New England Sports Network is under heavy fire these days. The Boston Red Sox are currently fielding one of the most despised teams on and off the field since 2012 and ratings are down 20% across the board. Why is that? There are many logical reasons for the declining ratings including pace of play, the lack of production on the field and the fact games start way too late.
NESN also has another problem, it doesn't have a damned clue who its core audience is. Case in point today, its commercial. No, not the Southwest commercial that runs 128 times during the course of the day that leaves the audience wanting to bludgeon everyone involved in the making of it repeatedly with a frozen trout. THIS commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXzeRbfwfwE
Where do I begin with this abortion? First of all the point of it is if you can't watch the game live in front of a TV, you can stream it on your phone. Wonderful, sounds good right? Unfortunately there are a few problems.
First of all the video clip they used is from Hanley Ramirez' walkoff home run off the New York Yankees last September. The commercial is depicting people watching in a daytime setting which is bizarre considering the game ended past 11 at night. So there's strike one. Now if you want to counter and say "Well they're just watching the highlights the next day because they missed it" then we have bigger issues. Look closely at the people depicted in this commercial. We got a pinhead in a suit at Logan Airport, a single mom and 3 daughters waiting on their tires to be rotated, a desk clerk at a proctology office and some maniacal lady in a dentist's chair........what?
Do people working at NESN have a clue as to who their audience is? You know who's watching baseball games? Tommy, Chuckie, Kevin, Sully, Murph and Stevie. The guys at the bar going "WHAT THE HELL MOOKIE, STOP POPPING UP ON PITCHES ON THE OUTSIDE CORNA!" The ones on the street saying "You catch the game last night?" "Oh yeah, Sale had a one hitta' goin' through seven!" The ones calling into WEEI 93.7 or Sports Hub 98.5 screaming about how useless Pablo Sandoval is. The guys working construction listening to the radio and saying "THROW STRIKES PRICE!" THAT is your core audience, NESN. I don't know who the people in the commercial are, but that's a pretty lousy representation of who's actually watching baseball games. There's strike two.
Then the worst part about the commercial is itself. The people listed earlier screaming "Go Red Sox. GOOOOOOOO!!!!" make the rest of us look like morons. Who does that? Who sits at Sullivan Tire or in a dentist's chair screaming gooooooooooo at their phone? I don't remember Yankee or Toronto Blue Jays fans screaming into their phones over day old highlights. What would have been better television is the aftermath where security pounces on the pinhead in the suit or the manager of Sullivan Tire telling the screaming lady and the kids to get the hell out of there before they call the cops. At least that would have been somewhat funny the first time you see it (before they replay it eleventeen times during the course of the game). So for making the rest of us real fans look bad, that's strike three....YERRRR OUT!
The bottom line is ratings are down 20% for a variety of reasons mostly having to do with the game itself. NESN's problem is that the pink hats are gone. Following the 2004 World Series win it became trendy to watch the Red Sox. The 04 team was everywhere from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy (Doug Mirabelli wants to strangle his agent to this day for putting him in it) to the god awful reality show Sox Appeal, cashing in after the 86 year championship drought ended. The term "pink hat" became a term to describe the incoming bandwagon fan hot off the Yankees wagon and because it was trendy. As the years went by and more World Series titles were won, the pink hats stayed......until recently. Finishing in last place 3 out of 4 years pretty much killed the trend and even though the team on the field in 2016 were fun to watch, the casual crowd was gone. NESN has been trying desperately to get the casual fan back that they make promotions specifically designed to cater to a crowd that's not there. This NESNGo commercial depicts Red Sox fans in such a bad light that its embarrassing to be a Sox fan. You know what we have to go through? Its bad enough we have to stay up for 10 PM start times, listen to Guerin Austin flap her gums about things we either already know or really don't care about, watch the Southwest Commercial playing 3,000 times a game during the broadcast, watch David Price take 35 minutes in between pitches and the offense swing at air against mediocre pitchers for 4 hours....but this commercial makes it even worse.
Hey NESN, you want the casual fan back? Put a world championship winning team on the field. Get guys that an actually hit the ball out of the yard and starting pitchers that care more about getting the next guy out then attacking the color commentator. Have a bullpen that doesn't vomit up their intestines in crucial situations and maybe, just maybe, that 20% will return. Until then, stop insulting our intelligence by making commercials designed for people that aren't going to be watching and making us look like fools in the process.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Sale Shuts Out Seattle (7/26/17)
Before the game it was announced that the Boston Red Sox had traded two prospects to the San Francisco Giants for Eduardo Nunez. Blaine Boyer was activated from the disabled list and Ben Taylor was placed on it. Nunez has always had the reputation as a good clubhouse guy with an average bat. This could solidify third base but obviously he is no Travis Shaw.
OUT
IN
As for the game, this is just what the doctor ordered. After reeling from 4 straight losses to the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners, the Sox rebounded to salvage the west coast trip on the back of Chris Sale (13-4, 2.37 ERA). Sale was masterful, tossing 7 shutout innings while the rookie Rafael Devers and Sandy Leon both homered to give the Sox a 4-0 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field.
The Mayor approves of the win
Andrew Moore took the mound in the top of the first inning and Brock Holt lined out to right to start. Andrew Benintendi struck out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Sale began his dominance in the bottom of the first by striking out Jean Segura to start. Ben Gamel flied out to right and Nelson Cruz popped up to first to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Hanley Ramirez worked a leadoff walk. Jackie Bradley Jr doubled Ramirez to third, and Hanley scored on the sac fly by Mitch Moreland to give the Sox the lead. Xander Bogaerts lined out to right and Sandy Leon struck out to end the inning but Boston was up 1-0.
Ramirez sores to make it 1-0
The Mariners tried to fight back in the bottom of the second inning although Danny Valencia lined out to right to start. Kyle Seager hit one up the elevator shaft but Guillermo Heredia was plunked. Mitch Haniger walked but Carlos Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning.
Rafael Devers served notice to Major League Baseball that he was for real with a 400-foot bomb to open the top of the third inning for his first big league hit. Holt grounded out to third and Benintendi grounded out to short, but Pedroia singled. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning but Devers had his first major league hit and the Red Sox had a 2-0 lead.
Devers first hit goes 400 feet into the stands
Sale responded by striking out Danny Espinosa to start the bottom of the third inning. Segura doubled but Sale struck out both Gamel and Cruz to end the inning.
The Sox iced the game in the top of the fourth inning. JBJ doubled but Moreland popped up to first. Bogaerts flied out to center but Leon smashed a two-run bomb to put the game out of reach. Devers lined out to right but it was now 4-0 Sox.
"Oh yeah, I'm the man!" - Leon
More than enough cushion for Sale in the bottom of the fourth. Valencia grounded out to second and Seager struck out, but Heredia doubled. Haniger popped up to first to end the inning.
Holt singled to open the top of the fifth but Benintendi flied out to center and Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the fifth inning as Ruiz struck out, Espinosa flied out to right and Segura struck out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth inning as Ramirez flied out to center, JBJ struck out and Moreland popped up to short to end the inning. Gamel looked to get things going when he singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Sale recovered to strike out both Cruz and Valencia. Seager popped up to second to end the inning.
Bogaerts was retired on a liner back to Moore to open the top of the seventh before Leon grounded out to second. That was it for Moore as Marc Rzepczynski came in to get greeted by a Devers single. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. Sale returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh. Heredia tried to bunt his way on but the alert Sale gunned him down at first. Haniger and Ruiz struck out to end the inning. Sale had tossed 7 innings of shutout ball while striking out 11, outstanding.
Sale was dominant today
Benintendi singled to open the top of the 8th inning and chase Rzepczynski. Emilio Pagan came in and Pedroia singled. Ramirez was plunked to load the bases but the Sox pissed away a chance for more runs. JBJ and Moreland struck out before Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. It's a good thing they were up by four runs because that sucked. Blaine Boyer came in for Sale and struck out Espinosa to start. Segura popped up to second but Gamel singled. Cruz fliedout to left to end the inning.
Steve Cishek had mop up duty in the top of the ninth inning. Leon flied out to left, Devers grounded out to first and Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. Boyer returned for the botton of the ninth and Valencia flied out to left to start. Seager singled and Heredia walked to chase Boyer. Sox manager John Farrell decided it was a good idea to bring in Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel in a 4 run game. Kimbrel blew away Haniger and Ruiz to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-0.
Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. The 20 year old's first hit was a home run that turned out to be the only run needed.
The 20 year old hero
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4.
Hanley Ramirez walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run in 4 plate appearances.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Chris Sale dazzled with 7 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11 while giving up just 3 hits.
Blaine Boyer threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Craig Kimbrel got the last two outs.
The Bad:
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.
The Ugly:
Brock Holt was just 1 for 5.
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.
Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was the decisive 2 run homer.
Final Thoughts:
This road trip has been a complete disaster but finally it is over and at least they went out on a good note. Dropping 4 of 6 to the Angels and Mariners sucked but at least they are going home still in first place. Sale was dominant again to add to his growing Cy Young candidacy and Devers' raw power is for real. It will be interesting to see what Eduardo Nunez brings to the table because he is known as a good clubhouse guy, which is what this team needs to win rapport back from the irate fans. Still, the two big moves Dave Dombrowski has made is bringing up a rookie and trading for a journeyman? There better be something else in the works or else this team is in trouble. Still, the win improved the Sox to 56-47, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Red Sox return home to play the Kansas City Royals. Friday night public enemy number 1 David Price goes up against Jason Vargas. Fans are prepared to boo him off the field and the carnage begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
As for the game, this is just what the doctor ordered. After reeling from 4 straight losses to the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners, the Sox rebounded to salvage the west coast trip on the back of Chris Sale (13-4, 2.37 ERA). Sale was masterful, tossing 7 shutout innings while the rookie Rafael Devers and Sandy Leon both homered to give the Sox a 4-0 win over the Mariners at Safeco Field.
Andrew Moore took the mound in the top of the first inning and Brock Holt lined out to right to start. Andrew Benintendi struck out and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Sale began his dominance in the bottom of the first by striking out Jean Segura to start. Ben Gamel flied out to right and Nelson Cruz popped up to first to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Hanley Ramirez worked a leadoff walk. Jackie Bradley Jr doubled Ramirez to third, and Hanley scored on the sac fly by Mitch Moreland to give the Sox the lead. Xander Bogaerts lined out to right and Sandy Leon struck out to end the inning but Boston was up 1-0.
The Mariners tried to fight back in the bottom of the second inning although Danny Valencia lined out to right to start. Kyle Seager hit one up the elevator shaft but Guillermo Heredia was plunked. Mitch Haniger walked but Carlos Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning.
Rafael Devers served notice to Major League Baseball that he was for real with a 400-foot bomb to open the top of the third inning for his first big league hit. Holt grounded out to third and Benintendi grounded out to short, but Pedroia singled. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning but Devers had his first major league hit and the Red Sox had a 2-0 lead.
Sale responded by striking out Danny Espinosa to start the bottom of the third inning. Segura doubled but Sale struck out both Gamel and Cruz to end the inning.
The Sox iced the game in the top of the fourth inning. JBJ doubled but Moreland popped up to first. Bogaerts flied out to center but Leon smashed a two-run bomb to put the game out of reach. Devers lined out to right but it was now 4-0 Sox.
More than enough cushion for Sale in the bottom of the fourth. Valencia grounded out to second and Seager struck out, but Heredia doubled. Haniger popped up to first to end the inning.
Holt singled to open the top of the fifth but Benintendi flied out to center and Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the fifth inning as Ruiz struck out, Espinosa flied out to right and Segura struck out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth inning as Ramirez flied out to center, JBJ struck out and Moreland popped up to short to end the inning. Gamel looked to get things going when he singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Sale recovered to strike out both Cruz and Valencia. Seager popped up to second to end the inning.
Bogaerts was retired on a liner back to Moore to open the top of the seventh before Leon grounded out to second. That was it for Moore as Marc Rzepczynski came in to get greeted by a Devers single. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. Sale returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh. Heredia tried to bunt his way on but the alert Sale gunned him down at first. Haniger and Ruiz struck out to end the inning. Sale had tossed 7 innings of shutout ball while striking out 11, outstanding.
Benintendi singled to open the top of the 8th inning and chase Rzepczynski. Emilio Pagan came in and Pedroia singled. Ramirez was plunked to load the bases but the Sox pissed away a chance for more runs. JBJ and Moreland struck out before Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. It's a good thing they were up by four runs because that sucked. Blaine Boyer came in for Sale and struck out Espinosa to start. Segura popped up to second but Gamel singled. Cruz fliedout to left to end the inning.
Steve Cishek had mop up duty in the top of the ninth inning. Leon flied out to left, Devers grounded out to first and Holt grounded out to second to end the inning. Boyer returned for the botton of the ninth and Valencia flied out to left to start. Seager singled and Heredia walked to chase Boyer. Sox manager John Farrell decided it was a good idea to bring in Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel in a 4 run game. Kimbrel blew away Haniger and Ruiz to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-0.
Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. The 20 year old's first hit was a home run that turned out to be the only run needed.
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4.
Hanley Ramirez walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run in 4 plate appearances.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Chris Sale dazzled with 7 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11 while giving up just 3 hits.
Blaine Boyer threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Craig Kimbrel got the last two outs.
The Bad:
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.
The Ugly:
Brock Holt was just 1 for 5.
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.
Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was the decisive 2 run homer.
Final Thoughts:
This road trip has been a complete disaster but finally it is over and at least they went out on a good note. Dropping 4 of 6 to the Angels and Mariners sucked but at least they are going home still in first place. Sale was dominant again to add to his growing Cy Young candidacy and Devers' raw power is for real. It will be interesting to see what Eduardo Nunez brings to the table because he is known as a good clubhouse guy, which is what this team needs to win rapport back from the irate fans. Still, the two big moves Dave Dombrowski has made is bringing up a rookie and trading for a journeyman? There better be something else in the works or else this team is in trouble. Still, the win improved the Sox to 56-47, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Red Sox return home to play the Kansas City Royals. Friday night public enemy number 1 David Price goes up against Jason Vargas. Fans are prepared to boo him off the field and the carnage begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Incompetent Sox Blow Game in 13 (7/25/17)
The Boston Red Sox are finding new ways to piss off their fans every single day it seems. One day after getting shut-out by the lowly Mariners and the story breaking that the team are a bunch of jerks, they turned what should have been a gutty 5-4 extra innings win into a shocking 6-5 defeat at Safeco Field against the Seattle Mariners. A wild pitch and an infield single was all it took to seal the doom of the Sox.
"This team SUCKS!"
Seattle ace King Felix Hernandez took the mound in the top of the first inning and Mookie Betts flied out to center. Andrew Benintendi singled and took second on a wild pitch, but Dustin Pedroia grounded out right to Hernandez. Hanley Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning. Sox starter Drew Pomeranz matched Hernandez in the bottom of the first. Jean Segura grounded out to second, Danny Valencia struck out and Robinson Cano grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the second inning as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first, Xander Bogaerts whiffed and Mitch Moreland struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mariners struck first in the bottom of the second although Nelson Cruz struck out to start. Kyle Seager beat out an infield single but Mitch Haniger flied out to right. Ben Gamel walked and Guillermo Heredia cleared the bases with a 3 run home run. Mike Zunino walked but Segura lined out to right to end the inning with the Mariners in command 3-0.
Vazquez sez "This sucks!"
The Sox failed to answer in the top of the third inning. Christian Vazquez flied out to center as Rafael Devers made his major league debut with a fly out to center. Betts flied out to center as well to end the inning. Pomeranz tried to settle down in the bottom of the third by striking out Valencia to start. Cano doubled but Cruz flied out to right. Seager walked but Haniger struck out to end the inning. Pomeranz was not long for this game.
The Sox got one back in the top of the fourth inning although Benintendi flied out to center to start. Pedroia struck out but Ramirez blasted a solo home run to cut the deficit. JBJ hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning but it was now 3-1.
Ramirez blasts one to make it 3-1
Pomeranz struggled again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gamel singled and took second on a wild pitch, moving to third on the fly out by Heredia. Pomeranz got a hufe out by striking out Zunino but Segura walked. Drew bore down to strike out Valencia to end the inning.
Hernandez dominated the top of the fifth as Bogaerts flied out to center, Moreland lined out to second and Vazquez lined out to third to end the inning in short order. Pomeranz finally had a clean inning in the bottom of the fifth, his last. Cano grounded out to third, Cruz whiffed and Seager flied out to left to end the inning. Pomeranz' failure to go deep cost the Sox big once the game went into extras.
The Sox exploded to take the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Devers walked but Betts struck out. Benintendi walked and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Pedroia stepped up to tie the game with a double, moving to third on the ground out by Ramirez. JBJ lashed a single to center to score Pedroia with the go-ahead run and chase Felix from the game. Steve Cishek replaced Hernandez and got Bogaerts to strike out to end the inning, but it was now 4-3 Sox.
JBJ puts the Sox on top
Heath Hembree was first out of the pen in the bottom of the sixth and he cruised. Haniger grounded out to third, Gamel flied out to center and Heredia popped up to short to end the inning.
Moreland walked to open the top of the seventh inning but Vazquez lined out to right and Devers banged into a double play to end the inning. The lead evaporated in seconds in the botton of the seventh when Zunino blasted a solo home run to tie the game. Segura walked and that was it for Hembree. Matt Barnes came in and induced a double play by Valencia. Cano singled but Cruz struck out to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.
Shame on you Hembree
The Sox had a great chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth against David Phelps. Betts flied out but Benintendi and Pedroia stroked back to back singles. Ramirez beat out a double play ball to put the go-ahead run at third and that was it for Phelps. Marc Rzepczynski got JBJ to ground out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Seager struck out, Haniger grounded out to third and Gamel grounded out to first to end the inning.
Edwin Diaz came in to pitch the top of the ninth and the Sox squandered a chance to lead AGAIN. Bogaerts popped up to first and Moreland grounded out to second before Vazquez singled. Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez and Devers walkedto put the go-ahead run at second. Betts flailed away at the first pitch and flied out to end the inning, what a waste.
Sandy Leon took over behind the plate with Brandon Workman on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning. Heredia grounded out to third, Zunino struck out and Segura grounded out to second to end the inning. On to extra innings we went.
Nick Vincent was brought in to pitch the top of the tenth but the Sox offense was asleep. Benintendi grounded out to second, Pedroia popped up to second and Ramirez hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel got the ball in the bottom of the tenthand nearly gave it away when Valencia singled to start. Danny Espinosa pinch ran for Valencia and swiped second but Kimbrel blew away Cano and Cruz. Seager walked but Craig blew away Haniger to end the inning.
James Pazos came in to pitchthe top of the eleventh inning and Cano gave the Sox life by booting a ground ball hit by JBJ. Bogaerts walked to put 2 men on with no out and Sox manager John Farrell sent in Chris Young to pinch hit for Moreland rather than having Mitch drop a bunt down. Right on cue Young flied out to right, nice going Farrell. Leon beat out a double play ball to once again put the go-ahead run at third...but Devers struck out to end the inning. Another waste.
Doug Fister (0-5, 7.46 ERA) came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh inning as Deven Marrero took over at first. Fister froze Gamel for strike three to start. Heredia singled but was erased on a force by Zunino. Segura grounded to second to end the inning.
Tony Zych appeared out of thin air to pitch the top of the 12th inning. Betts struck out, Benintendi flied out to right and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Fister cruised in the bottom of the 12th inning. Espinosa and Cano flied out to center before Cruz struck out to end the inning.
The Sox FINALLY broke through in the top of the thirteenth inning. Ramirez singled but JBJ and Bogaerts struck out. A wild pitch moved Ramirez to second but Marrero walked. Leon slammed a single home to score Ramirez with the go-ahead run. Marrero swiped third but Devers flied out to end the inning. The Sox were 3 outs away from winning this damn thing 5-4.
Ramirez is safe and the Sox lead it
Fister returned to finish the job in the bottom of the thirteenth. He struck out Seager but Haniger walked. Gamel just beat out a double play ball and the Sox were one out away from victory. Then it all blew to hell as Heredia singled Gamel to third and Fister threw a pitch 700 feet out of Safeco field to score Gamel and advance Heredia to third. Zunino walked and Segura singled up the middle, scoring Heredia with the winning run. Just like that a 5-4 win was a 6-5 defeat. Unbelievable, another bitter loss in a season that's slipping away.
A bitter loss
Jackass of The Night is Mookie Betts. He went 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts and left the go-ahead run on second in the ninth inning.
Looking the wrong way, Jackass
The Good:
Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 6 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 6 with two total runs scored including a solo home run.
Deven Marrero walked and stole second in his only plate appearance.
Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with an rbi.
Matt Barnes tossed 2 scoreless innings.
Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 10th inning.
The Bad:
Chris Young was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drew a walk.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.
Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.
Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked twice and scored a run in his ML debut.
Drew Pomeranz lasted only 5 innings and allowed 3 runs, getting in trouble the whole time he was in. The bullpen had to throw 8 innings because he only went 5.
Heath Hembree cruised in the 6th but allowed the tying run in the 7th.
Doug Fister took the loss but tossed 2 2/3 innings before things fell apart.
Honorable Mention:
Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez in the 9th.
Final Thoughts:
The season began with so much promise and it appears to be blowing up in smoke right before our eyes. The 4 hour games, the lack of clutch hitting, the behavior of David Price, and now these unbelievable losses are too much for most fans to take. The Red Sox were supposed to be the best team in the American League this year on paper and things are rapidly going downhill. Losses like these happen every year, but the timing of it was just dreadful. The Sox had a chance to bury the New York Yankees but instead fell on their face against the LA Angels and Mariners. If the Red Sox are banking on Rafael Devers to lead them to the promised land, they are screwed. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-47, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox turn to Chris Sale to dig them out of their hole. The Mariners send out Andrew Moore as they look for the sweep at 3:40 PM at Safeco Field.
Seattle ace King Felix Hernandez took the mound in the top of the first inning and Mookie Betts flied out to center. Andrew Benintendi singled and took second on a wild pitch, but Dustin Pedroia grounded out right to Hernandez. Hanley Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning. Sox starter Drew Pomeranz matched Hernandez in the bottom of the first. Jean Segura grounded out to second, Danny Valencia struck out and Robinson Cano grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the second inning as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first, Xander Bogaerts whiffed and Mitch Moreland struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mariners struck first in the bottom of the second although Nelson Cruz struck out to start. Kyle Seager beat out an infield single but Mitch Haniger flied out to right. Ben Gamel walked and Guillermo Heredia cleared the bases with a 3 run home run. Mike Zunino walked but Segura lined out to right to end the inning with the Mariners in command 3-0.
The Sox failed to answer in the top of the third inning. Christian Vazquez flied out to center as Rafael Devers made his major league debut with a fly out to center. Betts flied out to center as well to end the inning. Pomeranz tried to settle down in the bottom of the third by striking out Valencia to start. Cano doubled but Cruz flied out to right. Seager walked but Haniger struck out to end the inning. Pomeranz was not long for this game.
The Sox got one back in the top of the fourth inning although Benintendi flied out to center to start. Pedroia struck out but Ramirez blasted a solo home run to cut the deficit. JBJ hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning but it was now 3-1.
Pomeranz struggled again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gamel singled and took second on a wild pitch, moving to third on the fly out by Heredia. Pomeranz got a hufe out by striking out Zunino but Segura walked. Drew bore down to strike out Valencia to end the inning.
Hernandez dominated the top of the fifth as Bogaerts flied out to center, Moreland lined out to second and Vazquez lined out to third to end the inning in short order. Pomeranz finally had a clean inning in the bottom of the fifth, his last. Cano grounded out to third, Cruz whiffed and Seager flied out to left to end the inning. Pomeranz' failure to go deep cost the Sox big once the game went into extras.
The Sox exploded to take the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Devers walked but Betts struck out. Benintendi walked and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Pedroia stepped up to tie the game with a double, moving to third on the ground out by Ramirez. JBJ lashed a single to center to score Pedroia with the go-ahead run and chase Felix from the game. Steve Cishek replaced Hernandez and got Bogaerts to strike out to end the inning, but it was now 4-3 Sox.
Heath Hembree was first out of the pen in the bottom of the sixth and he cruised. Haniger grounded out to third, Gamel flied out to center and Heredia popped up to short to end the inning.
Moreland walked to open the top of the seventh inning but Vazquez lined out to right and Devers banged into a double play to end the inning. The lead evaporated in seconds in the botton of the seventh when Zunino blasted a solo home run to tie the game. Segura walked and that was it for Hembree. Matt Barnes came in and induced a double play by Valencia. Cano singled but Cruz struck out to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.
The Sox had a great chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth against David Phelps. Betts flied out but Benintendi and Pedroia stroked back to back singles. Ramirez beat out a double play ball to put the go-ahead run at third and that was it for Phelps. Marc Rzepczynski got JBJ to ground out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Seager struck out, Haniger grounded out to third and Gamel grounded out to first to end the inning.
Edwin Diaz came in to pitch the top of the ninth and the Sox squandered a chance to lead AGAIN. Bogaerts popped up to first and Moreland grounded out to second before Vazquez singled. Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez and Devers walkedto put the go-ahead run at second. Betts flailed away at the first pitch and flied out to end the inning, what a waste.
Sandy Leon took over behind the plate with Brandon Workman on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning. Heredia grounded out to third, Zunino struck out and Segura grounded out to second to end the inning. On to extra innings we went.
Nick Vincent was brought in to pitch the top of the tenth but the Sox offense was asleep. Benintendi grounded out to second, Pedroia popped up to second and Ramirez hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel got the ball in the bottom of the tenthand nearly gave it away when Valencia singled to start. Danny Espinosa pinch ran for Valencia and swiped second but Kimbrel blew away Cano and Cruz. Seager walked but Craig blew away Haniger to end the inning.
James Pazos came in to pitchthe top of the eleventh inning and Cano gave the Sox life by booting a ground ball hit by JBJ. Bogaerts walked to put 2 men on with no out and Sox manager John Farrell sent in Chris Young to pinch hit for Moreland rather than having Mitch drop a bunt down. Right on cue Young flied out to right, nice going Farrell. Leon beat out a double play ball to once again put the go-ahead run at third...but Devers struck out to end the inning. Another waste.
Doug Fister (0-5, 7.46 ERA) came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh inning as Deven Marrero took over at first. Fister froze Gamel for strike three to start. Heredia singled but was erased on a force by Zunino. Segura grounded to second to end the inning.
Tony Zych appeared out of thin air to pitch the top of the 12th inning. Betts struck out, Benintendi flied out to right and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Fister cruised in the bottom of the 12th inning. Espinosa and Cano flied out to center before Cruz struck out to end the inning.
The Sox FINALLY broke through in the top of the thirteenth inning. Ramirez singled but JBJ and Bogaerts struck out. A wild pitch moved Ramirez to second but Marrero walked. Leon slammed a single home to score Ramirez with the go-ahead run. Marrero swiped third but Devers flied out to end the inning. The Sox were 3 outs away from winning this damn thing 5-4.
Fister returned to finish the job in the bottom of the thirteenth. He struck out Seager but Haniger walked. Gamel just beat out a double play ball and the Sox were one out away from victory. Then it all blew to hell as Heredia singled Gamel to third and Fister threw a pitch 700 feet out of Safeco field to score Gamel and advance Heredia to third. Zunino walked and Segura singled up the middle, scoring Heredia with the winning run. Just like that a 5-4 win was a 6-5 defeat. Unbelievable, another bitter loss in a season that's slipping away.
Jackass of The Night is Mookie Betts. He went 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts and left the go-ahead run on second in the ninth inning.
The Good:
Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 6 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 6 with two total runs scored including a solo home run.
Deven Marrero walked and stole second in his only plate appearance.
Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with an rbi.
Matt Barnes tossed 2 scoreless innings.
Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 10th inning.
The Bad:
Chris Young was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drew a walk.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.
Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.
Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked twice and scored a run in his ML debut.
Drew Pomeranz lasted only 5 innings and allowed 3 runs, getting in trouble the whole time he was in. The bullpen had to throw 8 innings because he only went 5.
Heath Hembree cruised in the 6th but allowed the tying run in the 7th.
Doug Fister took the loss but tossed 2 2/3 innings before things fell apart.
Honorable Mention:
Brock Holt pinch ran for Vazquez in the 9th.
Final Thoughts:
The season began with so much promise and it appears to be blowing up in smoke right before our eyes. The 4 hour games, the lack of clutch hitting, the behavior of David Price, and now these unbelievable losses are too much for most fans to take. The Red Sox were supposed to be the best team in the American League this year on paper and things are rapidly going downhill. Losses like these happen every year, but the timing of it was just dreadful. The Sox had a chance to bury the New York Yankees but instead fell on their face against the LA Angels and Mariners. If the Red Sox are banking on Rafael Devers to lead them to the promised land, they are screwed. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-47, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox turn to Chris Sale to dig them out of their hole. The Mariners send out Andrew Moore as they look for the sweep at 3:40 PM at Safeco Field.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Unlikable Sox Shut Out By Seattle (7/24/17)
Before the game the Boston Red Sox did what many thought was the right move and announce that 20 year old phenom Rafael Devers would be called up to Boston just 2 weeks after being promoted to Pawtucket. The third basemen is drawing comparisons to Xander Bogaerts back in 2013 when he was getting crucial hits in the World Series after being in Double A in June of 2013. Devers has a lot of power but is a below average third baseman. All of this can be worked on as the year progresses and he gets much needed experience. The casualty for Devers was Kyle Martin. The extra relief pitcher was sent back to Pawtucket, we may see him again in September.
OUT
IN
Also before the game, some seriously bad news broke that the incident between David Price and Dennis Eckersley was worse than we all thought. Apparently it started when Dennis Eckersley during a broadcast looked at Eduardo Rodriguez' hideous rehab outing in Pawtucket and said "Yuck!" David Price cornered him on the plane and mocked Dennis, swore at him and dismissed him with such words as "You don't know the game." The worst part about this was THE WHOLE TEAM BACKED PRICE. Multiple reports that Jackie Bradley Jr and others were clapping and cheering as Price lit into Eck. Whether this is true or not is up in the air but what IS true is Price went on this tirade. The guy is already in hot water for not living up to his 217 million dollar contract but then he insults one of the most mild-mannered, well liked personalities in Boston? Not only that, the absurd comment that "he doesn't know the game and has no idea what its like out there." Price better stick his nose in a book or look on youtube since Eckersley gave up arguably the most famous home run of the 1980's in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Not only that, Eck came back to close out every game of the 1989 World Series and every game of the 1990 ALCS against the Red Sox. So unlike Price who craps his pants in every post-season start, Eck gave up a potential career killer and came back to continue his domination. Let's see Price do that. All in all this team has been pretty unlikable with their four hour games, the Pablo Sandoval situation, the carefree attitude of Hanley Ramirez and the lack of offense, but this just put the icing on the cake. Its becoming very hard to root for this team anymore.
One's a hall of famer, the other is a shamer
If all this wasn't bad enough, the Sox went out and dropped a turd against the Seattle Mariners. The incompetent Red Sox offense was held to just 4 hits by Seattle starter James Paxton. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 3.89 ERA) melted down in the second inning and the lifeless Sox dropped the game 4-0 at Safeco Field in Seattle.
Even the kids have had enough
Things went bad right from the start as Mookie Betts watched strike three go by to start the top of the first inning. Andrew Benintendi also looked at strike three and Dustin Pedroia lined out to center to end the inning. Jean Segura walked to open the bottom of the first but Rodriguez struck out both Danny Valencia and Robinson Cano. Nelson Cruz grounded out to end the inning.
The lifeless Sox went through the motions in the top of the second inning as Hanley Ramirez grounded out to first to start. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out and Chris Young popped up to short to end the inning. The Mariners pounced in the bottom of the second as Kyle Seager blasted a home run to center to give the M's the lead. Mitch Haniger grounded out but Ben Gamel tripled past Betts in right. Guillermo Heredia hit a ground ball to Ramirez who....stood there. That's right, didn't try to tag first, he just stood there. Gamel scored and Heredia stood on first. Mike Zunino struck out but Segura doubled to score Heredia. Valencia lined out to second to end the inning but it was 3-0 Mariners.
Holt "Seager you stink!"
The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third inning as Deven Marrero struck out to start. Vazquez hit a comebacker to the mound and Holt grounded out to third to end the inning. Cano grounded out to third to open the bottom of the frame although Cruz walked. Seager whiffed and Haniger flied out to center to end the inning.
The Sox went hitless in the top of the fourth inning as Betts flied out to right, Benintendi grounded out to second and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Gamel singled although Heredia flied out to center. Zunino whiffed but Segura was plunked. Valencia doubled to score Gamel with another run. Cano lined out to left to end the inning but it was 4-0 Mariners.
There goes the game
Ramirez grounded out to third to open the top of the fifth but JBJ got the Sox first hit with a single to center. Young was rung up for strike three but a wild pitch moved JBJ to second. It didn't matter as Marrero whiffed to end the inning. Rodriguez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Cruz lined out to left, Seager flied out to left and Haniger grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox got their only threat in the top of the sixth as Vazquez flied out to right but Valencia threw away a routine grounder, allowing Holt to reach. Betts singled to left but both Benintendi and Pedroia struck out to end the inning. Rodriguez returned for the bottom of the sixth and froze Gamel for strike three. Heredia caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single and that was it for Rodriguez. Eduardo had thrown 5 1/2 innings but allowed 4 runs, not good enough. Not good at all. Brandon Workman came in and Zunino lined out to center. Heredia tried to steal second but he was gunned down by Vazquez trying to steal to end the inning.
Another below average performance
The Sox tried to fight back when Ramirez and JBJ singled to open the top of the seventh inning. That was it as Young looked at strike three and Marrero banged into a double play to end the inning. Workman returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Segura to hit a comebacker for the first out. Valencia whiffed and Cano grounded out to first to end the inning.
Nick Vincent replaced Paxton in the top of the eighth but Vazquez grounded out to third. Holt popped to short and Betts flied out to right to end the inning. Talk about totally lifeless. Doug Fister appeared out of nowhere on the mound to pitch the bottom of the eighth much to Workman's surprise. Fister pitched a clean inning as Cruz flied out to center, Seager hit one up the elevator shaft and Haniger grounded out to short to end the inning.
David Phelps came in to close it out in the top of the ninth inning. Benintendi grounded out to short, Pedroia struck out and Ramirez watched strike three to end the game. The Sox had put up a goose egg, struck out 12 times as a team and lost 4-0.
Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. Sure, it didn't matter if Cy Young was on the mound when the offense gets shut out but the game was out of reach early. Going 5 1/3 innings and allowing 4 runs isn't going to help.
Rodriguez is Jackass again
The Good:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3.
Brandon Workman pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Doug Fister pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Chris Young was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Deven Marrero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.
Brock Holt was 0 for 3.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
Its bad enough this team is playing horrible on the field but now that the details of the Price/Eckerseley situation has come out, this team now looks a hell of a lot worse. The fans can do something about it though. Price is scheduled to start this Friday night at Fenway against Kansas City, that would be a great time to boo the living daylights out of every last member of the team. Betts, Bogaerts, Price, John Farrell, Dave Dombrowski....boo them all. Why not? After they look lifeless time and time again against the most mediocre of pitchers, the fans need to send a message that they have had enough. This team needs offense and Dombrowski needs to do something. Promoting Devers is just the start, he needs to make another move as well. Former Sox player turned radio personality Lou Merloni said it best when he said "Hey Dombrowski, fans don't like your team right now." The loss drops the Sox to 55-46, 2 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the hated Sox will be shutout by King Felix Hernandez. Drew Pomeranz will be the hard luck loser and the carnage starts at 10:00 PM Eastern time.
Also before the game, some seriously bad news broke that the incident between David Price and Dennis Eckersley was worse than we all thought. Apparently it started when Dennis Eckersley during a broadcast looked at Eduardo Rodriguez' hideous rehab outing in Pawtucket and said "Yuck!" David Price cornered him on the plane and mocked Dennis, swore at him and dismissed him with such words as "You don't know the game." The worst part about this was THE WHOLE TEAM BACKED PRICE. Multiple reports that Jackie Bradley Jr and others were clapping and cheering as Price lit into Eck. Whether this is true or not is up in the air but what IS true is Price went on this tirade. The guy is already in hot water for not living up to his 217 million dollar contract but then he insults one of the most mild-mannered, well liked personalities in Boston? Not only that, the absurd comment that "he doesn't know the game and has no idea what its like out there." Price better stick his nose in a book or look on youtube since Eckersley gave up arguably the most famous home run of the 1980's in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Not only that, Eck came back to close out every game of the 1989 World Series and every game of the 1990 ALCS against the Red Sox. So unlike Price who craps his pants in every post-season start, Eck gave up a potential career killer and came back to continue his domination. Let's see Price do that. All in all this team has been pretty unlikable with their four hour games, the Pablo Sandoval situation, the carefree attitude of Hanley Ramirez and the lack of offense, but this just put the icing on the cake. Its becoming very hard to root for this team anymore.
If all this wasn't bad enough, the Sox went out and dropped a turd against the Seattle Mariners. The incompetent Red Sox offense was held to just 4 hits by Seattle starter James Paxton. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 3.89 ERA) melted down in the second inning and the lifeless Sox dropped the game 4-0 at Safeco Field in Seattle.
Things went bad right from the start as Mookie Betts watched strike three go by to start the top of the first inning. Andrew Benintendi also looked at strike three and Dustin Pedroia lined out to center to end the inning. Jean Segura walked to open the bottom of the first but Rodriguez struck out both Danny Valencia and Robinson Cano. Nelson Cruz grounded out to end the inning.
The lifeless Sox went through the motions in the top of the second inning as Hanley Ramirez grounded out to first to start. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out and Chris Young popped up to short to end the inning. The Mariners pounced in the bottom of the second as Kyle Seager blasted a home run to center to give the M's the lead. Mitch Haniger grounded out but Ben Gamel tripled past Betts in right. Guillermo Heredia hit a ground ball to Ramirez who....stood there. That's right, didn't try to tag first, he just stood there. Gamel scored and Heredia stood on first. Mike Zunino struck out but Segura doubled to score Heredia. Valencia lined out to second to end the inning but it was 3-0 Mariners.
The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third inning as Deven Marrero struck out to start. Vazquez hit a comebacker to the mound and Holt grounded out to third to end the inning. Cano grounded out to third to open the bottom of the frame although Cruz walked. Seager whiffed and Haniger flied out to center to end the inning.
The Sox went hitless in the top of the fourth inning as Betts flied out to right, Benintendi grounded out to second and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Gamel singled although Heredia flied out to center. Zunino whiffed but Segura was plunked. Valencia doubled to score Gamel with another run. Cano lined out to left to end the inning but it was 4-0 Mariners.
Ramirez grounded out to third to open the top of the fifth but JBJ got the Sox first hit with a single to center. Young was rung up for strike three but a wild pitch moved JBJ to second. It didn't matter as Marrero whiffed to end the inning. Rodriguez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Cruz lined out to left, Seager flied out to left and Haniger grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox got their only threat in the top of the sixth as Vazquez flied out to right but Valencia threw away a routine grounder, allowing Holt to reach. Betts singled to left but both Benintendi and Pedroia struck out to end the inning. Rodriguez returned for the bottom of the sixth and froze Gamel for strike three. Heredia caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single and that was it for Rodriguez. Eduardo had thrown 5 1/2 innings but allowed 4 runs, not good enough. Not good at all. Brandon Workman came in and Zunino lined out to center. Heredia tried to steal second but he was gunned down by Vazquez trying to steal to end the inning.
The Sox tried to fight back when Ramirez and JBJ singled to open the top of the seventh inning. That was it as Young looked at strike three and Marrero banged into a double play to end the inning. Workman returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Segura to hit a comebacker for the first out. Valencia whiffed and Cano grounded out to first to end the inning.
Nick Vincent replaced Paxton in the top of the eighth but Vazquez grounded out to third. Holt popped to short and Betts flied out to right to end the inning. Talk about totally lifeless. Doug Fister appeared out of nowhere on the mound to pitch the bottom of the eighth much to Workman's surprise. Fister pitched a clean inning as Cruz flied out to center, Seager hit one up the elevator shaft and Haniger grounded out to short to end the inning.
David Phelps came in to close it out in the top of the ninth inning. Benintendi grounded out to short, Pedroia struck out and Ramirez watched strike three to end the game. The Sox had put up a goose egg, struck out 12 times as a team and lost 4-0.
Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. Sure, it didn't matter if Cy Young was on the mound when the offense gets shut out but the game was out of reach early. Going 5 1/3 innings and allowing 4 runs isn't going to help.
The Good:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3.
Brandon Workman pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Doug Fister pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Chris Young was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Deven Marrero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.
Brock Holt was 0 for 3.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
Its bad enough this team is playing horrible on the field but now that the details of the Price/Eckerseley situation has come out, this team now looks a hell of a lot worse. The fans can do something about it though. Price is scheduled to start this Friday night at Fenway against Kansas City, that would be a great time to boo the living daylights out of every last member of the team. Betts, Bogaerts, Price, John Farrell, Dave Dombrowski....boo them all. Why not? After they look lifeless time and time again against the most mediocre of pitchers, the fans need to send a message that they have had enough. This team needs offense and Dombrowski needs to do something. Promoting Devers is just the start, he needs to make another move as well. Former Sox player turned radio personality Lou Merloni said it best when he said "Hey Dombrowski, fans don't like your team right now." The loss drops the Sox to 55-46, 2 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the hated Sox will be shutout by King Felix Hernandez. Drew Pomeranz will be the hard luck loser and the carnage starts at 10:00 PM Eastern time.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Lifeless Sox Drop Another To Angels (7/23/17)
The 2017 Boston Red Sox are becoming pretty unlikable these days. One year after winning the division title with one of the best run scoring offense in baseball, almost the exact same team (minus one important Papi) is now last in the majors in home runs slugging percentage and nearly last in every offensive category. This was on display as the normally dormant Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim once again shut down the Sox and used a trio of homers to hand Rick Porcello (4-13, 4.52 ERA) his 13th loss. The offense mustered just 6 hits and lost 3-2 in Anaheim Stadium as the Angels took 2 out of 3.
Larry Bird can't bear to watch this anymore
Bridwell began his domination in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to first, Andrew Benintendi whiffed and Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Porcello matched Bridwell in the bottom of the first inning as Yunel Escobar grounded out to short to start. Mike Trout grounded out to third and Andrelton Simmons struck out to end the inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the second inning. Hanley Ramirez lined out to center, Mitch Moreland flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Porcello did what he could in the bottom of the second inning. Kole Calhoun struck out but CJ Cron singled. Luis Valbuena lined out to second and Ben Revere grounded out to second to end the inning.
Still no hits for the Sox in the top of the third inning. Sandy Leon and Brock Holt popped up to short before Deven Marrero grounded out to short to end the inning. Maldonado was plunked to begin the bottom of the third. Nick Franklin struck out, Escobar flied out to center and Trout was called out on strikes to end the inning.
The Sox got their first baserunner in the top of the fourth inning although Mr. Mookie grounded out to short. Benny The Kid worked a walk to break up the perfect game but JBJ struck out. Ramirez popped up to third to end the inning. The Angels struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning as Simmons crushed a solo home run to give the Angels the lead. Porcello recovered to strike out Calhoun but Cron walked. Valbuena whiffed and Revere flied out to right to end the inning but the Angels led 1-0.
Simmons ties it up
The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth inning although Moreland grounded into second to start. Bogaerts grounded out to second but Leon broke up the no-hitter with a single. Holt and Marrero stroked back to back singles to score Leon with the tying run. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning but it was now 1-1.
Marrero ties it up
Porcello responded with a shut down inning in the bottom of the fifth inning. Maldonado popped up to first, Franklin lined out to right and Escobar grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox struck back in the top of the sixth inning although Benny The Kid grounded out to first to start. JBJ flied out to left but Ramirez belted his 16th homer of the year to give the Sox the lead. Moreland grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.
Ramirez puts the Sox on top
The lead lasted approximately 26 seconds as Trout clobbered a solo home run to tie the game 3 pitches into the bottom of the sixth inning. Porcello recovered to get Simmons to ground out to first and Calhoun to fly out to left. Cron grounded out to third to end the inning but it was now 2-2.
Trout ties it up
Bridwell almost had an easy top of the seventh when Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Leon flied out to left but Holt singled. Marrero whiffed to end the inning. The Angels took command when Valbuena homered 3 pitches into the bottom of the seventh inning. Revere, Maldonado and Franklin all popped up to short to end the inning but the Angels led 3-2.
Valbuena puts the Angels up for good
Blake Parker took over for Bridwell in the top of the eighth but the Sox were dead. Mr. Mookie grounded out to first, Benny The Kid popped up to short and JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. Porcello returned for the bottom of the eighth to finish his job no matter what. Escobar lined out to center and Trout lined out to third, but Simmons singled. Calhoun hit a comebacker to end the inning. Porcello had gone 8 innings and had given up just 3 runs, normally that's an outstanding start. He deserved a better fate.
"Man this offense sucks monkey turds" - Porcello
Bud Norris came in to close out the game in the top of the ninth and Ramirez got on with a single. That was it as Moreland whiffed and Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the game. The inept offense cost them another game as the Angels won 3-2.
Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 0 for 4 and hit into the game ending double play when a bloop or a blast would have tied or won it.
Bogaerts is the Jackass
The Good:
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Brock Holt was 2 for 3.
Deven Marrero was 1 for 3 with an rbi.
One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list. Rick Porcello took the loss giving up 3 solo home runs but went the distance, pitching 8 innings and allowing just 5 total hits. Normally that's an ace quality start.
The Bad:
Mookie Betts was 0 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
This season is starting to suck royally. Back in April and May we were all saying "The offense will be fine once it warms up." Well it warmed up and the offense is still ice cold. Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley and ESPECIALLY Ramirez and Leon are nowhere where they were last year. When those guys aren't hitting, you aren't going to win. Something has to be done whether its by trade, or the popular rumor that 20 year old prospect Rafael Devers is ready. Maybe Bryce Brentz can be called up. DO SOMETHING DAVE DOMBROWSKI! Your team has a chance to repeat as division champions with a loaded rotation and bullpen, but the offense is stinking up the place. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-45, 2.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East. The team now travels to Seattle for a 3 game set with the Mariners. The offense will be completely inept against James Paxton while Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2) will be the hard luck loser no doubt. The game begins at 10:00 PM Eastern time at Safeco Field.
Bridwell began his domination in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to first, Andrew Benintendi whiffed and Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Porcello matched Bridwell in the bottom of the first inning as Yunel Escobar grounded out to short to start. Mike Trout grounded out to third and Andrelton Simmons struck out to end the inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the second inning. Hanley Ramirez lined out to center, Mitch Moreland flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Porcello did what he could in the bottom of the second inning. Kole Calhoun struck out but CJ Cron singled. Luis Valbuena lined out to second and Ben Revere grounded out to second to end the inning.
Still no hits for the Sox in the top of the third inning. Sandy Leon and Brock Holt popped up to short before Deven Marrero grounded out to short to end the inning. Maldonado was plunked to begin the bottom of the third. Nick Franklin struck out, Escobar flied out to center and Trout was called out on strikes to end the inning.
The Sox got their first baserunner in the top of the fourth inning although Mr. Mookie grounded out to short. Benny The Kid worked a walk to break up the perfect game but JBJ struck out. Ramirez popped up to third to end the inning. The Angels struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning as Simmons crushed a solo home run to give the Angels the lead. Porcello recovered to strike out Calhoun but Cron walked. Valbuena whiffed and Revere flied out to right to end the inning but the Angels led 1-0.
The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth inning although Moreland grounded into second to start. Bogaerts grounded out to second but Leon broke up the no-hitter with a single. Holt and Marrero stroked back to back singles to score Leon with the tying run. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning but it was now 1-1.
Porcello responded with a shut down inning in the bottom of the fifth inning. Maldonado popped up to first, Franklin lined out to right and Escobar grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox struck back in the top of the sixth inning although Benny The Kid grounded out to first to start. JBJ flied out to left but Ramirez belted his 16th homer of the year to give the Sox the lead. Moreland grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.
The lead lasted approximately 26 seconds as Trout clobbered a solo home run to tie the game 3 pitches into the bottom of the sixth inning. Porcello recovered to get Simmons to ground out to first and Calhoun to fly out to left. Cron grounded out to third to end the inning but it was now 2-2.
Bridwell almost had an easy top of the seventh when Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Leon flied out to left but Holt singled. Marrero whiffed to end the inning. The Angels took command when Valbuena homered 3 pitches into the bottom of the seventh inning. Revere, Maldonado and Franklin all popped up to short to end the inning but the Angels led 3-2.
Blake Parker took over for Bridwell in the top of the eighth but the Sox were dead. Mr. Mookie grounded out to first, Benny The Kid popped up to short and JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. Porcello returned for the bottom of the eighth to finish his job no matter what. Escobar lined out to center and Trout lined out to third, but Simmons singled. Calhoun hit a comebacker to end the inning. Porcello had gone 8 innings and had given up just 3 runs, normally that's an outstanding start. He deserved a better fate.
Bud Norris came in to close out the game in the top of the ninth and Ramirez got on with a single. That was it as Moreland whiffed and Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the game. The inept offense cost them another game as the Angels won 3-2.
Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 0 for 4 and hit into the game ending double play when a bloop or a blast would have tied or won it.
The Good:
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Brock Holt was 2 for 3.
Deven Marrero was 1 for 3 with an rbi.
One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list. Rick Porcello took the loss giving up 3 solo home runs but went the distance, pitching 8 innings and allowing just 5 total hits. Normally that's an ace quality start.
The Bad:
Mookie Betts was 0 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
This season is starting to suck royally. Back in April and May we were all saying "The offense will be fine once it warms up." Well it warmed up and the offense is still ice cold. Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley and ESPECIALLY Ramirez and Leon are nowhere where they were last year. When those guys aren't hitting, you aren't going to win. Something has to be done whether its by trade, or the popular rumor that 20 year old prospect Rafael Devers is ready. Maybe Bryce Brentz can be called up. DO SOMETHING DAVE DOMBROWSKI! Your team has a chance to repeat as division champions with a loaded rotation and bullpen, but the offense is stinking up the place. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-45, 2.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East. The team now travels to Seattle for a 3 game set with the Mariners. The offense will be completely inept against James Paxton while Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2) will be the hard luck loser no doubt. The game begins at 10:00 PM Eastern time at Safeco Field.
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Price Pounded, Angels Strike Back (7/22/17)
David Price (5-3, 3.82 ERA) has been under heavy fire for his behavior all season and it can be overlooked when he's pitching well, but this was NOT a well pitched game. He was awful as the lowly Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pounded him for 6 runs in just 5 innings and held off the Boston Red Sox for a 7-3 win at Anaheim Stadium. Thanks for nothing, Price.
At first the Sox wasted no time scoring in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to second but Andrew Benintendi walked. Dustin Pedroia walked and Hanley Ramirez singled Benny in to give the Sox the lead. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.
Hanley makes it 1-0
Price took the mound in the bottom of the first inning and initially did well. Yunel Escobar whiffed and Price froze Mike Trout. Albert Pujols singled but CJ Cron flied out to right to end the inning.
The Sox poured it on in the top of the second inning against Angels starter JC Ramirez. Mitch Moreland singled and Christian Vazquez hit a picture perfect double play ball to Cron at first. Moreland was out at second but shortstop Andrelton Simmons heaved the ball over the head of Cron on the return throw and Christian was safe at second base. Vazquez moved to third on the groundout by Brock Holt and scored on the Mr. Mookie double. Benny The Kid singled in Betts and the Sox had Ramirez on the ropes. Too bad Pedroia grounded out to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox. The Sox had 3 runs and 4 hits at this point.....and would have just 2 hits the rest of the game.
It looked good when it was 3-0
Price responded in the bottom of the second by getting Simmons to ground out to start, but Calhoun walked. Martin Maldonado looked at strike three and Cliff Pennington grounded out to end the inning.
Ramirez cruised in the top of the third as Ramirez grounded to short, JBJ lined out to center and Bogaerts looked at strike three to end the inning. Suddenly the Angels exploded in the bottom of the third. Ben Revere singled but was erased on the force by Escobar. Trout walked and Pujols scored both of them with a double into the gap. Cron flied out and Price was one out away from escaping with the lead. It didn't happen as Simmons blasted a 2 run bomb to give the Angels the lead. Calhoun popped to short but the damage was done, 4-3 Angels.
Vazquez says "Well this game is over"
The Sox proceeded to lay down from here on in. Moreland looked at strike three to open the top of the fourth before Vazquez grounded out to third. Holt flied out to left to end the inning. Price recovered in the bottom of the fourth as Maldonado grounded out to first to begin. Pennington struck out and Revere hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts....who did a flying elbow drop on it rather than field it before posing for the confused crowd. Revere reached on the error and Escobar walked, but Trout flied out to center to end the inning.
Things got testy in the top of the fifth inning. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Benny The Kid was rung up on a pitch way inside by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, drawing the ire of the Red Sox dugout. Then Pedroia was rung up as well on a pitch that Price was not getting to this point. Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough and he sprinted out of the dugout, chewing out Cuzzi. The umpire gave Farrell the HEAVE-HO and the enraged manager chased Cuzzi all the way to the centerfield bleachers before JBJ restrained him. What a mess.
Yerrrrr out!
Things fell further apart in the bottom of the fifth as Pujols and Cron hit back to back singles. Simmons singled home Pujols but Cron was tagged out in a rundown, although Simmons took second. Calhoun was plunked but Maldonado hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts...who turned around and threw it into the bleachers before running in a circle celebrating his own bizarre error. Simmons scored on the error but the alert Vazquez picked off Calhoun at third. Pennington struck out to end the inning but it was now 6-3 Angels.
6-3 Angels
The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the sixth inning although Ramirez popped up to first to start. JBJ looked at strike three but Bogaerts made up for his miscues with a double. Moreland walked to bring the tying run to the plate...but Vazquez lined out to end the inning. Heath Hembree replaced Price in the bottom of the sixth inning and crapped his pants as well. Revere singled to center but Escobar lined out to right. Revere swiped second and scored on the Trout single. Pujols flied out to right but Trout swiped second. Cron flied out to right to end the inning with the game out of reach 7-3.
All Angels in this one
Blake Parker replaced Ramirez for the top of the seventh and Holt whiffed badly to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Benny The Kid grounded out to second to end the inning. "The Outlaw" Ben Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and got Simmons to fly out to start. Calhoun whiffed but Maldonado doubled. Pennington flied out to right to end the inning.
David Hernandez was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Pedroia singled to start. Ramirez killed the rally with a double play and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. Taylor returned for the bottom of the eighth and Revere grounded out to short to start. Escobar looked at strike three and Trout lined out to center to end the inning.
Bud Norris had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Bogaerts whiffed to start. Moreland grounded out to first and Vazquez popped up to third to end the game. The Angels had blown past the Sox to win it 7-3.
Jackass of the Night is David Price. He allowed 6 runs in just 5 innings to a rather lousy Angels offense, putting the Sox too far behind to make a comeback.
Nice going Jackass
The Good:
Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and rbi.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Ben Taylor pitched 2 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Heath Hembree allowed a run in an inning of work.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 and committed 2 errors in the field.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 but scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Does this team have no balls or what? They smack around JC Ramirez for 3 runs and 4 hits by the second inning and as soon as the Angels took the lead, they mailed it in. 2 hits...TWO HITS in the final 7 innings. Granted Price stunk the joint out but laying down and not even trying is ridiculous. Its bad enough the Sox are catching fire for bad behavior but now their on field product is just as shameful. How do you only get 2 hits the rest of the game? A truly pathetic display that's becoming more and more frequent. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-44, 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox get shut down by Parker Bridwell and Rick Porcello (4-12) will surely take the loss at 3:30 PM Eastern time.
At first the Sox wasted no time scoring in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to second but Andrew Benintendi walked. Dustin Pedroia walked and Hanley Ramirez singled Benny in to give the Sox the lead. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.
Price took the mound in the bottom of the first inning and initially did well. Yunel Escobar whiffed and Price froze Mike Trout. Albert Pujols singled but CJ Cron flied out to right to end the inning.
The Sox poured it on in the top of the second inning against Angels starter JC Ramirez. Mitch Moreland singled and Christian Vazquez hit a picture perfect double play ball to Cron at first. Moreland was out at second but shortstop Andrelton Simmons heaved the ball over the head of Cron on the return throw and Christian was safe at second base. Vazquez moved to third on the groundout by Brock Holt and scored on the Mr. Mookie double. Benny The Kid singled in Betts and the Sox had Ramirez on the ropes. Too bad Pedroia grounded out to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox. The Sox had 3 runs and 4 hits at this point.....and would have just 2 hits the rest of the game.
Price responded in the bottom of the second by getting Simmons to ground out to start, but Calhoun walked. Martin Maldonado looked at strike three and Cliff Pennington grounded out to end the inning.
Ramirez cruised in the top of the third as Ramirez grounded to short, JBJ lined out to center and Bogaerts looked at strike three to end the inning. Suddenly the Angels exploded in the bottom of the third. Ben Revere singled but was erased on the force by Escobar. Trout walked and Pujols scored both of them with a double into the gap. Cron flied out and Price was one out away from escaping with the lead. It didn't happen as Simmons blasted a 2 run bomb to give the Angels the lead. Calhoun popped to short but the damage was done, 4-3 Angels.
The Sox proceeded to lay down from here on in. Moreland looked at strike three to open the top of the fourth before Vazquez grounded out to third. Holt flied out to left to end the inning. Price recovered in the bottom of the fourth as Maldonado grounded out to first to begin. Pennington struck out and Revere hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts....who did a flying elbow drop on it rather than field it before posing for the confused crowd. Revere reached on the error and Escobar walked, but Trout flied out to center to end the inning.
Things got testy in the top of the fifth inning. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Benny The Kid was rung up on a pitch way inside by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, drawing the ire of the Red Sox dugout. Then Pedroia was rung up as well on a pitch that Price was not getting to this point. Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough and he sprinted out of the dugout, chewing out Cuzzi. The umpire gave Farrell the HEAVE-HO and the enraged manager chased Cuzzi all the way to the centerfield bleachers before JBJ restrained him. What a mess.
Things fell further apart in the bottom of the fifth as Pujols and Cron hit back to back singles. Simmons singled home Pujols but Cron was tagged out in a rundown, although Simmons took second. Calhoun was plunked but Maldonado hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts...who turned around and threw it into the bleachers before running in a circle celebrating his own bizarre error. Simmons scored on the error but the alert Vazquez picked off Calhoun at third. Pennington struck out to end the inning but it was now 6-3 Angels.
The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the sixth inning although Ramirez popped up to first to start. JBJ looked at strike three but Bogaerts made up for his miscues with a double. Moreland walked to bring the tying run to the plate...but Vazquez lined out to end the inning. Heath Hembree replaced Price in the bottom of the sixth inning and crapped his pants as well. Revere singled to center but Escobar lined out to right. Revere swiped second and scored on the Trout single. Pujols flied out to right but Trout swiped second. Cron flied out to right to end the inning with the game out of reach 7-3.
Blake Parker replaced Ramirez for the top of the seventh and Holt whiffed badly to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Benny The Kid grounded out to second to end the inning. "The Outlaw" Ben Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and got Simmons to fly out to start. Calhoun whiffed but Maldonado doubled. Pennington flied out to right to end the inning.
David Hernandez was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Pedroia singled to start. Ramirez killed the rally with a double play and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. Taylor returned for the bottom of the eighth and Revere grounded out to short to start. Escobar looked at strike three and Trout lined out to center to end the inning.
Bud Norris had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Bogaerts whiffed to start. Moreland grounded out to first and Vazquez popped up to third to end the game. The Angels had blown past the Sox to win it 7-3.
Jackass of the Night is David Price. He allowed 6 runs in just 5 innings to a rather lousy Angels offense, putting the Sox too far behind to make a comeback.
The Good:
Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and rbi.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Ben Taylor pitched 2 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Heath Hembree allowed a run in an inning of work.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 and committed 2 errors in the field.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 but scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Does this team have no balls or what? They smack around JC Ramirez for 3 runs and 4 hits by the second inning and as soon as the Angels took the lead, they mailed it in. 2 hits...TWO HITS in the final 7 innings. Granted Price stunk the joint out but laying down and not even trying is ridiculous. Its bad enough the Sox are catching fire for bad behavior but now their on field product is just as shameful. How do you only get 2 hits the rest of the game? A truly pathetic display that's becoming more and more frequent. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-44, 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox get shut down by Parker Bridwell and Rick Porcello (4-12) will surely take the loss at 3:30 PM Eastern time.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Sale Grounds Angels, Sox Cruise (7/21/17)
When it doubt, start Chris Sale (12-4, 2.48 ERA). That seems to be the only way the Boston Red Sox can win these days since their offense is about as useless as last night's toast. Sale tossed 6 shut-out innings, the Sox blew the game open early and opened their west coast trip with a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Henry Bowers approves of the win
Ricky Nolasco had absolutely nothing in the top of the first inning when the Sox pounded him. Mr. Mookie Betts doubled and Andrew Benintendi singled him in, Betts flying head over heels at the plate although he was safe. Benintendi advanced to second on the throw to give the Sox the lead two batters into the game. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second but Benny moved to third. Mitch Moreland lashed a single to right that scored Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez singled as well, moving Moreland to third. A wild pitch scored Moreland and advanced Ramirez to second, and he scored on the Xander Bogaerts single. JBJ singled home Bogaerts but was thrown out at second trying to stretch to end the inning. The Sox had given Sale a 5-0 lead to work with.
Betts kamikazes into home to give the Sox the lead
JBJ made up for his baserunning blunder with a great diving catch to rob Yunel Escobar of extra bases to lead off the bottom of the first. Mike Trout walked but Albert Pujols flied out to right. CJ Cron looked at strike three to end the inning.
What a play by JBJ
The Sox offense went quiet in the top of the second inning as Brock Holt grounded out to second, Mr. Mookie lined out to center and Benny The Kid flied out to left to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the second inning as Andrelton Simmons looked at strike three, Kole Calhoun lined out to left and Martin Maldonado struck out to end the inning.
Pedroia grounded out to open the top of the third before Moreland flied out to right and Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning. Sale blew away Shane Robinson to open the bottom of the third but Cliff Pennington singled. Cliff was erased on the force by Escobar and Trout watched strike three go by to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth inning although Bogaerts flied out to right to start. JBJ singled but Leon struck out. Holt singled and Betts singled home JBJ for another run. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.
Betts makes it 6-0
Sale cruised in the bottom of the fourth a Pujols and Cron both popped up to first and Simmons grounded out to third to end the inning.
Ben Revere took over in left as Yusmeiro Petit replaced Nolasco for the top of the fifth inning. Pedroia whiffed, Moreland flied out to left and Ramirez watched strike three go by to end the inning. Sale returned for the bottom of the fifth and got Calhoun to watch strike three go by. Maldonaldo singled but Revere to flied out to left. Pennington doubled to put two men in scoring position but Escobar struck out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth inning as Bogaerts grounded out to first, JBJ grounded out to short and Leon whiffed to end the inning. Sale returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth inning although he walked Trout to begin. Pujols whiffed and Cron lined out before Simmons singled. Sale blew away Calhoun to end the inning. Sale wasn't his sharpest but still hung on to throw 6 shut-out innings.
Sale shuts em down for 6 innings
Jose Alvarez took over on the mound in the top of the seventh inning and got Holt to ground out. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi struck out. A wild pitch moved Betts to second but Pedroia grounded out to end the inning. Kyle Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and immediately served up a solo home run to Maldonado. Revere grounded out to short, Pennington grounded out to second and Escobar grounded out to third to end the inning but the Angels were on the board 6-1.
Martin gives it up to Martin
Kenyan Middleton was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth and Moreland whiffed. Ramirez and Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. Martin returned for the bottom of the eighth and got Trout to ground out to begin. Pujols walked and Cron singled to chase Martin from the game. Matt Barnes came in and got Simmons to bang into a double play to end the inning.
Cam Bedrosian had mop up duty in the top of the ninth for the Angels. JBJ lined out to right, Leon looked at strike three and Holt struck out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the ninth and got Calhoun to line out to left. Maldonado walked, took second because nobody cared and scored on the Revere single. Luis Valbuena pinch hit for Pennington as Revere took second because nobody cared. Valbuena whiffed and Escobar grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.
Win, Dance, Repeat
Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. The Sox exploded early and he responded by not allowing a single run for 6 solid innings. He allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.
Sale is your Hero again
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored and an rbi.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
The Bad:
Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and run scored.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.
Kyle Martin allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.
Matt Barnes allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.
Final Thoughts:
That's a pretty good way to start a west coast trip with every game starting at 1 in the morning or so it seems. Sale has been the savior this season and this game was no different. The Sox finally scored some runs for him and he pitched accordingly. Its too bad the offense can't produce like this more often, otherwise the Red Sox would be the clear favorite to win the AL East. The win improved the Sox to 55-44, 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night David Price (5-2, 3.39 ERA) takes on JC Ramirez in the second game of this series. First pitch is at 9 PM Eastern time.
Ricky Nolasco had absolutely nothing in the top of the first inning when the Sox pounded him. Mr. Mookie Betts doubled and Andrew Benintendi singled him in, Betts flying head over heels at the plate although he was safe. Benintendi advanced to second on the throw to give the Sox the lead two batters into the game. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second but Benny moved to third. Mitch Moreland lashed a single to right that scored Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez singled as well, moving Moreland to third. A wild pitch scored Moreland and advanced Ramirez to second, and he scored on the Xander Bogaerts single. JBJ singled home Bogaerts but was thrown out at second trying to stretch to end the inning. The Sox had given Sale a 5-0 lead to work with.
JBJ made up for his baserunning blunder with a great diving catch to rob Yunel Escobar of extra bases to lead off the bottom of the first. Mike Trout walked but Albert Pujols flied out to right. CJ Cron looked at strike three to end the inning.
The Sox offense went quiet in the top of the second inning as Brock Holt grounded out to second, Mr. Mookie lined out to center and Benny The Kid flied out to left to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the second inning as Andrelton Simmons looked at strike three, Kole Calhoun lined out to left and Martin Maldonado struck out to end the inning.
Pedroia grounded out to open the top of the third before Moreland flied out to right and Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning. Sale blew away Shane Robinson to open the bottom of the third but Cliff Pennington singled. Cliff was erased on the force by Escobar and Trout watched strike three go by to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth inning although Bogaerts flied out to right to start. JBJ singled but Leon struck out. Holt singled and Betts singled home JBJ for another run. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.
Sale cruised in the bottom of the fourth a Pujols and Cron both popped up to first and Simmons grounded out to third to end the inning.
Ben Revere took over in left as Yusmeiro Petit replaced Nolasco for the top of the fifth inning. Pedroia whiffed, Moreland flied out to left and Ramirez watched strike three go by to end the inning. Sale returned for the bottom of the fifth and got Calhoun to watch strike three go by. Maldonaldo singled but Revere to flied out to left. Pennington doubled to put two men in scoring position but Escobar struck out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth inning as Bogaerts grounded out to first, JBJ grounded out to short and Leon whiffed to end the inning. Sale returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth inning although he walked Trout to begin. Pujols whiffed and Cron lined out before Simmons singled. Sale blew away Calhoun to end the inning. Sale wasn't his sharpest but still hung on to throw 6 shut-out innings.
Jose Alvarez took over on the mound in the top of the seventh inning and got Holt to ground out. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi struck out. A wild pitch moved Betts to second but Pedroia grounded out to end the inning. Kyle Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and immediately served up a solo home run to Maldonado. Revere grounded out to short, Pennington grounded out to second and Escobar grounded out to third to end the inning but the Angels were on the board 6-1.
Kenyan Middleton was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth and Moreland whiffed. Ramirez and Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. Martin returned for the bottom of the eighth and got Trout to ground out to begin. Pujols walked and Cron singled to chase Martin from the game. Matt Barnes came in and got Simmons to bang into a double play to end the inning.
Cam Bedrosian had mop up duty in the top of the ninth for the Angels. JBJ lined out to right, Leon looked at strike three and Holt struck out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the ninth and got Calhoun to line out to left. Maldonado walked, took second because nobody cared and scored on the Revere single. Luis Valbuena pinch hit for Pennington as Revere took second because nobody cared. Valbuena whiffed and Escobar grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.
Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. The Sox exploded early and he responded by not allowing a single run for 6 solid innings. He allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 2 for 3 with a walk, run scored and an rbi.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
The Bad:
Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and run scored.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.
Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.
Kyle Martin allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.
Matt Barnes allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.
Final Thoughts:
That's a pretty good way to start a west coast trip with every game starting at 1 in the morning or so it seems. Sale has been the savior this season and this game was no different. The Sox finally scored some runs for him and he pitched accordingly. Its too bad the offense can't produce like this more often, otherwise the Red Sox would be the clear favorite to win the AL East. The win improved the Sox to 55-44, 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night David Price (5-2, 3.39 ERA) takes on JC Ramirez in the second game of this series. First pitch is at 9 PM Eastern time.
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