnacion walked to start. Martin got a base hit to left and Valencia ripped a base hit to center to score Encarnacion, moving Martin to third. Pillar hit a sac fly to right and Valencia was thrown out trying to tag up. Colabello struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 4-0. That was it for Miley who allowed 4 runs in 6 innings off 8 hits and a walk.

                                                       Not the best by Miley

Ezequiel Carrera took over for Valencia to start the top of the seventh and Craig was ruled safe on a grounder to short. Jays manager John Gibbons challenged the call and the call was reversed, he's out. Sox manager John Farrell stormed out to demand an explanation from first base umpire Gary Cederstrom. Swihart struck out swinging and Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning. 

                  "I don't know what kind of shenanigans you got going on, but I don't like it" - Farrell

Alexi Ogando came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Goins grounded out to first to start. Travis grounded out to short and Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Shaw walked to start the top of the eighth and Mr. Mookie singled to left to chase Sanchez. Aaron Loup came in to face Pedroia and Dustin popped up to first in foul territory. Sandoval and Napoli both struck out swinging to kill yet another rally to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr imploded in the bottom of the eighth as Bautista looked to have tripled off the top of the centerfield wall and the umps had to look to see if it was gone. It wasn't, but Bautista scored anyway on the base hit to left by Encarnacion. Martin doubled down the left field line and a fan picked the ball up which cost the Jays a run. Didn't matter as Carrera got a base hit to left to score both runners and chase the incompetent Ross. Craig Breslow came in and froze Pillar for strike three. Colabello struck out swinging and Goins grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 7-0.

                                                       "I sucked tonight" - Ross

Justin Smoak came in for Encarnacion with Steve Delabar on the mound to close out the top of the ninth. Nava struck out swinging, Craig struck out swinging and Swihart grounded out to second to end the game. The Jays had won it 7-0.

                                                               Sox lose

Jackass of The Night is Wade Miley. Not that the Sox bats were doing much, but allowing 4 runs in 6 innings was too big a hole to climb out of.

                                                    "Pitch better, Jackass" - Farrell

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 3 with a walk.

Daniel Nava walked twice in four plate appearances.

Alexi Ogando tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Craig Breslow tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed 4 runs without recording an out.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4.

Mike Napoli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Allen Craig was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That game went south real quick. Having the bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth and not scoring was the killer but Miley getting roughed up didn't help. Robbie Ross having a melt down in the eighth inning was more annoying than anything since the offense cranked out a whopping 2 hits. Injuries to Shane Victorino, Christian Vazquez and Hanley Ramirez are bad enough but David Ortiz missing the game due to suspension hurt big time. Having the Pawtucket Red Sox of Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart and Travis Shaw wasn't going to cut it. The Sox are in big trouble unless they learn how to hit again because the pitching is going to be more like what Miley did tonight than the alternative. The loss dropped the Sox to 13-16, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Blue Jays when Joe Kelly (1-1) takes on Drew Hutchison of Toronto. The game begins at 1:10 PM at the Skydome.

Eovaldi, Yankees Outlast Sox (5/2/15)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox placed catcher Ryan Hanigan on the Disabled List with a fractured knuckle and called up rookie catcher Blake Swihart from Pawtucket to make his major league debut. Swihart was drafted in the first round with the 26th pick back in 2011 and helped lead the Salem Sox to the 2013 Mills Cup. Hopefully he does well with Christian Vazquez and now Hanigan on the shelf.

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As for the game, for most of the season the bats have been okay but the pitching has been garbage. Today it was the opposite as Wade Miley (1-3, 7.15 ERA) tossed 7 strong innings and allowing just 3 runs to the New York Yankees. Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi held the high powered Sox to just 2 runs in 7 innings but the Sox kept it close. Pablo Sandoval struck out with the tying run on and Alexi Ogando allowed a home run to Chris Young to seal the Sox' fate. Dellin Betances slammed the door as the Yankees had won the game 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                     "I hate losing to the Yankees" - Ash

Miley got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jacoby Ellsbury dumped a base hit to right to start. Brett Gardner struck out swinging but Ellsbury swiped second base. Alex Rodriguez grounded out to short and Mark Teixeira grounded out to third to end the inning. Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts took a 96 mph fastball on the outside corner for strike three to start. Dustin Pedroia flied out to center but Chase Headley lost David Ortiz' pop up in the sun for a "single". Hanley Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Brian McCann grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Chris Young poked a double down the right field line. Chase Headley hit a broken bat grounder to short and Gregorio Petit grounded out to third to end the inning. Pablo Sandoval led off the bottom of the second with a pop up and Headley damn near cleaned out Didi Gregorius catching it. Mike Napoli grounded back to the mound and Brock "The Hitman" Holt flied out to left to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the third as Gregorius singled to right to start. Ellsbury struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Didi to second. Gardner doubled into the left field corner to score Gregorius but was thrown out at third trying to stretch. A-Rod grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                          Yerrrr out!

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Blake Swihart made his ML debut by striking out swinging and Mr. Mookie flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning.

Teixeira grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before McCann grounded out to second as well. Sandoval made a nice stab at a Young liner to end the inning. The Sox tied it in the bottom of the fourth when Pedroia launched his fifth home run of the year to start. Ortiz got a base hit to center but Ramirez flied out to right. Sandoval got a base hit to center but Sandoval grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Tie game'

The Yankees took command in the top of the fifth as Headley doubled down the third base line to start. Petit blooped a single to center that Headley couldn't move on but a Gregorius sacrifice bunt to third moved both runners over. Ellsbury grounded out to first but one strike from being out of it, Miley allowed a Gardner base hit to left to score both runners. A-Rod grounded out to third to end the inning but the Yankees led 3-1.

                                                            Gardner drives in a pair

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Holt grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts flied out to center but Swihart got his first major league hit beating out a roller to second. Mr. Mookie forced him at second to end the inning.

Teixeira flied out to left to start the top of the sixth before McCann popped up to Bogaerts and Young did the same to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Pedroia grounded out to third to start. Ortiz grounded out to short but Ramirez poked a ground ball into right for a base hit. Sandoval ripped a base hit to right but Napoli flied out to right to end the inning.

Miley returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Headley flied out to center to start. Petit struck out swinging and Holt damn near cleaned out Mr. Mookie catching a liner by Gregorius to end the inning. Miley pitched well, allowing just 3 runs in 7 innings off 7 hits. He just got no run support.

                                                          Miley deserved better

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh although Holt lined out to center to start. Bogaerts popped up to second but Swihart drew a walk to chase Eovaldi. Former Sox prospect Chris Martin came in and Mr. Mookie doubled off the Monster to score Swihart, cutting the lead. Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                         Swihart scores his first run

Tommy Layne came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ellsbury grounded out to second to start. Gardner grounded out to short and that was it for Layne, Alexi Ogando came in to face A-Rod and Rodriguez ripped a base hit to left. Teixeira grounded out to second to end the inning. Justin Wilson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Ramirez walked to put the tying run on but Sandoval struck out swinging on a pitch way over his head. Dellin Betances came in to pitch to Napoli and Mike went down hacking to end the inning.

The Yankees iced the game in the top of the ninth as McCann flied out to right to start. Young then hit a home run all the way to Houston to increase the lead. Headley struck out swinging and Petit grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 4-2 Yankees.

                                                              Young hits one out

Betances returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Holt struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts went down hacking and Swihart took strike three to end the game. The Yankees had won it 4-2.

                                                                 Dammit

Jackass of The Night is Alexi Ogando. His home run allowed iced the game for New York.

                                                            Jackass Ogando

The Good:

David Ortiz was 2 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Pablo Sandoval was 2 for 4.

Blake Swihart was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher is on the Good list but Wade Miley tossed 7 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 3.

Tommy Layne tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Mike Napoli was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a bad loss considering Wade Miley finally pitched well. Eovaldi throws gas and the Sox couldn't catch up with it in time. The Yankees bullpen is pretty good as well and the Sox just couldn't get the job done. Pedroia, Bogaerts, Napoli and Betts went 2 for 16 combined and that's not going to work. Still, the good signs are Miley pitched well, Swihart had a good debut and the bats will improve as the year goes on. The loss dropped the Sox to 12-12, 3 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow night when Joe Kelly (1-0) goes for the Sox against Adam Warren of the Yankees. The game begins at 8:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Baltimore Pounds Sox Into Submission (4/26/15)

Before the game Matt Barnes was sent back to Pawtucket and Heath Hembree was called up in his place. Barnes will rejoin the PawSox rotation as Hembree will aid the bullpen that's taken a beating lately.

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It was a bad day for Boston sports as the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Boston Celtics out of the NBA playoffs and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles. The good news was the Red Sox offense scored 7 runs off 9 hits against the Orioles. The bad news the O's absolutely laid waste to the Sox collective bungholes with an 18 run, 20 hit barrage that lasted from the beginning all the way to the final pitch. Wade Miley (1-2, 8.62 ERA) pitched like crap but the bullpen wasn't any better as the O's took a nice big 18-7 dump on the Sox at Camden Yards.

                                                "This pitching staff sucks"

Bud Norris got the ball for Baltimore in the top of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts led off with a ground out to third. Dustin Pedroia flied out to center but Pablo Sandoval worked a walk. Hanley Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning. Miley didn't have much trouble in the bottom of the first as Everth Cabrera grounded out to third to begin the inning. Manny Machado popped up to right and Adam Jones grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nothing doing for the Sox in the top of the second inning as Mike Napoli whiffed to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt lined a base hit to center but Allen Craig flied out to center. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the second as Delmon Young hit a routine fly ball to Betts..AND HE DROPPED IT! Young ended up at second and moved to third on the Chris Davis lineout to center. Stephen Pearce flied out to left but Young scored to give the Orioles the lead. Jimmy Parades lined out deep to left to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

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

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third inning. Sandy Leon lined out to center and Mr. Mookie grounded out to short, but Pedroia doubled down the left field line. Sandoval drew another walk on a borderline pitch but Ramirez lined out to right to end the inning. The wheels not only fell off but burst into flames for Miley in the bottom of the third inning. Old friend Ryan Lavarnway blooped a single to right but Rey Navarro jacked one deep to center only for Betts to run it down. Cabrera singled and Machado walked to load the bases. Jones also walked to force in a run. Young singled home Cabrera and Davis doubled home two more runs. Pearce singled home Young and FINALLY that was it for Miley. Wade crapped his pants big time, lasting just 2 1/3 innings. Anthony Vavaro came in and Davis scored on the ground out by Parades. Lavarnway flied out to right to end the inning but the O's had iced it early 7-0.

                                              Nice going Miley

The Sox rolled over and died in the top of the fourth inning as Napoli hit one up the elevator shaft to begin. Holt singled but Craig flied out to center. Bogaerts popped up to short to end the inning. The hit parade continued in the bottom of the fourth as Navarro singled past Napoli to start. Cabrera grounded out to first and they could have had Navarro at second but Napoli threw the ball 50 feet to the left of second base. Machado walked and Navarro moved to third on the fly out by Jones. A wild pitch moved Machado to second and Young slammed a single to left to score both runners. Davis grounded out to third to end the inning but it was now 9-0.

                                                Its getting worse

The Sox continued to be asleep on offense in the top of the fifth inning. Leon popped up to third and Mr. Mookie popped up to center, but Pedroia singled. Sandoval popped up to center to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr came on to take a beating in the bottom of the fifth inning. Pearce lined out to left but Parades and Lavarnway stroked back to back singles, Ryan's hit off the glove of Pedroia. Navarro singled in the hole at short to score Parades to increase the lead. Cabrera whiffed and Machado grounded out but it was 10-0 O's. Yikes.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Napoli lined out to center but Holt walked. Craig grounded into a force to end the inning. The new call-up Heath Hembree was brought in to take a pounding in the bottom of the sixth. Jones struck out and Young lined out to right to give the illusion the Sox would have a clean inning....but Davis blasted a solo home run halfway to New York to increase the lead. Pearce walked and Parades tripled to the right field wall to score another run. Lavarnway struck out to end the inning but it was now 12-0.

                                             Oh what a mess

Somehow the Red Sox sprang to life in the top of the seventh although it was too little, too late. Bogaerts hit a comebacker to the mound but Leon singled to center. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Pedroia beat out a squibber for a base hit. Daniel Nava pinch ran for Pedroia with the game out of reach but somehow Sandoval blasted a 3 run home run to put the Sox on the board and chase Norris. Jason Garcia came in and Ramirez greeted him with a solo blast of his own. Napoli grounded out to short to end the inning but it was now 12-4 Sox.

                                               "I actually did somthing?" - Sandoval

The moral victory of scoring 4 runs evaporated quickly in the bottom of the seventh as the O's poured it on with Holt at second and Nava in right. Navarro doubled to center and Cabrera singled him to third. Machado whiffed but Jones singled to left to score another run. Young doubled into the gap to clear the bases and chase the incompetent Hembree from the game with the O's up 15-4.

                         Hembree - "I suck don't I?"  Farrell - "Yup"

Craig Breslow came in to stop the bleeding and instead he fell down and farted just like everyone else. Davis singled up the middle to advance Young to third and Pearce singled him home. Parades doubled down the right field line to score Young before Pearce scored on a passed ball. Lavarnway whiffed and Navarro lined out to left to end the inning with the O's up 18-4. Yuck.

                                                 Make it stop!!!!

David Lough took over for Jones as Holt worked a walk to open the top of the eighth inning. Craig lined out to third and Holt moved to second on the Bogaerts grounder. Leon hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. Edward Mujica took the mound in the bottom of the eighth and somehow did NOT allow a run. Cabrera lined out to left and Machado popped up to right, but Lough singled for Baltimore's 20th hit on the day. Young grounded out to short to end the inning.

The torture finally came to an end in the top of the ninth but not before the Sox had one last rally in them. Parades moved from the DH slot to replace Machado at third which would have meant Garcia would have had to hit if the game continued past this half inning. Parades immediately goofed when he threw wide of first to allow Mr. Mookie to reach on an error. Nava flied out to left but Sandoval walked. Ramirez crushed a 3 run home run to left, just too bad they were down by 11 runs. Napoli whiffed but Holt walked again. Craig flied out to right to end the game. The O's massacred the Sox 18-7.

Jackass of the Night could be anybody on the pitching side but it has to be Wade Miley. He opened the floodgates and lasted just 2 1/3 innings while giving up the first 7 runs.

                                            Miley Jackass today


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 4.

Pablo Sandoval was 1 for 2 with 3 walks, 2 total runs scored and a three run home run.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 with 4 rbi's coming off two home runs.

Brock Holt was 2 for 2 with 3 walks.

Edward Mujica pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Mike Napoli was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Allen Craig was 0 for 5.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Anthony Varvaro gave up 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed a run in an inning of work.

Heath Hembree allowed 6 runs in just 1 1/3 innings.

Craig Breslow allowed 2 runs in just 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 with an error but scored a run.

Daniel Nava was 0 for 1 at the plate but scored a run.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Holy moly that was BAD. Its one thing to lose a game but its another to get your brains completely beaten in. The O's were swinging at beachballs all game to pound out 18 runs off 20 hits. It didn't matter who was on the mound, they couldn't miss. The only plus side were Holt getting on base 5 times along with Sandoval and Ramirez going yard. If they can keep up that pace, if the pitching improves they should be ok going forward. The loss dropped the Sox to 10-9 on the season. Joe Kelly gets the start for the Sox tomorrow night at an unusual 6:40 start time. The Toronto Blue Jays are coming to town and Aaron Sanchez gets the ball in the first game at Fenway Park.

Miley, Sox, Shut Out Rays (4/21/15)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics dropped Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff series to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays. Once again it wasn't pretty but a win is a win for the Red Sox. Tonight the Red Sox outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays in the opening game of a three game series at Tropicana Field. The Sox did it with lights out pitching by Wade Miley (1-1, 6.08 ERA) combined with what Michael Felger describes as other teams "puking on themselves". Still, the one run they got was all they needed to win the game. The Sox scored their run on an error and hung on to win the game 1-0 at Tropicana Field.

                                                     Happy fan

Sox nemesis Chris Archer took the mound to begin the game. Archer was famous for celebrating strikeouts but complained when David Ortiz "pimps" his home runs. Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third. Archer took the first battle against Ortiz when he lined out to left to end the inning. Miley got the ball to start the bottom of the first and got Brandon Guyer to ground out to second. Steven Souza Jr smashed one but it was snared by Pablo Sandoval at third. Logan Forsythe struck out looking to end the inning.

Hanley Ramirez singled to right to begin the top of the third inning but Sandoval struck out swinging. Ramirez took second on the strikeout for his first stolen base of the year. Daniel Nava struck out looking and Shane Victorino popped up to second to end the inning. Evan Longoria began the bottom of the third by flying out to right. Desmond Jennings also flied out to right but Tim Beckham walked. Rene Rivera grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                              Now that's more like it Wade

The Sox broke through in the top of the third. Brock "Hitman" Holt lined out to third but Ryan Hanigan beat out a bobbled shot to Archer, for some reason it was ruled as a hit. Mr. Mookie walked and Pedroia appeared to have grounded into a double play...only second baseman Ryan Brett chucked the ball into the dugout on the throw to first, allowing Hanigan to score. As sad as it was, this was the only run the Sox would score the whole game. Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                      "I don't got it" -LF

Brett atoned for his error by getting a base hit to lead off the bottom of the third. Bobby Wilson struck out swinging and Brett nearly got picked off. During the at bat to Guyer, he DID get picked off. Inexcusable base running that's for sure. Guyer grounded out to third to end the inning.

Brett left the game holding his hand so Forsythe moved to second base and Allan Dykstra came in at first in the top of the fourth. Ramirez singled off Archer (again ruled a hit for whatever reason) and took second on a wild pitch. Sandoval, Nava and Victorino all struck out swinging to end that threat. Miley remained hot in the bottom of the fourth. Souza Jr walked but Forsythe flied out to right. Longoria struck out swinging and Jennings popped up to second to end the inning.

Holt grounded out to second to begin the top of the fifth. Hanigan and Mr. Mookie hit back to back singles but Archer rallied to strike out Pedroia and his nemesis Ortiz swinging to end the inning. Archer celebrated coming off the mound. Sounds hypocritical but it would get worse. Miley let his pitching do the talking in the bottom of the fifth as Beckham lined out to Betts to begin. Rivera singled to left but was erased on the Dykstra double play to end the inning.

Ramirez struck out to begin the top of the sixth but Sandoval singled to center. Nava singled to right but Archer struck out Victorino swinging for his 9th K of his outing. That was it for Archer as Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled him for Brandon Gomes. Holt flied out to left and Archer began celebrating loudly in the Rays dugout as the inning ended.  Last time I checked, he was losing.

                                            "I'm losing the game but I'm the man!"

Wilson grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the sixth and predictably, the wheels fell off for Miley. Guyer singled to left but was erased on the fielder's choice by Souza Jr. Forsythe and Longoria walked to load the bases and Sox manager John Farrell pulled the plug. He learned his lesson by leaving Rick Porcello in too long, so this time he brought in Alexi Ogando to pitch to Jennings. Jennings grounded into a force to end the inning but Miley didn't celebrate and dance around in the dugout like Archer did. Miley did manage to throw 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

                                     John Farrell  "Oh no you don't. Not gonna fool me this time!"

Hanigan struck out swinging to lead off the top of the seventh. Mr. Mookie popped up to third and Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning. Ogando returned for the bottom of the frame to retire Beckham on a fly out to left to start. Rivera whiffed and Farrell didn't want to leave Ogando in too long so he replaced him with Robbie Ross Jr to pitch to pinch hitter Asdrubal Cabrera. Asdrubal grounded out to short to end the inning. Good situational pitching and managing there.

Forsythe moved back to first base, Beckham moved to second and Cabrera took over at short in the top of the eighth. Ernesto Frieri, the man who blazed through the Red Sox in the heartbreaker 2 years ago in LA, relieved Gomes and walked Ortiz to begin. Ramirez lined out to center, Sandoval flied out to left and Nava popped up to third to end the inning. It was time for the Orient Express to put the game away as Junichi Tazawa relieved Ross for the bottom of the eighth. David DeJesus pinch hit for Wilson (which cost them the DH) and popped up to short. Guyer grounded out to second and Souza Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rivera moved to catcher and DeJesus stayed in left as Jose Dominguez relieved Frieri in the top of the ninth. Victorino got his first extra base hit of the season when he doubled to right. Shane moved to third on the sacrifice bunt by Holt but Hanigan struck out swinging. Mr. Mookie flied out to left to end the inning. Still, Koji Uehara took the mound to close the game in the bottom of the ninth. Forsythe made things interesting by getting a base hit to left but Longoria banged into a double play. Jennings grounded to third and that was it, the Sox had won it 1-0.

Hero of the Night is Wade Miley. The Sox offense sputtered but the shut-out pitching got them the victory. Wade fell apart in the 6th inning but still tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with just 3 hits allowed.

                                              Hero of the Night: Wade Miley



The Good:

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

Ryan Hanigan was 2 for 4 and scored the game's only run.

Alexi Ogando pitched out of the bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 6th and ended his outing with 1 total scoreless inning.

Robbie Ross Jr pitched in by retiring the only man he faced in the bottom of the 7th

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 8th.

Koji Uehara got his second save of the year with a scoreless 9th.



The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a walk.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but walked.

Pablo Sandoval was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Daniel Nava was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Shane Victorino was  just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.




Final Thoughts:

Chris Archer can dance in the dugout all he wants but he lost the game. Once again the Sox took advantage of shoddy defense although the real reason was their pitching. Getting double plays and out of jams when needed. Sure the Rays offense wouldn't scare Steve Urkel, but the Sox still have to win the game. Miley, Ogando and The Orient Express was lights out and you're going to need games like that on days when the offense does nothing. Its encouraging to win a game like that. Archer is a clown but he held the Sox to a lone run and the Tampa bullpen allowed nothing. Every win counts and tomorrow night Joe Kelly looks to keep the momentum going when he goes up against Nate Karns. The Sox have yet to lose a series this season and winning tomorrow night will keep that going. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Miley Pounded as Nationals Avert Sweep (4/15/15)

Well that was disheartening. The Sox had high hopes for a series sweep against the Washington Nationals but they were dashed thanks to the ineffective pitching staff. Wade Miley (0-1, 10.47 ERA) got rocked for 7 runs in less than 3 innings. The defensively challenged Washington Nationals pounded the bullpen for another 3 runs. Thanks to the 12 hit, ten run attack the Nats took home a 10-5 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                Sad fans

Good news before the game, Xander Bogaerts MRI revealed nothing and he was in the lineup for today's game. That's as far as the good news went. The Nationals wasted no time scoring in the top of the first. Miley got the ball to start the top of the first and he walked Yunel Escobar to start. Escobar advanced to second on the broken bat force by Ian Desmond. Shane Victorino made a running catch to rob Jayson Werth of a hit and an rbi, but Escobar advanced to third. Bryce Harper doubled deep off the centerfield wall to drive in Escobar. Ryan Zimmerman then tripled home Harper but Wilson Ramos grounded out to second to end the inning. Miley is supposed to be a ground ball pitcher but everything was hit in the air..and hard as the Nationals led 2-0.

                                                   Nationals take the lead

Gio Gonzalez got the start for the Nationals in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts singled to center to start the bottom of the first but was erased on the force by Dustin Pedroia. Hanley Ramirez lined out to center and Allen Craig struck out swinging to end the inning.

Miley got hit hard in the top of the second as well but was bailed out by the defense. Victorino made yet another running catch, this one off of Tyler Moore to start. Mr. Mookie then had to make a running catch to rob Dan Uggla. Miley managed to give his exhausted outfield a rest by striking out Michael Taylor to end the inning. The Nationals 3 Stooges defense struck again in the bottom of the third when Mike Napoli hit a hard fly ball to Michael Taylor who fell and dropped it out of his glove, Napoli motoring around to third base. Victorino singled him home to cut the lead. Xander Bogaerts hit a routine grounder to Escobar who threw it into the Red Sox dugout, moving Victorino to third and Bogaerts to second. Brock Holt smashed one but it was right to Escobar, luckily no one was doubled off. Sandy Leon grounded out but Victorino scored to tie the game. Mr. Mookie flied out to end the inning, but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                   Stumblin, bumblin Nationals

The Nationals struck back in the top of the third. Escobar flied out but Desmond lined one into the monster seats to give the Nats the 3-2 lead. Werth got his first base hit of the season and Harper walked. Zimmerman walked to load the bases and Ramos cleared the bases with a double to chase Miley. That was it as Sox manager John Farrell thankfully pulled Miley after just 2 1/3 innings.

                                               John Farrell says "Thanks a lot ya bum!"

Anthony Varvaro replaced Miley and fared no better. He struck out Moore but Uggla doubled in Ramos and Taylor doubled in Uggla. Escobar grounded out but now it was 8-2 Washington. Could the Sox make a comeback? Pedroia struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the third, Ramirez grounded out to third and Craig also grounded out to third to end the inning. That's a big no on the comeback.

Varvaro had better success in the top of the 4th inning as Desmond grounded out to first to start. Werth grounded out to third but Harper singled. Zimmerman flied out to right to end the inning. Gonzalez remained tough in the bottom of the 4th. Napoli struck out swinging but Victorino walked. Bogaerts and Holt both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Varvaro returned for the top of the 5th and Ramos grounded out to short to start. Moore singled to center but Uggla flied out to right. Taylor struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the 5th although Leon flied out to left to start. Mr. Mookie struck out swinging but Pedroia doubled and Ramirez crushed one into the monster seats for his 4th home run of the year to cut the lead in half. Craig grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were climbing back down 8-4.

                                          Doing what he can to keep the Sox in the game

Now could the bullpen hold the fort so the offense could make the comeback? Escobar walked to lead off the top of the 6th and Robbie Ross Jr replaced Varvaro. Desmond walked but Werth popped up to second and Harper banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox continued to claw in the bottom of the 6th. Napoli walked and advanced to second on the ground out by Victorino. Bogaerts grounded out  to third but Holt hit a ground rule double that missed a home run by a dozen or so feet. Leon grounded out to third to end the inning but it was now 8-5 Washington. How big was the back to back doubles Varvaro allowed in the 3rd? It would be 6-5 if it wasn't for that.

It didn't matter because the Nats put the game away immediately in the top of the 7th. Zimmerman grounded back to the mound but Ramos singled to center. Moore parked one into the monster seats to ice the game. Ross recovered to get Uggla to pop up to second but Taylor singled to center. Escobar grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the damage was done. Varvaro and Ross had gobbled up innings but had given up 3 runs in the process as the Nationals led 10-5. Rafael Martin was brought in to pitch the 7th and he got Mr. Mookie to fly out to center to start. Pedroia singled to left but Ramirez struck out swinging Craig watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Craig Breslow relieved Ross in the top of the 8th and  Desmond popped up to short to start. Werth walked but Harper flied out to right. Zimmerman grounded tinto a force to end the inning. Martin ended up striking out the side in the bottom of the 8th. Napoli and Victorino went down hacking and Bogaerts took strike three to end the inning.

Breslow finished off the top of the 9th with a flurry. Ramos and Moore both struck out swinging before Uggla flied out to right to end the inning. If only the others had pitched like this, this game would be much closer. Drew Storen relieved Martin to close out the game. Holt grounded out to first to start before Daniel Nava pinch hit for Leon. Nava watched strike three go by and Betts grounded out to short to end the game. The Nationals had won it 10-5.

                                                         Dammit


Jackass of the Night is easy, Wade Miley. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings while allowing 7 runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                          Jackass of the Night: Wade Miley

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Mike Napoli was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Shane Victorino was 1 for 3 with a walk, an rbi and a run scored.

Craig Breslow pitched two scoreless innings



The Bad:

Allen Craig was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Daniel Nava struck out in his only pinch hit appearance.

Robbie Ross Jr gave up the two run bomb to Moore.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5.

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a two run home run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but his one hit was an rbi double.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 but drove in a run with a ground out.

Anthony Varvaro allowed an inherited runner to score and one of his own in 2 2/3 innings.





Final Thoughts:

Just like the New York finale, the Sox won the series but the finale leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The Sox are 6-3 but it feels worse because of the shoddy starting pitching from Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson and Miley. Brian Johnson, Henry Owens and Eduardo Rodriguez aren't ready yet and Brandon Workman and Edwin Escobar are both hurt. So its not like help is coming any time soon. Still, first place is first place even if its only 9 games into the season. The Sox are off tomorrow and start a 3 game set Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. The defending AL East champions will be the next test, Joe Kelly will be there to meet them.