Yankees Host WC After Beating Sox (9/28/18)

In a game that meant a hell of a lot more to the New York Yankees than it did the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees played with a fire that got them the win they needed. The Yankees clinched the top wild card spot so they will host the wild card game against the Oakland A's this coming Wednesday night. The Red Sox trotted out pitchers that wont be making the post-seaso roster in a game manager Alex Cora clearly didn't care about. The Yankees ran away with this one by a score of 11-6 at Fenway Park.

                                               "Loss to the Yankees? Meh!"

Brian Johnson (4-5, 4.17 ERA) took the mound in the top of the first and started out well. McCutchen lined out to third to begin before Aaron Judge flied out to right to end the inning. Aaron Hicks popped up to first to end the inning. JA Happ got the start for New York and he froze Mr. Mookie Betts for strike three to start. Andrew Benintendi whiffed before JD Martinez flied out to left to end the inning.

Johnson got Giancarlo Stanton to fly out to center to begin the top of the second but walked Luke Voit. Didi Gregorius beat out a double play ball but Miguel Andujar lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts flied out to center to begin. Steve Pearce looked at strike three and Rafael Devers flied out to center to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the third inning when Gary Sanchez crushed a 50,000 foot moonshot to give the Yankees the lead. Johnson recovered to get both Gleyber Torres and McCutchen to strike out swinging before Judge walked. Hicks and Stanton stroked back to back singles to score Judge with another run. Voit flied out to right to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                    Yankees strike first

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Eduardo Nunez grounded out to second to start before Ian Kinsler lined out to left. Blake Swihart whiffed to end the inning.

Sox manager Alex Cora waived the white flag early as he sent William Cuevas to take a beating in the top of the fourth inning. Gregorius lined out to center but Andujar doubled. Second base umpire Andy Fletcher keeled over and had to be hauled off on a gurney as Sanchez walked. Torres doubled home both runners and McCutchen singled him home. Judge singled and Hicks smashed a 400,000 foot bomb to ice the game. Stanton singled and FINALLY Cora removed the stunned Cuevas. As good as William was against Cleveland, he was that bad tonight. Heath Hembree came in and got Voit and Gregorius to fly out to right to end the inning but it was 8-0 Yankees.

                                                     "I sucked tonight!" - Cuevas

The Sox tried to fight back when Mr. Mookie singled to open the bottom of the fourth and Benintendi walked. They were stranded as Martinez flied out to right, Bogaerts whiffed and Pearce grounded into a force to end the inning.

Drew Pomeranz strolled to the mound to begin the top of the fifth and Andujar lined out to first to begin. Sanchez whiffed and Torres grounded out to short to end the inning. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fifth before Nunez grounded out to first and Kinsler looked at strike three to end the inning.

Pomeranz returned for the top of the sixth inning and got McCutchen to ground out to third to begin. Judge and Hicks both watched strike three go by to end the inning. The Sox finally rallied against Happ in the bottom of the sixth although Swihart whiffed to start. Mr. Mookie singled and Benintendi doubled him to third. Martinez popped up to first but Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Pearce cleared the bases with a grand slam into the Monster Seats to cut the lead in half. Devers grounded out to short but the Sox were back in it 8-4.

                                             Pearce with a grand salami

Just as the soon as the Sox inched closer Pomeranz reared his head and ruined it in the top of the seventh. Stanton whiffed but Voit crushed a 9,000 foot bomb to kill off the momentum. Gregorius singled and Andujar walked to chase Pomeranz. Joe Kelly came in and got a grounder to short by Sanchez...but Xander booted it and Gregorius scored another run. Kelly punched out Torres and got McCutchen to ground into a force to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 10-4.

                                                Voit pours it on

Chad Green replaced Happ for the bottom of the seventh as Nunez lined out to center to start. Kinsler flied out to right before Swihart whiffed to end the inning.

Bobby Poyner came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Judge greeted him with a 800 foot home run to increase the lead. Hicks flied out to right, Stanton flied out to right and Voit whiffed to end the inning but it was 11-4 Yankees.

                                               Judge hits another one out

The Sox tagged Dellin Betances in the bottom of the eighth inning as Mr. Mookie walked to start. Benintendi whiffed but Martinez singled. Bogaerts popped up to third but Pearce singled home Betts. Devers walked but Nunez lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 11-5.

                                                           Pearce does it again

Tzu-Wei Lin took over for Martinez in the batting order but moved to center with Betts moving to right as the top of the ninth inning began. Gregorius lined out to right before Andujar popped up to first. Sanchez doubled but Torres whiffed to end the inning. Zach Britton came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and the Sox tagged him. Kinsler walked and Sam Travis pinch hit for Swihart only to erase Kinsler at second with a force. Mr. Mookie hit a routine grounder to short but Gregorius threw the ball away. Benintendi lined out to short before Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Lin, drawing a walk to load the bases. Bogaerts drew a bases loaded walk to drive in Travis. Instead of another grand slam, this time Pearce grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had won 11-6.

Jackass of the Night is William Cuevas. He allowed 6 runs in just 1/3 of an inning putting a Sox in too big of a hole to climb out of.

                                                  Cuevas the Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Christian Vazquez walked as a pinch hitter.

Steve Pearce was 2 for 5 with 5 total rbis including a grand slam.

Heath Hembree got the final two outs of the 4th inning.

Joe Kelly got the final two outs of the sixth.



The Bad:

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 3.




The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with an error but walked twice, drove in a run and scored.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Ian Kinsler was 0 for 3 but walked.

Sam Travis was 0 for 1 but scored a run.

Brian Johnson took the loss allowing just 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Drew Pomeranz gave up 2 runs, 1 earned in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Bobby Poyner allowed a run in 2 innings of work.



Honorable Mention:

Tzu-Wei Lin played centerfield in the bottom of the eighth inning.




Final Thoughts:

Unlike the Baltimore game, this game had more positives than there were negatives. Its no secret that neither William Cuevas or Drew Pomeranz will sniff the post-season roster, so for those two to give up 8 runs isn't going to matter next week. Its debateable if Poyner or Johnson make the roster as well. The fact the Sox were able to tag not only Happ but Betances and Britton as well is encouraging when the games start to matter. This game meant a hell of a lot more to the Yankees than it did to the Red Sox who are just trying to keep everybody healthy at this point. Yankee fans can dance around saying this is a Game 1 preview (already arrogantly believing the wild card game is in the bag) but Chris Sale is no William Cuevas. Thankfully the regular season is coming to a close and the next tuneup is tomorrow afternoon. Nathan Eovaldi (6-7) gets the start for the Red Sox opposite Domingo Germain at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Rally Past Sox (9/18/18)

Its inevitable that the Boston Red Sox will end the season as AL East champions but tonight the New York Yankees took a big fat dump in the Sox championship stew. Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi delivered the Sox best start in over a month only to be lifted and sure enough, the inept Boston bullpen coughed up the game. The sleepy Sox offense rallied in the ninth but ultimately fell short 3-2 in Yankee Stadium, delaying their AL East coronation for at least one more day.

                                                      "Neil Walker? Ughhhh....."

Happ took the ball in the top of the first inning and Ian Kinsler flied out to center to begin. Steve Pearce walked but JD Martinez flied out to right. Xander Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. Eovaldi got the call in the bottom of the first and struck out Andrew McCutchen to begin. Aaron Judge lined out to right and Didi Gregorius grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Phillips both whiffed although Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled. Christian Vazquez walked but Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi somehow kept the Yankees off the board in the bottom of the third as Giancarlo Stanton grounded back to the mound to begin. Aaron Hicks singled but Miguel Andujar flied out to right. Gary Sanchez whiffed to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox scored in the top of the third as Kinsler singled to start and took second on a balk. Pearce walked and both runners moved up on a passed ball by the inept Sanchez. Martinez scored Kinsler with a sac fly to put the Sox on top but Bogaerts flied out to center. Nunez also flied out to center to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                   Sox are on top

Eovaldi escaped a scare in the bottom of the third as Neil Walker walked to begin. Gleyber Torres flied out to left but McCutchen walked. Judge banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Phillips whiffed to start. Holt lined out to right before Vazquez popped up to first to end the inning. Eovaldi stayed strong in the bottom of the fourth as Gregorius whiffed to start. Stanton grounded out to short and Hicks lined out to third to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the fifth as JBJ whiffed, Kinsler lined out to center and Pearce popped up to third in short order. Ditto for the Yankees in the bottom of the fifth as Andujar popped up to first, Sanchez grounded back to the mound and Walker whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the sixth although Martinez popped up to second to begin. Bogaerts doubled and Nunez singled him to third but the Yankees got a key out when Phillips popped up to second. Holt whiffed to end the inning. The Yankees looked to rally when Torres doubled to start the bottom of the sixth but McCutchen lined out to center. Judge flied out to right to advance Torres to third but Gregorius was plunked to put runners at the corners. Stanton whiffed to end the inning and Eovalidi's outing. For as bad as he's pitched lately, he tossed 6 shutout innings against the Yankees.

                                              Eovaldi with a solid effort

Chad Green came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Vazquez lined out to center to begin. JBJ flied out to right and Kinsler grounded out to second to end the inning. Right on cue once the starter was out, the Yankees feasted on the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hicks walked to start but Andujar popped up to first. Hicks swiped second but Sanchez walked to chase Workman. Ryan Brasier was no help as he gave up a 400,000 foot blast to Walker to put the Yankees up for good. Torres popped up to first before McCutchen flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 3-1.

                                                      So much for this game

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the eighth with David Robertson now on the mound. Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Pearce but grounded out to first. The Sox had a chance when Martinez motored around for a triple but Bogaerts popped up to first and Nunez flied out to left to end the inning. William Cuevas of all people came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and somehow struck out Judge to start. Gregorius was hit and Stanton hit a ball completely out of the park...but foul. Martinez climbed the wall to rob Stanton of extra bases on the next pitch and somehow Hicks whiffed to end the inning. Good work by Cuevas to keep the Sox in it

                                               Cuevas shuts down the Yankees

Adeiny Hechavarria took over at third with Zach Britton in to close out the top of the ninth. Things looked bleak when Phillips whiffed to start. Holt walked and the Sox caught a break when Torres dropped a double play ball hit by Vazquez to put runners at the corners. Sam Travis pinch hit for JBJ and Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Vazquez and Travis hit a perfect double play ball back to Britton...WHO THREW IT AWAY! Holt scored and Lin moved to second to represent the tying run. Blake Swihart pinch ran for Travis but this time Kinsler hit a perfect double play ball to Torres who turned it to end the game. It took 3 DP balls to end it but the Yankees held on to win 3-2.

                                                 Yankees win....damn


Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He gave up the 3 run bomb to Walker that effectively ended the game.

                                                     Brasier the Jackass


The Good:

Steve Pearce walked twice in three plate appearances.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Sam Travis drove in a run in his only plate appearance.

Nathan Eovaldi shut out the Yankees for 6 innings allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks.

William Cuevas pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Brandon Phillips was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brandon Workman took the loss with 2 runs charged in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Ian Kinsler was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.



Honorable Mention:

Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Vazquez in the ninth inning.

Blake Swihart pinch ran for Travis in the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

Mehhh...mehhhhhhhhh.....Once again the inept bullpen costs the Sox another game. The problem is there's nothing that can be done about it. Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski had two months to get a lefty power arm or ANYONE reliable but didn't do it. What they have is what they are going with and its not pleasant. Every time the Sox have a lead in the later innings before the ninth its hold on to your hats time. The encouraging sign is Eovaldi has now dominated the Yankees twice in his two starts against them. If the Sox do play the Yankees in the ALDS then you have to consider starting him in Game 3 since you don't want David Price pitching in Yankee Stadium. The loss dropped the Sox to 103-48, 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East with 11 to play. Tomorrow night its....you guessed it...David Price going for the Sox opposite Luis Severino at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Hold on to your hats!

Mets Crush, Shut Out Sox (9/14/18)

You knew the Boston Red Sox were in trouble when Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez keeled over and had to be rushed to Mass General before the game with a severe case of influenza. The New York Mets pounced on emergency starter William Cuevas and Jay Bruce outscored the entire Sox offense by himself. The normally inept Boston bullpen remained true to their uselessness and the Mets kicked the ass of the Sox 8-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

The Mets wasted no time scoring in the top of the first inning although Amed Rosario lined out to center to begin. Jeff McNeil whiffed but Michael Conforto and Jay Bruce stroked back to back doubles to put the Mets on top. Todd Frazier walked but Brandon Nimmo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                          Cuevas doing the best he can on short notice

Noah Snydergaard was unhittable in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to begin. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and Mitch Moreland looked at strike three to end the inning.

Cuevas got mad in the top of the second inning and struck out the side. Dominic Smith whiffed, Austin Jackson looked at strike three and Tomas Nido struck out swinging to end the inning.  The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez grounded out to third, Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short and Rafael Devers whiffed to end the inning.

The Mets iced the game in the top of the third as a single by Rosario chased Cuevas. For an emergency starter he didn't do too bad in 2 innings of work. Robby Scott came in and crapped his pants although Jeff McNeil flied out to left. Conforto was hit with a pitch and Bruce crushed a 500,000 foot bomb into the Atlantic Ocean to put the game out of reach. Frazier walked, Nimmo was plunked and Smith walked to chase the incompetent Scott. He hit two batters, walked two and gave up a 3 run home run...some relief. Brian Johnson came in and got Jackson to ground into a double play to end the inning with the Mets up 4-0.

                                               The Mets end it early

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the third when Ian Kinsler singled and stole second to start. Jackie Bradley Jr walked but Blake Swihart whiffed and Mr. Mookie flied out to left. The Sox pulled off a double steal when Kinsler and JBJ stole third and second respectively but Benintendi grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Mets struck again in the top of the fourth although Nido whiffed to begin. Rosario grounded out to short but McNeil crushed a 900 foot home run to increase their lead. Conforto grounded out to first to end the inning but the Mets now led 5-0.

                                                 The Mets are all smiles

Snydergaard stayed hot in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland flied out to right but Martinez singled. Bogaerts popped up to second but Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

Johnson returned for the top of the fifth and froze Bruce for strike three but Frazier singled. Nimmo looked at strike three and Smith flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the fifth as Kinsler and JBJ whiffed although Swihart walked. Mr. Mookie flied out to right to end the inning.

Jackson popped up to second to begin the top of the sixth and Nido whiffed. Rosario flied out to right to end the inning. More nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Benintendi and Moreland grounded out to second but Martinez walked. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

Johnson came back for the top of the seventh and finished strong. McNeil flied out to left but Conforto walked. Bruce flied out to center and Frazier grounded into a force to end the inning. His effort saved the bullpen for better days.

                                                  Valiant effort by Johnson

 The Sox rolled over again in the bottom of the seventh as Devers grounded out to third to begin. Kinsler singled but was foolishly picked off. JBJ lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox getting just 4 hits against Snydergaard.

Tyler Thornburg sprinted out of the bullpen to the mound to get lit up in the top of the eighth inning. Nimmo walked but Smith flied out to center. Nimmo swiped second before Jackson crushed a 29,000 foot home run to piss off the remaining fans. Nido grounded out but Rosario smashed a 300,000 foot bomb as fans pelted Thormburg with garbage. Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Drew Pomeranz as a sign of waiving the white flag. McNeil singled but Conforto lined out to left to end the inning with the Mets up 8-0. The Sox gave up Travis Shaw for THIS?

                                                 Another horrid outing by Thornburg

Jerry Blevins had the bottom of the eighth for the Mets and Swihart popped up to second to start. Mr. Mookie singled and Steve Pearce pinch hit for Benintendi only to pop up to first. Sam Travis pinch hit for Moreland and whiffed to end the inning.

Tzu-Wei Lin took over for Bogaerts in the top of the ninth as Pomeranz got Bruce flied out to left to begin. Frazier whiffed and Nimmo looked at strike three to end the inning. The torture ended in the bottom of the ninth with Tyler Bashor on the mound. Brandon Phillips pinch hit for Martinez and whiffed to start. Lin lined out to right before Devers grounded out to second to end the game. The Mets had won it 8-0.

Jackass of the Night is Robby Scott. He faced 6 men, walked two, hit two and allowed a home run. Some relief.

                                                 "Gimmie the ball you Jackass"



The Good:

JD Martinez was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Ian Kinsler was 2 for 3 with 2 stolen bases.

Brian Johnson saved the bullpen with 4 2.3 innings of 1 run ball.

Drew Pomeranz tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 1.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis struck out as a pinch hitter.

Brandon Phillips struck out as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tyler Thornburg allowed 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 but walked and stole a base.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 2 but walked.

William Cuevas took the loss with 2 runs allowed in 2 plus innings as an emergency starter. Not his fault Robby Scott sucked afterwards.




Final Thoughts:

When discussing some of the worst losses of the season, this one ranks right up there. It had to be expected with a pitcher like Snydergaard dealing and an emergency starter pitching on very short notice. Still, the Sox offense could have at least TRIED to make a game of it. Instead this game was totally embarassing. Still, its just one game and the Sox have two more to get their act together before they head to the Bronx to face the New York Yankees. Martinez desperately needs a day off because he looks lost and the rest of the offense took a big coffee break. They better not be on cruise control because the last two years ended badly when that happened. The loss dropped the Sox to 101-47, 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees with 14 to play. Tomorrow afternoon "Slick" Rick Porcello (16-7) takes the mound opposite Corey Oswalt at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Post Amazing Comeback, Sweep Braves (9/5/18)

Wow. Shades of the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons in Superbowl 51, the Boston Red Sox posted a huge comeback against the Atlanta Braves today. The Braves were cruising in the 8th inning leading 7-1 when the Sox roared back to tie the game. The Braves retook the lead but Brandon Phillips introduced himself to Red Sox nation by launching a go-ahead 2 run home run in the ninth. The Sox held on to complete the comeback and shock the Braves 9-8 at Turner Field.

                                                       Look familiar?

Jackie Bradley Jr got the rare leadoff start against Foltynewicz and he popped up to left to begin. Blake Swihart popped up to center before Andrew Benintendi also popped up to center to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the start for the Sox and immediately crapped his pants. He gave up a 780 foot bomb to Ronald Acuna to open the game before Ender Inciarte tripled into the right field corner, scoring on the Nick Markakis base hit. Johan Camargo singled into center as Sox pitching coach Dana LeVange ran to the mound to inform Hector that Desperado was on in the dugout. Hector immediately got Lucas Duda tp bang into a double play and Ozzie Albies grounded out to first to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                              That didn't take long

The Sox struck back in the top of the second inning although Mitch Moreland whiffed to begin. Brandon Phillips drew a walk an Rafael Devers singled him to third. Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to first but Phillips caught everyone asleep by faking going to third and then making a mad dash home to score a run. Christian Vazquez was intentionally walked to get to the pitcher and Velazquez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                                Heads up play by Phillips

Velazquez settled down in the bottom of the second as Tyler Flowers whiffed befoe Charlie Culberson lined out to right. Foltynewicz whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as JBJ grounded out to short before Swihart whiffed. Markakis dropped a routine pop up by Benintendi to allow him to reach second but Moreland flied out to center to end the inning. Acuna walked to open the bottom of the third but Inciarte flied out to center and Markakis grounded out to short. Camargo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nothing was accomplished in the top of the fourth as Phillips grounded out to short to begin. Devers grounded out to second before Holt looked at strike three to end the inning. Velazquez got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth when Duda walked to start. Albies popped up but Flowers doubled to left. Benintendi gunned the ball to Holt who gunned it home....DUDA IS OUT! Flowers took third and Culberson was intentionally walked, but Velazquez retired Foltynewicz on a comebacker to end the inning.

                                                       YERRR OUT!

Vazquez grounded out to short to begin the top of the fifth and Sam Travis pinch hit for Velazquez only to fly out to center. JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning. Drew Pomeranz took over for the bottom of the fifth and he crapped his pants. Acuna walked and Inciarte singled him to third. Markakis singled home Acuna and Inciarte to third before Camargo walked to load the bases and pinch hitter Kurt Suzuki (for Duda) beat out a double play ball to score another run. Ryan Flaherty ran for Suzuki and Albies cleared the bases with a triple to seemingly put the game out of reach. That was it for the incompetent Pomeranz who retired just 1 of the men he faced while giving up four runs to that point. William Cuevas came in and Flowers singled home Albies to increase the lead. Culberson walked but Foltynewicz and Acuna hiffed to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-1...yuck!

                                                        The game looked over

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Swihart whiffed, Benintendi was caught loking and Moreland grounded ou to first to end the inning. Cuevas returned for the bottom of the sixth and Inciarte flied out to left before Markakis lined out to left. Camargo was plunked and Flaherty walked but Albies whiffed to end the inning.

Jesse Biddle came in for the top of the seventh and Phillips walked, but Devers banged into a double play. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox made a double switch in the bottom of the seventh by bringing in Tzu-Wei Lin to play short and hit 9th with Bobby Poyner on the mound hitting 7th. Flowers lined out to a running JBJ before Culberson whiffed. Adam Duvall pinch hit for Biddle and whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox somehow exploded in the top of the eighth inning with Duvall taking over in right hitting 9th with Dan Winkler on the mound hitting third. Vazquez got the rally started with a bloop single that Duvall just missed catching. Lin singled to left and JBJ reached on a single to load the bases that Duvall gave up on. Swihart drove in Vazquez and Lin with a double into the right center gap to chase Winkler. Jonny Venters came in after Winkler threw a tantrum in the dugout and Benintendi singled to left to score JBJ to keep the rally going. Steve Pearce pinch hit for Moreland and hit a rocket to left but it was caught, still scoring Swihart to make it a two run game. Phillips hit a routine ground ball to Camargo who booted it, picked it up and threw it away for an error to put both runners into scoring position. That was it for Venters as the Braves turned to Brad Brach to save the day only for Sox manager Alex Cora countering by bringing in Ian Kinsler to pinch hit for Devers. Kinsler lined a single to left to score both runners to tie the game. Eduardo Nunez pinch hit for Poyner but he popped up to center. Vazquez singled Kinsler to third and Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for Lin. The Braves countered by bringing in Freddie Freeman to hit third and play first, Flaherty moving to third, Camargo moving to short with Culberson in right. AJ Minter came in to pitch and Bogaerts walked to load the bases with Mr. Mookie Betts pinch hitting for JBJ only to look at strike three to end the inning with the game tied 7-7. How about that?

                                                          Kinsler ties up the game

Just as soon as the Sox tied it up, the Braves took the lead with Phillps moving to third and Brandon Workman now on the mound. Acuna whiffed and Inciarte lined out to center, but Freeman crushed a 500,000 foot home run to give the Braves the lead back. Camargo grounded out to second to end the inning but the Braves jumped ahead 8-7.

                                                Freeman gives the Braves the lead

Lane Adams came in for Culberson with Dansby Swanson taking Flaherty's spot but playing short to open the top of the ninth. Swihart popped up to a running Albies in shallow right to start but Benintendi ripped a base hit to center. Things look bleak when Pearce looked at strike three but Phillips launched the first pitch Minter threw into the left field stands to give the Sox the lead. Kinsler whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were 3 outs away from an improbable win 9-8.

                                                    Welcome to Boston Phillips

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and Swanson whiffed on a pitch in the dirt before Albies popped up to center. Flowers walked and yesterday's pitcher Touki Toussaint ran for him. Kimbrel ran the count full on Adams before blowing him away with a 98 mph fastball to end the game. The Sox had stunned the Braves 9-8.

Hero of the Night is Brandon Phillips. His two run home run sealed the game and he scored the first run on a head's up play.

                                                      Phillips is the Hero today



The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 5 with an rbi and two runs scored.

Steve Pearce drove in a run with a sac fly as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3.

Ian Kinsler was 1 for 2 with 2 rbis after coming in for Devers.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tzu-Wei Lin singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts walked as a pinch hitter.

William Cuevas pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 38th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Sam Travis was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Drew Pomeranz was horrible, allowing 5 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Blake Swihart was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs and scored one.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Hector Velazquez lasted just 4 innings but allowed only 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game.

Brandon Workman vultured the win by allowing a go-ahead homer to Freeman in the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

That was a comeback for the ages in a season that's already been special. The Braves were up 7-1 against the Sox' JV team and the JV's refused to quit. That's the kind of heart the Sox need to display when the games really matter in October. Phillips may be 37 but he can still swing the bat and Kinsler has been driving in key runs lately. It was a good team win that pretty much put the exclamation point on the AL East race. The win improved the Sox to 97-44, 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees who lost two out of three to Oakland with a 3 game set in Seattle looming. It should be noted the 2013 World Champion bearded Red Sox won 97 regular season games. The 2018 Red Sox have 97 wins with 21 games remaining. After an off-day the Sox return to action Friday night in an important 3 game set at home against the world champion Houston Astros. David Price (14-6, 3.60 ERA) makes his return against Gerrit Cole at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park

White Sox Blank Red Sox (9/2/18)

There have been some pretty bad or embarrassing losses this season. Whether the Sox get no hit, or David Price pisses himself in New York or the Sox get swept for the first time in a year...but this takes the cake. At least the A's, Rays and Yankees have winning records, tonight's epic beating came at the hands of the 55-82 Chicago White Sox. The White Sox offense scored early and often against a battered and reeling pitching staff while former Sox nemesis "Big Game" James Shields turned back the clock 5 years, shutting out the Sox 8-0 at Commiskey Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

The BoSox blew one of their only scoring chances in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to begin. Xander Bogaerts singled but Mitch Moreland flied out to left. A wild pitch by Shields moved Bogaerts to second and JD Martinez walked. Eduardo Nunez lined out to center to end the inning and the Sox would have just 4 hits the rest of the game. The White Sox had no trouble scoring against Brian Johnson (4-4, 4.36 ERA) in the bottom of the first. Ryan LaMarre whiffed but Tim Anderson crushed a 500,000 foot bomb to give the ChiSox the lead for good two batters into it. Matt Davidson singled but Daniel Palka whiffed. Jose Rondon walked and Kevan Smith singled home Davidson. Yoan Moncada singled to load the bases but Yolmer Sanchez flied out to left to end the inning with Chicago up 2-0.

                                                  Anderson gets it started

Shields shut the BoSox down in the top of the second as Ian Kinsler and Brock "The Hitman" Holt both looked at strike three to start. Blake Swihart singled and stole second but Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. The ChiSox poured it on in the bottom of the second as Adam Engel and LaMarre stroked back to back singles before Anderson advanced Engel to third with a fly out to left. Davidson doubled home both runners to chase the incompetent Johnson from the game. He had been solid all year but against one of the worst teams in the league he gave up 4 runs in 1 1/3 innings. Pathetic! Bobby Poyner made his first appearance in a long time and got Palka to fly out to right and Rondon to pop up to second to end the inning with Chicago up 4-0.

                                                            This got out of hand in a hurry

The BoSox went down in the top of the third inning as Mr. Mookie whiffed to start before Bogaerts lined out to left. Moreland walked but Martinez lined out to center to end the inning. The White Sox literally ran the Bosox ragged in the bottom of the third inning. Smith walked but Moncada struck out swinging. Sanchez erased Smith with a force but swiped second and scored on the Engel single. Engel swiped second but LaMarre grounded out to third to end the inning with Chicago ahead 5-0.

The BoSox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Nunez grounded out to short to start. Kinsler whiffed but Holt was plunked. Swihart flied out to right to end the inning. The ChiSox scored again in the bottom of the fourth with William Cuevas now on the mound for Boston. Anderson and Davidson whiffed but Palka crushed a 800,000 foot moon shot to extend the lead. Rondon whiffed to end the inning. Cuevas challenged them all and got burned 1 out of the 4 times, trailing 6-0.

                                                       Tacking it on...and on....

JBJ whiffed to open the top of the fifth before Mr. Mookie grounded out to second. Bogaerts singled and stole second but Moreland whiffed to end the inning. For the first time the ChiSox were kept off the board in the bottom of the fifth. Smith walked but Moncada whiffed. Sanchez singled but Engel whiffed. LaMarre grounded out to first to end the inning.

Martinez looked to start a rally in the top of the sixth but Nunez banged into a double play. kinsler popped up to second to end the inning. Cuevas returned for the bottom of the sixth but started clutching his arm after Anderson doubled. Davidson was plunked and Anderson moved to third on the Palka fly out to right. Rondon beat out a double play ball to score Anderson to increase the lead. Cuevas then threw a pitch to the backstop, advancing Rondon to second, before collapsing in a heap. He had to be hauled off on a gurney headed to the hospital but Robby Scott materialized out of thin air on the mound to pitch for Boston. Smith walked and Moncada singled but Sanchez flied out to left to end the inning with Chicago ahead 7-0.

                                                   Bye bye Cuevas

Nicky Delmonico came in for LaMarre but played left with Palka moving to right with Caleb Frare now on the mound to pitch the top of the seventh. Holt grounded out to second, Swihart whiffed and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. The bench emptied in the bottom of the seventh with Sam Travis replaced Bogaerts but played right, Tzu-Wei Lin took over for Betts but was at short, Steve Pearce replaced Moreland while playing first, Sandy Leon replaced Nunez but caught. Holt remained at second with Swihart moving to third with Robby Scott batting sixth now. Engel whiffed but Delmonico was plunked. Anderson doubled but Davidson looked at strike three. Palka whiffed to end the inning.

Juan Minaya came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lin whiffed to start. Travis looked at strike three before Pearce flied out to right to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Rondon singled to start. Smith lined out to center snd Moncada grounded back to the mound but Rondon advanced to third. Sanchez wrapped up the scoring with an rbi single. Engel whiffed to end the inning with Chicago up 8-0.

Hector Santiago was brought in to pitch the top of the ninth and Martinez singled to start. Leon whiffed and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Velazquez and struck out. Holt walked but Swihart hit one up the elevator shaft to end the game. The White Sox had won it 8-0.

Jackass of the Night is Brian Johnson. The Sox needed a good start and he lasted just 1 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs. Thanks for nothing.

                                                             Jackass Johnson


The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Brock Holt was hit with a pitch and walked in four plate appearances.

Robby Scott tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 1 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis was 0 for 1 with a strikeout.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 1.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 3.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 1 with a strikeout.

Ian Kinsler was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Hector Velazquez allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 2 but walked.

Blake Swihart was just 1 for 4.

Bobby Poyner allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings of work.

William Cuevas allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings of work while striking out 5.




Final Thoughts:

Time to get the hell out of Chicago. The 55 win White Sox have taken 4 of the 7 games the two teams have played and this series opened up a black hole in the Red Sox rotation. With David Price, Chris Sale and Steven Wright all out or just coming back, the remaining starters have sucked for two weeks now. Johnson, Nathan Eovaldi, Rick Porcello and Hector Velazquez are getting hammered in every game now and the Sox need a change in a bad way. The offense was non-existent again and this is getting a 2011 vibe all over again. Changes need to be made or this September is going to get ugly in a hurry. The only good news is the New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers and with that, the loss drops the Sox to 94-44, 7.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow is Labor Day Monday where the Sox travel to Atlanta for a 3 game interleague set with the NL East leading Braves. Rookie Touki Toussaint goes for the Braves while Nathan Eovaldi gets a chance of redemption since technically his last start ended early due to rain. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Turner Field.

Martinez, Offense Carries Sox in Game 2 (8/11/18)

If Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox has any competition for American League MVP this season, he has to worry about his own teamamte JD Martinez. Martinez was the star tonight with not one but two home runs, the second breaking a tie to guide the Sox past the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of their day/night doubleheader. Martinez backed a bullpen that could barely keep the O's off the board but held on to win 6-4 to sweep the doubleheader at Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

                                  Staff Sergeant Michael Vronsky approves of the win

Yefry Ramirez got the ball to start the game and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him by grounding out to short. Brock "The Hitman" Holt popped up to second and Steve Pearce looked at strike three to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the start for the Sox in the bottom of the first and Jace Peterson lined out to second to begin. Jonathan Villar grounded out to second and Adam Jones grounded out to first to end the inning.

Martinez began his great day by walking to open the top of the second inning. Xander Bogaerts lined out to right, Rafael Devers popped up to short and Eduardo Nunez lined out to right to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the second as Trey Mancini singled to start. Chris Davis was pluned and Renato Nunez doubled Mancini home when Martinez completely missed a catch. In what turned out to be more important than it seemed at the time, that was all the O's got as Cedric Mullins failed to score anyone with a sharp grounder to second. Joey Rickard flied out to right but the slow Davis refused to challenge Mookie's arm. Caleb Joseph grounded to third to end the inning with the O's ahead 1-0 but it could have been far worse.

Dan Butler led off the top of the third by swinging at air before Jackie Bradley Jr grounded one off of Ramirez but Renato Nunez threw Jackie out at first. Mr. Mookie singled and stole second but Holt whiffed to end the inning. Velazquez didn't last long in the bottom of the third and walking Peterson didn't help. Villar advanced Peterson on a force and Jones grounded out to third, but that was it for Velazquez. He wasn't supposed to throw this many pitches but did the best he could.

                                            Good effort, just didn't last long

Brandon Workman came in and Mancini lashed a single to score Peterson. Davis and Nunez walked to load the bases but Mullins grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's leading 2-0.

The Sox began their comeback in the top of the fourth inning although Pearce whiffed to start. Martinez blasted his 36th homer of the year to center to cut the lead in half. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Devers whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-1 O's.

                                                 "That's one" - Martinez

The much maligned Drew Pomeranz came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Rickard greeted him with a single. Drew recovered to get Joseph to fly out to right and Peterson to pop up to short. The alert Pomeranz then picked off Rickard to end the inning.

The Sox tied it up in the top of the fifth when Nunez motored around for a triple to start before scoring on the Butler sac fly. JBJ walked and stole second but Mr. Mookie lined out to second. Holt flied out to right to end the inning but it was 2-2.

                                                  "I GOT AN RBI!" - Butler

Pomeranz returned for the bottom of the fifth and Villar grounded out to short to start. Jones flied out to right but Mancini walked. Davis grounded out to first to end the inning.

Cody Carroll came in for the top of the sixth and couldn't find the plate, walking both Pearce and Martinez to begin. Bogaerts banged into a double play but Devers walked on a pitch over everything, scoring Pearce with the go-ahead run. Nunez lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox took the lead 3-2.

                                          "Heh, I scored. Heh!" - Pearce

Heath Hembree was brought in to cough up the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Nunez flied out to left but Mullins walked. Hembree picked off Mullins and its a good thing he did because Rickard blasted a 7,000 foot bomb to tie the game. Joseph grounded out to short to end the inning but it was now 3-3.

                                                          A fired up Rickard ties it

Mike Wright Jr got the call to pitch the top of the seventh and Butler grounded out to short to start. JBJ whiffed before Mr. Mookie popped up to second to end the inning. Joe Kelly was summoned to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Petersn flied out to left to begin. Villar singled but was erased on the force by Jones. Jones swiped second and Mancini walked but Davis flied out to center to end the inning. Can any Sox reliever not struggle?

The Sox broke the tie in the top of the eighth inning. Holt lined out to third but Pearce singled. Martinez blasted his second homer of the game, number 37 total to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Paul Fry relieved Wright to walk Pearce. Nunez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                  "That's two!" - Martinez

William Cuevas, called up today, had a very eventful botom of the eighth inning. Nunez grounded out to third before Mullins walked. Rickard lined out to center as Mark Trumbo pinch hit for Joseph, drawing a walk. Austin Wynns pinch ran for Trumbo and both runners moved over on a wild pitch by Cuevas. William got out of it by striking out Peterson to end the inning. Good work soldier!

                                                  Clutch pitching by Cuevas

Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Butler to open the top of the ninth and whiffed. JBJ was hit by a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal. The caught stealing hurt as Mr. Mookie doubled and Holt singled Betts home. Unfortunately Holt was thrown out at second trying to stretch to end the inning but it was 6-3 Sox.

                                               Betts motors home for a run

Sandy Leon came in to catch the bottom of the ninth with Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel going for the save. Villar looked at strike three to begin before Jones whiffed. Mancini crashed the party with a solo bomb but Davis whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won their 84th game of the season and swept the double-header with a 6-4 win.

                                                        Another win


Hero of the Night is a no-brainer. JD Martinez clubbed two home runs, the second a game deciding 2 run homer to give the Sox the win.

                                                         JD The Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Steve Pearce was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances.

Drew Pomeranz pitched a scoreless 5th inning.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

William Cuevas pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Andrew Benintendi struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley was plunked and walked in four plate appearances.

Brandon Workman allowed an inherited run to score and walked two guys in 1/3 of an inning.

Heath Hembree gave up a run in the 6th inning.



The Ugly:

Brock Holt was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

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

Dan Butler was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.

Hector Velazquez allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings in an emergency start.

Craig Kimbrel gave up a home run in the bottom of the ninth but earned his 34th save.



Honorable Mention:

Sandy Leon caught the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

The Sox keep rolling but a wart has appeared on this seemingly unbeatable monster. The Boston bullpen has been giving up runs in bunches the last few weeks. It started against the Yankees and its continuing against Baltimore. I dont know if its fatigue or ineffectiveness but the bullpen has been as shaky as a 20 year old car. The only one that's been close to lights out is Ryan Brasier who most Red Sox fans had no idea he was in the league when the year started. Still, the Sox are finding ways to win game after game and you need a team with heart like that if you want to make a run through the playoffs. The good news is the win improved the Sox to 84-35, 9.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The 1991 Red Sox who collapsed at the end of September finished with 84 wins, this year's team has 84 on August 11th. Tomorrow its the return of Chris Sale (11-4) from the disabled list and he takes on Alex Cobb in the series finale at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.